DETAILED ACTION
Claims 1-20 are presented for examination.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 12/19/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
In paragraphs [0027] and [0103], the term “the second PEO FE circuit” should be “the second POE FE circuit”;
Appropriate correction is required.
Drawings
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(s) mentioned in the description:
“116” for “PD consumer device” in Fig. 1.
The power source 114 is not shown connected to PD consumer device in Fig. 1.
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.
Claim Objections
Claims 1 and 8 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In the line 14 of claim 1, the term “the second PEO FE circuit” should be “the second POE FE circuit”;
In the line 7 of claim 8, the term “a PD (PD) consumer device” should be “the PD consumer device”;
In the line 4 of claim 11, the phrase “determination of a primary side of the first DC/DC power converter” should be “determination of the power characteristic of a primary side of the first DC/DC power converter”; and
In the last line of claim 18, the phrase “the second” should be “the second DC/DC power converter”.
Furthermore, throughout all the claims “PD consumer device”, “consumer PD” and “powered device (PD) consumer device” are inconsistently used.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 8 recites the limitation "the first power characteristic of the first POE FE circuit and the second POE FE circuit" in lines 15-16.
Claim 12 recites the limitation "the measurement circuit" in the last paragraph.
There is insufficient antecedent basis for these limitations in these claims.
The “power source connected to the PD consumer device”, in claims 1-2, 7-9 and 14-16, is not introduced as a structural element so it is unclear whether the power source is internal, external, PoE based or non-PoE based.
In claim 8 (and similarly in claims 1 and 15), (A) when the power source is inactive, the control circuit determines a “power characteristic” of the first and second POE FE circuits. And based on (A), the control circuit determines “a first portion” of power from the first DC/DC power converter…and “a second portion” of power from the second DC/DC power converter…to provide to the PD consumer device. It is unclear:
which “power characteristic(s)” of the first and second POE FE circuits are being determined and used here?!?
what are the “first portion” and “second portion” of the power?!?
which specific “power characteristic(s)” are being determined/measured/used in claims 4-6, 11-13 and 18-20?!?
what is difference between “measuring” and “determining” the power characteristics in claims 4, 6, 11-12 and 18?!?
Dependent claims 2-7, 9-14 and 16-20 are also rejected for the same reasons describe above for their parent claims.
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)(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.
Claims 1, 8 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Huff et al. (USPN: 2015/0019884), hereinafter, Huff.
As per claim 1, Huff teaches an apparatus, comprising:
a first interface to a first direct-current-to-direct-current (DC/DC) power converter, the first DC/DC power converter to convert power from a first Ethernet port to provide power over Ethernet (POE) through a first POE front-end (FE) circuit to a powered device (PD) consumer device (See Fig. 1; The DC power provided over ethernet from PSE CH1 converted thru diode bridge 12 and power supply 34 and then sent to PD load 26 via PD controller 14; see [0006]-[0010], [0027]-[0029] and [0033]);
a second interface to a second direct-current-to-direct-current (DC/DC) power converter, the second DC/DC power converter to convert power from a second Ethernet port to provide POE through a second POE FE circuit to the PD consumer device (See Figs. 1-3; The DC power provided over ethernet from PSE CH2 converted thru diode bridge 12 and power supply 34 and then sent to PD load 26 via PD controller 16; see [0006]-[0010], [0027]-[0029] and [0033]); and
a control circuit to cause redundant power to be selectively provided to the PD consumer device from one or more of the first Ethernet port and the second Ethernet port (see output of only one of the two power supplies 22/24 is selected and supplied to the PD load 26; see Fig. 1 and [0009], [0027]-[0040]).
Huff further teaches a power source in addition to the first and second POE ports (see [0044]; “Additional PSE channels may be added; and keep an idle PD/PSE channel in hot-standby mode”). Huff teaches that when a power source connected to the PD consumer device is inactive (when the PD controller of a (third/additional) PSE port/channel does not detect 25k ohm resistance across data wires that power source is not enabled; see [0007], [0014] and [0029]): determine a power characteristic of the first POE FE circuit and the second PEO FE circuit (based on PWRGD1 and PWRGD2 signals, determining PSE channel 1 and 2 good or not; see [0016] and claim 1); and
based on the power source being inactive and the first power characteristic of the first POE FE circuit and the second POE FE circuit, determine a first portion of power from the first DC/DC power converter to provide to the PD consumer device and a second portion of power from the second DC/DC power converter to provide to the PD consumer device (when both channel voltages are precisely equal, both power supplies 22/24 in Fig. 1 supplies power to the PD load 26; see [0009]. NOTE; since the claimed first and second portions are not specified, they could be same or different).
Claims 8 and 15 are also rejected for the same rationale as claim 1 as describe above.
Claims 1-4, 7-11 and 15-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Heath et al. (USPN: 2012/0303981), hereinafter, Heath.
As per claim 1, Heath teaches an apparatus, comprising: a first interface to a first direct-current-to-direct-current (DC/DC) power converter, the first DC/DC power converter to convert power from a first Ethernet port to provide power over Ethernet (POE) through a first POE front-end (FE) circuit to a powered device (PD) consumer device; a second interface to a second direct-current-to-direct-current (DC/DC) power converter, the second DC/DC power converter to convert power from a second Ethernet port to provide POE through a second POE FE circuit to the PD consumer device (i.e. a system for providing power is provided to a powered device (PD) in a POE/POE+ environment. The system provides power to a power converter, such as a DC/DC converter 116 or 102, that generates a power output required by the PD. An eight-wire Ethernet connector, such as a Registered Jack-45 (RJ-45) connector, is used for providing electrical connection to the Ethernet cabling; See Fig. 2 and [0055], [0062]); and a control circuit to: cause redundant power to be selectively provided to the PD consumer device from one or more of the first Ethernet port and the second Ethernet port; when a power source connected to the PD consumer device is inactive: determine a power characteristic of the first POE FE circuit and the second PEO FE circuit; and based on the power source being inactive and the first power characteristic of the first POE FE circuit and the second POE FE circuit, determine a first portion of power from the first DC/DC power converter to provide to the PD consumer device and a second portion of power from the second DC/DC power converter to provide to the PD consumer device (i.e. the system further includes a control circuit that controls the power converter and the minimum load current circuit to provide seamless switching between the PoE/PoE power supply input and the auxiliary power supply input. When the auxiliary power is removed, the control circuit manages the delivery of power to the load; see [0065]-[0070]).
As per claim 2, Heath further teaches that the control circuit is to, when the power source is active, cause power to the PD consumer device from the first DC/DC power converter and the second DC/DC power converter to be disconnected (see [0069]-[0070]).
As per claim 3, Heath further teaches that the first DC/DC power converter and the second DC/DC power converter are to electrically isolate the PD consumer device from the first POE FE circuit and the second POE FE circuit (see [0071]-[0072]).
As per claim 4, Heath further teaches that the control circuit is to: cause measurement of the power characteristic of a secondary side of the first DC/DC power converter and of a secondary side of the second DC/DC power converter; and cause determination of the power characteristic of a primary side of the first DC/DC power converter and of a primary side of the second DC/DC power converter (see [0081] and [0086]).
As per claim 7, Heath further teaches that the control circuit is to communicate with the PD consumer device and determine power needs of the PD consumer device; the power source, the first DC/DC power converter, and the second DC/DC power converter are connected to provide power to the PD consumer device in parallel; and the control circuit is to selectively enable a combination of the first DC/DC power converter and the second DC/DC power converter to power the PD consumer device (see [0066]-[0068]).
As per claims 8-11 and 14, refer to the rejection of claims 1-4 and 7, respectively. Claims 8-11 and 14 are also rejected based on same rationale as the rejection of claims 1-4 and 7, respectively.
As per claims 15-18, refer to the rejection of claims 1-4, respectively. Claims 15-18 are also rejected based on same rationale as the rejection of claims 1-4, respectively.
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.
Claims 2, 9 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huff further in view of Feldman et al. (USPN: 2006/0242458), hereinafter, Feldman.
As per claim 2 (and similarly claims 9 and 16), Huff teaches the apparatus as described above but failed to teach the further limitation of claim 2. However, Feldman teaches that the control circuit is to, when the power source is active, cause power to the PD consumer device from the first DC/DC power converter and the second DC/DC power converter to be disconnected (upon the main AC power being restored, the POE gets disconnected by exiting the interrupt routine; see [0100]). Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to use the direct power source when available instead of the first and second PoE as taught by Feldman in the apparatus taught by Huff so it does not need to rely on network switch uptime and power can be provided to high-draw devices with ease.
Conclusion
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/HETUL B PATEL/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3992