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 .
Claims 1-20 are pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claim16-20 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. The claims are directed to “a computer readable medium”. The specification is silent regarding the meaning of this term. Thus, applying the broadest reasonable interpretation in light of the specification and taking into account the meaning of the words in their ordinary usage as they would be understood by one of the ordinary skill in the art (MPEP 2111), the claim as a whole covers both transitory and non-transitory media. A transitory medium does not fall into any of the four categories of invention (process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al. USPGPUB 2015/0134988 (hereinafter “Wang”) in view of COX et al. USPGPUB 2014/0365793 (hereinafter “Cox”).
As to claim 1, Wang teaches a method comprising: obtaining, by an auxiliary controller of a device, first thermal information regarding a first temperature of the device and a first rate of increase of the first temperature (paragraph 0005-0006); determining that the first temperature has exceeded a first temperature threshold and that the first rate of increase of the first temperature has exceeded a threshold rate of increase (paragraph 0006-0008); throttling, by the auxiliary controller, a metric of the device to a first level to adjust the first rate of increase of the first temperature to a second rate of increase in response to the first temperature threshold and the threshold rate of increase being exceeded (paragraph 0021—0023 and FIG. 3-4); obtaining, by the auxiliary controller, second thermal information regarding a second temperature of the device; determining that the second temperature of the device has exceeded a second temperature threshold (paragraph 0022-0024 and FIG. 2-5); and throttling, by the main controller, the metric of the device to a second level to adjust the second temperature of the device (paragraph 0021-0025).
Wang does not explicitly teach sending the second thermal information and historical data regarding actions of the auxiliary controller to a main controller of the device in response to the second temperature threshold being exceeded; handing off thermal control of the device to the main controller from the auxiliary controller in response to the second temperature of the device exceeding the second temperature threshold.
Cox teaches sending the second thermal information and historical data regarding actions of the auxiliary controller to a main controller of the device in response to the second temperature threshold being exceeded (paragraph 0028-0031 and FIG. 1-4); handing off thermal control of the device to the main controller from the auxiliary controller in response to the second temperature of the device exceeding the second temperature threshold (paragraph 0031-000041).
Wang and Cox are analogous art because they are from the same field of endeavor and contain overlapping structural and functional similarities. They both relate to thermal management system.
Therefore at the time of effective filing date, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the above thermal management system, as taught by Wang, and incorporating historical data regarding actions of the auxiliary controller to a main controller of the device in response to the second temperature threshold being exceeded, as taught by Cox.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to improve monitoring, controlling or to maintain temperature at a desired level, as suggested by Cox (paragraph 0003).
As to claim 2, Wang and Cox teach all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Cox further teaches wherein the main controller is a Proportional and Integral (PI) controller and a memory element of the PI controller is initialized to a value equal to a last level set by the auxiliary controller (paragraph 008-0031 and FIG. 2A-3).
As to claim 3, Wang and Cox teach all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Cox further teaches wherein the auxiliary controller is a proportional-only controller (FIG. 2A-3 and paragraph 0031-0032).
As to claim 4, Wang and Cox teach all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Wang further teaches wherein the first rate of increase of the first temperature is caused by operation of a component of the device and the component of the device is a central processing unit (CPU), a graphical processing unit (GPU), a display, or a speaker (paragraph 0020 and 0037-0038, FIG. 3-5).
As to claim 5, Wang and Cox teach all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Cox further teaches wherein the metric is associated with a component of the device and is a voltage, a frequency, a percentage of volume of a speaker, or a percentage of brightness of a display (paragraph 0051 and 0025).
As to claim 6, Wang and Cox teach all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Wang further teaches wherein the first temperature threshold, the second temperature threshold, and the threshold rate of increase each have a value and are tunable to be changed to a different value (paragraph 0008-0009 and 0021-0024).
As to claim 7, Wang and Cox teach all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Wang further teaches wherein the first temperature threshold is a lower value than the second temperature threshold (paragraph 0023-0025).
As to claim 8, Wang and Cox teach all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Cox further teaches wherein the auxiliary controller does not accumulate temperature error (paragraph 0031-0033).
As to claim 9, Wang and Cox teach all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Cox further teaches wherein the historical data regarding actions of the auxiliary controller is a table index that corresponds to lower-than-maximum adjustments made to the metric (paragraph 0047-0060).
As to claim 10, is related to claim 1 with similar limitation also rejected by same rational.
As to claim 11, is related to claim 2 with similar limitation also rejected by same rational.
As to claim 12, is related to claim 3 with similar limitation also rejected by same rational.
As to claim 13, is related to claim 4 with similar limitations also rejected by same rational.
As to claim 14, is related to claim 5 with similar limitations also rejected by same rational.
As to claim 15, Wang and Cox teach all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Cox further teaches wherein the device is a small form factor electronic device.
As to claim 16, is related to claim 2 with similar limitation also rejected by same rational.
As to claim 17, is related to claim 2 with similar limitation also rejected by same rational.
As to claim 18, is related to claim 4 with similar limitation also rejected by same rational.
As to claim 19, is related to claim 5 with similar limitations also rejected by same rational.
As to claim 20, Wang and Cox teach all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Wang further teaches wherein the first temperature threshold, the second temperature threshold, and the threshold rate of increase each have a value and are tunable to be changed to a different value (paragraph 0008-0009 and 0021-0024).
It is noted that any citations to specific, pages, columns, lines, or figures in the prior art references and any interpretation of the reference should not be considered to be limiting in any way. A reference is relevant for all it contains and may be relied upon for all that it would have reasonably suggested to one having ordinary skill in the art. See MPEP 2123.
Continuation of 12# new language in the claims does not support by the specifications.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and listed on the attached PTO Form 892 but not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
RAMAN et al USPGPUB 2015/0277395 teaches a temperature of a component within the portable computing device (PCD) may be monitored along with a parameter associated with the temperature. The parameter associated with temperature may be an operating frequency, transmission power, or a data flow rate. It is determined if the temperature has exceeded a threshold value. If the temperature has exceeded the threshold value, then the temperature is compared with a temperature set point and a first error value is then calculated based on the comparison. Next, a first optimum value of the parameter is determined based on the first error value. If the temperature is below or equal to the threshold value, then a present value of the parameter is compared with a desired threshold for the parameter and a second error value is calculated based on the comparison. A second optimum value of the parameter may be determined based on the second error value.
Lovicott et al. USPGPUB 2016/0274629 teaches a systems and methods of adaptive thermal control are provided for information handling system platforms that may be implemented to automate and scale fan control settings by making the fan control settings relative to a reported component thermal control parameter value from a component of an information handling system platform, such as a CPU or other heat generating component. In one example, bounds for system use of vendor or component manufacturer-reported thermal control parameter values may be set for system cooling so as to confine use of these values within information handling system platform limits characterized by a manufacturer of an information handling system platform.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZIAUL KARIM whose telephone number is (571)270-3279. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Thursday 8:00-4:00 PM EST.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Mohammad Ali can be reached on 571 272 4105. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ZIAUL KARIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2119
