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 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 (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 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.
Claim(s) 1-9 and 11-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by United States Patent No. 11231730 to King et al.
Regarding claim 1, King teaches an error detection module adapted to be attached to an in-wall power adapter (figure 94), the error detection module comprising:
a switch element configured to route a line voltage to a load (figure 11; column 26 lines 9-25);
a control circuit coupled to the switch element, wherein the control circuit is adapted to control the switch element (column 26 lines 26-38); and
a user interface adapted to provide a test result associated with a detected error (column 62 lines 42-46);
wherein the control circuit controls the switch element to detect a type of wiring error (column 62 lines 42-46).
Regarding claim 2, King teaches the error detection module of claim 1, wherein the control circuit performs a test to detect a wiring error when a neutral wire is not connected to a contact element of the in-wall power adapter (column 63 lines 32-51).
Regarding claim 3, King teaches the error detection module of claim 1, wherein the control circuit performs a test to detect a wiring error when a line wire and a load wire connected to the in-wall power adapter are swapped (column 43 lines 34-61).
Regarding claim 4, King teaches the error detection module of claim 1, wherein the control circuit performs tests for detecting one or more wiring error of a group of wiring error comprising a line connection missing, a neutral connection missing, a traveler connection missing, line and neutral wires swapped, line and load wires swapped, line and traveler wires swapped, neutral and load wires swapped, neutral and traveler wires swapped, and load and traveler wires swapped (column 43 lines 34-61).
Regarding claim 5, King teaches the error detection module of claim 1, further comprising a test circuit coupled to the control circuit, wherein the test circuit is configured to select a contact element of the error detection module to determine a voltage of the contact element (column 57 lines 22-49).
Regarding claim 6, King teaches the error detection module of claim 5, wherein the test circuit comprises a multiplexer circuit (column 57 lines 38-40).
Regarding claim 7, King teaches the error detection module of claim 1, wherein the user interface provides an indication of a type of wiring error (column 62 lines 31-46).
Regarding claim 8, King teaches an error detection module adapted to be attached to an in-wall power adapter (figure 94), the error detection module comprising:
a switch element configured to connect a line voltage to one of a load contact element and a traveler contact element (figure 11;
a control circuit coupled to the switch element, wherein the control circuit is adapted to control the switch element (column 26 lines 9-25); and
a user interface adapted to provide a test result associated with a detected wiring error (column 62 lines 42-46);
wherein the control circuit controls the switch element to detect a type of wiring error (column 62 lines 42-46).
Regarding claim 9, King teaches the error detection module of claim 8, further comprising a second switch element configured to route a signal from a contact element associated with a multiway wiring arrangement to one of the load contact element and the traveler contact element (column 29 lines 24-36).
Regarding claim 11, King teaches the error detection module of claim 8, wherein the control circuit tests for one or more wiring errors of the group of wiring errors comprising a line connection missing, a neutral connection missing, a traveler connection missing, line and neutral wires swapped, line and load wires swapped, line and traveler wires swapped, neutral and load wires swapped, neutral and traveler wires swapped, and load and traveler wires swapped (column 43 lines 34-61).
Regarding claim 12, King teaches the error detection module of claim 8, further comprising a test circuit coupled to the control circuit for selecting a contact element to determine a voltage of the contact element (column 43 lines 34-61).
Regarding claim 13, King teaches the error detection module of claim 12, wherein the test circuit comprises a multiplexer circuit (column 57 lines 38-40).
Regarding claim 14, King teaches the error detection module of claim 8, wherein the user interface provides an indication of a type of wiring error (column 62 lines 31-46).
Regarding claim 15, King teaches a method of detecting a wiring error for an in-wall power adapter (figure 94), the method comprising:
configuring a switch element to route a line voltage to a load (figure 11; column 26 lines 9-25);
coupling a control circuit to the switch element, wherein the control circuit is adapted to control the switch element (column 26 lines 26-38); and
providing a user interface to indicate a test result associated with a detected wiring error (column 62 lines 42-46);
wherein the control circuit controls the switch element to detect a type of wiring error (column 62 lines 42-46).
Regarding claim 16, King teaches the method of claim 15, further comprising detecting, by the control circuit, a wiring error when a neutral wire is not connected to a contact element of the in-wall power adapter (column 63 lines 32-51).
Regarding claim 17, King teaches the method of claim 15, further comprising detecting, by the control circuit, a wiring error when a line wire and a load wire connected to the in-wall power adapter are swapped (column 43 lines 34-61).
Regarding claim 18, King teaches the method of claim 15, further comprising testing, by the control circuit, for one or more wiring errors of a group of wiring errors comprising a line connection missing, a neutral connection missing, a traveler connection missing, line and neutral wires swapped, line and load wires swapped, line and traveler wires swapped, neutral and load wires swapped, neutral and traveler wires swapped, and load and traveler wires swapped (column 43 lines 34-61).
Regarding claim 19, King teaches the method of claim 15, further comprising coupling a test circuit to the control circuit, wherein the test circuit is adapted to select a contact element to determine a voltage of the contact element (column 57 lines 22-49).
Regarding claim 20, King teaches the method of claim 15, further comprising providing an indication of a type of wiring error (column 62 lines 31-46).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 10 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
United States Patent App. Pub. No. 20180097316 to Rose et al. discloses a plug connector part having a temperature-monitoring device having at least one sensor device being arranged on the support element so as to detect a rise in temperature of the at least one contact element.
United States Patent App. Pub. No. 20170276702 to Freer discloses adapters for testing electrical equipment having a communication module that can send error codes regarding wiring.
German Patent Document No. DE102011005301B4 to Zapf discloses an electrical connector having the ability to send test programming signals.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Robert P Alejnikov whose telephone number is (571)270-5164. The examiner can normally be reached 10:00a-6:00p M-F.
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/ROBERT P ALEJNIKOV JR/Examiner, Art Unit 2857
/ARLEEN M VAZQUEZ/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2857