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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see page 2- page 3, ¶[0001]-[0004], filed 9/02/2026, with respect to the 102 rejections of claims 1 and 5 under Lawrence (US 20180014121 A1) have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of 103 rejection is made in view of Kawaguchi (JP 2008236621 A).
Applicant’s arguments, see page 3, ¶[0005]-[0008], page 4, filed 9/02/2026, with respect to the 103 rejections of claims 2, 3, 6, 7 under Lawrence (US 20180014121 A1) in view of
Wang (CN 118573135 A) have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground of 103 rejections is made in view of Kawaguchi (JP 2008236621 A).
Applicant’s arguments, see page 2 ¶[0004]-page 3, filed 9/02/2026, with respect to claims 4 and 8 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejections of claims 4 and 8 have been withdrawn.
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.
Claims 1, 2, 5, 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over
Lawrence (US 20180014121 A1) in view of Kawaguchi (JP 2008236621 A).
Regarding claim 1: Lawrence, figure 1, discloses a control device comprising circuitry configured to:
execute control to decrease a gain when a detected temperature of a control target is equal to or higher than a first temperature, (disclosing determination of whether temperature exceeds or will exceed one or more thresholds and adjustment/reduction of gain in response to thermal conditions; ¶[0040]-[0041], [0181], [0201]-[0202]) and then increase the gain when the detected temperature becomes lower than the first temperature, (disclosing relaxation of previously applied gain reductions and different attack/release behavior for decreasing and subsequently increasing gain; ¶[0028], [0109]), [0119], [0181]), and cause a temporal change of the gain to be smaller when increasing the gain than when decreasing the gain (¶[0028], [0109]).
Lawrence does not disclose the gain when outputting an electric signal being adjustable.
Kawaguchi discloses the gain when outputting an electric signal being adjustable. (Kawaguchi teaches a decreasing gain when a detected temperature of a control target is equal to or higher than a first temperature, and subsequently increasing the gain when the detected temperature becomes lower than the first temperature. Kawaguchi further discloses that when detected temperature (T) exceeds first reference temperature (T1), gain (G) of (VCA) circuit (14) is reduced from maximum gain (G1) to initial limit gain (G2), and when detected temperature (T) becomes equal to or lower than first reference temperature (T1), gain G starts to return from initial limit gain (G2) to original maximum gain (G1); Description: ¶[0024]-[0025]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was
effectively filed to modify Lawrence’s thermal gain control with Kawaguchi’s temperature-threshold-based gain reduction and restoration to provide gradual thermal protection while reducing abrupt changes in audio output and resulting listener discomfort. Lawrence teaches determining whether a temperature threshold is or will be exceeded and adjusting/reducing gain in response to the thermal condition (¶[0041], [0181]); when combined with Kawaguchi’s disclosed gain reduction and restoration about the first-temperature boundary, the combined teachings provide gain reduction upon reaching or exceeding the first-temperature threshold and subsequent gain restoration when the detected temperature falls below the threshold.
Regarding claim 2: All of the claim limitations have been discussed with respect to claim 1 above, except, wherein the circuitry is configured to stop the output of the control target when the detected temperature reaches a second temperature higher than the first temperature.
Kawaguchi discloses first reference temperature T1 and third reference temperature T3, wherein T3 is higher than T1. Kawaguchi further discloses that when detected temperature T exceeds third reference temperature T3, the switch control circuit turns off the mute switch circuit such that the input audio signal to the power amplifier circuit is cut off, thereby establishing complete thermal protection (Abstract paragraph). Because third reference temperature T3 is higher than first reference temperatures T1, Kawaguchi’s cutoff occurring when detected temperature T exceeds T3 necessarily occurs at a temperature higher than T1. At that higher temperature, Kawaguchi cuts off the audio signal supplied to the power amplifier circuit, thereby stopping the amplifier from producing the corresponding audio output and establishing complete thermal protection.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was
effectively filed to modify Lawrence’s thermal gain control with Kawaguchi’s higher-temperature cutoff protection to prevent damage to the amplifier caused by excessive overheating.
Regarding claim 5: Lawrence discloses a control method performed by a computer, comprising: (Abstract; Fig 1, paragraphs [0010]-[0016]): executing control to decrease a gain when a detected temperature of a control target is equal to or higher than a first temperature (disclosing determination of whether temperature exceeds or will exceed one or more thresholds and adjustment/reduction of gain in response to thermal conditions; ¶[0040]-[0041], [0181], [0201]-[0202]) and then increasing the gain when the detected temperature is lower than a first temperature, (disclosing relaxation of previously applied gain reductions and different attack/release behavior for decreasing and subsequently increasing gain; ¶[0028], [0109]), [0119], [0181]), and causing a temporal change of the gain to be smaller when increasing the gain than when decreasing the gain (paragraphs [0028], [0109]).
However, Lawrence does not disclose the gain when outputting an electric signal being adjustable.
Kawaguchi discloses the gain when outputting an electric signal being adjustable. (Kawaguchi teaches a decreasing gain when a detected temperature of a control target is equal to or higher than a first temperature, and subsequently increasing the gain when the detected temperature becomes lower than the first temperature. Kawaguchi further discloses that when detected temperature (T) exceeds first reference temperature (T1), gain (G) of (VCA) circuit (14) is reduced from maximum gain (G1) to initial limit gain (G2), and when detected temperature (T) becomes equal to or lower than first reference temperature (T1), gain G starts to return from initial limit gain (G2) to original maximum gain (G1); Description: ¶[0024]-[0025]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was
effectively filed to modify Lawrence’s thermal gain control with Kawaguchi’s temperature-threshold-based gain reduction and restoration to provide gradual thermal protection while reducing abrupt changes in audio output and resulting listener discomfort. Lawrence teaches determining whether a temperature threshold is or will be exceeded and adjusting/reducing gain in response to the thermal condition (¶[0041], [0181]); when combined with Kawaguchi’s disclosed gain reduction and restoration about the first-temperature boundary, the combined teachings provide gain reduction upon reaching or exceeding the first-temperature threshold and subsequent gain restoration when the detected temperature falls below the threshold.
Regarding 6. All of the claim limitations have been discussed with respect to claim 5 above, except further comprising stopping the output of the control target when the detected temperature reaches a second temperature higher than the first temperature.
Kawaguchi, (Abstract paragraph) discloses further comprising stopping the output of the control target when the detected temperature reaches a second temperature higher than the first temperature T1. Kawaguchi also discloses third reference temperature T3, wherein T3 is higher than T1. When detected temperature T exceeds third reference temperature T3, the switch control circuit turns off the mute switch circuit such that the input audio signal to the power amplifier circuit is cut off, thereby establishing complete thermal protection (Abstract paragraph). Because third reference temperature T3 is higher than first reference temperatures T1, Kawaguchi’s cutoff occurring when detected temperature T exceeds T3 necessarily occurs at a temperature higher than T1. At that higher temperature, Kawaguchi cuts off the audio signal supplied to the power amplifier circuit, thereby stopping the amplifier from producing the corresponding audio output and establishing complete thermal protection.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was
effectively filed to modify Lawrence’s thermal gain control with Kawaguchi’s higher-temperature cutoff protection to prevent damage to the amplifier caused by excessive overheating.
Claims 3 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lawrence (US 20180014121 A1) in view of Kawaguchi (JP 2008236621 A) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Ouzillou et al. (US 20107751784 B2).
Regarding claim 3: All of the claim limitations have been discussed with respect to claim 1 above,
except wherein the circuitry is configured to output a warning when the detected temperature of the control target is equal to or higher than the first temperature.
Ouzillou, fig. 6, teaches wherein the circuitry is configured to output a warning (audible or visual message to a user instructing the user to take corrective action) when the detected temperature of the control target (sensed temperature of power amplifier 110) is equal to or higher than the first temperature (first temperature threshold T1; when the sensed temperature reaches T1, thermal limit signal TLIMIT 122 goes high, and the controller may convey an audible or visual message to a user instructing the user to take corrective action) (column 3, lines 4-7; column 4, lines 9-13; column 6, lines 8-18).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was
effectively filed to modify the Lawrence and Kawaguchi combination with the teachings of Ouzillou to provide a warning when the detected temperature reaches the first temperature threshold, thereby alerting a user of an overheating condition and permitting corrective action to be taken.
Regarding claim 7: All of the claim limitations have been discussed with respect to claim 5 above,
except for further comprising outputting a warning when the detected temperature of the control target is equal to or higher than the first temperature. Ouzillou, fig.6, teaches further comprising outputting a warning (audible or visual message to a user instructing the user to take corrective action) when the detected temperature of the control target (sensed temperature of power amplifier 110) is equal to or higher than the first temperature (first temperature threshold T1; when the sensed temperature reaches T1, thermal limit signal TLIMIT 122 goes high, and the controller may convey an audible or visual message to a user instructing the user to take corrective action) (column 3, lines 4-7; column 4, lines 9-13; column 6, lines 8-18).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was
effectively filed to modify the Lawrence and Kawaguchi combination with the teachings of Ouzillou to provide a warning when the detected temperature reaches the first temperature threshold, thereby alerting a user of an overheating condition and permitting corrective action to be taken before the temperature continues to rise to a level at which damage may occur.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4 and 8 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. The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding claim 4 and 8: None of the references teach the claimed detecting a state of the control target in each monitoring cycle for monitoring the control target, and controlling to increase the gain upon detecting that the detected temperature is lower than the first temperature in a plurality of consecutive monitoring cycles.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The prior art of record, including:
Melanson et al. (US-7840015-B1) teaches sensing an overheating condition in an amplifier and controlling amplifier gain in response to the sensed temperature, including reducing gain when an overheating condition is detected and restoring/increasing gain when the temperature permits.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to /NATASHA Y MARANO/ whose telephone number is (571)272-9512. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 7:30am - 3:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jessica Han can be reached at 571-272-2078. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/NATASHA Y MARANO/Examiner, Art Unit 2843
/Jessica Han/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2843
