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 .
Claim(s) 1-8 is/are pending.
Claim(s) 1 and 7 is/are independent.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claim(s) 1-2 and 7-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ichikawa et al. (U.S. Pub. No. 20060005097) (hereinafter “Ichikawa”).
Regarding claim 1 and corresponding method claim 7, Ichikawa teaches a power supply control device (Fig. 35, 53 - - power supply is controlled)
comprising: a first power supply and a second power supply configured to supply power to a first device and a second device that are mutually monitored in a mutual monitoring process in a redundant device system; (Fig. 35, 53 - - information processing apparatus 1-1 and 1-2, i.e. first and second device, have respective first and second power supplies 19; Para. 225 - - first and second devices monitor the states of each other, i.e. mutual monitoring process in a redundant device system)
and a power supply control unit, comprising one or more processors, (Fig. 35, 53 - - processors 42, 43, etc. are connected to power supply unit 19)
configured to switch an operation state of the first device and the second device based on whether a power consumption pattern of first power consumption of the first device and second power consumption of the second device is normal. (Fig. 35 and corresponding Para. 463-464, 467, Fig. 53 and corresponding Para. 596-597, 600 - - power consumption patterns of connected apparatus, i.e. first and second device, are monitored, and first and second device are controlled based on whether power consumption is abnormal or not, i.e. normal)
Regarding claim 2, Ichikawa teaches wherein the first power consumption and the second power consumption periodically change in accordance with the mutual monitoring process, (Para. 454, 588 - - power consumption of first and second device can increase, i.e. change over time periodically)
and when the first power consumption and the second power consumption change in a constant cycle, the power supply control unit is configured to determine that the power consumption pattern is normal, (Para. 465, 471, 607 - - first and second device consume power at first and second power consumption levels, where first and second power consumption is based on AC power below an upper limit being determined as a normal power consumption pattern, i.e. power consumption change in a constant cycle)
and control the first power supply and the second power supply such that power is supplied to the first device and the second device. (Fig. 35, 53 - - power supply is controlled to supply power for first and second information processing apparatus)
Regarding claim 8, Ichikawa teaches a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program, wherein execution of the program causes a processor to function as the power supply control device according to claim 1. (Fig. 35, 53 - - power supply is controlled using processors along with local storage, i.e. non-transitory computer readable medium)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 3-6 is/are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim(s), but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim(s) and any intervening claim(s).
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
While Ichikawa discloses multiple information processing apparatuses including respective power supplies, where the apparatuses monitor each other for normal and abnormal power consumptions,
this reference taken either alone or in combination with other prior art disclose, in combination with the remaining elements and features of the claimed invention, a power supply control device including:
Claim 3, including Claims 1-2 on which claim 3 depends,
a first power supply and a second power supply configured to supply power to a first device and a second device that are mutually monitored in a mutual monitoring process in a redundant device system; and
a power supply control unit, comprising one or more processors,
configured to switch an operation state of the first device and the second device based on whether a power consumption pattern of first power consumption of the first device and second power consumption of the second device is normal.
wherein the first power consumption and the second power consumption periodically change in accordance with the mutual monitoring process,
and when the first power consumption and the second power consumption change in a constant cycle, the power supply control unit is configured to determine that the power consumption pattern is normal,
and control the first power supply and the second power supply such that power is supplied to the first device and the second device.
wherein when one of the first device and the second device is in an active state and the other is in a standby state, and the first power consumption and the second power consumption do not change in a constant cycle or do not change periodically, the power supply control unit is configured to determine that the power consumption pattern is abnormal,
and when the power consumption pattern is abnormal, the power supply control unit is configured to compare the first power consumption with the second power consumption to determine which of the first device and the second device is in an active state,
and when the first device is in an active state, the power supply control unit is configured to determine whether the first device is in a normal state based on the first power consumption,
and switch the operation state of the first device and the second device based on the result of the determination.
It is for these reasons that the applicant’s invention defines over the prior art of record.
The rest of the claim(s) 4-6, being definite, further limiting, and fully enabled by the specification, depend on the above allowed independent claim(s), and thus are also allowed.
It is noted that any citations to specific, pages, columns, lines, or figures in the prior art references and any interpretation of the reference should not be considered to be limiting in any way. A reference is relevant for all it contains and may be relied upon for all that it would have reasonably suggested to one having ordinary skill in the art. See MPEP 2123.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Saad M. Kabir whose telephone number is 571-270-0608 (direct fax number is 571-270-9933). The examiner can normally be reached on Mondays to Fridays 9am to 5pm EST.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Mohammad Ali can be reached on 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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/SAAD M KABIR/
Examiner, Art Unit 2119
/MOHAMMAD ALI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2119