DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Status of Claims
Claims 1, 2, 4, 6-18 are pending.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10-13, 15-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Norskov [US 20180276612] in view of Liebermann [US 20090267348].
As to claim 1. Norskov discloses A system to track a geolocation of an asset, the system comprising:
a capacitor, [figs. 1A, 2, 0122, 0123] energy storage 8 as a capacitor, electrically coupled to receive electrical power from a power source, [fig. 2, 0132] store electrical power received from power charging device 46, wherein the power source comprises an intermittent power source that generates electrical power, [0131, 0132];
a navigation system configured to determine geolocation information of the asset, [fig. 2, 0125] position determining device 44;
a processor, [fig. 1A, 0122] processor 14, to log a set of the determined geolocation information of the asset, [0142] processor sends data including positioning device; and
a transmitter, [fig. 2, 0142] communication module 10, to transmit at least a portion of the set of determined geolocation information, [0142] processor sends data including positioning device as signal 16, to a server, [fig. 1A, 0145] signal 16 forwarded to a server 22,
wherein said power source charges said capacitor, [0132] charging device 46 stores electrical energy in capacitor 8,
wherein said capacitor powers said navigation system, said processor, and said transmitter, [0006, 0132, 0140],
the system not including a battery electrically coupled to the processor, [0046].
Norskov fails to disclose wherein the intermittent power source is independent of an electrical system of a transport vehicle coupled to the asset.
Liebermann discloses an alternative energy generating means for a vehicle that implements solar energy, [0033].
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Norskov with that of Liebermann so that the system can generate electricity and avoid running power lines from the vehicle.
As to claim 2. Norskov discloses The system of claim 1, wherein the capacitor is a supercapacitor, [0052].
As to claim 4. Norskov fails to disclose The system of claim 1, wherein the intermittent power source is a photovoltaic (PV) array comprising one or more PV cells.
LaFayette teaches a sensor network node system with energy harvesting used to monitor motor vehicles, [0100], and harvest energy from a vehicle, [0019], that implements a solar energy generation method, [0083].
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Norskov with that of LaFayette so that the system can generate electricity and avoid running power lines from the vehicle.
As to claim 6. Norskov fails to disclose The system of claim 1, wherein the intermittent power source is a kinetic energy harvesting device.
Lieberman discloses an alternative energy generating means for a vehicle that convers the movement of the wheels into an electrical energy, [0038].
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Norskov with that of Liebermann so that the system can generate electricity in case the battery of the vehicle dies.
As to claim 8. Norskov fails to disclose The system of claim 6, wherein the kinetic energy harvesting device harvests kinetic energy from a rotating wheel component of a transport platform to which the asset is coupled.
Lieberman discloses an alternative energy generating means for a vehicle that convers the movement of the wheels into an electrical energy, [0038].
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Norskov with that of Liebermann so that the system can generate electricity in case the battery of the vehicle dies.
As to claim 10. Norskov fails to disclose The system of claim 6, wherein the kinetic energy harvesting device comprises: an inductor; and a magnet disposed such that relative movement between the magnet and the inductor caused by movement of a transport platform to which the asset is coupled induces electrical power.
Lieberman discloses an alternative energy generating means for a vehicle that convers the movement of the wheels into an electrical energy using an non-movable coil, which reads on the claimed inductor, a rotating magnet as an electrical generator, [00220, 0038].
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Norskov with that of Liebermann so that the system can generate electricity in case the battery of the vehicle dies.
As to claim 11. Norskov discloses The system of claim 1, further comprising: a charging circuit, [fig. 2, 0131] power charging device 46, to: receive electrical power from the power source, and charge the capacitor with said power, [0132].
As to claim 12. Norskov discloses The system of claim 11, wherein the charging circuit is a constant current circuit, [0155, 0159].
As to claim 13. Norskov discloses The system of claim 11, wherein the charging circuit is a constant power circuit, [0155, 0159].
As to claim 15. Norskov discloses The system of claim 1, further comprising: a charging port to: receive electrical power from the power source, [fig. 2, 0122] electrical connections 6 to power source, and provide electrical power to the capacitor, [0131, 0132].
As to claim 16. is rejected using the same prior arts and reasoning as to that of claim 1.
As to claims 17, 18 are rejected using the same prior arts and reasoning as to that of claims 11, 15, respectively.
Claim(s) 7, 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Norskov in view of Liebermann as applied to claim 6 above, further in view of In et al. [US 20200070664].
As to claim 7. the combination of Norskov and Liebermann fails to disclose The system of claim 6, wherein the kinetic energy harvesting device harvests kinetic energy from ambient fluid moving around the asset.
In teaches a method and apparatus for harvesting electric energy from air flow in a moving system implemented in a vehicle, [fig. 1, 0039] to harvest electrical energy from air flow moving around the vehicle, [fig. 1, 0039].
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of the combination of Norskov and Liebermann with that of In so that the system can generate electricity from ambient energy improving the power consumption of the vehicle.
As to claim 9. the combination of Norskov and Liebermann fails to disclose The system of claim 6, wherein the kinetic energy harvesting device is a piezoelectric device.
In teaches a method and apparatus for harvesting electric energy from air flow in a moving system implemented in a vehicle, [fig. 1, 0039] to harvest electrical energy from air flow moving around the vehicle, [fig. 1, 0039]; wherein the system implements a piezoelectric device for converting the kitetic energy to electrical energy, [0062].
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of the combination of Norskov and Liebermann with that of In so that the system can use a widely available and used device for energy harvesting.
Claim(s) 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Norskov in view of Liebermann as applied to claim 6 above, further in view of Verghese et al. [US 20130159956].
As to claim 14. The combination of Norskov and Liebermann fails to disclose The system of claim 11, wherein the charging circuit is a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) circuit.
Verghese teaches a wireless energy transfer modeling tool that implements a MPPT to ensure an efficient maximum power extraction from a PV panel, [0256], that can be implemented in a vehicle, [fig. 22].
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of the combination of Norskov and Liebermann with that of Verghese so that the system can reduce loss of power and extract the maximum power from the source.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1, 16 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BENYAM HAILE whose telephone number is (571)272-2080. The examiner can normally be reached 7:00 AM - 5:30 PM Mon. - Thur..
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/Benyam Haile/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2688
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