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.
Claims 1, 11, 12, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Bandholz et al. (US 2009/0045967 A1 hereinafter Bandholz).
Regarding claim 1, Bandholz discloses a system (see Bandholz, para. [0018]-[0020], describing a capacitive dust detection system for electronic devices such as servers), comprising:
a collection probe that is configured to collect native dust thereon (see Bandholz, para. [0018]-[0019], [0023], Figs. 3-4, 6; input leads 54A/54B of chip 50 serve as probes, with dust accumulating thereon via environmental exposure and airflow, as "dust will accumulate between them"; optional U-shaped projection 70 enhances dust collection on the leads, and dust is native/environmental dust in the device's operating environment);
a reading probe that is configurable in a position spaced apart from the collection probe (see Bandholz, para. [0018]-[0019], Figs. 3-4; second input lead 54B spaced apart from first lead 54A by a gap of approximately 1 mm, configurable in fixed positions on the chip for reading capacitance changes); and
a capacitance sensor comprising first and second input leads that are coupled to the collection probe and the reading probe, respectively, that is configured to generate a signal that is representative of a capacitance between the collection probe and the reading probe (see Bandholz, para. [0018]-[0020], Figs. 3-5; built-in capacitive-sensing logic circuit 56 in chip 50 uses input leads 54A/54B coupled to the probes, generating a signal representative of capacitance C between them, where dust alters the dielectric and increases C from baseline C₀);
a processor (see Bandholz, para. [0018], [0020]; chip 50 includes processing capabilities via sensor firmware 60); and
a memory coupled to the processor and comprising computer readable program code embodied in the memory that is executable by the processor to perform operations comprising:
correlating the signal with a depth of the native dust on the collection probe (see Bandholz, para. [0020]-[0022], Fig. 5; sensor firmware 60 correlates capacitance signal changes (ΔC) with the extent/amount of dust accumulation, which inherently corresponds to depth in the fixed-gap setup, as dust layers build thickness between leads, triggering alerts at critical threshold C_CRIT based on empirical correlation to excessive dust depth/levels; the proportionality in Fig. 5 directly ties signal to dust buildup depth, as accumulation in the gap necessarily measures layered thickness, with "an upwardly sloping curve 62 indicates a general increase in C in response to dust accumulation").
Regarding claim 11, Bandholz discloses the system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:
generating a notification when a depth of the native dust satisfies a threshold (see Bandholz, para. [0021]-[0022], Fig. 5; system generates an alert/notification when capacitance (correlated to dust depth) reaches C_CRIT, indicating excessive accumulation threshold is met).
Regarding claim 12, Bandholz discloses a method (see Bandholz, para. [0018]-[0020], [0024], describing method of operation for the capacitive dust detection system), comprising:
collecting native dust on a collection probe having a reading probe spaced apart therefrom (see Bandholz, para. [0018]-[0019], [0023], Figs. 3-4, 6; native/environmental dust collects on input lead/probe 54A, with second lead/probe 54B spaced apart, as "dust will accumulate between them");
generating, by a capacitance sensor comprising first and second input leads that are coupled to the collection probe and the reading probe, respectively, a signal that is representative of a capacitance between the collection probe and the reading probe (see Bandholz, para. [0018]-[0020], Figs. 3-5; capacitive-sensing logic circuit 56 generates signal for C between leads/probes); and
correlating the signal with a depth of the native dust on the collection probe (see Bandholz, para. [0020]-[0022], Fig. 5; correlating signal ΔC with dust depth via accumulation extent, as detailed in claim 1).
Regarding claim 20, Bandholz discloses the method of claim 12, further comprising:
generating a notification when a depth of the native dust satisfies a threshold (see Bandholz, para. [0021]-[0022], Fig. 5; generating alert when dust depth threshold is met via C_CRIT).
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 2 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bandholz et al. (US 2009/0045967 A1 hereinafter Bandholz); in view of Takita (US 2006/0055415 A1 hereinafter Takita.)
Regarding claims 2, 13, Bandholz discloses the system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:
calibrating the correlation of the signal with the depth of the native dust (see Bandholz, para. [0020]-[0022], Fig. 5; sensor firmware 60 empirically sets and correlates capacitance thresholds (C₀ to C_CRIT) to dust accumulation levels/extent, inherently calibrating the signal-to-accumulation (depth) relationship via observed changes during setup and operation).
Bandholz does not explicitly disclose using a test dust having a known thickness.
However, Takita, in the analogous art of capacitive sensors, teaches using a test dust having a known thickness for calibrating capacitance correlations to physical parameters like thickness/depth, by employing a reference capacitor with a known fixed gap (thickness) and identical materials to derive compensation for dielectric changes (ΔK) caused by composition variations, outgassing, or particle deposits (see Takita, para. [0028]-[0034], [0040]-[0045], Figs. 1-3; the reference setup provides a known-thickness baseline for calibration, isolating environmental effects and enabling precise signal-to-thickness correlation; this is directly applicable to dust as a variable dielectric, where known-thickness test materials simulate deposit buildup for accurate calibration).
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 calibration operations of Bandholz to include using a test dust having a known thickness as taught by Takita. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification because Bandholz's empirical calibration assumes consistent dielectric behavior but does not explicitly address variations from dust composition or environmental factors that could affect the capacitance-depth relationship; incorporating Takita's known-thickness reference technique compensates for such ΔK variations from particle deposits, thereby enhancing the precision and reliability of the correlation in diverse industrial environments with variable native dust properties (see Takita, para. [0005]-[0007], [0032]-[0035]; this yields a predictable improvement in sensor accuracy without undue experimentation).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-10, 14-19 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:
As to claims 3-10, 14-19, the prior art alone and/or in combination does not disclose wherein the capacitance sensor is further configured to generate a calibration signal that is representative of a calibration capacitance between the collection probe and the reading probe with the slide of test dust therebetween, as recited in claims 3-10, 14-19
Conclusion
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/TUNG X NGUYEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858 1/24/2026