DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Remarks
2. This Office action is responsive to the Request for Continued Examination (RCE) filed under 37 CFR §1.53(d) for the instant application on June 24, 2026. Applicants have properly set forth the RCE, which has been entered into the application, and an examination on the merits follows herewith.
Claims 1-2 and 4-21 have been examined and rejected. This Office action is responsive to the amendment dated June 24, 2026.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
3. 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.
4. Claims 1, 4, 8, 12-17, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jefferies et al (Pub. No. US 2016/0141123) in view of Terry et al (U.S. Patent No. 7,089,088).
4-1. Regarding claims 1 and 12, Jefferies teaches the claim of a monitoring system configured to monitor an environment within an enclosure of a…system comprising: a sensor disposed within the enclosure of the… system, wherein the sensor is configured to acquire data indicative of an environmental parameter value within the enclosure, by disclosing one or more sensors, included in an improper condition detection system of a synthetic fault generation assembly of a synthetic fault remote disconnect system, configured to detect one or more improper circuit conditions including thermal condition(s), pressure condition(s), and gas condition(s) [paragraphs 21-22; figure 1]. The synthetic fault generation assembly can be located in, on, or proximate to a load [paragraph 30], which includes devices such as motors, computers, heaters, lighting, and/or electrical equipment, as well as a device that includes a fractional horsepower motor such as an attic fan, a compressor pump, or a garage door opener [paragraph 15].
Jefferies teaches a controller configured to: receive the data from the sensor; determine occurrence of a thermal event within the enclosure based on the data, wherein the thermal event comprises an operational condition of an electrical component of the HVAC&R system exceeding an expected operating range of the operational condition, by disclosing that the improper condition detection system can include a controller or processor for determining when a characteristic detected by the sensor(s) (e.g., temperature values) is outside of a predetermined range of threshold values [paragraph 23]. The synthetic fault signal generator assembly can be located in, on, or proximate to the load [paragraph 30], such as within a power plug of a load [paragraph 31; figure 2].
Jefferies teaches instruct a circuit breaker of the HVAC&R system to transition to a fault configuration in response to determining the occurrence of the thermal event, by disclosing that in response to a trigger signal being received from the detection system 22 (i.e., in response to an improper circuit condition being detected by the detection system 22), the synthetic fault signal generator 24 generates a synthetic fault signal that is communicated to the circuit breaker 18 over the conductors 16A, 16B and that causes the electronic circuit breaker 18 to trip [paragraph 24].
Jefferies does not expressly teach that the system being monitored is an HVAC&R system. Terry discloses that it was well known to provide a system for monitoring an environment within an HVAC&R system [column 1, lines 15-18]. This would help reduce costly repairs by allowing for more proactive and predictive maintenance. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the system of Jefferies to monitor an environment within an enclosure of a HVAC&R system, as taught by Terry. This would help reduce costly repairs by allowing for more proactive and predictive maintenance.
4-2. Regarding claim 4, Jefferies-Terry teach all the limitations of claim 1, comprising the circuit breaker, wherein the circuit breaker is configured to monitor a magnitude of electric current directed through the circuit breaker to an electrical component of the HVAC&R system, and wherein the circuit breaker is configured to transition to an open circuit configuration to interrupt flow of electric current to the electrical component in response to the magnitude exceeding a threshold value, by disclosing that the synthetic fault remote disconnect system includes an electronic circuit breaker, which protects the load by tripping in response to one more circuit-breaker trip conditions (i.e., fault or abnormal current conditions) [Jefferies, paragraphs 16-17].
4-3. Regarding claim 8, Jefferies-Terry teach all the limitations of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine the occurrence of the thermal event in response to a determination that the data from the sensor is indicative of the environmental parameter value exceeding a threshold value, by disclosing that the improper condition detection system can include a controller or processor for determining when a characteristic detected by the sensor(s) (e.g., temperature values) is outside of a predetermined range of threshold values [Jefferies, paragraph 23].
4-4. Regarding claim 13, Jefferies-Terry teach all the limitations of claim 12, wherein determining the occurrence of the thermal event comprises determining, via the controller, the occurrence of the thermal event based on the environmental parameter value exceeding a threshold value at an instance in time or based on the environmental parameter value exceeding the threshold value for a predetermined time interval, by disclosing that the improper condition can include a thermal condition occurring for a certain duration [Jefferies, paragraph 22].
4-5. Regarding claim 14, Jefferies-Terry teach all the limitations of claim 12, wherein instructing the circuit breaker to transition to the fault configuration comprises causing, via the controller, the circuit breaker to interrupt a flow of electric current from a power supply to the electrical component, wherein the electrical component is disposed within the enclosure, by disclosing that the synthetic fault signal generator assembly is configured to detect one or more improper circuit conditions and, in response thereto, cause the electronic circuit breaker 18 to trip [Jefferies, paragraph 19].
4-6. Regarding claim 15, Jefferies-Terry teach all the limitations of claim 12, wherein acquiring the data comprises monitoring, via the one or more sensors, a first concentration of carbon monoxide within the enclosure, a second concentration of particulate matter suspended in air within the enclosure, a temperature of the electrical component of the HVAC&R system, or any combination thereof, by disclosing that the improper condition detectin system can include additional circuitry configured to process characeristics detected by the sensor(s) such as temperature values [Jefferies, paragraph 23].
4-7. Regarding claim 16, Jefferies teaches the claim comprising: a circuit breaker configured to direct an electric current from a power supply to an electrical component disposed within an enclosure of the… system, by disclosing a circuit breaker 18 that permits electricity to flow from an electrical power source 14 to a load 12 [paragraphs 14, 16]. The circuit breaker is part of a synthetic fault generation assembly 20, which can be located in, on, or proximate to a load [paragraph 30]. A load includes devices such as motors, computers, heaters, lighting, and/or electrical equipment, as well as a device that includes a fractional horsepower motor such as an attic fan, a compressor pump, or a garage door opener [paragraph 15].
Jefferies teaches a sensor configured to acquire data indicative of an environmental parameter within the enclosure, by disclosing one or more sensors, included in an improper condition detection system of the synthetic fault generation assembly of a synthetic fault remote disconnect system, configured to detect one or more improper circuit conditions including thermal condition(s), pressure condition(s), and gas condition(s) [paragraphs 21-22; figure 1].
Jefferies teaches a controller configured to: receive the data from the sensor; determine occurrence of a thermal event within the enclosure based on the data, wherein the thermal event comprises a temperature of the electrical component exceeding an expected operating temperature range of the electrical component, by disclosing that the improper condition detection system can include a controller or processor for determining when a characteristic detected by the sensor(s) (e.g., temperature values) is outside of a predetermined range of threshold values [paragraph 23]. The synthetic fault signal generator assembly can be located in, on, or proximate to the load [paragraph 30], such as within a power plug of a load [paragraph 31; figure 2].
Jefferies teaches instruct the circuit breaker to transition to a fault configuration to interrupt flow of the electric current to the electrical component in response to determining the occurrence of the thermal event, by disclosing that in response to a trigger signal being received from the detection system 22 (i.e., in response to an improper circuit condition being detected by the detection system 22), the synthetic fault signal generator 24 generates a synthetic fault signal that is communicated to the circuit breaker 18 over the conductors 16A, 16B and that causes the electronic circuit breaker 18 to trip [paragraph 24].
Jefferies does not expressly teach that the system being monitored is an HVAC&R system. Terry discloses that it was well known to provide a system for monitoring an environment within an HVAC&R system [column 1, lines 15-18]. This would help reduce costly repairs by allowing for more proactive and predictive maintenance. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the system of Jefferies to monitor an environment within an enclosure of a HVAC&R system, as taught by Terry. This would help reduce costly repairs by allowing for more proactive and predictive maintenance.
4-8. Regarding claim 17, Jefferies-Terry teach all the limitations of claim 16, wherein the circuit breaker is configured to transition to an open circuit configuration to interrupt the flow of the electric current to the electrical component in response to a magnitude of the electric current exceeding a threshold value, by disclosing that the synthetic fault remote disconnect system includes an electronic circuit breaker, which protects the load by tripping in response to one more circuit-breaker trip conditions (i.e., fault or abnormal current conditions) [Jefferies, paragraphs 16-17].
4-9. Regarding claim 20, Jefferies-Terry teach all the limitations of claim 16, comprising an additional sensor configured to acquire additional data indicative of the environmental parameter within the enclosure, by disclosing that the improper condition detection system includes one or more sensors [Jefferies, paragraph 21].
Jefferies-Terry teach wherein the controller is configured to determine the occurrence of the thermal event in response to: the data from the sensor indicating that a value of the environmental parameter exceeds a threshold value; and the additional data from the additional sensor indicating that the value of the environmental parameter exceeds the threshold value, by disclosing that the improper condition detection system can include a controller or processor for determining when a characteristic detected by the sensor(s) (e.g., temperature values) is outside of a predetermined range of threshold values [Jefferies, paragraph 23].
5. Claims 2 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jefferies et al (Pub. No. US 2016/0141123) in view of Terry et al (U.S. Patent No. 7,089,088), and further in view of Kates (Pub. No. US 2015/0061877).
5-1. Regarding claim 2, Jefferies-Terry teach all the limitations of claim 1. Although Jefferies-Terry teach discloses using one or more sensors [Jefferies, paragraph 21] that can detect an improper gas condition [Jefferies, paragraph 22], Jefferies-Terry do not expressly teach wherein the data comprises a concentration of carbon monoxide within the enclosure, a concentration of particular matter suspended in air within the enclosure, or both. Kates discloses maintaining and protecting a building by providing a sensor unit that includes at least one sensor configured to measure an ambient condition and a controller, the controller configured to receive instructions, to report a notice level when the controller determines that data measured by the at least one sensor fails a report threshold test corresponding to a report threshold value [paragraph 7]. The at least one sensor includes a carbon monoxide sensor and a smoke sensor [paragraph 55]. A controller receives sensor data from the sensor and evaluates the sensor data by comparing the data value to a threshold value, and if the data is outside the threshold, the data is deemed to be anomalous, and is transmitted to a base unit [paragraph 56]. This would allow the system to monitor potentially dangerous or costly conditions. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to monitor carbon monoxide, as taught by Kates. This would help provide a safer system by allowing the system to monitor such potentially dangerous or costly conditions so that actions can be taken.
5-2. Regarding claim 9, Jefferies-Terry teach all the limitations of claim 1. Jefferies-Terry do not expressly teach wherein the controller is configured to determine the occurrence of the thermal event in response to a determination that the data from the sensor is indicative of the environmental parameter value exceeding a threshold value for a predetermined time interval. Kates discloses maintaining and protecting a building by providing a sensor unit that includes at least one sensor configured to measure an ambient condition and a controller, the controller configured to receive instructions, to report a notice level when the controller determines that data measured by the at least one sensor fails a report threshold test corresponding to a report threshold value [paragraph 7]. The sensor indicates an alarm condition when the sensor reading rises above the threshold value for a specified period of time [paragraph 11]. This would allow the system to monitor potentially dangerous or costly conditions. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide an alarm condition when sensor data rises above a threshold value for a specified period of time, as taught by Kates. This would help provide a safer system by allowing the system to monitor such potentially dangerous or costly conditions so that actions can be taken.
6. Claims 5-7, 10, 18, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jefferies et al (Pub. No. US 2016/0141123), in view of Terry et al (U.S. Patent No. 7,089,088), and further in view of Mermelstein et al (U.S. Patent No. 9,917,322).
6-1. Regarding claim 5, Jefferies-Terry teach all the limitations of claim 4. Jefferies-Terry do not expressly teach wherein, in the open circuit configuration, the circuit breaker is configured to direct electric current from a power supply to the controller. Mermelstein discloses a variety of sensors connected to a master controller to monitor various components of a system [column 7, line 64 to column 8, line 15; column 8, lines 42-48; column 10, lines 15-23]. The master controller can direct a main circuit breaker of a power distribution box to open, thus cutting all power to the system, including power to sensors, etc. [column 10, lines 5-14]. The power distribution box includes a plurality of circuit breakers configured to selectively enable or block flow of a current to corresponding devices [column 12, line 63 to column 13, line 19]. A connection from a power distribution box to a 24 volt DC power supply is used to power the master controller [column 7, lines 4-12]. Since the power distribution box contains system circuit breakers configured to selectively enable or block flow of a current to corresponding devices of the RSOFC system [column 12, line 63 to column 13, line 19], a switch for one electrical device, such as a chiller [column 13, lines 41-47], may be in an open configuration due to an overload condition, while power may still be provided to the main controller [column 7, lines 4-12]. This would allow the master controller to keep monitoring for events. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to continue to power the controller even after the circuit breaker trips, as taught by Mermelstein. This would allow the controller to keep monitoring for events.
6-2. Regarding claim 6, Jefferies-Terry-Mermelstein teach all the limitations of claim 5, wherein, in the fault configuration, the circuit breaker is configured to interrupt flow of electric current from the power supply to the controller and to interrupt flow of electric current to the electrical component, by disclosing that when the system shifts into emergency stop mode, the main circuit breaker of the power distribution box is opened, thus cutting all power to the system, including power to sensors, etc. [Mermelstein, column 10, lines 5-14]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide an emergency stop mode that cuts all power to the system, as taught by Mermelstein. This would help prevent further damage in the event of an emergency.
6-3. Regarding claim 7, Jefferies-Terry-Mermelstein teach all the limitations of claim 6, comprising an indicator configured to provide a visual indication indicative of the occurrence of the thermal event in response to interruption of the flow of electric current to the controller, by disclosing that the master controller can include or be coupled to a computer terminal and/or a control panel for allowing user input and monitoring [Mermelstein, column 7, lines 60-63]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a computer terminal to display occurrences of events, as taught by Mermelstein. This would allow a user to more easily manage the system.
6-4. Regarding claim 10, Jefferies-Terry teach all the limitations of claim 1. Jefferies-Terry do not expressly teach wherein the controller is configured to transmit an alert message to an electronic device in response to determining the occurrence of the thermal event. Mermelstein discloses that a master controller is notified when an error or degraded condition is detected and takes appropriate action [column 12, lines 16-27]. The master controller can include or be coupled to a computer terminal and/or a control panel for allowing user input and monitoring [column 7, lines 60-63]. This would allow a user to more easily manage the system by providing alerts to events. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide an alert message to an electronic device in response to a thermal event, as taught by Mermelstein. This would allow a user to more easily manage the system by providing alerts to events.
6-5. Regarding claim 18, Jefferies-Terry teach all the limitations of claim 17. Jefferies-Terry do not expressly teach wherein the circuit breaker is configured to direct an additional electric current from the power supply to the controller in the open circuit configuration and to block flow of the additional electric current from the power supply to the controller in the fault configuration. Mermelstein discloses a variety of sensors connected to a master controller to monitor various components of a system [column 7, line 64 to column 8, line 15; column 8, lines 42-48; column 10, lines 15-23]. The master controller can direct a main circuit breaker of a power distribution box to open, thus cutting all power to the system, including power to sensors, etc. [column 10, lines 5-14]. The power distribution box includes a plurality of circuit breakers configured to selectively enable or block flow of a current to corresponding devices [column 12, line 63 to column 13, line 19]. A connection from a power distribution box to a 24 volt DC power supply is used to power the master controller [column 7, lines 4-12]. Since the power distribution box contains system circuit breakers configured to selectively enable or block flow of a current to corresponding devices of the RSOFC system [column 12, line 63 to column 13, line 19], a switch for one electrical device, such as a chiller [column 13, lines 41-47], may be in an open configuration due to an overload condition, while power may still be provided to the main controller [column 7, lines 4-12]. This would allow the master controller to keep monitoring for events. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to continue to power the controller even after the circuit breaker trips, as taught by Mermelstein. This would allow the controller to keep monitoring for events.
Mermelstein further discloses that when the system shifts into emergency stop mode, the main circuit breaker of the power distribution box is opened, thus cutting all power to the system, including power to sensors, etc. [column 10, lines 5-14]. This would help prevent further damage in the event of an emergency. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide an emergency stop mode that cuts all power to the system, as taught by Mermelstein. This would help prevent further damage in the event of an emergency.
6-6. Regarding claim 19, Jefferies-Terry-Mermelstein teach all the limitations of claim 18, comprising an indicator configured to provide a visual indication indicative of the occurrence of the thermal event in response to interruption in the flow of the additional electric current to the controller, by disclosing that the master controller can include or be coupled to a computer terminal and/or a control panel for allowing user input and monitoring [Mermelstein, column 7, lines 60-63]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a computer terminal to display occurrences of events, as taught by Mermelstein. This would allow a user to more easily manage the system.
7. Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jefferies et al (Pub. No. US 2016/0141123) in view of Terry et al (U.S. Patent No. 7,089,088), and further in view of Wright et al (U.S. Patent No. 10,965,488).
7-1. Regarding claim 11, Jefferies-Terry teach all the limitations of claim 1. Jefferies-Terry do not expressly teach wherein the sensor comprises: a housing; and a magnet coupled to the housing, wherein the magnet is configured to enable removable mounting of the sensor to the enclosure. Wright discloses monitoring a property using a system of sensor units that can interface with respective utilities generated by appliances on the premises with a minimal of effort [column 1, line 63 to column 2, line 2]. Sensors are used to monitor environmental factors such as temperature, pressure, and air quality [column 7, lines 15-22]. The sensors are detachably coupled to a surface using internally placed magnets [column 9, lines 3-5]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide sensors having magnets, as taught by Wright. This would allow the sensors to be quickly coupled to the monitored appliance/panel in a simple way.
8. Claim 21 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jefferies et al (Pub. No. US 2016/0141123), in view of Terry et al (U.S. Patent No. 7,089,088), and further in view of Atchison et al (U.S. Patent No. 10,712,033).
8-1. Regarding claim 21, Jefferies-Terry teach all the limitations of claim 16, comprising: the enclosure, wherein the enclosure comprises an interior; and the electrical component disposed within the interior of the enclosure, by disclosing that the synthetic fault generation assembly can be located in, on, or proximate to a load [Jefferies, paragraph 30], which includes devices such as motors, computers, heaters, lighting, and/or electrical equipment, as well as a device that includes a fractional horsepower motor such as an attic fan, a compressor pump, or a garage door opener [Jefferies, paragraph 15], all of which may be a part of an HVAC&R system [Terry, column 1, lines 15-18].
Jefferies-Terry do not expressly teach wherein the electrical component comprises a variable speed drive, the variable speed drive is configured to supply power to a motor of the HVAC&R system, and the motor is disposed external to the interior of the enclosure. Atchison an HVAC system that includes an ambient sensor to monitor conditions of an environment surrounding the HVAC system, and adjust various components of the HVAC system based on the monitored conditions [column 2, lines 46-55]. A vapor compression system may be used as part of the HVAC system, and may include a control panel that regulates operation of the vapor compression system based on feedback from sensors [column 6, lines 41-54; figure 4]. The vapor compression system may use one or more of a variable speed drive (VSDs), a motor, a compressor, and a condenser [column 6, lines 55-58]. The motor may drive the compressor and may be powered by the variable speed rive [column 6, lines 58-60]. Since Jefferies-Terry disclose monitoring components of a HVACR system, and Atchison discloses that a VSD is a well known and common component of an HVAC system that can be adjusted based on sensor data [Atchison, figure 7, ‘164,’ ‘174,’], it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the system of Jefferies-Terry to monitor a variable speed drive as part of a vapor compression system, as taught by Atchinson. This would help reduce costly repairs by allowing for more proactive and predictive maintenance.
Response to Arguments
9. The Examiner acknowledges the Applicant’s amendments to claims 1, 2, 4, 12, 14-16, the cancellation of claim 3, and the addition of claim 21.
Regarding independent claim 1, Applicant alleges that Mermelstein et al (U.S. Patent No. 9,917,322) fails to disclose a controller configured to determine occurrence of a thermal event within an enclosure based on data, where the thermal event comprises an operational condition of an electrical component of an HVAC&R system exceeding an expected operation condition operating range of the electrical component, as has been amended to the claim. Examiner has rejected claim 1 under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jefferies et al (Pub. No. US 2016/0141123) in view of Terry et al (U.S. Patent No. 7,089,088). Applicant’s arguments have been considered but are moot in view of the new grounds of rejection.
Similar arguments have been presented for independent claims 12 and 16 and thus, Applicant’s arguments are not persuasive for the same reasons.
Applicant states that dependent claims 2, 4-11, 13-15, and 17-21 recite all the limitations of the independent claims, and thus, are allowable in view of the remarks set forth regarding independent claims 1, 12, and 16. However, as discussed above, Jefferies in view of Terry are considered to teach claims 1, 12, and 16, and consequently, claims 2, 4-11, 13-15, and 17-21 are rejected.
Conclusion
10. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALVIN H TAN whose telephone number is (571)272-8595. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10AM-6PM.
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/ALVIN H TAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2118
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