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 .
This action is in response to the applicant’s communication filed on 6/3/2026
Claims 1, 3-9, and 11-15 are pending
Claims 2 and 10 have been canceled
Examiner decided to maintain 103 rejections
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 and 9 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1, 3-6, 8-9, and 11-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim KR 102058046 B1 (hereinafter Kim) in view of Juntunen et al. USPGPUB 2009/0140065 A1 (hereinafter Juntunen), and further in view of Song et al. US 2006/0283198 A1 (hereinafter Song).
Regarding claim 1, Kim teaches an air conditioner [Par. [0001] “air conditioning system”], comprising:
an indoor controller (Par. [0064] “The control signal input unit (300) is connected to the contact controller (200) and can input a first control signal that varies according to the operation of the input unit (301) to the contact controller (200).” - interpreting control signal input unit as an indoor controller) configured to:
receive an operation command from a user (Par. [0066] “the input unit (301) may receive user commands, including a touch pad or a touch screen”; Par. [0067] “input unit (301) provided in the control signal input unit (300)”), and
generate a first communication signal corresponding to the operation command (Par. [0064] “The control signal input unit (300) is connected to the contact controller (200) and can input a first control signal that varies according to the operation of the input unit (301) to the contact controller (200).”);
an outdoor unit (Par. [0044] “outdoor unit (21)”); and
a main controller (Par. [0040] “contact controller (200) may also be installed inside the central controller (10)” – contact controller and central controller are both being interpreted as the main controller, as the contact controller can be installed inside the central controller) configured to:
connect to the indoor controller and the outdoor unit (Par. [0100] “The control unit (207) can also control on/off control of the indoor unit (31) and the outdoor unit (21), setting of operation modes such as cooling mode, heating mode, and ventilation mode, and driving and stopping of the compressor (102) according to a control signal input from the central controller (10) or the control signal input unit (300).”),
receive a first communication signal (Par. [0124] “The contact controller (200) can convert the first control signal (Sc1) received from the control signal input unit (300) into a control voltage (Vc).”), and
generate a single second communication signal (Par. [0113] “when the contact control mode is set, the control unit (207) can generate a second control signal (Sc2) for controlling the first air conditioner (100b) based on the first control signal (Sc1) input from the control signal input unit (300).”), and
transmit the single second communication signal to the outdoor unit to control operation of the outdoor unit (Par. [0044] “The central controller (10) may include a microprocessor capable of performing information processing and may transmit a central control signal in conjunction therewith; Par. [0100] “The control unit (207) can also control on/off control of the indoor unit (31) and the outdoor unit (21), setting of operation modes such as cooling mode, heating mode, and ventilation mode, and driving and stopping of the compressor (102) according to a control signal input from the central controller (10)”),
wherein the outdoor unit is configured to receive the single second communication signal, and operate based on the single second communication signal (Par. [0104] “The control signal output unit (206) can output the second control signal (Sc2) generated by the control unit (207) to the first air conditioner (100b). For this purpose, the control signal output unit (206) can be connected to the outdoor unit (22) and/or the indoor unit (34, 35) via a communication line”).
Kim teaches receiving and generating signals, but does not explicitly teach receiving a plurality of signals and generating a signal based on a plurality of signals;
ON/OFF-state based signal generation; and
The single second communication signal is one of a plurality of predetermined outdoor unit control signals.
However, Juntunen teaches receiving a plurality of signals and generating a signal based on a plurality of signals (Par. [0004] “The HVAC controller may include a save a wire terminal that provides two or more multiplexed or otherwise encoded control signals on a wire”; Par. [0023] “The multiplexer (MUX) 32 may be configured to, for example, multiplex two or more control signals of the control module 28 onto a single multiplexed output signal 33, which may be transmitted over one of wires 22. In some cases, the MUX 32 may multiplex two (or more) of the heat call signal, the cool call signal, and the fan call signal … When so provided, the multiplexed output signal 33, after being decoded by a demultiplexer module (De-MUX) 34, may be able to control one or more HVAC components 12”).
Kim and Juntunen are analogous art because they are from the same field of endeavor and contain functional similarities. They both relate to air conditioning controllers.
Therefore, at the time of effective filing date, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the above air conditioning system, as taught by Kim, and incorporate a multiplexing/encoding technique so that the controller generates a single second communication signal based on a plurality of first communication signals, as taught by Juntunen.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to reduce wiring complexity and improve communication efficiency between HVAC components as suggested by Juntunen (Par. [0004]).
Kim and Juntunen do not explicitly teach ON/OFF-state based signal generation; and
The single second communication signal is one of a plurality of predetermined outdoor unit control signals.
However, Song teaches ON/OFF-state based signal generation (Par. [0016], “an operation signal generating unit for outputting signals for controlling the operation of the unitary air conditioner corresponding to predetermined air conditioner modes using a switch-ON/OFF method”); and
The single second communication signal is one of a plurality of predetermined outdoor unit control signals (Par. [0051], “when the operation signal generating unit 52 continuously outputs the ON signal during a designated length of time, the air conditioner is driven in a strong mode, i.e., a standard mode, and when the operation signal generating unit 52 repeatedly outputs the ON signal and the OFF signal during a designated length of time, the air conditioner is driven in a weak mode or a middle mode, i.e., in an additional mode.”; Par. [0021], “The operation controller may be provided in an outdoor unit of the unitary air conditioner.”).
Kim, Juntunen, and Song are analogous art because they are from the same field of endeavor and contain functional similarities. They all relate to air conditioning controllers.
Therefore, at the time of effective filing date, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the above air conditioning system capable of generating a single signal from a plurality of communication signals, as taught by Kim and Juntunen, and incorporate ON/OFF-based predetermined mode signaling, as taught by Song.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to allowing the air conditioner to operate in various modes more efficiently, as suggested by Song (Par. [0037]).
Regarding claim 3, the combination of Kim, Juntunen, and Song teaches all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Kim further teaches wherein the plurality of first communication signals include a contact communication signal (Par. [0066] “The input unit (301) may include at least one input means such as a button that applies a signal by pressing, a switch, a rotary switch that applies a predetermined signal by rotating, or a rotary switch. According to an embodiment, the input unit (301) may receive user commands, including a touch pad or a touch screen.”), and
the single second communication signal includes a serial communication signal communicable with the outdoor unit (Par. [0051] “the contact controller (200) can transmit and receive data by being connected to the outdoor unit (22) through a dedicated line communication method such as RS-485” – RS-485 is used for enabling communication through serial communication signals).
Regarding claim 4, the combination of Kim, Juntunen, and Song teaches all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Kim further teaches wherein the main controller includes:
a transmitting terminal configured to transmit the single second communication signal to the outdoor unit (Par. [0044] “central controller (10) can be connected to an indoor unit (31) or an outdoor unit (21), and can perform wireless or wired communication with the indoor unit (31) or the outdoor unit (21)” – in order to transmit and receive data wirelessly, the central controller must include a transmitting terminal and a receiving terminal), and
a receiving terminal configured to receive an outdoor unit operation signal from the outdoor unit (Par. [0102] – [0103] “The control unit (207) transmits and receives data with the central controller (10) through the protocol conversion unit (201), transmits data of the first air conditioner (100b) to the central controller (10), and receives a central control signal (Scc) of the central controller (10) to control the operation of the first air conditioner (100b). In addition, the control unit (207) is connected to the outdoor unit (22)” – Kim’s disclosure of bidirectional wireless and wired communication between the controller and outdoor unit necessarily requires transmit and receive circuitry, corresponding to the claimed transmitting terminal and receiving terminal.).
Regarding claim 5, the combination of Kim, Juntunen, and Song teaches all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Kim further teaches wherein the main controller is configured to control a communicator to perform bidirectional communication with the outdoor unit through the transmitting terminal and the receiving terminal (Par. [0052] “The contact controller (200) transmits and receives data with any one of the connected devices, i.e., the central controller (10), the indoor units (31 to 33), and the outdoor unit (21)”).
Regarding claim 6, the combination of Kim, Juntunen, and Song teaches all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Kim further teaches wherein the main controller is configured to:
determine an operation of an indoor unit based on the plurality of first communication signals (Par. [0126] “contact controller (200) can determine a user control command by comparing the control voltage with a temperature table.”; Par. [0009] “contact controller includes a reference voltage conversion unit that converts a reference voltage into a control voltage that varies according to the input resistance value, a reference voltage detection unit that detects a change in the reference voltage, and a control unit that corrects the control voltage when the reference voltage changes and generates a second control signal for controlling the first air conditioner based on the corrected control voltage”), and
control a communicator to transmit the determined operation of the indoor unit to the indoor unit (Par. [0100] “The control unit (207) can also control on/off control of the indoor unit (31) and the outdoor unit (21), setting of operation modes such as cooling mode, heating mode, and ventilation mode, and driving and stopping of the compressor (102) according to a control signal input from the central controller (10) or the control signal input unit (300).”).
Regarding claim 8, the combination of Kim, Juntunen, and Song teaches all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Juntunen further teaches wherein the operation of the indoor unit includes a plurality of operation stages (Par. [0021] “control module may be configured to provide a heat call signal, a cool call signal, and/or a ventilation or fan call signal, when desired.”), and
the main controller is configured to determine an operation stage corresponding to the plurality of first communication signals among the plurality of operation stages as the determined operation of the indoor unit (Par. [0023] “the two or more multiplexed signals may include a second stage heat call signal, a second stage cool call signal, a second stage fan call signal, or any other suitable signal, as desired”).
Regarding claim 9, Kim teaches an apparatus to control an air conditioner, the apparatus comprising:
an indoor unit connection terminal configured to be connected to an indoor unit (Par. [0044] “central controller (10) can be connected to an indoor unit (31) or an outdoor unit (21), and can perform wireless or wired communication with the indoor unit (31) or the outdoor unit (21)” – to communicate wirelessly, the indoor unit must have a connection terminal);
an outdoor unit connection terminal configured to be connected to an outdoor unit (Par. [0044] “central controller (10) can be connected to an indoor unit (31) or an outdoor unit (21), and can perform wireless or wired communication with the indoor unit (31) or the outdoor unit (21)” – to communicate wirelessly, the outdoor unit must have a connection terminal);
an indoor controller connection terminal configured to be connected to an indoor controller, the indoor controller being configured to obtain an operation command from a user and generate a first communication signal corresponding to the operation command (Par. [0064] “The control signal input unit (300) is connected to the contact controller (200) and can input a first control signal that varies according to the operation of the input unit (301) to the contact controller (200).” - interpreting control signal input unit as an indoor controller; Par. [0066] “the input unit (301) may receive user commands, including a touch pad or a touch screen”; Par. [0067] “input unit (301) provided in the control signal input unit (300)”); and
a controller (Par. [0040] “contact controller (200) may also be installed inside the central controller (10)” – contact controller and central controller are both being interpreted as the controller, as the contact controller can be installed inside the central controller) configured to:
receive the first communication signal from the indoor controller (Par. [0124] “The contact controller (200) can convert the first control signal (Sc1) received from the control signal input unit (300) into a control voltage (Vc)”),
generate a single second communication signal (Par. [0113] “when the contact control mode is set, the control unit (207) can generate a second control signal (Sc2) for controlling the first air conditioner (100b) based on the first control signal (Sc1) input from the control signal input unit (300)”), and
transmit the single second communication signal through the outdoor unit connection terminal to the outdoor unit to control the outdoor unit (Par. [0044] “The central controller (10) may include a microprocessor capable of performing information processing and may transmit a central control signal in conjunction therewith; Par. [0100] “The control unit (207) can also control on/off control of the indoor unit (31) and the outdoor unit (21), setting of operation modes such as cooling mode, heating mode, and ventilation mode, and driving and stopping of the compressor (102) according to a control signal input from the central controller (10)”).
Kim teaches receiving and generating signals, but does not explicitly teach receiving a plurality of signals and generating a signal based on a plurality of signals;
ON/OFF-state based signal generation; and
The single second communication signal is one of a plurality of predetermined outdoor unit control signals.
However, Juntunen teaches receiving a plurality of signals and generating a signal based on a plurality of signals (Par. [0004] “The HVAC controller may include a save a wire terminal that provides two or more multiplexed or otherwise encoded control signals on a wire”; Par. [0023] “The multiplexer (MUX) 32 may be configured to, for example, multiplex two or more control signals of the control module 28 onto a single multiplexed output signal 33, which may be transmitted over one of wires 22. In some cases, the MUX 32 may multiplex two (or more) of the heat call signal, the cool call signal, and the fan call signal … When so provided, the multiplexed output signal 33, after being decoded by a demultiplexer module (De-MUX) 34, may be able to control one or more HVAC components 12”).
Kim and Juntunen are analogous art because they are from the same field of endeavor and contain functional similarities. They both relate to air conditioning controllers.
Therefore, at the time of effective filing date, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the above air conditioning system, as taught by Kim, and incorporate a multiplexing/encoding technique so that the controller generates a single second communication signal based on a plurality of first communication signals, as taught by Juntunen.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to reduce wiring complexity and improve communication efficiency between HVAC components as suggested by Juntunen (Par. [0004]).
Kim and Juntunen do not explicitly teach ON/OFF-state based signal generation; and
The single second communication signal is one of a plurality of predetermined outdoor unit control signals.
However, Song teaches ON/OFF-state based signal generation (Par. [0016], “an operation signal generating unit for outputting signals for controlling the operation of the unitary air conditioner corresponding to predetermined air conditioner modes using a switch-ON/OFF method”); and
The single second communication signal is one of a plurality of predetermined outdoor unit control signals (Par. [0051], “when the operation signal generating unit 52 continuously outputs the ON signal during a designated length of time, the air conditioner is driven in a strong mode, i.e., a standard mode, and when the operation signal generating unit 52 repeatedly outputs the ON signal and the OFF signal during a designated length of time, the air conditioner is driven in a weak mode or a middle mode, i.e., in an additional mode.”; Par. [0021], “The operation controller may be provided in an outdoor unit of the unitary air conditioner.”).
Kim, Juntunen, and Song are analogous art because they are from the same field of endeavor and contain functional similarities. They all relate to air conditioning controllers.
Therefore, at the time of effective filing date, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the above air conditioning system capable of generating a single signal from a plurality of communication signals, as taught by Kim and Juntunen, and incorporate ON/OFF-based predetermined mode signaling, as taught by Song.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to allowing the air conditioner to operate in various modes more efficiently, as suggested by Song (Par. [0037]).
Regarding claim 11, the combination of Kim, Juntunen, and Song teaches all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Kim further teaches wherein the plurality of first communication signals include a contact communication signal (Par. [0066] “The input unit (301) may include at least one input means such as a button that applies a signal by pressing, a switch, a rotary switch that applies a predetermined signal by rotating, or a rotary switch. According to an embodiment, the input unit (301) may receive user commands, including a touch pad or a touch screen.”), and
the single second communication signal includes a serial communication signal communicable with the outdoor unit (Par. [0051] “the contact controller (200) can transmit and receive data by being connected to the outdoor unit (22) through a dedicated line communication method such as RS-485” – RS-485 is used for enabling communication through serial communication signals).
Regarding claim 12, the combination of Kim, Juntunen, and Song teaches all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Kim further teaches a transmitting terminal configured to transmit the single second communication signal to the outdoor unit (Par. [0044] “central controller (10) can be connected to an indoor unit (31) or an outdoor unit (21), and can perform wireless or wired communication with the indoor unit (31) or the outdoor unit (21)” – in order to transmit and receive data wirelessly, the central controller must include a transmitting terminal and a receiving terminal); and
a receiving terminal configured to receive an outdoor unit operation signal from the outdoor unit (Par. [0102] – [0103] “The control unit (207) transmits and receives data with the central controller (10) through the protocol conversion unit (201), transmits data of the first air conditioner (100b) to the central controller (10), and receives a central control signal (Scc) of the central controller (10) to control the operation of the first air conditioner (100b). In addition, the control unit (207) is connected to the outdoor unit (22)” – Kim’s disclosure of bidirectional wireless and wired communication between the controller and outdoor unit necessarily requires transmit and receive circuitry, corresponding to the claimed transmitting terminal and receiving terminal.).
Regarding claim 13, the combination of Kim, Juntunen, and Song teaches all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Kim further teaches wherein the controller is configured to control a communicator to perform bidirectional communication with the outdoor unit through the transmitting terminal and the receiving terminal (Par. [0052] “The contact controller (200) transmits and receives data with any one of the connected devices, i.e., the central controller (10), the indoor units (31 to 33), and the outdoor unit (21)”).
Regarding claim 14, the combination of Kim, Juntunen, and Song teaches all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Kim further teaches wherein the controller is configured to:
determine an operation of the indoor unit based on the plurality of first communication signals (Par. [0126] “contact controller (200) can determine a user control command by comparing the control voltage with a temperature table.”; Par. [0009] “contact controller includes a reference voltage conversion unit that converts a reference voltage into a control voltage that varies according to the input resistance value, a reference voltage detection unit that detects a change in the reference voltage, and a control unit that corrects the control voltage when the reference voltage changes and generates a second control signal for controlling the first air conditioner based on the corrected control voltage”), and
control a communicator to transmit the determined operation of the indoor unit to the indoor unit (Par. [0100] “The control unit (207) can also control on/off control of the indoor unit (31) and the outdoor unit (21), setting of operation modes such as cooling mode, heating mode, and ventilation mode, and driving and stopping of the compressor (102) according to a control signal input from the central controller (10) or the control signal input unit (300).”).
Claim(s) 7, 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim KR 102058046 B1 (hereinafter Kim) in view of Juntunen et al. USPGPUB 2009/0140065 A1 (hereinafter Juntunen) and Song et al. US 2006/0283198 A1 (hereinafter Song), and further in view of Vendt et al. US 6,230,979 B1 (hereinafter Vendt).
Regarding claim 7, the combination of Kim, Juntunen, and Song teaches all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Kim and Juntunen do not explicitly teach wherein the main controller is configured to block transmission of at least one first communication signal among the plurality of first communication signals for a reference period of time to determine the operation of the indoor unit.
However, Vendt teaches wherein the main controller is configured to block transmission of at least one first communication signal among the plurality of first communication signals for a reference period of time to determine the operation of the indoor unit (Col. 1, “The controller initiates a second stage delay timer, and the timer continues to count down unless reset, until it reaches zero and second stage heating is initiated” – A delay timer suppressing activation signals to higher stages for a reference period, corresponds to blocking transmission of at least one first communication signal for a reference period to determine indoor unit operation).
Kim, Juntunen, Song, and Vendt are analogous art because they are from the same field of endeavor and contain functional similarities. They all relate to thermostats.
Therefore, at the time of effective filing date, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the above air conditioning system, as taught by Kim, Juntunen, and Song, and incorporate blocking transmission of at least 1 signal for a reference period of time, as taught by Vendt.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to allow fast, easy, and inexpensive replacement of an existing single stage heating device with a modern multistage heating device, without replacing the thermostat and/or adding additional thermostat wiring as suggested by Vendt (Col. 1).
Regarding claim 15, the combination of Kim, Juntunen, and Song teaches all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Kim and Juntunen do not explicitly teach wherein the controller is configured to block transmission of at least one first communication signal among the plurality of first communication signals for a reference period of time to determine the operation of the indoor unit.
However, Vendt teaches wherein the controller is configured to block transmission of at least one first communication signal among the plurality of first communication signals for a reference period of time to determine the operation of the indoor unit (Col. 1, “The controller initiates a second stage delay timer, and the timer continues to count down unless reset, until it reaches zero and second stage heating is initiated” – A delay timer suppressing activation signals to higher stages for a reference period, corresponds to blocking transmission of at least one first communication signal for a reference period to determine indoor unit operation).
Kim, Juntunen, Song, and Vendt are analogous art because they are from the same field of endeavor and contain functional similarities. They all relate to thermostats.
Therefore, at the time of effective filing date, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the above air conditioning system, as taught by Kim, Juntunen, and Song, and incorporate blocking transmission of at least 1 signal for a reference period of time, as taught by Vendt.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to allow fast, easy, and inexpensive replacement of an existing single stage heating device with a modern multistage heating device, without replacing the thermostat and/or adding additional thermostat wiring as suggested by Vendt (Col. 1).
Citation of Pertinent Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Lee [KR-10-2021-0078257 A] teaches an air conditioner containing a signal extractor, a processor that transmits a contact signal to the second heating terminal and the second cooling terminal based on the signal extracted from the signal extractor, and a communication terminal for an outdoor unit that is connected to the processor to communicate with the simultaneous heating and cooling type outdoor unit.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PETER XU whose telephone number is (571)272-0792. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Mohammad Ali can be reached at (571) 272-4105. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PETER XU/ Examiner, Art Unit 2119
/ZIAUL KARIM/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2119
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