DETAILED ACTION
This Office action is in response to the application filed on 21 March 2025.
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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-3,8,10,12-15, 18 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hiroaki Hirahara et. al (US5920466; hereafter “Hiroaki”).
-Regarding claim 1:
Hiroaki discloses:
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A system comprising: a pulse width modulation controller (Fig. 1; 63, see Fig. 2 for 63) configured to control a first output voltage of a first power supply (Fig. 1; 18) associated with the system, wherein the first power supply is referenced to an input ground (Fig. 1; red arrow) associated with the system; and a programmable device (Fig. 1; 41) configured to control at least a second output voltage of a second power supply (Fig. 1; 12) associated with the system, wherein the second power supply is referenced to an output ground (Fig. 1; blue arrow) associated with the system, wherein the programmable device (Fig. 1; 41) is powered based on the first output voltage (Fig. 1; 18).
-Regarding claim 12:
Hiroaki discloses:
An apparatus comprising: a pulse width modulation controller (Fig. 1; 63, see Fig. 2 for 63) configured to control a first output voltage of a first power supply (Fig. 1; 18) associated with a system, wherein the first power supply is referenced to an input ground (Fig. 1; red arrow) associated with the system; and a programmable device (Fig. 1; 41) configured to control at least a second output voltage of a second power supply (Fig. 1; 12) associated with the system, wherein the second power supply is referenced to an output ground (Fig. 1; blue arrow) associated with the system, wherein the programmable device (Fig. 1; 41) is powered based on the first output voltage (Fig. 1; 18).
-Regarding claim 2:
Hiroaki discloses:
The system of claim 1, further comprising: a first voltage regulator comprising the pulse width modulation controller (Fig. 1; 63); and a second voltage regulator, wherein: the programmable device is configured to generate and provide a drive signal to the second voltage regulator (Background of the invention; “a three-terminal regulator (not illustrated) which is turned on and off by the control signal from a microcomputer 41”) in association with controlling the drive signal; and the second output voltage is based on the drive signal.
-Regarding claim 3:
Hiroaki discloses:
The system of claim 2, wherein the first output voltage at the first power supply and the second output voltage at the second power supply are based on an input voltage received at the first voltage regulator and the second voltage regulator (Fig. 1; 63 coupled with 12 through 37, and 41 coupled with 18 through 40).
-Regarding claim 8:
Hiroaki discloses:
The system of claim 1, wherein the programmable device (Fig. 1; 41) is configured to generate or modify a drive signal associated with controlling at least the second output voltage, based on a measurement of the second output voltage (Fig. 1; 37, background of invention; “If the voltage of the DC output voltage terminal 12 exceeds the reference voltage in the error amplifier 37,
the reverse operation takes place to reduce the voltage of the DC output voltage terminal 12.”).
-Regarding claim 10:
Hiroaki discloses:
The system of claim 1, further comprising a control device configured to control one or more functions of the system, wherein the programmable device is comprised in a portion of the control device (Fig. 1; 41 controls 10 and 31).
For method claims 13-15, 18, and 20 note that under MPEP 2112.02, the principles of inherency, if a prior art device, in its normal and usual operation, would necessarily perform the method claimed, then the method claimed will be considered to be anticipated by the prior art device. When the prior art is the same as a device described in the specification for carrying out the claimed method, it can be assumed the device “1 inherently performs the claimed process. In re King, 801 F.2d 1324, 231 UPSQ 136 (Fed Cir. 1986). Therefore, the previous rejections based on the apparatus will not be repeated.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-7,9,11,16,17, and 19 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
-with respect to claim 4:
the prior art in Hiroaki discloses the claimed invention in basic claims but do not further disclose about a field effect transistor controllable based on the drive signal.
-with respect to claim 6:
the prior art in Hiroaki discloses the claimed invention in basic claims but do not further disclose that the second power supply is galvanically isolated from the second voltage regulator, the first voltage regulator, the first power supply, and the programmable device.
-with respect to claim 7:
the prior art in Hiroaki discloses the claimed invention in basic claims but do not further disclose about a current sensing device configured to provide a sensed current associated with providing the second output voltage.
-with respect to claim 9:
the prior art in Hiroaki discloses the claimed invention in basic claims but do not further disclose about one of voltage feedback and current feedback associated with the second output voltage.
-with respect to claim 11:
the prior art in Hiroaki discloses the claimed invention in basic claims but do not further disclose about an auxiliary winding of the first transformer and the first winding galvanically isolated from the second winding in the second transformer.
-with respect to claim 16:
the prior art in Hiroaki discloses the claimed invention in basic claims but do not further disclose about a field effect transistor comprised in the second voltage regulator.
-with respect to claim 17:
the prior art in Hiroaki discloses the claimed invention in basic claims but do not further disclose about a current sensing device, and a sensed current associated with providing the second output voltage.
-with respect to claim 19:
the prior art in Hiroaki discloses the claimed invention in basic claims but do not further disclose about one of voltage feedback and current feedback associated with the second output voltage.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SEUNG HO CHOI whose telephone number is (571)272-8188. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday, 7:30 AM - 5:30 PM ET.
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/SEUNG HO CHOI/Examiner, Art Unit 2838
/CRYSTAL L HAMMOND/Supervisory Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838
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