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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Claims1-12 are presented for examination.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: symbol “402” is not in figure 4 as mentioned in paragraph 0039. 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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gillette et al (US Pub. 2019/03533681; hereinafter Gillette) in view of Apsangi (US Pub. 20200256577).
As per claim 1, Gillette discloses a wireless gateway device for a Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:
an Input/Output (I/O) interface [Fig. 7; I/O PORT(S) 112; para 0055; one or more input/output (I/O) ports 112];
a communication unit [Abstract; “… using power-line communication.”; para 0004; “The control system may include a zone control panel or board, which may be communicatively coupled to one or more of the devices, for example, via dedicated one or more dedicated communication busses.”]; and
a controller communicably coupled with the I/O interface and the communication unit [Fig. 7; para 0006; “The zone control panel includes modulator circuitry and a microcontroller.”], the controller being configured to:
receive, via at least one power converter, operational data associated with the HVAC system from at least one of one or more sensors or a thermostat of the HVAC system over a power line, wherein the at least one power converter is disposed on the power line to act as an interface between the at least one of the one or more sensors or the thermostat, and the wireless gateway device [Fig. 7, 8; para 0017; “… receiving information at the zone control panel …”; para 0022; “… a zone control panel may receive input data or signals from one or more devices in the HVAC system, such as an interface device, a thermostat, a sensor, another zone control panel, or any combination thereof.”; Fig. 4; para 0040; analog to digital (A/D) converter 84; para 0062-0063; “The microcontroller 110 may then transmit this control command to a digital to analog converter …”; “… converting a control command from an analog electrical signal to a digital signal via an analog to digital converter (ADC).”; Abstract; para 0023-0024, 0055; using power-line communication (PLC); para 0060, 0062-0063, 0065]; and
perform at least one of:
control one or more components of the HVAC system based on the received operational data associated with the HVAC system, wherein the one or more components of the HVAC system comprise at least one of an indoor unit and an outdoor unit [para 0024-0025, 0054-0055; controlling operation of devices and/or equipment in the HVAC system using power-line communication; Fig. 3; para 0047; an outdoor HVAC unit 58; an indoor HVAC unit 56; para 0040; “The control panel 82 and its components may function to regulate operation of the vapor compression system 72 based on feedback from an operator, from sensors of the vapor compression system 72 that detect operating conditions, and so forth.”; para 0060, 0062-0063, 0065]; and
transmit, to a remote server, the received operational data associated with the HVAC system [para 0027; “… control device 16 may include computer systems that are integrated with or separate from other building control or monitoring systems, and even systems that are remote from the building 10.”].
Gillette does not specifically disclose regarding using a wireless gateway device. However, Apsangi (in the same field of endeavor, i.e., monitoring and controlling an HVAC system) clearly discloses utilizing a wireless gateway [para 0023, 0025]. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the cited references as both are directed to monitor and control one or more components of a HVAC system. Moreover, utilizing the wireless gateway will clearly add benefit to the invention disclosed by Gillette as use of a wireless gateway will help in minimizing the wiring for communication and therefore simplify the connection of components to the controller and/or to other components because no more wiring is required. Plus adding or removing/replacing a component/device will be easy.
As per claim 9, a method for operation of a wireless gateway device for a Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) system, the method comprising:
receiving operational data associated with the HVAC system from at least one of one or more sensors and a thermostat of the HVAC system over a power line, wherein the at least one power converter is disposed on the power line to act as an interface between the at least one of the one or more sensors or the thermostat, and the wireless gateway device [Fig. 7, 8; para 0017; “… receiving information at the zone control panel …”; para 0022; “… a zone control panel may receive input data or signals from one or more devices in the HVAC system, such as an interface device, a thermostat, a sensor, another zone control panel, or any combination thereof.”; Fig. 4; para 0040; analog to digital (A/D) converter 84; para 0062-0063; “The microcontroller 110 may then transmit this control command to a digital to analog converter …”; “… converting a control command from an analog electrical signal to a digital signal via an analog to digital converter (ADC).”; Abstract; para 0023-0024, 0055; using power-line communication (PLC); para 0060, 0062-0063, 0065]; and
performing at least one of:
controlling one or more components of the HVAC system based on the received operational data associated with the HVAC system, wherein the one or more components of the HVAC system comprise at least one of an indoor unit and an outdoor unit [para 0022, 0024-0025, 0054-0055; controlling operation of devices and/or equipment in the HVAC system using power-line communication; Fig. 3; para 0047; an outdoor HVAC unit 58; an indoor HVAC unit 56; para 0040; “The control panel 82 and its components may function to regulate operation of the vapor compression system 72 based on feedback from an operator, from sensors of the vapor compression system 72 that detect operating conditions, and so forth.”; para 0060, 0062-0063, 0065]; and
transmitting, to a remote server, the received operational data associated with the HVAC system [para 0027; “… control device 16 may include computer systems that are integrated with or separate from other building control or monitoring systems, and even systems that are remote from the building 10.”].
Gillette does not specifically disclose regarding using a wireless gateway device. However, Apsangi (in the same field of endeavor, i.e., monitoring and controlling an HVAC system) clearly discloses utilizing a wireless gateway [para 0023, 0025]. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the cited references as both are directed to monitor and control one or more components of a HVAC system. Moreover, utilizing the wireless gateway will clearly add benefit to the invention disclosed by Gillette as use of a wireless gateway will help in minimizing the wiring for communication and therefore simplify the connection of components to the controller and/or to other components because no more wiring is required. Plus adding or removing/replacing a component/device will be easy.
As per claims 2 and 10, Gillette discloses wherein the controller is further configured to: generate one or more user interfaces via a display device to receive one or more user inputs from a user of the HVAC system [Fig. 7; INTERFACE DEVICE 1 … INTERFACE DEVICE N; para 0049, 0064; user input received from an interface device 102], and control the one or more components of the HVAC system based on the received operational data and the received one or more user inputs [para 0024-0025, 0054-0055; controlling operation of devices and/or equipment in the HVAC system using power-line communication].
As per claims 3 and 11, Gillette discloses wherein the controller is further configured to: generate one or more control signals based on the received operational data associated with the HVAC system [para 0006, 0022, 0055; control commands or signals]; and transmit, to the thermostat via the power line, the one or more control signals to control the one or more components of the HVAC system [para 0024-0025, 0054-0055; controlling operation of devices and/or equipment in the HVAC system using power-line communication].
As per claims 4 and 12, Apsangi discloses wherein the controller is further configured to: receive, from the server, one or more operational characteristics of the HVAC system in response to the transmitted operational data [Fig. 4; para 0023, 0030; application server; database server; para 0032; characteristics data]; and control the one or more components of the HVAC system based on the received one or more operational characteristics of the HVAC system [Abstract; HVAC controlling unit; para 0007, 0019-0022].
As per claim 5, Gillette discloses wherein the controller is communicably coupled to the at least one power line converter for transmitting the one or more control signals over the power line, and wherein the at least one power line converter is configured to convert the one or more control signals into one or more communication messages for transmission onto the power line [Fig. 7, 8; para 0017; “… receiving information at the zone control panel …”; para 0022; “… a zone control panel may receive input data or signals from one or more devices in the HVAC system, such as an interface device, a thermostat, a sensor, another zone control panel, or any combination thereof.”; Fig. 4; para 0040; analog to digital (A/D) converter 84; para 0062-0063; “The microcontroller 110 may then transmit this control command to a digital to analog converter …”; “… converting a control command from an analog electrical signal to a digital signal via an analog to digital converter (ADC).”; Abstract; para 0023-0024, 0055; using power-line communication (PLC); para 0060, 0062-0063, 0065].
As per claim 6, Gillette discloses wherein the controller is communicably coupled to the at least one power line converter o receive the operational data via the power line, wherein the at least one power line converter is configured to convert one or more communication messages associated with sensor data that are transmitted over the power line into the operational data [Fig. 7, 8; para 0017; “… receiving information at the zone control panel …”; para 0022; “… a zone control panel may receive input data or signals from one or more devices in the HVAC system, such as an interface device, a thermostat, a sensor, another zone control panel, or any combination thereof.”; Fig. 4; para 0040; analog to digital (A/D) converter 84; para 0062-0063; “The microcontroller 110 may then transmit this control command to a digital to analog converter …”; “… converting a control command from an analog electrical signal to a digital signal via an analog to digital converter (ADC).”; Abstract; para 0023-0024, 0055; using power-line communication (PLC); para 0060, 0062-0063, 0065].
As per claim 7, Gillette discloses wherein the controller is configured to establish a serial bus line communication for exchanging information with the at least one power line converter [para 0047, 0075; “… the zone control panel 107 may use a serial protocol, such as RS-232 or RS-585 …”].
As per claim 8, Gillette discloses wherein the controller is configured to monitor power line signals being transmitted over to the power line for determining at least a run-time of the HVAC system [Fig. 7; para 0023-0024, 0055, 0060, 0064, 0066, 0068; receiving and/or transmitting data signals over power-line communication].
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
A. US-20210199322 discloses a system for monitoring at least one HVAC system includes at least one remotely accessible server, at least one probe or sensor operatively connected to the at least one HVAC system and configured to acquire operational data.
C. US-20100118983 discloses a combined power and communication system, a transmitter, a receiver, and a method of communicating data over a power line are provided.
D. US-10070379 discloses a method for operating a wireless gateway device to transmit a network identifier of a network to be used for traffic data including audio data.
N. EP-3407551 discloses a wireless gateway system and a communication method thereof.
O. WO-2019089384 discloses a home thermostat is used as a wireless gateway for reprogramming and accessing diagnostic data from a HVAC system.
P. CN-107078758 discloses a method and/or device for providing fault tolerance for a communication signal on the power line distribution network.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SURESH K SURYAWANSHI whose telephone number is (571)272-3668. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30-5:00 PM.
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/SURESH SURYAWANSHI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2116
1 Prior art cited by applicant in submitted information discloser statement.