The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
DETAILED ACTION
Claims 1-20 are presented for examination
Double Patenting
The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the claims at issue are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); and In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on a nonstatutory double patenting ground provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with this application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b).
Claim 1-20 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claim7 of patent number 12164351. The table listed below shows the similarity between the two and highlight the differences.
Instant Application 18944204
Patent 12164351
A multi-stage power supply signal conditioning system, the system comprising:
a first drive-sense circuit (DSC) operably coupled to the power supply, wherein the first DSC configured to:
generate a first conditioned power signal based on a first reference signal and a first power signal;
provide the first conditioned power signal via a first single line that couples to a second DSC and simultaneously sense change of the first conditioned power signal via the first single line based on a first electrical characteristic of the second DSC; and
generate a first digital signal that is based on the first electrical characteristic of the second DSC; and
the second DSC operably coupled to the first DSC, wherein the second DSC configured to:
generate a second conditioned power signal based on a second reference signal and the first conditioned power signal;
provide the second conditioned power signal via a second single line that couples to one or more loads and simultaneously sense change of the second conditioned power signal via the second single line based on a second electrical characteristic of the one or more loads; and
generate a second digital signal that is based on the second electrical characteristic of the one or more loads; a memory that stores operational instructions; and
one or more processing modules operably coupled to the memory, the first DSC, and the second DSC, wherein the one or more processing modules configured to execute the operational instructions to:
receive at least one of first information regarding operation of the first DSC from the first DSC or second information regarding operation of the second DSC from the second DSC; and
direct operation of at least one of the first DSC or the second DSC based on the at least one of the first information regarding operation of the first DSC from the first DSC or the second information regarding operation of the second DSC from the second DSC.
(Currently amended) A multi-stage power supply signal conditioning system, the system comprising:
a power supply operably coupled to a first drive-sense circuit (DSC), wherein, when enabled, the power supply configured to provide a first power signal to the first DSC;
the first DSC operably coupled to the power supply, wherein, when enabled based on the first power signal, the first DSC configured to:
receive the first power signal from the power supply;
generate a first conditioned power signal based on a first reference signal;
provide the first conditioned power signal via a first single line that couples to a second DSC and simultaneously sense change of the first conditioned power signal via the first single line based on a first electrical characteristic of the second DSC; and generate a first digital signal that is based on the first electrical characteristic of the second DSC; and
the second DSC operably coupled to the first DSC, wherein, when enabled based on the first conditioned power signal, the second DSC configured to:
receive the first conditioned power signal from the first DSC via the first single line;
generate a second conditioned power signal based on a second reference signal;
provide the second conditioned power signal via a second single line that couples to one or more loads and simultaneously sense change of the second conditioned power signal via the second single line based on a second electrical characteristic of the one or more loads; and
generate a second digital signal that is based on the second electrical characteristic of the one or more loads;
a memory that stores operational instructions; and
one or more processing modules operably coupled to the memory, the power supply, the first DSC, and the second DSC, wherein, when enabled, the one or more processing modules configured to execute the operational instructions to:
receive, from the power supply, information regarding operation of the power supply;
process the information regarding operation of the power supply to determine whether to perform adaptation of operation of at least one of the power supply, the first DSC, or the second DSC; and
based on a determination to perform the adaptation of operation of the at least one of the power supply, the first DSC, or the second DSC, facilitate adaptation of operation of the power supply, the first DSC, or the second DSC in accordance with regulation and conditioning of at least one of the first conditioned power signal or the second conditioned power signal.
The system of claim 1,
wherein the one or more processing modules further configured to execute the operational instructions to: process the at least one of the first information regarding operation of the first DSC from the first DSC or the second information regarding operation of the second DSC from the second DSC to determine whether to perform adaptation of operation of at least one of the first DSC or the second DSC; and based on a determination to perform the adaptation of operation of the at least one of the first DSC or the second DSC, facilitate adaptation of operation of at least one of the first DSC or the second DSC in accordance with regulation and conditioning of at least one of the first conditioned power signal or the second conditioned power signal.
3. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a power supply operably coupled to a first DSC and configured to provide the first power signal to the first DSC.
4. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a power supply operably coupled to a first DSC and configured to provide the first power signal to the first DSC; and wherein: the one or more processing modules further configured to execute the operational instructions to: receive third information regarding operation of the power supply from the power supply; and direct operation of at least one of the power supply, the first DSC, or the second DSC based on the at least one of the first information regarding operation of the first DSC from the first DSC, the second information regarding operation of the second DSC from the second DSC, or the third information regarding operation of the power supply from the power supply.
5. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a power supply operably coupled to a first DSC and configured to provide the first power signal to the first DSC; and wherein: the one or more processing modules further configured to execute the operational instructions to: receive third information regarding operation of the power supply from the power supply; process the third information regarding operation of the power supply to determine whether to perform adaptation of operation of at least one of the power supply, the first DSC, or the second DSC; and based on a determination to perform the adaptation of operation of the at least one of the power supply, the first DSC, or the second DSC, facilitate adaptation of operation of the power supply, the first DSC, or the second DSC in accordance with regulation and conditioning of at least one of the first conditioned power signal or the second conditioned power signal.
6. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a power supply operably coupled to a first DSC and configured to provide the first power signal to the first DSC; and wherein: the power supply further configured to: generate and provide a first reference signal to the first DSC based on direction from the one or more processing modules; and generate and provide a second reference signal to the second DSC based on direction from the one or more processing modules.
7. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more processing modules further configured to execute the operational instructions to: determine whether the first electrical characteristic of the second DSC compares unfavorably with a first tolerable characteristic; and determine whether the second electrical characteristic of the one or more loads compares unfavorably with a second tolerable characteristic.
9. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more processing modules further configured to execute the operational instructions to: based on a determination that at least one of the first electrical characteristic of the second DSC compares unfavorably with the first tolerable characteristic or the second electrical characteristic of the one or more loads compares unfavorably with the second tolerable characteristic, facilitate adaptation of operation of the at least one of the first DSC or the second DSC in accordance with regulation and conditioning of at least one of the first conditioned power signal or the second conditioned power signal.
10. (Previously presented) The system of claim 9 further comprising: the power source circuit including a power source to source at least one of a voltage or a current via the first single line that couples to the second DSC; and the power signal change detection circuit including: a power source reference circuit configured to provide at least one of a voltage reference or a current reference; and a comparator configured to compare the at least one of the voltage or the current provided via the first single line to the at least one of the voltage reference or the current reference to produce the analog signal.
2. (Currently amended) The system of claim 1, wherein, when enabled, the power supply configured to: generate and provide the first reference signal to the first DSC; DSC based on direction from the one or more processing modules; and generate and provide the second reference signal to the second DSC. DSC based on direction from the one or more processing modules.
(Currently amended) The system of claim 1,
wherein, when enabled, the processing module one or more processing modules further configured to execute the operational instructions to: direct operation of the power supply, the first DSC, and the second DSC.
(Currently amended) The system of claim 1 further comprising:
wherein, when enabled, the one or more processing modules further configured to execute the operational instructions to: direct operation of the power supply.
(Currently amended) The system of claim 1,
wherein, when enabled, the processing module one or more processing modules further configured to execute the operational instructions to: receive, from the power supply, first information regarding operation of the power supply; receive, from the first DSC, second information regarding operation of the first DSC; receive, from the second DSC, third information regarding operation of the second DSC; process the first information regarding operation of the power supply, the second information regarding operation of the first DSC, and the third information regarding operation of the second DSC to determine whether to perform adaptation of operation of at least one of the power supply, the first DSC, or the second DSC; and based on a determination to perform the adaptation of operation of the at least one of the power supply, the first DSC, or the second DSC, facilitate adaptation of operation of the at least one of the power supply, the first DSC, or the second DSC in accordance with regulation and conditioning of at least one of the first conditioned power signal or the second conditioned power signal.
(Currently amended) The system of claim 1,
wherein, when enabled, the processing module one or more processing modules further configured to execute the operational instructions to: receive and process the first digital signal to determine the first electrical characteristic of the second DSC; and receive and process the second digital signal to determine the second electrical characteristic of the one or more loads.
(Currently amended) The system of claim 6,
wherein, when enabled, the one or more processing modules further configured to execute the operational instructions to: determine whether the first electrical characteristic of the second DSC compares unfavorably with a first tolerable characteristic; and determine whether the second electrical characteristic of the one or more loads compares unfavorably with a second tolerable characteristic.
(Original) The system of claim 7, wherein, when enabled,
the one or more processing modules configured to execute the operational instructions to: based on a determination that at least one of the first electrical characteristic of the second DSC compares unfavorably with the first tolerable characteristic or the second electrical characteristic of the one or more loads compares unfavorably with the second tolerable characteristic, facilitate adaptation of operation of the at least one of the first DSC or the second DSC in accordance with regulation and conditioning of at least one of the first conditioned power signal or the second conditioned power signal.
13. The system of claim 12 further comprising: the power source circuit including a power source to source at least one of a voltage or a current via the first single line that couples to the second DSC; and the power signal change detection circuit including: a power source reference circuit configured to provide at least one of a voltage reference or a current reference; and a comparator configured to compare the at least one of the voltage or the current provided via the first single line to the at least one of the voltage reference or the current reference to produce the analog signal.
As shown from the table above, claims 1-7 and 9-10 of patent 18944204 teaches the same concept of the instant application.
Conclusion
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/VOLVICK DEROSE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2176
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