DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is sent in response to Applicant’s Communication received 12/30/24 for application number 19/005,812. The Office hereby acknowledges receipt of the following and placed of record in file: Specification, Drawings, Abstract, Oath/Declaration, IDS, and Claims.
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 § 103
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 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, 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1, 2, 7, 9, 12, 13, 17, 18, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tandon et al., US 2021/0064109 A1 in view of Homma, US 2018/0262019 A1.
Regarding Claim 1, Tandon discloses a method [method of Fig. 2] comprising:
determining that a power level associated with a computing device meets or exceeds one or more thresholds associated with one or more power sources of the computing device [determine the application can benefit from additional power; i.e. operating power is at maximum of primary power, steps 204 and 206]; and
based at least on the power level meeting or exceeding the one or more thresholds, applying an input signal to one or more components associated with a power supply circuit of the computing device to cause the power supply circuit to: select one or more first power sources to provide power to the computing device [when operating at maximum amount of primary power at step 206, cause supplemental power source to provide power to the device at step 208].
However, Tandon does not explicitly teach selecting one or more first power sources to provide power to the computing device for one or more first periods of time; and selecting one or more second power sources to provide the power to the computing device for one or more second periods of time.
Homma teaches selecting one or more first power sources to provide power to the computing device for one or more first periods of time; and selecting one or more second power sources to provide the power to the computing device for one or more second periods of time [since the control unit 122 alternately instructs charging or discharging to two electric power supply sources every a certain period of time, two storage batteries have the same charge power amount and discharge power amount by charging and discharging. The control unit 122 stops the charging/discharging instructions at the time when the temperature of at least one of the two storage batteries reaches a predetermined temperature or higher, par 73].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of Tandon and Homma before him before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to incorporate the alternating of power sources as taught by Homma, into the method as disclosed by Tandon, to prevent temperature rise of storage batteries more than required [Homma, par 39].
Regarding Claim 2, Tandon and Homma disclose the method of Claim 1. Homma further teaches wherein the input signal further causes the power supply circuit to: charge one or more first capacitors associated with the one or more first power sources during the second period of time; and charge one or more second capacitors associated with the one or more second power sources during the first period of time [the control unit 122 alternately instructs charging or discharging to two electric power supply sources (i.e. batteries/capacitors) every a certain period of time, par 73].
Regarding Claim 7, Tandon and Homma disclose the method of Claim 1. Homma further teaches wherein the input signal causes the power supply circuit to alternate between selecting the one or more first power sources and the one or more second power sources to supply the power to the computing device based at least on the input signal alternating between a first state during the one or more first periods of time and a second state during the one or more second periods of time [since the control unit 122 alternately instructs charging or discharging to two electric power supply sources every a certain period of time, two storage batteries have the same charge power amount and discharge power amount by charging and discharging. The control unit 122 stops the charging/discharging instructions at the time when the temperature of at least one of the two storage batteries reaches a predetermined temperature or higher (a state being a state when a first battery or second battery is being discharged or charged), par 73].
Regarding Claim 9, Tandon discloses a system [system 300, Fig. 3]. The remainder of Claim 9 recites limitations similar to those of Claim 1, and is rejected accordingly.
Regarding Claim 12, Tandon and Homma disclose the system of Claim 9. Homma further teaches wherein: the one or more first power sources include one or more first active components and one or more first passive components, and the one or more second power sources include one or more second active components and one or more second passive components [a device mounted thereon each storage battery may include: an electric device (e.g., a bidirectional charger 114 in the embodiment) for assisting the charging and discharging of the storage battery; and a temperature adjustment circuit (e.g., a temperature adjustment circuit 116 in the embodiment) for the electric device, the temperature adjustment circuit being connected to a temperature adjustment circuit of the storage battery; that is, the battery and adjustment circuits being the active and passive components, par 17].
Regarding Claim 13, Tandon and Homma disclose the system of Claim 12. Homma further teaches wherein the input signal further causes the one or more components of the electrical circuit to: charge, during the one or more first periods of time, the one or more second passive components using the one or more second active components; and charge, during the one or more second periods of time, the one or more first passive components using the one or more first active components [since the control unit 122 alternately instructs charging or discharging to two electric power supply sources every a certain period of time, two storage batteries have the same charge power amount and discharge power amount by charging and discharging. The control unit 122 stops the charging/discharging instructions at the time when the temperature of at least one of the two storage batteries reaches a predetermined temperature or higher (i.e. discharging/charging at different times); a device mounted thereon each storage battery may include: an electric device (e.g., a bidirectional charger 114 in the embodiment) for assisting the charging and discharging of the storage battery; and a temperature adjustment circuit (e.g., a temperature adjustment circuit 116 in the embodiment) for the electric device, the temperature adjustment circuit being connected to a temperature adjustment circuit of the storage battery; that is, the battery and adjustment circuits being the active and passive components, and charging via the active components, par 73; 17].
Regarding Claim 17, Tandon and Homma disclose the system of Claim 9. Tandon further discloses wherein the system is comprised in at least one of: a control system for an autonomous or semi-autonomous machine; a perception system for an autonomous or semi-autonomous machine; a system for performing one or more simulation operations; a system for performing one or more digital twin operations; a system for performing light transport simulation; a system for performing collaborative content creation for 3D assets; a system for performing one or more deep learning operations; a system implemented using an edge device; a system implemented using a robot; a system for performing one or more generative AI operations; a system for performing operations using a large language model; a system for performing operations using one or more vision language models (VLMs);a system for performing operations using one or more multi-modal language models; a system for performing one or more conversational AI operations; a system for generating synthetic data; a system for presenting at least one of virtual reality content, augmented reality content, or mixed reality content; a system incorporating one or more virtual machines (VMs); a system implemented at least partially in a data center [In some embodiments, the computing device may include a server in a data center. The primary power source may include a power supply system of the data center, par 8]; or a system implemented at least partially using cloud computing resources.
Regarding Claim 18, Tandon discloses one or more hardware components [residing in system 300, Fig. 3] comprising powering the computing device during a hybrid power boost (HPB) mode of the computing device [determining the application can benefit from additional power; i.e. operating power is at maximum of primary power at step 204 and 206, and cause supplemental power source to provide power to the device at step 208, Fig. 2].
However, Tandon does not explicitly teach processing circuitry to cause an input signal to be applied to one or more components of one or more circuits of a computing device to alternate between using one or more first power sources during one or more first states of the input signal and one or more second power sources during one or more second states of the input signal to power the computing device.
Homma teaches processing circuitry to cause an input signal to be applied to one or more components of one or more circuits of a computing device to alternate between using one or more first power sources during one or more first states of the input signal and one or more second power sources during one or more second states of the input signal to power the computing device [since the control unit 122 alternately instructs charging or discharging to two electric power supply sources every a certain period of time, two storage batteries have the same charge power amount and discharge power amount by charging and discharging. The control unit 122 stops the charging/discharging instructions at the time when the temperature of at least one of the two storage batteries reaches a predetermined temperature or higher, par 73].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of Tandon and Homma before him before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to incorporate the alternating of power sources as taught by Homma, into the method as disclosed by Tandon, to prevent temperature rise of storage batteries more than required [Homma, par 39].
Regarding Claim 20, Tandon and Homma disclose the one or more hardware components of Claim 18. Claim 20 repeats the same limitations as recited in Claim 17, and is rejected accordingly.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tandon and Homma, and further in view of Gibson, US 2004/0208022 A1.
Regarding Claim 3, Tandon and Homma disclose the method of Claim 1. However, the combination of references does not explicitly teach wherein the first period of time corresponds to a first portion of a duty cycle associated with the input signal and the second period of time corresponds to a second portion of the duty cycle associated with the input signal.
Gibson teaches wherein the first period of time corresponds to a first portion of a duty cycle associated with the input signal and the second period of time corresponds to a second portion of the duty cycle associated with the input signal [switching between mains power supply and circulating current (alternate supply) during the high and low portions of a duty cycle, par 24].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of Tandon, Homma, and Gibson before him before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to incorporate the periods of power supply corresponding to portions of a duty cycle as taught by Gibson, into the method as disclosed by Tandon and Homma, to allow for interrupting the power supply without risking destruction of the circuit components when switching due to overlaps or switching latency characteristics [Gibson, par 12].
Claims 4, 5, 14, 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tandon and Homma, and further in view of Amada et al., US 2007/0108840 A1.
Regarding Claim 4, Tandon and Homma disclose the method of Claim 1. However, the combination of references does not explicitly teach wherein the one or more first power sources include at least a power adapter and a first capacitor, and the one or more second power sources include at least a battery and a second capacitor.
Amada teaches wherein the one or more first power sources include at least a power adapter and a first capacitor, and the one or more second power sources include at least a battery and a second capacitor [the conventional electronic controlling device operates while supplied with power from a battery BATT101, and includes switches SW101 and SW102, a capacitor C1, resistors R101 to R103, switch transistors Q1 and Q2, a diode D1, a regulator 101, a microcomputer 102, and a circuit block 103 (power source including battery and associated components, with regulator or circuit block capable of function as an adapter), Fig. 7].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of Tandon, Homma, and Amada before him before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to incorporate power adapters, batteries, and capacitors into the power sources as taught by Amada, into the method as disclosed by Tandon and Homma, as these are conventional devices well-known in the art [Amada, par 5].
Regarding Claim 5, Tandon and Homma disclose the method of Claim 1. However, the combination of references does not explicitly teach wherein the one or more components include at least one of: one or more transistors; one or more gates; one or more switches; or one or more relays.
Amada teaches wherein the one or more components include at least one of: one or more transistors; one or more gates; one or more switches; or one or more relays [the conventional electronic controlling device operates while supplied with power from a battery BATT101, and includes switches SW101 and SW102, a capacitor C1, resistors R101 to R103, switch transistors Q1 and Q2, a diode D1, a regulator 101, a microcomputer 102, and a circuit block 103 (power source including battery and associated components, Fig. 7].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of Tandon, Homma, and Amada before him before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to utilize transistors as one of the components associated with the power supply circuit as taught by Amada, into the method as disclosed by Tandon and Homma, as these are conventional devices well-known in the art [Amada, par 5].
Regarding Claim 14, Tandon and Homma disclose the system of Claim 9. Claim 14 recites limitations similar to those of Claim 4, and is rejected accordingly.
Regarding Claim 15, Tandon and Homma disclose the system of Claim 9. While Homma teaches connecting and disconnecting a first power source and second power source [since the control unit 122 alternately instructs charging or discharging to two electric power supply sources every a certain period of time, two storage batteries have the same charge power amount and discharge power amount by charging and discharging. The control unit 122 stops the charging/discharging instructions at the time when the temperature of at least one of the two storage batteries reaches a predetermined temperature or higher, par 73], the combination of references does not explicitly teach the one or more components of the electrical circuit including one or more transistors.
Amada teaches the one or more components of the electrical circuit including one or more transistors [the conventional electronic controlling device operates while supplied with power from a battery BATT101, and includes switches SW101 and SW102, a capacitor C1, resistors R101 to R103, switch transistors Q1 and Q2, a diode D1, a regulator 101, a microcomputer 102, and a circuit block 103 (power source including battery and associated components, Fig. 7].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of Tandon, Homma, and Amada before him before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to utilize transistors as one of the components associated with the power supply circuit as taught by Amada, into the method as disclosed by Tandon and Homma, as these are conventional devices well-known in the art [Amada, par 5].
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tandon and Homma, and further in view of Yoon et al., US 2007/0285056 A1.
Regarding Claim 6, Tandon and Homma disclose the method of Claim 1. However, the combination of references does not explicitly teach wherein the one or more components are included in a controller associated with a charger of the computing device, the charger configured to charge the one or more first power sources using the one or more second power sources.
Yoon teaches wherein the one or more components are included in a controller associated with a charger of the computing device, the charger configured to charge the one or more first power sources using the one or more second power sources [power from the auxiliary battery SBAT charges the main battery VBAT, par 61].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of Tandon, Homma, and Yoon before him before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to use a first power source to charge a second power source as taught by Yoon, into the method as disclosed by Tandon and Homma, to allow for charging of main and auxiliary batteries to address the need for high-capacity batteries [Yoon, par 6].
Claims 8 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tandon and Homma, and further in view of Lee, US 2023/0123222 A1.
Regarding Claim 8, Tandon and Homma disclose the method of Claim 1. Homma further teaches wherein the input signal further causes the power supply circuit to select one or more power sources to supply the power to the computing device for a period of time [since the control unit 122 alternately instructs charging or discharging to two electric power supply sources every a certain period of time, two storage batteries have the same charge power amount and discharge power amount by charging and discharging. The control unit 122 stops the charging/discharging instructions at the time when the temperature of at least one of the two storage batteries reaches a predetermined temperature or higher, par 73].
However, the combination of references does not explicitly teach wherein the input signal further causes the power supply circuit to select one or more third power sources to supply the power to the computing device for a third period of time.
Lee teaches wherein the input signal further causes the power supply circuit to select one or more additional power sources to supply the power to the computing device for a period of time [selecting from multiple batteries (at least 3, as illustrated in Fig. 1) to supply power, Fig. 1].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of Tandon, Homma, and Lee before him before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to select an additional power source to supply power for a period of time as taught by Lee, into the method as disclosed by Tandon and Homma, to ensure the system is able to function with a sufficiently-charged battery available [Lee, par 4].
Regarding Claim 16, Tandon and Homma disclose the system of Claim 9. Claim 16 recites limitations similar to those presented in Claim 8, and is rejected accordingly.
Claims 10, 11, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tandon and Homma, and further in view of Lu et al., US 2023/0208154 A1.
Regarding Claim 10, Tandon and Homma disclose the system of Claim 9. However, the combination of references does not explicitly teach wherein a first voltage level of the first power source is different than a second voltage level of the second power source.
Lu teaches a first voltage level of the first power source is different than a second voltage level of the second power source [different series-parallel structures of the battery units 303 would correspond to different battery voltages Vbat. For example, the series-parallel structures of the battery units 303 at least include five series by four parallel (5S4P), ten series by two parallel (10S2P) and twenty series by one parallel (20S1P), wherein the battery voltage Vbat corresponding to the structure of 5S4P can be 20 V (volts), the battery voltage Vbat corresponding to the structure of 10S2P can be 40 V, and the battery voltage Vbat corresponding to the structure of 20S1P can be 80 V, i.e. batteries 303 provide different voltages and be different series-parallel structures, par 21].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of Tandon, Homma, and Lu before him before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to incorporate the power supplies providing different voltages as taught by Lu, into the method as disclosed by Tandon and Homma, to allow for elastically adjusting operation mode of a system to meet different voltage demands [Lu, par 2, 3].
Regarding Claim 11, Tandon and Homma disclose the system of Claim 9. However, the combination of references does not explicitly teach a first amount of current flowing out of the first power source is different than a second amount of current flowing out of the second power source.
Lu teaches a first amount of current flowing out of the first power source is different than a second amount of current flowing out of the second power source [different series-parallel structures of the battery units 303 would correspond to different battery voltages Vbat. For example, the series-parallel structures of the battery units 303 at least include five series by four parallel (5S4P), ten series by two parallel (10S2P) and twenty series by one parallel (20S1P), wherein the battery voltage Vbat corresponding to the structure of 5S4P can be 20 V (volts), the battery voltage Vbat corresponding to the structure of 10S2P can be 40 V, and the battery voltage Vbat corresponding to the structure of 20S1P can be 80 V, i.e. batteries 303 provide different voltages and be different series-parallel structures (the different batteries have different voltage values, and voltage is proportional to current), par 21].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of Tandon, Homma, and Lu before him before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to incorporate the power supplies providing different voltages as taught by Lu, into the method as disclosed by Tandon and Homma, to allow for elastically adjusting operation mode of a system to meet different voltage demands [Lu, par 2, 3].
Regarding Claim 19, Tandon and Homma disclose the one or more hardware components of Claim 18. However, the combination of Tandon and Homma does not explicitly teach wherein a first voltage level associated with the one or more first power sources is different from a second voltage level associated with the one or more second power sources, the one or more first power sources including at least a first active component connected in parallel with a first passive component, and the one or more second power sources including at least a second active component connected in parallel with a second passive component.
Lu teaches wherein a first voltage level associated with the one or more first power sources is different from a second voltage level associated with the one or more second power sources, the one or more first power sources including at least a first active component connected in parallel with a first passive component, and the one or more second power sources including at least a second active component connected in parallel with a second passive component [different series-parallel structures of the battery units 303 would correspond to different battery voltages Vbat. For example, the series-parallel structures of the battery units 303 at least include five series by four parallel (5S4P), ten series by two parallel (10S2P) and twenty series by one parallel (20S1P), wherein the battery voltage Vbat corresponding to the structure of 5S4P can be 20 V (volts), the battery voltage Vbat corresponding to the structure of 10S2P can be 40 V, and the battery voltage Vbat corresponding to the structure of 20S1P can be 80 V, i.e. batteries 303 provide different voltages and be different series-parallel structures (the batteries being the active and passive components), par 21].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of Tandon, Homma, and Lu before him before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to incorporate the power supplies providing different voltages as taught by Lu, into the method as disclosed by Tandon and Homma, to allow for elastically adjusting operation mode of a system to meet different voltage demands [Lu, par 2, 3].
Conclusion
Applicant is reminded that in amending a response to a rejection of claims, the patentable novelty must be clearly shown in view of the state of the art disclosed by the references cited and the objections made. Applicant must also show how the amendments avoid such references and objections. See 37 CFR §1.111(c).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PAUL J YEN whose telephone number is (571)270-5047. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5 PT.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Andrew J Jung can be reached at (571) 270-3779. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/Paul Yen/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2175
Prosecution Insights