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 pre-AIA 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) the invention was known or used by others in this country, or patented or described in a printed publication in this or a foreign country, before the invention thereof by the applicant for a patent.
Claims 1-5 and 8-12 are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Naonori – Translate_JP2009099118A.
As to claim 1, Naonori teaches an apparatus (figs.1-2), comprising:
a first light sensor interface 4, 7, 10 communicatively coupled to a first light sensor 2 in a smoke detector 18 (figs.1-2: when change-over switch 7 connects to first amplifier 5 to couple to a first light receiving/sensor 2; thus “a first light sensor interface communicatively coupled to a first light sensor in a smoke detector”);
a second light sensor interface 4, 7, 10 communicatively coupled to a second light sensor 3 in the smoke detector 18 (figs.1-2; when change-over switch 7 connects to second amplifier 6 to couple to a second light receiving/sensor 3; thus “a second light sensor interface communicatively coupled to a second light sensor in a smoke detector”);
a control circuit 16 communicatively coupled to the first light sensor interface 4, 7, 10 and the second light sensor interface 4, 7, 10 (figs.1-2), the control circuit 16 to:
receive a reflected light signal from the first light sensor 2 via the first light sensor interface 4, 7, 10 (page 2 and figs.1-2: a first light receiving element that receives scattered light emitted from the light emitting element and scattered by the smoke in the smoke detector; page 20: the scattered light (reflected light) by the smoke);
receive a noise signal from the second light sensor 3 via the second light sensor interface 4, 7, 10 (figs1-2 and page 17: a temperature change or element deterioration occurs in the first light receiving element 2, the temperature change or element deterioration occurs in the second light receiving element 3; since the instant specification does not specify “noise” as unwanted or unpleasant sound, temperature change or element deterioration of the reference are disturbance to output signals of light receiving element; thus “receive a noise signal from the second light sensor 3 via the second light sensor interface”); and
reduce noise from the reflected light signal based on the noise signal (pages 17-18 and figs1-2: according to the smoke detection signal based on the voltage difference ΔV between the first output voltage V1 based on the first light reception signal and the second output voltage V2 based on the second light reception signal, the temperature change, element deterioration, etc. Disturbances are canceled out and erroneous detection due to the disturbances can be avoided; disturbance occurs in the second light reception signal (“noise signal”) is used to cancel out disturbances and erroneous detection of smoke resulting from disturbance, such as a temperature change, and element deterioration can be avoided; avoiding disturbance, such as a temperature change, and element deterioration corresponds to “reduce noise from the reflected light signal”; thus “reduce noise from the reflected light signal based on the noise signal”).
As to claim 2, Naonori teaches the control circuit 16 is to reduce the noise from the reflected light signal by subtracting the noise signal from the reflected light signal (pages 16-18: signal processing circuit 16A of microcomputer or control circuit 16 outputs a smoke detection signal based on the voltage difference ΔV between the first output voltage V1 based on the first light reception signal and the second output voltage V2 based on the second light reception signal; noise is cancelled out from the reflected light signal; thus “the control circuit is to reduce the noise from the reflected light signal by subtracting the noise signal from the reflected light signal”).
As to claim 3, Naonori teaches the second light sensor 3 is substantially aligned with a source of the noise signal (fig.2: disturbance i.e. temperature change, and element deterioration occurs in the second light reception signal (“noise signal”); thus “the second light sensor is substantially aligned with a source of the noise signal”).
As to claim 4, Naonori teaches the second light sensor 3 is positioned such that the reflected light signal is outside a field of view of the second light sensor 3 (described fig.2).
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As to claim 5, Naonori teaches the first light sensor 2 and the second light sensor 3 are substantially aligned (fig.2: the first light sensor 2 and the second light sensor 3 are substantially aligned with light emitting element 1 to receive scattered light emitted from the light emitting element and scattered by the smoke in the smoke detector and light emitted from the light emitting element without passing through the smoke detector respectively; thus “the first light sensor and the second light sensor are substantially aligned”).
As to claims 8-12, claims 8-12 are rejected as reasons stated in the rejection of claims 1-5 respectively.
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 6 and 13 are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable by Naonori and further in view of Cheng – Translate_CN113406353A.
As to claim 6, Naonori does not explicitly teach the control circuit is to process the noise signal using at least one of a Weiner filter or a Kalman filter to improve a signal-to-noise ratio of the noise signal.
Cheng teaches a concept of: Kalman filtering is used to filter collected voltage signal (abstract).
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 control circuit of Naonori to include teachings of Cheng to include the control circuit is to process the noise signal using at least one of a Weiner filter or a Kalman filter to improve a signal-to-noise ratio of the noise signal, because Kalman filtering effectively inhibiting and preventing the interference of noise in the circuit to the voltage signal, so that the output result is more accurate (abstract).
As to claim 13, claim 13 is rejected as reasons stated in the rejection of claim 6.
Claim 7 is rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable by Naonori and further in view of Tsuchiya – US 5694931.
As to claim 7, Naonori does not explicitly teach the control circuit is to integrate the noise signal over time to increase a signal-to-noise ratio of the noise signal.
Tsuchiya teaches a concept of: measured parameters in the form of time integration of light signals, the utility factor of light is enhanced and the signal-to-noise ratio is increased, thus achieving high measurement accuracy (col.17, lines 25-28).
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 control circuit of Naonori to include teachings of Tsuchiya to include the control circuit is to integrate the noise signal over time to increase a signal-to-noise ratio of the noise signal, for achieving high measurement accuracy (col.17, lines 25-28).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 14-20 are allowable.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
As to claim 14, claim 14 includes a second light sensor in the smoke detector to receive a noise light corresponding to ambient light in the smoke detector, when in combination with all other elements in the claim 14 distinguish the present invention from the prior arts.
As to claims 15-20, claims 15-20 are also allowable due to their dependency on claim 14.
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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