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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 04/13/2026 has been entered.
For further details see rejections/objections for claim(s) 1,3-9,11-16 and 18-20 herein.
Claim Objections
Claim(s) 8 and 15 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 8 recites a phrase “the determination the second resistance measurement exceeding …” in line 22. Examiner suggests amending the phrase to recite “the second resistance measurement exceeding …” to restore clarity.
Claim(s) 8 and 15 recite a phrase “wherein performing the at least one action includes” in the last but two paragraph. Examiner suggests amending the phrase to recite “wherein the performing at least one action includes” to restore clarity.
Claim(s) 8 and 15 recite a phrase “not generating and outputting a notification of the early life failure in response to (i) …” in the last paragraph. Examiner suggests amending the phrase to recite “not generating and not outputting any notification of the early life failure in response to …” to restore clarity.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 of this title, 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.
Claim(s) 1, 3 and 6-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over LIN et al. (US 20180115269; hereinafter LIN) in view of Johnson et al. (US 20130162262).
Regarding claim 1, LIN teaches in figure(s) 1-4 a method for detecting early life failure of an electrical connection of a power harness for a steering system of a vehicle (EPS 10; fig. 1; para. 77 - a mechanism for detecting a single point failure of the fault signaling path and responding appropriately e.g., preventing continued operation of the vehicle), the method comprising,
using a processor (processor 110, dsp 105; figs. 2,8-9) configured to execute instructions to perform steps comprising:
obtaining a resistance measurement (para. 25 - corrosion resistance {circumflex over (R)}.sub.corr) associated with an electrical power delivery system (abs. - a power source configured to provide power to the motor over an electrical circuit; para. 27 - power delivery connection) comprising the electrical connection (225 fig. 8; para. 98 - wire break detection rely on a pre-existent or additional auxiliary test current flowing through the circuit to be monitored to detect increases in the circuit resistance, caused by broken or degraded conduction paths);
obtaining historical resistance data (para. 34 - controller may receive N number of data sets representing circuit behavior over a duration of time);
obtaining at least one limit, wherein the at least one limit is obtained based on at least one of the historical resistance data (abs. - store data indicative of a resistance in the circuit; para. 36 - resistance threshold T.sub.2 may be based on a characteristic reference resistance measured within the circuit at a previous time) and a functional limit (para. 36 - threshold may be set to a predetermined amount greater than a baseline resistance);
detecting an early life failure (para. 77 - protect against progressive degradation of the mechanical connections in the battery pack which may lead to multipoint failure of the harness, so host 105 must have a mechanism for detecting a single point failure of the fault signaling path) of the electrical connection based on a comparison between the resistance measurement and the at least one limit (abs. - controller is also programmed to issue a resistance state of health signal in response to the resistance in the circuit exceeding a predetermined resistance threshold); and
performing at least one action in response to detecting the early life failure (clm. 13 - asserting a break signal when detecting a break in one of said data conductors by use of a break detector coupled to both said data conductors).
LIN does not teach explicitly to perform steps comprising: prior to installing the power harness in the vehicle obtaining a resistance measurement, wherein the historical resistance data includes resistance measurements obtained for different harnesses.
However, Johnson teaches in figure(s) 1-13 to perform steps comprising: prior to installing the power harness in the vehicle obtaining a resistance measurement (para. 130 - problems, which are likely to cause latent failure, may be quickly identified before the harness is installed; figs. 2,5), wherein the historical resistance data includes resistance measurements obtained for different harnesses (para. 48 - standard TDR waveform is typically generated responsive to testing and characterizing a number of known good cable harnesses; para. 43 - automobile manufacturers have accepted cable harnesses that pass current rudimentary tests; figs. 2,5).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of LIN by having to perform steps comprising: prior to installing the power harness in the vehicle obtaining a resistance measurement as taught by Johnson for combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results of improving cost and efficiency as evidenced by "method for performing electronic testing on a set of electric cables… provides a testing platform for automated quality testing of a complex electric wire harness assembly" (para. 2 of Johnson) and “resistance threshold T.sub.2 may be based on a characteristic reference resistance measured within the circuit at a previous time” (para. 36 of LIN).
Regarding claim 3, LIN teaches in figure(s) 1-4 the method of claim 1, wherein the at least one limit is an upper limit (para. 4 - indexing a fault counter in response to the resistance being greater than a predetermined resistance threshold).
Regarding claim 6, LIN teaches in figure(s) 1-4 the method of claim 1, wherein the steering system is an electronic power steering (EPS) system (para. 28 - algorithm for collecting data used to estimate {circumflex over (R)}.sub.corr for a motor-driven EPS system) and the electrical connection is an electrical connection between a power supply and a motor of the EPS system (para. 31 - acquiring signals for each of EPS motor current I.sub.M, EPS monitored voltage V.sub.C, power supply voltage V.sub.B, motor output torque T, and steering wheel angle gradient {dot over (θ)}.sub.STG).
Regarding claim 7, LIN teaches in figure(s) 1-4 the method of claim 1, wherein performing the at least one action includes at least one of: generating and displaying an indicator in response to detecting the early life failure (para. 39 - message may be generated by an external processor portion of the controller and sent back to the vehicle controller and/or any combination of a user's mobile device, a user's computer, a vehicle service sever, a service tool, or other external processors. Generally, the prognosis systems and methods provide detection and warning prior to a loss of part function); and controlling at least one operating parameter of the vehicle in response to detecting the early life failure.
Claim(s) 8-9, 11-16 and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over LIN in view of SHIER et al. (US 20210247463).
Regarding claim 8, LIN teaches in figure(s) 1-4 a method for detecting early life failure of an electrical connection of a power harness for a steering system of a vehicle (para. 77 - a mechanism for detecting a single point failure of the fault signaling path and responding appropriately e.g., preventing continued operation of the vehicle), the method comprising, using a processor (processor 110, dsp 105; figs. 2,8-9) configured to execute instructions:
obtaining, subsequent to installation of the power harness in the vehicle (para. 2 - systems, such as vehicles include many wires, connectors, terminals, electrical harnesses that provide a power path for various systems, sub-systems), a first resistance measurement (para. 25 - corrosion resistance {circumflex over (R)}.sub.corr) associated with the electrical connection (225 fig. 8; para. 98 - wire break detection rely on a pre-existent or additional auxiliary test current flowing through the circuit to be monitored to detect increases in the circuit resistance, caused by broken or degraded conduction paths);
storing a first indicator in response to a determination that the first resistance measurement exceeds a first resistance threshold (para. 26 - multiple thresholds may be stored where each corresponds to a different resistance fault condition; clm. 1, para. 19 - store data indicative of a resistance in the circuit, and issue a resistance state of health signal in response to the resistance in the circuit exceeding a predetermined resistance threshold);
obtaining, subsequent to the first resistance measurement, a second resistance measurement associated with the electrical connection (para. 34 - controller may receive N number of data sets representing circuit behavior over a duration of time; abs. - store data indicative of a resistance in the circuit), wherein obtaining the second resistance measurement includes obtaining a first average of a first plurality of resistance measurements in a first period subsequent to obtaining the first resistance measurement (para. 35 - controller may compute an average corrosion resistance value R.sub.corr for all N sets of data received at the controller).
storing a second indicator in response to a determination that the second resistance measurement exceeds a second resistance threshold different from the first resistance threshold (para. 26 - multiple thresholds may be stored where each corresponds to a different resistance fault condition; para. 37 - fault condition counts are accumulated, a certain threshold number of fault counts may correspond to a more severe resistance fault condition; para. 38 - controller may be programmed to store a count threshold T.sub.3; para. 25 - current passing through the motor I.sub.M may be measured by the ECU);
detecting an early life failure (para. 39 - indicate imminent failure; para. 77 - protect against progressive degradation of the mechanical connections in the battery pack which may lead to multipoint failure of the harness, so host 105 must have a mechanism for detecting a single point failure of the fault signaling path) of the electrical connection based on the first indicator and the second indicator (abs. - controller is also programmed to issue a resistance state of health signal in response to the resistance in the circuit exceeding a predetermined resistance threshold; para. 42 - a transient or temporary fault condition may be automatically disregarded in response to a sufficient duration of stable, low resistance, conditions following detection of the fault); and
performing at least one action in response to detecting the early life failure (para. 39 - indicate imminent failure; clm. 13 - asserting a break signal when detecting a break in one of said data conductors by use of a break detector coupled to both said data conductors), wherein performing the at least one action includes
generating and outputting a notification (para. 39 - provide detection and warning prior to a loss of part function; para. 4 - issuing a state of health message in response to the fault counter exceeding a fault counter threshold) of the early life failure in response to (i) the first resistance measurement exceeding the first resistance threshold and (ii) the determination the second resistance measurement exceeding the second resistance threshold (para. 40 - multiple levels of warnings may be provided prior to generating an imminent failure message, where each level may include a different severity indicator. Further, different severity warning messages may have a unique combination of one or more recipients such as a driver, service technician, vehicle fleet operator, or vehicle manufacturer; step 512 fig. 4), and
not generating and outputting a notification of the early life failure in response to (i) the first resistance measurement exceeding the first resistance threshold but the second resistance measurement not exceeding the second resistance threshold (para. 42 - a transient or temporary fault condition may be automatically disregarded in response to a sufficient duration of stable, low resistance, conditions following detection of the fault; para. 40 - different severity warning messages; para. 41 - At step 512, if the average corrosion resistance value R.sub.corr does not exceed the predetermined resistance threshold (i.e., R.sub.corr≤T.sub.2), the condition indicates that the EPS is operated with a connector resistance which is at a non-fault condition.).
LIN does not teach explicitly a second resistance threshold.
However, SHIER teaches in figure(s) 1-9 a second resistance threshold (para. 60 - if R1 is measured, and the resistance is substantially high, or above a certain threshold, then the processing element 26 may be configured to conclude the error type includes an open circuit. If the resistance is substantially low, or below a threshold, then the processing element 26 may be configured to conclude the error type includes a short circuit. For such test results, the processing element 26 may be configured to conclude the likely error type is a wiring error; figs. 1,9).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of LIN by having a second resistance threshold as taught by SHIER for combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results as evidenced by "wire harness test faults can be grouped into three major types: continuity, also known as “open circuit” faults; shorts, also known as “isolation” or “leakage” faults; component measurements, such as specific resistance measurements" (para. 32).
Regarding claim 15, LIN teaches in figure(s) 1-4 a system for detecting early life failure of an electrical connection of a power harness for a steering system of a vehicle (EPS 10; fig. 1; para. 77 - a mechanism for detecting a single point failure of the fault signaling path and responding appropriately e.g., preventing continued operation of the vehicle), the system comprising;
at least one sensor (sensor 20; fig. 1) configured to resistance measurements associated with the electrical connection (16; para. 14 - an electrical connection between a component 12 and a power source 14); and
a controller (18,318) configured to
obtain, subsequent to installation of the power harness in the vehicle (para. 2 - systems, such as vehicles include many wires, connectors, terminals, electrical harnesses that provide a power path for various systems, sub-systems), a first resistance measurement (para. 25 - corrosion resistance {circumflex over (R)}.sub.corr) associated with the electrical connection (225 fig. 8; para. 98 - wire break detection rely on a pre-existent or additional auxiliary test current flowing through the circuit to be monitored to detect increases in the circuit resistance, caused by broken or degraded conduction paths);
store a first indicator in response to a determination that the first resistance measurement exceeds a first resistance threshold (para. 26 - multiple thresholds may be stored where each corresponds to a different resistance fault condition; clm. 1, para. 19 - store data indicative of a resistance in the circuit, and issue a resistance state of health signal in response to the resistance in the circuit exceeding a predetermined resistance threshold);
obtain, subsequent to the first resistance measurement, a second resistance measurement associated with the electrical connection (para. 34 - controller may receive N number of data sets representing circuit behavior over a duration of time; abs. - store data indicative of a resistance in the circuit), wherein obtaining the second resistance measurement includes obtaining a first average of a first plurality of resistance measurements in a first period subsequent to obtaining the first resistance measurement (para. 35 - controller may compute an average corrosion resistance value R.sub.corr for all N sets of data received at the controller).
store a second indicator in response to a determination that the second resistance measurement exceeds a second resistance threshold different from the first resistance threshold (para. 26 - multiple thresholds may be stored where each corresponds to a different resistance fault condition; para. 37 - fault condition counts are accumulated, a certain threshold number of fault counts may correspond to a more severe resistance fault condition; para. 38 - controller may be programmed to store a count threshold T.sub.3; para. 25 - current passing through the motor I.sub.M may be measured by the ECU);
detect an early life failure (para. 39 - indicate imminent failure; para. 77 - protect against progressive degradation of the mechanical connections in the battery pack which may lead to multipoint failure of the harness, so host 105 must have a mechanism for detecting a single point failure of the fault signaling path) of the electrical connection based on the first indicator and the second indicator (abs. - controller is also programmed to issue a resistance state of health signal in response to the resistance in the circuit exceeding a predetermined resistance threshold; para. 42 - a transient or temporary fault condition may be automatically disregarded in response to a sufficient duration of stable, low resistance, conditions following detection of the fault); and
perform at least one action in response to detecting the early life failure (para. 39 - indicate imminent failure; clm. 13 - asserting a break signal when detecting a break in one of said data conductors by use of a break detector coupled to both said data conductors), wherein performing the at least one action includes
generating and outputting a notification (para. 39 - provide detection and warning prior to a loss of part function; para. 4 - issuing a state of health message in response to the fault counter exceeding a fault counter threshold) of the early life failure in response to (i) the first resistance measurement exceeding the first resistance threshold and (ii) the second resistance measurement exceeding the second resistance threshold (para. 40 - multiple levels of warnings may be provided prior to generating an imminent failure message, where each level may include a different severity indicator. Further, different severity warning messages may have a unique combination of one or more recipients such as a driver, service technician, vehicle fleet operator, or vehicle manufacturer; step 512 fig. 4), and
not generating and outputting a notification of the early life failure in response to (i) the first resistance measurement exceeding the first resistance threshold but the second resistance measurement not exceeding the second resistance threshold (para. 42 - a transient or temporary fault condition may be automatically disregarded in response to a sufficient duration of stable, low resistance, conditions following detection of the fault; para. 40 - different severity warning messages; para. 41 - At step 512, if the average corrosion resistance value R.sub.corr does not exceed the predetermined resistance threshold (i.e., R.sub.corr≤T.sub.2), the condition indicates that the EPS is operated with a connector resistance which is at a non-fault condition.).
LIN does not teach explicitly a second resistance threshold.
However, SHIER teaches in figure(s) 1-9 a second resistance threshold (para. 60 - if R1 is measured, and the resistance is substantially high, or above a certain threshold, then the processing element 26 may be configured to conclude the error type includes an open circuit. If the resistance is substantially low, or below a threshold, then the processing element 26 may be configured to conclude the error type includes a short circuit. For such test results, the processing element 26 may be configured to conclude the likely error type is a wiring error; figs. 1,9).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of LIN by having a second resistance threshold as taught by SHIER for combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results as evidenced by "wire harness test faults can be grouped into three major types: continuity, also known as “open circuit” faults; shorts, also known as “isolation” or “leakage” faults; component measurements, such as specific resistance measurements" (para. 32).
Regarding claim(s) 9 and 16, LIN teaches in figure(s) 1-4 the method of claim 8 and the system of claim 15, respectively, wherein obtaining the second resistance measurement includes obtaining the second resistance measurement a predetermined period or a predetermined number of measurement samples subsequent to obtaining the first resistance measurement (clm. 8 - indexing a fault counter in response to the resistance value being greater than a predetermined resistance threshold).
Regarding claim 11, LIN teaches in figure(s) 1-4 the method of claim 9, further comprising:
obtaining, subsequent to the second resistance measurement, a third resistance measurement associated with the electrical connection (para. 34 - controller may receive N number of data sets representing circuit behavior over a duration of time; abs. - store data indicative of a resistance in the circuit), wherein obtaining the third resistance measurement includes obtaining a second average of a second plurality of resistance measurements in a second period subsequent to the first period (para. 35 - controller may compute an average corrosion resistance value R.sub.corr for all N sets of data received at the controller); and
detecting the early life failure of the electrical connection further based on a comparison between the third resistance measurement and a third resistance threshold (para. 36 - threshold may be set to a predetermined amount greater than a baseline resistance value. In another example, a rolling average may be applied to account for some degree of gradual adjustment in resistance, but trigger a fault in response to an abrupt change).
Regarding claim 13, LIN teaches in figure(s) 1-4 the method of claim 11, wherein the second period does not overlap with the first period (para. 42 - C.sub.0 counter relates to the number of times a normal resistance level is detected following a previous flag condition).
Regarding claim 14, LIN teaches in figure(s) 1-4 the method of claim 11, further comprising: obtaining, subsequent to the third resistance measurement, a fourth resistance measurement associated with the electrical connection, wherein the fourth resistance measurement corresponds to a predetermined measurement sample number subsequent to the first resistance measurement; and detecting the early life failure of the electrical connection further based on a comparison between the fourth resistance measurement and a fourth resistance threshold (para. 26 - multiple thresholds may be stored where each corresponds to a different resistance fault condition; para. 37 - fault condition counts are accumulated, a certain threshold number of fault counts may correspond to a more severe resistance fault condition).
Regarding claim 18, LIN teaches in figure(s) 1-4 the system of claim 16, wherein the controller is further configured to:
obtain, subsequent to the second resistance measurement, a third resistance measurement associated with the electrical connection (para. 34 - controller may receive N number of data sets representing circuit behavior over a duration of time; abs. - store data indicative of a resistance in the circuit), wherein obtaining the third resistance measurement includes obtaining a second average of a second plurality of resistance measurements in a second period subsequent to the first period (para. 35 - controller may compute an average corrosion resistance value R.sub.corr for all N sets of data received at the controller); and
detect the early life failure of the electrical connection further based on a comparison between the third resistance measurement and a third resistance threshold (para. 36 - threshold may be set to a predetermined amount greater than a baseline resistance value. In another example, a rolling average may be applied to account for some degree of gradual adjustment in resistance, but trigger a fault in response to an abrupt change).
Regarding claim(s) 12 and 19, LIN teaches in figure(s) 1-4 the method of claim 11 and the system of claim 18, respectively, wherein the second period at least one of includes and overlaps with the first period (para. 34 - If multiple sets of data are available since the last acquisition, the controller may receive N number of data sets representing circuit behavior over a duration of time).
Regarding claim 20, LIN teaches in figure(s) 1-4 the system of claim 18, wherein the controller is further configured to:
obtain, subsequent to the third resistance measurement, a fourth resistance measurement associated with the electrical connection, wherein the fourth resistance measurement corresponds to a predetermined measurement sample number subsequent to the first resistance measurement; and
detect the early life failure of the electrical connection further based on a comparison between the fourth resistance measurement and a fourth resistance threshold (para. 26 - multiple thresholds may be stored where each corresponds to a different resistance fault condition; para. 37 - fault condition counts are accumulated, a certain threshold number of fault counts may correspond to a more severe resistance fault condition).
Claim(s) 4-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over LIN in view of Johnson, and further in view of Martin et al. (US 20130293251).
Regarding claim 4, LIN in view of Johnson teaches the method of claim 1,
LIN does not teach explicitly further comprising obtaining the resistance by supplying a sinusoidal current to a motor of the steering system, measuring a response of the motor, and calculating the resistance based on the sinusoidal current and the measured response.
However, Martin teaches in figure(s) 1-20 further comprising obtaining the resistance by supplying a sinusoidal current (para. 88 - a sine wave of current (or potential) which exhibits one complete period of spatial oscillation around the complete circuit of the transmission line) to a motor of the steering system, measuring a response of the motor (para. 38 - specific context of an application including an electrical motor, such as those used for propulsion in an electric vehicle (EV)), and calculating the resistance based on the sinusoidal current and the measured response (para. 98 - detect increases in the circuit resistance, caused by broken or degraded conduction paths).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of LIN by having further comprising obtaining the resistance by supplying a sinusoidal current to a motor of the steering system, measuring a response of the motor, and calculating the resistance based on the sinusoidal current and the measured response as taught by Martin for 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 evidenced by "A redundant power system, including a host having a power supply providing a voltage to a first location and a noise-isolating impedance coupling the first location to a second location… client secondarily receiving the operating current through the impedance when the electrical communication from the first location to the client is impaired; and a break detector coupled to the single conductor loop asserting a break signal when the electrical communication from the first location to the client is impaired” (para. 11).
Regarding claim 5, LIN as modified by Johnson and Martin teaches the method of claim 4,
Martin additionally teaches in figure(s) 1-20 wherein the sinusoidal current is a non-torque producing current (clm. 2 - a test current flowing in said break detection loop wherein said break detector detects interruption of said test current due to a break in one of said data conductors).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AKM ZAKARIA whose telephone number is (571)270-0664. The examiner can normally be reached on 8-5 PM (PST).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Judy Nguyen can be reached on (571) 272-2258. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/AKM ZAKARIA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858
Prosecution Insights