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.
Claims 1-4 and 8-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Choi (US 2024/0014693).
Regarding claim 1, Choi teaches a computing device (Figure 2; para. [0143]) comprising:
a wireless charging receive coil (221) that transduces, into an alternating current (AC) power signal, a magnetic field generated by a wireless charging transmit coil (213) of an external device (101);
a rectifier (225) that converts the AC signal received at an AC side (left side) of the rectifier into a direct current (DC) power signal output at a DC side (right side) of the rectifier (225);
a power converter (244) configured to generate, using electrical energy received via the DC side of the rectifier (225), a load power signal (from 244);
a load (245) configured to operate using the load power signal;
a first modulation capacitor (CA1) connected to an upper rail of the AC side;
a second modulation capacitor (CA2) connected to a lower rail of the AC side;
a first switch (232) configured to selectively couple the first modulation capacitor (CA1) to a ground;
a second switch (234) configured to selectively couple the second modulation capacitor (CA2) to the ground; and
a controller (250) configured to:
toggle the first switch (232) and the second switch (234) to communicate with the external device (101);
determine, based on a comparison of voltage levels (with comparator 251) measured at the computing device, whether to set the first switch (232) and the second switch (234) as open or closed when not communicating with the external device (The receiver 102 only communicates with the transmitter 101 when the switches 231-234 are being toggled.); and
set, responsive to determining to set the first switch (232) and the second switch (234) as closed when not communicating with the external device (101), the first switch (232) and the second switch (234) as closed when not communicating with the external device (The time period during which switches 232/234 remain closed, the receiver 102 is not communicating with the transmitter 101.).
As for claim 2, Choi teaches wherein the controller (250) is further configured to: obtain an on voltage level (Vrec) at the DC side of the rectifier (225) when the first switch (232) and the second switch (234) are closed; and
obtain an off voltage level at the DC side of the rectifier (225) when the first switch (232) and the second switch (234) are open,
wherein, to determine whether to set the first switch (232) and the second switch (234) as open or closed when not communicating with the external device (The receiver 102 only communicates with the transmitter 101 when the switches 231-234 are being toggled.), the controller is configured to determine to set the first switch (232) and the second switch (234) as closed when not communicating with the external device (101) responsive to determining that the on voltage level (Vrec) is greater than the off voltage level (Using comparator 251).
As for claim 3, Choi teaches wherein, to determine whether to set the first switch (232) and the second switch (234) as open or closed when not communicating with the external device (The receiver 102 only communicates with the transmitter 101 when the switches 231-234 are being toggled.), the controller (250) is configured to determine to set the first switch (232) and the second switch (234) as open when not communicating with the external device (101) responsive to determining that the off voltage level (Using comparator 251) is greater than the on voltage level (Vrec).
Regarding claim 4, Choi teaches wherein the computing device does not include an intervening low-dropout regulator (LDO) between the rectifier and the power converter (Choi does not include a LDO anywhere in figure 2.).
As for claim 8, Choi teaches wherein the power converter (244) comprises an unregulated power converter (Power converting charger 244 does not regulate power.).
As for claim 9, Choi teaches wherein the power converter is a first power converter (244) that generates a first converted power signal to operate the load, the device further comprising a second power converter (242; para. [0045]) that is configured to generate a second converted power signal to operate the load (245).
Regarding claim 10, Choi teaches wherein the second power converter comprises a regulated power converter (242 para. [0045]) included in a power management integrated circuit (para. [0145]).
As for claim 11, Choi teaches wherein, to communicate with the external device, the controller is configured to send, to the external device, a request to adjust an amount of power transferred from the external device to the computing device (para. [0033]-[0034]).
Regarding claim 12, Choi (figure 2) teaches a method comprising:
generating, by a rectifier (225) of a mobile computing device (para. [0143]), a rectified power signal (Vrec) using electrical energy received from an external device (101) via a wireless link (across 213/221) between the mobile computing device (102) and the external device (101);
generating, by a power converter (244) of the mobile computing device and from the rectified power signal, a converted power signal (output of 244);
operating, by an electrical load (245) of the mobile computing device, using the converted power signal (from 244);
communicating, by a controller (250) of the mobile computing device and with the external device (101), by toggling a first switch (232) and a second switch (234), the first switch (232) selectively coupling a first modulation capacitor (CA1) between an upper rail of an alternating current (AC) side (left side) of the rectifier (225) to ground, and the second switch (234) selectively coupling a second modulation capacitor (CA2) between a lower rail of the AC side (left side) of the rectifier (225) to ground;
determining, by the controller (250) and based on a comparison of voltage levels (with comparator 251) measured at the mobile computing device, whether to set the first switch (232) and the second switch (234) as open or closed when not communicating with the external device (The receiver 102 only communicates with the transmitter 101 when the switches 231-234 are being toggled.); and
responsive to determining to set the first switch (232) and the second switch (234) as closed when not communicating with the external device (101), setting the first switch (232) and the second switch (234) as closed when not communicating with the external device ((The time period during which switches 232/234 remain closed, the receiver 102 is not communicating with the transmitter 101.).
As for claim 13, Choi teaches obtaining an on voltage level (Vrec) at a direct current (DC) side (right side) of the rectifier (225) when the first switch (232) and the second switch (234) are closed; and
obtaining an off voltage level at the DC side of the rectifier (225) when the first switch (232) and the second switch (234) are open,
wherein determining whether to set the first switch (232) and the second switch (234) as open or closed when not communicating with the external device (The receiver 102 only communicates with the transmitter 101 when the switches 231-234 are being toggled.) comprises determining to set the first switch (232) and the second switch (234) as closed when not communicating with the external device (101) responsive to determining that the on voltage level (Vrec) is greater than the off voltage level (Using comparator 251).
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 5 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi.
Regarding claim 5, Choi teaches a voltage regulator (242) configured to generate, using a first DC power signal (Vrec) received via the DC side of the rectifier (225), a second DC power signal (output of 242), wherein the power converter (244) is configured to generate the load power signal (output of 244) using the second DC power signal (output of 242).
Choi fails to teach the voltage regulator being a low-dropout regulator (LDO).
However, it is well-known to embody a voltage regulator with a low-dropout regulator in a wireless power transmission and conversion system.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to replace the general voltage regulator of Choi with a low-dropout regulator because such a modification would have been a replacement with a well-known voltage regulator device used in a wireless power transmission and conversion system.
Regarding claim 14, Choi teaches generating, by a voltage regulator (242) and using a first DC power signal (Vrec) received via a direct current (DC) side (right side) of the rectifier (225), a second DC power signal (output of 242).
Choi fails to teach the voltage regulator being a low-dropout regulator (LDO).
However, it is well-known to embody a voltage regulator with a low-dropout regulator in a wireless power transmission and conversion system.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to replace the general voltage regulator of Choi with a low-dropout regulator because such a modification would have been a replacement with a well-known voltage regulator device used in a wireless power transmission and conversion system.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6, 7, and 15 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 a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The best prior art reference of record, Choi, fails to teach:
“wherein the controller is further configured to: obtain, when the first switch and the second switch are closed, a voltage level of the first DC power signal and a voltage level of the second DC power signal, wherein, to determine whether to set the first switch and the second switch as open or closed when not communicating with the external device, the controller is configured to determine to set the first switch and the second switch as closed when not communicating with the external device responsive to determining that the obtained voltage level of the first DC power signal is greater than the obtained voltage level of the second DC power signal.”, as set forth in claim 6; and
“obtaining, when the first switch and the second switch are closed, a voltage level of the first DC power signal and a voltage level of the second DC power signal, wherein determining whether to set the first switch and the second switch as open or closed when not communicating with the external device comprises determining to set the first switch and the second switch as closed when not communicating with the external device responsive to determining that the obtained voltage level of the first DC power signal is greater than the obtained voltage level of the second DC power signal.”, as set forth in claim 15.
Conclusion
The prior art references made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. For example: O et al. (US 2023/0104202; figure 5) teaches a receive coil, a rectifier, a power converter, a load, first and second modulation capacitors, first and second switches, a controller, a comparator, and a power regulator.
Uchimoto (US 2018/0131234; figure 6) teaches a receive coil, a rectifier, a power converter, a load, first and second modulation capacitors, first and second switches, a controller, a comparator, and a power regulator.
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/LEVI GANNON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2836 June 25, 2026
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