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 .
Claims 1-18 are pending.
Priority
This application is a CIP of 17/529,851 filed on 11/18/2021, now a PAT No. 11,796,976.
Claim Objections
The following claims are objected to for informalities, lack of antecedent support, or for redundancies. The Examiner recommends the following changes:
Claim 1, line 11, replace “terminals” with “plurality of terminals”
Claim 9, line 11, replace “terminals” with “plurality of terminals”
Appropriate correction is respectfully requested.
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.
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Votaw et al. (US 2010/0314458 A1) (“Votaw”), in view of Schultz et al. (US 2021/0172635 A1) (“Schultz”).
Regarding independent claim 15, Votaw teaches:
A method of controlling HVAC equipment, the method comprising: (Votaw: Abstract “A system and method to control environmental parameters of pre-defined zones within an environment using an electronic controller. An electronic controller monitors a loop temperature of a loop field of a geo-thermal heat pump as detected by a temperature sensor connected to the loop field. The electronic controller selects a staging combination of the geo-thermal heat pump and an auxiliary HVAC equipment based on at least the loop temperature. The electronic controller activates the selected staging combination, to modify at least a portion of the environmental parameters, using non-proprietary activating signals provided by the electronic controller.”)
generating commands for heating or cooling; and (Votaw: [0130] “If, after 15 minutes (the time-out threshold) zone #1 and zone #2 were not yet finished being serviced, then the electronic controller 2515 would have generated a time-out signal and the electronic controller 2515 would command the system 2500 to stage up in response to the time-out signal in order to finish servicing zone #1 and zone #2 in a timely manner. However, in the example above, the servicing of zone #1 was completed in 13 minutes (before the 15 minute threshold was reached) and the servicing of zone #2 was completed in 7 minutes (before the 15 minute threshold was reached), even though the total continuous servicing time was 17 minutes. Therefore, a time-out signal was not generated and the system 2500 was not commanded to stage up. That is, the present staging was adequate to finish servicing zone #2 in a timely manner. As such, the system 2500 is commanded to stage up only when extra heating or cooling capacity is truly needed based on the set time-out threshold. Also, the real-time clock 2630 is used to facilitate the logging of data in an easy to access format.”) [The electronic controller generating the stage up command for heating and cooling reads on “generating commands …”.]
communicating the commands by selectively energizing a subset of a plurality of terminals of the HVAC control device, wherein which terminals are energized varies depending on which equipment identifier is present in the HVAC control device. (Votaw: [0104] “FIGS. 12a-12b illustrate a flowchart of an example embodiment of a method 1200 of solenoid operation on the control panel 110 of the system 100, in accordance with various aspects of the present invention. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the solenoids of the control panel 110 are controlled by 24 VDC. The electronic controller 115 provides sufficient power to drive six solenoids. Solenoids which are used to open and close air dampers are High (24 VDC) when the dampers are to be closed and Low (0 VDC) when the dampers are to be opened. When the electronic controller 115 is idle, all solenoids are off (0 VDC).”) (Votaw: [0108] “FIG. 16 illustrates a flowchart of an example embodiment of a method 1600 for performing a humidification procedure, in accordance with various aspects of the present invention. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, zone 1 will have an "H" terminal on the electronic controller 115 for humidification calls which is for powered humidifiers. Any time there is an "H" call, it will pass directly to the "H" output relay regardless of anything else that is happening on the electronic controller 115. There is also an "H" 24 VDS terminal that goes hot when the "H" output terminal goes hot. This allows humidify calls to be handled from any source. A DC terminal provides for a humidifier damper and also provides a flexible built-in auxiliary relay for use in custom operations sequences.”) (Votaw: [0092] “FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an example embodiment of a method 600 for translating thermostat inputs to HVAC outputs based on the type of HVAC equipment being used, in accordance with various aspects of the present invention. Such a translation demonstrates the non-proprietary nature of the controller 115. In the method 600, a reversing valve output is set based on the type of HVAC equipment being used. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the electronic controller 115 performs the translation.”) [Terminal outputting or going hot reads on “energizing”. Any one terminal used for a specific function or a group of terminals for components used to perform a specific function, as illustrated in FIG. 16, reads on “selectively energizing a subset of a plurality of terminals”.]
Votaw does not expressly teach: determining which equipment identifier of a plurality of equipment identifiers is present in an HVAC control device.
Schultz teaches:
determining which equipment identifier of a plurality of equipment identifiers is present in an HVAC control device. (Schultz: [0118] “The head unit may be installed into the existing, or new, wall plate. The head unit may determine whether the wall plate includes an ID device, such as ID device 810 described above in relation to FIG. 11 (860). As described above in relation to FIG. 11, the ID device may be implemented as a resistor value, switch setting, jumper, memory, or some other manner. In this disclosure, a “wall plate” may be any type device configured to support a head unit, e.g. wall plate 814 described above in relation to FIG. 12, or any similar device configured to mount to other structures.”) (Schultz: [0118] as discussed above) (Schultz: [0119] “After determining that the wall plate includes an ID device, the head unit may query the device, for example, by reading the resistance value or switch setting, communicating with the memory or microcontroller, inductive communication or by some other technique (862). Based on the results of the query, and the identification value of the ID device, the controller may determine the type of wall plate to which the controller is connected (864). The type of wall plate may indicate the type and characteristics of equipment that the controller needs to manage, e.g. a heat pump, furnace, air conditioning, electric heat, blowers, and so on. The ID device may also indicate the type of communication protocol to be used.”) [The combination of the head unit and the wall plate reads on “an HVAC control device”. The identifications of various types and characteristics of equipment that the ID device may provide reads on “a plurality of equipment identifiers”. The querying to identify the type and characteristics of equipment reads on “determine which equipment identifiers … is present in an HVAC control device”.]
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, having the teachings of Votaw and Schultz before them, to modify the electronic controller that monitors and control the heat pump and the auxiliary HVAC equipment, to incorporate a capability to automatically identify the type of the heat pump and the auxiliary HVAC equipment.
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to do this modification because it would allow for the electronic controller to automatically configure setup parameters of the heat pump and the auxiliary HVAC equipment based on the identification of the type of the heat pump and the auxiliary HVAC equipment. (Schultz: [0005])
Claims 16-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Votaw, in view of Schultz, further in view of Notaro et al. (US 2021/0123621 A1) (“Notaro”).
Regarding claim 16, Votaw and Schultz teach all the claimed features of claim 15. Votaw further teaches:
communicating commands for first stage heating by energizing a first subset of the terminals; and communicating commands for second stage heating by energizing a second subset of the terminals different than the first subset. (Votaw: FIGS. 2A and 6) (Votaw: [0107] “FIGS. 15a-15c illustrate a flowchart of an example embodiment of a method 1500 for performing a heating LAT procedure, in accordance with various aspects of the present invention. While in the heating mode with the heat pump being served, if the LAT rises above the heating LAT setting minus 10 degrees F., then open the relays associated with Y2(hp) second stage signal to the condenser, and Y2(ah) second stage signal to the furnace/air handler. Also, if the LAT rises above the heating LAT setting, then open the relays associated with Y1(hp) first stage signal to the condenser, and Y1(ah) first stage signal to the furnace/air handler. While in the heating mode with auxiliary equipment (e.g., a furnace) being served, if the LAT rises above the heating LAT setting minus 10 degrees F., then open the relay associated with the W2 second stage auxiliary or backup heat. Also, if the LAT rises above the heating LAT setting, then open the relay associated with the W1 first stage auxiliary or backup heat. The method 1500 is part of the heating method 2300 of FIGS. 23a-23c.”) [As illustrated in FIG. 6, the terminals Y1, G and B read on “a first subset of the terminals”, and the terminals Y1, Y2, G and B read on “a second subset of the terminals”.]
Votaw and Schultz do not expressly teach: determining that the equipment identifier present in the HVAC control device is associated with multiple-stage heating equipment.
Notaro teaches:
determining that the equipment identifier present in the HVAC control device is associated with multiple-stage heating equipment. (Notaro: [0038] “The method begins at step 402 with the controller initiating device discovery. Device discovery generally refers to the process of identifying the equipment present in an HVAC system and may include determining one or more of the type, capacity, number of stages, or other characteristics of that equipment.”) (Notaro: [0039] “Device discovery may occur using several methods alone or in combination and may include reading or retrieving information provided by an installer, customer, or other user. For example, in certain embodiments, the user may configure a series of dip switches located at a controller, a thermostat, a piece of HVAC equipment, or any other suitable location within the HVAC system to indicate the characteristics of one or more pieces of HVAC equipment within the system. During device discovery, a controller or other suitable piece of equipment in the system may read the dip switches to determine the characteristics of installed HVAC equipment.”) (Notaro: [0049] “Once a target time has been determined, the controller develops an initial control plan 406 for operating the HVAC equipment to satisfy a heating/cooling call in as close as possible to the target time. Establishing the initial control plan may occur in various ways and may differ depending on whether the equipment to be controlled is staged, and therefore has discrete capacity levels, or modulating, and is therefore capable of a continuous range of capacities.”) [The dip switch setting for the discovery process of equipment characteristics reads on the equipment identifier. The identified equipment with number of stages for heating/cooling reads on “multiple-stage heating equipment”.]
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, having the teachings of Votaw, Schultz and Notaro before them, to modify the electronic controller that monitors and controls the heat pump and the auxiliary HVAC equipment, to incorporate a capability to discover the types and characteristics of HVAC equipment, such as number of stages, in the HVAC system.
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to do this modification because it would allow for the electronic controller to configure setup parameters of the HVAC equipment based on the discovered types and characteristics of the HVAC equipment. (Notaro: [0005] “In light of the above, there is a need for a system that provides the improved degree of control afforded by a communicating system while allowing a broad range of thermostats and other HVAC equipment to be used within the system. Preferably, the system would allow for both communicating and non-communicating legacy equipment and the device discovery and configuration processes would occur using several methods alone or in combination and may include reading or retrieving information provided by an installer, customer, or other user; reading or retrieving information available in a remote database; reading or retrieving information directly from the HVAC equipment; or learning the properties of the HVAC equipment using a trial and error approach.”)
Regarding claim 17, Votaw and Schultz teach all the claimed features of claim 15. Votaw further teaches:
communicating commands for first stage cooling by energizing a first subset of the terminals; and communicating commands for second stage cooling by energizing a second subset of the terminals different than the first subset. (Votaw: FIGS. 2A and 6) (Votaw: [0114] FIGS. 21a-21b illustrate a flowchart of an example embodiment of a method 2100 for performing a cooling LAT procedure, in accordance with various aspects of the present invention. The method 2100 is a part of the cooling method 2000 of FIGS. 20a-20b. While in the cooling mode, if the LAT drops below the cooling LAT setting plus 5 degrees F., then the relays associated with the Y2(hp) second stage cooling signal to the condenser and the Y2(ah) second stage cooling signal to the furnace/air handler are opened. If the LAT drops below the cooling LAT setting, then the relays associated with the Y1(hp) first stage cooling signal to the condenser and the Y1(ah) first stage cooling signal to the furnace/air handler are opened.”) [As illustrated in FIG. 6, the terminals Y1, G and O read on “a first subset of the terminals”, and the terminals Y1, Y2, G and O read on “a second subset of the terminals”.]
Votaw and Schultz do not expressly teach: determining that the equipment identifier present in the HVAC control device is associated with multiple-stage cooling equipment.
Notaro teaches:
determining that the equipment identifier present in the HVAC control device is associated with multiple-stage cooling equipment. (Notaro: [0038] “The method begins at step 402 with the controller initiating device discovery. Device discovery generally refers to the process of identifying the equipment present in an HVAC system and may include determining one or more of the type, capacity, number of stages, or other characteristics of that equipment.”) (Notaro: [0039] “Device discovery may occur using several methods alone or in combination and may include reading or retrieving information provided by an installer, customer, or other user. For example, in certain embodiments, the user may configure a series of dip switches located at a controller, a thermostat, a piece of HVAC equipment, or any other suitable location within the HVAC system to indicate the characteristics of one or more pieces of HVAC equipment within the system. During device discovery, a controller or other suitable piece of equipment in the system may read the dip switches to determine the characteristics of installed HVAC equipment.”) (Notaro: [0049] “Once a target time has been determined, the controller develops an initial control plan 406 for operating the HVAC equipment to satisfy a heating/cooling call in as close as possible to the target time. Establishing the initial control plan may occur in various ways and may differ depending on whether the equipment to be controlled is staged, and therefore has discrete capacity levels, or modulating, and is therefore capable of a continuous range of capacities.”) [The dip switch setting for the discovery process of equipment characteristics reads on the equipment identifier. The identified equipment with number of stages for heating/cooling reads on “multiple-stage heating equipment”.]
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, having the teachings of Votaw, Schultz and Notaro before them, to modify the electronic controller that monitors and controls the heat pump and the auxiliary HVAC equipment, to incorporate a capability to discover the types and characteristics of HVAC equipment, such as number of stages, in the HVAC system.
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to do this modification because it would allow for the electronic controller to configure setup parameters of the HVAC equipment based on the discovered types and characteristics of the HVAC equipment. (Notaro: [0005])
Regarding claim 18, Votaw and Schultz teach all the claimed features of claim 15. Votaw further teaches:
energizing a first terminal to engage a compressor in response to both heating commands and cooling commands; and energizing a second terminal to control a reversing valve in response to either heating commands or cooling commands but not both. (Votaw: FIGS. 2A and 6) (Votaw: [0092] “FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an example embodiment of a method 600 for translating thermostat inputs to HVAC outputs based on the type of HVAC equipment being used, in accordance with various aspects of the present invention. Such a translation demonstrates the non-proprietary nature of the controller 115. In the method 600, a reversing valve output is set based on the type of HVAC equipment being used. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the electronic controller 115 performs the translation.”) (Votaw: [0107] “FIGS. 15a-15c illustrate a flowchart of an example embodiment of a method 1500 for performing a heating LAT procedure, in accordance with various aspects of the present invention. While in the heating mode with the heat pump being served, if the LAT rises above the heating LAT setting minus 10 degrees F., then open the relays associated with Y2(hp) second stage signal to the condenser, and Y2(ah) second stage signal to the furnace/air handler. Also, if the LAT rises above the heating LAT setting, then open the relays associated with Y1(hp) first stage signal to the condenser, and Y1(ah) first stage signal to the furnace/air handler. While in the heating mode with auxiliary equipment (e.g., a furnace) being served, if the LAT rises above the heating LAT setting minus 10 degrees F., then open the relay associated with the W2 second stage auxiliary or backup heat. Also, if the LAT rises above the heating LAT setting, then open the relay associated with the W1 first stage auxiliary or backup heat. The method 1500 is part of the heating method 2300 of FIGS. 23a-23c.”) [As illustrated in FIG. 6, the terminals Y1, G and B read on “a first subset of the terminals”, and the terminals Y1, Y2, G and B read on “a second subset of the terminals”.] (Votaw: [0114] FIGS. 21a-21b illustrate a flowchart of an example embodiment of a method 2100 for performing a cooling LAT procedure, in accordance with various aspects of the present invention. The method 2100 is a part of the cooling method 2000 of FIGS. 20a-20b. While in the cooling mode, if the LAT drops below the cooling LAT setting plus 5 degrees F., then the relays associated with the Y2(hp) second stage cooling signal to the condenser and the Y2(ah) second stage cooling signal to the furnace/air handler are opened. If the LAT drops below the cooling LAT setting, then the relays associated with the Y1(hp) first stage cooling signal to the condenser and the Y1(ah) first stage cooling signal to the furnace/air handler are opened.”) [As illustrated in FIG. 6, the terminals Y1 and Y2 read on “a first subset of the terminals”, and the terminal O/B read on “a second subset of the terminals”.]
Votaw and Schultz do not expressly teach: determining that the equipment identifier present the HVAC control device is associated with a reversible heat pump.
Notaro teaches:
determining that the equipment identifier present the HVAC control device is associated with a reversible heat pump. (Notaro: [0030] “Because controller 300 is intended for use with a legacy thermostat, controller 300 includes a terminal block 302 to connect controller 300 to a legacy thermostat. Terminal block 302 may include terminals corresponding to one or more corresponding output terminals of the legacy thermostat. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, terminal block 302 includes a 24 VAC supply line terminal (R) 303A, a common ground terminal (C) 303B, a cooling call terminal (Y) 303C, a heating call terminal (W) 303D, a fan terminal (G) 303E, a reversing valve terminal (0) 303F …”) (Notaro: [0038] “The method begins at step 402 with the controller initiating device discovery. Device discovery generally refers to the process of identifying the equipment present in an HVAC system and may include determining one or more of the type, capacity, number of stages, or other characteristics of that equipment.”) (Notaro: [0039] “Device discovery may occur using several methods alone or in combination and may include reading or retrieving information provided by an installer, customer, or other user. For example, in certain embodiments, the user may configure a series of dip switches located at a controller, a thermostat, a piece of HVAC equipment, or any other suitable location within the HVAC system to indicate the characteristics of one or more pieces of HVAC equipment within the system. During device discovery, a controller or other suitable piece of equipment in the system may read the dip switches to determine the characteristics of installed HVAC equipment.”) [The dip switch setting for the discovery process of equipment characteristics reads on the equipment identifier. The identified legacy thermostat with reversing valve control reads on “a reverse heat pump”.]
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, having the teachings of Votaw, Schultz and Notaro before them, to modify the electronic controller that monitors and controls the heat pump and the auxiliary HVAC equipment, to incorporate a capability to discover the types and characteristics of HVAC equipment, such as number of stages and reversing type, in the HVAC system.
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to do this modification because it would allow for the electronic controller to configure setup parameters of the HVAC equipment based on the discovered types and characteristics of the HVAC equipment. (Notaro: [0005])
Allowable Claims
Claims 1-14 would be allowable, upon appropriate corrections of the claim objections as discussed above under Claim Objections section.
Regarding independent claim 1,
Notaro teaches:
An HVAC control device comprising: (Notaro: [0002] “The present invention relates to a heating ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system, and more particularly to an HVAC system in which HVAC equipment is operated using a controller independent of a thermostat. The present inventions further relates to methods for operating such a controller.”) [The controller reads on “[a]n HVAC control device”.]
an equipment terminal block having a plurality of terminals; (Notaro: [0030] “Because controller 300 is intended for use with a legacy thermostat, controller 300 includes a terminal block 302 to connect controller 300 to a legacy thermostat. Terminal block 302 may include terminals corresponding to one or more corresponding output terminals of the legacy thermostat. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, terminal block 302 includes a 24 VAC supply line terminal (R) 303A, a common ground terminal (C) 303B, a cooling call terminal (Y) 303C, a heating call terminal (W) 303D, a fan terminal (G) 303E, a reversing valve terminal (0) 303F, and a dehumidifier terminal (Dehum) 303G. In other embodiments, one or more of terminals 303A-G may be omitted or other terminals may be added. For example, if a thermostat is capable of issuing control signals corresponding to multiple stages of heating or cooling calls (e.g., Y2 or W2 terminals), the controller may include corresponding terminals for receiving such signals.”) (Notaro: [0031] “Controller 300 may also include one or more equipment terminals for communicating with indoor and/or outdoor units. For example, controller 300 may include a RS-485 interface 304 suitable for communicating data and control signals to communicating HVAC equipment. Controller 300 may also include components for controlling non-communicating equipment using other signals, such as 24 VAC signals. For example, controller 300 includes a cooling relay 306 and a corresponding cooling terminal block 308 for connecting controller 300 to a non-communicating air-conditioning unit.”) (Notaro: [0032] “Controller 300 may also include interfaces for receiving data or signals from other components of the HVAC system. For example, controller 300 includes sensor interfaces 310A, 310B for receiving data from a return air (R/A) and a supply air (S/A) sensor, respectively. Controller 300 may also include an accessory interface 311 for communicatively coupling other components of the HVAC system, including, but not limited to, indoor air quality equipment, dehumidifiers, humidifiers, ventilators dampers, and other zoning equipment.”)
a plurality of equipment identifiers, each associated with a category of HVAC equipment; (Notaro: [0038] “The method begins at step 402 with the controller initiating device discovery. Device discovery generally refers to the process of identifying the equipment present in an HVAC system and may include determining one or more of the type, capacity, number of stages, or other characteristics of that equipment.”) (Notaro: [0039] “Device discovery may occur using several methods alone or in combination and may include reading or retrieving information provided by an installer, customer, or other user. For example, in certain embodiments, the user may configure a series of dip switches located at a controller, a thermostat, a piece of HVAC equipment, or any other suitable location within the HVAC system to indicate the characteristics of one or more pieces of HVAC equipment within the system. During device discovery, a controller or other suitable piece of equipment in the system may read the dip switches to determine the characteristics of installed HVAC equipment.”) [The equipment characteristics reads on “a category of HVAC equipment”. The dip switch setting for the discovery process of equipment characteristics reads on “a plurality of equipment identifiers, each associated with a category of HVAC equipment”.]
generate commands for heating or cooling. (Notaro: [0028] “Temperature-based signals and data from temperature sensor 210 may be received and analyzed by controller 202. For example, controller 202 may generate control signals to control HVAC equipment such as indoor unit 204 and outdoor unit 206, based at least in part on the temperature-based signals received from temperature sensor 210. In certain embodiments, sensor 210 may transmit the temperature readings to controller 202. Controller 202 may monitor the temperature readings provided by sensor 210 to determine if the temperature in building 201 exceeds or falls below a temperature set point, thereby causing the controller 202 to generate a heating/cooling call. In response to the heating/cooling call, controller 202 may issue appropriate control signals to at least one of the indoor unit 204 and the outdoor unit 206. In other embodiments, sensor 210 may transmit a signal that the building 201 air temperature is above or below a temperature set point. Controller 202 may then generate a heating/cooling call and issue control signals to control HVAC equipment such as indoor unit 204 and outdoor unit 206 in response to this signal. In certain embodiments, temperature readings from temperature sensor 210 may also be stored in a memory module of the controller 202. Stored temperature readings may be used by the controller 202 to determine temperature trends, response times to control signals, and other metrics to be used in refining a control plan implemented by the controller 202.”) [The control signal issued by the controller based on the generated heat/cooling call reads on “generate commands …”.]
Notaro does not expressly teach: a housing defining a slot configured to receive one equipment identifier of the plurality of equipment identifiers; a processor programmed to: determine which one of the equipment identifiers is present in the slot; … communicate the commands by selectively energizing a subset of the terminals, wherein which terminals are energized varies based on which equipment identifier is present in the slot.
Votaw teaches:
communicate the commands by selectively energizing a subset of the terminals, wherein which terminals are energized varies based on which equipment … (Votaw: [0104] “FIGS. 12a-12b illustrate a flowchart of an example embodiment of a method 1200 of solenoid operation on the control panel 110 of the system 100, in accordance with various aspects of the present invention. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the solenoids of the control panel 110 are controlled by 24 VDC. The electronic controller 115 provides sufficient power to drive six solenoids. Solenoids which are used to open and close air dampers are High (24 VDC) when the dampers are to be closed and Low (0 VDC) when the dampers are to be opened. When the electronic controller 115 is idle, all solenoids are off (0 VDC).”) (Votaw: [0108] “FIG. 16 illustrates a flowchart of an example embodiment of a method 1600 for performing a humidification procedure, in accordance with various aspects of the present invention. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, zone 1 will have an "H" terminal on the electronic controller 115 for humidification calls which is for powered humidifiers. Any time there is an "H" call, it will pass directly to the "H" output relay regardless of anything else that is happening on the electronic controller 115. There is also an "H" 24 VDS terminal that goes hot when the "H" output terminal goes hot. This allows humidify calls to be handled from any source. A DC terminal provides for a humidifier damper and also provides a flexible built-in auxiliary relay for use in custom operations sequences.”) (Votaw: [0092] “FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an example embodiment of a method 600 for translating thermostat inputs to HVAC outputs based on the type of HVAC equipment being used, in accordance with various aspects of the present invention. Such a translation demonstrates the non-proprietary nature of the controller 115. In the method 600, a reversing valve output is set based on the type of HVAC equipment being used. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the electronic controller 115 performs the translation.”) [Terminal outputting or going hot reads on “energizing”. Any one terminal used for a specific function or a group of terminals for components used to perform a specific function, as illustrated in FIG. 16, reads on “selectively energizing a subset of a plurality of terminals”.]
Notaro and Votaw do not expressly teach: a housing defining a slot configured to receive one equipment identifier of the plurality of equipment identifiers; a processor programmed to: determine which one of the equipment identifiers is present in the slot; … wherein which terminals are energized varies based on which equipment identifier is present in the slot.
Schultz teaches a wall plate and a head unit to form a controller, where the wall plate has an ID device that provides an identity of a type or characteristics of an HVAC equipment to the head unit when the head unit is coupled via pins to the wall plate in order for the controller to control the HVAC system, as described in at least paragraph [0109] (“In the example of FIG. 12, wall plate 814 includes housing 816, recess 818, wiring connection blocks 824 configured to electrically connect to one or more field wires and may include a first column 828 of pin terminals and a second column 826 of pin terminals. Pin terminals 826 and 828 may be configured to accommodate a first column of pins and a second column of pins extending backward from a controller, such as a thermostat. Wall plate 814 may also include mounting tab 832, mounting apertures 834, wiring terminals 836, front side 838 and hinge support 840. Each of the wiring terminals 836 may be electrically coupled with a corresponding pin terminal of the column 824 and 828 of pin terminals.”), paragraph [0111] (“Housing 816 may also include ID device 830, which is an example of ID device 810 described above in relation to FIG. 11 and has the same functions and characteristics as ID device 810. In some examples, the ID device 830 may be disposed somewhere within the field wire receiving cavity 820.”), paragraph [0118] (“The head unit may be installed into the existing, or new, wall plate. The head unit may determine whether the wall plate includes an ID device, such as ID device 810 described above in relation to FIG. 11 (860). As described above in relation to FIG. 11, the ID device may be implemented as a resistor value, switch setting, jumper, memory, or some other manner. In this disclosure, a “wall plate” may be any type device configured to support a head unit, e.g. wall plate 814 described above in relation to FIG. 12, or any similar device configured to mount to other structures.”), and paragraph [0119] (“After determining that the wall plate includes an ID device, the head unit may query the device, for example, by reading the resistance value or switch setting, communicating with the memory or microcontroller, inductive communication or by some other technique (862). Based on the results of the query, and the identification value of the ID device, the controller may determine the type of wall plate to which the controller is connected (864). The type of wall plate may indicate the type and characteristics of equipment that the controller needs to manage, e.g. a heat pump, furnace, air conditioning, electric heat, blowers, and so on. The ID device may also indicate the type of communication protocol to be used.”).
However, Notaro, Votaw and Schultz, separately or in combination, do not teach or fairly suggest the following limitations as part of the totality of the claim:
a housing defining a slot configured to receive one equipment identifier of the plurality of equipment identifiers; a processor programmed to: determine which one of the equipment identifiers is present in the slot; … communicate the commands by selectively energizing a subset of the terminals, wherein which terminals are energized varies based on which equipment identifier is present in the slot.
Independent claim 9 recites similar limitations as the independent claim 1, as discussed above.
Claims 2-8 are dependent claims of claim 1. Claim 1 is allowable, and therefore, claims 2-8 are allowable.
Claims 10-14 are dependent claims of claim 9. Claim 9 is allowable, and therefore, claims 10-14 are allowable.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL W CHOI whose telephone number is (571)270-5069. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kenneth Lo can be reached at (571) 272-9774. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MICHAEL W CHOI/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2116