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 .
Claims 1-20 are pending, of which claims 1, 9, and 16 are independent claims.
Specification Objections
The title of the invention is not fully descriptive. A new title is required that includes the invention to which the claims are directed, specifically to ‘POWER-CYCLING DEVICE AND METHOD DETECTING A CESSATION OF POWER CONSUMPTION OF AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE’.
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, 4, 9, 10, 13, 14, and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Einaudi et al. (US Patent Publication No. 2023/0091426 A1) (“Einaudi”).
Regarding independent claim 1, Einaudi teaches:
An apparatus, comprising: Einaudi: Abstract (“Methods, systems, and apparatuses are described herein for the automatic determination of a state of a consumer electronic device via power monitoring.”)
a relay configured to control a flow of electricity from a power supply to an electronic device; Einaudi: Paragraph [0045] (“As shown in FIG. 1 , consumer electronic device 102A is coupled to a first AV port 110A of switching device 104, consumer electronic device 102B is coupled to a second AV port 110B of switching device 104, consumer electronic device 102C is coupled to a third AV port 110C of switching device 104, consumer electronic device 102D is coupled to a fourth AV port 110D of switching device 104, and power monitor 106 is coupled to an 10 (input/output) port 112 of switching device 104.”) Einaudi: Paragraph [0047] (“Switching device 104 is configured to automatically determine a state of a consumer electronic device coupled thereto (e.g., consumer electronic device 102D). Based on the determined state, switching device 104 may confirm one or more actions have been performed, may report the state of the consumer electronic device, or may perform one or more actions. Such actions include, but are not limited to, automatically switching to the AV port(s) to which such consumer electronic device(s) are connected, transmitting one or more commands to such consumer electronic device(s) (e.g., toggle power on/off commands,…”) Einaudi: Paragraph [0048] (“For instance, switching device 204 is configured to automatically determine a state for one or more source devices and/or sink devices coupled thereto via port(s) of switching device 204 and perform actions (e.g., control functions) based on the determined state according to embodiments.”) Einaudi: Paragraph [0049] (“In embodiments, switching device 204 may include some or all of a transceiver 212, a first mapping component 214, a state identification component 216, control logic 218, one or more processors 220,…”) Einaudi: Paragraph [0055] (“For example, switching circuit 224 is configured to provide switched connections between ports 234 and transceiver 212… Switching circuit 224 may comprise one or more switch circuit portions (e.g., comprising one or more switches/switching elements) and may be combined or used in conjunction with other portions of system 200.”) [One of the switches reads on “a relay” and one of the consumer electronic devices reads on “an electronic device”.]
a relay controller configured to control an operation of the relay; Einaudi: Paragraph [0049] [As described above.] [The one or more processors reads on “a relay controller”.]
a sensor communicatively connected to the relay controller and configured to measure a power consumption of the electronic device wherein the relay controller is configured to: Einaudi: Paragraph [0047] [As described above.] Einaudi: Paragraph [0044] (“Consumer electronic device 102D and switching device 104 are coupled to a power monitor 106. Power monitor 106 is configured to receive power signals (e.g., power signals 116) and provide power signature signals (e.g., power signature signals 118). Power monitor 106 may be incorporated in consumer electronic device 102D, may be incorporated in switching device 104, or may be part of an external power monitoring system that is coupled to consumer electronic device 102D and/or switching device 104.”) Einaudi: Paragraph [0069] (“In some embodiments, for the identification process, state identification component 216 processes the received power signature signals in segments smaller than the one or more reference power signatures. This may help to quickly identify states with steady or unique power signatures. For instance, states such as powered off or standby states may be associated with substantially constant power signatures (e.g., power signatures that have a constant average power level over time, power signatures with power levels that remain within a threshold range over time, and/or the like).”) [The power monitor reads on “a sensor”.]
detect, based on signals from the sensor, a cessation of the power consumption of the electronic device; and Einaudi: Paragraph [0069] [As described above.] Einaudi: Paragraph [0041] (“For instance, in accordance with an embodiment, a power monitor is configured to monitor power consumed by the consumer electronic device. The power consumed by the consumer electronic device is compared to a group of reference power signatures. Each reference power signature is associated with a particular state of the consumer electronic device. If the monitored power consumed is substantially similar to a reference power signature, then a determination is made that the consumer electronic device is in the state associated with the reference power signature. Example states include, but are not limited to, powered off, standby (e.g., a low power state with one or more sub-systems powered on, a low power state with a fast wake-up function, etc.), …”) [The state identification component in the switching device communicating with the processor 220 identifying a power off state reads on “detect, based on signals from the sensor, a cessation of the power consumption of the electronic device”.]
cause the relay to power cycle the electronic device in response to detecting the cessation of the power consumption. Einaudi: Paragraphs [0041] and [0047] [As described above.] [The transmission of the toggle power on/off command in response to a power off state reads on “cause the relay to power cycle the electronic device in response to detecting the cessation of the power consumption”.]
Regarding claim 4, Einaudi teaches all the claimed features of claim 1, from which claim 4 depends. Einaudi further teaches:
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is a computing device. Einaudi: Paragraph [0081] (“At step 304, a request for confirmation that the consumer electronic device entered the state is sent. For example, with reference to FIG. 2 , signature calibration component 238 prompts a user to confirm whether or not the consumer electronic device entered the state (e.g., transmitting a signal to sink device(s) 206 and/or source device(s) 202 (e.g., via a port of ports 234 by which sink device(s) 206 and/or source device(s) 202 are communicatively coupled to switching device 204, via control interface 232 by which sink device(s) 206 and/or source device(s) 202 are communicatively coupled to switching device 204, and/or via network interface 240 by which sink device(s) 206 and/or source device(s) 202 are communicatively coupled to switching device 204) to display a message to the user, transmitting (“pushing”) a notification to a device (e.g., a cellular phone, a tablet, a computer, sink device(s) 206, source device(s) 204, etc.) to alert the user, and/or the like).”)
Regarding independent claim 9, Einaudi teaches:
A method, comprising; Einaudi: Abstract (“Methods, systems, and apparatuses are described herein for the automatic determination of a state of a consumer electronic device via power monitoring.”)
monitoring, based on sensor data from a sensor, a power consumption of an electronic device receiving a flow of electricity from a power supply through a relay; Einaudi: Paragraph [0044] (“Consumer electronic device 102D and switching device 104 are coupled to a power monitor 106. Power monitor 106 is configured to receive power signals (e.g., power signals 116) and provide power signature signals (e.g., power signature signals 118). Power monitor 106 may be incorporated in consumer electronic device 102D, may be incorporated in switching device 104, or may be part of an external power monitoring system that is coupled to consumer electronic device 102D and/or switching device 104.”) Einaudi: Paragraph [0045] (“As shown in FIG. 1 , consumer electronic device 102A is coupled to a first AV port 110A of switching device 104, consumer electronic device 102B is coupled to a second AV port 110B of switching device 104, consumer electronic device 102C is coupled to a third AV port 110C of switching device 104, consumer electronic device 102D is coupled to a fourth AV port 110D of switching device 104, and power monitor 106 is coupled to an 10 (input/output) port 112 of switching device 104.”) Einaudi: Paragraph [0047] (“Switching device 104 is configured to automatically determine a state of a consumer electronic device coupled thereto (e.g., consumer electronic device 102D). Based on the determined state, switching device 104 may confirm one or more actions have been performed, may report the state of the consumer electronic device, or may perform one or more actions. Such actions include, but are not limited to, automatically switching to the AV port(s) to which such consumer electronic device(s) are connected, transmitting one or more commands to such consumer electronic device(s) (e.g., toggle power on/off commands,…”) Einaudi: Paragraph [0048] (“For instance, switching device 204 is configured to automatically determine a state for one or more source devices and/or sink devices coupled thereto via port(s) of switching device 204 and perform actions (e.g., control functions) based on the determined state according to embodiments.”) Einaudi: Paragraph [0049] (“In embodiments, switching device 204 may include some or all of a transceiver 212, a first mapping component 214, a state identification component 216, control logic 218, one or more processors 220,…”) Einaudi: Paragraph [0055] (“For example, switching circuit 224 is configured to provide switched connections between ports 234 and transceiver 212… Switching circuit 224 may comprise one or more switch circuit portions (e.g., comprising one or more switches/switching elements) and may be combined or used in conjunction with other portions of system 200.”) Einaudi: Paragraph [0069] (“In some embodiments, for the identification process, state identification component 216 processes the received power signature signals in segments smaller than the one or more reference power signatures. This may help to quickly identify states with steady or unique power signatures. For instance, states such as powered off or standby states may be associated with substantially constant power signatures (e.g., power signatures that have a constant average power level over time, power signatures with power levels that remain within a threshold range over time, and/or the like).”) [The power monitor reads on “a sensor”, one of the switches reads on “a relay” and one of the consumer electronic devices reads on “an electronic device”.]
detecting, based on the sensor data, a cessation of the power consumption; and Einaudi: Paragraph [0069] [As described above.] Einaudi: Paragraph [0041] (“For instance, in accordance with an embodiment, a power monitor is configured to monitor power consumed by the consumer electronic device. The power consumed by the consumer electronic device is compared to a group of reference power signatures. Each reference power signature is associated with a particular state of the consumer electronic device. If the monitored power consumed is substantially similar to a reference power signature, then a determination is made that the consumer electronic device is in the state associated with the reference power signature. Example states include, but are not limited to, powered off, standby (e.g., a low power state with one or more sub-systems powered on, a low power state with a fast wake-up function, etc.), …”) [The state identification component in the switching device communicating with the processor 220 identifying a power off state reads on “detecting, based on the sensor data, a cessation of the power consumption”.]
causing, by a relay controller, the relay to power cycle the power of the electronic device in response to detecting the cessation of the power consumption. Einaudi: Paragraphs [0041] and [0047] [As described above.] [The transmission of the toggle power on/off command in response to a power off state reads on “causing… the relay to power cycle the electronic device in response to detecting the cessation of the power consumption”.]
Regarding claim 10, Einaudi teaches all the claimed features of claim 9, from which claim 10 depends. Einaudi further teaches:
The method of claim 9, wherein the relay is controlled by the relay controller and the sensor is communicatively connected to the relay controller. Einaudi: Paragraphs [0041], [0047] and [0055] [As described in claim 9.] [As shown in FIG. 1, the switching device is communicatively connected to the processor and the power monitor is communicatively connected to the processor.]
Regarding claim 13, Einaudi teaches all the claimed features of claim 10, from which claim 13 depends. Einaudi further teaches:
The method of claim 10, wherein the relay is further configured to control the flow of electricity from the power supply to another electronic device. Einaudi: Paragraph [0047] [As described in claim 9.] Einaudi: Paragraph [0046] and FIG. 1 (“Switching device 104 is configured to select (e.g., switch between) different audio and/or video source devices that are coupled to AV ports 110A-110C (e.g., consumer electronic device 102A, consumer electronic device 102B or consumer electronic device 102C) and provide an output signal (e.g., audio and/or video signals 114) comprising audio and/or video signals (e.g., audio and/or video signals 108A, audio and/or video signals 108B or audio and/or video signals 108C) provided by the selected audio/video source. Audio and/or video signals 114 are provided to consumer electronic device 102D that is coupled to AV port 110D. Audio and/or video signals 114 may also be provided to any other device capable of playing back audio and/or video signals (e.g., speaker(s), secondary displays, etc.) that may be coupled consumer electronic device 102D and/or to AV port 102D and/or other port(s) (not shown) of switching device 104.”) [Another of the consumer electronic devices reads on “another electronic device”.]
Regarding claim 14, Einaudi teaches all the claimed features of claim 13, from which claim 14 depends. Einaudi further teaches:
The method of claim 13, wherein the causing the relay to power cycle the power of the electronic device comprises: ceasing the flow of electricity to the electronic device and the another electronic device in response to detecting the cessation of the power consumption; and starting, after a delay period following the cessation of the flow of electricity, the flow of electricity to the electronic device and the another electronic device. Einaudi: Paragraphs [0041], [0044]-[0049], and [0069] [As described in claim 9.]
Regarding claim 15, Einaudi teaches all the claimed features of claim 13, from which claim 15 depends. Einaudi further teaches:
The method of claim 13, wherein the another electronic device is communicatively connected to the electronic device. Einaudi: Paragraph [0046] and FIG. 1 [As described in claim 9.][The consumer electronic device 102A, consumer electronic device 102B or consumer electronic device 102C providing audio and/or video signals to consumer electronic device 102D reads on “the another electronic device is communicatively connected to the electronic device”.]
It is noted that any citations to specific paragraphs or figures in the prior art references and any interpretation of the reference should not be considered to be limiting in any way. A reference is relevant for all it contains and may be relied upon for all that it would have reasonably suggested to one having ordinary skill in the art. See MPEP 2123.
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, 5, 6, 7, and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Einaudi, in view of ); Oldham (US Patent Publication No. 2026/0031608 A1) (“Oldham”).
Regarding claim 2, Einaudi teaches all the claimed features of claim 1, from which claim 2 depends. Einaudi does not expressly teach all of the recitations of claim 2. However, Oldham describes an intelligent power restore. Oldham teaches:
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein to cause the relay to power cycle the electronic device comprises to: control the relay to cease the flow of electricity to the electronic device; and control the relay to start the flow of electricity to the electronic device after a delay period following the cessation of the flow of electricity. Oldham: Paragraph [0006] (“…a controller in communication with the interrupter, the controller configured for: detecting when a fault condition is present in the power system; in response to detecting that the fault condition is present, causing the interrupter to interrupt the power supplied by the one or more powered lines; and in response to detecting that the fault condition is no longer present: (i) determining a power restoration delay time, and (ii) causing the one or more powered lines to supply power to the electrical distribution system when the power restoration delay time has been elapsed.”) Oldham: Paragraph [0087] (“The input component 804 may be configured to receive input power 808 supplied by the power source. In response to receiving the input power after a power loss or otherwise interruption of power supplied by the power source, the controller may perform the steps/operations (or portion thereof) described in at least one of FIG. 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, or 4 to determine the power restoration delay time and drive the main contactor 810 in accordance with the power restoration delay time.”) Oldham: Paragraph [0088] (“In an example embodiment, in response to power being applied, the smart delay device 800 waits for a duration of time corresponding to the power restoration time and then transmits a signal to the main contactor 810. According to various embodiments, the transmitted signal is configured to cause the main contactor 810 to move from an opened state to a closed state such that power from the power source may be supplied to the electrical distribution system 812 after the power restoration time is elapsed.”) [The main contactor reads on “the relay”.]
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, having the teachings of Einaudi and Oldham before them, to cause the relay to power cycle the electronic device comprises to: control the relay to cease the flow of electricity to the electronic device; and control the relay to start the flow of electricity to the electronic device after a delay period following the cessation of the flow of electricity because the references are in the same field of endeavor as the claimed invention.
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to do this modification because it would allow sufficient time to return power after faulty power is detected without causing damage and would prevent from waiting too long to return power without causing unnecessary and frustrating delays with respect to the use of the electronics/electrical appliances. Oldham Paragraphs [0004]-[0007].
Regarding claim 5, Einaudi and Oldham teach all the claimed features of claim 2, from which claim 5 depends. Einaudi further teaches:
The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the relay is further configured to control the flow of electricity from the power supply to another electronic device. Einaudi: Paragraph [0047] [As described in claim 1.] Einaudi: Paragraph [0046] and FIG. 1 (“Switching device 104 is configured to select (e.g., switch between) different audio and/or video source devices that are coupled to AV ports 110A-110C (e.g., consumer electronic device 102A, consumer electronic device 102B or consumer electronic device 102C) and provide an output signal (e.g., audio and/or video signals 114) comprising audio and/or video signals (e.g., audio and/or video signals 108A, audio and/or video signals 108B or audio and/or video signals 108C) provided by the selected audio/video source. Audio and/or video signals 114 are provided to consumer electronic device 102D that is coupled to AV port 110D. Audio and/or video signals 114 may also be provided to any other device capable of playing back audio and/or video signals (e.g., speaker(s), secondary displays, etc.) that may be coupled consumer electronic device 102D and/or to AV port 102D and/or other port(s) (not shown) of switching device 104.”) [Another of the consumer electronic devices reads on “another electronic device”.]
Regarding claim 6, Einaudi and Oldham teach all the claimed features of claim 5, from which claim 6 depends. Einaudi further teaches:
The apparatus of claim 5, wherein to cause the relay to power cycle the electronic device comprises to:
control the relay to cease the flow of electricity to the electronic device and the another electronic device; and control the relay to start, after the delay period following the cessation of the flow of electricity, the flow of electricity to the electronic device and the another electronic device. Einaudi: Paragraphs [0041], [0044]-[0049], and [0069] [As described in claim 1.]
Regarding claim 7, Einaudi and Oldham teach all the claimed features of claim 5, from which claim 7 depends. Einaudi further teaches:
The apparatus of claim 5, wherein: the another electronic device is communicatively connected to the electronic device. Einaudi: Paragraph [0046] and FIG. 1 [As described in claim 1.][The consumer electronic device 102A, consumer electronic device 102B or consumer electronic device 102C providing audio and/or video signals to consumer electronic device 102D reads on “the another electronic device is communicatively connected to the electronic device”.]
Regarding claim 11, Einaudi teaches all the claimed features of claim 10, from which claim 11 depends. Einaudi does not expressly teach all of the recitations of claim 11. However, Oldham describes an intelligent power restore. Oldham teaches:
The method of claim 10, wherein causing the relay to power cycle the electronic device comprises: controlling the relay to cease the flow of electricity to the electronic device; and controlling the relay to start the flow of electricity to the electronic device after a delay period following the cessation of the flow of electricity. Oldham: Paragraph [0006] (“…a controller in communication with the interrupter, the controller configured for: detecting when a fault condition is present in the power system; in response to detecting that the fault condition is present, causing the interrupter to interrupt the power supplied by the one or more powered lines; and in response to detecting that the fault condition is no longer present: (i) determining a power restoration delay time, and (ii) causing the one or more powered lines to supply power to the electrical distribution system when the power restoration delay time has been elapsed.”) Oldham: Paragraph [0087] (“The input component 804 may be configured to receive input power 808 supplied by the power source. In response to receiving the input power after a power loss or otherwise interruption of power supplied by the power source, the controller may perform the steps/operations (or portion thereof) described in at least one of FIG. 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, or 4 to determine the power restoration delay time and drive the main contactor 810 in accordance with the power restoration delay time.”) Oldham: Paragraph [0088] (“In an example embodiment, in response to power being applied, the smart delay device 800 waits for a duration of time corresponding to the power restoration time and then transmits a signal to the main contactor 810. According to various embodiments, the transmitted signal is configured to cause the main contactor 810 to move from an opened state to a closed state such that power from the power source may be supplied to the electrical distribution system 812 after the power restoration time is elapsed.”) [The main contactor reads on “the relay”.]
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, having the teachings of Einaudi and Oldham before them, to cause the relay to power cycle the electronic device comprises: controlling the relay to cease the flow of electricity to the electronic device; and controlling the relay to start the flow of electricity to the electronic device after a delay period following the cessation of the flow of electricity because the references are in the same field of endeavor as the claimed invention.
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to do this modification because it would allow sufficient time to return power after faulty power is detected without causing damage and would prevent from waiting too long to return power without causing unnecessary and frustrating delays with respect to the use of the electronics/electrical appliances. Oldham Paragraphs [0004]-[0007].
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Einaudi, Oldham, and in view of Fung (US Patent Publication No. 2002/0062454 A1) (“Fung”).
Regarding claim 8, Einaudi and Oldham teach all the claimed features of claim 7, from which claim 8 depends. Einaudi and Oldham do not expressly teach the features of claim 8. However, Fung describes dynamic power and workload management. Fung teaches:
The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the another electronic device is a camera. Fung: Paragraph [0153] (“The Remote Warm Boot and Cold Boot Control feature of the Management Module 108 provides remote reset and power cycling capabilities for Server Modules 112 and Switch Modules 104. Such remote warm boot and cold boot control can be performed in-band, through the Switch Modules 104, or out-of-band via the Management Module 108 external Ethernet port.”) Fung: Paragraph [0262] (“Application of the principles described herein therefore have the potential of reducing power consumption and prolonging component life to such devices and systems as video monitors, hard disk drives or other storage systems or devices, printers, scanners, cameras, other network devices and circuits, industrial tools and systems, and a myriad of other systems and devices.”)
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, having the teachings of Einaudi, Oldham, and Fung before them, for the another electronic device to be a camera because the references are in the same field of endeavor as the claimed invention.
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to do this modification because it would allow power cycling capabilities to various systems and devices including cameras. Fung Paragraphs [0153] and [0262].
It is noted that any citations to specific paragraphs or figures in the prior art references and any interpretation of the reference should not be considered to be limiting in any way. A reference is relevant for all it contains and may be relied upon for all that it would have reasonably suggested to one having ordinary skill in the art. See MPEP 2123.
Allowable Subject Matter
The subject matter of claims 3 and 12 is found to be allowable over the prior art of record and would be considered allowed if incorporated into their corresponding independent claims. In addition, the subject matter of claims 16-20 is found to be allowable over the prior art of record.
While the prior art shows automatic determination of a state of a consumer electronic device via power monitoring (see Einaudi et al. (US Patent Publication No. 2023/0091426 A1); Oldham (US Patent Publication No. 2026/0031608 A1); Furukawa et al. (US Patent Publication No. 2009/0265566 A1); Fung (US Patent Publication No. 2002/0062454 A1)) the prior art, individually or combined, does not teach or suggest “to detect the cessation of the power consumption comprises to: measure, using the sensor, a current associated with the flow of electricity from the relay to the electronic device, and determine that the current is below a minimum threshold value,” as recited in claim 3 and similarly recited in claim 12; and “determining a cessation of power consumption by the electronic device based on a determination that the power consumption data being less than a minimum threshold value; and power cycling the electronic device in response to determining the cessation of the power consumption”, as recited in independent claim 16. It is this concept that defines the present application over the prior art of record.
In view of their dependencies to an allowable claim, claims 17-20 are found to be allowable over prior art.
As allowable subject matter has been indicated, applicant's reply must either comply with all formal requirements or specifically traverse each requirement not complied with. See 37 CFR 1.111(b) and MPEP § 707.07(a).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Furukawa et al. (US Patent Publication No. 2009/0265566 A1) describes a power supply for providing power to devices in a network is described as incorporating an integral coupling feature that terminates the provision of power from an upstream power supply while maintaining connectivity of communications signals and ground from an upstream portion to a downstream portion of the network relative to the power supply. The power supply includes a logic feature that monitors a power status of an upstream power supply and/or its own power status. When the logic feature detects a power cycle, it initiates a coordinated power cycle of the associated power supply and/or other networked power supplies.
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/ALICIA M. CHOI/Primary Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2117
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