DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 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.
Claims 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 1, the limitation “a main power supply” in ln. 9 is unclear. It is unclear whether reference is being made to an additional main power supply or to said main power supply of ln. 8.
For the purpose of examination, the Examiner will interpret this as said main power supply of ln. 8 and suggests “the main power supply” for clarity.
Further, the limitation “a standby power supply” of ln. 10 is unclear.
It is unclear whether reference is being made to an additional standby power supply or to said standby power supply of ln. 8.
For the purpose of examination, the Examiner will interpret this as said standby power supply of ln. 8 and suggests “the standby power supply” for clarity.
Claims 2-10 depending from claim 1 are therefore also rejected.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kobayashi US 20170244275.
Regarding claim 1, Kobayashi US 20170244275 discloses an uninterruptible power module (100 in Fig. 1) for use in uninterruptible power supplies comprising:
a rectification module (110 in Fig. 1-3), an inverter module (130 in Fig. 1-3) and a fan module (142/144/146 in Fig. 3) detachably assembled together (as depicted in Fig. 3 and 1);
wherein the rectification module (110) comprises:
a first housing (111 in Fig. 3);
a first electrical network (network of 110 in Fig. 2), mounted to the first housing (111), the first electrical network (network of 110) is configured to be selectively connected to a main power supply (10 in Fig. 1) or a standby power supply (104 in Fig. 1) and to convert a current supplied by a main power supply (10) or a current supplied by a standby power supply (104) into a direct current (see [0026]-[00028]);
wherein the inverter module (130) comprises:
a second housing (131 in Fig. 3) detachably connected to the first housing (111);
a second electrical network (network of 130 in Fig 2) mounted to the second housing (131) and connected to the first electrical network (network of 110 as depicted in Fig. 1-2),
the second electrical network (network of 130) is configured to convert direct current into alternating current (see [0029]); and
wherein the uninterruptible power module (100) further comprises a transfer switch (150 in Fig. 1) that controls a switch of the first electrical network (network of 110) between being connected with the main power supply (10) and being connected with the standby power supply (104 see [0029]).
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) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kobayashi US 20170244275 as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Winch US 6310783.
Regarding claim 10, Kobayashi discloses an uninterruptible power supply (uninterruptible power supply of 100 in Fig. 1) wherein, the uninterruptible power module is the uninterruptible power module of Claim 1.
Kobayashi does not explicitly disclose a system cabinet; and an uninterruptible power module arranged in the system cabinet.
However, Winch US 6310783 (Fig. 1) discloses a system cabinet (20); and an uninterruptible power module (24) arranged in the system cabinet (20).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the uninterruptible power module of claim 1 of Kobayashi further include a system cabinet; and the uninterruptible power module () arranged in the system cabinet, as taught by Winch, in order to provide support to the uninterruptible power module.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-9 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 2, the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest, in combining with other limitations recited in claim 1, a combination of limitations that “wherein one of the first housing and the second housing is provided with a guide piece, and a remaining one is provided with a sliding piece; and wherein the sliding piece is configured to be movable along the guide piece to assemble the rectification module and the inverter module together or to detach an assembly of both”.
None of the reference art of record discloses or renders obvious such a combination.
Claims 3-9 depending from claim 2 would therefore also be allowable.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Sinopoli US 20230345681 Fig. 1; Lai US 20160316586 Fig. 1-3 discloses a power module system with respective removable inverter and rectifier module housings; however it does not disclose the limitation of claim 2.
Takechi US 20170300100 Fig. 19-23 discloses a power supply device with inverter and rectifier.
Liang US 20260155636 Fig. 2; Nakamura US 20230198291 Fig. 1-3; Lu US 20180316215 Fig. 1-7; Yamashita US 20110133559 Fig. 1-3 disclose an uninterruptible power supply cabinet.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTOPHER L AUGUSTIN whose telephone number is (571)270-7659. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8 am - 3 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Allen L Parker can be reached at 303-297-4722. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CHRISTOPHER L AUGUSTIN/Examiner, Art Unit 2841
/JAMES WU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841