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 § 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.
(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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5, 6, and 8-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and (a)(2) as being anticipated by Kuranuki et al. (2016/0087426).
Regarding independent claim 1, Kuranuki teaches (Figs. 1 and 2) a power supply switching device (130) that switches a power supply of a load (20) between a main power supply (connected to 140/142) and an auxiliary power supply (connected to 144/146), the power supply switching device comprising:
a main power circuit (upper left portion of Fig. 2) connected to the main power supply (from the AC source (10) directly);
an auxiliary power circuit (lower left portion of Fig. 2) connected to the auxiliary power supply (from the inverter (120));
a load circuit (148/150) connected to the load;
a power supply side relay (200 and 210) including a first main power contact (left contact of 200) connected to the main power circuit, a second main power contact (right contact of 200) disposed corresponding to the first main power contact, a first auxiliary power contact (left contact of 210) connected to the auxiliary power circuit, and a second auxiliary power contact (right contact of 210) disposed corresponding to the first auxiliary power contact, the power supply side relay being switchable between a first main connection state and a first auxiliary connection state, the power supply side relay being configured to, in the first main connection state, connect the first main power contact and the second main power contact (i.e. close 200) and disconnect the first auxiliary power contact and the second auxiliary power contact (i.e. open 210), the power supply side relay being configured to, in the first auxiliary connection state, connect the first auxiliary power contact and the second auxiliary power contact (i.e. close 210) and disconnect the first main power contact and the second main power contact (i.e. open 200); ([0024]-[0026])
a main connecting circuit (to the right of 200) connected to the second main power contact;
an auxiliary connecting circuit (to the right of 210) connected to the second auxiliary power contact; and
a load side relay (220) including a third main power contact (top left contact of 220) connected to the main connecting circuit and a third auxiliary power contact (bottom left contact of 220) connected to the auxiliary connecting circuit, the load side relay being switchable between a second main connection state and a second auxiliary connection state, the load side relay being configured to connect the third main power contact and the load circuit and disconnects the third auxiliary power contact and the load circuit, the load side relay being configured to, in the second auxiliary connection state, connect the third auxiliary power contact and the load circuit and disconnect the third main power contact and the load circuit ([0027]).
Regarding claim 2, Kuranuki teaches a controller (162) configured to control the power supply side relay and the load side relay ([0025]-[0027]).
Regarding claim 3, Kuranuki teaches the controller being configured to switch the power supply side relay to the first main connection state and switches the load side relay to the second main connection state to supply power from the main power supply to the load ([0025]-[0027]).
Regarding claim 5, Kuranuki teaches the controller being configured to switch the power supply side relay to the first main connection state after a predetermined time has elapsed after switching the load side relay to the second main connection state (when switching from the auxiliary connection state to the main connection state; [0049], [0053], [0054]); and
(Regarding claim 8) the controller being configured to switch the power supply side relay to the first auxiliary connection state after a predetermined time has elapsed after switching the load side relay to the second auxiliary connection state (when switching from the main connection state to the auxiliary connection state; [0049], [0053], [0054]).
Regarding claims 5 and 8 above, Kuranaki teaches in the paragraphs reference above, when switching from the main connection state to the auxiliary connection state and vice versa, opening the power supply side relay of the connected power source and switching the load side relay to the opposite connection state at the same time and, at a predetermined time after that, closing the power supply side relay of the soon-to-be connected source.
Regarding claim 6, Kuranaki teaches the controller being configured to switch the power supply side relay to the first auxiliary connection state (i.e. close 210) and switches the load side relay (220) to the second auxiliary connection state to supply power from the auxiliary power supply to the load ([0026], [0027]).
Regarding claim 9, Kuranaki teaches a main power sensor (230A) configured to detect a voltage or current of the main power circuit, wherein
the controller is configured to determine whether at least one of the first main power contact, the second main power contact, and the third main power contact is welded based on the voltage or the current of the main power circuit detected by the main power sensor. (Figs. 2 and 3; [0028]-[0036] describes the operation of the main power sensor, based on the voltage and/or current at 140/142, to determine if a power contact is welded)
Regarding claim 10, Kuranaki teaches an auxiliary power sensor (230B) configured to detect a voltage or a current of the auxiliary power circuit, wherein
the controller is configured to determine whether at least one of the first auxiliary power contact, the second auxiliary power contact, and the third auxiliary power contact is welded based on the voltage or the current of the auxiliary power circuit detected by the auxiliary power sensor. (Figs. 2 and 3; [0028]-[0036] describes the operation of the auxiliary power sensor, based on the voltage and/or current at 144/146, to determine if a power contact is welded)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4 and 7 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 and any intervening claims.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for indicating allowable subject matter: the references of record, either alone, or in combination, do not teach or suggest at least the limitations of: Regarding claims 4 and 7, the circuit configuration claimed in claim 1, including the idea of switching the load side relay to a second main/auxiliary connection state after a predetermined time elapses after switching the power source side relay to the first main/auxiliary connection state, respectively.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Czarnecki (7,737,579), Lathrop (2008/0088182), and Hobri (6,879,060), which all teach similar circuit configurations to the claimed invention but fail to teach the operations of claims 4 and 7.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DRU M PARRIES whose telephone number is (571)272-8542. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday -Thursday from 9:00am to 6:00pm. The examiner can also be reached on alternate Fridays.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Rexford Barnie, can be reached on 571-272-7492. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free).
DMP
5/22/2026
/DANIEL KESSIE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2836
Prosecution Insights