DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Xu et al. (US 9,640,985).
Regarding Claim 1, Xu discloses a method for interrupting a circuit breaker (Figures 1-4, Abstract), wherein the circuit breaker comprises a transfer branch (comprising 28, 30, Figure 4) and a current-carrying branch (comprising 20, 22, Figure 4) which are connected in parallel (transfer branch comprising 28, 30 connected in parallel with main current carrying branch 20, 22, Figure 4), the transfer branch comprising an oscillation circuit formed by a transfer capacitor (34, Figure 4) and an inductor (32, Figure 4) and a conduction circuit (30, 36, Figure 4) connected in series with the oscillation circuit (34, 32 and 30, 36 connected in series, Figure 4), and the method comprises the following steps:
S100: when a fault current in the current-carrying branch decreases, controlling the conduction circuit in the transfer branch to conduct, and forming a loop by the conduction circuit after conduction with the oscillation circuit and the current-carrying branch (Figure 4, Column 5, lines 56-63);
S200: forming a transfer current continuously oscillating through oscillating discharge of the oscillation circuit, and injecting the transfer current into the current-carrying branch through the loop (Figure 4, Column 5, lines 56-63); and
S300: reversely superimposing the transfer current with the fault current in the current-carrying branch during a continuous oscillation process to enable the current-carrying branch to generate a plurality of current zeros (Figure 4, Column 5, lines 56-63, “…LC resonant unit 28, ……the third semiconductor switch unit 30 form a resonant loop. When the resonant current is equal to zero…”).
Regarding Claim 2, Xu discloses the method according to Claim 1, wherein, preferably, in step S 100, when the fault current decreases to a certain characteristic value, the conduction circuit in the transfer branch is conducted (Column 5, lines 56-60).
Regarding Claim 3, Xu discloses the method according to Claim 1, wherein the conduction circuit comprises reversely parallel-connected controllable power electronic devices which are connected in series with the transfer capacitor and the inductor (semiconductor switch unit 30 and diode 36 reversely parallel-connected, Figure 4, Column 5, lines 32-39).
Regarding Claim 4, Xu discloses the method according to Claim 1, wherein the conduction circuit further comprises a bridge circuit formed by the controllable power electronic devices (bridge circuit formed by 30, 36, Figure 4).
Regarding Claim 5, Xu discloses the method according to Claim 1, wherein the circuit breaker further comprises a current- limiting branch which is connected in parallel with the transfer branch and the current-carrying branch (current- limiting branch comprising MOV 38 connected in parallel with the transfer branch comprising 28, 30 and the current-carrying branch comprising 20, 22, Figure 4).
Regarding Claim 6, Xu discloses the method according to Claim 1, wherein the circuit breaker further comprises a freewheeling branch connected in parallel with the current-carrying branch (freewheeling branch comprising 24 in parallel with the current carrying branch comprising 20, 22, Figure 4).
Regarding Claim 7, Xu discloses the method according to Claim 1, wherein the circuit breaker further comprises a voltage-limiting branch connected in parallel with the current-carrying branch (comprising MOV 38 in parallel with the current carrying branch comprising 20, 22, Figure 4).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Yang (US 2020/0343719) discloses a method for interrupting a circuit breaker (Figures 1-9), wherein the circuit breaker comprises a transfer branch (comprising C, L, VT1, Figure 1) and a current-carrying branch which are connected in parallel (transfer branch comprising C, L, VT1 connected in parallel with Main current branch S1, Figure 1), the transfer branch comprising an oscillation circuit formed by a transfer capacitor and an inductor and a conduction circuit connected in series with the oscillation circuit (C, L, VT1 connected in series), and the method comprises the following steps:
S100: when a fault current in the current-carrying branch decreases, controlling the conduction circuit in the transfer branch to conduct, and forming a loop by the conduction circuit after conduction with the oscillation circuit and the current-carrying branch (Paragraph 25, Claim 10, step 2);
S200: forming a transfer current continuously oscillating through oscillating discharge of the oscillation circuit, and injecting the transfer current into the current-carrying branch through the loop (Paragraph 25, Claim 10, step 2); and
S300: reversely superimposing the transfer current with the fault current in the current- carrying branch during a continuous oscillation process to enable the current-carrying branch to generate a plurality of current zeros (Paragraphs 25-26, Claim 10, step 3).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LUCY M THOMAS whose telephone number is (571)272-6002. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 9:30 am - 5:30 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Crystal L Hammond can be reached at (571)270-1682. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/LUCY M THOMAS/Examiner, Art Unit 2838, 7/03/2026
/CRYSTAL L HAMMOND/Supervisory Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838
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