3Notice 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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This office action is a response to a paper filed on 03/09/2026 in which claims 1-2 and 4 are pending and ready for examination.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the voltage of the backup power supply" in lines 24-25. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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, 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.
Claim(s) 1-2 and 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takahashi (US 2024/0001875 A1) in view of Lin (US 2024/0195189 A1).
As to claim 1, Takahashi discloses an electric power system configured to supply electric power to a load system that needs a redundant power supply configuration (see abstract), the electric power system comprising:
a main power supply (Fig 1, 300) configured to supply electric power to the load system (Fig 1, 210, 220, 230) via a first line (Fig 1, line connection between 161 and 162);
a backup power supply (Fig 1, 110) used to back up supply of electric power from the main power supply; and
a switching unit (Fig 1, 161) connected to the main power supply and the backup power supply, wherein the switching unit is configured to supply electric power from the main power supply to the load system via a second line (Fig 1, line connection between 161 and 163) different from the first line when an output voltage of the main power supply is higher than an output voltage of the backup power supply (see parags [0016], when in normal operation, the main power supply is higher than the backup power supply) and supply electric power of the backup power supply to the load system via the second line when an output voltage of the main power supply is lower than an output voltage of the backup power supply (see parag [0021]), wherein:
the backup power supply includes an electrical storage unit (Fig 1, 110) configured to store electric power and a DCDC converter (Fig 1, 120, parag [0024]) configured to control a charge state or a discharge state of the electrical storage unit;
the DCDC converter is configured to, when electric power allowed to be used for backup is stored in the electrical storage unit, output electric power to the switching unit by controlling the electrical storage unit to the discharge state (see parag [0024]); and the DCDC converter is configured to, when in a backup standby state (see parag [0021]), control the electrical storage unit to the discharge state (see Fig 1, when abnormality occurs in the main power supply 300, the energy storage 110 will discharge its power).
Takahashi does not disclose: control a voltage of the backup power supply to be less than the voltage of the main power supply in the backup standby state. However, Lin discloses control the voltage of the backup power supply to be less than the voltage of the main power supply (see parag [0011]). It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the system of Takahashi to include the teachings as taught by Lin in order to effectively control the power supplied to the load from the backup power source.
As to claim 2, the combination of Takahashi and Lin discloses the electric power system according to claim 1, further comprising a switch (Takahashi, Fig 1, 162) configured to control an electrical conduction state or an interruption state between the first line and the backup power supply (Fig 1, 110), wherein the switch is configured to, when the backup power supply is charged with electric power of the main power supply (Fig 1, 300) and the main power supply fails, control the first line and the backup power supply to a conduction state (see parag [0024]).
As to claim 4, the combination of Takahashi and Lin discloses the electric power system according to claim 1, wherein: electric power is supplied from the main power supply (Fig 1, 300) to a primary-line apparatus of the load system (Fig 1, 210) via the first line (Fig 1, line connection between 161 and 162), electric power is supplied from the main power supply to a secondary-line apparatus of the load system via the second line (Fig 1, line connection between 161 and 163), and electric power is supplied from the main power supply (Fig 1, 300) to the backup power supply to charge the electrical storage unit (Fig 1, 110, parag [0023]).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 4-6, filed on 03/09/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1 under 102(a)(1) have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Takahashi and Lin.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DUC M PHAM whose telephone number is (571)272-5026. The examiner can normally be reached 10:00 am - 6:00 pm, Monday to Friday.
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/DUC M PHAM/Examiner, Art Unit 2836 June 18, 2026
/TAELOR KIM/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2836
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