DETAILED ACTION
This action is in response to communications filed January 18th, 2023.
Claims 1-15 are currently pending.
The present application claims priority to European Patent Office application no. EP22154267.3 filed on January 31st, 2022.
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 § 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.
Claim 5, 10, and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
The term “high frequency” in claims 5, 10, and 15 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “high frequency” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention.
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)(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, 6, and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Erni et al (U.S. Patent Application Publication no. 2016/0226162, hereinafter Erni).
With respect to claims 1, 6, and 11, Erni discloses a system, apparatus, and method for intelligent signal routing in an industrial communication network (paragraph [0023], lines 1-10), the system comprising:
a connector device comprising a signal mixer (paragraph [0020], output signal of the field device), wherein the signal mixer is configured to:
receive at least one field signal from the at least one field device, wherein the at least one field device has at least one unique identification number (ID) (paragraph [0027], lines 1-11, uniquely identifies each of the field devices); and
superimpose the at least one unique ID on the received at least one field signal to generate a mixed signal (paragraph [0027], lines 1-11, uniquely identifies each of the field devices; paragraph [0035], lines 5-16, use an addressing scheme to enable the I/O cards 124a-c to identify which information corresponds to which the of the termination modules);
a field signal marshal device comprising a first input-output channel (paragraph [0024], lines 1-8, marshalling cabinet), wherein the first input-output channel is configured to:
transmit to a junction box device (paragraph [0024], lines 1-8, field junction boxes), a first request comprising a specific unique ID associated with a specific field signal (paragraph [0027], lines 1-11, uniquely identifies each of the field devices); and
transmit the mixed signal to an input-output module (paragraph [0024], lines 8-20, routes the field device information to respective I/O cards); and
the junction box device comprising a first processing unit (paragraph [0024], lines 1-8, field junction boxes), wherein the first processing unit is configured to:
receive, the first request from the field signal marshal device and the mixed signal from the signal mixer (paragraph [0028], lines 21-28, marshal information associated with the field devices);
extract the at least one unique ID from the mixed signal (paragraph [0018], lines 35-43, extract the field device information received via the universal I/o bus);
determine whether the specific unique ID matches with the at least one unique ID in the mixed signal (paragraph [0024], lines 8-20, route information received from I/O cars of the controller 104 to respective one of the field devices 112a-c and 116a-c via the field junction boxes 120a-b); and
route the mixed signal associated with the at least one unique ID, to the first input-output channel based on a determination that the specific unique ID matches with the at least one unique ID (paragraph [0024], lines 8-20, route information received from I/O cars of the controller 104 to respective one of the field devices 112a-c and 116a-c via the field junction boxes 120a-b).
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 2-5, 7-10, and 12-15, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Erni as applied to claims 1, 6, and 11 above, in further view of Jundt et al (U.S. Patent Application Publication no. 2018/0210429, hereinafter Jundt).
With respect to claims 2, 7, and 12, Erni discloses the system according to claims 1, 6, and 11, but Erni does not disclose a lookup table.
However, Jundt discloses a memory configured to store a lookup table (paragraph [0100], lines 10-18, as-built I/O list including the field devices 102),
wherein the look-up table comprises information associated with a plurality of mappings (paragraph [0100], lines 10-18, map including the field devices 102) between:
a plurality of unique IDs associated with a plurality of field devices connected to the industrial communication network (paragraph [0093], tag that uniquely identifies a physical field device 102), and
a plurality of input-output channels of the field signal marshal device (paragraph [0104], lines 1-10)), and wherein the first processing unit is further configured to:
capture a signal from an active communication channel between a field device of the plurality of field devices and a second input-output channel of the plurality of input-output channels (paragraph [0103], lines 1-15, particular I/O channel;);
extract a unique ID from the signal captured from the active communication channel (paragraph [0083], tag parsing);
analyze the plurality of mappings in the look-up table to determine whether the extracted unique ID is mapped to the second input-output channel of the plurality of input-output channels (paragraph [0103], lines 1-15, particular I/O channel;); and
terminate the active communication channel based on a determination that the extracted unique ID is not mapped to the second input-output channel of the plurality of input-output channels (paragraph [0103], lines 1-15, I/O address/channel is not available).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to combine the apparatus to communicatively couple three-wire field device to controllers in a process control system of Erni with the system tags for commissioning portions of a disconnected process control loop of Jundt. The motivation to combine being to improve the identification of field devices in a process plant control loop. The identification of field devices in a process plant control loop being improved by employing unique identifiers of field devices (abstract: Jundt).
With respect to claims 3, 8, and 13, the combination of Erni and Jundt discloses the system according to claims 2, 7, and 12, Jundt further discloses wherein the first processing unit is further configured to:
analyze the plurality of mappings of the look-up table to determine a third input-output channel of the plurality of input-output channels which is mapped to the extracted unique ID (paragraph [0117], mappings or associations of the one or more channel properties 322); and
reroute the captured signal to the determined third input-output channel of the plurality of input-output channels (paragraph [0121], lines 21-30, Connection Path property 305 is changes).
With respect to claims 4, 9, and 14, the combination of Erni and Jundt discloses the system according to claims 3, 8, and 13, Jundt further discloses wherein the field signal marshal device further comprises a second processing unit (paragraph [0147]), wherein the second processing unit is configured to:
transmit a second request to the junction box device via the first input-output channel (paragraph [0205], lines 1-6), wherein the second request is for a loop test of the first input-output channel (paragraph [0118], lines 1-6);
determine whether the field signal marshal device receives a response for the second request from the junction box device, within a specified time interval, via the first input-output channel (paragraph [0100], verifying respective responses); and
display, based on a determination that the response is not received within the specific time interval, a notification that the first input-output channel is faulty (paragraph [0118], lines 1-10, device alert properties); and
transmit the second request for the loop test to the junction box device via the second input-output channel of the plurality of input-output channels (paragraph [0118], lines 23-39).
With respect to claims 5, 10, and 15, the combination of Erni and Jundt discloses the system according to claims 4, 9, and 14, Jundt further discloses wherein the connector device further comprises a third processing unit which is configured to:
extract, from the look-up table, the at least one unique ID associated with the at least one field device (paragraph [0083], tag parsing); and
generate a high frequency signal based on the extracted at least one unique ID (paragraph [0144], lines 1-13); and
wherein the at least one unique ID is superimposed on the at least one field signal by mixing the high frequency signal with the at least one field signal (paragraph [0144], lines 1-13).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Sherriff Pat. Pub. 2018/0113830
Erni Pat. Pub. 2015/0127876
Dicaire Pat. Pub. 2014/0257529
Chu Patent no. 9,511,969
Szigeti Pat. Pub. 2022/0128985
Rose Pat. Pub. 2019/0171186
Jundt Pat. Pub. 2018/0101152
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BLAKE J RUBIN whose telephone number is (571)270-3802. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ario Etienne can be reached on 571-272-4001. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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10/3/25
/BLAKE J RUBIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2457