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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 the rejections/objections for Claim(s) 1-20 herein.
Claim Objections
Claim 13 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 13 recites a phrase “wherein the notification a connector or a location of a connector …” in the last line. The Examiner suggests amending the phrase to recite “wherein the notification indicates a connector or a location of the connector …” 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) 1-6, 8-12, 14-15 and 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ziegler et al. (US 20110181294; hereinafter Ziegler) in view of Lin et al. (US 20240427399).
Regarding claim 1, Ziegler teaches in figure(s) 1-2 a method comprising:
identifying an expected installation of connections among devices in a system (para. 34 - system 100 includes PDU 102 is capable of being installed in the equipment rack 104; para. 57 - controller 116 may be configured to automatically sense an initial baseline temperature and current relationship of the electrical connector 106 upon powering up of the electrical connector 106; fig. 1);
receiving temperature data collected by one or more thermal sensors of one or more connectors in the system (100; para. 36 - temperature sensor 110 is coupled to the first electrical connector 106 and is configured to detect a temperature associated with the first electrical connector 106. However, it should be appreciated that the temperature sensor 110 may be coupled to any one of the electrical connectors 106, 108); wherein the one or more thermal sensors (110) are included in the one or more connectors (106) and
determining, based on the expected installation and the temperature data, whether a fault is present in one or more connections of the system (step 212 in fig. 2; para. 55 - determination that the corresponding temperature threshold has been exceeded, the controller 116 may provide notification of the connection quality problem; para. 5 - the connection quality may degrade due to wear on the electrical contacts).
Ziegler does not teach explicitly wherein the expected installation of connections is described by an installation specification that indicates whether the one or more connectors are to be connected to cables, wherein the installation specification includes a data structure that maps power connections of the cables to the one or more connectors and wherein the fault is determined based on an inconsistency between temperatures of the temperature data and expected temperatures determined based on the installation specification.
However, LIN teaches in figure(s) 1-4 wherein the expected installation of connections is described by an installation specification (para. 31 - Advanced Technology Extended (ATX) 3.0 specification and the PCIe CEM 5.0 define a power stability pin and a corresponding cable wire that can be utilized by a graphics card to notify a power supply unit about improper power supply voltage level) that indicates whether the one or more connectors (222,244) are to be connected to cables (170), wherein the installation specification (para. 2 - manufacturer specifications; para. 31 - Advanced Technology Extended (ATX) 3.0 specification and the PCIe CEM 5.0) includes a data structure that maps power connections of the cables to the one or more connectors (para. 62 - registers 264 may store a value or address that points to mapping information e.g., a lookup table, a mapping table or other data structure stored in the memory 150. The mapping information may map the determined voltage across the temperature sensor 210 to the temperature associated with the cable 170.) and wherein the fault is determined based on an inconsistency between temperatures of the temperature data (sensor 210 data; para. 57 - input/output circuit 262 may include registers 264 for storing data or information that may be utilized for determining the temperature associated with the cable 170) and expected temperatures (para. 63 - pon determining the temperature associated with the cable 170, the input/output circuit 262 may then determine whether the temperature of the cable 170 exceeds a threshold temperature) determined based on the installation specification (para. 45 - cable 170 may be compatible with any other cable specification that can connect a power supply unit to a peripheral as long as the cable 170 and that can provide a signal to cease power being provided to a device upon detection of a temperature within the cable 170 exceeding a threshold).
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 Ziegler by having wherein the expected installation of connections is described by an installation specification that indicates whether the one or more connectors are to be connected to cables, wherein the installation specification includes a data structure that maps power connections of the cables to the one or more connectors and wherein the fault is determined based on an inconsistency between temperatures of the temperature data and the installation specification indicating whether the one or more connectors are to be connected to cables as taught by LIN in order to provide applying a known technique to a known device (method, or product) ready for improvement to yield predictable results of expected temperature database for connectors as evidenced by " thermal protection controller determines that a temperature associated with the cable exceeds a threshold temperature. Responsive to determining that the temperature associated with the cable exceeds the threshold temperature, the thermal protection controller causes the power supply unit to cease supplying power to the add-on card by transmitting an overtemperature signal through the cable" (abs. of LIN).
Regarding claim 2, Ziegler teaches in figure(s) 1-2 the method of claim 1, wherein the devices include one or more power supply devices (PDU 102; para. 34 - first electronic circuit 102 is a modular Power Distribution Unit (PDU)) and one or more power receive devices (104); and wherein the expected installation of power connections maps the one or more power supply devices to respective power connectors (para. 34 - power connection utilizing electrical connectors) of the one or more power receive devices.
Regarding claim 3, Ziegler teaches in figure(s) 1-2 the method of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more connectors is at least one of a plug and a receptacle (para. 4 - electrical contacts may form a temporary connection, such as with a male plug and female socket used to connect portable or modular devices).
Regarding claim 4, Ziegler in view of LIN teaches the method of claim 1,
LIN additionally teaches in figure(s) 1-4 wherein the temperature data includes temperature readings (@210) from at least one power supply unit connector configured for thermal sensing (para. 10 - wherein the first end of the temperature sensor is electrically connected to the first wire through a first internal connection of the cable connector).
Regarding claim 5, Ziegler teaches in figure(s) 1-2 the method of claim 1, wherein the temperature data includes temperature readings (@110) from at least one power distribution unit connector (106) configured for thermal sensing.
Regarding claim 6, Ziegler teaches in figure(s) 1-2 the method of claim 1, wherein the temperature data includes temperature readings from at least one power cable connector configured for thermal sensing (para. 6 - electrical contacts may also degrade due to a connection with an electrical contact wire, may become loose causing only a portion of the surface area of the screw to remain in contact with the wire, reducing conductivity and possibly increasing temperature.).
Regarding claim 8, Ziegler teaches in figure(s) 1-2 the method of claim 1, wherein a first connector (106) is communicatively coupled to a connection monitoring module (116); wherein the first connector is mated with a second connector (108); and wherein the first connector receives temperature readings from the second connector (para. 36 - temperature sensor 110 may be coupled to any one of the electrical connectors 106, 108. In one example, an output of the temperature sensor 110 may be coupled to the bus 114 and the bus 114 may be coupled to the controller 116).
Regarding claim 9, Ziegler teaches in figure(s) 1-2 the method of claim 1, wherein determining, based on the expected installation and the temperature data, whether a fault is present in one or more connections of the system includes:
detecting an improper installation of one or more cables in the system (para. 4 - electrical contacts which may form different types of connections between circuits. For example, electrical contacts may form a temporary connection, such as with a male plug and female socket used to connect portable or modular devices. In another example, electrical contacts may form a connection which requires a tool for assembly and removal, such as with a screw terminal; para. 6 - an electrical contact screw of a screw terminal, may become loose causing only a portion of the surface area of the screw to remain in contact with the wire, reducing conductivity and possibly increasing temperature.); and
performing, in response to detecting the improper installation, a fault handling action (para. 55 - in response to a determination that the corresponding temperature threshold has been exceeded, the controller 116 may operate the equipment rack 104, via the external system interface 120, to either turn off entirely, turn off the problem connection, or take some other corrective measure).
Regarding claim 10, Ziegler teaches in figure(s) 1-2 the method of claim 1, wherein determining, based on the expected installation and the temperature data, whether a fault is present in one or more connections of the system includes:
detecting a failure mode based on an increase in temperature at least one connector (para. 59 - equipment rack 104 to be connected to more than one modular unit such as additional PDU's or even a different type of modular circuit, such as a circuit breaker; para. 62 - monitor the quality of any power connection in which connection quality is a priority, such as, for example, a transformer coil, a bus, a circuit breaker or high powered switch); and
performing, in response to detecting the failure mode, a fault handling action (para. 55 - in response to a determination that the corresponding temperature threshold has been exceeded, the controller 116 may operate the equipment rack 104, via the external system interface 120, to either turn off entirely, turn off the problem connection, or take some other corrective measure).
Regarding claim 11, Ziegler teaches in figure(s) 1-2 An apparatus comprising:
a processing device (controller 116; fig. 1); and
memory (data storage 122) operatively coupled to the processing device, wherein the memory stores computer program instructions that, when executed, cause the processing device to:
identify an expected installation of connections among devices in a system (para. 34 - system 100 includes PDU 102 is capable of being installed in the equipment rack 104; fig. 1);
receive temperature data collected by one or more thermal sensors of one or more connectors in the system (100; para. 36 - temperature sensor 110 is coupled to the first electrical connector 106 and is configured to detect a temperature associated with the first electrical connector 106. However, it should be appreciated that the temperature sensor 110 may be coupled to any one of the electrical connectors 106, 108); wherein the one or more thermal sensors (110) are included in the one or more connectors (106) and
determine, based on the expected installation and the temperature data, whether a fault is present in one or more connections of the system (step 212 in fig. 2; para. 55 - determination that the corresponding temperature threshold has been exceeded, the controller 116 may provide notification of the connection quality problem; para. 5 - the connection quality may degrade due to wear on the electrical contacts).
Ziegler does not teach explicitly wherein the expected installation of connections is described by an installation specification that indicates whether the one or more connectors are to be connected to cables, wherein the installation specification includes a data structure that maps power connections of the cables to the one or more connectors and wherein the fault is determined based on an inconsistency between temperatures of the temperature data and expected temperatures determined based on the installation specification.
However, LIN teaches in figure(s) 1-4 wherein the expected installation of connections is described by an installation specification (para. 31 - Advanced Technology Extended (ATX) 3.0 specification and the PCIe CEM 5.0 define a power stability pin and a corresponding cable wire that can be utilized by a graphics card to notify a power supply unit about improper power supply voltage level) that indicates whether the one or more connectors (222,244) are to be connected to cables (170), wherein the installation specification (para. 2 - manufacturer specifications; para. 31 - Advanced Technology Extended (ATX) 3.0 specification and the PCIe CEM 5.0) includes a data structure that maps power connections of the cables to the one or more connectors (para. 62 - registers 264 may store a value or address that points to mapping information e.g., a lookup table, a mapping table or other data structure stored in the memory 150. The mapping information may map the determined voltage across the temperature sensor 210 to the temperature associated with the cable 170.) and wherein the fault is determined based on an inconsistency between temperatures of the temperature data (sensor 210 data; para. 57 - nput/output circuit 262 may include registers 264 for storing data or information that may be utilized for determining the temperature associated with the cable 170) and expected temperatures (para. 63 - pon determining the temperature associated with the cable 170, the input/output circuit 262 may then determine whether the temperature of the cable 170 exceeds a threshold temperature) determined based on the installation specification (para. 45 - cable 170 may be compatible with any other cable specification that can connect a power supply unit to a peripheral as long as the cable 170 and that can provide a signal to cease power being provided to a device upon detection of a temperature within the cable 170 exceeding a threshold).
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 Ziegler by having wherein the expected installation of connections is described by an installation specification that indicates whether the one or more connectors are to be connected to cables, wherein the installation specification includes a data structure that maps power connections of the cables to the one or more connectors and wherein the fault is determined based on an inconsistency between temperatures of the temperature data and the installation specification indicating whether the one or more connectors are to be connected to cables as taught by LIN in order to provide applying a known technique to a known device (method, or product) ready for improvement to yield predictable results of expected temperature database for connectors as evidenced by " thermal protection controller determines that a temperature associated with the cable exceeds a threshold temperature. Responsive to determining that the temperature associated with the cable exceeds the threshold temperature, the thermal protection controller causes the power supply unit to cease supplying power to the add-on card by transmitting an overtemperature signal through the cable" (abs. of LIN).
Regarding claim 12, Ziegler teaches in figure(s) 1-2 the apparatus of claim 11, wherein the devices include one or more power supply devices (PDU 102; para. 34 - first electronic circuit 102 is a modular Power Distribution Unit (PDU)) and one or more power receive devices (104); and wherein the expected installation of power connections maps the one or more power supply devices to respective power connectors (para. 34 - power connection utilizing electrical connectors) of the one or more power receive devices.
Regarding claim 14, Ziegler teaches in figure(s) 1-2 the apparatus of claim 11, wherein the temperature data includes temperature readings (@110) from at least one power distribution unit connector (106) configured for thermal sensing.
Regarding claim 15, Ziegler teaches in figure(s) 1-2 the apparatus of claim 11, wherein the temperature data includes temperature readings (@110) from at least one power cable connector (para. 6 - electrical contacts may also degrade due to a connection with an electrical contact wire, may become loose causing only a portion of the surface area of the screw to remain in contact with the wire, reducing conductivity and possibly increasing temperature.) configured for thermal sensing.
Regarding claim 17, Ziegler teaches in figure(s) 1-2 the apparatus of claim 11, wherein a first connector (106) is communicatively coupled to a connection monitoring module (116); wherein the first connector is mated with a second connector (108); and wherein the first connector receives temperature readings from the second connector (para. 36 - temperature sensor 110 may be coupled to any one of the electrical connectors 106, 108. In one example, an output of the temperature sensor 110 may be coupled to the bus 114 and the bus 114 may be coupled to the controller 116).
Regarding claim 18, Ziegler teaches in figure(s) 1-2 the apparatus of claim 11, wherein determining, based on the expected installation and the temperature data, whether a fault is present in one or more connections of the system includes:
detecting an improper installation of one or more cables in the system (para. 4 - electrical contacts which may form different types of connections between circuits. For example, electrical contacts may form a temporary connection, such as with a male plug and female socket used to connect portable or modular devices. In another example, electrical contacts may form a connection which requires a tool for assembly and removal, such as with a screw terminal; para. 6 - an electrical contact screw of a screw terminal, may become loose causing only a portion of the surface area of the screw to remain in contact with the wire, reducing conductivity and possibly increasing temperature.); and
performing, in response to detecting the improper installation, a fault handling action (para. 55 - in response to a determination that the corresponding temperature threshold has been exceeded, the controller 116 may operate the equipment rack 104, via the external system interface 120, to either turn off entirely, turn off the problem connection, or take some other corrective measure).
Regarding claim 19, Ziegler teaches in figure(s) 1-2 the apparatus of claim 11, wherein determining, based on the expected installation and the temperature data, whether a fault is present in one or more connections of the system includes:
detecting a failure mode based on an increase in temperature at least one connector (para. 59 - equipment rack 104 to be connected to more than one modular unit such as additional PDU's or even a different type of modular circuit, such as a circuit breaker; para. 62 - monitor the quality of any power connection in which connection quality is a priority, such as, for example, a transformer coil, a bus, a circuit breaker or high powered switch); and
performing, in response to detecting the failure mode, a fault handling action (para. 55 - in response to a determination that the corresponding temperature threshold has been exceeded, the controller 116 may operate the equipment rack 104, via the external system interface 120, to either turn off entirely, turn off the problem connection, or take some other corrective measure).
Regarding claim 20, Ziegler teaches in figure(s) 1-2 a non-transitory comprising a computer readable storage medium (storage 122; fig. 1), wherein the comprising computer program instructions (para. 53 - controller 116 may be programmed to monitor the temperature and current indications continuously or at any other different defined interval) that, when executed:
identify an expected installation of connections among devices in a system (para. 34 - system 100 includes PDU 102 is capable of being installed in the equipment rack 104; fig. 1);
receive temperature data collected by one or more thermal sensors of one or more connectors in the system (100; para. 36 - temperature sensor 110 is coupled to the first electrical connector 106 and is configured to detect a temperature associated with the first electrical connector 106. However, it should be appreciated that the temperature sensor 110 may be coupled to any one of the electrical connectors 106, 108); wherein the one or more thermal sensors (110) are included in the one or more connectors (106) and
determine, based on the expected installation and the temperature data, whether a fault is present in one or more connections of the system (step 212 in fig. 2; para. 55 - determination that the corresponding temperature threshold has been exceeded, the controller 116 may provide notification of the connection quality problem; para. 5 - the connection quality may degrade due to wear on the electrical contacts).
Ziegler does not teach explicitly wherein the expected installation of connections is described by an installation specification that indicates whether the one or more connectors are to be connected to cables, wherein the installation specification includes a data structure that maps power connections of the cables to the one or more connectors and wherein the fault is determined based on an inconsistency between temperatures of the temperature data and expected temperatures determined based on the installation specification.
However, LIN teaches in figure(s) 1-4 wherein the expected installation of connections is described by an installation specification (para. 31 - Advanced Technology Extended (ATX) 3.0 specification and the PCIe CEM 5.0 define a power stability pin and a corresponding cable wire that can be utilized by a graphics card to notify a power supply unit about improper power supply voltage level) that indicates whether the one or more connectors (222,244) are to be connected to cables (170), wherein the installation specification (para. 2 - manufacturer specifications; para. 31 - Advanced Technology Extended (ATX) 3.0 specification and the PCIe CEM 5.0) includes a data structure that maps power connections of the cables to the one or more connectors (para. 62 - registers 264 may store a value or address that points to mapping information e.g., a lookup table, a mapping table or other data structure stored in the memory 150. The mapping information may map the determined voltage across the temperature sensor 210 to the temperature associated with the cable 170.) and wherein the fault is determined based on an inconsistency between temperatures of the temperature data (sensor 210 data; para. 57 - nput/output circuit 262 may include registers 264 for storing data or information that may be utilized for determining the temperature associated with the cable 170) and expected temperatures (para. 63 - pon determining the temperature associated with the cable 170, the input/output circuit 262 may then determine whether the temperature of the cable 170 exceeds a threshold temperature) determined based on the installation specification (para. 45 - cable 170 may be compatible with any other cable specification that can connect a power supply unit to a peripheral as long as the cable 170 and that can provide a signal to cease power being provided to a device upon detection of a temperature within the cable 170 exceeding a threshold).
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 Ziegler by having wherein the expected installation of connections is described by an installation specification that indicates whether the one or more connectors are to be connected to cables, wherein the installation specification includes a data structure that maps power connections of the cables to the one or more connectors and wherein the fault is determined based on an inconsistency between temperatures of the temperature data and the installation specification indicating whether the one or more connectors are to be connected to cables as taught by LIN in order to provide applying a known technique to a known device (method, or product) ready for improvement to yield predictable results of expected temperature database for connectors as evidenced by " thermal protection controller determines that a temperature associated with the cable exceeds a threshold temperature. Responsive to determining that the temperature associated with the cable exceeds the threshold temperature, the thermal protection controller causes the power supply unit to cease supplying power to the add-on card by transmitting an overtemperature signal through the cable" (abs. of LIN).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 7, 13 and 16 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim(s) 7 and 16, the prior arts of record do not fairly teach or suggest “wherein the temperature data includes temperature readings from at least one power unit connector, at least one power cable connector, and at least one power distribution unit connector” including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding claim 13, the prior arts of record do not fairly teach or suggest “wherein the temperature data includes temperature readings from at least one power supply unit connector configured for thermal sensing, and wherein the processing device is to provide a notification to a controller associated with the system, wherein the notification indicates a connector or a location of the connector that is a source of the fault.” including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
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.
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/AKM ZAKARIA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858
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