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 .
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed August 27th, 2025 has been entered. Claims 1-2, 4-6, 8-12, 14-16, and 18-24 remain pending in the application. Claims 3, 7, 13, and 17 have been cancelled. Applicant’s amendments to the claims have overcome the objections and rejections previously set forth in the Non-Final Office Action mailed June 3rd, 2025.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-2, 4-6, 8-12, 14-16, and 18-24 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument. The claim amendments changed the scope of the claimed invention. See new grounds for rejection below.
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.
Claims 1-2, 4-5, 11-12, 14-15, and 21-23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Hopper et al. (US 20210060230 A1) herein referred to as “Hopper”.
Regarding claim 1, Hopper discloses a controller for a thermal accessory (thermal control unit 22 for thermal pads 24, Figure 2, Paragraph [0058]), the controller comprising:
a conduit that provides a liquid path for a thermal liquid through the controller (circulation channel 36, Figure 2, Paragraph [0058]) and that includes:
an output through which the thermal liquid exits the controller to the thermal accessory (outlet ports 58, Figure 2, Paragraph [0055]):
an input through which the thermal liquid returning from the thermal accessory enters the controller (inlet ports 60, Figure 2, Paragraph [0054]);
a liquid reservoir that is in liquid communication with the conduit and that is configured to store the thermal liquid (fluid reservoir 32 in communication with circulation channel 36, Figure 2, Paragraph [0052-0060]);
a temperature sensor that is configured to measure a temperature of the thermal liquid flowing through the conduit (temperature sensor 56 detects a temperature of the liquid flowing through the conduit, Paragraph [0054], Figure 2);
a temperature control system (TCS) that is in liquid communication with the liquid reservoir via the conduit and that is configured to adjust the temperature of the thermal liquid flowing through the conduit (controller 78 utilizes a temperature control algorithm to control reservoir valve 72, Paragraph [0060], controller 78 makes automatic adjustments to the temperature of the fluid in order to bring the patient’s temperature to the desired patient target temperature, Paragraph [0054]),
thereby adjusting the temperature of the thermal liquid that exits the controller to the thermal accessory (controller 78 makes automatic adjustments to the temperature of the fluid in order to bring the patient’s temperature to the desired patient target temperature, Paragraph [0054]);
and a control unit of the TCS that is configured to: receive an indication at the controller of a TCS target temperature (user selects a target temperature for the fluid that circulates within thermal control unit 22 that is delivered to the thermal pads 24, Paragraph [0064]);
receive, from the temperature sensor, the temperature of the thermal liquid flowing through the conduit (after selecting the target patient temperature, controller 78 makes automatic adjustments to the temperature of the fluid in order to bring the patient’s temperature to the desired patient target temperature, Paragraph [0064], a pair of feedback loops 92 a and 92 b that are used in at least one embodiment of thermal control unit 22. Feedback loop 92 a is used by controller 78 when thermal control unit 22 is operating in the manual mode and feedback loops 92 a and 92 b are both used by controller 78 when thermal control unit 22 is operating in the automatic mode. Feedback loop 92 a uses a measured fluid temperature 94 and a fluid target temperature 96 as inputs. Measured fluid temperature 94 comes from outlet temperature sensor 56. Fluid target temperature 96, when thermal control unit 22 is operating in the manual mode, comes from a user inputting a desired fluid temperature using controls 84 of user interface 82. When thermal control unit 22 is operating in the automatic mode, fluid target temperature 96 comes from the output of control loop 92 b, as discussed more below, Figure 3, Paragraph [0066]);
determine a magnitude of a difference between the TCS target temperature and the temperature of the thermal liquid flowing through the conduit (Control loop 92 a determines the difference between the fluid target temperature 96 and the measured fluid temperature 94 (TFerror), Paragraph [0067]);
and execute a proportional-integral-differential (PID) algorithm to cause the TCS to adjust the temperature of the thermal liquid based on the difference between the TCS target temperature and the temperature of the thermal liquid flowing through the conduit (and uses the resulting error value as an input into a conventional Proportional, Integral, Derivative (PID) control loop. That is, controller 78 multiplies the fluid temperature error by a proportional constant (CP) at step 98, determines the derivative of the fluid temperature error over time and multiplies it by a constant (CD) at step 100, and determines the integral of the fluid temperature error over time and multiplies it by a constant (CI) at step 102. The results of steps 98, 100, and 102 are summed together and converted to a heating/cooling command at step 104. The heating/cooling command is fed to heat exchanger 40 and tells heat exchanger 40 whether to heat and/or cool the circulating fluid and how much heating/cooling power to use, Paragraph [0067], Figure 3).
Regarding claim 2, Hopper discloses the controller as set forth in Claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to; determine if the magnitude of the difference between the TCS target temperature and the temperature exceeds a first threshold value; and cause the TCS to adjust the temperature of the thermal liquid in response to a determination that the magnitude of the difference between the TCS target temperature and the temperature exceeds the first threshold value (Control loop 92 a determines the difference between the fluid target temperature 96 and the measured fluid temperature 94 (TFerror) and uses the resulting error value as an input into a conventional Proportional, Integral, Derivative (PID) control loop. That is, controller 78 multiplies the fluid temperature error by a proportional constant (CP) at step 98, determines the derivative of the fluid temperature error over time and multiplies it by a constant (CD) at step 100, and determines the integral of the fluid temperature error over time and multiplies it by a constant (CI) at step 102. The results of steps 98, 100, and 102 are summed together and converted to a heating/cooling command at step 104. The heating/cooling command is fed to heat exchanger 40 and tells heat exchanger 40 whether to heat and/or cool the circulating fluid and how much heating/cooling power to use, Paragraph [0067]).
Regarding claim 4, Hopper discloses the controller as set forth in Claim 1, wherein the control unit is further configured to calculate an error value that is a difference between the TCS target temperature and the temperature, wherein the error value comprises a proportional component of the PID algorithm (Control loop 92 a determines the difference between the fluid target temperature 96 and the measured fluid temperature 94 (TFerror) and uses the resulting error value as an input into a conventional Proportional, Integral, Derivative (PID) control loop. That is, controller 78 multiplies the fluid temperature error by a proportional constant (CP) at step 98, determines the derivative of the fluid temperature error over time and multiplies it by a constant (CD) at step 100, and determines the integral of the fluid temperature error over time and multiplies it by a constant (CI) at step 102. The results of steps 98, 100, and 102 are summed together and converted to a heating/cooling command at step 104. The heating/cooling command is fed to heat exchanger 40 and tells heat exchanger 40 whether to heat and/or cool the circulating fluid and how much heating/cooling power to use, Paragraph [0067]).
Regarding claim 5, Hopper discloses the controller as set forth in Claim 1, wherein the control unit is further configured to: calculate an error value that is a difference between the TCS target temperature and the temperature (Control loop 92 a determines the difference between the fluid target temperature 96 and the measured fluid temperature 94 (TFerror) and uses the resulting error value as an input into a conventional Proportional, Integral, Derivative (PID) control loop, Paragraph [0067]); and calculate a rate of change of the error value over time, wherein the rate of change of the error value comprises a differential component of the PID algorithm (determines the derivative of the fluid temperature error over time and multiplies it by a constant (CD) at step 100, Paragraph [0067]).
Regarding claim 11, Hopper discloses a method of controlling a temperature of a thermal accessory (thermal control unit 22 for thermal pads 24, Figure 2, Paragraph [0058]), the method comprising:
circulating a thermal liquid through a conduit that provides a liquid path for a thermal liquid to flow between a controller and the thermal accessory (circulation channel 36 circulates a thermal liquid between the controller 78 and thermal pads 24, Figure 2, Paragraph [0058]);
measuring the temperature of the thermal liquid in the conduit with a temperature sensor (temperature sensor 56 detects a temperature of the liquid flowing through the conduit, Paragraph [0054], Figure 2);
adjusting the temperature of the thermal liquid circulating through the conduit using a temperature control system (TCS) of the controller (controller 78 utilizes a temperature control algorithm to control reservoir valve 72, Paragraph [0060], controller 78 makes automatic adjustments to the temperature of the fluid in order to bring the patient’s temperature to the desired patient target temperature, Paragraph [0054]);
and at the controller: receiving an indication of a TCS target temperature (user selects a target temperature for the fluid that circulates within thermal control unit 22 that is delivered to the thermal pads 24, Paragraph [0064]);
receiving the temperature of the thermal liquid in the conduit from the temperature sensor (temperature sensor 56 is adapted to detect a temperature of the fluid inside of outlet manifold 54 and report it to a controller 78, Paragraph [0054], after selecting the target patient temperature, controller 78 makes automatic adjustments to the temperature of the fluid in order to bring the patient’s temperature to the desired patient target temperature, Paragraph [0064], a pair of feedback loops 92 a and 92 b that are used in at least one embodiment of thermal control unit 22. Feedback loop 92 a is used by controller 78 when thermal control unit 22 is operating in the manual mode and feedback loops 92 a and 92 b are both used by controller 78 when thermal control unit 22 is operating in the automatic mode. Feedback loop 92 a uses a measured fluid temperature 94 and a fluid target temperature 96 as inputs. Measured fluid temperature 94 comes from outlet temperature sensor 56. Fluid target temperature 96, when thermal control unit 22 is operating in the manual mode, comes from a user inputting a desired fluid temperature using controls 84 of user interface 82. When thermal control unit 22 is operating in the automatic mode, fluid target temperature 96 comes from the output of control loop 92 b, as discussed more below, Figure 3, Paragraph [0066]);
determining a magnitude of a difference between the TCS target temperature and the temperature (Control loop 92 a determines the difference between the fluid target temperature 96 and the measured fluid temperature 94 (TFerror), Paragraph [0067]);
and executing a proportional-integral-differential (PID) algorithm to cause the TCS to adjust the temperature of the thermal liquid based on the difference between the TCS target temperature and the temperature of the thermal liquid in the conduit (and uses the resulting error value as an input into a conventional Proportional, Integral, Derivative (PID) control loop. That is, controller 78 multiplies the fluid temperature error by a proportional constant (CP) at step 98, determines the derivative of the fluid temperature error over time and multiplies it by a constant (CD) at step 100, and determines the integral of the fluid temperature error over time and multiplies it by a constant (CI) at step 102. The results of steps 98, 100, and 102 are summed together and converted to a heating/cooling command at step 104. The heating/cooling command is fed to heat exchanger 40 and tells heat exchanger 40 whether to heat and/or cool the circulating fluid and how much heating/cooling power to use, Paragraph [0067], Figure 3).
Regarding claim 12, Hopper discloses the method as set forth in Claim 11, further comprising: determining if the magnitude of the difference between the TCS target temperature and the temperature exceeds a first threshold value; and causing the TCS to adjust the temperature of the thermal liquid in response to a determination that the magnitude of the difference between the TCS target temperature and the temperature exceeds the first threshold value (Control loop 92 a determines the difference between the fluid target temperature 96 and the measured fluid temperature 94 (TFerror) and uses the resulting error value as an input into a conventional Proportional, Integral, Derivative (PID) control loop. That is, controller 78 multiplies the fluid temperature error by a proportional constant (CP) at step 98, determines the derivative of the fluid temperature error over time and multiplies it by a constant (CD) at step 100, and determines the integral of the fluid temperature error over time and multiplies it by a constant (CI) at step 102. The results of steps 98, 100, and 102 are summed together and converted to a heating/cooling command at step 104. The heating/cooling command is fed to heat exchanger 40 and tells heat exchanger 40 whether to heat and/or cool the circulating fluid and how much heating/cooling power to use, Paragraph [0067]).
Regarding claim 14, discloses the method as set forth in Claim 11, further comprising calculating an error value that is a difference between the TCS target temperature and the temperature, wherein the error value comprises a proportional component of the PID algorithm (Control loop 92 a determines the difference between the fluid target temperature 96 and the measured fluid temperature 94 (TFerror) and uses the resulting error value as an input into a conventional Proportional, Integral, Derivative (PID) control loop. That is, controller 78 multiplies the fluid temperature error by a proportional constant (CP) at step 98, determines the derivative of the fluid temperature error over time and multiplies it by a constant (CD) at step 100, and determines the integral of the fluid temperature error over time and multiplies it by a constant (CI) at step 102. The results of steps 98, 100, and 102 are summed together and converted to a heating/cooling command at step 104. The heating/cooling command is fed to heat exchanger 40 and tells heat exchanger 40 whether to heat and/or cool the circulating fluid and how much heating/cooling power to use, Paragraph [0067]).
Regarding claim 15, Hopper discloses the method as set forth in Claim 11, further comprising: calculating an error value that is a difference between the TCS target temperature and the temperature Control loop 92 a determines the difference between the fluid target temperature 96 and the measured fluid temperature 94 (TFerror) and uses the resulting error value as an input into a conventional Proportional, Integral, Derivative (PID) control loop, Paragraph [0067]); calculating a rate of change of the error value over time, wherein the rate of change of the error value comprises a differential component of the PID algorithm (determines the derivative of the fluid temperature error over time and multiplies it by a constant (CD) at step 100, Paragraph [0067]). .
Regarding claim 21, Hopper discloses the controller for a thermal accessory (thermal control unit 22 for thermal pads 24, Figure 2, Paragraph [0058]), the controller comprising: a conduit via which a thermal liquid is guided through the controller (circulation channel 36, Figure 2, Paragraph [0058]) and that includes: an output at which the thermal liquid destined for the thermal accessory is able to exit the controller (outlet ports 58, Figure 2, Paragraph [0055]); an input at which the thermal liquid returning from the thermal accessory is able to enter the controller (inlet ports 60, Figure 2, Paragraph [0054]); a temperature sensor that is configured to measure a temperature of the thermal liquid flowing through the conduit (temperature sensor 56 detects a temperature of the liquid flowing through the conduit, Paragraph [0054], Figure 2); a heating component that is configured to increase the temperature of the thermal liquid flowing through the conduit (heat exchanger comprising a heater 44, Paragraph [0053], Figure 2); a cooling component that is configured to decrease the temperature of the thermal liquid flowing through the conduit (heat exchanger includes a chiller 42, Paragraph [0053], Figure 2); and a temperature control system (controller 78 utilizes a temperature control algorithm to control reservoir valve 72, Paragraph [0060], controller 78 makes automatic adjustments to the temperature of the fluid in order to bring the patient’s temperature to the desired patient target temperature, Paragraph [0054]) that is configured to: receive input that indicates a target temperature of the thermal liquid (user selects a target temperature for the fluid that circulates within thermal control unit 22 that is delivered to the thermal pads 24, Paragraph [0064]), establish a difference between the target temperature and the temperature of the thermal liquid as measured by the temperature sensor (after selecting the target patient temperature, controller 78 makes automatic adjustments to the temperature of the fluid in order to bring the patient’s temperature to the desired patient target temperature, Paragraph [0064], a pair of feedback loops 92 a and 92 b that are used in at least one embodiment of thermal control unit 22. Feedback loop 92 a is used by controller 78 when thermal control unit 22 is operating in the manual mode and feedback loops 92 a and 92 b are both used by controller 78 when thermal control unit 22 is operating in the automatic mode. Feedback loop 92 a uses a measured fluid temperature 94 and a fluid target temperature 96 as inputs. Measured fluid temperature 94 comes from outlet temperature sensor 56. Fluid target temperature 96, when thermal control unit 22 is operating in the manual mode, comes from a user inputting a desired fluid temperature using controls 84 of user interface 82. When thermal control unit 22 is operating in the automatic mode, fluid target temperature 96 comes from the output of control loop 92 b, as discussed more below, Figure 3, Paragraph [0066]), and implement an algorithm that controllably activates the heating component and the cooling component in such a manner that the temperature is managed, in real time, differently based on whether the difference is below a threshold or above the threshold (and uses the resulting error value as an input into a conventional Proportional, Integral, Derivative (PID) control loop. That is, controller 78 multiplies the fluid temperature error by a proportional constant (CP) at step 98, determines the derivative of the fluid temperature error over time and multiplies it by a constant (CD) at step 100, and determines the integral of the fluid temperature error over time and multiplies it by a constant (CI) at step 102. The results of steps 98, 100, and 102 are summed together and converted to a heating/cooling command at step 104. The heating/cooling command is fed to heat exchanger 40 and tells heat exchanger 40 whether to heat and/or cool the circulating fluid and how much heating/cooling power to use, Paragraph [0067], Figure 3).
Regarding claim 22, Hopper discloses the controller as set forth in Claim 21, wherein the temperature control system is further configured to: determine if the difference between the target temperature and the temperature of the thermal liquid exceeds the threshold; and cause the temperature control system to adjust the temperature of the thermal liquid in response to determining that the difference between the target temperature and the temperature of the thermal liquid exceeds the threshold (Control loop 92 a determines the difference between the fluid target temperature 96 and the measured fluid temperature 94 (TFerror) and uses the resulting error value as an input into a conventional Proportional, Integral, Derivative (PID) control loop. That is, controller 78 multiplies the fluid temperature error by a proportional constant (CP) at step 98, determines the derivative of the fluid temperature error over time and multiplies it by a constant (CD) at step 100, and determines the integral of the fluid temperature error over time and multiplies it by a constant (CI) at step 102. The results of steps 98, 100, and 102 are summed together and converted to a heating/cooling command at step 104. The heating/cooling command is fed to heat exchanger 40 and tells heat exchanger 40 whether to heat and/or cool the circulating fluid and how much heating/cooling power to use, Paragraph [0067]).
Regarding claim 23, Hopper discloses the controller as set forth in claim 21, wherein the algorithm is a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) algorithm, wherein the temperature control system is further configured to: calculate an error value that is a difference between the target temperature and the temperature of the thermal liquid, wherein the error value comprises a proportional component of the PID algorithm (Control loop 92 a determines the difference between the fluid target temperature 96 and the measured fluid temperature 94 (TFerror) and uses the resulting error value as an input into a conventional Proportional, Integral, Derivative (PID) control loop, Paragraph [0067]); calculate a rate of change of the error value over time, wherein the rate of change of the error value comprises a differential component of the PID algorithm (determines the derivative of the fluid temperature error over time and multiplies it by a constant (CD) at step 100, Paragraph [0067]); determine if the difference between the target temperature and the temperature of the thermal liquid exceeds the threshold (The results of steps 98, 100, and 102 are summed together and converted to a heating/cooling command at step 104. The heating/cooling command is fed to heat exchanger 40 and tells heat exchanger 40 whether to heat and/or cool the circulating fluid and how much heating/cooling power to use, Paragraph [0067]); and in response to a determination that the difference between the target temperature and the temperature of the thermal liquid does not exceed the threshold, use accumulated past values of the error value as an integral component of the PID algorithm (determines the integral of the fluid temperature error over time and multiplies it by a constant (CI) at step 102, Paragraph [0067])
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 6 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hopper in view of Yu et al. (US 20200276881 A1) herein referred to as “Yu”.
Regarding claim 6, Hopper discloses the controller as set forth in Claim 1.
Hopper discloses wherein the control unit is configured to: calculate an error value that is a difference between the TCS target temperature and the temperature (Control loop 92 a determines the difference between the fluid target temperature 96 and the measured fluid temperature 94 (TFerror) and uses the resulting error value as an input into a conventional Proportional, Integral, Derivative (PID) control loop, Paragraph [0067]). However Hopper does not explicitly disclose wherein the control unit is configured to: determine if a magnitude of a difference between the TCS target temperature and the temperature exceeds a second threshold value; and in response to a determination that the magnitude of the difference between the TCS target temperature and the temperature does not exceed the second threshold value, use accumulated past values of the error value as an integral component of the PID algorithm.
Yu discloses a temperature control method (Abstract) wherein the control unit is configured to: determine if a magnitude of a difference between the TCS target temperature and the temperature exceeds a second threshold value (S660, determining whether an absolute value of the second temperature difference exceeds a second temperature difference threshold, Paragraph [0100]); and in response to a determination that the magnitude of the difference between the TCS target temperature and the temperature does not exceed the second threshold value, use accumulated past values of the error value as an integral component of the PID algorithm (in response to the absolute value of the second temperature difference exceeding the second temperature difference threshold, adjust airflow of the target environment, Paragraph [0115], In some exemplary embodiments, as shown in FIG. 7, the temperature control device 700 may further include an execution mechanism 760 configured to adjust the temperature of the target environment, and the first temperature control module 740 is further configured to: use the execution mechanism to control the temperature of the target environment by a variable universe fuzzy PID control algorithm. Optionally, the execution mechanism may include a heating system and a refrigeration system, Paragraph [0116], and Paragraphs [0065]-[0067]).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before
the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Hopper to incorporate
the teachings of Yu by including wherein the control unit is configured to: determine if a magnitude of a difference between the TCS target temperature and the temperature exceeds a second threshold value; and in response to a determination that the magnitude of the difference between the TCS target temperature and the temperature does not exceed the second threshold value, use accumulated past values of the error value as an integral component of the PID algorithm. The motivation to do so being to generate a control signal for controlling the temperature of a target environment (Yu, Paragraph [0120]).
Regarding claim 16, Hopper discloses the method as set forth in Claim 11.
Hopper discloses calculating an error value that is a difference between the TCS target temperature and the temperature (Control loop 92 a determines the difference between the fluid target temperature 96 and the measured fluid temperature 94 (TFerror) and uses the resulting error value as an input into a conventional Proportional, Integral, Derivative (PID) control loop, Paragraph [0067]).
However Hopper does not explicitly disclose wherein the method further comprises: determining if a magnitude of a difference between the TCS target temperature and the temperature exceeds a second threshold value; and in response to determining that the magnitude of the difference between the TCS target temperature and the temperature does not exceed the second threshold value, use accumulated past values of the error value as an integral component of the PID algorithm.
Yu discloses a temperature control method (Abstract) wherein the method further comprises: determining if a magnitude of a difference between the TCS target temperature and the temperature exceeds a second threshold value (S660, determining whether an absolute value of the second temperature difference exceeds a second temperature difference threshold, Paragraph [0100]); and in response to determining that the magnitude of the difference between the TCS target temperature and the temperature does not exceed the second threshold value, use accumulated past values of the error value as an integral component of the PID algorithm (in response to the absolute value of the second temperature difference exceeding the second temperature difference threshold, adjust airflow of the target environment, Paragraph [0115], In some exemplary embodiments, as shown in FIG. 7, the temperature control device 700 may further include an execution mechanism 760 configured to adjust the temperature of the target environment, and the first temperature control module 740 is further configured to: use the execution mechanism to control the temperature of the target environment by a variable universe fuzzy PID control algorithm. Optionally, the execution mechanism may include a heating system and a refrigeration system, Paragraph [0116], and Paragraphs [0065]-[0067]).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before
the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Hopper to incorporate
the teachings of Yu by including wherein the method further comprises: determining if a magnitude of a difference between the TCS target temperature and the temperature exceeds a second threshold value; and in response to determining that the magnitude of the difference between the TCS target temperature and the temperature does not exceed the second threshold value, use accumulated past values of the error value as an integral component of the PID algorithm. The motivation to do so being to generate a control signal for controlling the temperature of a target environment (Yu, Paragraph [0120]).
Claims 8 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hopper in view of Yu further in view of Beavers et al. (US 20190321535 A1) herein referred to as Beavers.
Regarding claim 8, Hopper in view of Yu discloses the controller as set forth in Claim 6.
However Hopper in view of Yu does not explicitly disclose wherein the control unit, in response to a determination that the magnitude of the difference between the TCS target temperature and the temperature exceeds the second threshold value, calculates a theoretical power level of the TCS and calculates a heat loss value based on the theoretical power level and a previous power level of the TCS, wherein the control unit uses the heat loss value to modify the integral component of the PID algorithm.
Beavers discloses wherein the control unit, in response to a determination that the magnitude of the difference between the TCS target temperature and the temperature exceeds the second threshold value, calculates a theoretical power level of the TCS and calculates a heat loss value based on the theoretical power level and a previous power level of the TCS, wherein the control unit uses the heat loss value to modify the integral component of the PID algorithm (the heat loss in cold environments may necessitate a large temperature difference between the heater pan 142 and the button sensor 506 during thermal equilibrium, since the equilibrium temperature 532 is a weighted sum of the heater pan 142 and the button sensor 506, the temperature of the button sensor 506 may be below the fluid set point temperature 550 if the temperature of the heater pan 142 is above the desired fluid set point temperature 550 at equilibrium, this may occur even if the equilibrium temperature 532 is equal to the fluid set point temperature 550, to compensate for this steady-state-error an integral term may be added to outer PI controller 514 that acts on the temperature error of the button sensor 506, the integrator 538 may be turned on when one or more of the following conditions are met: a first derivative of the temperature of the button sensor 506 is low; the button sensor 506 is close to the fluid set point temperature 550, the volume of the heater bag 22 exceeds a minimum threshold; and neither inner PID loop 512 or outer PI controller 514 are saturated, in this illustrative embodiment, the switching of the integral term may minimize the effect of the integrator 538 during normal operation and may also minimize the overshoot caused by integration during temperature transients, therefore, in FIG. 141, the solution heater system 500 functions effectively and within desired specifications, and the heater pan actual temperature 515, the button sensor actual temperature 517, and a probe temperature 552 all converge to the fluid set point temperature 550 within approximately 30 minutes, Paragraph [0961, Figure 141).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before
the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Hopper in view of Yu to incorporate the teachings of Beavers by including wherein the control unit, in response to a determination that the magnitude of the difference between the TCS target temperature and the temperature exceeds the second threshold value, calculates a theoretical power level of the TCS and calculates a heat loss value based on the theoretical power level and a previous power level of the TCS, wherein the control unit uses the heat loss value to modify the integral component of the PID algorithm. The motivation to do so being to minimize the effect of the integrator during normal operation and also minimize the overshoot caused by integration during temperature transients (Beavers, Paragraph [0961]).
Regarding claim 18, Hopper in view of Yu discloses the method as set forth in Claim 16.
However Hopper in view of Yu does not explicitly disclose wherein the method further comprises, in response to a determination that the magnitude of the difference between the TCS target temperature and the temperature exceeds the second threshold value, calculating a theoretical power level of the TCS and calculating a heat loss value based on the theoretical power level and a previous power level of the TCS, and using the heat loss value to modify the integral component of the PID algorithm.
Beavers discloses wherein the method further comprises, in response to a determination that the magnitude of the difference between the TCS target temperature and the temperature exceeds the second threshold value, calculating a theoretical power level of the TCS and calculating a heat loss value based on the theoretical power level and a previous power level of the TCS, and using the heat loss value to modify the integral component of the PID algorithm (the heat loss in cold environments may necessitate a large temperature difference between the heater pan 142 and the button sensor 506 during thermal equilibrium, since the equilibrium temperature 532 is a weighted sum of the heater pan 142 and the button sensor 506, the temperature of the button sensor 506 may be below the fluid set point temperature 550 if the temperature of the heater pan 142 is above the desired fluid set point temperature 550 at equilibrium, this may occur even if the equilibrium temperature 532 is equal to the fluid set point temperature 550, to compensate for this steady-state-error an integral term may be added to outer PI controller 514 that acts on the temperature error of the button sensor 506, the integrator 538 may be turned on when one or more of the following conditions are met: a first derivative of the temperature of the button sensor 506 is low; the button sensor 506 is close to the fluid set point temperature 550, the volume of the heater bag 22 exceeds a minimum threshold; and neither inner PID loop 512 or outer PI controller 514 are saturated, in this illustrative embodiment, the switching of the integral term may minimize the effect of the integrator 538 during normal operation and may also minimize the overshoot caused by integration during temperature transients, therefore, in FIG. 141, the solution heater system 500 functions effectively and within desired specifications, and the heater pan actual temperature 515, the button sensor actual temperature 517, and a probe temperature 552 all converge to the fluid set point temperature 550 within approximately 30 minutes, Paragraph [0961, Figure 141).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before
the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Hopper in view of Yu to incorporate the teachings of Beavers by including wherein the method further comprises, in response to a determination that the magnitude of the difference between the TCS target temperature and the temperature exceeds the second threshold value, calculating a theoretical power level of the TCS and calculating a heat loss value based on the theoretical power level and a previous power level of the TCS, and using the heat loss value to modify the integral component of the PID algorithm. The motivation to do so being to minimize the effect of the integrator during normal operation and also minimize the overshoot caused by integration during temperature transients (Beavers, Paragraph [0961]).
Claims 9-10 and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hopper in view of Yu and Beavers further in view of Hudson et al. (US 20050279292 A1) herein referred to as “Hudson”.
Regarding claim 9, Hopper in view of Yu and Beavers discloses the thermal accessory controller as set forth in claim 8.
However Hopper in view of Yu and Beavers does not explicitly disclose wherein the control unit calculates a theoretical power level of the TCS based on a thermal mass of the thermal liquid and a specific heat of the thermal liquid.
Hudson discloses a thermal storage system (Abstract) wherein the control unit calculates a theoretical power level of the TCS based on a thermal mass of the thermal liquid and a specific heat of the thermal liquid (the energy delivered from the TSU during a discharge event may be estimated based on the mass of the thermal storage material of the TSU, the specific heat of the thermal storage material and the TSU’s change in temperature, Paragraph [0076]).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before
the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Hopper in view of Yu and Beavers to incorporate the teachings of Hudson by including wherein the control unit calculates a theoretical power level of the TCS based on a thermal mass of the thermal liquid and a specific heat of the thermal liquid. The motivation to do so being to estimate the energy delivered during the last discharge event and utilize the algorithm to determine the desired state of the heating system from the model of the heating system to further determine acceptable temperature and power parameters (Hudson, Paragraph [0076]).
Regarding claim 10, Hopper in view of Yu and Beavers further in view of Hudson discloses the thermal accessory controller as set forth in Claim 9.
However Hopper in view of Yu and Beavers does not explicitly disclose wherein the temperature sensor is configured to measure multiple temperatures, and wherein the control unit further calculates the theoretical power level of the TCS based on a temperature difference between the multiple temperatures and a time difference between the multiple temperatures.
Hudson further discloses wherein the temperature sensor is configured to measure multiple temperatures, and wherein the control unit further calculates the theoretical power level of the TCS based on a temperature difference between the multiple temperatures and a time difference between the multiple temperatures (the energy delivered from the TSU during a discharge event may be estimated based on the TSU’s change in temperature wherein based on the estimation during the last discharge (seen as time difference between temperature measurements), Paragraph [0076]).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before
the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Hopper in view of Yu and Beavers to incorporate the teachings of Hudson by including wherein the temperature sensor is configured to measure multiple temperatures, and wherein the control unit further calculates the theoretical power level of the TCS based on a temperature difference between the multiple temperatures and a time difference between the multiple temperatures. The motivation to do so being to estimate the energy delivered during the last discharge event and utilize the algorithm to determine the desired state of the heating system from the model of the heating system to further determine acceptable temperature and power parameters (Hudson, Paragraph [0076]).
Regarding claim 19, Hopper in view of Yu and Beavers discloses the method as set forth in Claim 18.
However Hopper in view of Yu and Beavers does not explicitly disclose wherein the method further comprises calculating a theoretical power level of the TCS based on a thermal mass of the thermal liquid and a specific heat of the thermal liquid.
Hudson discloses a thermal storage system (Abstract) wherein the method further comprises calculating a theoretical power level of the TCS based on a thermal mass of the thermal liquid and a specific heat of the thermal liquid (the energy delivered from the TSU during a discharge event may be estimated based on the mass of the thermal storage material of the TSU, the specific heat of the thermal storage material and the TSU’s change in temperature, Paragraph [0076]).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before
the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Hopper in view of Yu and Beavers to incorporate the teachings of Hudson by including wherein the method further comprises calculating a theoretical power level of the TCS based on a thermal mass of the thermal liquid and a specific heat of the thermal liquid. The motivation to do so being to estimate the energy delivered during the last discharge event and utilize the algorithm to determine the desired state of the heating system from the model of the heating system to further determine acceptable temperature and power parameters (Hudson, Paragraph [0076]).
Regarding claim 20, Hopper in view of Yu and Beavers further in view of Hudson discloses the method as set forth in claim 19.
However Hopper in view of Yu and Beavers does not explicitly disclose wherein the method further comprises: measuring multiple temperatures of the thermal liquid in the conduit with the temperature sensor; calculating the theoretical power level of the TCS based on a temperature difference between the multiple temperatures and a time difference between the multiple temperatures.
Hudson further discloses wherein the method further comprises: measuring multiple temperatures of the thermal liquid in the conduit with the temperature sensor; calculating the theoretical power level of the TCS based on a temperature difference between the multiple temperatures and a time difference between the multiple temperatures (the energy delivered from the TSU during a discharge event may be estimated based on the TSU’s change in temperature wherein based on the estimation during the last discharge (seen as time difference between multiple temperatures), Paragraph [0076]).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before
the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Hopper in view of Yu and Beavers to incorporate the teachings of Hudson by including wherein the method further comprises: measuring multiple temperatures of the thermal liquid in the conduit with the temperature sensor; calculating the theoretical power level of the TCS based on a temperature difference between the multiple temperatures and a time difference between the multiple temperatures. The motivation to do so being to estimate the energy delivered during the last discharge event and utilize the algorithm to determine the desired state of the heating system from the model of the heating system to further determine acceptable temperature and power parameters (Hudson, Paragraph [0076]).
Claim 24 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hopper in view of Yu and Beavers.
Regarding claim 24, Hopper discloses the controller as set forth in claim 21.
Hopper discloses wherein the algorithm is a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) algorithm (Control loop 92 a determines the difference between the fluid target temperature 96 and the measured fluid temperature 94 (TFerror) and uses the resulting error value as an input into a conventional Proportional, Integral, Derivative (PID) control loop. That is, controller 78 multiplies the fluid temperature error by a proportional constant (CP) at step 98, determines the derivative of the fluid temperature error over time and multiplies it by a constant (CD) at step 100, and determines the integral of the fluid temperature error over time and multiplies it by a constant (CI) at step 102. The results of steps 98, 100, and 102 are summed together and converted to a heating/cooling command at step 104. The heating/cooling command is fed to heat exchanger 40 and tells heat exchanger 40 whether to heat and/or cool the circulating fluid and how much heating/cooling power to use, Paragraph [0067]).
However Hopper does not explicitly disclose wherein the temperature control system is further configured to: determine if the difference between the target temperature and the temperature of the thermal liquid exceeds the threshold in response to a determination that the difference between the target temperature and the temperature of the thermal liquid exceeds the threshold.
Yu discloses wherein the temperature control system is further configured to: determine if the difference between the target temperature and the temperature of the thermal liquid exceeds the threshold in response to a determination that the difference between the target temperature and the temperature of the thermal liquid exceeds the threshold (in response to the absolute value of the second temperature difference exceeding the second temperature difference threshold, adjust airflow of the target environment, Paragraph [0115], In some exemplary embodiments, as shown in FIG. 7, the temperature control device 700 may further include an execution mechanism 760 configured to adjust the temperature of the target environment, and the first temperature control module 740 is further configured to: use the execution mechanism to control the temperature of the target environment by a variable universe fuzzy PID control algorithm. Optionally, the execution mechanism may include a heating system and a refrigeration system, Paragraph [0116], and Paragraphs [0065]-[0067]).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before
the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Hopper to incorporate
the teachings of Yu by including wherein the temperature control system is further configured to: determine if the difference between the target temperature and the temperature of the thermal liquid exceeds the threshold in response to a determination that the difference between the target temperature and the temperature of the thermal liquid exceeds the threshold. The motivation to do so being to generate a control signal for controlling the temperature of a target environment (Yu, Paragraph [0120]).
Further Hopper does not explicitly disclose wherein the control system is configured to calculate a theoretical power level of the temperature control system and calculate a heat loss value based on the theoretical power level and a previous power level of the temperature control system, and use the heat loss value to modify an integral component of the PID algorithm.
Beavers discloses wherein the control system is configured to calculate a theoretical power level of the temperature control system and calculate a heat loss value based on the theoretical power level and a previous power level of the temperature control system, and use the heat loss value to modify an integral component of the PID algorithm (the heat loss in cold environments may necessitate a large temperature difference between the heater pan 142 and the button sensor 506 during thermal equilibrium, since the equilibrium temperature 532 is a weighted sum of the heater pan 142 and the button sensor 506, the temperature of the button sensor 506 may be below the fluid set point temperature 550 if the temperature of the heater pan 142 is above the desired fluid set point temperature 550 at equilibrium, this may occur even if the equilibrium temperature 532 is equal to the fluid set point temperature 550, to compensate for this steady-state-error an integral term may be added to outer PI controller 514 that acts on the temperature error of the button sensor 506, the integrator 538 may be turned on when one or more of the following conditions are met: a first derivative of the temperature of the button sensor 506 is low; the button sensor 506 is close to the fluid set point temperature 550, the volume of the heater bag 22 exceeds a minimum threshold; and neither inner PID loop 512 or outer PI controller 514 are saturated, in this illustrative embodiment, the switching of the integral term may minimize the effect of the integrator 538 during normal operation and may also minimize the overshoot caused by integration during temperature transients, therefore, in FIG. 141, the solution heater system 500 functions effectively and within desired specifications, and the heater pan actual temperature 515, the button sensor actual temperature 517, and a probe temperature 552 all converge to the fluid set point temperature 550 within approximately 30 minutes, Paragraph [0961, Figure 141).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before
the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Hopper in view of Yu to incorporate the teachings of Beavers by including wherein the control system is configured to calculate a theoretical power level of the temperature control system and calculate a heat loss value based on the theoretical power level and a previous power level of the temperature control system, and use the heat loss value to modify an integral component of the PID algorithm. The motivation to do so being to minimize the effect of the integrator during normal operation and also minimize the overshoot caused by integration during temperature transients (Beavers, Paragraph [0961]).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/D.S./Examiner, Art Unit 3794
/JOANNE M RODDEN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3794