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 1-31 are pending in this application. Claims 1-13 have been cancelled. Claims 14-20 are original. Claims 21-33 are new.
Election/Restrictions
Claims 1-13 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Invention 1, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 7/10/2025.
New claims 21-33 are substantially equivalent to original claims 1-13 that are drawn to non-elected Invention 1. In the office action dated 05/23/25 Requirement for Restriction/Election, applicant was required to elect Invention I or Invention II related to process of use and product. If applicant elected Invention I, applicant would also be required to elect species and sub-species related to Invention I. Applicant elected Invention II related to process of use in claims 14-20. New claims 21-33 require a data processing controller, an analog-to-digital converter, a signal shaper controller, and a data communication controller which appear to be distinct from the method claims 14-20. Method claims 14-20 can be practiced in general computing hardware running a software program, rather than the specific, integrated power controller circuit with dedicated components described in the apparatus claims. New claims 21-33 do not overcome the restriction requirement and therefore are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Invention I.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 11/12/25 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
In Remarks dated 11/12/25, applicant argues “the arrangement of voltage sensor 510 within the load identifying AC power supply of Figure 5 does not determine a voltage across the switching assembly 508. Any voltage detected by the voltage sensor 510 between A) the node between the upper switch 508 and the current sensor 511 and B) the node between the lower switch 508 and the current sensor 512 does not detect the voltage across the switch 508. Specifically, Telefus discloses, "The load identifying AC power supply includes an AC to DC converter 503 that supplies power to the current 506, 507, 511, 512 and voltage 505, 510 that acquire the AC mains data and the load data." (Telefus, col. 8, lines 33-37). Accordingly, Telefus teaches that the voltage sensor 510 acquires load data, not voltage data across switch 508. As arranged in Telefus, the voltage sensor 510 cannot acquire voltage data across switch 508. The rejection further asserted that the recited switching assembly in claim 14 that transfers at least a portion of the received electrical energy to the load through a voltage output may be disclosed by an unnumbered switch within switch controller 509 as shown in Figure 8. However, neither the LED 810 nor the switch 814 of the switch controller 509 transfers at least a portion of the received electrical energy to the load through a voltage output. Accordingly, the switch controller 509 fails to disclose any switching assembly that transfers at least a portion of the received electrical energy to the load through a voltage output. Since Telefus fails to disclose determining a voltage across the switching assembly via a second voltage sensor as recited in claim 14, Telefus does not anticipate claim 14 under 35 U.S.C. 102. As such, claim 14 is patentable over the art of record.”.
Examiner respectfully disagrees. Telefus discloses in col 6 lines 41-47 “Any data acquired once a load is detected that is specific to a load is termed “load data”. Load data includes the turn on timing of the load as well as waveform data. Waveform data includes acquiring values of the AC main voltage, the load voltage the load current and the power consumed by the load as a function of time.” and col1 11 lines 48-52 “The power to the load 502 is varied using the switch 508 and the wave patterns of the voltage and current across and through the load are recorded before, during and after variation of the applied voltage through the switch 508.”. The configuration of voltage sensor 510 in fig 5 shows input terminals of the voltage sensor 510 are connected in parallel across the two switches of the switching assembly 508, allowing it to measure the potential difference between the high-side input and the low-side output of the switched portion of the circuit. This configuration means it measures the electrical potential difference, or voltage drop, between the input and output sides of the open or closed switch. Therefore the voltage sensor 510 determines the voltage across the switching assembly 508 as depicted in fig 5.
Additionally, the switch controller 509 contains a switch depicted in fig 8 as 814 and fig 9 unnumbered. The switch 814 within 509 is coupled between the voltage input and the voltage output. Sensor 510’s position allows it to detect a voltage drop across the main switch 508, however it does not appear to be wired to measure the voltage drop across components inside the separate switch controller box 509. Therefore, applicants argument that switch 814 within switch controller 509 could not be equivalent to the switching assembly of claim 14 is persuasive.
However, Telefus does disclose determining a voltage across the switching assembly via a second voltage sensor coupled to the voltage input and to the voltage output, as switching assembly 508 and voltage sensor 510. Additionally, Telefus discloses transferring at least a portion of the received electrical energy to the load through a voltage output via a switching assembly. In fig 5, an AC source 501 provides electrical energy which is converted to DC by an AC/DC converter 503. A switching assembly 508, controlled by a switch controller 509 and microprocessor 504, regulates the power flow (voltage and current) to the load 502. Various sensors (505, 506, 507, 510, 511, 512) provide feedback to the microprocessor for monitoring and controlling the transfer of energy to the load.
The rejection of claim 14 in the previous office action citing switching assembly 508 and voltage sensor 510 remains.
Drawings
The drawings were received on 04/21/2023. These drawings are accepted.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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 14-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Telefus et al (US11114947B2; hereinafter Telefus).
Regarding claim 14, Telefus discloses a method of determining a load voltage across a load comprising (claim 13; fig 5, AC mains 501 is connected to the load 502 through the load identifying AC power supply 503-516): receiving electrical energy from a voltage source (fig 5, AC mains 501) through a voltage input (fig 5, power connection 513); transferring at least a portion of the received electrical energy to the load (fig 5, load 502) through a voltage output (fig 5, electrical connection to/from load) via a switching assembly (e.g. fig 5, switch 508 ; determining a voltage of the received electrical energy via a first voltage sensor coupled to the voltage input (fig 5, voltage sensor 505); determining a voltage across the switching assembly via a second voltage sensor (fig 5, voltage sensor 510) coupled to the voltage input and to the voltage output (fig 5, shown electrically connected to input 501 and output 502); and determining the load voltage based on a comparison of the determined voltage of the received electrical energy with the determined voltage across the switching assembly (claims 11 and 12 teach the comparison of voltage sensor waveforms by the microprocessor to identify the voltage across the load).
Regarding claim 15, Telefus discloses the method of claim 14, wherein the first voltage sensor and the second voltage sensor share a common node (common node shown in detailed version of switching assembly 508 and controller 509 in fig 8).
Regarding claim 16, Telefus discloses the method of claim 15, further comprising determining a current flowing through the switching assembly via: measuring a voltage across a sense resistor (col 3 lines 47-49 “Voltage sensors utilize resistive dividers and current is sensed with a current-sensing resistor, current amplifier, and Hall Effect sensors”; fig 5 current sensors 506-507 and 511-512) and determining the current flowing through the switching assembly based on the measured voltage and a resistance of the sense resistor (claim 11 “comparing the first set of waveforms with the second set of waveforms includes: a) comparing the phase of the phase of the waveform of the second voltage sensor and phase of the waveform of the current sensor with the phase of the waveform of the first voltage sensor”); wherein the sense resistor is coupled with the common node (fig 5, each current sensor 506-507 and 511-512 is electrically connected to common nodes shown in detailed version of switching assembly 508 and controller 509 in fig 8) .
Regarding claim 17, Telefus discloses the method of claim 14, wherein determining the load voltage comprises subtracting the determined voltage across the switching assembly from the determined voltage of the received electrical energy (claim 1 teaches how the microprocessor identifies the load waveforms of the voltage and current sensors).
Regarding claim 18, Telefus discloses the method of claim 14, wherein each of the first and second voltage sensors comprises a resistor divider comprising a first resistor serially coupled with a second resistor via a common node (first and second voltage dividers are not shown in detail in fig 5 for simplicity of the figure, though the specification explains the voltage sensors to be made up of resistor in a voltage divider network; details of AC to DC converter 503 of fig 5 are shown in figs 6 and 7; sampling elements 603 and 703 include resistors configured into a voltage divider network with common node between the two resistors).
Regarding claim 19, Telefus discloses the method of claim 18, wherein determining the voltage of the received electrical energy via the first voltage sensor comprises measuring a voltage across the first resistor (col 8 lines 33-37 “The load identifying AC power supply includes an AC to DC converter 503 that supplies power to the current 506, 507, 511, 512 and voltage 505, 510 sensors that acquire the AC mains data and the load data”; col 8 lines 40-43“The voltage and current sensors are as those known in the art and include voltage sensors using resistive dividers and current sensors including current-sensing resistor”; claim 1 “a first voltage sensor to monitor the voltage of the AC supply, and, d) a second voltage sensor to monitor a voltage applied to the load, and, e) a current sensor to monitor a current drawn by the load”); wherein the first resistor is coupled with a first terminal of the voltage input (fig 5, voltage sensor 505 is electrically connected to AC mains 501 via 515); and wherein the second resistor is coupled with a second terminal of the voltage input (fig 5, voltage sensor 505 is electrically connected to AC mains 501 via 513).
Regarding claim 20, Telefus discloses the method of claim 18 wherein determining the voltage across the switching assembly via the second voltage sensor (fig 5, 510) comprises measuring a voltage across the first resistor (claim 1 “a second voltage sensor to monitor a voltage applied to the load”); wherein the first resistor is coupled with a first terminal of the voltage input; and wherein the second resistor is coupled with a first terminal of the voltage output (fig 5, voltage sensor 510 positioned between switching assembly 508 and the load 502).
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 Lauren A Shaw whose telephone number is (571)272-3074. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 7-5 EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Thienvu Tran can be reached at (571) 270-1276. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/LAUREN ASHLEY SHAW/Examiner, Art Unit 2838
/THIENVU V TRAN/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2838
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