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.
(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.
Claim(s) 1-8, 12-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Pub. No. 2006/0164040 to Ohkubo, supplied by applicant.
1, 17. A power supply unit for a local consumer load (The power source control unit 5 illustrated in Fig.2 supplies a sensor 4) comprising:
an electrical power generating device configured to generate power from the environment and to provide first electrical power (According to [0036], the power generator 6 is a solar battery);
an electrical energy storage configured to store electrical energy and to provide second electrical power (The battery 7);
an electric buffer configured to receive and to buffer said first and said second electric power, and to provide a buffer output power (The capacitor 9 acts as a buffer for the voltage regulator 10, according to [0037]); and
an output power regulator configured to provide an output power at a nominal output voltage from said buffer output power (The regulator 10 outputs a stabilised voltage to the sensor 4, according to [0037]), and to adjust said nominal output voltage based on an amount of energy stored by said electrical energy storage (According to [0085], with reference to Fig. 6, the voltage of the battery 7 is compared to the voltage output by the generator 6 using a comparator 18; the comparison is used to determine whether power is drawn from the generator 6; based on this information, the output of the regulator 10 is controlled; in particular, as detailed in [0074], in relation to Fig. 3, the sensor is in a standby state in case the generator 6 is not used for more than a predetermined time).
2. The power supply unit according to claim 1, wherein said output power regulator is configured to decrease said nominal output voltage by a predetermined output voltage drop when the stored amount of energy falls below a predetermined threshold (paragraphs 3, 37, 85, 91; claim 8).
3. The power supply unit according to claim 1, wherein said electrical energy storage is configured to provide said second electrical power at an energy storage voltage which changes at least in relation to some amounts of energy stored (paragraph 35-62, 71-74, 83-97).
4. The power supply unit according to claim 3, wherein said output power regulator is configured to determine an amount of energy stored by said electrical energy storage based on said energy storage voltage (paragraph 35-62, 71-74, 83-97).
5. The power supply unit according to claim 1, wherein said power generating device comprises any one of an energy harvesting element, a solar cell, a solar panel, a thermal energy cell, and a radio wave harvester (paragraph 35, 43, 45, 73, 95, 97, 104-112).
6. The power supply unit according to claim 1, wherein said electrical energy storage comprises any one of a battery, a rechargeable battery, and a super capacitor (paragraph 35-62, 71-74, 83-97).
7. The power supply unit according to claim 1, wherein said electricity buffer comprises any one of an electrolytic capacitor, a tantalum capacitor, a high-capacity capacitor, a rechargeable battery, a super capacitor, and an ultracap (paragraph 35-37, 51, 79-97).
8. A load device configured to report acquired data toward a data processor (The load in the sensor node 1 comprises the radiocommunication unit 2, the microcomputer MCU 3 and the sensor 4), comprising a processing unit configured to compile a report message in relation to said acquired data (The sensor data are transmitted by the radiocommunication unit; this implies the compilation of a message containing the data), and a transmission unit configured to transmit said compiled message toward said data processor (The radiocommunication unit 2),
said load device being adapted to be supplied with said output power provided by a power supply unit according to claim 1 (The load is supplied by the power source control unit 5),
wherein said processing unit is configured to compile said message further based on the voltage of said output power (paragraphs 42-43, 47-48, 54-55, 73-77, When in standby state, the message is not compiled; the compilation therefore takes into account the voltage supplied by the power source control unit 5).
12. The load device according to claim 8, further comprising a sensor unit configured to sense an observable and to provide an output signal in relation to said observable, said processing unit being configured to compile the report message further based on the output signal in relation to said observable (Fig. 1, paragraph 32-57, 69-77, 98-107, sensor).
13. The load device according to claim 12, wherein said sensor unit is configured to sense an observable that is related to any one of a presence of an individual, a passing of an individual, a proximity of an individual, a use of hygiene equipment, a level of a consumable in a dispenser, a level of air quality, a presence or concentration of odor agents, a presence or concentration of carbon dioxide and/or monoxide, and/or presence or concentration of a volatile organic compound (Fig. 1, paragraph 32-57, 69-77, 98-107, sensor).
14. The load device according to claim 13, wherein said sensor unit is configured to sense an observable that is related to any one of a presence of an individual, a passing of an individual and/or proximity of an individual, and comprises a temperature and/or radiation sensitive sensor, preferably a thermopile (Fig. 1, paragraph 32-57, 69-77, 98-107, sensor).
15. The load device according to claim 8, further comprising a data collection and forwarding unit configured to receive a plurality of message signals, process said message signals, compile an outbound message based on said processed message signals, and to transmit said outbound message (Fig. 1, paragraph 32-57, 69-77, 98-107, sensor).
16. The load device according to claim 8, further comprising a dispensing assembly for dispensing an amount of a consumable and a sensor unit for measuring and reporting a filling state of a reservoir of said consumable (Fig. 1, paragraph 32-57, 69-77, 98-107, sensor).
17. The load device according to claim 8, further comprising a power supply unit including: an electrical power generating device configured to generate power from the environment and to provide first electrical power; an electrical energy storage configured to store electrical energy and to provide second electrical power; an electric buffer configured to receive and to buffer said first and said second electric power, and to provide a buffer output power; and an output power regulator configured to provide an output power at a nominal output voltage from said buffer output power, and to adjust said nominal output voltage based on an amount of energy stored by said electrical energy storage (see claim 1 above).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 9-11 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: Ohkubo fails to disclose all the claimed features of applicant’s instant invention, specifically including:
9. The load device according to claim 8, wherein the processing unit is configured to measure a value of the voltage of said output power and to compile the message based on a result of said measuring the voltage of said output power.
10. The load device according to claim 9, wherein the processing unit is configured to add an indicator to said message based on the voltage of said output power.
11. The load device according to claim 9, wherein the processing unit is configured to add an indicator to said message if a value as a result of said measuring the voltage is below a predetermined threshold value.
It is for these reasons that applicant’s invention defines over the prior art of record.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SEAN P SHECHTMAN whose telephone number is (571)272-3754. The examiner can normally be reached 9:30am-6:00pm, M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, William Kraig can be reached at 571-272-8660. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Sean Shechtman/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2896
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