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 1-11 are pending.
Claims 1, 6 and 8 are independent.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(4) because reference characters “4” and “12” have both been used to designate a safety logic controller module (paragraph 0013 and paragraph 0036), reference characters “5” and “14” have both been used to designate safety related electric machine control (paragraph 0013 and paragraph 0036), reference characters “5” and “14” have both been used to designate non-safety related electric machine control (paragraph 0014 and paragraph 0038), reference characters “7” and “13” have both been used to designate a non-safety logic controller module (paragraph 0014 and paragraph 0050), reference characters “11” and “51” have both been used to designate a digital input/output connection with isolation (paragraph 0036 and paragraph 0046), reference characters “21” and “41” have both been used to designate a digital input connection with isolation (paragraph 0039 and paragraph 0044), reference characters “31” and “51” have both been used to designate a digital output connection with isolation (paragraph 0041 and paragraph 0046), reference characters “44” and “54” have both been used to designate an isolator (paragraph 0045 and paragraph 0048), reference characters “47” and “55” have both been used to designate a data isolation block (paragraph 0045 and paragraph 0047), and reference characters “100”, “20”, “30”, “40”, “50” and “60” have all been used to designate an input/output facility (paragraph 0036, paragraph 0039, paragraph 0041, paragraph 0044, paragraph 0046, and paragraph 0050). Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(4) because reference character “5” has been used to designate both “safety related electric machine control” (paragraph 0013) and “non-safety related electric machine control” (paragraph 0014), reference character 14 reference character “40” has been used to designate both “an input/output facility” (paragraph 0044) and “an input/output facility arrangement” (paragraph 0045), reference character “41” has been used to designate a “digital input connection with isolation” (paragraph 0044), a “digital input/output connection” (paragraph 0044) and a “digital input with isolation” (paragraph 0044), reference character “51” has been used to designate a “digital output connection with isolation” (paragraph 0046), a “digital output with isolation” (Paragraph 0046), and a “digital input/output connection with isolation” (paragraph 0046), and reference character “55” has been used to designate both a “data isolation block” (paragraph 0047) and an “AND-operator” (paragraph 0047). Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Figure 1 should be designated by a legend such as --Prior Art-- because only that which is old is illustrated. See MPEP § 608.02(g). Corrected drawings in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. The replacement sheet(s) should be labeled “Replacement Sheet” in the page header (as per 37 CFR 1.84(c)) so as not to obstruct any portion of the drawing figures. If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they do not include the following reference sign mentioned in the description: “16” (paragraph 0049). Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification (abstract)
Applicant is reminded of the proper language and format for an abstract of the disclosure.
The abstract should be in narrative form and generally limited to a single paragraph on a separate sheet within the range of 50 to 150 words in length. The abstract should describe the disclosure sufficiently to assist readers in deciding whether there is a need for consulting the full patent text for details.
The language should be clear and concise and should not repeat information given in the title. It should avoid using phrases which can be implied, such as, “The disclosure concerns,” “The disclosure defined by this invention,” “The disclosure describes,” etc. In addition, the form and legal phraseology often used in patent claims, such as “means” and “said,” should be avoided.
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because “the an input/output facility” in the second sentence should read “the input/output facility”. Correction is required. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
In paragraph 0005, “into AC drives” should read “in-direct AC drives”
In paragraph 0030, “The an input/output” should read “The input/output”
In paragraph 0034, “communicating non-safety logic” should read “communicating safety logic”
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)(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.
Claims 1-2, 6 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Papenbreer et al. USPGPUB 2017/0123396 (hereafter “Papenbreer”).
As to claim 1, Papenbreer teaches an input/output facility arrangement in an electric logic control device (paragraph 0002, “an industrial controller examines a series of inputs reflecting the status of the controlled process and changes a series of outputs controlling the industrial process”), said arrangement comprising:
a digital input/output connection (paragraph 0031, “input and/or output signals may, where not explicitly defined otherwise, be digital and/or analog”) being arranged both for safety related input/output and for non-safety related input/output (paragraph 0055, “the safety controller module 100 and the non-safety controller 130 may be configured to receive input signals and output signals via the backplane 300”),
a non-safety logic controller module connected to and configured to communicate signalling to/from said digital input/output connection (paragraph 0055, “the non-safety controller 130 may be configured to receive input signals and output signals via the backplane 300”), said non-safety logic controller module being configured to provide the non-safety related electric machine control for an electric machine being controlled by said electric logic control device (paragraph 0036, “the non-safety controller 130 may receive input signals from the sensors 185 and other components 175 of a machine or process 170 and provide output signals to the actuators 180 and other components 175 of the machine or process 170 in order to control the industrial process 170”),
a safety logic controller module or a safety logic interface connected to said digital input/output connection (paragraph 0055, “the safety controller module 100 and the non-safety controller 130 may be configured to receive input signals and output signals via the backplane 300”), said safety logic interface is configured to receive an optional safety logic controller module (paragraph 0051, “modules may be configured to plug into removable terminal blocks… the safety controller module 100 may be configured to couple to a backplane connector of the non-safety controller, for example via the terminal blocks”, the terminal blocks and safety logic controller are interpreted as meeting the definition of safety logic interface and optional safety logic controller set forth in the specification, as the terminal blocks are an interface of an electric logic control device onto which the safety logic controller module can be connected to, and the safety controller module can be complemented to an electric logic control device as an add-on module), and
data isolation (paragraph 0008, “the non-safety controller cannot control the safety inputs/outputs of the safety controller module” and paragraph 0034, “keeping the standard (non-safety) tasks of the standard (non-safety) industrial controller and the safety tasks of the safety controller module separate”), wherein the digital output signals from said non-safety logic controller module and from said safety logic controller module or from said optional safety logic controller module are combined with an AND-operator (paragraph 0051, “The safety controller may he configurable with simple logic functions, such as AND/OR between controller, modules and cascaded devices. The safety controller module may be configured to output signals to the non-safety controller 130 and/or other modules 220 via the backplane”),
wherein:
said safety logic controller module or said optional safety logic controller module is configured to communicate signalling to/from said digital input/output connection (paragraph 0055, “the safety controller module 100… may be configured to receive input signals and output signals via the backplane 300” ), and configured to provide the safety related electric machine control for an electric machine being controlled by said electric logic control device (paragraph 0040, “the safety controller module may be configured to accept two single-wire safety inputs and to provide two single-wire safety outputs. This allows the safety controller module to be an integral part of an extensive machine guarding safety system”); and
said digital input/output connection comprises an isolation between the digital input/output information from said non-safety logic controller module and the digital input/output information from said safety logic controller module or from said optional safety logic controller module (paragraph 0008, “The safety controller module is able to independently provide safety control, meaning that the non-safety controller cannot control the safety inputs/outputs of the safety controller module and, furthermore, the non-safety controller cannot interfere in the execution of safety control functions” and paragraph 0034, “by keeping the standard (non-safety) tasks of the standard (non-safety) industrial controller and the safety tasks of the safety controller module separate, the reliability and safety of the system is increased”), and:
wherein the signalling from said safety logic controller module and the signalling from said non-safety logic controller module is configured so that when a port is configured to be used by one of said safety logic controller module or said non-safety logic controller module, a pin corresponding to said port is configured to a ‘high’ state by the other of said safety logic controller module or said non-safety logic controller module (paragraph 0051, “The safety controller may he configurable with simple logic functions, such as AND/OR between controller, modules and cascaded devices. The safety controller module may be configured to output signals to the non-safety controller 130 and/or other modules 220 via the backplane”, any logic function can be used, such as setting a pin to high for the unused module in an AND link),
or respectively
wherein signalling from said optional safety logic controller module and the signalling from said non-safety logic controller module is configured so that when a port is configured to be used by one of said optional safety logic controller module or said non-safety logic controller module, a pin corresponding to said port is configured to a ‘high’ state by the other of said optional safety logic controller module or said non-safety logic controller module (paragraph 0051, “modules may be configured to plug into removable terminal blocks… the safety controller module 100 may be configured to couple to a backplane connector of the non-safety controller, for example via the terminal blocks”, the safety logic controller is interpreted as meeting the definition of optional safety logic controller set forth in the specification, as the safety controller module can be complemented to an electric logic control device as an add-on module, and paragraph 0051, “The safety controller may he configurable with simple logic functions, such as AND/OR between controller, modules and cascaded devices. The safety controller module may be configured to output signals to the non-safety controller 130 and/or other modules 220 via the backplane”, any logic function can be used, such as setting a pin to high for the unused module in an AND link).
As to claim 2, Papenbreer teaches the arrangement according to claim 1, comprising an optional safety logic controller module connected to said safety logic interface (paragraph 0051, “modules may be configured to plug into removable terminal blocks… the safety controller module 100 may be configured to couple to a backplane connector of the non-safety controller, for example via the terminal blocks”, the terminal blocks and safety logic controller are interpreted as meeting the definition of safety logic interface and optional safety logic controller set forth in the specification, as the terminal blocks are an interface of an electric logic control device onto which the safety logic controller module can be connected to, and the safety controller module can be complemented to an electric logic control device as an add-on module).
As to claim 6, Papenbreer teaches an electric logic control device comprising an input/output facility arrangement (paragraph 0002, “an industrial controller examines a series of inputs reflecting the status of the controlled process and changes a series of outputs controlling the industrial process”) including:
a digital input/output connection (paragraph 0031, “input and/or output signals may, where not explicitly defined otherwise, be digital and/or analog”) being arranged both for safety related input/output and for non-safety related input/output (paragraph 0055, “the safety controller module 100 and the non-safety controller 130 may be configured to receive input signals and output signals via the backplane 300”),
a non-safety logic controller module connected to and configured to communicate signalling to/from said digital input/output connection (paragraph 0055, “the non-safety controller 130 may be configured to receive input signals and output signals via the backplane 300”), said non-safety logic controller module being configured to provide the non-safety related electric machine control for an electric machine being controlled by said electric logic control device (paragraph 0036, “the non-safety controller 130 may receive input signals from the sensors 185 and other components 175 of a machine or process 170 and provide output signals to the actuators 180 and other components 175 of the machine or process 170 in order to control the industrial process 170”),
a safety logic controller module or a safety logic interface connected to said digital input/output connection (paragraph 0055, “the safety controller module 100 and the non-safety controller 130 may be configured to receive input signals and output signals via the backplane 300”), said safety logic interface is configured to receive an optional safety logic controller module (paragraph 0051, “modules may be configured to plug into removable terminal blocks… the safety controller module 100 may be configured to couple to a backplane connector of the non-safety controller, for example via the terminal blocks”, the terminal blocks and safety logic controller are interpreted as meeting the definition of safety logic interface and optional safety logic controller set forth in the specification, as the terminal blocks are an interface of an electric logic control device onto which the safety logic controller module can be connected to, and the safety controller module can be complemented to an electric logic control device as an add-on module), and data isolation (paragraph 0008, “the non-safety controller cannot control the safety inputs/outputs of the safety controller module” and paragraph 0034, “keeping the standard (non-safety) tasks of the standard (non-safety) industrial controller and the safety tasks of the safety controller module separate”), wherein the digital output signals from said non-safety logic controller module and from said safety logic controller module or from said optional safety logic controller module are combined with an AND-operator (paragraph 0051, “The safety controller may he configurable with simple logic functions, such as AND/OR between controller, modules and cascaded devices. The safety controller module may be configured to output signals to the non-safety controller 130 and/or other modules 220 via the backplane”),
wherein:
said safety logic controller module or said optional safety logic controller module is configured to communicate signalling to/from said digital input/output connection (paragraph 0055, “the safety controller module 100… may be configured to receive input signals and output signals via the backplane 300” ), and configured to provide the safety related electric machine control for an electric machine being controlled by said electric logic control device (paragraph 0040, “the safety controller module may be configured to accept two single-wire safety inputs and to provide two single-wire safety outputs. This allows the safety controller module to be an integral part of an extensive machine guarding safety system”); and
said digital input/output connection comprises an isolation between the digital input/output information from said non-safety logic controller module and the digital input/output information from said safety logic controller module or from said optional safety logic controller module (paragraph 0008, “The safety controller module is able to independently provide safety control, meaning that the non-safety controller cannot control the safety inputs/outputs of the safety controller module and, furthermore, the non-safety controller cannot interfere in the execution of safety control functions” and paragraph 0034, “by keeping the standard (non-safety) tasks of the standard (non-safety) industrial controller and the safety tasks of the safety controller module separate, the reliability and safety of the system is increased”),
and:
wherein the signalling from said safety logic controller module and the signalling from said non-safety logic controller module is configured so that when a port is configured to be used by one of said safety logic controller module or said non-safety logic controller module, a pin corresponding to said port is configured to a ‘high’ state by the other of said safety logic controller module or said non-safety logic controller module (paragraph 0051, “The safety controller may he configurable with simple logic functions, such as AND/OR between controller, modules and cascaded devices. The safety controller module may be configured to output signals to the non-safety controller 130 and/or other modules 220 via the backplane”, any logic function can be used, such as setting a pin to high for the unused module in an AND link),
or respectively
wherein signalling from said optional safety logic controller module and the signalling from said non-safety logic controller module is configured so that when a port is configured to be used by one of said optional safety logic controller module or said non-safety logic controller module, a pin corresponding to said port is configured to a ‘high’ state by the other of said optional safety logic controller module or said non-safety logic controller module (paragraph 0051, “modules may be configured to plug into removable terminal blocks… the safety controller module 100 may be configured to couple to a backplane connector of the non-safety controller, for example via the terminal blocks”, the safety logic controller is interpreted as meeting the definition of optional safety logic controller set forth in the specification, as the safety controller module can be complemented to an electric logic control device as an add-on module, and paragraph 0051, “The safety controller may he configurable with simple logic functions, such as AND/OR between controller, modules and cascaded devices. The safety controller module may be configured to output signals to the non-safety controller 130 and/or other modules 220 via the backplane”, any logic function can be used, such as setting a pin to high for the unused module in an AND link).
As to claim 8, Papenbreer teaches an optional safety logic controller module being configured to be connected to a safety logic interface (paragraph 0051, “modules may be configured to plug into removable terminal blocks… the safety controller module 100 may be configured to couple to a backplane connector of the non-safety controller, for example via the terminal blocks”) of an electric logic control device having an input/output facility arrangement (paragraph 0002, “an industrial controller examines a series of inputs reflecting the status of the controlled process and changes a series of outputs controlling the industrial process”) including:
a digital input/output connection (paragraph 0031, “input and/or output signals may, where not explicitly defined otherwise, be digital and/or analog”) being arranged both for safety related input/output and for non-safety related input/output (paragraph 0055, “the safety controller module 100 and the non-safety controller 130 may be configured to receive input signals and output signals via the backplane 300”),
a non-safety logic controller module connected to and configured to communicate signalling to/from said digital input/output connection (paragraph 0055, “the non-safety controller 130 may be configured to receive input signals and output signals via the backplane 300”), said non-safety logic controller module being configured to provide the non-safety related electric machine control for an electric machine being controlled by said electric logic control device (paragraph 0036, “the non-safety controller 130 may receive input signals from the sensors 185 and other components 175 of a machine or process 170 and provide output signals to the actuators 180 and other components 175 of the machine or process 170 in order to control the industrial process 170”),
a safety logic controller module or a safety logic interface connected to said digital input/output connection (paragraph 0055, “the safety controller module 100 and the non-safety controller 130 may be configured to receive input signals and output signals via the backplane 300”), said safety logic interface is configured to receive an optional safety logic controller module (paragraph 0051, “modules may be configured to plug into removable terminal blocks… the safety controller module 100 may be configured to couple to a backplane connector of the non-safety controller, for example via the terminal blocks”, the terminal blocks and safety logic controller are interpreted as meeting the definition of safety logic interface and optional safety logic controller set forth in the specification, as the terminal blocks are an interface of an electric logic control device onto which the safety logic controller module can be connected to, and the safety controller module can be complemented to an electric logic control device as an add-on module), and
data isolation (paragraph 0008, “the non-safety controller cannot control the safety inputs/outputs of the safety controller module” and paragraph 0034, “keeping the standard (non-safety) tasks of the standard (non-safety) industrial controller and the safety tasks of the safety controller module separate”), wherein the digital output signals from said non-safety logic controller module and from said safety logic controller module or from said optional safety logic controller module are combined with an AND-operator (paragraph 0051, “The safety controller may he configurable with simple logic functions, such as AND/OR between controller, modules and cascaded devices. The safety controller module may be configured to output signals to the non-safety controller 130 and/or other modules 220 via the backplane”), wherein:
said safety logic controller module or said optional safety logic controller module is configured to communicate signalling to/from said digital input/output connection (paragraph 0055, “the safety controller module 100… may be configured to receive input signals and output signals via the backplane 300” ), and configured to provide the safety related electric machine control for an electric machine being controlled by said electric logic control device (paragraph 0040, “the safety controller module may be configured to accept two single-wire safety inputs and to provide two single-wire safety outputs. This allows the safety controller module to be an integral part of an extensive machine guarding safety system”); and
said digital input/output connection comprises an isolation between the digital input/output information from said non-safety logic controller module and the digital input/output information from said safety logic controller module or from said optional safety logic controller module (paragraph 0008, “The safety controller module is able to independently provide safety control, meaning that the non-safety controller cannot control the safety inputs/outputs of the safety controller module and, furthermore, the non-safety controller cannot interfere in the execution of safety control functions” and paragraph 0034, “by keeping the standard (non-safety) tasks of the standard (non-safety) industrial controller and the safety tasks of the safety controller module separate, the reliability and safety of the system is increased”), and:
wherein the signalling from said safety logic controller module and the signalling from said non-safety logic controller module is configured so that when a port is configured to be used by one of said safety logic controller module or said non-safety logic controller module, a pin corresponding to said port is configured to a ‘high’ state by the other of said safety logic controller module or said non-safety logic controller module (paragraph 0051, “The safety controller may he configurable with simple logic functions, such as AND/OR between controller, modules and cascaded devices. The safety controller module may be configured to output signals to the non-safety controller 130 and/or other modules 220 via the backplane”, any logic function can be used, such as setting a pin to high for the unused module in an AND link),
or respectively
wherein signalling from said optional safety logic controller module and the signalling from said non-safety logic controller module is configured so that when a port is configured to be used by one of said optional safety logic controller module or said non-safety logic controller module, a pin corresponding to said port is configured to a ‘high’ state by the other of said optional safety logic controller module or said non-safety logic controller module (paragraph 0051, “modules may be configured to plug into removable terminal blocks… the safety controller module 100 may be configured to couple to a backplane connector of the non-safety controller, for example via the terminal blocks”, the safety logic controller is interpreted as meeting the definition of optional safety logic controller set forth in the specification, as the safety controller module can be complemented to an electric logic control device as an add-on module, and paragraph 0051, “The safety controller may he configurable with simple logic functions, such as AND/OR between controller, modules and cascaded devices. The safety controller module may be configured to output signals to the non-safety controller 130 and/or other modules 220 via the backplane”, any logic function can be used, such as setting a pin to high for the unused module in an AND link).
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 should not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 3 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Papenbreer et al. USPGPUB 2017/0123396 (hereafter “Papenbreer”) in view of Clarkson et al. USPGPUB 2018/0190395 (hereafter “Clarkson”).
As to claim 3, Papenbreer teaches all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Papenbreer does not explicitly teach wherein said isolation comprises an isolator.
However, Clarkson teaches wherein said isolation comprises an isolator (paragraph 0017, “the analog module electrically isolates non-safety related signals from safety related systems” and paragraph 0035, “All signals from the manual switches and the non-safety-related MCS signals are isolated from the field, converted to an analog logic voltage level voltage, and placed on the backplane for use by any module that needs the signal… galvanic isolation can be provided by an opto-isolator device”).
Papenbreer and Clarkson are analogous art because they are from the same field of endeavor and contain overlapping structural and functional similarities. They both relate to industrial safety control systems.
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 safety control system, as taught by Papenbreer, to add an isolator, as taught by Clarkson.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to mitigate the consequences of fault conditions within a safety control system, as suggested by Clarkson, by using an isolator for said isolation (Paragraph 0003).
As to claim 10, Papenbreer teaches all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above
. Papenbreer does not explicitly teach wherein said isolation comprises an isolator.
However, Clarkson teaches wherein said isolation comprises an isolator (paragraph 0017, “the analog module electrically isolates non-safety related signals from safety related systems” and paragraph 0035, “All signals from the manual switches and the non-safety-related MCS signals are isolated from the field, converted to an analog logic voltage level voltage, and placed on the backplane for use by any module that needs the signal… galvanic isolation can be provided by an opto-isolator device”).
Claims 4-5 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Papenbreer et al. USPGPUB 2017/0123396 (hereafter “Papenbreer”) in view of Larsson et al. EP 2 433 187 (hereafter “Larsson”).
As to claim 4, Papenbreer teaches all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Papenbreer does not explicitly teach wherein said digital input/output is buffered.
However, Larsson teaches wherein said digital input/output is buffered (paragraph 0035, “the first data processing means 108 has its inputs and outputs protected, e.g., via diodes, capacitors, inductances, or active circuitry such as buffers, so as to electrically decouple the sensitive circuits of the first data processing means 108 from their electrical environment. Such protective measures are known in the art” and paragraph 0039, “The output buffers 206 and 208 prevent the second data processing means 110 from unacceptably loading circuitry 202”).
Papenbreer and Larsson are analogous art because they are from the same field of endeavor and contain overlapping structural and functional similarities. They both relate to industrial safety control systems.
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 safety control system, as taught by Papenbreer, to add buffers to the digital input/output, as taught by Clarkson.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to increase the reliability of execution within a safety control system using protective buffer circuitry, as suggested by Larsson (Paragraph 0021).
As to claim 5, Papenbreer teaches all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Papenbreer does not explicitly teach the arrangement according to claim 4, wherein said digital input/output is buffered with the help of two diodes connected to said digital input/output connection.
However, Larsson teaches the arrangement according to claim 4, wherein said digital input/output is buffered with the help of two diodes connected to said digital input/output connection (paragraph 0035, “the first data processing means 108 has its inputs and outputs protected, e.g., via diodes, capacitors, inductances, or active circuitry such as buffers, so as to electrically decouple the sensitive circuits of the first data processing means 108 from their electrical environment. Such protective measures are known in the art” and paragraph 0039, “The output buffers 206 and 208 prevent the second data processing means 110 from unacceptably loading circuitry 202”).
As to claim 11, Papenbreer teaches all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Papenbreer does not explicitly teach wherein said digital input/output is buffered.
However, Larsson teaches wherein said digital input/output is buffered (paragraph 0035, “the first data processing means 108 has its inputs and outputs protected, e.g., via diodes, capacitors, inductances, or active circuitry such as buffers, so as to electrically decouple the sensitive circuits of the first data processing means 108 from their electrical environment. Such protective measures are known in the art” and paragraph 0039, “The output buffers 206 and 208 prevent the second data processing means 110 from unacceptably loading circuitry 202”).
Claims 7 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Papenbreer et al. USPGPUB 2017/0123396 (hereafter “Papenbreer”).in view of Kuikka EP 3 822 789 (hereafter “Kuikka”).
As to claim 7, Papenbreer teaches all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Papenbreer does not explicitly teach wherein said electric logic control device is a frequency converter.
However, Kuikka teaches wherein said electric logic control device is a frequency converter (paragraph 0010, “in a typical drive (or frequency converter) architecture, one processor (or central processing unit, CPU) is provided for carrying out non-FS-related functions and another, FS certifier processor (or CPU) for performing FS-related functions” and paragraph 0015, “The drive 101 may be equally called a frequency converter. The drive 101 may be a programmable logic controller (PLC)”).
Papenbreer and Kuikka are analogous art because they are from the same field of endeavor and contain overlapping structural and functional similarities. They both relate to industrial safety control systems.
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 safety control system, as taught by Papenbreer, such that the electric logic control device is a frequency converter, as taught by Kuikka.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to utilize a frequency converter as the electronic logic control device, as it is a conventional architecture as suggested by Kuikka (Paragraph 0010).
As to claim 9, Papenbreer teaches all the limitations of the base claims as outlined above.
Papenbreer does not explicitly teach wherein said electric logic control device is a printed circuit board connectable to said safety logic interface.
However, Kuikka teaches wherein said electric logic control device is a printed circuit board connectable to said safety logic interface (paragraph 0010, “in a typical drive (or frequency converter) architecture, one processor (or central processing unit, CPU) is provided for carrying out non-FS-related functions and another, FS certifier processor (or CPU) for performing FS-related functions. These processors may be implemented on different printed circuit boards (PCBs) or on the same PCB”).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Scheible et al. USP 11662714 teaches a control system for safety critical and non-safety critical processes used for automated control systems, such as controlling plant components. The control system has a condition monitoring module that provides fail-safe functionality using standard control hardware with digital input and output signals.
Katrak USPGPUB 2022/0382243 teaches a method for switching between safety and non-safety control for an input/output arrangement of machines in a facility using microcontrollers, where the method satisfies functional safety requirements.
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