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 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.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 3, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Rothman (US 20180119973).
Regarding claim 1, An air purification device, comprising: a first sensing device for sensing at least one component in an airflow along an airflow pathway, wherein the first sensing device determines a sensor reading for the at least one component; (“The smart AC filter is equipped with an IoT sensing unit that is wirelessly connected to or in communication with the IoT ecosystem. With the smart AC filter installed on a AC unit, the AC unit can automatically monitor air quality, air pollutant signatures, and thermal comfort levels using an IoT sensing unit (e.g., depicted in FIG. 2 or 10, and communicate such air-related data wirelessly with user devices or other air modification devices in the IoT ecosystem in real-time. In addition, based on a mathematical classifier (i.e., algorithm) trained on a supervised machine-learning method (such as SVM), the cloud server in the IoT ecosystem can automatically turn on/off, power up/down and/or open/close the AC unit and/or other air modification devices, e.g., a fan, humidifier, and/or an air purifier, according to different air-related data detected in real-time.” Rothman: paragraph 45)
at least one filtration device, wherein the at least one filtration device is positioned along the airflow pathway; (“FIGS. 1A-1C illustrate three exemplary variations for placement of a smart air conditioning (“AC”) filter on a window AC unit, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The AC filter design variation 101 has the smart AC filter 110 indoors and inside the filter compartment, replacing existing filters. The AC filter design variation 102 has the smart AC filter 110 indoors and on the outside of the AC unit.” Rothman: paragraph 49 & figures 1A-1C)
and a blower, wherein the blower is adjustable to control an amount of air flowing through the airflow pathway, wherein a blower output of the blower is adjusted based on the sensor reading. (“In addition, based on a mathematical classifier (i.e., algorithm) trained on a supervised machine-learning method (such as SVM), the cloud server in the IoT ecosystem can automatically turn on/off, power up/down and/or open/close the AC unit and/or other air modification devices, e.g., a fan, humidifier, and/or an air purifier, according to different air-related data detected in real-time.” Rothman: paragraph 45)
Regarding claim 2, The air purification device of Claim 1, further comprising a housing, wherein the housing defines a first compartment and a second compartment, wherein the at least one filtration device is positioned between the first compartment and the second compartment. (Rothman: figure 1A)
Regarding claim 3, The air purification device of Claim 2, wherein the housing defines an inlet and an outlet, wherein the inlet is defined adjacent to the first compartment and the outlet is defined adjacent to the second compartment. (Rothman: figures 1A & 6)
Regarding claim 9, The air purification device of Claim 1, wherein the blower output of the blower is adjusted to keep the at least one component within a contaminant range. (“With the smart AC filter installed on a AC unit, the AC unit can automatically monitor air quality, air pollutant signatures, and thermal comfort levels using an IoT sensing unit (e.g., depicted in FIG. 2 or 10, and communicate such air-related data wirelessly with user devices or other air modification devices in the IoT ecosystem in real-time. In addition, based on a mathematical classifier (i.e., algorithm) trained on a supervised machine-learning method (such as SVM), the cloud server in the IoT ecosystem can automatically turn on/off, power up/down and/or open/close the AC unit and/or other air modification devices, e.g., a fan, humidifier, and/or an air purifier, according to different air-related data detected in real-time. The algorithm can be tailored to each user's unique environment and personal tolerance levels of air quality measures. In one embodiment, it is desirable to implement this algorithm in the IoT sensing unit or in the devices of the IoT ecosystem with low CPU clock speed, the algorithm can be built using linear classifiers, which can prioritize computational speed over accuracy. In another embodiment, if it can tolerate slight delays in the response time of the IoT ecosystem, the algorithm built with non-linear classifiers can be deployed in the cloud servers, which can prioritize accuracy over speed. There are various embodiments of the smart AC filter, which can include a potential filter frame, the IoT sensing unit, and filter material.” Rothman: paragraph 45)
Regarding claim 10, The air purification device of Claim 9, wherein the blower output is reduced in an instance in which a carbon dioxide level in the airflow is below a carbon dioxide threshold level. (“In an exemplary embodiment, the IoT sensing unit may comprise temperature, humidity, pressure sensors, air quality sensors (e.g., but not limited to, sensors for sensing and/or measuring the amount of particulate matter (“PM”), volatile organic compounds (“VOCs”), carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane gas) and an accelerometer or a subset thereof. The IoT sensing unit can be integrated with any hardware devices or exist as a standalone product. The IoT sensing unit can be installed onto or into a wall or placed on a table top, desktop, sidetable, or any flat surface. Again, exemplary embodiments of the IoT sensing unit can be found in FIG. 2 or 10.” Rothman: paragraph 46)
Regarding claim 11, the claim is interpreted and rejected as claim 1 stated above.
Regarding claim 12, the claim is interpreted and rejected as claim 2 stated above.
Regarding claim 13, the claim is interpreted and rejected as claim 3 stated above.
Regarding claim 18, the claim is interpreted and rejected as claim 9 stated above.
Regarding claim 19, the claim is interpreted and rejected as claim 10 stated above.
Regarding claim 20, The method of Claim 11, further comprising monitoring the at least one component after the blower output is adjusted. (“The smart AC filter is equipped with an IoT sensing unit that is wirelessly connected to or in communication with the IoT ecosystem. With the smart AC filter installed on a AC unit, the AC unit can automatically monitor air quality, air pollutant signatures, and thermal comfort levels using an IoT sensing unit (e.g., depicted in FIG. 2 or 10, and communicate such air-related data wirelessly with user devices or other air modification devices in the IoT ecosystem in real-time. In addition, based on a mathematical classifier (i.e., algorithm) trained on a supervised machine-learning method (such as SVM), the cloud server in the IoT ecosystem can automatically turn on/off, power up/down and/or open/close the AC unit and/or other air modification devices, e.g., a fan, humidifier, and/or an air purifier, according to different air-related data detected in real-time.” Rothman: paragraph 45)
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.
Claim(s) 4, 5, 6, 14, 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Rothman in view of Official Notice.
Regarding claim 4, The air purification device of Claim 1, wherein the at least one filtration device comprises a first filtration device and a second filtration device is not specifically disclosed by Rothman. Examiner takes Official Notice that it would have been well known to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to use multiple filtration devices on an air system. Modifying Rothman to add additional filtration devices would increase the overall capabilities of the system by providing additional filtration means. Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Rothman according to Official Notice.
Regarding claim 5, The air purification device of Claim 4, wherein the first filtration device is a particle filter and the second filtration device is a carbon filter is not specifically disclosed by Rothman. Examiner takes Official Notice that it would have been well known to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to use both a particle and carbon filter. Modifying Rothman to use both a carbon and particle filter would increase the overall utility of the system by providing additional filtration types. Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Rothman according to Official Notice.
Regarding claim 6, The air purification device of Claim 1, further comprising at least one ionization device, wherein the at least one ionization device is positioned along the airflow is not specifically disclosed by Rothman. Examiner takes Official Notice that it would have been well known to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to use an ionization device. Modifying Rothman to use an ionization device would increase the overall utility of the system by providing additional means of conditioning the air. Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Rothman according to Official Notice.
Regarding claim 14, the claim is interpreted and rejected as claim 4 stated above.
Regarding claim 15, the claim is interpreted and rejected as claim 6 stated above.
Claim(s) 7, 8, 16, 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Rothman in view of Nishiyama (US 20170016660).
Regarding claim 7, The air purification device of Claim 1, further comprising at least one refrigerant sensing device monitoring a refrigerant level for at least one refrigerant, wherein the blower output of the blower is adjusted based on the refrigerant level is not specifically disclosed by Rothman. Nishiyama discloses a coolant system for air using refrigerant that teaches measuring the level of refrigerant remaining and adjusting a fan speed accordingly (“In the first embodiment, the three-way valve 8 is, as shown in FIG. 6, switched in association with a change in the temperature gradient of discharged gas refrigerant subjected to heat exchange in the accumulator 5, and therefore, the initial state shifts to the normal operation. However, in the fourth embodiment, the level of liquid refrigerant in the accumulator 5 is measured by the liquid surface detection unit 16, and then, when the liquid surface level decreases to equal to or lower than a threshold, the hot gas bypass valve 15 is closed so that the initial state shifts to the normal operation. In such shift, the initial state can shift to the normal operation by the control of increasing the rotation frequency of the compressor 1 based on a decrease in the amount of liquid refrigerant in the accumulator 5, the control of decreasing the rotation speed of the condenser fan 2a based on a decrease in the amount of liquid refrigerant in the accumulator 5, or the control of increasing the rotation speed of the evaporator fan 4a based on a decrease in the amount of liquid refrigerant in the accumulator 5, for example.” Nishiyama: paragraph 115). Modifying Rothman to include a refrigerant level sensor for modifying the fan speed would increase the overall functionality of the system by providing the user with additional control means. Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Rothman according to Nishiyama.
Regarding claim 8, The air purification device of Claim 7, wherein the blower output of the blower is reduced in an instance in which the refrigerant level is above a predetermined refrigerant level. (“In the first embodiment, the three-way valve 8 is, as shown in FIG. 6, switched in association with a change in the temperature gradient of discharged gas refrigerant subjected to heat exchange in the accumulator 5, and therefore, the initial state shifts to the normal operation. However, in the fourth embodiment, the level of liquid refrigerant in the accumulator 5 is measured by the liquid surface detection unit 16, and then, when the liquid surface level decreases to equal to or lower than a threshold, the hot gas bypass valve 15 is closed so that the initial state shifts to the normal operation. In such shift, the initial state can shift to the normal operation by the control of increasing the rotation frequency of the compressor 1 based on a decrease in the amount of liquid refrigerant in the accumulator 5, the control of decreasing the rotation speed of the condenser fan 2a based on a decrease in the amount of liquid refrigerant in the accumulator 5, or the control of increasing the rotation speed of the evaporator fan 4a based on a decrease in the amount of liquid refrigerant in the accumulator 5, for example.” Nishiyama: paragraph 115).
Regarding claim 16, the claim is interpreted and rejected as claim 7 stated above.
Regarding claim 17, the claim is interpreted and rejected as claim 8 stated above.
Conclusion
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Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TRAVIS R HUNNINGS whose telephone number is (571)272-3118. The examiner can normally be reached M: 6-7:30a, 9:30a-4:45p, 8:30-10p; T: 6-7:30a, 12-4p, 7:30p-12a; W: 6-7:30a, 9:30a-4:45p; H: 6-7:30a, 8:15a-4:45p; F: 12:00-4:45p.
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/TRAVIS R HUNNINGS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2689
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