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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, “the monitoring equipment is connected to one or more tap traditional transformers” (see claims 3 and 12) must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 1, line 27 recites “switching speed characteristics of the elements”, which should be -- switching speed characteristics of an elements -- because this term was not previously presented in the claim.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 2 is objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 2, line 3 recites “the voltage”, which should be -- a voltage -- because this term was not previously presented in the claim; Claim 2, line 5 recites “controller closes at least one of the switches of the bypass circuit”, which should be -- controller closes at least one of a switches of the bypass circuit or controller closes at least one of the relay, the SCR, and the MOV of the bypass circuit -- because in this way was previously this term in the claim.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 9 is objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 9, lines 5-6 recites “the positive end point and the negative end point”, which should be -- a positive end point and a negative end point -- because these terms were not previously presented in the claim.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 10 is objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 10, first line recites “a hybrid transformer”, which should be -- the hybrid transformer -- because this term was previously presented in the claim.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 11 is objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 11, line 2 recites “the voltage”, which should be -- a voltage -- because this term was not previously presented in the claim; Claim 11, line 4 recites “the switches of the bypass circuit”, which should be -- a switches of the bypass circuit or the relay, the SCR, and the MOV of the bypass circuit -- because in this way was previously this term in the claim.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 18 is objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 18, lines 7-8 recites “the positive end point and the negative end point”, which should be -- a positive end point and a negative end point -- because these terms were not previously presented in the claim.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1, 2, 4 and 6-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Eckhardt et al. (US 10,116,204), hereinafter Eckhardt, in view of Fender et al. (US 2013/0049728), hereinafter Fender.
Regarding claim 1, Eckhardt discloses (see figures 1-20) a hybrid transformer apparatus (figures 2 and 3), comprising: at least one power electronic module (figures 2 and 3, part 210/300), comprising: a parallel converter (figures 2 and 3, part 212/310) and a series converter (figures 2 and 3, part 214/320) electrically connected to each other to form a hybrid converter (figures 2 and 3, part hybrid converter generated by 212/310 and 214/320), the parallel converter (figures 2 and 3, part 212/310) being electrically connected to a low voltage side of a distribution transformer (figures 2 and 3, part right side of 10), and the series converter (figures 2 and 3, part 214/320) comprising a first switching switch (figure 3, part S7), a second switching switch (figure 3, part S8), a third switching switch (figure 3, part S5), a fourth switching switch (figure 3, part S6), and a compensation transformer (figure 3, part T1) (columns 5 and 6; lines 47-67 and 1-16; The apparatus 300 also includes a shunt converter circuit 310… a series converter circuit 320 having a first port coupled to the second port of the shunt converter circuit 310 via the DC busses 315a, 315b. The series converter circuit 320 includes semiconductor switches S5, S6, S7, S3, an inductor L3, and a transformer T1 having a first winding coupled in series between one of the external source terminals 301 and one of the external load terminals 302); a controller (figure 3, part 330) configured to control (figure 3, part 330) (figures 17-19), based on a number of power electronic modules (figure 3, part 300) (figure 7, part 730 and 720a/b), signals (figures 17-19, part input signals to the controller; Vdc1/2, Iload1/load2, Vs1/Vs2 and Ir1/Ir2) of at least one of the first switching switch (figure 3, part S7), the second switching switch (figure 3, part S8), the third switching switch (figure 3, part S5), and the fourth switching switch (figure 3, part S6) of the parallel converter (figures 2 and 3, part 212/310) and the series converter (figures 2 and 3, part 214/320), a bypass circuit (figure 3, part bypass circuit generated by S9/S10), and the compensation transformer (figure 3, part T1), and reduce a variation in load voltage (figures 2 and 3, part load voltage at 20/302) when a voltage input to the power electronic modules changes (figure 3, part input voltage of 300) (figure 7, part 730 and 720a/b); a communication device (figures 17-19, part communication device generated by the measurement circuit that detect the input signals to the controller; Vdc1/2, Iload1/load2, Vs1/Vs2 and Ir1/Ir2) configured to transmit voltage and current information (figures 17-19, part input signals to the controller; Vdc1/2, Iload1/load2, Vs1/Vs2 and Ir1/Ir2) of at least one of the first switching switch (figure 3, part S7), the second switching switch (figure 3, part S8), the third switching switch (figure 3, part S5), the fourth switching switch (figure 3, part S6), the bypass circuit (figure 3, part bypass circuit generated by S9/S10), and the compensation transformer (figure 3, part T1) to the controller (figure 3, part 330) (column 6; lines 17-36; A controller circuit 330 controls the shunt converter circuit 310 and the series converter circuit 320 to provide current regulation at the input port of the shunt converter circuit 310 and voltage regulation at the output port of the series converter circuit 320. In particular, the controller circuit 330 may control the switches S1, S2, S3, S4 of the shunt converter circuit 310 such that the shunt converter circuit 310 acts as a rectifier with power factor correction, harmonic mitigation and/or other control capabilities. The controller circuit 330 may similarly control the switches S5, S6, S7, S8 of the series converter circuit 320 such that it acts as a DC to AC inverter, generating an AC voltage across the series connected winding of the transformer T1 to regulate the voltage applied to the external load); and a circuit breaker (figures 3 and 20, part circuit breaker between transformer 10 and the transformer secondary interface 300) configured to cut off (figures 3 and 20, part circuit breaker between transformer 10 and the transformer secondary interface 300; cut off) an input power source of the power electronic modules (figures 2 and 3, part input power source of 210/300); wherein the bypass circuit (figure 3, part bypass circuit generated by S9/S10) comprises a relay (figure 3, part relay generated by S9), wherein the bypass circuit (figure 3, part bypass circuit generated by S9/S10) performs a fault protection operation (figure 3, part bypass circuit generated by S9/S10) when the hybrid converter fails (figures 2 and 3, part hybrid converter generated by 212/310 and 214/320) based on switching speed characteristics of the elements (figures 2 and 3, part switching speed characteristics of the elements at the hybrid converter generated by 212/310 and 214/320), shorting (figure 3, part through S9) the compensation transformer side (figure 3, part T1) to ensure normal energy transmission (column 6; lines 37-55; the apparatus 300 may further include bypass and disconnect switches S9, S10, which may be used to decouple the series converter circuit 320 from the external load in the case of, for example, failure of circuitry within the apparatus 300. The switches S9, S10 may be controlled, for example, by the control circuit 330 and/or by manual intervention. It will be appreciated that the bypass and disconnect switches S1, S2 may include mechanical, electromechanical and/or semiconductor switching devices. In some embodiments, the apparatus 300 may further include additional circuitry that supports providing a status indication, such as communications circuitry and/or mechanical indicators that provide, for example, a visual indication of the status of components of the apparatus 300. For example, such indicator may indicate, for example, status of the switches S9, S10 or other circuitry within the apparatus 300).
Eckhardt does not expressly disclose a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR), and a surge absorber (MOV).
Fender teaches (see figures 1-6) the bypass circuit (figure 5, part bypass circuit generated by BS, SCR connected in parallel to BS and MOV connected to upper terminal of BS) comprises a relay (figure 5, part relay generated by BS), a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) (figure 5, part SCR connected in parallel to BS), and a surge absorber (MOV) (figure 5, part MOV connected to upper terminal of BS), wherein the bypass circuit performs a fault protection operation (figure 5, part bypass circuit generated by BS, SCR connected in parallel to BS and MOV connected to upper terminal of BS) (paragraph [0045]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to configure the bypass circuit of Eckhardt with the bypass circuit features as taught by Fender and obtain a hybrid transformer apparatus, comprising: at least one power electronic module, comprising: a parallel converter and a series converter electrically connected to each other to form a hybrid converter, the parallel converter being electrically connected to a low voltage side of a distribution transformer, and the series converter comprising a first switching switch, a second switching switch, a third switching switch, a fourth switching switch, and a compensation transformer; a controller configured to control, based on a number of power electronic modules, signals of at least one of the first switching switch, the second switching switch, the third switching switch, and the fourth switching switch of the parallel converter and the series converter, a bypass circuit, and the compensation transformer, and reduce a variation in load voltage when a voltage input to the power electronic modules changes; a communication device configured to transmit voltage and current information of at least one of the first switching switch, the second switching switch, the third switching switch, the fourth switching switch, the bypass circuit, and the compensation transformer to the controller; and a circuit breaker configured to cut off an input power source of the power electronic modules; wherein the bypass circuit comprises a relay, a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR), and a surge absorber (MOV), wherein the bypass circuit performs a fault protection operation when the hybrid converter fails based on switching speed characteristics of the elements, shorting the compensation transformer side to ensure normal energy transmission, because it provides more robust and efficient protection circuit with losses reduction (paragraph [0026]).
Regarding claim 2, Eckhardt and Fender teach everything claimed as applied above (see claim 1). Further, Eckhardt discloses (see figures 1-20) the bypass circuit (figure 3, part bypass circuit generated by S9/S10) performs the shorting operation (figure 3, part through S9) of the compensation transformer (figure 3, part T1) by the controller (figure 3, part 330) monitoring the voltage (figures 17-19, part input signals to the controller; Vdc1/2, Vs1/Vs2) of the hybrid converter (figures 2 and 3, part hybrid converter generated by 212/310 and 214/320) and determining whether an abnormality occurs (figure 3, part 330 determining whether an abnormality occurs), and when it is determined that an abnormality (figure 3, part 330) that can be regarded as a fault occurs (figure 3, part 330), the controller (figure 3, part 330) closes at least one of the switches of the bypass circuit (figure 3, part through S9) to bypass the hybrid converter (figures 2 and 3, part hybrid converter generated by 212/310 and 214/320) (column 6; lines 37-55; the apparatus 300 may further include bypass and disconnect switches S9, S10, which may be used to decouple the series converter circuit 320 from the external load in the case of, for example, failure of circuitry within the apparatus 300. The switches S9, S10 may be controlled, for example, by the control circuit 330 and/or by manual intervention. It will be appreciated that the bypass and disconnect switches S1, S2 may include mechanical, electromechanical and/or semiconductor switching devices. In some embodiments, the apparatus 300 may further include additional circuitry that supports providing a status indication, such as communications circuitry and/or mechanical indicators that provide, for example, a visual indication of the status of components of the apparatus 300. For example, such indicator may indicate, for example, status of the switches S9, S10 or other circuitry within the apparatus 300).
Regarding claim 4, Eckhardt and Fender teach everything claimed as applied above (see claim 1). Further, Eckhardt discloses (see figures 1-20) a switch element (figure 3, part S9) of the bypass circuit (figure 3, part bypass circuit generated by S9/S10) receives a command issued by the controller (figure 3, part command issued from 330 to S9) (column 6; lines 37-55; the apparatus 300 may further include bypass and disconnect switches S9, S10, which may be used to decouple the series converter circuit 320 from the external load in the case of, for example, failure of circuitry within the apparatus 300. The switches S9, S10 may be controlled, for example, by the control circuit 330), and performs a bypass or high-frequency switching operation of the switch (figure 3, part bypass operation through S9) in cooperation with a start or shutdown procedure of the controller (figure 3, part start or shutdown procedure of 330) (column 6; lines 37-55).
Regarding claim 6, Eckhardt and Fender teach everything claimed as applied above (see claim 1). Further, Eckhardt discloses (see figures 1-20) the power electronic module (figures 2 and 3, part 210/300) further comprises a DC voltage bus (figure 3, part DC voltage bus at 315a/b) and a first connection terminal (figure 3, part first connection terminal at L/N), the parallel converter (figure 3, part 310) establishes a rated DC voltage (figure 3, part DC voltage at 315a/b) to a positive end point (figure 3, part 315a) and a negative end point of the DC voltage bus (figure 3, part 315b), the parallel converter (figure 3, part 310) is sequentially connected in parallel to the low voltage side and a feeder of the distribution transformer (figures 2 and 3, part right side of 10) through the first connection terminal (figure 3, part first connection terminal at L/N) and the circuit breaker (figures 3 and 20, part circuit breaker between transformer 10 and the transformer secondary interface 300), and the parallel converter (figure 3, part 310) is electrically connected to the first connection terminal (figure 3, part first connection terminal at L/N), the DC voltage bus (figure 3, part DC voltage bus at 315a/b), and the series converter (figure 3, part 320).
Regarding claim 7, Eckhardt and Fender teach everything claimed as applied above (see claim 1). Further, Eckhardt discloses (see figures 1-20) the power electronic module (figures 2 and 3, part 210/300) further comprises a DC voltage bus (figure 3, part DC voltage bus at 315a/b), a positive end point of the DC voltage bus (figure 3, part 315a) is electrically connected to a drain of the first switching switch (figures 3 and 4, part S7; drain terminal at MOSFET application) and a drain of the third switching switch (figures 3 and 4, part S5; drain terminal at MOSFET application), and a negative end point of the DC voltage bus (figure 3, part 315b) is electrically connected to a source of the second switching switch (figures 3 and 4, part S8; source terminal at MOSFET application) and a source of the fourth switching switch (figures 3 and 4, part S6; source terminal at MOSFET application) (column 5; lines 55-63; semiconductor switches (e.g., insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs), power MOSFETs, or the like)).
Regarding claim 8, Eckhardt and Fender teach everything claimed as applied above (see claim 1). Further, Eckhardt discloses (see figures 1-20) a source of the first switching switch (figures 3 and 4, part S7; source terminal at MOSFET application) is electrically connected to a drain of the second switching switch (figures 3 and 4, part S8; drain terminal at MOSFET application), a drain of the first switching switch (figures 3 and 4, part S7; drain terminal at MOSFET application) is electrically connected to the drain of the third switching switch (figures 3 and 4, part S5; drain terminal at MOSFET application), the source of the second switching switch (figures 3 and 4, part S8; source terminal at MOSFET application) is electrically connected to a source of the fourth switching switch (figures 3 and 4, part S6; source terminal at MOSFET application), a source of the third switching switch (figures 3 and 4, part S5; source terminal at MOSFET application) is electrically connected to a drain of the fourth switching switch (figures 3 and 4, part S6; drain terminal at MOSFET application), and the first switching switch (figures 3 and 4, part S7) to the fourth switching switch (figures 3 and 4, part S6) form an H-bridge switch structure (figures 3 and 4, part S5-S8).
Regarding claim 9, Eckhardt and Fender teach everything claimed as applied above (see claim 1). Further, Eckhardt discloses (see figures 1-20) the power electronic module (figures 2 and 3, part 210/300) further comprises a DC voltage bus (figure 3, part DC voltage bus at 315a/b), the controller (figure 3, part 330) receives an operation signal (figure 3, part operational signal from 310 to 330; in order to determine failure status) of the parallel converter (figures 2 and 3, part 212/310) to monitor whether the parallel converter is operating normally (figures 2 and 3, part 212/310) according to the operation signal (figure 3, part operational signal from 310 to 330; in order to determine failure status), and the controller (figure 3, part 330) monitors (figures 17-19, part through input signals Vdc1/2) whether the parallel converter (figures 2 and 3, part 212/310) has established a rated DC voltage (figure 3, part DC voltage at 315a/b) on the positive end point (figure 3, part 315a) and the negative end point of the DC voltage bus (figure 3, part 315b) (column 6; lines 37-55; the apparatus 300 may further include bypass and disconnect switches S9, S10, which may be used to decouple the series converter circuit 320 from the external load in the case of, for example, failure of circuitry within the apparatus 300. The switches S9, S10 may be controlled, for example, by the control circuit 330).
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Eckhardt et al. (US 10,116,204), hereinafter Eckhardt, in view of Fender et al. (US 2013/0049728), hereinafter Fender, and further in view of Divan et al. (US 2020/0013546), hereinafter Divan.
Regarding claim 3, Eckhardt and Fender teach everything claimed as applied above (see claim 1). Further, Eckhardt discloses (see figures 1-20) the hybrid converter (figures 2 and 3, part hybrid converter generated by 212/310 and 214/320) further comprises sensors and monitoring equipment (figures 17-19, part sensors and monitoring equipment that detect the input signals of the controller; Vdc1/2, Iload1/load2, Vs1/Vs2 and Ir1/Ir2) for monitoring operation of the hybrid transformer (figures 2 and 3, part hybrid converter generated by 212/310 and 214/320), and one or more tap traditional transformers (figure 5, part tap of 10). However, Eckhardt does not expressly disclose the monitoring equipment is connected to one or more tap traditional transformers.
Divan teaches (see figures 1-4) the hybrid converter (figure 2, part 120a) further comprises sensors and monitoring equipment (figure 2, part sensors and monitoring equipment that detecting the voltage and current readings for 210) for monitoring operation of the hybrid transformer (figure 2), the monitoring equipment (figure 2, part sensors and monitoring equipment that detecting the voltage and current readings for 210) is connected to one or more tap traditional transformers (figure 2, part tap of 110) (paragraph [0035]; the controller can be a DSP/FPGA controller 210 which is electrically coupleable to the transformer at various points. As illustrated at FIG. 2, the controller 210 can be in electrical communication with one or more portions of the multi-level converter 120a and receive various voltage and current readings. This may be facilitated through the use of voltage or current sensors integrated on the converter 120a. The controller can further be in electrical communication with the switching devices (e.g. IGBTs) 220 of the converter 120a through which the controller can simultaneously control both voltage and VAR injection to the electrical voltage transformer 110 via the various legs of the multi-level converter as discussed previously. This can be achieved by using the sensor data to execute a control algorithm and generate switching signals to the switching devices 220 and the fail normal switch 115. In some embodiments, the controller can include a communication channel to receive set points from a central control center as desired).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to configure the hybrid converter of Eckhardt with the sensors and monitoring equipment features as taught by Divan and obtain the hybrid converter further comprises sensors and monitoring equipment for monitoring operation of the hybrid transformer, the monitoring equipment is connected to one or more tap traditional transformers, because it provides more complete and efficient detection in order to obtain more complete status information (paragraph [0024]).
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Eckhardt et al. (US 10,116,204), hereinafter Eckhardt, in view of Fender et al. (US 2013/0049728), hereinafter Fender, and further in view of Kim et al. (US 2017/0047744), hereinafter Kim.
Regarding claim 5, Eckhardt and Fender teach everything claimed as applied above (see claim 1). Further, Eckhardt discloses (see figures 1-20) the power electronic module (figures 2 and 3, part 210/300) further comprises a first connection terminal (figure 3, part first connection terminal at L/N), the circuit breaker (figures 3 and 20, part circuit breaker between transformer 10 and the transformer secondary interface 300) are respectively connected to a first end point and a second end point of the low voltage side of the distribution transformer (figures 2 and 3, part right side of 10), and the circuit breaker (figures 3 and 20, part circuit breaker between transformer 10 and the transformer secondary interface 300) is sequentially electrically connected to the first connection terminal (figure 3, part first connection terminal at L/N) and the parallel converter (figures 2 and 3, part 212/310). However, Eckhardt does not expressly disclose both ends of the circuit breaker are respectively connected in parallel to a first end point and a second end point of the low voltage side of the distribution transformer, both ends of the first connection terminal are electrically connected to both ends of the circuit breaker, and the circuit breaker is sequentially electrically connected to the first connection terminal and the parallel converter.
Kim teaches (see figures 1-10) both ends of the circuit breaker (figure 9, part circuit breaker generated by 932a/932b) are respectively connected in parallel to a first end point and a second end point of the low voltage side of the distribution transformer (figure 9, part 910), both ends of the first connection terminal (figure 9, part 930a/930b) are electrically connected to both ends of the circuit breaker (figure 9, part circuit breaker generated by 932a/932b), and the circuit breaker (figure 9, part circuit breaker generated by 932a/932b) is sequentially electrically connected to the first connection terminal (figure 9, part 930a/930b) and the parallel converter (figure 9, part parallel converter generated by 950).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to configure the circuit breaker of Eckhardt with the circuit breaker features as taught by Kim and obtain the power electronic module further comprises a first connection terminal, both ends of the circuit breaker are respectively connected in parallel to a first end point and a second end point of the low voltage side of the distribution transformer, both ends of the first connection terminal are electrically connected to both ends of the circuit breaker, and the circuit breaker is sequentially electrically connected to the first connection terminal and the parallel converter, because it provides more efficient protection to the circuit.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 10-18 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable upon overcoming the objections set forth in this action and if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The closest prior art (which has been made of record) fail to disclose (by themselves or in combination):
Regarding claim 10, perform the following steps: a voltage equalization calculation step of using a peak command detection method to find a maximum voltage value in the power electronic modules, using the maximum voltage value as a reference command voltage followed by each of the power electronic modules, and obtaining a voltage feedback value for each of the power electronic modules, and comparing the voltage feedback value with the reference command voltage; an undervoltage/overvoltage determination step of performing a calculation with an effective value of the voltage feedback value, then determining whether an undervoltage condition or an overvoltage condition exists, and adjusting a compensation command value according to a determination result; and a compensation control step of individually activating the series converter in the power electronic modules and a compensation control loop according to a result of the undervoltage/overvoltage determination step;
Regarding claims 11-18, these claims are dependent claims of claim 10, therefore, these claims are objected by the same reason presented above;
In combination with the additionally claimed features, as are claimed by the Applicant. Thus, the Applicant’s claims are determined to be novel and non-obvious.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance”.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Carlos O. Rivera-Pérez, whose telephone number is (571) 272-2432 and fax is (571) 273-2432. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM EST.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Thienvu V. Tran can be reached on (571) 270-1276. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/C.O.R. /
Examiner, Art Unit 2838
/THIENVU V TRAN/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2838