DETAILED ACTION
This action is responsive to the following communications: Application filed on January 17,2025.
Claims 1-20 are presented for Examination. Claims 1, and 10 are independent.
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 1-20 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Regarding Claim 1, the claim recites “a drive circuit configured to provide a plurality of drive voltages to the plurality of switching transistors” and further requires “a feedback winding … configured to generate a feedback signal based on the plurality of drive voltages.”
This limitation is indefinite because it is unclear what specific structural relationship or electrical parameter defines “based on the plurality of drive voltages.” The specification describes various embodiments where feedback windings are connected in series or parallel, but the claim does not specify whether the feedback signal is derived from all drive voltages simultaneously, an aggregate thereof, or a selected subset. Without knowing the specific coupling topology required by the claim, one of ordinary skill in the art cannot determine the scope of the invention. For examination purposes, this limitation will be interpreted broadly as any feedback mechanism responsive to at least one drive voltage.
Furthermore, Claim 1 recites “a control unit configured to adjust the plurality of drive voltages according to the feedback signal.” The term “adjust” is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite.
The claim does not specify the conditions, algorithm, threshold, or direction of adjustment. It is unclear whether “adjust” encompasses mere on/off toggling, pulse-width modulation duty cycle changes, frequency variation, or voltage amplitude scaling. The specification provides examples of short-circuit protection adjustments, but the claim language is not so limited. One of ordinary skill in the art would not know the metes and bounds of “adjust” absent undue experimentation.
Regarding Claim 5, the phrase “the primary-side feedback windings are connected in parallel or series” creates an alternative claiming issue within a single dependent claim. While MPEP § 2173.05(d) permits some alternative language, the use of “or” here without antecedent basis for each alternative configuration independently creates ambiguity as to whether the claim covers a single device capable of both configurations (reconfigurable), two distinct species of devices, or merely requires one unspecified configuration. It is unclear if Applicant claims a controller that can dynamically switch between series and parallel, or if these represent two separate embodiments.
Regarding Claims 8 and 15, these claims recite “a transformer module comprising a primary winding and a secondary winding magnetically coupled thereto.” However, earlier limitations refer to “feedback windings” on the “primary side.” It is ambiguous whether the “feedback winding” previously recited is structurally the same as, distinct from, or a portion of the “primary winding” now being introduced. If they are distinct elements, their electrical and magnetic relationship is undefined. If they are the same element, inconsistent terminology renders the scope unclear. See MPEP § 2173.05(e) regarding inconsistent terminology.
Regarding Claims 10–20, these claims depend from previously rejected claims and inherit the indefiniteness issues set forth above.
Additionally, Claim 12 recites “a protection circuit configured to perform short-circuit protection based on the feedback signal,” which suffers from the same “based on” indefiniteness noted in Claim 1, compounded by the lack of definition for what constitutes “short-circuit protection” (e.g., shutdown, current limiting, foldback, etc.).
Appropriate correction is requested.
Since the independent claims 1 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) and hence the dependent claims of 1 and 10 are also rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ikuyama et al., US 2024/0424916 A1 (“Yamada”).
Regarding claim 1, Ikuyama discloses that a motor controller, wherein the motor controller comprises a bridge arm circuit and a drive circuit (Fig.4:202U), the bridge arm circuit comprises a plurality of switching transistor bridge arms(Fig. 1, inverter circuit 300 with upper-arm and lower-arm switching devices Q1–Q6), bridge arm midpoints of the plurality of switching transistor bridge arms are configured to connect to motor windings of a drive motor (Fig.1 and midpoints of each bridge arm with upper and lower transistor ), the drive circuit (202U) is configured to separately provide a plurality of drive voltages to a plurality of switching transistors of the bridge arm circuit, and the drive circuit comprises a plurality of transformers (Fig.4: 201U,201L), a primary-side switching transistor, and a controller (Fig.4:203), wherein
a primary-side winding of each transformer comprises a primary-side primary winding and a primary-side feedback winding (Fig.2), a secondary-side winding of each transformer is configured to output one drive voltage, one end of each primary-side primary winding is configured to connect to a power supply (Fig.2: HVDC_P), the other end of each primary-side primary winding is connected to an end of the primary-side switching transistor (Fig.2: 205U), and at least one primary-side feedback winding is configured to provide a feedback voltage signal (Fig.2: FB) to the controller; and
the controller (203) is configured to control operation of the primary-side switching transistor based on the feedback voltage signal.
Regarding claim 2, Ikuyama discloses that wherein an undotted terminal of the primary-side primary winding of each transformer is configured to connect to the power supply, and a dotted terminal of the primary-side primary winding of each transformer is connected to an end of the primary-side switching transistor (Fig.2).
Regarding claim 3, Ikuyama discloses that wherein a plurality of primary-side feedback windings are connected in parallel, and an end of each primary-side feedback winding provides the feedback voltage signal to the control unit ([0046]).
Regarding claim 4, Ikuyama discloses that wherein a dotted terminal of the primary-side feedback winding of each transformer provides the feedback voltage signal to the controller (Fig.2 and ¶¶ [0054]–[0056]).
Regarding claim 5, Ikuyama discloses that wherein primary-side feedback windings of the plurality of transformers are sequentially connected in series, and an end of the primary-side feedback winding of one transformer is configured to provide the feedback voltage signal to the controller (Fig. 4 and ¶ [0056]).
Regarding claim 6, Ikuyama discloses that wherein a dotted terminal of the primary-side feedback winding of one transformer provides the feedback voltage signal to the controller, and an undotted terminal of the primary-side feedback winding of the transformer is connected to a dotted terminal of the primary-side feedback winding of another transformer (Fig. 2 and [0044]).
Regarding claim 7, Ikuyama discloses that wherein the control unit comprises a feedback signal input terminal, the feedback signal input terminal receives, through a bleeder circuit, the voltage feedback signal provided by the at least one primary-side feedback winding, and the bleeder circuit comprises two resistors and at least one diode, wherein
two ends of one resistor (207U) are respectively connected to the feedback signal input terminal and one end of the other resistor, the other end of the other resistor is grounded, connection terminals of the two resistors are configured to connect to a cathode of the at least one diode, and an anode of the at least one diode is configured to receive the voltage feedback signal provided by the at least one primary-side feedback winding ((Fig. 2-3).
Regarding claim 8, Ikuyama discloses that wherein the secondary-side winding of each transformer comprises two secondary-side sub-windings, two ends of each secondary-side sub-winding are connected by a diode and a capacitor that are connected in series, and an end of one secondary-side sub-winding is connected to another end of the other secondary-side sub-winding (Fig.2 and Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 9, Ikuyama discloses that wherein a dotted terminal of one secondary-side sub-winding is connected to a positive electrode of a first diode, a negative electrode of the first diode is connected to one end of a first capacitor, and the other end of the first capacitor is connected to an undotted terminal of the secondary-side sub-winding;
an undotted terminal of the other secondary-side sub-winding is connected to one end of a second capacitor, the other end of the second capacitor is connected to a positive electrode of a second diode, and a negative electrode of the second diode is connected to the undotted terminal of the secondary-side sub-winding; and
the undotted terminal of the secondary-side sub-winding is connected to a dotted terminal of the other secondary-side sub-winding (Fig. 2 and Fig.4)
Regarding Claims 10–20, these claims recite a drive circuit and power device having substantially the same structural limitations as claims 1–8 above, merely drafted in different statutory classes (apparatus vs. circuit/device), and are therefore anticipated by Ikuyama for the same reasons set forth above with respect to the corresponding apparatus claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MUHAMMAD S ISLAM whose telephone number is (571)272-8439. The examiner can normally be reached 9:30am to 6:00pm.
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/MUHAMMAD S ISLAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
