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 .
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.
Claims 1 – 20 are pending.
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.
(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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Phillips (US 8,380,463 B2; hereinafter Phillips).
Regarding Claim 1, Philipps discloses an energy measurement device (Fig. 1, item 1), comprising:
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a conversion circuit (Fig. 1, item 9) coupled to a processing circuit (Fig. 1, item 5), and coupled to a sensor (Fig. 1, item 4) through an input port (Fig. 1, hardwired connection 14) of the energy measurement device (Fig. 1, item 1) to receive a sensing voltage (Fig. 1, item AS), wherein the conversion circuit (Fig. 1, item 9) is configured to convert the sensing voltage (Fig. 1, item AS) into a preset measurement signal, and provide the preset measurement signal to the processing circuit; (column 5, lines 60 – 64; signal processing unit 5 shown in FIG. 1 produces, from the transmitted modulated output signal OS, e.g. pulse width modulated signal, a corresponding, averaged, equally shaped electrical current or voltage value) and
a first measurement circuit (Fig. 1, item 11) coupled to the processing circuit (Fig. 1, item 5) through the conversion circuit (Fig. 1, item 9), and coupled to the sensor (Fig. 1, item 4) through the input port (Fig. 1, hardwired connection 14), wherein the first measurement circuit (Fig. 1, item 11) comprises a first switch, when the first switch receives a first enable signal provided by the processing circuit, the first measurement circuit is configured to convert the sensing voltage into a first measurement voltage, and the conversion circuit is configured to convert the first measurement voltage into a first measurement signal (column 8, lines 13 – 20; signaling signal, the sensor unit 4 switches into a receiving mode, in which the setting parameters X are transferred from the parametering unit 19, and the transmission of the electrical, measured variable M as conditioned output signal OS is paused for the time of the transmission).
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) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Phillips in view of Murashima (US 2018/0287625 A1; Murashima).
Regarding Claim 2, Philipps discloses the energy measurement device of claim 1, when the first switch receives the first enable signal, the first measurement circuit generates the first measurement voltage according to a cross-voltage of the first impedance element; when the first switch receives a first disable signal provided by the processing circuit, the first measurement circuit becomes open (column 8, lines 13 – 20; signaling signal, the sensor unit 4 switches into a receiving mode, in which the setting parameters X are transferred from the parametering unit 19, and the transmission of the electrical, measured variable M as conditioned output signal OS is paused for the time of the transmission).
But Philipps does not specifically teach wherein the first measurement circuit further comprises a first impedance element.
However, Murashima suggests wherein the first measurement circuit further comprises a first impedance element (para [0053]; measurement element includes a vibrator element and crease oscillation efficiency by making impedance of the vibrator element).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to modify Phillipps in view of Murashima in order to increase oscillation efficiency (Murashimapara [0053]).
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Phillips in view of Tsuruta (US 2016/0139208 A1; hereinafter Tsuruta).
Regarding Claim 6, Philipps discloses the energy measurement device of claim 1, wherein the conversion circuit (Fig. 1, item 9) comprises: a voltage limiting element (Fig. 1 and column 6, lines 1 – 6; signal converter 9 transforms the averaged output signal OS smoothed by the lowpass 6 into a corresponding analog electrical current signal AI or an analog voltage signal AU and/or adapts the size association of the smoothed, averaged output signal OS to the analog electrical current signal AI, or voltage signal AU) coupled to the input port (Fig. 1, hardwired connection 14).
But Philipps does not specifically teach a plurality of voltage dividing resistors coupled to the voltage limiting element; and a filter capacitor coupled between the plurality of voltage dividing resistors and the processing circuit.
However Tsuruta a plurality of voltage dividing resistors coupled to the voltage limiting element; and a filter capacitor coupled between the plurality of voltage dividing resistors and the processing circuit (claim 6; a voltage dividing circuit that is formed by resistor elements, the voltage dividing circuit is connected between the power terminals, and the second capacitor is connected in parallel with one of the resistor elements of the voltage dividing circuit).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to modify Philipps in view Tsuruta because the invention realizes a simple structure and low cost (Tsuruta, para [0019]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7 – 12 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding Claim 7, the prior art of record does not teach claimed limitation: “wherein when the processing circuit disables the first measurement circuit, the conversion circuit is configured to convert the sensing voltage into a preset measurement signal, and provide the preset measurement signal to the processing circuit” in combination with all other claimed limitations of claim 7.
Regarding Claims 8 – 13, the claims are allowed as they further limit allowed claim 7.
Regarding Claim 14, the prior art of record does not teach claimed limitation: “a plurality of input ports coupled to a plurality of sensors; and a plurality of energy measurement circuits, wherein each of the plurality of energy measurement circuits is respectively coupled to one of the plurality of input ports” in combination with all other claimed limitations of claim 14.
Regarding Claims 15 – 20, the claims are allowed as they further limit allowed claim 14.
Claim 3 is 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.
Regarding Claim 3, the prior art of record does not teach claimed limitation: “further comprising: a second measurement circuit coupled to the processing circuit through the conversion circuit, and coupled to the sensor through the input port, wherein the second measurement circuit comprises a second switch, when the second switch receives a second enable signal provided by the processing circuit, the second measurement circuit is configured to convert the sensing voltage into a second measurement voltage, and the conversion circuit is configured to convert the second measurement voltage into a second measurement signal; and wherein when the second switch receives a second disable signal provided by the processing circuit, the second measurement circuit is switched to open” in combination with all other claimed limitations of claim 3.
Regarding Claims 4 – 5, the claims would be allowable as they further limit claim 3.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Kalb et al. (US 2010/0106449 A1) suggests the conditioned signal from each of the plurality of signal conditioning circuits is fed into a processing device (see claim 4).
Guthrie et al. (US 2019/0293695 A1) teaches an apparatus for sampling signals in a power controller, comprising: an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to sample an input signal, the input signal being associated with a sense signal from an output stage in the power controller (see claim 1).
Hurwitz et al. (US 2017/0356939 A1) discloses a method of estimating phase measurement errors in measurements of current or voltage, the method comprising: providing an input signal having a fundamental frequency to an input of a current transducer; receiving an output signal from the current transducer (see claim 1).
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/GIOVANNI ASTACIO-OQUENDO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858 1/24/2026