Ex Parte VertanenDownload PDFPatent Trial and Appeal BoardJul 22, 201612694918 (P.T.A.B. Jul. 22, 2016) Copy Citation UNITED STA TES p A TENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE APPLICATION NO. 12/694,918 129925 ABB Inc, 7590 FILING DATE 01127/2010 07/26/2016 Taft, Stettinius & Hollister LLP One Indiana Square Suite 3500 Indianapolis, IN 46204-2023 FIRST NAMED INVENTOR Mikko VERTANEN UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE United States Patent and Trademark Office Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS P.O. Box 1450 Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450 www .uspto.gov ATTORNEY DOCKET NO. CONFIRMATION NO. 1034456-000154 6874 EXAMINER CHAN, KAWING ART UNIT PAPER NUMBER 2837 NOTIFICATION DATE DELIVERY MODE 07/26/2016 ELECTRONIC Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding. The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication. Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above-indicated "Notification Date" to the following e-mail address( es): taft-ip-docket@taftlaw.com PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07) UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD Ex parte MIKKO VERT ANEN1 Appeal2015-000701 Application 12/694,918 Technology Center 2800 Before BRADLEY R. GARRIS, ROMULO H. DELMENDO, and JENNIFER R. GUPTA, Administrative Patent Judges. GARRIS, Administrative Patent Judge. DECISION ON APPEAL Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 134, Appellant appeals from the Examiner's rejections under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) of independent claims 1, 5, and 6 as unpatentable over Sarlioglu et al. (US 2007/0007922 Al, published Jan. 11, 2007) ("Sarlioglu") in view of Schulz et al. (US 2008/0224651 Al, published Sept. 18, 2008) ("Schulz") and of dependent claims 2--4 as unpatentable over these references in combination with Takahashi et al. 1 ABB OY is identified as the real party in interest. App. Br. 2. Appeal2015-000701 Application 12/694,918 (US 2003/0030406 Al, published Feb. 13, 2003) ("Takahashi"). We have jurisdiction under 35 U.S.C. § 6. We REVERSE. Appellant claims a method of synchronizing an inverter with an alternating voltage source comprising synchronizing with a phase angle and angular velocity obtained by measuring a current generated by the alternating voltage source and flowing through diodes of the inverter "when the inverter is not modulating and when the phase-to-phase amplitude of the generated voltage exceeds the voltage of an intermediate voltage source" (claim 1 ). Appellant also claims a corresponding inverter (claim 5) and a non-transitory computer readable medium (claim 6). A copy of representative claim 1, taken from the Claims Appendix of the Appeal Brief, appears below. 1. A method of synchronizing an inverter with an alternating voltage source, the method comprising: measuring a current generated by the alternating voltage source and flowing through diodes of the inverter when the inverter is not modulating and when the phase-to-phase amplitude of the generated voltage exceeds the voltage of an intermediate voltage source; determining a phase angle and angular velocity relating to the alternating voltage source from the measured current for synchronizing the inverter and the alternating voltage source; and initiating modulation of the inverter using the phase angle and angular velocity. The Examiner finds that "Sarlioglu fails to disclose the current is measured when the inverter is not modulating" (Final Action 4) but that Schulz discloses "current is measured during field weakening control and phase-to-phase voltage exceeds voltage of voltage source" (id. at 5) and that Specification paragraph 19 teaches "the inverter is not modulating in the 2 Appeal2015-000701 Application 12/694,918 field weakening region" (id.). Based on these findings, the Examiner concludes that it would have been obvious "to have modified the teachings of Sarlioglu with the teachings of Schulz, since it is known to retain current control of the PM machine by field weakening method when line-to-line voltage becomes greater than the bus voltage" (id.). Appellant argues that the Examiner has misinterpreted paragraph 19 of the Specification and that paragraph 19 "does not disclose that when the permanent magnet machine is in the field weakening region, the inverter is automatically not modulating" (App. Br. 7). Appellant further argues "Schulz discloses that in the field weakening, the machine is controlled, i.e. the inverter is modulating" (id. at 8). In response, the Examiner reiterates the proposition that "paragraph [0019] . . . states the inverter is not modulating in a situation when the machine is in field weakening region[, and] [t]herefore, Schulz teaches the measured current is measured when the inverter is not modulating since the disclosed machine is in field-weakening situation" (Ans. 3). Appellant's arguments are persuasive. Specification paragraph 19 recites "[i]n some situations, the permanent magnet machine may also be rotating without control (i.e. the inverter is not modulating) in the field weakening region." This recitation merely teaches that, in some situations, the inverter is not modulating in the field weakening region. Accordingly, as argued by Appellant and contrary to the Examiner's belief, paragraph 19 fails to disclose that the inverter is automatically not modulating whenever the machine is in the field weakening region. Moreover, Schulz expressly teaches "[t]o retain current control of the PM machine, the back EMF is generally reduced using field-weakening" (i-f 2 (emphasis added)). This teaching of retaining current control of the machine supports Appellant's 3 Appeal2015-000701 Application 12/694,918 position that in the field-weakening described by Schulz the inverter is modulating (i.e., controlling) rather than not modulating as urged by the Examiner. For these reasons, we agree with Appellant that the Examiner's findings regarding Schulz and Specification paragraph 19 are erroneous. As a consequence, we do not sustain the Examiner's § 103 rejections of the independent claims and of the claims which depend therefrom. The decision of the Examiner is reversed. REVERSED 4 Copy with citationCopy as parenthetical citation