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 .
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive because the title is being too generic. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
Examiner suggests the new title should be read “Dynamic acceleration threshold adjustment for an acceleration sensor in a gas meter”.
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 1-3 are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable by Ueda – US 20170003406 in view of Kairiku – Translate_JPH06313797A
As to claim 1, Ueda teaches a seismic sensor 1 comprising:
an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration (fig.1); and
a controller 12, wherein:
when the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 11 is a threshold or more, the controller changes from a normal mode (or power saving mode) to a calculation mode (or measuring mode to calculate an index value indicating a size of an earthquake) in which power consumption of the seismic sensor is larger than power consumption of the seismic sensor in the normal mode (or power saving mode) (abstract: when the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 11 exceeds a threshold); and
the controller changes the threshold in accordance with predetermined information ([0024] and abstract: The acceleration sensor 11 and microcontroller 12 in FIG. 1 are operated on the basis of a predetermined program, thereby implementing i.e. threshold adjuster 111; threshold adjuster configured to change the first threshold so as to increase the first threshold relative to a predetermined reference value when a tendency of the acceleration measured with the measuring part satisfies a predetermined condition; thus “the controller changes the threshold in accordance with predetermined information”).
Ueda does not explicitly teach a gas meter located at each of consumer’s places, the gas meter comprising: an acceleration sensor.
Kairiku teaches a gas meter is provided in each household; installing earthquake detection device for each gas meter (pages 1-2 and 7); gas meter 50 equipped with seismic sensor 10 (page 6).
It would thus have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify and/or combine seismic sensor of Ueda with concept teachings of Kairiku to include a gas meter located at each of consumer’s places, the gas meter comprising: an acceleration sensor, because this will help observe seismic waves at a very large number of places and it is possible to grasp the earthquake more accurately (pages 6-7).
As to claim 2, Ueda further teaches the calculation mode is an operating mode in which an earthquake index value is calculated by the controller based on the acceleration (abstract).
As to claim 3, Ueda further teaches as the predetermined information, the controller acquires a history of the numbers of times of the change from the normal mode to the calculation mode in respective predetermined periods of time ([0025]: a transition of the operating state from the power-saving mode to the measuring mode is also referred to as “startup”; [0024] and abstract and [0031]: controller implementing the startup determination part 103; The startup determination part 103 adds the number of startup times in predetermined period of time, hence, acquires history of number of startup times in respective predetermined periods of time).
As to claim 3, in an alternative, while Ueda further teaches as the predetermined information, the controller acquires a history of the numbers of times of the change from the normal mode to the calculation mode in a predetermined period of time ([0025]: a transition of the operating state from the power-saving mode to the measuring mode is also referred to as “startup”; [0024] and abstract and [0031]: controller implementing the startup determination part 103; The startup determination part 103 adds the number of startup times in a predetermined period, hence, acquires history of number of startup times in a predetermined period), it does not explicitly teach respective predetermined periods of time.
It would thus have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify modified Ueda to include as the predetermined information, the controller acquires a history of the numbers of times of the change from the normal mode to the calculation mode in respective predetermined periods of time, to maintain reliable, stable operation in real-world conditions where environmental and operational factors change.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TRUONG D PHAN whose telephone number is (571)272-8883. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday.
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/TRUONG D PHAN/ Examiner, Art Unit 2855
/JOHN E BREENE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2855
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