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 § 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.
Claims 1, 6, and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Barraco et al. (US 2022/0204173; “Barraco”; reference of record) in view of Sato (US 2018/0354436).
Regarding claim 1, Barraco teaches an electrical power supply system (1; figure 2) comprising:
a first electrical power supply circuit (5) configured to supply to a first load device C1) an electrical power output from a first electrical power generating device (2), the electrical power being a direct current electrical power (on DC bus 5);
a second electrical power supply circuit (4) configured to supply to a second load device (C3) an electrical power output from a second electrical power generating device (3), the electrical power being a direct current electrical power (on DC bus 4);
a connection circuit (100, Lc; see details in figure 4) equipped with a connection device (100) configured to connect the first electrical power supply circuit (5) and the second electrical power supply circuit (4) to each other; and
a control device (para. [0064], [0072]) configured to execute a connection control on the connection device (100) in order to connect the first electrical power supply circuit (5) and the second electrical power supply circuit (4) to each other via the connection circuit (100, Lc); and
a disconnection device (10) configured to disconnect the first electrical power generating device (2) from the first electrical power supply circuit (5) and the connection circuit (100, Lc),
wherein the connection circuit (100, Lc) is further equipped with a reactor (Lc) configured to be connected in series to the connection device (100), and
in a case that a failure (When a power source fails, contactor 100 closes “to mutualize the various sources of energy … over the entire network.” Para. [0068].) has occurred in supply of the electrical power from the first electrical power generating device (2) to the first electrical power supply circuit (5), execute the connection control on the connection device (100) in a state in which the first electrical power supply circuit (5) and the connection circuit (100, Lc) are disconnected from the first electrical power generating device (2) by the disconnection device (10).
Barraco fails to teach the control device includes one or more processors that execute computer-executable instructions stored in a memory, wherein the one or more processors execute the computer-executable instructions to cause the control device to perform functions.
However, it is well-known to those of ordinary skill in the art to control a power supply system with a control device comprising one or more processors that execute computer-executable instructions stored in a memory, wherein the one or more processors execute the computer-executable instructions to cause the control device to perform functions. For example, see para. [0055] of Sato.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to execute the control steps of the control device of Barraco with one or more processors that execute computer-executable instructions stored in a memory, wherein the one or more processors execute the computer-executable instructions to cause the control device to perform functions because such a modification would have been implementing a well-known control device configuration for a power supply system.
Regarding claim 6, Barraco teaches a moving object (aircraft; para. [0001]) comprising the electrical power supply system according to claim 1.
Regarding claim 7, the method as recited in the claim is inherently present in the structure discussed above in the rejection of claim 1.
Claims 2-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Barraco in view of Sato and Mitani et al. (US 2022/0285964; “Mitani”; reference of record).
Regarding claims 2 and 3, Barraco modified by Sato teaches the electrical power supply system according to claim 1, as detailed above, but fails to teach wherein by canceling disconnection by the disconnection device after the connection control is executed on the connection device, the control device supplies electrical power from the second electrical power supply circuit to the first electrical power generating device to execute a restoration control on the first electrical power generating device in order to restore the first electrical power generating device; wherein in a case that the first electrical power generating device is restored by the restoration control, the control device controls the connection device to disconnect the first electrical power supply circuit from the second electrical power supply circuit.
Mitani teaches reactivating a failed generator associated with a first power supply circuit in a power supply system with power from a second power supply circuit. Reactivating a failed power generator reduces the load on the remaining functioning power generators in the power supply system. See para. [0067]-[0069] of Mitani.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to restore/reactivate the failed electrical power generating device of Barraco with power from a different power supply circuit because such a modification would have provided the benefit of reducing the load on the remaining functioning power generator in the power supply system of Barraco.
As for claim 4, Barraco modified by Mitani teaches wherein the first electrical power generating device includes a first electrical power generator (2) configured to output a three-phase alternating current electrical power (figure 1 teaches the use of 3-phase AC power generation), and a first electrical power conversion device (20a-20c) configured to convert the three-phase alternating current electrical power output from the first electrical power generator into the direct current electrical power, the second electrical power generating device includes a second electrical power generator (3) configured to output a three-phase alternating current electrical power (figure 1 teaches the use of 3-phase AC power generation), and a second electrical power conversion device (30a-30c) configured to convert the three-phase alternating current electrical power output from the second electrical power generator into the direct current electrical power, and
in the case that the first electrical power generating device (2) is restored by the restoration control, the control device controls the connection device (100) to disconnect the first electrical power supply circuit (5) from the second electrical power supply circuit (4), in a state in which outputs of the first electrical power generator (2) and the second electrical power generator are short-circuited (3).
As for claim 5, Barraco modified by Mitani teaches a first electrical power storage device (6) configured to be connected to the first electrical power supply circuit (5) and in parallel with the first electrical power generating device (2); and
a second electrical power storage device (7) configured to be connected to the second electrical power supply circuit (4) and in parallel with the second electrical power generating device (3),
wherein the control device cancels the disconnection by the disconnection device and executes the restoration control, after a difference between an output voltage of the first electrical power storage device and an output voltage of the second electrical power storage device becomes equal to or less than a predetermined voltage threshold value in a state that the connection control is executed on the connection device (See para. [0067]-[0069] of Mitani.).
Conclusion
The prior art references made of record and not relied upon teach power supply systems, comprising: multiple electrical power supply circuits, connection circuits, controllers, disconnection circuits, and failure detectors.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LEVI GANNON whose telephone number is (571)272-7971. The examiner can normally be reached 7:00AM-4:30PM.
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/LEVI GANNON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2849 March 13, 2026
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