Office Action Predictor
Application No. 18/500,428

TEST POINT VOLTAGE SENSOR

Non-Final OA §103§112
Filed
Nov 02, 2023
Examiner
ANDREWS, BRENT J
Art Unit
2858
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, INC.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
78%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
3y 5m
To Grant
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

78%
Career Allow Rate
241 granted / 310 resolved
Without
With
+23.7%
Interview Lift
avg trend
3y 5m
Avg Prosecution
16 pending
326
Total Applications
career history

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
2.0%
-38.0% vs TC avg
§103
59.1%
+19.1% vs TC avg
§102
23.5%
-16.5% vs TC avg
§112
12.4%
-27.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data

Office Action

§103 §112
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 . Information Disclosure Statement 2 The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 11/02/2023. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner. Drawings 3 The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a) because they fail to show the sensor, the access point, the integrating amplifier, the programmable processing device” and the intelligent electronic device (IED) comprising an integrating amplifier, a programmable gain amplifier, an A/D converter, and a programmable processing device as claimed in claim 1. While figure 2 shows an IED (250) and figure 3 shows a programmable gain amplifier (316) and an A/D converter (322), it does not show any relationship between these elements and therefore does not show the claimed relationship. If Applicant intended the access node 108 to be the claimed access point, then the language identifying these elements should be standardized. Similarly, if the integrating amplifier is intended to be the trans-impedance amplifier input 310, then the language similarly should be standardized or clarified. Any structural detail that is essential for a proper understanding of the disclosed invention should be shown in the drawing. MPEP § 608.02(d). Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a): (a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention. The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112: The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention. Claims 2 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. Regarding claims 2 and 12, the limitation “wherein calibration of the sensor is completed without a measure of a capacitive coupling value of the sensor to the conductor of the electric power system” was not described in the disclosure as originally filed in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the art what would be required for the calibration of the sensor to be completed without a measure of the capacitive coupling value. Therefore, the written description requirement has not been met. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b): (b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph: The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention. Claims 1-10 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Regarding to claim 1, the limitation “the IED comprising: an integrating amplifier in electrical communication with the sensor; a programmable gain amplifier (PGA) in electrical communication with the integrating amplifier and configured to amplify the signal representative of the voltage of the conductor based on a programmable gain; an A/D converter in electrical communication with the PGA and configured to receive the signal of the representative of the voltage of the conductor and to produce a digitized representation thereof; and a programmable processing device” renders the claims unclear because it is not clear what of the integrating amplifier, the programmable gain amplifier, the A/D converter, and the programmable processing device are disclosed as being a part of the IED. Given the lack of consistent numbering and naming of elements between the figures and a lack of disclosure or drawing indicating what is included in the IED, the metes and bounds of the claim are unclear because it is unclear how the IED is in electrical communication with the sensor. Therefore, the metes and bounds of the claims are unclear. Claims 2-10 depend from claim 1 and inherit this issue therefrom. Regarding claim 18, the limitation “wherein the sensor is configured to mount to a test point (TP) and a basic insulating plug (BIP)” renders the claims unclear. It is not clear from the disclosure or the claims how the sensor can mount to both a test point and a basic insulating plug. In addition, it is unclear if the intention of the claim is to claim a simultaneous coupling or merely the capability of the sensor to couple to one or the other of the TP and BIP. Therefore, the metes and bounds of the claims are unclear. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103(a) 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. 4 Claim 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over SCHWEITZER et al. (US 5.077.520 A) In view of Baumgartner et al. (US 2005/0077906 A1). 5 Regarding to claim 1, Baumgartner, discloses a system to calibrate a sensor in electric power delivery system monitoring (Fig. 1-9 Item 10 discloses a plug-in type elbow connector for use in high voltage alternating current power distribution systems), the system comprising: PNG media_image1.png 1060 1360 media_image1.png Greyscale a sensor (Fig. 1-9 Item 25 discloses a metallic plate 25 for capacitively coupling the circuitry of the fault indicator to conductor 11) configured to capacitively couple to an access point of a conductor (Fig. 1-9 Item 11 discloses a metallic plate 25 for capacitively coupling the circuitry of the fault indicator to conductor 11) of the electric power delivery system and configured to generate a signal representative of a voltage of the conductor (Fig. 1-9 Item 33 discloses a display 33 to indicate the voltage level in conductor 11 the user in quantifying the displayed level in volts or other units of measure); and an intelligent electronic device (IED) (Fig. 1-9 Item 10 discloses a plug-in type elbow connector for use in high voltage alternating current power distribution systems) in electrical communication with the sensor and configured to receive the signal from the sensor (Fig. 1-9 Item 33 discloses a display 33 to indicate the voltage level in conductor 11 the user in quantifying the displayed level in volts or other units of measure), the IED comprising: compare the average (Fig. 1-9 Item 70 discloses a voltage divider for applying progressively increasing portions of the voltage on the monitored conductor), with a maximum threshold (Fig. 1-9 Item 70 discloses the AC voltage level on conductor 11 exceeds 0.5 kilovolts the voltage at terminal 35f exceeds the threshold voltage of the display device and a bar 70 appears at the 0.5 kilovolt index); monitor the sensor to determine a loss of voltage using the new value of the programmable gain (Fig. 1-9 Item 19 discloses provide for detecting fault currents or measuring voltage levels in conductor 11 connector 10 includes a test point socket 19 for receiving a circuit monitoring component). SCHWEITZER does not explicitly teach an integrating amplifier in electrical communication with the sensor; a programmable gain amplifier (PGA) in electrical communication with the integrating amplifier and configured to amplify the signal representative of the voltage of the conductor based on a programmable gain; an A/D converter in electrical communication with the PGA and configured to receive the signal of the representative of the voltage of the conductor and to produce a digitized representation thereof; and a programmable processing device including instructions that when processed cause the IED to: set the programmable gain to a preliminary value; average a plurality of samples from the A/D converter; set the programmable gain to a new value depending on the comparison; PNG media_image2.png 816 906 media_image2.png Greyscale However, Baumgartner teaches an integrating amplifier in electrical communication with the sensor (Fig. 1-4 Item 104 discloses an operational amplifier 109 of integrator 104 in Paragraph [0027-0029]); a programmable gain amplifier (PGA) (Fig. 1-4 Item 105 or 106 discloses programmable gain amplifier (not shown) may follow differentiator 106 in Paragraph [0023]) in electrical communication with the integrating amplifier (Fig. 1-4 Item 104) and configured to amplify the signal representative of the voltage of the conductor based on a programmable gain; an A/D converter (Fig. 1-4 Item 106 discloses an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter (not shown) may follow the programmable gain amplifier.in Paragraph [0023]) in electrical communication with the PGA and configured to receive the signal of the representative of the voltage of the conductor and to produce a digitized representation thereof; and a programmable processing device (Fig. 1-4 Item 103 & 105 discloses output of gain stage 105 and differentiation may be performed by digital signal processing. Performing A/D conversion after gain stage 105 in Paragraph [0022]) including instructions that when processed cause the IED to: set the programmable gain to a preliminary value (Fig. 1-4 Item 105 or 106 discloses programmable gain amplifier (not shown) may follow differentiator 106 in Paragraph [0023]); average a plurality of samples from the A/D converter (Fig. 1-4 Item 106 discloses an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter (not shown) may follow the programmable gain amplifier.in Paragraph [0023]); set the programmable gain to a new value depending on the comparison (Fig. 1-4 Item 100 & 103 discloses picoammeter100 further includes switching structure 103 to switch the input current direction when the integrator level reaches a potential near one of the supply voltage values in Paragraph [0018]); and It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill, in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify a voltage indicator having capacitive voltage divider in SCHWEITZER by substituting a programmable gain amplifier, amplifier of integrator, and (A/D) converter by Baumgartner to generate an accurate representation of the input current versus time in Paragraph [0023]) 6 Regarding to claim 2, SCHWEITZER discloses the system of claim 1, wherein calibration of the sensor is completed without a measure of a capacitive coupling value of the sensor to the conductor (Fig. 1-9 Item 11 discloses a metallic plate 25 for capacitively coupling the circuitry of the fault indicator to conductor 11) of the electric power system (Fig. 1-9 Item 10 discloses a plug-in type elbow connector for use in high voltage alternating current power distribution systems). 7 Regarding to claim 3, SCHWEITZER discloses the system of claim 1, wherein calibration of the sensor is completed without user intervention (Fig. 1-9 Item 25 discloses a metallic plate 25 for capacitively coupling the circuitry of the fault indicator to conductor 11). 8 Regarding to claim 4, SCHWEITZER discloses the system of claim 1, wherein the programmable processing device further includes instructions that when processed cause the IED (Fig. 1-9 Item 10 discloses a plug-in type elbow connector for use in high voltage alternating current power distribution systems) to determine the loss of voltage based on a user-selected threshold (Fig. 1-9 Item 70 discloses the AC voltage level on conductor 11 exceeds 0.5 kilovolts the voltage at terminal 35f exceeds the threshold voltage of the display device and a bar 70 appears at the 0.5 kilovolt index). 9 Regarding to claim 5, SCHWEITZER discloses the system of claim 4, wherein the programmable processing device further includes instructions that when processed cause the IED (Fig. 1-9 Item 10 discloses a plug-in type elbow connector for use in high voltage alternating current power distribution systems) to: determine an initial average system voltage (Fig. 1-9 Item 70 discloses a voltage divider for applying progressively increasing portions of the voltage on the monitored conductor), and determine a loss of voltage when the voltage of the conductor falls below a value determined by the initial average system voltage and the user-selected threshold (Fig. 1-9 Item 70 discloses the AC voltage level on conductor 11 exceeds 0.5 kilovolts the voltage at terminal 35f exceeds the threshold voltage of the display device and a bar 70 appears at the 0.5 kilovolt index). 10 Regarding to claim 6, SCHWEITZER discloses the system of claim 5, wherein the programmable processing device further includes instructions that when processed cause the IED (Fig. 1-9 Item 10 discloses a plug-in type elbow connector for use in high voltage alternating current power distribution systems) to update the average system voltage (Fig. 1-9 Item 70 discloses a voltage divider for applying progressively increasing portions of the voltage on the monitored conductor), during operation of the IED. 11 Regarding to claim 7, SCHWEITZER discloses the system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is configured to monitor an underground medium voltage distribution system (Fig. 1-9 Item 19 discloses provide for detecting fault currents or measuring voltage levels in conductor 11 connector 10 includes a test point socket 19 for receiving a circuit monitoring component). 12 Regarding to claim 8, SCHWEITZER discloses the system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is configured to mount to one of a test Point (TP) (Fig. 1-9 Item 19 discloses provide for detecting fault currents or measuring voltage levels in conductor 11 connector 10 includes a test point socket 19 for receiving a circuit monitoring component) and basic insulating plug (BIP) (Fig. 1-9 Item 10 discloses a plug-in type elbow connector for use in high voltage alternating current power distribution systems). 13 Regarding to claim 9, SCHWEITZER discloses the system of claim 1. SCHWEITZER does not explicitly teach a Low Pass Filter (LPF) in electrical communication with an output of the PGA and an input of the A/D converter, and configured to filter high frequency components from the signal representative of the voltage of the conductor. However, Baumgartner teaches a Low Pass Filter (LPF) (Fig. 1-4 Item 103 discloses switching element 103 injects some amount of charge during current reversal eventt.in Paragraph [0023]) in electrical communication with an output of the PGA (Fig. 1-4 Item 105 or 106 discloses programmable gain amplifier (not shown) may follow differentiator 106 in Paragraph [0023]) and an input of the A/D converter (Fig. 1-4 Item 106 discloses an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter (not shown) may follow the programmable gain amplifier.in Paragraph [0023]), and configured to filter high frequency components from the signal representative of the voltage of the conductor. It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill, in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify a voltage indicator having capacitive voltage divider in SCHWEITZER by substituting a programmable gain amplifier, amplifier of integrator, and (A/D) converter by Baumgartner to generate an accurate representation of the input current versus time in Paragraph [0023]). 14 Regarding to claim 10, SCHWEITZER discloses the system of claim 1, wherein the programmable processing device further includes instructions that when processed cause the IED to compare the average with a minimum threshold (Fig. 1-9 Item 70 discloses voltage on conductor 11 reach 2.0 kilovolts, capacitor 60e and 60d apply a voltage in excess of the threshold to terminals 35e and 35d, causing bars 71 and 72 to appear in window 30 in addition to bar 70). 15 Regarding to claim 11, Baumgartner, discloses a method of calibrating a sensor in electric power delivery system monitoring (Fig. 1-9 Item 10 discloses a plug-in type elbow connector for use in high voltage alternating current power distribution systems) the method comprising: generating, using a sensor (Fig. 1-9 Item 25 discloses a metallic plate 25 for capacitively coupling the circuitry of the fault indicator to conductor 11) capacitively coupled to an access point of a conductor (Fig. 1-9 Item 11 discloses a metallic plate 25 for capacitively coupling the circuitry of the fault indicator to conductor 11) of the electric power delivery system (Fig. 1-9 Item 10 discloses a plug-in type elbow connector for use in high voltage alternating current power distribution systems), a signal representative of a voltage of the conductor (Fig. 1-9 Item 11 discloses a metallic plate 25 for capacitively coupling the circuitry of the fault indicator output signal to conductor 11); receiving, using an intelligent electronic device (IED) (Fig. 1-9 Item 10 discloses a plug-in type elbow connector for use in high voltage alternating current power distribution systems), in electrical communication with the sensor (Fig. 1-9 Item 25 discloses a metallic plate 25 for capacitively coupling the circuitry of the fault indicator to conductor 11), the signal representative of the voltage of the conductor from the sensor; monitoring, using the programmable processing device of the IED, the sensor to determine a loss of voltage using the new value of the programmable gain (Fig. 1-9 Item 19 discloses provide for detecting fault currents or measuring voltage levels in conductor 11 connector 10 includes a test point socket 19 for receiving a circuit monitoring component). SCHWEITZER does not explicitly teach amplifying, using an integrating amplifier in electrical communication with the sensor, the signal; amplifying, using a programmable gain amplifier (PGA) in electrical communication with the integrating amplifier, the signal representative of the voltage of the conductor based on a programmable gain; producing, using an A/D converter in electrical communication with the PGA, a digitized representation of the signal representative of the voltage of the conductor; setting, using a programmable processing device of the IED, the programmable gain to a preliminary value; averaging, using the programmable processing device of the IED, a plurality of samples from the A/D converter; comparing, using the programmable processing device of the IED, the average with a maximum threshold; setting, using the programmable processing device of the IED, the programmable gain to a new value depending on the comparison; and However, Baumgartner teaches amplifying, using an integrating amplifier in electrical communication with the sensor (Fig. 1-4 Item 104 discloses an operational amplifier 109 of integrator 104 in Paragraph [0027-0029]), the signal; amplifying, using a programmable gain amplifier (PGA) (Fig. 1-4 Item 105 or 106 discloses programmable gain amplifier (not shown) may follow differentiator 106 in Paragraph [0023]) in electrical communication with the integrating amplifier, the signal representative of the voltage of the conductor based on a programmable gain (Fig. 1-4 Item 105 or 106 discloses programmable gain amplifier (not shown) may follow differentiator 106 in Paragraph [0023]); producing, using an A/D converter (Fig. 1-4 Item 106 discloses an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter (not shown) may follow the programmable gain amplifier.in Paragraph [0023]) in electrical communication with the PGA, a digitized representation of the signal representative of the voltage of the conductor; setting, using a programmable processing device (Fig. 1-4 Item 103 & 105 discloses output of gain stage 105 and differentiation may be performed by digital signal processing. Performing A/D conversion after gain stage 105 in Paragraph [0022]) of the IED, the programmable gain to a preliminary value; averaging, using the programmable processing device of the IED, a plurality of samples from the A/D converter (Fig. 1-4 Item 106 discloses an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter (not shown) may follow the programmable gain amplifier.in Paragraph [0023]); comparing, using the programmable processing device of the IED (Fig. 1-4 Item 100 & 103 discloses picoammeter100 further includes switching structure 103 to switch the input current direction when the integrator level reaches a potential near one of the supply voltage values in Paragraph [0018]); the average with a maximum threshold; setting, using the programmable processing device of the IED, the programmable gain to a new value depending on the comparison (Fig. 1-4 Item 105 or 106 discloses programmable gain amplifier (not shown) may follow differentiator 106 in Paragraph [0023]); and an integrating amplifier in electrical communication with the sensor (Fig. 1-4 Item 104 discloses an operational amplifier 109 of integrator 104 in Paragraph [0027-0029]); a programmable gain amplifier (PGA) (Fig. 1-4 Item 105 or 106 discloses programmable gain amplifier (not shown) may follow differentiator 106 in Paragraph [0023]) in electrical communication with the integrating amplifier (Fig. 1-4 Item 104) and configured to amplify the signal representative of the voltage of the conductor based on a programmable gain; an A/D converter (Fig. 1-4 Item 106 discloses an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter (not shown) may follow the programmable gain amplifier.in Paragraph [0023]) in electrical communication with the PGA and configured to receive the signal of the representative of the voltage of the conductor and to produce a digitized representation thereof; and a programmable processing device (Fig. 1-4 Item 103 & 105 discloses output of gain stage 105 and differentiation may be performed by digital signal processing. Performing A/D conversion after gain stage 105 in Paragraph [0022]) including instructions that when processed cause the IED to: set the programmable gain to a preliminary value (Fig. 1-4 Item 105 or 106 discloses programmable gain amplifier (not shown) may follow differentiator 106 in Paragraph [0023]); average a plurality of samples from the A/D converter (Fig. 1-4 Item 106 discloses an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter (not shown) may follow the programmable gain amplifier.in Paragraph [0023]); set the programmable gain to a new value depending on the comparison (Fig. 1-4 Item 100 & 103 discloses picoammeter100 further includes switching structure 103 to switch the input current direction when the integrator level reaches a potential near one of the supply voltage values in Paragraph [0018]); and It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill, in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify a voltage indicator having capacitive voltage divider in SCHWEITZER by substituting a programmable gain amplifier, amplifier of integrator, and (A/D) converter by Baumgartner to generate an accurate representation of the input current versus time in Paragraph [0023]) 16 Regarding to claim 12, Baumgartner, discloses the method of claim 11, wherein calibration of the sensor is completed without a measure of a capacitive coupling value of the sensor to the conductor (Fig. 1-9 Item 25 discloses a metallic plate 25 for capacitively coupling the circuitry of the fault indicator to conductor 11) of the electric power system (Fig. 1-9 Item 10 discloses a plug-in type elbow connector for use in high voltage alternating current power distribution systems). 17 Regarding to claim 13, Baumgartner, discloses the method of claim 11, wherein calibration of the sensor is completed without user intervention (Fig. 1-9 Item 19 discloses provide for detecting fault currents or measuring voltage levels in conductor 11 connector 10 includes a test point socket 19 for receiving a circuit monitoring component). 18 Regarding to claim 14, Baumgartner, discloses the method of claim 11, wherein the programmable processing device further includes instructions that when processed cause the IED to determine the loss of voltage based on a user-selected threshold (Fig. 1-9 Item 70 discloses voltage on conductor 11 reach 2.0 kilovolts, capacitor 60e and 60d apply a voltage in excess of the threshold to terminals 35e and 35d, causing bars 71 and 72 to appear in window 30 in addition to bar 70). 19 Regarding to claim 15, Baumgartner, discloses the method of claim 14, wherein the programmable processing device further includes instructions that when processed cause the IED to: determine an initial average system voltage (Fig. 1-9 Item 70 discloses a voltage divider for applying progressively increasing portions of the voltage on the monitored conductor), and determine a loss of voltage when the voltage of the conductor falls below a value determined by the initial average system voltage and the user-selected threshold (Fig. 1-9 Item 70 discloses the AC voltage level on conductor 11 exceeds 0.5 kilovolts the voltage at terminal 35f exceeds the threshold voltage of the display device and a bar 70 appears at the 0.5 kilovolt index). 20 Regarding to claim 16, Baumgartner, discloses the method of claim 15, when processed cause the IED (Fig. 1-9 Item 10 discloses a plug-in type elbow connector for use in high voltage alternating current power distribution systems) to update the average system voltage (Fig. 1-9 Item 70 discloses a voltage divider for applying progressively increasing portions of the voltage on the monitored conductor), during operation of the IED. 21 Regarding to claim 17, Baumgartner, discloses the method of claim 11, wherein the sensor is configured to monitor an underground medium voltage distribution system (Fig. 1-9 Item 19 discloses provide for detecting fault currents or measuring voltage levels in conductor 11 connector 10 includes a test point socket 19 for receiving a circuit monitoring component). 22 Regarding to claim 18, SCHWEITZER discloses the method of claim 11,wherein the sensor is configured to mount to one of a test Point (TP) (Fig. 1-9 Item 19 discloses provide for detecting fault currents or measuring voltage levels in conductor 11 connector 10 includes a test point socket 19 for receiving a circuit monitoring component) and basic insulating plug (BIP) (Fig. 1-9 Item 10 discloses a plug-in type elbow connector for use in high voltage alternating current power distribution systems). 23 Regarding to claim 19, SCHWEITZER discloses the method of claim 11, further comprising filtering, SCHWEITZER does not explicitly teach filtering, using a Low Pass Filter (LPF) in electrical communication with an output of the PGA and an input of the A/D converter, and configured to filter high frequency components from the signal representative of the voltage of the conductor. However, Baumgartner teaches filtering, using a Low Pass Filter (LPF) (Fig. 1-4 Item 103 discloses switching element 103 injects some amount of charge during current reversal eventt.in Paragraph [0023]) in electrical communication with an output of the PGA (Fig. 1-4 Item 105 or 106 discloses programmable gain amplifier (not shown) may follow differentiator 106 in Paragraph [0023]) and an input of the A/D converter (Fig. 1-4 Item 106 discloses an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter (not shown) may follow the programmable gain amplifier.in Paragraph [0023]), and configured to filter high frequency components from the signal representative of the voltage of the conductor. It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill, in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify a voltage indicator having capacitive voltage divider in SCHWEITZER by substituting a programmable gain amplifier, amplifier of integrator, and (A/D) converter by Baumgartner to generate an accurate representation of the input current versus time in Paragraph [0023]). 24 Regarding to claim 20, SCHWEITZER discloses the method of claim 11, further comprising, comparing, using the programmable processing device of the IED, the average with a minimum threshold (Fig. 1-9 Item 70 discloses voltage on conductor 11 reach 2.0 kilovolts, capacitor 60e and 60d apply a voltage in excess of the threshold to terminals 35e and 35d, causing bars 71 and 72 to appear in window 30 in addition to bar 70). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRENT J ANDREWS whose telephone number is (571)272-6101. The examiner can normally be reached 10am-5pm. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Judy Nguyen can be reached at (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 published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /BRENT J ANDREWS/ Examiner, Art Unit 2858 /JUDY NGUYEN/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2858
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Nov 02, 2023
Application Filed
Dec 22, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §103, §112
Mar 30, 2026
Response Filed
Mar 30, 2026
Interview Requested

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
78%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+23.7%)
3y 5m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 310 resolved cases by this examiner