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 .
Claims 1-11 are pending.
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.
Claim(s) 1-4, 7 and 10-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kazuo et al. (herein after Kazuo) (English Translation of JP 2016093098A) in view of Seo et al. (hereinafter Seo) (US 20150134138 A1)1.
As to claims 1-4, 7, 10 and 11, the rejections are respectfully maintained for the reasons as set forth in the previous office action mailed on 06/03/2025.
Claim(s) 5, 6, and 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kazuo et al. (herein after Kazuo) (English Translation of JP 2016093098A) in view of Seo et al. (hereinafter Seo) (US 20150134138 A1), and further in view of Doddaiah (US 20220129184 A1)2.
As to claims 5, 6 and 8, the rejections are respectfully maintained for the reasons as set forth in the previous office action mailed on 09/29/2024.
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kazuo et al. (herein after Kazuo) (English Translation of JP 2016093098A) in view of Seo et al. (hereinafter Seo) (US 20150134138 A1), and further in view of Suzuki et al. (hereinafter Suzuki) (US 20180288650 A1)3.
As to claim 9, the rejection is respectfully maintained for the reasons as set forth in the previous office action mailed on 09/29/2024.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed on 07/24/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
In the remark, Applicant argued in substance that Kazuo in view of Seo fails to teach “the edge device includes a first control unit configured to transmit all of the first power information stored in the first storage unit at every predetermined time interval from when the target section starts in response to receiving a request from the server device.”
The examiner respectfully traverses Applicant’s argument. Seo discloses a meter [edge device] transmitting stored electric power consumption to a server [0007: “The method may include receiving signals having information on electric power consumption amounts from a meter of a consumer through a communication network…”], wherein the stored electric power consumption is sent in predetermined time interval or in response to a signal from the server [0039: “ For example, such a signal may be transmitted from meters 301 to 303 at a regular interval or upon generation of a predetermined event. Meters 301 to 303 may be registered at server 100, measure an electric power consumption amount of corresponding consumers, generate signals including information on the measured electric power consumption amount, and transmit the generated signals to server 100 through communication network 200. Such operation (e.g., collecting and transmitting data) may be performed at a predetermined interval or upon generation of a predetermined event. The predetermined interval may be about ten minutes and/or real time, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The predetermined event may be a signal for initiating the operation from server 100.”]. Therefore, Kazuo in view of Seo teaches the limitation recited above.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to XUXING CHEN whose telephone number is (571)270-3486. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5:30PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jaweed Abbaszadeh can be reached at 571-270-1640. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/XUXING CHEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2176
1 Kazuo and Seo were cited as prior art in the previous office action mailed on 06/03/2025.
2 Doddaiah was cited as a prior art in the previous office action mailed on 09/29/2024.
3 Suzuki was cited as a prior art in the previous office action mailed on 09/29/2024.