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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 10/29/2025 has been entered.
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.
Claim(s) 16-25 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cong et al. CN 109494055 A(hereinafter referred to as Cong) in view of Hu et al. CN 2445412 Y (hereinafter referred to as Hy) in view of Ferraro et al. US 2021/0356499 A1(hereinafter referred to as Ferraro).
Regarding claim 16, Cong discloses a system (fig. 1, par. [16]) comprising: a transformer (fig. 1, transformer, par. [16]) comprising: at least one first winding (fig. 1, low-voltage coil 20, par. [16], [18]) wound around at least one core (fig. 1, single iron core 19, par. [16], [18]), at least one second winding (fig. 1, high voltage coil 21, par. [16], [18]) wound around the at least one first winding, and at least one voltage sensor (fig. 1, voltage and current sensor 10, par. [16]) configured and arranged to sense a voltage through the at least one second winding (see fig.1, 8), further comprising the at least one core and at least one first core clamp (fig. 1, upper clamp 2, par. [16]) arranged at a first end of the at least one core and configured to clamp the at least one core at the first end (see fig. 1, 2) wherein the at least one voltage sensor is connected to a surface of the at least one first core clamp (see fig. 1), wherein the at least one voltage sensor is arranged at a first angular location about a longitudinal axis (see fig. 1) of the transformer.
Cong does not disclose wherein at least one lead of the at least one second winding is connected to the transformer at a second angular location, and wherein the first angular location is offset from the second angular location by substantially 180 degrees; voltage sensor configured and arranged to sense a voltage through the at least one second winding by capacitive coupling.
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Hy discloses at least one lead of the at least one second winding is connected to the transformer at a second angular location, and wherein the first angular location is offset from the second angular location by substantially 180 degrees (see fig. 1 above).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide an intelligent dry transformer with voltage sensor is connected to the transformer terminal, as taught in Hy in modifying the apparatus of Cong. The motivation would be to provide intelligent distribution network automation, which is capable of providing the user with stable, safe, power supply of high quality and guarantee the safety of the distribution network system (see par. [03]).
Ferraro discloses voltage sensor (fig. 1A-1C, dual-voltage capacitive sensor, par. [0035]-[0040]) configured and arranged to sense a voltage through the at least one second winding by capacitive coupling
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a capacitive voltage sensor for voltage sensing in electrical distribution systems and for metering and/or protection as well as voltage presence indication in high-voltage switchgear and power transformer, as taught in Ferraro in modifying the apparatus of Cong and Hy. The motivation would be precise voltage measurement, and provides compact and cost-effective sensors. (see par. [0005]).
Regarding claim 17, Cong, Hy and Ferraro discloses the system of claim 16, Hy discloses wherein the at least one lead of the at least one second winding is connected to the transformer at a connection section (see fig. 1), wherein the surface of the at least one first core clamp (fig. 1, clamp 9, par. [12]) to which the at least one voltage sensor (fig. 1, voltage sensor 8, par. [12]) is connected: faces in a direction away from the connection section (see fig. 1); and/or is arranged on a first side of a vertical central plane of the transformer, the first side being substantially opposite of a second side of the vertical central plane, the at least one lead being arranged on the second side.
The references are combined for the same reason already applied in the rejection of claim 1.
Regarding claim 18, Cong, Hy and Ferraro discloses the system of claim 16, Cong discloses wherein the first angular location is offset from the second angular location by a predetermined offset angle (see fig. 1).
Regarding claim 19, Cong, Hy and Ferraro discloses the system of claim 16, Cong discloses wherein at least one voltage sensor (fig. 1, voltage and current sensor 10, par. [16]) is connected to a surface of the transformer (fig. 1, transformer, par. [16]), wherein the surface is arranged on the same side of a vertical central plane of the transformer as the at least one lead (see fig. 1-2).
Regarding claim 20, Cong, Hy and Ferraro discloses the system of claim 16, Cong discloses wherein the transformer comprises at least one second core clamp (fig. 1, lower clamp 4, par. [16]) at a second end of the at least one core (fig. 1, single iron core 19, par. [16], [18]), the second end of the at least one core being arranged substantially opposite of the first end of the at least one core (see fig. 1), the second core clamp being configured to clamp the at least one core at the second end of the at least one core, wherein the at least one voltage sensor (fig. 1, voltage and current sensor 10, par. [16]) is connected to a surface of the at least one first core clamp (see fig. 1) and/or to a surface of the at least one second core clamp.
Regarding claim 21, Cong, Hy and Ferraro discloses the system of claim 16, Cong discloses wherein at least one lead of the at least one first winding (fig. 1, low-voltage coil 20, par. [16], [18]) is arranged at the first end or a second end of the at least one core (see fig. 1) the second end being substantially opposite of the first end, wherein the at least one voltage sensor (fig. 1, voltage and current sensor 10, par. [16]) is arranged at the other of the first end and the second end (see fig. 1).
Regarding claim 22, Cong, Hy and Ferraro discloses the system of claim 16, Cong discloses wherein the at least one voltage sensor (fig. 1, voltage and current sensor 10, par. [16]) is attached to one end of the at least one core (see fig. 1).
Regarding claim 23, Cong, Hy and Ferraro discloses the system of claim 16, Cong discloses wherein the transformer further comprises at least one casing (fig. 1, oil tank 7, par. [16]), wherein the at least one casing is connected to the at least one first core clamp (fig. 1, upper clamp 2, par. [16]) and the at least one voltage sensor (fig. 1, voltage and current sensor 10, par. [16]) is connected to the at least one casing, and wherein the casing houses the at least one second winding (fig. 1, high voltage coil 21, par. [16], [18]).
Regarding claim 24, Cong, Hy and Ferraro discloses the system of claim 23, Cong discloses wherein the at least one voltage sensor (fig. 1, voltage and current sensor 10, par. [16]) is attached to an outer surface of the at least one casing (fig. 1, oil tank 7, par. [16]).
Regarding claim 25, Cong, Hy and Ferraro discloses the claimed invention except for the at least one voltage sensor is attached to an inner surface of the at least one casing.
Changing the location of capacitive sensor array from the location shown by Cong to a location to attached to an inner surface of the at least one casing, absent any criticality, is only considered to be an obvious modification of the Cong device that a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would be able to provide using routine experimentation since the courts have held that there is no invention in shifting the position if the operation of the device would not be thereby modified. See In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70 (CCPA 1950) and MPEP 2144.04 VI.
Claim(s) 26 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cong in view of Hy in view of Ferraro as applied to claim 16 above, and further in view of Peretto.
Regarding claim 26, Cong, Hy and Ferraro discloses the system of claim 16, Cong, Hy and Ferraro do not disclose wherein the at least one voltage sensor has a rounded shape.
Peretto discloses the wherein the at least one voltage sensor has a rounded shape (sensor assembly also includes a circular sensor element, par. [0012]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a sensor assembly also includes a circular sensor element positioned radially inward of the tubular shield, as taught in Peretto in modifying the apparatus of Cong, Hy and Ferraro. The motivation would be to detect the field lines generated by the source electrode. (see par. [0024]).
Claim(s) 27-29 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cong in view of Hy in view of Ferraro as applied to claim 16 above, and further in view of Wang.
Regarding claim 27, Cong, Hy and Ferraro discloses the system of claim 16 Cong, Hy and Ferraro do not disclose wherein the largest area of projection of the at least one voltage sensor is no more than 500 cm2.
Wang discloses wherein the largest area of projection of the at least one voltage sensor is no more than 500 cm2 (fig. 1, length of the sensing copper electrode is determined to be 200 mm and the width is determined to be 20 mm, pg. 3183, sec. 2, col. 1).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide sensing copper electrode of a particular length, as taught in Wang in modifying the apparatus of Cong, Hy and Ferraro. The motivation would be the length of the sensing copper electrode is determined by the requirement that the electrodes of its capacitances should be equipotential surfaces (see pg. 3183, sec. 2, col. 1).
Regarding claim 28, Cong, Hy and Ferraro discloses the system of claim 16, Cong, Hy and Ferraro do not disclose wherein the largest spatial dimension of the at least one voltage sensor is no more than 20 cm.
Wang discloses wherein the largest spatial dimension of the at least one voltage sensor is no more than 20 cm (fig. 1, length of the sensing copper electrode is determined to be 200 mm, pg. 3183, sec. 2, col. 1).
Regarding claim 29, Cong, Hy and Ferraro discloses the system of claim 16, Cong, Hy and Ferraro do not disclose wherein the at least one voltage sensor has a spatial volume of no more than 700 cm3 (fig. 1, horizontal distance between the sensing electrode and the high voltage transformer discs is about 100 mm, length of the sensing copper electrode is determined to be 200 mm and the width is determined to be 20 mm, pg. 3183, sec. 2, col. 1).
Conclusion
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/COURTNEY G MCDONNOUGH/Examiner, Art Unit 2858
/EMAN A ALKAFAWI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2858 11/28/2025