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 Objections
Claim 2 is objected to because of the following informalities: the phrase “a switching command” in line 6 should be re-rewritten as “the switching command’ if this is the same switching command cited in lines 2 and 3. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. The subject matter “by performing time integration…….with a double integrator” is not supported by the disclosure. Equations 1 and 2 on page 11 of the filed disclosure do not have a double integrator. Other embodiments also fail to show this.
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 1-6 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.
The phrase “capable of” in lines 17 and 29 in claim 1 is indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitation(s) following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d).
Similarly, the phrase “executes the third output method when….is the second threshold value or greater” in lines 6 and 7 (from bottom) in claim 1 is confusing because at a modulation rate is greater than the second threshold, both the second and the third methods are invoked. Similarly, the phrase “a third threshold value set to the first threshold value or greater or less than the second threshold value” in claim 2 is also indefinite because it is unclear what relationship exists among three thresholds. Additionally, the phrase “a load torque generated at a motor angle” in line 5 in claim 6 is unclear because a motor angle is a state or variable not a physical location or structure at which torque is generated.
REASONS FOR ALLOWANCE
Allowable Subject Matter
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Claims 1-6 are allowed.
Upon further consideration and in a view of the limitation, the prior art does not explicitly teach or fairly suggest alone or in combination of “a signal switching output unit configured to estimate a rotating magnetic field angle and a speed of the motor based on the magnetic flux interlinkage, and to output a switching command such that the PWM signal generation unit: executes the first output method when a modulation rate of a motor applied voltage is less than a first threshold value, executes the second output method when the modulation rate is the first threshold value or greater or less than a second threshold value, and executes the third output method when the modulation rate is the second threshold value or greater” in claim 1.
Claims 1-6 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Yamakawa et al. (US 2010/0176757 A1) disclose a pwm control mode in fig. 6.
IEZAWA et al. (US 2025/0062710 A1) disclose a control device for a rotating electric machine.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BICKEY DHAKAL whose telephone number is (571)272-3577. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30-4:30 PM.
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, Eduardo Colon-Santana can be reached at 571-272-2060. 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.
/BICKEY DHAKAL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
Prosecution Insights