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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 2/19/2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 2/19/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. While a new rejection has been provided to address the most recent claim amendments, prior art Itzler, and its respective teachings remain relied upon, and therefore subsequent arguments will be addressed. While the Applicant argues that Itzler fails to teach monitoring a magnitude of one or more harmonic components of current data, the examiner respectfully disagrees.
Itzler discloses (at paragraph 0040) that “any parameter of interest” can be sensed, including “total harmonic distortion” (THD). THD is a parameter derived from the magnitudes of harmonic components of a waveform relative to the fundamental component. Therefore, sensing or monitoring THD necessarily involves determining the magnitudes of harmonic components of the current waveform. Accordingly, Itzler teaches monitoring harmonic characteristics of the current data, which corresponds to monitoring a magnitude of one or more harmonic components of the current data as recited in the claims. Furthermore, because Itzler monitors sensed electrical parameters in order to evaluate system conditions and detects abnormal operation, monitoring THD involves observing variations in harmonic content of the current waveform. Such variations correspond to changes in the magnitude of one or more harmonic components of the current data, as recited in the claim. For these reasons, inter alia, the examiner believes the prior art of record, namely Itzler, remains pertinent with respect to the claim language as currently presented. An updated office action is presented below to address the most recent claim amendments.
Claim Objections
Claim 16 is objected to because of the following informalities: claim 16 recites the phrase, “and/or”. For the sake of expediting prosecution, said phrase will be interpreted under its broadest reasonable interpretation, in this instance, “or”. Appropriate correction is required.
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, 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) 1-3, 5-13, and 16-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kabler et al. (U.S. Patent Publication Number 2014/0333322) in view of Itzler et al. (U.S. Patent Publication Number 2016/0343232).
Regarding Claim 1:
Kabler et al. discloses a device (Fig. 2, monitoring unit 210 and its related discussion; see, at least, paragraphs 0008, 0042-0048, etc. which disclose a monitoring unit interposed between an appliance and an outlet) comprising a processor (Fig. 2, processing unit 220 and its related discussion) configured to monitor whether a fault has developed in an electrical appliance using measured data (Fig. 2, processing unit 220 and its related discussion; see, at least, Abstract, paragraphs 0005, 0008, 0042-0048, etc. which disclose detecting and identifying possible fault conditions via comparing obtain voltage or power signatures of an appliance to expected voltage or power signatures). While Kabler discloses a processor configured to monitor for a fault based upon measured voltage or power signatures, Kabler fails to teach monitoring whether a fault has developed by using measured current data, wherein monitoring whether a fault has developed comprises monitoring a magnitude of one or more harmonic components of the current data for a change.
However, Itzler et al. discloses it is known in the art for a processor for using measured current data (Fig. 6, phase current sensors 620 and their related discussion), the measured current data comprising a measure of current supplied to the electrical appliance (Fig. 6, phase current sensors 620 and their related discussion; see, at least, paragraph 0035 which discloses the current sensors 620 provide information on the power provided to a respective load), wherein monitoring whether a fault has developed comprises monitoring a magnitude of one or more harmonic components of the current data for a change (see, at least, paragraphs 0039-0040 which disclose sensing changes in parameters including ‘total harmonic distortion’ to determine deviations from the normal or desired operating range(s). The reference’s disclosure of sensing total harmonic distortion (THD) reads on the claim language as THD is determined from the RMS magnitudes of the individual harmonic components of the current waveform. Therefore, monitoring or sensing THD requires analyzing the magnitudes of one or more harmonic components of the current, as recited). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Kabler to incorporate a current sensor, in addition to the voltage sensor of Kabler, to utilize measured current data to further analyze a magnitude of one or more harmonic components of current, as taught within Itzler, to improve and provide more accurate detection of potentially abnormal operating conditions versus relying on voltage or current measurements alone.
Regarding Claim 2:
Modified Kabler teaches the limitations of the preceding claim 1. Modified Kabler, in further view of Kabler, discloses wherein the device is configured to couple the electrical appliance to an electrical power supply (see, at least, paragraph 0008 which discloses a monitoring unit interposed between an appliance and an outlet), the device further comprising: a current sensor, configured to measure the current supplied through the device to the electrical appliance (Itzler: Fig. 6, phase current sensors 620 and their related discussion; see, at least, paragraph 0035 which discloses the current sensors 620 provide information on the power provided to a respective load); and a voltage sensor, configured to measure voltage supplied through the device to the electrical appliance (Kabler: Fig. 2, voltage-measuring unit 212 and its related discussion; see, at least, Abstract, paragraphs 0042-0048, etc.), wherein the current supplied through the device is a three-phase current comprising three current signals (Fig. 2, current lines 202, 204, and 206, and their related discussion), and the voltage supplied through the device is a three-phase voltage comprising three voltage signals (Fig. 2, current lines 202, 204, and 206, and their related discussion), the current sensor configured to measure each of the three current signals of the three-phase current (Itzler: Fig. 6, phase current sensors 620 and their related discussion; see, at least, paragraph 0035), and the voltage sensor configured to measure each of the three voltage signals of the three-phase voltage (Kabler: Fig. 2, voltage-measuring unit 212 and its related discussion; see, at least, Abstract, paragraphs 0042-0048, etc.).
Regarding Claim 3:
Modified Kabler teaches the limitations of the preceding claim 2. Modified Kabler, in further view of Kabler, discloses further comprising a transmitter configured to transmit information relating to the energy usage of the electrical appliance (Fig. 2, communication interface 230 and its related discussion; see, at least, paragraphs 0047-0048, etc. which disclose the communication interface is used to transmit information regarding the power consumption and behavior of electrical appliances receiving power from the electrical system based upon measurements by the monitoring unit, etc.).
Regarding Claim 5:
Modified Kabler teaches the limitations of the preceding claim 1. Modified Kabler, in further view of Kabler, discloses wherein the monitoring is performed in real-time (see, at least, paragraph 0055 which discloses the respective processing allows for processing in real or near real time).
Regarding Claim 6:
Modified Kabler teaches the limitations of the preceding claim 3. Modified Kabler, in further view of Kabler, discloses wherein the transmitter is a communication module configured to communicate with other locally networked devices (Fig. 2, communication interface 230, computing device 240, and their related discussion; see, at least, paragraphs 0047-0048, etc. which disclose the communication interface is used to transmit information regarding the power consumption and behavior of electrical appliances receiving power from the electrical system based upon measurements by the monitoring unit, etc.).
Regarding Claim 7:
Modified Kabler teaches the limitations of the preceding claim 6. Modified Kabler, in further view of Kabler, discloses wherein the communication module is configured to communicate over an internet connection (Fig. 2, communication interface 230, computing device 240, and their related discussion; see, at least, paragraphs 0047-0048, etc. which disclose the various communication protocols such as Wi-Fi protocols).
Regarding Claim 8:
Modified Kabler teaches the limitations of the preceding claim 3. Modified Kabler, in further view of Kabler, discloses wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit information indicating a fault has developed in the electrical appliance (Fig. 2, communication interface 230, computing device 240, and their related discussion; see, at least, paragraphs 0047-0048, etc. which disclose the communication interface is used to transmit information regarding the power consumption and behavior of electrical appliances receiving power from the electrical system based upon measurements by the monitoring unit, etc.).
Regarding Claim 9:
Modified Kabler teaches the limitations of the preceding claim 1. Modified Kabler, in further view of Kabler, discloses a system comprising the device according to claim 1 (see, for example, Abstract, paragraphs 0002-0008, etc. which disclose a system comprising a monitoring unit interposed between an appliance and an outlet. See also Fig. 1 and claim 1 as addressed above), further comprising the electrical appliance (see, for example, Abstract, paragraph 0008, etc. which disclose a system comprising a monitoring unit interposed between an appliance and an outlet. See also Fig. 1 with respect to the various appliances utilized within said system).
Regarding Claim 10:
Modified Kabler teaches the limitations of the preceding claim 9. Modified Kabler, in further view of Kabler, discloses wherein the electrical appliance is an air-conditioning system (see, at least, paragraphs 0002-0008, 0035, 0071, claim 5, etc. which discloses an electrical appliance may be an HVAC system).
Regarding Claim 11:
Modified Kabler teaches the limitations of the preceding claim 9. Modified Kabler, in further view of Kabler, discloses wherein the electrical appliance is a heating system (see, at least, paragraphs 0002-0008, 0035, 0071, claim 5, etc. which discloses an electrical appliance may be an HVAC system).
Regarding Claim 12:
Modified Kabler teaches the limitations of the preceding claim 9. Modified Kabler, in further view of Kabler, discloses wherein the electrical appliance is a ventilation system (see, at least, paragraphs 0002-0008, 0035, 0071, claim 5, etc. which discloses an electrical appliance may be an HVAC system).
Regarding Claim 13:
Modified Kabler teaches the limitations of the preceding claim 9. Modified Kabler, in further view of Kabler, discloses wherein the electrical appliance is an electrical vehicle charging system (see, at least, paragraphs 0002-0008, 0035, 0071, claim 5, etc. which discloses an electrical appliance may be an electric car charger).
Regarding Claim 16:
Modified Kabler teaches the limitations of the preceding claim 13. Modified Kabler, in further view of Itzler, discloses wherein an electrical vehicle is monitored based on one or more of an instantaneous real, apparent or RMS power being consumed, the overall real, apparent or RMS power being consumed for the duration of a charging time, or the power factor (see, at least, paragraphs 0039-0040 which disclose sensing changes in parameters including ‘total harmonic distortion’ to determine deviations from the normal or desired operating range(s). The reference’s disclosure of sensing total harmonic distortion (THD) reads on the claim language as THD is determined from the RMS magnitudes or sensing THD requires analyzing the magnitudes of one or more harmonic components of the current, as recited.).
Regarding Claim 17:
Kabler et al. discloses a method of monitoring performance of an electrical appliance coupled to a device for coupling the electrical appliance to an electrical power supply (Fig. 2, monitoring unit 210 and its related discussion; see, at least, paragraphs 0008, 0042-0048, etc. which disclose a monitoring unit interposed between an appliance and an outlet), the method comprising: measuring voltage supplied through the device to the electrical appliance (Fig. 2, processing unit 220, voltage-measuring unit 212, and their related discussion; see, at least, Abstract, paragraphs 0005, 0008, 0042-0048, etc. which disclose detecting and identifying possible fault conditions via comparing obtain voltage or power signatures of an appliance to expected voltage or power signatures); monitoring whether a fault has developed in the electrical appliance (Fig. 2, processing unit 220 and its related discussion; see, at least, Abstract, paragraphs 0005, 0008, 0042-0048, etc. which disclose detecting and identifying possible fault conditions via comparing obtain voltage or power signatures of an appliance to expected voltage or power signatures). While Kabler discloses a processor configured to monitor for a fault based upon measured voltage or power signatures, Kabler fails to teach measuring a current supplied through the device to the electrical appliance and further monitoring whether a fault has developed by monitoring a magnitude of one or more harmonic components of the current for a change.
However, Itzler et al. discloses measuring current supplied through the device to the electrical appliance (Fig. 6, phase current sensors 620 and their related discussion; see, at least, paragraph 0035 which discloses the current sensors 620 provide information on the power provided to a respective load), wherein monitoring whether a fault has developed comprises monitoring a magnitude of one or more harmonic components of the current for a change (see, at least, paragraphs 0039-0040 which disclose sensing changes in parameters including ‘total harmonic distortion’ to determine deviations from the normal or desired operating range(s). The reference’s disclosure of sensing total harmonic distortion (THD) reads on the claim language as THD is determined from the RMS magnitudes of the individual harmonic components of the current waveform. Therefore, monitoring or sensing THD requires analyzing the magnitudes of one or more harmonic components of the current, as recited). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Kabler to incorporate measuring current supplied to the electrical appliance, in addition to measuring the voltage, to utilize measured current data to further analyze a magnitude of one or more harmonic components of current, as taught within Itzler, to improve and provide more accurate detection of potentially abnormal operating conditions versus relying on voltage or current measurements alone.
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kabler et al. (U.S. Patent Publication Number 2014/0333322) in view of Itzler et al. (U.S. Patent Publication Number 2016/0343232) and in further view of Shinde et al. (U.S. Patent Publication Number 2011/0082599).
Regarding Claim 4:
Modified Kabler teaches the limitations of the preceding claim 2. Modified Kabler fails to teach wherein the current sensor is configured to measure current supplied through the device to the electrical appliance at a first sampling frequency and wherein the voltage sensor is configured to measure voltage supplied through the device to the electrical appliance at a second sampling frequency, wherein the second sampling frequency is greater than or equal to 1 MHz.
However, Shinde et al. discloses wherein the current sensor is configured to measure current supplied through the device to the electrical appliance at a first sampling frequency and wherein the voltage sensor is configured to measure voltage supplied through the device to the electrical appliance at a second sampling frequency, wherein the second sampling frequency is greater than or equal to 1 MHz (see, at least, paragraphs 0093-0094, 0114, etc. which disclose respective sampling frequencies in relation to current and voltage monitoring of electricity usage). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Modified Kabler to sample the current and voltage at respective first and second sampling frequencies, as taught within Shinde, to achieve accurate and continual monitoring of the electricity usage associated with an appliance of the system. Furthermore, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233. In this instance, the selected sampling frequencies are believed to fall well within the range of one having ordinary skill in the art as necessitated by the specific requirements of a given application.
Claim(s) 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kabler et al. (U.S. Patent Publication Number 2014/0333322) in view of Itzler et al. (U.S. Patent Publication Number 2016/0343232) and in further view of Shimada et al. (U.S. Patent Publication Number 2010/0070217).
Regarding Claim 14:
Modified Kabler teaches the limitations of the preceding claim 2. Modified Kabler fails to teach an isolation component, wherein the voltage sensor is coupled to the processor through the isolation component.
However, Shimada et al. discloses an isolation component, wherein the voltage sensor is coupled to the processor through the isolation component (Fig. 3, voltage sensor 328 coupled to processor 332 via isolation component ‘pre-amplifiers’ not shown, and their related discussion; see, at least, paragraph 0057). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Modified Kabler to incorporate an isolation component, as taught within Shimada, to provide a form of protection between the sensor(s) and the processor.
Claim(s) 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kabler et al. (U.S. Patent Publication Number 2014/0333322) in view of Itzler et al. (U.S. Patent Publication Number 2016/0343232) and in further view of Lee (U.S. Patent Publication Number 2012/0013442).
Regarding Claim 15:
Modified Kabler teaches the limitations of the preceding claim 2. Modified Kabler fails to teach the device further comprising an electronically controlled switch configured to allow power supply to the electrical appliance in a first configuration and prevent power supply to the electrical appliance in a second configuration.
However, Lee discloses further comprising an electronically controlled switch (Fig. 3, switch module 109 and its related discussion) configured to allow power supply to the electrical appliance in a first configuration (see, at least, paragraph 0031. Power supplied to the attached device during a first configuration, read on by normal operations) and prevent power supply to the electrical appliance in a second configuration (see, at least, paragraph 0031. Electricity supply is stopped during a second configuration, read on by an occurrence of an anomaly). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Modified Kabler to incorporate an electronically controlled switch, as taught within Lee, to allow for more precise control over the power supplied to a respective load, as well as to provide safety and protection over the respective components and loads during instances in which an abnormal power supply may be present, thereby improving overall longevity and system efficiency.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOSEPH N INGE whose telephone number is (571)270-7705. The examiner can normally be reached 10:00-4:00 EST.
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/JOSEPH N INGE/Examiner, Art Unit 2836