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 .
Claim Objections
Claims 1, 9, and 11 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1, line 3: It is the Examiner’s position that the term “a passenger seat” should be amended to—the passenger seat—because the term is previously found in line 1 of the claim.
Claim 9, line 2: It is the Examiner’s position that the term “a passenger seat” should be amended to—the passenger seat—because the term is previously found in line 1 of the claim.
Claim 11, line 1: It is the Examiner’s position that the phrase “The seat box of claim 8” should be amended to—The seat box of claim 9—.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1, 7, 9, 13, 15, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Cheng (US 2019/0328141).
Regarding claim 1, Cheng teaches a voltage compensation system (figures 1 and 3) for power delivery at a passenger seat (1) in a transportation vehicle (airplane; para. [0017]), comprising:
a power delivery component (voltage detection unit 131 and socket 137 at load 2) coupled to the passenger seat (1) of the transportation vehicle (airplane), the power delivery component comprising a direct current (DC) power delivery port (USB socket 137) and a power meter component (131) configured to measure a power delivery component voltage (para. [0014] teaches the voltage measurement) received at the power delivery component via an electrical cable (wiring from voltage adjusting unit 132 to load 2/137); and
a seat box (132-133) coupled to the passenger seat (1) and electrically connected to the power delivery component (131, 137/2) via the electrical cable, the seat box configured to provide a supply voltage (from 132) to the power delivery component (131, 137/2) via the electrical cable,
wherein the seat box (132-133) comprises:
a DC-to-DC converter (Voltage adjusting unit 132 convert an DC input, e.g. from battery 15, to a DC output for the load/socket 2/137. Para. [0014], [0015], [0018]) configured to convert an initial DC voltage provided to the seat box to a seat box DC voltage,
a voltage compensation component configured to change the seat box DC voltage to produce the supply voltage provided to the power delivery component (Voltage adjusting unit 132 adjusts the DC output according to the load signal 14. Para. [0014], [0015], [0018]), and
a microcontroller (133) configured to:
receive the measured power delivery component voltage (output from voltage detection unit 131) from the power meter component (131) of the power delivery component,
determine a voltage drop across the electrical cable based at least on the measured power delivery component voltage (Para. [0014]-[0015] teaches detecting a change of voltage at the load 2/137 with load signal 14.), and
control the voltage compensation component based on the voltage drop to adjust the supply voltage based on the voltage drop (Para. [0014]-[0015] teaches adjusting the DC voltage based on the detected change of voltage at the load transmitted on load signal 14.).
Regarding claim 7, Cheng teaches wherein the microcontroller is further configured to: determine that the voltage drop exceeds a voltage drop threshold, and generate a warning signal in response to the voltage drop exceeding the voltage drop threshold (When the voltage drop is too large, the voltage adjusting unit 132 adjusts the DC output according to the load signal 14. Para. [0014], [0015], [0018]).
Regarding claim 9, Cheng teaches a seat box (Figures 1 and 3) for a passenger seat (1) in a transportation vehicle (airplane; para. [0017]), comprising:
a seat box component (132-133) coupled to the passenger seat (1) of the transportation vehicle and electrically connected to a power delivery component (voltage detection unit 131 and socket 137 at load 2) via an electrical cable (wiring from voltage adjusting unit 132 to load 2/137), the seat box component (132-133) being configured to provide a supply voltage to the power delivery component (voltage detection unit 131 and socket 137 at load 2) via the electrical cable (wiring from voltage adjusting unit 132 to load 2/137), the power delivery component comprising a direct current (DC) power delivery port (USB socket 137) and a power meter component (131) configured to measure a power delivery component voltage (para. [0014] teaches the voltage measurement) received at the power delivery component via the electrical cable (wiring from voltage adjusting unit 132 to load 2/137),
wherein the seat box component (132-133) comprises:
a DC-to-DC converter (Voltage adjusting unit 132 convert an DC input, e.g. from battery 15, to a DC output for the load/socket 2/137. Para. [0014], [0015], [0018]) to convert an initial DC voltage provided to the seat box to a seat box DC voltage,
a voltage compensation component to change the seat box DC voltage to produce the supply voltage provided to the power delivery component (Voltage adjusting unit 132 adjusts the DC output according to the load signal 14. Para. [0014], [0015], [0018]); and
a microcontroller (133) configured to:
receive the measured power delivery component voltage (output from voltage detection unit 131) from the power meter component (131) of the power delivery component,
determine a voltage drop across the electrical cable based at least on the measured power delivery component voltage (Para. [0014]-[0015] teaches detecting a change of voltage at the load 2/137 with load signal 14.), and
control the voltage compensation component based on the voltage drop to adjust the supply voltage (Para. [0014]-[0015] teaches adjusting the DC voltage based on the detected change of voltage at the load transmitted on load signal 14.).
Regarding claim 13, Cheng teaches wherein the microcontroller is further configured to: determine that the voltage drop exceeds a voltage drop threshold, and generate a warning signal in response to the voltage drop exceeding the voltage drop threshold (When the voltage drop is too large, the voltage adjusting unit 132 adjusts the DC output according to the load signal 14. Para. [0014], [0015], [0018]).
Regarding claims 15 and 19, the methods as recited in the claims are inherently present in the structure discussed above in the rejection of claims 1 and 7.
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.
Claims 2, 10, and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cheng in view of N M et al. (US 10,955,865; “N M”).
Regarding claims 2 and 10, Cheng teaches the voltage compensation system of claim 1 and the seat box of claim 9, as detailed above, but fails to teach wherein the voltage drop is determined by calculating a difference between the supply voltage provided by the seat box at a first end of the electrical cable and the measured power delivery component voltage received at the power delivery component at a second end of the electrical cable.
However, it is well-known to those of ordinary skill in the art to detecting voltage drops across a cable using voltage difference detection. For example, N M teaches compensating for voltage drops across a cable in a power supply system by detecting a difference between a source voltage and a sink voltage (across a load) (Col. 2, lines 15-48).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to detect a voltage drop across the cable of Cheng by detecting a voltage difference between the supply voltage and the measured load voltage because such a modification would have been implementing a well-known cable voltage drop detection protocol.
Regarding claims 16, the method as recited in the claim is inherently present in the structure discussed above in the rejection of claim 2.
Claims 3, 4, 11, 12, 17, and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cheng in view of Oikawa et al. (US 2003/0042971; “Oikawa”).
Regarding claims 3, 4, 11, and 12, Cheng teaches wherein the microcontroller (133) is configured to control the voltage compensation component (132) based on the voltage drop (on load signal 14) by transmitting a control signal to the voltage compensation component (132) to adjust the DC supply voltage for the load (137/2).
Cheng fails to teach wherein the voltage compensation component comprises a variable resistor and a voltage compensation circuit for adjusting the seat box DC voltage to produce the supply voltage based on a resistance of the variable resistor, and, wherein the resistance of the variable resistor is configured to be adjusted to adjust the supply voltage based on the voltage drop.
However, it is well-known to those of ordinary skill in the art to adjust a power supply output by controlling a variable resistor within the power supply circuit. For example, Oikawa teaches adjusting a power supply with a controlled variable resistor (Figure 1 and para. [0036]-[0038]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to adjust the power supply of Cheng by controlling a variable resistor within the power supply (132) of Cheng because such a modification would have been implementing a well-known adjustable power supply configuration.
Regarding claims 17 and 18, the methods as recited in the claims are inherently present in the structure discussed above in the rejection of claims 3 and 4.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cheng in view of Kwak (US 2003/0148788).
Regarding claim 5, Cheng teaches the voltage compensation system of claim 1, as detailed above, but fails to teach wherein the power delivery component further comprises: a calibration switch component configured to draw a current through the electrical cable into the power delivery component when the calibration switch component is activated during an initial calibration, wherein the calibration switch component is deactivated after the initial calibration.
Kwak teaches a power switch within a USB port to supply power to a sensed USB device. Figure 6 and para. [0078].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add a switch to the USB port (137) of Cheng because such a modification would have provided the benefit of transmitting power to a sensed load device connected to the USB port of Cheng.
Claims 8, 14, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cheng.
Regarding claims 8 and 14, Cheng teaches wherein the measured power delivery component voltage is received via a wire (see figure 3) connecting the microcontroller (133) and the power meter component (131).
Cheng fails to teach a serial bus connecting the microcontroller and the power meter component.
However, it is well-known to those of ordinary skill in the art to connect circuit elements of an electronic circuit with a serial bus.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to connect the microcontroller and the power meter component of Cheng with a serial bus because such a modification would have been implementing a well-known electronic circuit connector.
Regarding claim 20, the method as recited in the claim is inherently present in the structure discussed above in the rejection of claim 8.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 6 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The best prior art reference of record, Cheng, fails to teach:
“wherein the calibration switch component connected in parallel to the power meter component, the calibration switch component comprising a calibration switch and a calibration resistor connected to the calibration switch, and wherein the calibration switch is configured to draw the current through the electrical cable to the calibration resistor when the calibration switch is activated during the initial calibration.”, as set forth in claim 6.
Conclusion
The prior art references made of record and not relied upon teach power distribution systems for aircraft seats.
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/LEVI GANNON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2849 February 26, 2026