DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claims 1-21 are presented for examination.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
3. The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
4. Claims 1-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Geerligs (Geerligs), US publication no. 2023/0172098 A1.
As per claim 1, Geerligs discloses a liquid additive controller system for a horticultural watering system [figure 1], the liquid additive controller system comprising:
a controller unit installed in proximity with a sprinkler timer [figure 2; para 27, 73], said sprinkler timer configured to control the horticultural watering system, wherein said controller unit is connected to said sprinkler timer and whereby said sprinkler timer provides zone output signals to said controller unit [figure 1; para 28, 73];
the horticultural watering system is divided into a plurality of zones, each of said plurality of zones comprising at least one sprinkler valve [figure 1; para 27, 28]; and
said controller unit controls at least two liquid additive containers connected to said horticultural watering system and controlled by said controller unit, whereby one or more of said at least two liquid additive containers [104, figure 1] can be directed to one or more injectors [figures 1, 7; para 32, 64, 65, 73].
Geerligs teaches:
[0027] The main irrigation controller 12, which controls water flow in the main line 15 and the lateral lines 22a, 22b, and 22c of the fertigation system 10 during the normal
irrigation operation of the system 10, is configured to output activation signals ( e.g., 24 volt A/C power signals) to respective ones of a plurality of lateral activation lines
depicted by the dashed lines 21a, 21b, and 21c, each coupled to a respective zone valve 24a, 24b, and 24c located in a region to be irrigated. The presence of an activation signal on a given activation line 21a, 21b, 21c causes the opening of the respective zone valve 24a, 24b, 24c, and the absence of such activation signal results in the closing of the zone valve. As is well known, each zone valve 24a, 24b, and 24c
controls water flow to one or more sprinkler devices 25a, 25b, and 25c, drip lines and/or other irrigation devices that may be coupled to each valve 24a, 24b, and 24c. Typically, the watering devices (e.g., sprinklers 25a, 25b, and 25c) coupled to a given zone valve 24a, 24b, and 24c define a watering zone.
[0065] As shown in FIG. 1, the fertigation control unit 14 is programmed to send signals in the form of commands directly to the fertigation supply unit 100 via a connection 54, which can be a wired or wireless connection. With reference to FIG. 1, in some embodiments in response to receiving a signal ( e.g., an electrical power signal or a data signal) from the fertigation control unit 14, the fertigation supply unit 100 can cause one or more fertilizer components, herbicides and/or insecticides to be released (e.g., through the lines 44a-44e via the action of the selection manifold 46 and/or pump 48) from their respective storage containers 104a-l 04e of the fertigation supply unit 100 and injected for a prescribed/calculated time duration via the connection 50 into a mixing chamber 52 for mixing prior to being released from the mixing chamber 52 and into the irrigation water line 15.
[0073] Generally, in some embodiments, based on at least one of time of year calendar data, weather data, historical air temperature values, and historical soil temperature values stored in the fertigation control units 14, 114, 214, 314, and 414, as well as based at least on air temperature data received by the fertigation control units 14, 114, 214, 314, and 414 from at least one air temperature sensor 32 and/or soil temperature data received by the fertigation control units from at least one soil temperature sensor 36, the processors 16, 116, 216, 316, and 416 of the fertigation control units 14, 114, 214, 314, and 414 fertigation control units are configured to determine an optimal time for initiating injection of at least some of the at least one of the fertilizer component(s), herbicide(s), and insecticide(s) into the irrigation line 15, as well as optimal delivery quantities and/or relative amounts of the fertilizer components, herbicide, and insecticide from the storage containers 104a-104e into the irrigation line 15.
As per claim 2, Geerligs discloses at least one remote unit installed remote from said controller unit in proximity with one said valve, said at least one remote unit in communication with said controller unit; and said at least one of said one or more injectors controlled via said remote unit [para 25, 32, 64].
As per claim 3, Geerligs discloses a plurality of zones comprises at least three
zone valves [figure 1; para 27]; and wherein three of the wires that control the plurality of zones are repurposed to send power and communication signals to the remote unit to signal one or more of the liquid additive injectors to inject at a user programmed rate [para 92], as well as to control the three zone valves that were originally controlled using the wires that were repurposed for said power and communication [figure 1; para 27, 28, 64, 65, 85, 92].
As per claim 4, Geerligs discloses controller unit said remote unit are configured for programming via a communication means selected from the list comprising: Bluetooth; wifi, direct wiring, and other physical or wireless connection [para 52]; and wherein said programming is provided via a software solution selected from the list comprising: a web-based app; iOS application; and Android application; using a computer [figure 10; para 43].
As per claim 5, Geerligs discloses three wires are repurposed by the remote unit but the remote unit controls more than three zones thereby freeing up extra wires [figure 1; para 27, 30, 96].
As per claim 6, Geerligs discloses controller communicatively connected to an external data source comprising external data; and optimizing with said controller the liquid additive based upon said external data [para 73].
As per claim 7, Geerligs discloses external data comprises weather data [para 73].
As per claim 8, Geerligs discloses at least two liquid additives comprise a first liquid additive container containing a first liquid additive, a second liquid additive container containing a second liquid additive; and a third liquid additive container containing a third liquid additive [figure 1; para 66, 73]; said first liquid additive container associated with a first injector of said at least one injectors; said second liquid additive container associated with a second injector of said at least one injectors; said third liquid additive container associated with a third injector of said at least one injectors [figure 1; para 65, 66, 73]; said controller configured to prescribe a mixture of one or more of said first liquid additive, said second liquid additive, and said third liquid additive; injecting said mixture from said first liquid additive container, said second liquid additive container, and said third liquid additive container; and said mixture being mixed into water to be sprayed on one or more of said plurality of zones [figure 1; para 65, 73].
As per claim 9, Geerligs discloses each of said first, second, and third liquid additives are selected from a list of liquid additives comprising: nitrogen; potassium; phosphorous; pest control; weed control; and fertilizers [para 66, 69].
As to claims 10-21 contained the same limitations as claims 1-9 respectively/in combination. Therefore, same rejection is applied.
5. Examiner's note: Examiner has cited particular paragraphs and columns and line numbers in the references as applied to the claims above for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings of the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested from the applicant in preparing responses, to fully consider the references in entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the examiner. MPEP 2141.02 VI: “PRIOR ART MUST BE CONSIDERED IN ITS ENTIRETY, INCLUDING DISCLOSURES THAT TEACH AWAY FROM THE CLAIMS."
6. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure.
Kramarenko et al., US publication no. 2022/0015287, discloses a liquid additive controller system comprising a microcontroller receives data from server devices and the sensors data. The microcontroller transmits signals to a series of relays to open or close individual ones of a series of valves to cause fertilizers to be dispensed from tanks containing nitrogen, phosphorous, potash and acid-base) into a mixing tank.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHUN CAO whose telephone number is (571)272-3664. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 7:.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kamini Shah can be reached on 571-272-9. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free).
/CHUN CAO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2115