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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) (IDS) submitted on 08/28/2025 and 06/13/2024 have been considered by the Examiner.
Election/Restrictions
Claim(s) 1-9, 11-12, 14-15 and 17-27 have been amended to overcome previous Restriction/Election requirement.
Claim Objections
Claim(s) 3 and 15 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim(s) 3 and 15 need to add a period “.” at the end of the claim(s).
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.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 20-23 and 27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Wang et al. (US 20200333385; hereinafter Wang).
Regarding claim 1, Wang discloses in figure(s) 1-5 An electrical sensor (capacitive sensor 50; fig. 4) comprising:
an electrode (hv conductor 12; figs. 1-4);
a first capacitive divider electrically coupled between the electrode and ground (capacitors C1 and C2 between the electrode 12 and ground in fig. 4; para. 14 - a capacitance shown as a capacitor C1 is defined across the inner bushing portion 18 between the conductor 12 and the screen 16 and a capacitance shown as a capacitor C2 is defined across the outer bushing portion 20 between the screen 16 and a ground plane 22), the first capacitive divider including a first output (capacitive screen 16 has a conductive output to voltage series feedback circuit 28 in fig. 4; para. 15 - a positive input terminal of the amplifier 26 is electrical coupled to the screen 16 on line 28);
a second capacitive divider (capacitors C31 and C32 between the capacitive screen 16 and ground in fig. 4; para. 19) electrically coupled between the first output and ground, the second capacitive divider including a second output (para. 24 - electrically connecting the capacitors C31 and C32 in series across the input terminals of the amplifier 26); and
a compensating circuit (capacitive voltage sensor 50 including capacitance compensation circuit 42) configured to receive, as inputs, the first output and the second output (42 receives a positive signal from 16 as well as C31,C32; paras. 15,25) and to output a compensated voltage signal corresponding to a voltage of the electrode (paras. 15,18,19 - The output of the amplifier 30 provided on line 34 is a measured voltage V.sub.sensing that is a proportional estimate of the AC phase—neutral voltage V.sub.PN on the conductor 12).
Regarding claim 20, Wang discloses in figure(s) 1-5 An electrical sensor (capacitive sensor 50; fig. 4) comprising:
an electrode extending along an axis (hv conductor 12 extends along a radial or axial direction; figs. 1-4);
a first conductor (16) configured to form a first capacitive coupling with the electrode (capacitive screen 16 forms capacitors C1 and C2 between the electrode 12 and ground in fig. 4; para. 14 - a capacitance shown as a capacitor C1 is defined across the inner bushing portion 18 between the conductor 12 and the screen 16 and a capacitance shown as a capacitor C2 is defined across the outer bushing portion 20 between the screen 16 and a ground plane 22);
an intermediate conductor (28) electrically coupled to the first conductor;
a second conductor (ground plane 22) configured to form a second capacitive coupling with the intermediate conductor (para. 14 - a capacitance shown as a capacitor C2 is defined across the outer bushing portion 20 between the screen 16 and a ground plane 22); and
a compensating circuit (capacitive voltage sensor 50 including capacitance compensation circuit 42) electrically coupled to the first conductor and the second conductor, wherein the compensating circuit is configured to output a compensated voltage signal corresponding to a voltage of the electrode (paras. 15,18,19 - The output of the amplifier 30 provided on line 34 is a measured voltage V.sub.sensing that is a proportional estimate of the AC phase—neutral voltage V.sub.PN on the conductor 12).
Regarding claim 21, Wang discloses in figure(s) 1-5 the electrical sensor of claim 20, wherein the first conductor, the intermediate conductor, and the second conductor are encapsulated within a dielectric material (para. 14 - bushing 14 is made of a suitable dielectric).
Regarding claim 22, Wang discloses in figure(s) 1-5 the electrical sensor of claim 20, further comprising a first amplifier (26) electrically coupled between the first conductor and the intermediate conductor; and a second amplifier (30) electrically coupled to the second conductor.
Regarding claim 23, Wang discloses in figure(s) 1-5 the electrical sensor of claim 22, wherein the first amplifier (26) is configured to amplify a first voltage signal from the first conductor to an amplified first voltage signal (28 ) having a first order of magnitude, wherein the second amplifier (30 ) is configured to amplify a second voltage signal from the second conductor (22) to an amplified second voltage signal having a second order of magnitude equal to the first order of magnitude, and wherein the compensating circuit (52,62; figs. 4-5) is configured to receive the amplified first voltage signal as a first input and the amplified second voltage signal as a second input.
Regarding claim 27, Wang discloses in figure(s) 1-5 The electrical sensor of claim 1, wherein the second capacitive divider (C2) is electrically coupled between the first output (C1) and ground (gnd).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al.
Regarding claim 2, Wang teaches in figure(s) 1-5 the electrical sensor of claim 1, wherein: the first capacitive divider includes a first capacitor and a second capacitor (C1, C2 ; fig. 4, para. 14), the second capacitive divider includes a third capacitor and a fourth capacitor (C31, C32 ; fig. 4, para. 25), the third capacitor include a first type of dielectric material, the fourth capacitor includes a second type of dielectric material, and the second type of dielectric material is different than the first type of dielectric material (para. 19 - capacitors C31 and C32 are made of different materials having different dielectric constants E; para. 6 - the first and second compensation capacitors are made of different materials having different dielectric constants, and where the materials of the first and second compensation capacitors are selected so as to compensate for changes in the first and second capacitances in response to temperature changes.).
Wang does not teach explicitly the first capacitor include a first type of dielectric material, the second capacitor includes a second type of dielectric material.
However, Wang teaches in figure(s) 1-5 the third capacitor include a first type of dielectric material, the fourth capacitor includes a second type of dielectric material, and the second type of dielectric material is different than the first type of dielectric material (para. 19 - capacitors C31 and C32 are made of different materials having different dielectric constants E; para. 6 - the first and second compensation capacitors are made of different materials having different dielectric constants).
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 Wang by having the first capacitor include a first type of dielectric material, the second capacitor includes a second type of dielectric material in order to provide compensate for changes in capacitance between each other based on temperature changes within the sensor (abs. of Wang), thus adding redundancy and improving accuracy. AN ordinary skill would be able to select a known material on the basis of suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang in view of Djogo et al. (US 20200124642).
Regarding claim 3, Wang teaches in figure(s) 1-5 the electrical sensor of claim 2, further comprising:
an inner tubular body surrounding and spaced radially outwardly from the electrode (para. 14 - some distance from the conductor 12 to define an inner bushing portion 18 and an outer bushing portion 20; fig. 4), the inner tubular body including a first inner conductive layer configured to form a first capacitive coupling with the electrode (para. 14 - An annular capacitive screen 16 is formed in the bushing 14 some distance from the conductor 12 …capacitive coupling between the conductor 12 and the screen 16),
Wang does not teach explicitly a first shield surrounding the first inner conductive layer, and a first insulator disposed between the first inner conductive layer and the first shield;
However, Djogo teaches in figure(s) 1-4 a first shield (104; fig. 1B) surrounding the first inner conductive layer (106), and a first insulator (122) disposed between the first inner conductive layer and the first shield;
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 Wang by having a first shield surrounding the first inner conductive layer, and a first insulator disposed between the first inner conductive layer and the first shield as taught by Djogo in order to provide "effectively shield the third conductor from capacitive coupling caused by pollution deposits on the external insulator surface" (para. 24).
Claim 24 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang in view of Islam et al. (US 9530544).
Regarding claim 24, Wang teaches in figure(s) 1-5 the electrical sensor of claim 20,
Wang does not teach explicitly further comprising a first shield surrounding the first conductor and a second shield surrounding the second conductor, wherein the intermediate conductor is disposed radially between the first shield and the second shield.
However, Islam teaches in figure(s) 1-15 further comprising a first shield (20; fig. 7) surrounding the first conductor (50) and a second shield (40 ) surrounding the second conductor (5), wherein the intermediate conductor (45) is disposed radially between the first shield (20) and the second shield (40).
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 Wang by having further comprising a first shield surrounding the first conductor and a second shield surrounding the second conductor, wherein the intermediate conductor is disposed radially between the first shield and the second shield as taught by Islam in order to provide “a shielded electro/optical hybrid cable effectively protects the individual conductors therein from damage" (col. 2 lines 50-51).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 5-7 and 25 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.
Claim(s) 4, 8-9, 11-12, 14-15, 17-19 and 26 are objected for dependent upon the objected base claim(s).
Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
See the List of References cited in the US PT0-892.
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.
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). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/AKM ZAKARIA/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858