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 .
Response to Amendment
Applicant has submitted amendments to the claims on 03/19/2026.
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.
Claim(s) 1-2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Reuter et al (US PAT. 3875463, herein Reuter) in view of Ockert et al (US PUB. 20040190211, herein Ockert in further view of Chiu et al (US PUB. 20070236846, herein Chiu).
Regarding claim 1, Reuter teaches An air-conditioning system comprising:
an electronics component and a monitoring device, [the electronics component being a compressor] (1:55-60 “air conditioning installations”, 1:56-59 “symmetrical component sequence analyzers are used for monitoring the three-phase power line voltages so that tripping is independent of phases or combinations of phases on which an abnormal condition may occur”),
wherein the monitoring device monitors a supply voltage available to the electronics component and, in an event of a deviation of the supply voltage from a predefined setpoint value is determined, the monitoring device switches off the electronics component in a switch-off operation (5:5-12 “should an imbalance condition, or loss of a phase occur, this will show up as a great increase in the negative component, and relay N is designed to pull in at the appropriate threshhold to protect the motor”, 5:40-45 “Once the machine is running, should a fault occur, either relay U will drop out, or else relays O or N will pull-in. Assume, for example, that a general decrease in the applied voltages occurs, such as in a "brownout."”)
wherein the monitoring device automatically switches the switched-off electronics component back on based on at least one condition, after the switch-off a predefined switch-on condition is satisfied and, a number of switch-off operations within a predefined time period is smaller than a predefined tolerance value (6:40-50 “Should any of the conditions discussed above occur, motor 13 is disconnected. Upon correction of the conditions noted above, relays O, U and N return to normal condition, allowing restart of the motor after a predetermined time delay, subject to limitations imposed by the residual voltage detector and the restart lockout counter”, 7:25-30 “It will be seen that if the motor is attempted to be restarted too often in too short a time interval, lockout will occur”)
wherein in the case that the number of switch-off operations within the predefined time period is greater than the predefined tolerance value, the monitoring device switches the switched-off electronics component on (12:25-29 “With gate 175 thus inhibited, the starting circuit is effectively locked out and the motor will be unable to restart until manual switch 194 is closed, applying a logical 0 to the S input to set flip-flop 190”),
wherein the monitoring device signals the case that the number of switch-off operations within the predefined time period is greater than the predefined tolerance value (7:23-26 “his will move the wiper arm 55 to contact 56, thereby disconnecting TD and preventing motor starting. At the same time, it completes a circuit through lamp 60, which may be on a control panel, to indicate that lockout has occurred”),
and wherein the monitoring device sets a counter for the number of the switch-off operations to a start value when switching the device on, when an acknowledgement signal has been input (7:23-26 “it completes a circuit through lamp 60, which may be on a control panel, to indicate that lockout has occurred”).
The cited prior art do not teach the electronics component being a compressor and wherein the monitoring device counts a number of switch-off operations and, in the case that after a switch-on of the electronics component and a predefined activity period has been exceeded without a further switch-off.
Ockert teaches the electronics component being a compressor (0026 “the LUV system operates to make intelligent decisions, local to the disturbance, to curb electrical demand by shedding pre-selected devices (such as disconnecting the furnace or compressor to avoid damage to the units), and to shed load to help a utility bring the voltage back up to standard system-wide”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to have modified the teachings of Reuter and Ockert since Ockert teaches being able to “to help a utility bring the voltage back up to standard system-wide”).
The cited prior art do not teach and wherein the monitoring device counts a number of switch-off operations and, in the case that after a switch-on of the electronics component and a predefined activity period has been exceeded without a further switch-off.
Chiu teaches and wherein the monitoring device counts a number of switch-off operations and, in the case that after a switch-on of the electronics component and a predefined activity period has been exceeded without a further switch-off ((0022 “On the other hand, step 107 is performed if the fan can work normally, that is, the fan is not locked. Therefore, the fan may work in a normal speed and consume normal current so that a fan motor has a normal temperature. At this time, the counter is reset in and the fan keeps working in step 108”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to have modified the teachings of Reuter and Ockert with Chiu since Chiu teaches a means for ensuring normal speed and motor operation at normal current consumption when the motor is working properly (0026).
Regarding claim 2, the cited prior art teach The air-conditioning system according to claim 1.
Reuter teaches wherein the predefined switch-on condition includes at least one of: a predefined waiting time has elapsed, the supply voltage corresponds to the predefined setpoint value, or a system value of the air-conditioning system is within a predefined value range (5:54-58 “This feature provides a built-in hysteresis effect, so that in order to restart the motor, the voltage must climb to a value higher, preferably five per cent or so, than the value at which relay U dropped out”).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 3/19/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues on pages 5 and 66 that Chiu does not teach monitoring a predefined activity period as claimed. Applicant argues that Chiu teaches ensuring normal speed and motor operation and resetting a counter then.
Examiner disagrees. The time it takes in Chiu to determine that the fan can work normally, the fan is not locked, and that the fan is consuming normal current and has a normal temperature corresponds to the broadest reasonable interpretation of monitoring a predefined activity period (0022 0026). This is a predefined amount of time since it is a predefined amount of steps (0022 0026).
Therefore, the rejection of claim 1 and its dependent claim is maintained.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
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/TAMEEM D SIDDIQUEE/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2116
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