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 .
This action is in response to the application filed on 01/08/2025.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 01/08/2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because of the following informalities. Regarding Figs. 1-6, the unlabeled rectangular boxes shown in the drawings should be provided with descriptive text labels.
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.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Objections
Claims 1, 7, 8, 9, and 11 are objected to because of the following informalities: Regarding claim 1, in line 10, “the the voltage potentials” appears that it should read as “the voltage potentials”;
in line 20, “a respective first and second filter choke” appears that it should read as “respective first and second filter chokes”;
in line 25, “phase terminal wherein at least” appears that it should read as “phase terminal, wherein at least”.
Regarding claim 7, in line 2-3, “a respective filter choke” appears that it should read as “the respective first or second filter choke”.
Regarding claim 8, in line 3, “a second filter capacitor” appears that it should read as “a filter capacitor”, because no “first filter capacitor” was previously recited.
Regarding claim 9, in line 1-2, “the first and second connections paths” appears that it should read as “the first and second connection paths”.
Regarding claim 11, in line 1, “a bridge circuit for providing” appears that it should read as “a bridge circuit for providing”, because of a double space.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 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 set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied 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, 4, 5, 6, and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hu et al. (US Patent Application Publication US 2015/0062984 A1, hereinafter “Hu”) in view of Papenfuss et al. (US Patent Application Publication US 2019/0350073 A1, hereinafter “Papenfuss”).
Regarding claim 1, Hu discloses (see Fig. 6) a bridge circuit (630) for providing an alternating current (V_1, V_2, V_3) at a phase terminal (the power conversion circuit 600 configured as an inverter to provide an alternating current at the third terminal to an alternating current load 660, see [0066] and [0080] of Hu), comprising: a first direct current terminal (Bus_+) and a second direct current terminal (Bus_-) configured to be connected to a direct current source (DC source of 610) or direct current load (the first terminal connected to the anode Bus+ and the second terminal connected to the cathode Bus− of the direct current bus 610, see [0083] of Hu); an intermediate circuit (620) connected between the first direct current terminal and the second direct current terminal (the bleeder circuit 620 comprising the first capacitor C1 and the second capacitor C2 connected in series between Bus+ and Bus−, see [0084] of Hu); a bridge (comprising bridges of 630) comprising bridge switches (Q1_A, Q4_A; Q1_B, Q4_B; Q1_C, Q4_C), wherein the bridge is configured to receive voltage potentials at the first direct current terminal and the second direct current terminal and provide voltage potentials at a first bridge output and a second bridge output thereof (a first three-level bridge arm A and a second three-level bridge arm B of the bridge arms 630 and the switching tubes Q1–Q4 thereof, the alternating current node of bridge arm A being the first bridge output and the alternating current node of bridge arm B being the second bridge output, see [0085] of Hu), wherein the voltage potentials at the first bridge output and the second bridge output are generated by independent clocking of corresponding bridge switches (the bridge arms “work in a parallel-interleaved manner”, the phases of the driving signals of adjacent bridge arms being interleaved by 360/N degrees, see [0047], [0049] of Hu); a first connection path (path comprising V_1) extending between the first bridge output and the phase terminal, and a second connection path (path comprising V_2) extending between the second bridge output and the phase terminal (a first winding of the coupling inductor 640 connecting the alternating current node of bridge arm A to the third terminal, and a second winding connecting the alternating current node of bridge arm B to the third terminal, see [0086] of Hu); wherein the first and second connection paths comprise a separated portion where both the first and second connection paths are separate from one another (the head ends of the windings are separately connected to the respective alternating current nodes of the bridge arms, see [0086] of Hu), and a common portion where the first and second connection paths share a same connection path (the tail ends of the windings are connected together to the third terminal of the power conversion circuit, see [0086] of Hu); wherein each of the first and second connection paths comprise, on a bridge output side thereof, a respective first and second filter choke (the first and second windings of the coupling inductor 640, see [0086] of Hu), and wherein the first and second filter chokes of the first and second connection paths are magnetically coupled to one another (the windings are “coupled by one common magnetic core”, winding respectively around cylinders of a shared magnetic core in a same winding direction, see [0006], [0086] of Hu).
Hu does not disclose a disconnector device comprising a plurality of relay contacts arranged on the first and second connection paths between the first and second bridge outputs, respectively, and the phase terminal, wherein at least one of the relay contacts is arranged in the separated portion of each of the first and second connection paths.
However, Papenfuss teaches (see Fig. 4) a disconnector device (the grid disconnector formed by relays R1–R6) comprising a plurality of relay contacts (the contacts of relays R1–R6) arranged on the first and second connection paths between the first and second bridge outputs, respectively, and the phase terminal (the relay contacts are arranged between the outputs of the two inverter bridges WR1 and WR2 and the output connection 30, see [0042] of Papenfuss), wherein at least one of the relay contacts is arranged in the separated portion of each of the first and second connection paths (the current of each inverter bridge, e.g., L1-WR1 and L1-WR2, is “individually conducted via relay contacts of the at least two series-connected relays” and “to form a joint phase connection”, see [0022] of Papenfuss).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the bridge circuit of Hu to include a disconnector device comprising a plurality of relay contacts wherein at least one of the relay contacts is arranged in the separated portion of each of the first and second connection paths, as taught by Papenfuss, because it can help conduct the current of each inverter bridge individually via separate relay contacts so as to use cost-effective relays with a low current-carrying capacity while reliably switching relatively high currents and improving heat dissipation (see [0036] of Papenfuss).
Regarding claim 2, Hu discloses (see Fig. 6) wherein the bridge is configured to provide at each of the first and second bridge outputs three voltage potential levels formed from voltage potentials received at the first and second direct current terminals (each of bridge arm A and bridge arm B is a neutral-point-clamped three-level bridge arm whose alternating current node presents three level states, namely +Vdc/2 derived from Bus+, 0 derived from the neutral point, and -Vdc/2 derived from Bus−, see Table 1 and [0076] of Hu).
Regarding claim 4, Hu does not disclose wherein the disconnector device comprises two independently actuatable relay contacts arranged in series in the first and second connection paths, respectively, between each of the first and second bridge outputs and the phase terminal.
However, Papenfuss teaches (see Fig. 4) two independently actuatable relay contacts (each path being led individually via separately actuatable two-pole relays, see [0024] of Papenfuss) arranged in series (two series-connected relays per supply path, e.g., relays R1 and R6, which “per grid supply path are often connected in series”, see [0003] of Papenfuss) in the first and second connection paths, respectively, between each of the first and second bridge outputs and the phase terminal (in each path between the inverter bridge output and the output connection 30, see [0042] of Papenfuss).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the bridge circuit of Hu so that the disconnector device comprises two independently actuatable relay contacts arranged in series in each connection path, as taught by Papenfuss, because it can help provide single-fault-safe grid disconnection such that the connection can be reliably disconnected even in the case of failure of one relay (see [0003] of Papenfuss).
Regarding claim 5, Hu does not disclose wherein, in the separated portion of the first and second connection paths, two serial relay contacts of the disconnector device are arranged in each of the first and second connection paths.
However, Papenfuss teaches (see Fig. 5) wherein, in the separated portion of each path, two serial relay contacts of the disconnector device are arranged in each connection path (the current component L1-WR1 is conducted via a contact of relay R1′ and then “via the two contacts of the series-connected relay R6”′ before the currents are combined at the second terminal 30′, see [0043] of Papenfuss).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the bridge circuit of Hu so that, in the separated portion of each connection path, two serial relay contacts of the disconnector device are arranged, as taught by Papenfuss, because it can help provide single-fault-safe disconnection in each separate bridge path while distributing the current across the relay contacts for improved heat dissipation (see [0003], [0036] of Papenfuss).
Regarding claim 6, Hu discloses (see Fig. 6) wherein the intermediate circuit comprises a divided intermediate circuit comprising a center point (the bleeder circuit 620 comprising the first capacitor C1 connected between Bus+ and the neutral point Bus N and the second capacitor C2 connected between Bus− and the neutral point Bus N, see [0084] of Hu), and wherein the bridge is configured to receive voltage potentials at the first direct current terminal (Bus+), the second direct current terminal (Bus−), and the center point (the clamped neutral point of each bridge arm being connected to the neutral point Bus N of the bleeder circuit, see [0085] of Hu), and provide voltage potentials at the first bridge output and the second bridge output in a clocked manner independently of one another in response to the received voltage potentials (the bridge arms operate in the parallel-interleaved manner, see [0047], [0085] of Hu).
Regarding claim 11, Hu discloses (see Fig. 6) an energy conversion system (the power converter 600 configured as an inverter to convert a direct current into an alternating current for an alternating current load 660) comprising a bridge circuit (630) for providing an alternating current at a phase terminal (providing an alternating current at the third terminal, see [0080] of Hu), comprising: a first direct current terminal and a second direct current terminal configured to be connected to a direct current source or direct current load (the first terminal connected to Bus+ and the second terminal connected to Bus− of the direct current bus 610, see [0083] of Hu); an intermediate circuit connected between the first direct current terminal and the second direct current terminal (the bleeder circuit 620 comprising the first capacitor C1 and the second capacitor C2 between Bus+ and Bus−, see [0084] of Hu); a bridge comprising bridge switches (a first three-level bridge arm A and a second three-level bridge arm B of the bridge arms 630 and the switching tubes Q1–Q4 thereof, see [0085] of Hu), wherein the bridge is configured to receive voltage potentials at the first direct current terminal and the second direct current terminal and provide voltage potentials at a first bridge output and a second bridge output thereof (the alternating current node of bridge arm A being the first bridge output and the alternating current node of bridge arm B being the second bridge output, see [0085] of Hu), wherein the voltage potentials at the first bridge output and the second bridge output are generated by independent clocking of corresponding bridge switches (the bridge arms work in a parallel-interleaved manner interleaved by 360/N degrees, see [0047], [0049] of Hu); a first connection path extending between the first bridge output and the phase terminal, and a second connection path extending between the second bridge output and the phase terminal (a first winding and a second winding of the coupling inductor 640 connecting the alternating current nodes of bridge arm A and bridge arm B, respectively, to the third terminal, see [0086] of Hu), wherein the first and second connection paths comprise a separated portion where both the first and second connection paths are separate from one another (the head ends of the windings separately connected to the respective alternating current nodes, see [0086] of Hu), and a common portion where the first and second connection paths share a same connection path (the tail ends of the windings connected together to the third terminal, see [0086] of Hu); wherein each of the first and second connection paths comprise, on a bridge output side thereof, a respective first and second filter choke (the first and second windings of the coupling inductor 640, see [0086] of Hu), and wherein the first and second filter chokes of the first and second connection paths are magnetically coupled to one another (the windings are “coupled by one common magnetic core”, see [0006], [0086] of Hu).
Hu does not disclose a disconnector device comprising a plurality of relay contacts arranged on the first and second connection paths between the first and second bridge outputs, respectively, and the phase terminal, wherein at least one of the relay contacts is arranged in the separated portion of each of the first and second connection paths.
However, Papenfuss teaches (see Fig. 4) a disconnector device (the grid disconnector formed by relays R1–R6) comprising a plurality of relay contacts (the contacts of relays R1–R6) arranged on the first and second connection paths between the first and second bridge outputs, respectively, and the phase terminal (the relay contacts are arranged between the outputs of the two inverter bridges WR1 and WR2 and the output connection 30, see [0042] of Papenfuss), wherein at least one of the relay contacts is arranged in the separated portion of each of the first and second connection paths (the current of each inverter bridge, e.g., L1-WR1 and L1-WR2, is “individually conducted via relay contacts of the at least two series-connected relays” and “to form a joint phase connection”, see [0022] of Papenfuss).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the energy conversion system of Hu to include a disconnector device comprising a plurality of relay contacts wherein at least one of the relay contacts is arranged in the separated portion of each of the first and second connection paths, as taught by Papenfuss, because it can help conduct the current of each inverter bridge individually via separate relay contacts so as to use cost-effective relays with a low current-carrying capacity while reliably switching relatively high currents and improving heat dissipation (see [0036] of Papenfuss).
Claims 3 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hu in view of Papenfuss, and further in view of Torrico-Bascopé (US Patent Application Publication US 2016/0118910 A1).
Regarding claim 3, Hu does not disclose wherein the bridge is configured to provide at each of the first and second bridge outputs five voltage potential levels formed from voltage potentials received at the first and second direct current terminals.
However, Torrico-Bascopé teaches (see Fig. 1, Fig. 2A, and Fig. 4) wherein a multi-state switching cell (see cells of Fig. 2A) connected to each phase (see each phase of Fig. 1) is configured to provide at its output five voltage potential levels (a five-level output voltage Va-MP, see [0042] of Torrico-Bascopé and Fig. 4) formed from voltage potentials received at the first and second direct current terminals (the bipolar DC voltage Vdc+ and Vdc− at terminals P and N, see [0042] of Torrico-Bascopé).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the bridge circuit of Hu so that the bridge provides at each bridge output five voltage potential levels, as taught by Torrico-Bascopé, because it can help reduce the voltage and current stress on the semiconductors and reduce the size, weight, and volume of the reactive output-filter components (see [0022], [0023] of Torrico-Bascopé).
Regarding claim 7, Hu does not disclose, in each of the first and second connection paths, a respective filter capacitor connected between a respective filter choke and the disconnector device, wherein each filter capacitor is connected by a further terminal to the first direct current terminal, the second direct current terminal, or the center point.
However, Torrico-Bascopé teaches (see Fig. 1, Fig. 2A, and Fig. 4) a respective filter capacitor (capacitors Ca, Cb, Cc) connected between a respective filter choke (a respective inductor Lj) and the output, wherein each filter capacitor is connected by a further terminal to the center point (the capacitors are “connected in a Y-configuration between the EMI-filter and the inductors Lj to the midpoint input terminal MP”, see [0043] of Torrico-Bascopé).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the bridge circuit of Hu to include, in each connection path, a respective filter capacitor connected between the respective filter choke and the disconnector device and connected by a further terminal to the center point, as taught by Torrico-Bascopé, because it can help minimize the common-mode leakage current circulation from the PV array to ground (see [0043] of Torrico-Bascopé).
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hu in view of Papenfuss, and further in view of Coccia et al. (US Patent Application Publication US 2011/0221420 A1, hereinafter “Coccia”).
Regarding claim 8, Hu does not disclose, in at least one of the first and second connection paths, a second filter, comprising another filter choke and a second filter capacitor arranged between the respective first or second filter choke and the disconnector device.
However, Coccia teaches (see Fig. 1) a second filter (the LCL filter 3, see [0040] of Coccia), comprising another filter choke (the grid-side inductor L0, see [0041] of Coccia) and a second filter capacitor (the capacitor C0, see [0041] of Coccia) arranged between the respective first or second filter choke (the inverter-side inductor L1, see [0041] of Coccia) and the grid (the capacitor C0 and the grid-side inductor L0 are arranged downstream of the inverter-side inductor L1 toward the grid, see [0040] of Coccia).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the bridge circuit of Hu to include, in at least one connection path, a second filter comprising another filter choke and a second filter capacitor arranged between the first filter choke and the disconnector device, as taught by Coccia, because it can help achieve reduced levels of harmonic distortion in the grid-side current even at low switching frequencies so as to comply with the restrictive grid standards (see [0003] of Coccia).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9 and 10 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable 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: Regarding Claim 9, none of the cited prior art alone or in combination disclose or teach the claimed inventions in which “…the plurality of relay contacts comprises a common relay contact of the disconnector device arranged in the common portion of the first connection path and of the second connection path”. Claim 10 is objected due to its dependency on claim 9.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: US 2019/0319549 A1 discloses a power electronics system having interleaved parallel inverters whose output inductors are magnetically coupled by a shared coupler core and whose windings are combined at a common terminal to provide a combined alternating current. US 2016/0268923 A1 discloses a transformerless inverter having a split direct-current intermediate circuit and a switch, formed by two series-connected electromechanical relay contacts, arranged between the midpoint of the intermediate circuit and a terminal for a neutral conductor of the alternating-current grid.
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/MONICA LEWIS/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2838
/JYE-JUNE LEE/Examiner, Art Unit 2838
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