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 .
Response to Amendment
Applicant’s amendments to the claims, filed 12/12/2025, are accepted and appreciated by the
Examiner.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Remarks, filed 12/12/2025, with respect to the rejection(s) of claims 1 and 15 under 35 U.S.C. 103 in view of Seo (US 20160327598 A1) and Parker (US 20170242059 A1) have been fully considered and are persuasive. Seo or Parker does not explicitly teach that a housing is positioned around a wire. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, Nulty (US 20160061862 A1) teaches such a feature as seen in Fig. 3 and further highlighted below. As a result, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Seo (US 20160327598 A1) and Nulty (US 20160061862 A1).
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 1-4, 9-12, 15, 16, and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Seo (US 20160327598 A1) as modified by Nulty (US 20160061862 A1).
Regarding claim 1,
Seo teaches,
A power meter, comprising: (Para. [0058] teaches “a power measurement unit 310 may measure the amount of power supplied to the target device through a power line. For the amount of power measured by the power measurement unit 310, the amount of power consumption in the target device may be predicted. The power measurement unit 310 may provide information about the measured amount of power or power consumption to an event determination unit 330.”)
and a controller disposed in the housing, the controller receiving the current signal and the voltage signal and calculating a power factor of the conductor signal based on the current signal and the voltage signal, the controller determines an operating state of a powered device to which the conductor feeds the conductor signal based on the power factor. (Para. [0057] teaches “FIG. 3 shows a configuration that can be applied in a case” Fig. 3 further shows a power measurement unit which measures both a voltage and a current within the case of the smart plug which is viewed as housing. Fig. 3 further shows event determination unit which is viewed as a controller. Para. [0060] teaches “The power measurement unit 310 may analyze the characteristics (e.g., the power factor) for the change in power consumption based on the measured amount of power. The power measurement unit 310 may provide the analysis results to the event determination unit 330. The power measurement unit 310 needs to have the ability to process information. In the following description, it will be assumed that information about the amount of power consumption measured by the power measurement unit 310 is provided to the event determination unit 330.” (i.e. controller) Para. [0059] teaches “In one embodiment, the power measurement unit 310 may calculate the amount of power consumption by the supplied current and the supplied voltage. In this case, the power measurement unit 310 should be able to measure the current and voltage supplied to the target device.” (i.e. using voltage and current measurement) Para. [0043] teaches “In the following detailed description, an exemplary embodiment will be proposed, in which a smart plug is configured to determine occurrence/non-occurrence of an event using a power factor and preset thresholds. The power factor may be defined by a ratio of real power to apparent power, at which the smart plug monitors the amount of power supplied from the power supply source to the target device, and which is identified through the monitoring.” (i.e. operating state based on power factor))
Seo does not explicitly teach,
a housing releasably positioned around a wire;
a current sensor disposed in the housing sensing a current of a conductor signal transmitted along a conductor and outputting a current signal based on the current;
a voltage sensor disposed in the housing sensing a voltage of the conductor signal and outputting a voltage signal based on the voltage;
Nulty teaches,
a housing releasably positioned around a wire; (Para. [0059] teaches “Sensor unit 310 may include an opening 312 so that the wire can pass through the sensor unit housing 308, allowing for mechanical and electrical connection to the wire.”)
a current sensor disposed in the housing sensing a current of a conductor signal transmitted along a conductor and outputting a current signal based on the current; (Para. [0067] teaches “Measurement circuitry 354 may also contain circuitry to measure current on hot wire 370. For example, current sensor 354c may be implemented using any suitable current sensor to sense a current signal on the wire. Current sensor 354c may also output information that indicates a direction and phase of a current signal from hot wire 370.” Fig. 3b shows that sensor is within the housing.)
a voltage sensor disposed in the sensing a voltage of the conductor signal and outputting a voltage signal based on the voltage; (Para. [0066] teaches “Voltage sensor 354b may be configured in any suitable way to measure a voltage from hot wire 370. For example, voltage sensor 354b may be connected to a capacitive voltage divider to measure a portion of the voltage on hot wire 370. This voltage signal can be used to measure voltage, and those measured voltages may be processed to reveal signal harmonics, one or more frequencies, disturbances, faults, and/or a relative phase angle between the voltage signal and other sensed signals,” Fig. 3b shows that sensor is within the housing.))
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Seo a housing releasably positioned around a wire; a current sensor disposed in the housing sensing a current of a conductor signal transmitted along a conductor and outputting a current signal based on the current; a voltage sensor disposed in the housing sensing a voltage of the conductor signal and outputting a voltage signal based on the voltage; such as that of Nulty.
One of ordinary skill would have been motivated to modify Seo, because in Para. [0059] Seo teaches “In one embodiment, the power measurement unit 310 may calculate the amount of power consumption by the supplied current and the supplied voltage. In this case, the power measurement unit 310 should be able to measure the current and voltage supplied to the target device.” Therefore, it would be obvious to include voltage and current sensors in order find the power and the power factor. Furthermore, the housing being around the wire allows for mechanical and electrical connection to the wire as seen in Para. [0059] of Nulty.
Regarding claim 2,
Seo further teaches,
The power meter of claim 1, wherein the controller compares the power factor to a threshold to determine the operating state of the powered device. (Para. [0043] teaches “In the following detailed description, an exemplary embodiment will be proposed, in which a smart plug is configured to determine occurrence/non-occurrence of an event using a power factor and preset thresholds.” Para. [0091] teaches “In other words, the smart plug recognizes the occurrence of a first event, if the power factor for the power consumption exists between the first high threshold and the first low threshold.”)
Regarding claim 3,
Seo further teaches,
The power meter of claim 2, further comprising a communication interface connected to the controller, the communication interface receives a configuration signal from a computing device setting the threshold. (Para. [0062] teaches “The event determination unit 330 may set thresholds for the purpose of monitoring the occurrence of an event in the target device.” See figure 3 and figure 4. Para. [0067] teaches “The event determination unit 330 may collect information about an event occurring in the target device, and manage the collected information through a separate database or report the collected information to the user through a display or a communication unit 340.”)
Regarding claim 4,
Seo further teaches,
The power meter of claim 2, wherein the controller executes a threshold determination algorithm to determine the threshold based on the voltage signal and the current signal when the operating state of the powered device is an off state. (Para. [0050] teaches “Referring to FIG. 8, the smart plug may perform the procedure (or the threshold setting procedure (operations 812 to 820)) for setting a plurality of thresholds or the procedure (or the event detection procedure (operation 822) for detecting an event, by the determination result in operation 810.” See fig. 8)
Regarding claim 9,
Seo further teaches,
The power meter of claim 1, wherein the controller receives a plurality of readings of each of the voltage signal and the current signal in a batch and calculates the power factor for the batch. (Para. [0058] teaches “The amount of power supplied to the target device may be measured by the power measurement unit 310 at a preset period. The period may be set considering the type and operating characteristics of the target device. The operating characteristics of the target device may include the habits in which the user uses the target device. Para. [0040] teaches “For example, it is possible to define a positive power detection interval for recognizing the power consumption that increases due to the occurrence of a specific event regardless of the operation state of the target device. The positive power detection interval may be set by one positive high threshold (hereinafter, referred to as “first high threshold”) and one positive low threshold (hereinafter, referred to as “first low threshold”). In this case, the positive power detection interval may be set by an interval between one first high threshold and one first low threshold.”)
Regarding claim 10,
Seo further teaches,
The power meter of claim 9, wherein the controller determines the operating state of the powered device based on a comparison of a predetermined plurality of consecutive calculations of the power factor to the threshold. (Para. [0051] teaches “For example, the smart plug 120 may monitor the occurrence of a specific event based on an index (e.g., a power factor) indicating a change in supplied power, and preset thresholds. In order to obtain an index indicating a change in supplied power, the smart plug 120 may monitor the power supplied to the target device 130. The smart plug 120 may monitor the occurrence of a specific event in the target device 130, without requiring installation of a separate sensor.” Para. [0083] teaches “For example, the smart plug may continuously monitor the power consumption of the target device for a predetermined time, to determine the target device using the recognized amount of power consumption and the power consumption pattern.”)
Regarding claim 11,
Seo further teaches,
The power meter of claim 1, further comprising a communication interface connected to the controller, the controller outputs the operating state of the powered device to the computing device via the communication interface. (Para. [0067] teaches “The event determination unit 330 may collect information about an event occurring in the target device, and manage the collected information through a separate database or report the collected information to the user through a display or a communication unit 340.” Para. [0070] teaches “The communication unit 340 may perform communication with the external device by interworking with a predetermined network. For example, the communication unit 340 receives information about the type of the target device, which is provided from the external device, provides the received information to the event determination unit 330, and transmits information generated by the event determination unit 330 to the external device.” Para. [0093] teaches “or provide the information to the external device such as the sever that manages the status of the target device.”)
Regarding claim 12,
Seo further teaches,
The power meter of claim 1, further comprising an external connection device connected to the controller, the controller outputs the operating state of the powered device as an output signal at the external connection device, the output signal is an analog signal or a digital signal. (Para. [0070] teaches “The communication unit 340 may perform communication with the external device by interworking with a predetermined network. For example, the communication unit 340 receives information about the type of the target device, which is provided from the external device, provides the received information to the event determination unit 330, and transmits information generated by the event determination unit 330 to the external device.” Para. [0093] teaches “or provide the information to the external device such as the sever that manages the status of the target device.”))
Regarding claim 15,
Seo teaches,
A method of determining an operating state of a powered device, comprising: (Para. [0058] teaches “a power measurement unit 310 may measure the amount of power supplied to the target device through a power line. For the amount of power measured by the power measurement unit 310, the amount of power consumption in the target device may be predicted. The power measurement unit 310 may provide information about the measured amount of power or power consumption to an event determination unit 330.”)
providing a power meter having a housing, a current sensor disposed in the housing, a voltage sensor disposed in the housing, and a controller disposed in the housing and connected to the current sensor and the voltage sensor; (Para. [0057] teaches “FIG. 3 shows a configuration that can be applied in a case” Fig. 3 further shows a power measurement unit which measures both a voltage and a current within the case of the smart plug which is viewed as housing. Fig. 3 further shows event determination unit which is viewed as a controller.)
calculating a power factor of the conductor signal with the controller based on the current signal and the voltage signal; and determining an operating state of the powered device with the controller based on the power factor. Para. [0060] teaches “The power measurement unit 310 may analyze the characteristics (e.g., the power factor) for the change in power consumption based on the measured amount of power. The power measurement unit 310 may provide the analysis results to the event determination unit 330. The power measurement unit 310 needs to have the ability to process information. In the following description, it will be assumed that information about the amount of power consumption measured by the power measurement unit 310 is provided to the event determination unit 330.” (i.e. controller) Para. [0059] teaches “In one embodiment, the power measurement unit 310 may calculate the amount of power consumption by the supplied current and the supplied voltage. In this case, the power measurement unit 310 should be able to measure the current and voltage supplied to the target device.” (i.e. using voltage and current measurement) Para. [0043] teaches “In the following detailed description, an exemplary embodiment will be proposed, in which a smart plug is configured to determine occurrence/non-occurrence of an event using a power factor and preset thresholds. The power factor may be defined by a ratio of real power to apparent power, at which the smart plug monitors the amount of power supplied from the power supply source to the target device, and which is identified through the monitoring.” (i.e. operating state based on power factor))
Seo does not explicitly teach,
releasably positioning the housing around a wire having a conductor;
sensing a voltage of a conductor signal transmitted along the conductor to the powered device with the voltage sensor and outputting a voltage signal based on the voltage to the controller;
sensing a current of the conductor signal with the current sensor and outputting a current signal based on the current to the controller;
Nulty teaches,
releasably positioning the housing around a wire having a conductor; (Para. [0059] teaches “Sensor unit 310 may include an opening 312 so that the wire can pass through the sensor unit housing 308, allowing for mechanical and electrical connection to the wire.”)
sensing a voltage of a conductor signal transmitted along a conductor to the powered device with the voltage sensor and outputting a voltage signal based on the voltage to the controller; (Para. [0066] teaches “Voltage sensor 354b may be configured in any suitable way to measure a voltage from hot wire 370. For example, voltage sensor 354b may be connected to a capacitive voltage divider to measure a portion of the voltage on hot wire 370. This voltage signal can be used to measure voltage, and those measured voltages may be processed to reveal signal harmonics, one or more frequencies, disturbances, faults, and/or a relative phase angle between the voltage signal and other sensed signals,” Fig. 3b shows that sensor is within the housing.))
sensing a current of the conductor signal with the current sensor and outputting a current signal based on the current to the controller; (Para. [0067] teaches “Measurement circuitry 354 may also contain circuitry to measure current on hot wire 370. For example, current sensor 354c may be implemented using any suitable current sensor to sense a current signal on the wire. Current sensor 354c may also output information that indicates a direction and phase of a current signal from hot wire 370.” Fig. 3b shows that sensor is within the housing.)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Seo releasably positioning the housing around a wire having a conductor; sensing a voltage of a conductor signal transmitted along the conductor to the powered device with the voltage sensor and outputting a voltage signal based on the voltage to the controller; sensing a current of the conductor signal with the current sensor and outputting a current signal based on the current to the controller such as that of Nulty.
One of ordinary skill would have been motivated to modify Seo, because in Para. [0059] Seo teaches “In one embodiment, the power measurement unit 310 may calculate the amount of power consumption by the supplied current and the supplied voltage. In this case, the power measurement unit 310 should be able to measure the current and voltage supplied to the target device.” Therefore, it would be obvious to include voltage and current sensors in order find the power and the power factor. Furthermore, the housing being around the wire allows for mechanical and electrical connection to the wire as seen in Para. [0059] of Nulty.
With respect to claim 16,
Seo further teaches,
The method of claim 15, wherein the controller receives a plurality of readings of each of the voltage signal and the current signal in a batch and calculates the power factor for the batch, the controller compares the power factor to a threshold to determine the operating state of the powered device. (Para. [0043] teaches “In the following detailed description, an exemplary embodiment will be proposed, in which a smart plug is configured to determine occurrence/non-occurrence of an event using a power factor and preset thresholds.” Para. [0091] teaches “In other words, the smart plug recognizes the occurrence of a first event, if the power factor for the power consumption exists between the first high threshold and the first low threshold.” Para. [0058] teaches “The amount of power supplied to the target device may be measured by the power measurement unit 310 at a preset period. The period may be set considering the type and operating characteristics of the target device. The operating characteristics of the target device may include the habits in which the user uses the target device. Para. [0040] teaches “For example, it is possible to define a positive power detection interval for recognizing the power consumption that increases due to the occurrence of a specific event regardless of the operation state of the target device. The positive power detection interval may be set by one positive high threshold (hereinafter, referred to as “first high threshold”) and one positive low threshold (hereinafter, referred to as “first low threshold”). In this case, the positive power detection interval may be set by an interval between one first high threshold and one first low threshold.”)
Regarding claim 18,
Seo further teaches,
The method of claim 16, wherein the controller determines the threshold based on the power factor calculated for a plurality of batches when the operating state of the powered device is an off state. (Para. [0050] teaches “Referring to FIG. 8, the smart plug may perform the procedure (or the threshold setting procedure (operations 812 to 820)) for setting a plurality of thresholds or the procedure (or the event detection procedure (operation 822) for detecting an event, by the determination result in operation 810.” See fig. 8))
Regarding claim 19,
Seo further teaches,
The method of claim 18, wherein the threshold is calculated based on an average of the power factor of the plurality of batches added to a constant value. (Para. [0042] teaches “The first high threshold and the second high threshold may be set based on a difference between real power and a bias of the real power at the time that an event occurs while a specific operation is not being performed in the target device. The first low threshold and the second low threshold may be set based on the biggest noise value or the average noise value after storing positive noises and negative noises occurring for a predetermined time and removing a predetermined outlier in the order of the large absolute value of the stored noises while a specific operation is being performed in the target device.”
Regarding claim 20,
Seo further teaches,
The method of claim 18, wherein the controller updates the threshold if the power factor calculated for the plurality of batches is less than the current threshold. (Para. [0078] teaches “The adaptive threshold derivation module 520 sets predetermined thresholds using the result obtained by analyzing the amount of power consumption in the target device or the power profile pre-configured to correspond to the target device. The thresholds are set for the purpose of monitoring the occurrence of an event in the target device. The number of thresholds to be set and the setting method may be defined considering the characteristics (e.g., the type, brand, capacity, etc.) of the target device, and the type of the event.” Para. [0112-0113] teaches “For example, P_bias may be obtained by an average of the real power for 10 minutes, when the power factor PF is less than 0.4 and the real power P is less than 90 W. The real power is calculated, when the power factor is greater than 0.4 and the real power is less than 90 W for one or more seconds. After the real power P and the bias P_bias of the real power are calculated as described above, a positive high threshold {circle around (1)} and a negative high threshold 2 are determined by the value that is about 1.5 times the value of (P−P_bias). In other words, the positive high threshold 1 is determined by giving the positive sign to the value that is about 1.5 times the value of (P−P_bias), and the negative high threshold {circle around (2)} is determined by giving the negative sign to the value that is about 1.5 times the value of (P−P_bias).”
Claims 5-8 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Seo (US 20160327598 A1) as modified by Nulty (US 20160061862 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Parker (US 20170242059 A1).
Regarding claim 5,
The combination of Seo and Nulty teaches the power meter of claim 1.
Seo does not explicitly teach,
wherein the current sensor has a core and a coil disposed around the core, and further comprising a capacitor connected to the current sensor and the controller.
Nulty teaches,
further comprising a capacitor connected to the current sensor and the controller. (Para. [0026] teaches “Current measurement circuitry may be included. Such circuitry may operate with a Hall-effect sensor, Rogowski coil, current transformer, or any other suitable component to measure current.” Para. [0028] teaches “As an example of another technique, the sensor unit may include a charge storage device, such as a battery or super capacitor.” See figure 3C.)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Seo and Nulty further comprising a capacitor connected to the current sensor and the controller such as that of Nulty.
One of ordinary skill would have been motivated to modify the combination of Seo and Nulty, because Para. [0028] of Nulty teaches “The charge storage device may be charged using the voltage from the capacitive voltage divider while no measurement is being made. To make a measurement, the charge storage device may be disconnected from the measurement point, but still connected to power the measurement circuitry.”
Parker teaches,
wherein the current sensor has a core and a coil disposed around the core, (Para. [0026] teaches “The sensors 54 are preferably current transformers but other types of sensors may be used, inclusive of split-core transformers. Each current transformer comprises a coil of wire wound on the cross-section of a toroidal metallic or non-metallic core. The toroidal core is typically enclosed in a plastic housing that includes an aperture 82 enabling the power cable 88 to be extended through the central aperture of the core.”)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Seo and Nulty wherein the current sensor has a core and a coil disposed around the core such as that of Parker.
One of ordinary skill would have been motivated to modify the combination of Seo and Nulty, because Para. [0026] of Parker teaches “To facilitate routing the power cables of the branch circuits through the cores of the current transformers, the common support maintains the current transformers in a fixed spatial relationship that preferably aligns the apertures of the toroidal coils directly opposite the connections of the power cables 88 and their respective circuit breakers 16 when the strip is installed in a distribution panel 100. For protection from electrical shock, a transient voltage suppressor 94 may be connected in parallel across the output terminals of each sensor to limit the voltage build up at the terminals when the terminals are open circuited.”
Regarding claim 6,
The combination of Seo, Nulty, and Parker further teaches the power meter of claim 5.
Seo does not explicitly teach,
wherein the conductor extends through the core of the current sensor.
Parker further teaches,
wherein the conductor extends through the core of the current sensor. (Para. [0026] teaches “The sensors 54 are preferably current transformers but other types of sensors may be used, inclusive of split-core transformers. Each current transformer comprises a coil of wire wound on the cross-section of a toroidal metallic or non-metallic core. The toroidal core is typically enclosed in a plastic housing that includes an aperture 82 enabling the power cable 88 to be extended through the central aperture of the core.” See Fig. 2)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Seo, Nulty, and Parker wherein the conductor extends through the core of the current sensor such as that of Parker.
One of ordinary skill would have been motivated to modify the combination of Seo, Nulty, and Parker, because Para. [0026] of Parker teaches “To facilitate routing the power cables of the branch circuits through the cores of the current transformers, the common support maintains the current transformers in a fixed spatial relationship that preferably aligns the apertures of the toroidal coils directly opposite the connections of the power cables 88 and their respective circuit breakers 16 when the strip is installed in a distribution panel 100. For protection from electrical shock, a transient voltage suppressor 94 may be connected in parallel across the output terminals of each sensor to limit the voltage build up at the terminals when the terminals are open circuited.”
Regarding claim 7,
The combination of Seo, Nulty, and Parker teaches the power meter of claim 5.
Seo does not explicitly teach,
wherein the controller has a harvesting mode and a measurement mode, the controller determines the operating state of the powered device in the measurement mode, and the capacitor is inductively charged by the core and the coil in the harvesting mode.
Nulty teaches,
wherein the controller has a harvesting mode and a measurement mode, the controller determines the operating state of the powered device in the measurement mode, and the capacitor is inductively charged by the core and the coil in the harvesting mode. (Para. [0028] teaches “As an example of another technique, the sensor unit may include a charge storage device, such as a battery or super capacitor. The charge storage device may be charged using the voltage from the capacitive voltage divider while no measurement is being made. To make a measurement, the charge storage device may be disconnected from the measurement point, but still connected to power the measurement circuitry.
” Para. [0043] teaches “For example, capacitive or inductive coupling between power line interface 210 and line segment 216 may be employed.” Para. [0071] teaches “Measurement circuitry 354 may be configured to be powered in any suitable way. In the embodiment illustrated, the measurement circuitry may be powered via power harvesting unit 354a. Power harvesting unit 354a may include any suitable mechanism to draw energy from the power line to which the sensor unit is attached. In some embodiments, it may draw power from across capacitor 362. However, in other embodiments, it may include a coil inductively coupled to the power line or other suitable inductor. The harvested energy may supply power unit 352.”)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Seo, Nulty, and Parker wherein the controller has a harvesting mode and a measurement mode, the controller determines the operating state of the powered device in the measurement mode, and the capacitor is inductively charged by the core and the coil in the harvesting mode such as that of Nulty.
One of ordinary skill would have been motivated to modify the combination of Seo, Nulty, and Parker because Para. [0005] of Nulty teaches “Improved power line management is facilitated through a system that accurately measures voltage in a power distribution system. The system comprises one or more sensor units, each coupled to the power lines using a capacitive voltage divider to yield, at a sensor unit, a voltage in a measurable range. That voltage may also be used to power the sensor unit and/or other devices that may be coupled to it.”
Regarding claim 8,
The combination of Seo, Nulty, and Parker teaches the power meter of claim 7.
Seo does not explicitly teach,
wherein the controller switches from the harvesting mode to the measurement mode when a capacitor charge of the capacitor exceeds a charge threshold.
Nulty teaches,
wherein the controller switches from the harvesting mode to the measurement mode when a capacitor charge of the capacitor exceeds a charge threshold. (Para. [0078] teaches “Power coupled from first capacitor 562 may charge a storage device 582. As an example, the storage device may be a battery or a super capacitor. Here, that power may be coupled through regulator 586 to provide an appropriate voltage or power of other characteristics. That power may then be coupled to circuitry 554 and other active components. Circuitry 554 may include a voltage sensor and/or a current sensor. Alternatively, or additionally, circuitry 554 may include a processor, which may be programmed to execute control and/or signal processing algorithms.” Para. [0080] teaches “Any suitable isolation techniques may be applied to circuit 500 to manage the power drawn from first capacitor 562 to ensure accurate voltage measurements. In this example, an isolation switch 584 may be used to isolate capacitor 562 from storage device 582 while voltage measurements are taken. Isolation switch 584 may be arranged in circuit 500 such that when closed, storage device 582 is connected to first capacitor 562 via tap 566. When the switch is opened, storage device 582 is disconnected from first capacitor 562 at tap 566 but remains connected to deliver power to circuitry power unit 554a and/or external device 580. Isolation switch 584 may be controlled in any suitable way. For example, isolation switch 584 may be controlled by a processor or other suitable control circuitry. An isolation switch may be used to isolate other components used to draw power from a power line. In embodiments where power is drawn inductively via an inductor, an isolation switch may be used to isolate the inductor.”)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Seo, Nulty, and Parker, wherein the controller switches from the harvesting mode to the measurement mode when a capacitor charge of the capacitor exceeds a charge threshold such as that of Nulty.
One of ordinary skill would have been motivated to modify the combination of Seo, Nulty, and Parker because Para. [0072] of Nulty teaches “In this way, power unit 352 may still be powered even if there is no current flow on the line, for example, in case of a fault.”
Regarding claim 13,
The combination of Seo and Nulty teaches the power meter of claim 1.
Seo does not explicitly teach,
further comprising a plurality of indicators connected to the controller, the controller controls the indicators to represent the operating state of the powered device.
Parker teaches,
further comprising a plurality of indicators connected to the controller, the controller controls the indicators to represent the operating state of the powered device. (Para. [0038] teaches “The power meter 500 may include a meter status 510, which may be a multi-colored light emitting diode. A green output for the meter status 510 may indicate normal operation. A red output for the meter status 510 may indicate an error condition. An alternating red and green output for the meter status 510 may indicate a firmware download mode to the power meter 500. The power meter 500 may include a settings override 520, which may be a light emitting diode. An off light for the settings override 520 may indicate the meter is operating normally with the parameters as set on the front panel of the power meter 500. An on light for the settings override 520 may indicate that one or more of the user interface controls (e.g., rotary dials) on the meter has been overridden through the communications. In this manner, the user may be readily aware that the rotary dials on the front of the meter are no longer necessarily accurate. The power meter 500 may include a communications status 530, which may be a multi-colored light emitting diode and a pair of indicators. One of the indicators may be an upwardly facing triangle and the other indicator may be a downwardly facing triangle. A yellow output of the upwardly facing triangle may indicate that the meter is in an auto-baud mode and has not yet locked onto a baud rate, parity, and protocol. A red output of the upwardly facing triangle may indicate that the meter has received a communication error, such as a bad CRC or framing error. A green output of the upwardly facing triangle may indicate that the meter has received a valid frame. A green output of the downwardly facing error may indicate that the meter is transmitting. The power meter 500 may include a phase status 540, which may be multi-colored light emitting diodes. The number of blinks between pauses indicated the power factor in tenths. For example, a blink count of 7 would be a power factor of approximately 0.70 (in the range of 0.65 and 0.75). The phase status 540 may include a set of three light emitting diodes, namely a first one for line 1 (left side), a second one for line 2 (middle one), and a third one for line 3 (right side). Illumination of one of the light emitting diodes with green indicates a power factor greater than 0.70 for the respective diode. Illumination of one of the light emitting diodes with yellow indicates a power factor less than 0.70 but greater than 0.50 for the respective diode. Illumination of one of the light emitting diodes with a red indicates a power factor less than 0.50 for the respective diode. The phase status 540 may also blink to indicate whether power is being imported (i.e. taken from the grind) by a blink of ¾ of a second, or whether power is being exported (i.e. sent to the grid) by a blink of ¼ of a second). The length of a blink may also indicate that a current transformer has been installed incorrectly. If two phases have a long blink and one phase has a short blink and power is being pulled from the grid, this indicates that a current transformer on the phase with the short blink is likely installed backwards.”
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Seo and Nulty further comprising a plurality of indicators connected to the controller, the controller controls the indicators to represent the operating state of the powered device such as that of Parker.
One of ordinary skill would have been motivated to modify the combination of Seo and Nulty, because in Para. [0008] of Parker teaches “What is desired, therefore, is a power metering system that can provide an indication of an improper interconnection and/or determine the nature of such an improper interconnection.”
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Seo (US 20160327598 A1) as modified by Nulty (US 20160061862 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Arensmeier (US 20140266755 A1).
Regarding claim 14,
The combination of Seo and Nulty teaches the power meter of claim 1.
Seo does not explicitly teach,
wherein the powered device is an electronically commutated motor.
Arensmeier teaches,
wherein the powered device is an electronically commutated motor. Para. [0276] teaches “For example only, an electronically commutated motor (ECM) blower that is malfunctioning may start running even when not instructed to. This action would be detected and generate a fault.”
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Seo and Nulty wherein the powered device is an electronically commutated motor such as that of Arensmeier.
One of ordinary skill would have been motivated to modify the combination of Seo and Nulty, because according to the abstract of Arensmeier “the monitoring server receives the transmitted current data and, based on the received current data, assesses whether failures have occurred in first and second components of the HVAC components” Therefore, it would be obvious to monitor a commutated motor because they are a component of an HVAC system.
Claim 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Seo (US 20160327598 A1) as modified by Nulty (US 20160061862 A1) as applied to claim 16 above, and further in view of Beaudet (US 20210080514 A1).
Regarding claim 17,
The combination of Seo and Nulty does not explicitly teach,
The method of claim 16, wherein the controller calculates a root mean square of the current signal, a root mean square of the voltage signal, and a root mean square of a power of the conductor signal in the batch, and the power factor of the batch is calculated based on the root mean square of the current signal, the root mean square of the voltage signal, and the root mean square of the power.
Beaudet teaches,
wherein the controller calculates a root mean square of the current signal, a root mean square of the voltage signal, and a root mean square of a power of the conductor signal in the batch, and the power factor of the batch is calculated based on the root mean square of the current signal, the root mean square of the voltage signal, and the root mean square of the power. (Para. [0132] teaches “The line data 273-275 is data indicative of power usage measurements obtained from the line data collection system 290 along transmission lines 101b-101d in the system 100. Such data is dynamic and is collected periodically. Note that the line data 273-274 comprises data indicative of current measurements, voltage measurements, and/or power calculations over a period of time that indicates the amount of aggregate power provided to the distribution substation transformer 103 and the distribution transformers 104, 121. Notably, the line data 392 comprises data indicative of the aggregate power that is being sent to a “group,” i.e., one or more distribution substation transformers 103” Para. [0300] teaches “Types of data that may be automatically monitored include root mean square (RMS) voltage both overall and per phase, RMS current both overall and per phase, Kilovolt ampere rating (KVA) and kilovolt ampere reactance (KVAR), power factor (overall and per phase), voltage imbalance, harmonic distortion (overall and per phase), sags, swells, line power loss and line power restored (overall and per phase, coupled with geographic information systems (GIS) data can automatically be transmitted to the Central Computing Devices with the addition of GIS information to show location of the line break/fault), and line fault”)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the combination of Seo and Nulty wherein the controller calculates a root mean square of the current signal, a root mean square of the voltage signal, and a root mean square of a power of the conductor signal in the batch, and the power factor of the batch is calculated based on the root mean square of the current signal, the root mean square of the voltage signal, and the root mean square of the power such as that of Beaudet.
One of ordinary skill would have been motivated to modify the combination of Seo and Nulty, because rms data can be automatically monitored as seen in Para. [0300] of Beaudet. Furthermore, finding the RMS value provides a single, comparable value for quantities that fluctuate over time.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 21 objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
With respect to claim 21,
Seo (US 20160327598 A1) teaches a threshold power factor of 0.4 during a lighting operation as seen in Para(s). [0109-112]. However, they do not explicitly teach, a power threshold of less than 0.2.
Nakata (US 20150088441 A1) teaches two power factor thresholds however, none of the power factor thresholds are less than 0.2. The lowest threshold is 0.75. (Para(s). [0039 and 0059] & Fig. 10)
As seen above none of the known prior art explicitly teach and it would be non-obvious to combine the known art to teach,
“wherein the operating state of the powered device determined by the controller is an on state or an off state, and the threshold is less than 0.2.”
Therefore claim 21 would be allowable if rewritten in independent form.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. 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 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.
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/JOSHUA L FORRISTALL/Examiner, Art Unit 2857
/ANDREW SCHECHTER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2857