DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
In the present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, claims 1-4 have been considered and examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Respond to Applicant’s Arguments/Remarks
Applicant’s arguments, see Remarks, filed 04/02/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claims 1-4 has been fully considered and the results as followings:
On pages 5-6 of Applicant’s remarks, Applicant argues that the combination of Jagtoyen and Derscheid does not teach the claimed invention because modifying Jagtoyen would constitute a major redesign based on Oguz M. Murtezaoglu’s declaration, and Derscheid does not measure temperature with thermocouples.
Examiner respectfully disagrees with Applicant because the declaration states the Oguz M. Murtezaoglu’s opinions for modifications without any evidences to support a substitution of the thermocouple as a temperature sensor requiring significant redesign of Jagtoyen.
Further, as discussed in the Non-Final rejection mailed on 10/02/2025, the rejection relied upon Jagtoyen to disclose one or more temperature sensing modules (Jagtoyen: FIG. 1 the sensor 1) mounted in a respective connecting rod to measure the temperature of the respective connecting rod bearing (Jagtoyen: column 3 lines 21-57, column 3 lines10-50, and FIG. 1: FIG. 1 illustrates how the present invention can be employed in a system for measuring temperature in crankshaft bearings, especially in large and medium-sized diesel engines. The system consists of four main components, viz. sensors 1 (preferably one for each cylinder), antennae 2 (preferably one for each sensor), a control unit 3 and a recording unit 4. Here the sensors 1 are installed freely in the crankshaft bearing housing. The antennae 2 are installed inside the engine and connected to the control unit 3 which preferably comprises a multiplexer to enable test data to be received from more than one antenna/sensor), except for the limitations of the one or more temperature sensing modules as the thermocouples.
Further, Derscheid clearly suggests the one or more temperature sensing modules as the thermocouples (Derscheid: [0007], [0010], [0092], [0094], [0097], and FIG. 10: the temperature sensor 240: In some machines, temperature sensors are used to identify systems, parts, or devices that are experiencing fault conditions. In some machines, temperature sensing is done with stationary thermocouples in engines, oil baths, or air intakes, for example).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Jagtoyen and Derscheid, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement in the wireless sensor of Jagtoyen to include the one or more temperature sensing modules as the thermocouples for measuring the temperature data, as suggested by Derscheid. The motivation for this is implement a known alternative design of wireless sensors for monitoring conditions of a target device (see MPEP 2143: (A) Combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results; (B) Simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain predictable results; (C) Use of known technique to improve similar devices (methods, or products) in the same way; (D) Applying a known technique to a known device (method, or product) ready for improvement to yield predictable results; (E) “Obvious to try” – choosing from a finite number of identified, predictable solutions, with a reasonable expectation of success; (F) Known work in one field of endeavor may prompt variations of it for use in either the same field or a different one based on design incentives or other market forces if the variations are predictable to one of ordinary skill in the art; (G) Some teaching, suggestion, or motivation in the prior art that would have led one of ordinary skill to modify the prior art reference or to combine prior art reference teachings to arrive at the claimed invention).
As a result, Applicant arguments are not deemed persuasive, and the previous rejections pertaining to the previous set of claims are sustained. Therefore, due to the claimed amendments, upon further consideration, a new ground of rejections necessitated by amendments is made in view of following reference/combinations.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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 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 1-2 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jagtoyen (US 6,964,518 B1) in view of Derscheid et al. (Derscheid – US 2022/0230478 A1), Ehlers (Ehlers – US 11,230,989 B1), and Besser et al. (Besser – US 2019/0048988 A1).
As to claim 1, Jagtoyen discloses in a system which comprises pistons driven by connecting rods, each connecting rod having a respective connecting rod bearing, the system disposed within a housing, an improvement comprising:
one or more temperature sensing modules (Jagtoyen: FIG. 1 the sensor 1) mounted in a respective connecting rod to measure the temperature of the respective connecting rod bearing (Jagtoyen: column 3 lines 21-57, column 3 lines10-50, and FIG. 1: FIG. 1 illustrates how the present invention can be employed in a system for measuring temperature in crankshaft bearings, especially in large and medium-sized diesel engines. The system consists of four main components, viz. sensors 1 (preferably one for each cylinder), antennae 2 (preferably one for each sensor), a control unit 3 and a recording unit 4. Here the sensors 1 are installed freely in the crankshaft bearing housing. The antennae 2 are installed inside the engine and connected to the control unit 3 which preferably comprises a multiplexer to enable test data to be received from more than one antenna/sensor),
a data management module (Jagtoyen: FIG. 1 the control unit 3 in connections with the antenna 2 and the recording unit 4) mounted on an exterior surface of the housing (Jagtoyen: FIG. 1) and comprising:
a receiver (Jagtoyen: FIG. 1 the antenna 2) operative to receive the data point from the temperature sensing module (Jagtoyen: column 3 lines 21-57, column 3 lines10-50, and FIG. 1: The control unit 3 is designed to be capable of transmitting a polling signal to one of the sensors via the multiplexer and the antenna 2 which is connected to the sensor concerned 1. This polling signal will be reflected in modified form (e.g. with time delay or phase change) from one or more points on the sensor's 1 surface, returned from the sensor to be received by the antenna 2, and then returned to the control unit 3 possibly via a multiplexer. In the control unit the modified signal will be evaluated and the temperature in the crankshaft bearing derived therefrom. The derived temperature is then transferred to the recording unit 4 for recording and further processing);
a microprocessor (Jagtoyen: FIG. 1 the recording unit 4) operative to compare the temperature data point to a predetermined acceptable range and to generate an alarm if said temperature data point is outside the one or more thresholds (Jagtoyen: column 3 lines 21-45, column 5 lines 39-column 6 lines 15, and FIG. 6: The computer will preferably be programmed to react to temperatures which exceed defined alarm thresholds. If one of the sensors indicates a temperature higher than the defined temperature threshold, an alarm signal will be generated which is transmitted to an alarm centre 36. It may also be indicated on the computer that an alarm condition exists. The alarm centre may be designed in a number of different ways in order to indicate that an alarm condition exists in the form of visual or audible information);
a wired or wireless connection for sending the data point and / or an alarm to a remote device (Jagtoyen: column 5 lines 66 – column 6 lines 16, and FIG. 6 the alarm centre 36: The computer will preferably be programmed to react to temperatures which exceed defined alarm thresholds. If one of the sensors indicates a temperature higher than the defined temperature threshold, an alarm signal will be generated which is transmitted to an alarm centre 36. It may also be indicated on the computer that an alarm condition exists. The alarm centre may be designed in a number of different ways in order to indicate that an alarm condition exists in the form of visual or audible information).
Jagtoyen does not explicitly disclose
wherein said temperature sensing module comprises:
one of a thermocouple, resistance temperature detector, or thermistor in contact with the connecting rod bearing,
each being operative to measure the temperature of the connecting rod bearing operative to measure the temperature of the connecting rod bearing and generate a data point indicative of the temperature;
a microprocessor operative to save the temperature data point;
a transmitter operative to transmit the temperature data point; and
a microprocessor operative to compare the temperature data point to a predetermined acceptable range and to generate an alarm if said temperature data point is outside the acceptable range.
However, it has been known in the art of monitoring conditions to implement wherein said temperature sensing module comprises:
a thermocouple operative to measure the temperature of the connecting rod bearing and generate a data point indicative of the temperature;
a microprocessor operative to save the temperature data point; and
a transmitter operative to transmit the temperature data point, as suggested by Derscheid, which discloses wherein said temperature sensing module comprises:
a thermocouple operative to measure the temperature of the connecting rod bearing and generate a data point indicative of the temperature (Derscheid: [0007], [0010], [0092], [0094], [0097], and FIG. 10: the temperature sensor 240: In some machines, temperature sensors are used to identify systems, parts, or devices that are experiencing fault conditions. In some machines, temperature sensing is done with stationary thermocouples in engines, oil baths, or air intakes, for example);
a microprocessor (Derscheid: FIG. 4 and FIG. 10 the processor 242) operative to save the temperature data point (Derscheid: [0010]-[0012], [0060], [0067]-[0081], [0083], FIG. 4, and FIG. 10 The controller includes a processor and a memory. The memory is configured to store program instructions and the processor is configured to execute the stored program instructions to: receive the temperature information from the RFID tag reader; identify a fault condition of one or more of the plurality of components based on the received temperature information; and activate one of the one or more indicators at the user interface based on the identified fault condition); and
a transmitter (Derscheid: FIG. 10 the communication module 246) operative to transmit the temperature data point (Derscheid: [0010]-[0012], [0060], [0067]-[0081], [0083], [0095], FIG. 4, and FIG. 10: When the energy harvester module 244 generates energy in response to actuation by a radio wave, the sensed temperature is transmitted by the communication module 246 as a radio wave signal).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Jagtoyen and Derscheid, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement in the wireless sensor of Jagtoyen to include wherein said temperature sensing module comprises:
a thermocouple operative to measure the temperature of the connecting rod bearing and generate a data point indicative of the temperature;
a microprocessor operative to save the temperature data point; and
a transmitter operative to transmit the temperature data point, as suggested by Derscheid. The motivation for this is implement a known alternative design of wireless sensors for monitoring conditions of a target device.
The combination of Jagtoyen and Derscheid does not explicitly disclose a microprocessor operative to compare the temperature data point to a predetermined acceptable range and to generate an alarm if said temperature data point is outside the acceptable range.
However, it has been known in the art of monitoring conditions to implement a microprocessor operative to compare the temperature data point to a predetermined acceptable range and to generate an alarm if said temperature data point is outside the acceptable range, as suggested by Ehlers, which discloses a microprocessor operative to compare the temperature data point to a predetermined acceptable range and to generate an alarm if said temperature data point is outside the acceptable range (Ehlers: Abstract, column 7 lines 33-63, column 8 lines 20-32, and FIG. 2: When the data sent by a mobile telecommunication device to a telematics monitoring center does not fall within a predetermined range of acceptable data for a certain operating condition, a fault code is generated in the diesel vehicle and an alert is generated at the telematics monitoring center. Clearing fault codes requires a special scan tool. Performing the disablement method 100 described herein will not generate a fault code or generate an alert at the telematics monitoring center).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Jagtoyen, Derscheid, and Ehlers, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement in the wireless sensor of Jagtoyen and Derscheid to include a microprocessor operative to compare the temperature data point to a predetermined acceptable range and to generate an alarm if said temperature data point is outside the acceptable range, as suggested by Ehlers. The motivation for this is implement a known alternative design of wireless sensors for monitoring abnormal conditions of a target device.
The combination of Jagtoyen, Derscheid, and Ehlers does not explicitly disclose one of a thermocouple, resistance temperature detector, or thermistor in contact with the connecting rod bearing, each being operative to measure the temperature.
However, it has been known in the art of temperature monitor to implement one of a thermocouple, resistance temperature detector, or thermistor in contact with the connecting rod bearing, each being operative to measure the temperature, as suggested by Besser, which discloses one of a thermocouple, resistance temperature detector, or thermistor in contact with the connecting rod bearing, each being operative to measure the temperature (Besser: Abstract, [0026], [0047], [0096], and FIG. 1-2 the one or more temperature sensors 60T: one or more temperature sensors 60T (e.g., a thermocouple, thermistor, resistance temperature detector (RTD) or infrared (IR) sensor) can be configured to sense the internal temperature of actuator system 12, for example the temperature of nut 42 proximate rear thrust bearing 38 of screw shaft 40).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Jagtoyen, Derscheid, Ehlers, and Besser it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement in the wireless sensor of Jagtoyen, Derscheid, and Ehlers to include one of a thermocouple, resistance temperature detector, or thermistor in contact with the connecting rod bearing, each being operative to measure the temperature, as suggested by Besser. The motivation for this is implement a known alternative temperature sensors for measuring temperature information.
As to claim 2, Jagtoyen, Derscheid, Ehlers, and Besser disclose the limitations of claim 1 further comprising the system of claim 1, wherein said temperature sensing module harvests energy for power (Derscheid: Abstract, [0012], [0015], [0023]-[0025], [0092-[0095], FIG. 4, and FIG. 10 the energy harvesting module 244: Each of the temperature sensors 234 also includes an energy harvester module 244 that stores energy in response to being actuated by radio frequency waves that generate electromagnetic fields. In some embodiments, the energy harvester module 244 generates energy in response to ambient radio frequencies that are present in the work environment which have sufficient magnitude or intensity to cause the energy harvester modules 244 to generate energy).
As to claim 4, Jagtoyen, Derscheid, Ehlers, and Besser disclose the limitations of claim 1 further comprising the system of claim 1, wherein said connection is a wireless connection comprising a cellular modem or a satellite modem (Ehlers: Abstract, column 7 lines 33-63, column 8 lines 20-32, and FIG. 2: Data sent from a mobile telecommunication device to a calculations based on data collected from the various. The telematics monitoring center can be transmitted wirelessly through cellular data networks, low-orbit satellites, and/or Wi-Fi to relay data to a telematics monitoring center's computer system that comprises a display for viewing the data, typically through a web portal).
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jagtoyen (US 6,964,518 B1) in view of Derscheid et al. (Derscheid – US 2022/0230478 A1), Ehlers (Ehlers – US 11,230,989 B1), and Besser et al. (Besser – US 2019/0048988 A1) and further in view of Byun et al. (Byun – US 2012/0161943 A1).
As to claim 3, Jagtoyen, Derscheid, Ehlers, and Besser disclose the limitations of claim 1 except for the claimed limitations of the system of claim 1, wherein said temperature sensing module further comprises a timer or real time clock.
However, it has been known in the art of wireless device to implement wherein said temperature sensing module further comprises a timer or real time clock, as suggested by Byun, which discloses wherein said temperature sensing module further comprises a timer or real time clock (Byun: Abstract, [0085]-[0091], and FIG. 4 the time appropriating unit 211: The time appropriating unit 211 may include a microcontroller including a real time clock, a timer and/or counter, and an oscillator).
Therefore, in view of teachings by Jagtoyen, Derscheid, Ehlers, Besser, and Byun, it would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement in the wireless sensor of Jagtoyen, Derscheid, Ehlers, and Besser to include wherein said temperature sensing module further comprises a timer or real time clock, as suggested by Byun. The motivation for this is store information associated with timing information.
Citation of Pertinent Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure:
Duncan et al., US 2023/0067012 A1, discloses pellet mill roll temperature sensing.
Kato et al., US 2022/0173689 A1, discloses motor device.
Svrcek et al., US 2020/0195093 A1, dsiclsoes integrated linear generator system.
Conclusion
All claims are drawn to the same invention claimed in the application prior to the entry of the submission under 37 CFR 1.114 and could have been finally rejected on the grounds and art of record in the next Office action if they had been entered in the application prior to entry under 37 CFR 1.114. 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 extension fee 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 QUANG PHAM whose telephone number is (571)-270-3668. The examiner can normally be reached 09:00 AM - 05:00 PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, QUAN-ZHEN WANG can be reached at (571)-272-3114. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/QUANG PHAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2685
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