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 § 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 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.
Claims 1, 2 & 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hsiao (US 2021/0218329).
With regard to claims 1 & 2, Hsiao, in Figure 5, discloses a voltage holding circuit (200), comprising: a first energy storage circuit (C2); and a voltage conversion circuit (IHC) coupled between the first energy storage circuit (C2) and a second energy storage circuit (C1) to receive an input voltage (Vin) from the second energy storage circuit (C1), boost and output the input voltage to the first energy storage circuit (C2) when the input voltage is within a first threshold range (400V and above), and output a first energy storage voltage (V2) of the first energy storage circuit (C2) to the second energy storage circuit (C1) when the input voltage is lower than the first threshold range (below 400 V as taught in paragraph 0020) or when a drop rate of the input voltage is within a preset threshold range, to extend a hold-up time of a second energy storage voltage of the second energy storage circuit within the first threshold range (while the reference does not tach this feature, as drafted, the “or” statement of the claim requires that either one or the other of the conditions be met to satisfy the language of the claim which is true in this case) (re claim 1), wherein: when the first energy storage voltage is within a second threshold range (below 400V), the voltage conversion circuit stops boosting and outputting to the first energy storage circuit; and when the first energy storage voltage is lower than the second threshold range, the voltage conversion circuit boosts and outputs the input voltage to the first energy storage circuit (as taught in paragraph 0020) (re claim 2).
With regard to claim 15, Hsiao, in Figure 5, discloses a power circuit (200), comprising: a second energy storage circuit (C1); and a voltage holding circuit (110, IHC & C2), wherein the second energy storage circuit (C1) is coupled with the voltage holding circuit and a power source (160 & PFC) to receive an input voltage (Vin) from the power source and send the input voltage to a voltage conversion circuit (IHC), wherein the voltage holding circuit comprises: a first energy storage circuit (C2); and the voltage conversion circuit (IHC) coupled between the first energy storage circuit (C2) and the second energy storage circuit (C1) to receive an input voltage (Vin) from the second energy storage circuit (C1), boost and output the input voltage to the first energy storage circuit when the input voltage is within a first threshold range (above 400V), and output the first energy storage voltage of the first energy storage circuit to the second energy storage circuit when the input voltage is lower than the first threshold range (below 400 V as taught in paragraph 0020) or when a drop rate of the input voltage is within a preset threshold range, to extend a hold-up time of a second energy storage voltage of the second energy storage circuit within the first threshold range (while the reference does not tach this feature, as drafted, the “or” statement of the claim requires that either one or the other of the conditions be met to satisfy the language of the claim which is true in this case).
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 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.
Claim 16 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hsiao in view of Shi (US 2017/0310809).
With regard to claim 16, Hsiao teaches an electronic device (200), comprising a first energy storage circuit (C2); and a voltage conversion circuit (IHC) coupled between the first energy storage circuit (C2) and a second energy storage circuit (C1) to receive an input voltage (Vin) from the second energy storage circuit (C1), boost and output the input voltage to the first energy storage circuit (C2) when the input voltage is within a first threshold range (above 400V), and output a first energy storage voltage of the first energy storage circuit to the second energy storage circuit when the input voltage is lower than the first threshold range (below 400V as taught in paragraph 0020) or when a drop rate of the input voltage is within a preset threshold range, to extend a hold-up time of a second energy storage voltage of the second energy storage circuit within the first threshold range (while the reference does not tach this feature, as drafted, the “or” statement of the claim requires that either one or the other of the conditions be met to satisfy the language of the claim which is true in this case).
Hsiao does not teach a shell; and a signal processing circuit.
Shi, in Figures 1 & 2, teaches an electronic device comprising a shell (2) and a signal processing circuit (paragraph 0017).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Hsiao with Shi, by placing the circuit in a shell with a signal processor, for the purpose of protecting the circuitry from the elements..
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-11 would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim 3 would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims because the prior art of record does not teach or fairly suggest a voltage holding circuit comprising all the features as recited in the claims and in combination with the voltage conversion circuit comprises: a third energy storage circuit, a first switch sub-circuit, a second switch sub-circuit, and a control circuit; the third energy storage circuit is coupled with the second energy storage circuit, the first switch sub-circuit, and the second switch sub-circuit; the first switch sub-circuit is coupled with the second switch sub-circuit, the first energy storage circuit, and the control circuit; the second switch sub-circuit is coupled with the control circuit; and the control circuit is coupled with the second energy storage circuit; and wherein: the third energy storage circuit is configured to receive the input voltage from the second energy storage circuit; and when the input voltage is within the first threshold range, the control circuit is configured to obtain the input voltage by sampling, trigger the second switch sub-circuit ON at a set interval, superpose the third energy storage voltage of the third energy storage circuit with the input voltage and store the superimposed voltage into the first energy storage circuit, and when the input voltage is lower than the first threshold range or a drop rate of the input voltage is within the preset threshold range, the control circuit is configured to trigger the first switch sub-circuit ON and the second switch sub-circuit OFF, and output the first energy storage voltage to the second energy storage circuit.
Claims 4-11 would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims because they depend on claim 3 which would also be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claims 12-14 are allowable.
Claim 12 is allowable because the prior art of record does not teach or fairly suggest a voltage holding method comprising all the features as recited in the claims and in combination with detecting whether the input voltage is within a first threshold range and whether a drop rate of the input voltage is within a preset threshold range; boosting and outputting the input voltage to a first energy storage circuit when the input voltage is within the first threshold range; and outputting a first energy storage voltage of the first energy storage circuit to the second energy storage circuit and boosting a second energy storage voltage of the second energy storage circuit to a value within the first threshold range when the input voltage is lower than the first threshold range, or the drop rate of the input voltage is within the preset threshold range.
Claims 13 & 14 are allowable as they depend from claim 12, which is also allowable.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Song (US 2022/0271670), Liang (US 2023/0045028), Bhardwaj (US 2024/0072665) and Tagare (US 2025/0088103) all teach power converter circuitry with elements that are similar to Applicant’s invention.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SCOTT BAUER whose telephone number is (571)272-5986. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 12pm - 8pm EST.
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/Scott Bauer/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838
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