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 .
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
Wireless power transfer system or device is too broad. The title should indicate the aspect of the wireless power transfer field to which the claims are directed – namely, adjustments made in the transmitter to correct for communication faults.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because:
line 11 recites “by generating the electromagnetic resonance field”. The power transmission device generates the field, not the power reception device. The power reception device absorbs or receives the field – and then modulates the field to generate a communication signal that is detectable by the power transmission device.
Lines 17-18 incorrectly recite that the power transmission coil has the ability to generate “the electromagnetic resonance field”. Resonance requires both an inductor/coil and capacitor. The capacitor, however, is not inferred until line 19 (“a power transmission resonant circuit”). The coil, by itself, it not capable of generating a resonance field.
Applicant is advised that should claim 3 be found allowable, claim 12 will be objected to under 37 CFR 1.75 as being a substantial duplicate thereof. When two claims in an application are duplicates or else are so close in content that they both cover the same thing, despite a slight difference in wording, it is proper after allowing one claim to object to the other as being a substantial duplicate of the allowed claim. See MPEP § 608.01(m).
Claim 12 is an exact duplicate of claim 3 and they both depend from claim 1.
A claim which depends from a dependent claim should not be separated by any claim which does not also depend from said dependent claim. It should be kept in mind that a dependent claim may refer to any preceding independent claim. In general, applicant's sequence will not be changed. See MPEP § 608.01(n).
Claim 13 depends from claim 2, but is separated from claim 2 by claims 3-12, which do not depend from claim 2.
Claim 14 is objected to because it, like claim 1, incorrectly recites that the power transmission coil generates the resonance field (lines 5-6).
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.
Claims 10 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
First, the claims are logically backwards. It incorrectly recites that current regulator circuit sets the input current “by using the power transmission control circuit”. In reality, it is the control circuit that “uses” the current regulator circuit to make input current adjustments. The incorrect language is indefinite because it seeks to give the current regulator circuit some type of master control over the control circuit.
Second, the claims recite “using a current mirror”. “using” is not one of the commonly known transitional phrases. It is unclear why the Applicants are not using “comprising” or “including” here, as they have done throughout the claims to indicate that one structural element comprises another. “using” appears to be descriptive and not further limiting. For the purpose of the art rejection of the claim, the current mirror will be interpreted as positively recited.
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 1-2, 5-7, 11, 14-17 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang (US 2020/0083747) in view of Novak (US 2010/0181961). Claim 14 (directed to fewer limitations than claim 1) is treated first.
With respect to claim 14, Huang discloses a power transmission device (fig 1-3, 6-7; all text) of a wireless power transfer system that is configured to perform wireless power supply for a power reception device (not claimed; intended use) by generating an electromagnetic resonance field and perform signal transmission by resonance modulation using the electromagnetic resonance field, the power transmission device comprising:
a power transmission coil (36, 110; par 18, 22) that is configured to perform wireless power transmission by generating the electromagnetic resonance field;
a power transmission circuit including a power transmission resonant circuit (par 27);
a power transmission control circuit (42, 150);
a resonance demodulation circuit (124; par 39) that is configured to perform resonance demodulation corresponding to the resonance modulation;
a current regulator circuit (140; par 31-36 that is configured to adjust the input current,
wherein
the power transmission device is configured to detect, by using the current detection circuit, a state in which a signal generated by the resonance modulation and received from the power reception device is undetectable (figs 5-6, step 340), and
when the signal is undetectable, change the input current by using the current regulator circuit to prevent the state in which the signal is undetectable and thereby stabilize an operation of the resonance demodulation (fig 5, step 350; fig 6, step 356; par 53-54, 63).
Huang discloses a wireless power resonance transmitter that includes the ability to demodulate in-band data created through load modulation within a(n unclaimed) receiver. Huang analyzes the demodulated data to determine if communication is successful. If not, then it makes adjustments to at least one control parameter, which includes at least a converter output voltage that is provided to the transmission coil. At least claim 2 states that the Applicants intend for “current regulator” to include the regulation of voltage. Thus, Huang’s voltage-regulated converter output satisfies the claim language.
Huang discloses the transmitter demodulates in-band communication from the receiver, but does not expressly disclose that it does so with a current detection circuit. Novak discloses a wireless power transmitter (fig 4, 6; par ), comprising: a power transmission coil (204), a power transmission circuit that includes a power transmission resonant circuit (206), a resonance demodulation circuit (214), and a current detection circuit (216; par 61) that is configured to detect an input current to the power transmission circuit. Novak teaches that it is known to demodulate in-band communication, created through resonance load modulation, with a current sensor on the transmitter side. The receiver load state (on/off) affects the sensed current to create detectable 0 and 1 bits in the transmitter.
Huang and Novak are analogous to the claimed invention because they are from the same field of endeavor, namely wireless power transmitters with in-band communication demodulators. At the time of the earliest priority date of the application, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art to modify the Huang transmitter to include the current detection circuit as taught by Novak. The motivation for doing so would have been to fill in the blanks in the primary reference. Huang discloses that the receiver load modulation is detectable within the transmitter (par 16, 53), but does not expressly disclose the structure necessary to do so. The skilled artisan would have considered consulting the prior to understand how to successfully complete the demodulation functionality.
With respect to claim 15, Huang obviously teaches the current regulator circuit is configured to control the input current within a range in which the wireless power transmission is performed. Huang discloses its system operates to the designer’s satisfaction and does not cause the transmitter to fail. There is no clearly defined “range” in the claim.
With respect to claim 16, Huang obviously teaches the power transmission device according to claim 14, wherein a range in which the wireless power transmission is performed is a range in which power in the wireless power transmission is greater than or equal to a predetermined value. The “predetermined value” can be interpreted as zero or any other substantially low value such that Huang’s range is always above it.
Claim 16 depends from claim 14 and does not include the “range” of claim 15. It is unclear if this is intentional or not.
Also, claim 16 does not define the structure necessary to explicitly recite how the transmitter would ever know what the predetermined value is, specifically keep the range above the value and/or if the transmitter takes corrective action should the range drops below the value. The breadth of the claim would be analogous to stating that I keep the temperature of my oven equal to or above a predetermined value. If that value is a low number, such as 0, then my oven will always meet that condition without me (or my oven) having to do anything about it.
With respect to claim 17, Novak discloses a frequency of the wireless power supply is in a 6.78 MHz band or a 13.56 MHz band (par 39).
With respect to claim 20, Novak discloses the current detection circuit includes a shunt resistor (Rs) connected to a line through which the input current flows (shown in figs 4, 6), and a voltage amplifier (unlabeled in fig 4; item 230 in fig 6) configured to amplify a voltage obtained from a voltage generated at ends of the shunt resistor.
With respect to claim 1, Huang discloses a wireless power transfer system (figs 1-7; all text) comprising:
a power reception device (10, 200); and
a power transmission device (see art rejection of claim 14),
wherein the wireless power transfer system is configured to perform wireless power supply by generating an electromagnetic resonance field between the power transmission device and the power reception device (par 27) and perform signal transmission by resonance modulation using the electromagnetic resonance field (par 45);
the power reception device includes a housing having
an internal space (boundaries of 10, 200),
a power reception coil (210) that is in the internal space and configured to perform wireless power reception by generating [sic- absorbing] the electromagnetic resonance field,
a power reception circuit including a power reception resonant circuit (par 44) and a resonance modulation circuit (56, 220; par 21, 45) that is configured to perform the resonance modulation, and
a load circuit (battery 18 and/or the not-illustrated load as described in par 47) that is configured to perform a predetermined electric circuit operation using output power of the power reception circuit.
Huang and Novak combine to disclose the power transmission device, and the references are analogous, as discussed above in the art rejection of claim 14.
With respect to claim 2, Huang discloses the current regulator circuit is configured to change the input current by changing an input voltage supplied to the power transmission circuit (par 32-35). The Huang current regulator circuit is a DC/DC converter that is controlled to adjust at least its output voltage amplitude.
With respect to claims 5-7, 11 and 13, the combination teaches the recited limitations, as discussed above in the art rejections of claims 15-17, 20 and 15, respectively.
Claims 9 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang in view of Novak and Lisuwandi (US 2013/0154373).
Huang discloses the current regulator circuit includes a DC-DC converter, but does not expressly disclose the other components. Lisuwandi discloses a wireless power transmitter (fig 1, 8-9; pages 3-4) comprising a current regulator circuit (804, 824) to provide power to a transmission coil (812), wherein
the current regulator circuit comprises a DC/DC converter (804), a D/A converter (1014), and a digital control circuit (1012; par 55-58); and
the digital control circuit is configured to set an input voltage by outputting a setting value to the D/A converter and thereby varying a feedback voltage of the DC-DC converter (shown in fig 9; see also par 58).
Huang and Lisuwandi are analogous to the claimed invention because they are from the same field of endeavor, namely wireless power transmitters with current regulator circuits (i.e. DC/DC converters). At the time of the earliest priority date of the application, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art to modify Huang to include the feedback adjusting components as taught by Lisuwandi. The motivation for doing so would have been to carry out the converter output voltage adjustment required by Huang with a known and proven technique to do so.
Claims 10 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang in view of Novak and Niwa (US 2010/0225332).
Huang discloses the current regulator circuit, but does not expressly disclose it is a current mirror. Niwa (fig 6; pages 14-16) discloses an LC circuit (1) that is fed by a current regulator circuit (2) that includes a constant-current circuit (20) using a current mirror (23) and is configured to set the input current by using the power transmission control circuit (4, via the potentiometer 25a; par 165).
Huang and Niwa are analogous to the claimed invention because they are from the same field of endeavor, namely current sources for LC circuits. At the time of the earliest priority date of the application, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art to modify the current regulator circuit (DC/DC converter) disclosed by Huang to be a current mirror, as taught by Niwa. The motivation for doing so would have been to replace one circuit with another for accomplishes the same function (supplying AC current to an LC circuit).
Claims 3-4, 8 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang in view of Novak and Monson (US 2021/0393968).
With respect to claims 3 and 12, Huang discloses wireless power transmission to a receiver, but does not expressly disclose that the receiver includes a biocompatible material to be implanted into a living body. Monson discloses a wireless power transfer system (figs 1-2; pages 3-12) in which the receiver housing (14A) includes a biocompatible material (par 45), the power reception device is embedded in a living body (12), and the power transmission device is outside of the living body (see fig 1a-b).
Huang and Monson are analogous to the claimed invention because they are from the same field of endeavor, namely wireless power transfer systems. At the time of the earliest priority date of the application, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art to modify Huang to be operable with an implantable receiver, as taught by Monson. The motivation for doing so would have been to supply wireless power to a device that is known to require it for operation.
With respect to claim 4, Monson discloses the biocompatible material is titanium or a titanium alloy (par 45).
With respect to claim 8, Monson discloses its receiver comprises a load circuit and the load circuit includes a sensing circuit (fig 2, item 30; par 82, 94-95), a signal processing circuit (22; par 81), and a wireless communication circuit (36; par 96). Huang and Monson are analogous, as discussed above. At the time of the earliest priority date of the application, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art to modify the Huang load to include the components taught by Monson. The motivation for doing so would have been to extract information about the receiver (which is implanted in a patient and can’t be accessed directly).
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/ADI AMRANY/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2836
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