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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This office action is in response to application filed on January 14, 2025. Claims 1-14 are currently pending in the application.
Drawings
The drawings filed on January 14, 2025 are acknowledged and are acceptable.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-3, 5-10, and 12-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and (a)(2) as being anticipated by Holdcroft et al. (U.S. Publication No. 2019/0086378; hereinafter “Holdcroft”).
As per claim 1, Holdcroft discloses a gas measuring device (see e.g., Figs. 1, 2, 3A-3B, 10A-10D: gas detector devices 106/221/300/1000) comprising:
a gas sensor (e.g., para. [0055]: “Referring to FIGS. 3A-3B, a gas detector 300 may comprise at least one gas sensor 310 configured to detect gas in the ambient environment.”);
a first display unit (para. [0031]: gas detectors may comprise a display/LED’s for communicating sensed information to a user);
wherein the first display unit is configured to display information relating to a hazardous situation (e.g., para. [0031] & [0055]: “The main LED indicators use 3 colors to show status: green to represent “safe to proceed”, red to represent “danger, evacuate” and orange to represent maintenance activity…Pulsing LED's provide extra visibility for alerts and warnings to both users and co-workers.”):
a control unit (e.g., para. [0055]: “The gas detector may comprise an internal processor 360 configured to receive and process information from the sensor 310, control the display 302, and control communications to and from the gas detector 300.”);
wherein the control unit is configured to determine the hazardous situation on the basis of a gas measurement value of the gas sensor (e.g., para. [0035], [0043] & [0055]: “The detector devices 106 may comprise gas detector devices operable to detect concentrations of one or more gases in the air. These detector devices 106 may be mobile and carried with a worker in the facility. In some embodiments, the gas detector devices 106 may be operable to trigger alarms when the detected gas concentration moves outside of a predetermined threshold or thresholds.”);
wherein the control unit is configured to determine a status information about an internal device status (e.g., para. [0055] & [0084]: critical status information); and
a second display unit (e.g., para. [0083]: a gas detector 1000 comprises a first display 1002 and a second display 1004):
wherein the second display unit is configured to display the status information (see e.g., Figs. 10A-10D; para. [0083]-[0084]: “the top surface display 1004 may comprise one or more indicators 1006 (e.g. where the top surface display 1004 may be separate from the main display 1002). Critical status information may be communicated to the user via the indicators 1006. The indicators 1006 may provide basic information at a quick glance for the user, such as a confidence signal that the detector is functioning correctly, battery power is sufficient, and the atmosphere is safe, for example. This may allow a quick reference for the user, where the user may also consult the main (first) display 1002 located on the front surface of the gas detector 1000 if more information is desired.”);
wherein the second display unit is a bistable display unit (see e.g., para. [0083]-[0084]: a gas detector 1000 comprises a first display 1002 and a second display 1004; and para. [0075]: the gas detector may use a color E-ink display for lower power usage).
As per claim 2, claim 1 is incorporated and Holdcroft discloses: wherein the second display unit comprises electronic paper (e.g., para. [0075]).
As per claim 3, claim 1 is incorporated and Holdcroft discloses: wherein the control unit is configured to detect a gas sensor configuration, a device identification, a device property, a software version, and compliance with standards, and to determine the status information based thereon (e.g., para. [0033], [0039], [0043], [0055] & [0084]: “Information pulled to the detector 106 would include firmware upgrades, detector deployment, settings, set point configuration, permission rights and maintenance reminders”; “Gas detectors 221 may communicate data to the mobile device 202, such as gas level readings, gas identification, exposure data, and any alarms or alert”; “).
As per claim 5, claim 1 is incorporated and Holdcroft discloses: wherein the control unit is configured to determine the status information during a device switch-on process and a device switch-off process (e.g., para. [0089]).
As per claim 6, claim 1 is incorporated and Holdcroft discloses: wherein the control unit is configured to detect a device configuration change and to determine the status information in the event of a change in the device configuration (e.g., para. [0033], [0039] & [0084]).
As per claim 7, claim 1 is incorporated and Holdcroft discloses: wherein the second display unit is configured to display different information alternately at an interval (e.g., para. [0033], [0071] & [0085]).
Method claims 8-10 and 12-14 are drawn to the method of using the corresponding apparatus claimed in claims 1-3 and 5-7. Therefore, method claims 8-10 and 12-14 correspond to apparatus claims 1-3 and 5-7 and are rejected for the same reasons of anticipation as used above.
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 of this title, 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 4 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Holdcroft in view of Delgrande et al. (U.S. Publication No. 2021/0295959; hereinafter “Delgrande”).
As per claim 4, claim 1 is incorporated and Holdcroft teaches communicating critical status information to the user via indicators/second display (para. [0033] & [0084]), but does not explicitly disclose: wherein the control unit is configured to compare the status information with a previously determined status information and, if a difference is determined between the status information and the previously determined status information, the second display unit displays the current status information.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Delgrande teaches: wherein the control unit is configured to compare the status information with a previously determined status information and, if a difference is determined between the status information and the previously determined status information, the second display unit displays the current status information (e.g., para. [0043]-[0044]: “the POCT system can be designed such that content displayed on the auxiliary display of an POCT instrument of the plurality of POCT instruments can be based on data stored in the system control unit and, if this stored data is adjusted in the system control unit, the adjusted data can be automatically transmitted to the POCT instrument and content based on the adjusted data can be displayed on the auxiliary display.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Holdcroft to incorporate the teachings of Delgrande to provide displaying the current status information based on comparing the status information with a previously determined status information. Doing so allows the most current status information to be automatically updated and presented on the second/auxiliary display unit, as recognized by Delgrande (para. [0044]).
Method claim 11 is drawn to the method of using the corresponding apparatus claimed in claim 4. Therefore, method claim 11 corresponds to apparatus claim 4 and is rejected for the same reasons of obviousness as used above.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Refer to PTO-892, Notice of References Cited for a listing of analogous art.
Darveau (U.S. Publication No. 2015/0212057) discloses a wearable air quality monitor system.
Delgado (U.S. Publication No. 2019/0073890) discloses systems and methods for controlling the display of a gas detector.
Longley (U.S. Publication No. 2020/0258368) discloses systems and methods for monitoring gas levels and triggering alarms when high gas levels are detected.
Voumard (U.S. Publication No. 2018/0231515) discloses a gas measurement device incorporated into a watch.
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/ADNAN AZIZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2685 adnan.aziz@uspto.gov