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 § 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 1, 4-5, 7, 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bushman et al. (US 2009/0153357 A1 hereinafter “Bushman”) in view of Ross, Jr. (US 6,679,116 B2 hereinafter “Ross”).
As to claim 1, Bushman discloses in Figs. 1, 5, 10 a magnetic field detection device:
a lid body that covers an opening of a housing, the housing having the opening and a space communicating with the opening (meter index cover 110 / index cover 230 over meter body 104 / meter 101 as shown in Fig. 1) (“the gas meter includes a gas meter body portion 104 having inlet 105 and outlet 106 plumbing connections, and a meter index 108 covered by a meter index cover 110”; “removing the meter existing index cover”; “mounting a replacement retrofit index cover which includes an attached AMR electronics module to the meter to complete the installation”) (paras 0016, 0023);
a magnet disposed in the space and rotatable in a same plane as the opening in plan view (magnet 208 on proving dial pointer 214 / 214-1 by attachment means 216 / cap 216 as shown in Figs. 5 and 10) (“a small magnet 208 is simply attached by some attachment means 216 to the (or to one of the) proving dial pointers 214-1, 214-2 on the gas meter index 206”; “attaching a magnet to the pointer so that it is carried in an orbit around the pointer shaft”) (paras 0051, 0052);
a magnetic sensor disposed on the lid body, facing the magnet and located apart from the magnet (sensor 234 on index cover 230) (“a sensor disposed within or on a surface of the index cover located to be located proximate to but not intersecting with a volume of space through which an index dial pointer or an extension of such pointer of the meter to which the retrofit modules is to be attached will pass as it rotates”; “The sensor may be attached to the interior of the retrofit index cover so that it is protected from the external environment and located physically close to the magnet carried by the cap 216 on the proving index pointer 214”);
and configured to detect a change in a magnetic field caused by rotation of the magnet (sensor 234 with magnet 208) (“mounting a sensor to the meter adapted to sense the passage of the pointer-mounted magnet and to detect the orbit of index pointer”; “a sensor including magnetically sensitive material that is responsive to detect the presence or transient passage of a permanent magnet and to thereby identify a rotation or partial rotation of a meter dial index pointer to which the magnet will be attached”).
Bushman does not disclose the lid body includes a position adjuster capable of moving the magnetic sensor so as to change a facing distance between the magnetic sensor and the magnet.
However, Ross discloses the lid body includes a position adjuster capable of moving the magnetic sensor so as to change a facing distance between the magnetic sensor and the magnet (cover 56 / cover 102, channel 104, detector 110, Hall effect sensor 58 / 112, shaped magnet 54, gap 68 as shown in Figs. 3, 6a, 6b, 6c, and 7) (“A cap, or cover, is provided to encase the dial components, and a detector, including a Hall effect sensor, is removeablly positioned operatively adjacent to the shaped magnet.” “In a preferred embodiment, the cap defines a channel on its outside surface to receive a detector containing a Hall effect sensor.” “Cover 102 defines a channel 104 for receiving detector 110.” “A gap 68 is provided between the Hall effect sensor 58 and the top surface 70 of the shaped magnet 54.” “As the shaped magnet 54 rotates, the length of the gap 68 changes.” “In the preferred embodiment, the minimum gap 68 between the thickest part of the magnet 54 and the sensor 112 is approximately 0.04 inches, and at the maximum gap 68 between the sensor 112 and magnet 54 is approximately 0.16 inches.”).
Ross also discloses a sensor configured to detect a change in a magnetic field caused by rotation of the magnet (“the magnet sensor, preferably a Hall device, is activated by changes in magnetic flux only, without the need of sliding contact of previous designs.” “The detector 110, including the Hall effect sensor 112, has circuits and amplifiers which provide a predetermined voltage at a magnetic null and subtract or add to the voltage depending upon the polarity of the magnetic field.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the system of Bushman and implement a position adjuster capable of moving the magnetic sensor so as to change a facing distance between the magnetic sensor and the magnet, as taught by Ross for placing the cover-mounted Hall sensor operatively adjacent the rotating magnet at gap 68 so the sensor is activated by changes in magnetic flux, and so a defective detector can be replaced on the cover.
As to claim 4, Ross discloses in Figs. 3 and 7:
a waterproof member that prevents water from entering through a boundary portion between a fixing portion and the position adjuster, the fixing portion being a portion of the lid body other than the position adjuster (O-ring 67 in groove 66 of base 48 at the joint with cover 56 as shown in Fig. 3) (“Preferably, the cover 56 is ultrasonically welded to the base 48 to produce a hermetic seal.” “The base 48 may be provided with a groove 66 into which an O- ring 67 can be inserted prior to ultrasonic welding to help seal and protect the weld joint.”).
As to claim 5, Bushman discloses a fixing portion that is a portion of the lid body other than the position adjuster … [is] a transparent panel (index cover 110 / index cover 230 / transparent window 233) (“The index cover is conventionally a simple transparent plastic cover that allows a visual reading of the meter index dials and pointers”; “an index cover at least a portion of which is transparent so that movement of index dials and pointers … are visible”; “a transparent window 233 may be formed in a non-transparent index cover 230”).
As to claim 7, Ross discloses the position adjuster has a grip portion provided on an outer surface side thereof (detector 110 on the outside of cover 102 as shown in Figs. 6a and 6c) (“FIG. 6 *a* shows an embodiment of the top cover 102 with a removable detector 110.” “This embodiment is beneficial in that it allows the dial assembly 35 to be used without the detector 110 … defective detectors can be easily replaced with a new detector.”). The outer detector 110 is the outer-surface portion a user grips to insert or remove the sensor on the cover.
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the system of Bushman and implement a grip portion provided on an outer surface side of the position adjuster, as taught by Ross for installing and replacing detector 110 from the outside of cover 102.
As to claim 9, Bushman discloses in Figs. 1, 5, 10: a fixing implement for fixing the magnet to a needle of an analog meter (cap 216 / attachment means 216 fixing magnet 208 to proving dial pointer 214 as shown in Figs. 5 and 10) (“the attachment of the small magnet 208 to the proving dial pointer 214 is via a cap 216 that is attached to or slips over or snaps onto the proving dial pointer 214 and carries a small round button shaped magnet 208”);
the housing is a housing of the analog meter (meter body 104 of gas meter 101 as shown in Fig. 1) (“the gas meter includes a gas meter body portion 104”);
the lid body has a structure replaceable with an existing lid body of the analog meter (replacement retrofit index cover replacing index cover 110) (“removing the meter existing index cover”; “mounting a replacement retrofit index cover which includes an attached AMR electronics module to the meter to complete the installation”);
the magnet is rotatable in a same plane as the opening in plan view by being fixed to the needle by the fixing implement (magnet 208 on pointer 214 by cap 216) (“attaching a magnet to the pointer so that it is carried in an orbit around the pointer shaft”; “the proving dial pointer is carried by a proving dial pointer shaft 216 that is driven directly or indirectly by the gas meter shaft”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the system of Bushman in view of Ross and implement a fixing implement for fixing the magnet to a needle of an analog meter, with the housing [as] a housing of the analog meter, the lid body [having] a structure replaceable with an existing lid body of the analog meter, and the magnet … rotatable … by being fixed to the needle by the fixing implement, as taught by Bushman for retrofit of an existing analog meter without removing the index assembly.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bushman in view of Ross as applied to claim 1, and further in view of Di Marco et al. (US 7,994,772 B2 hereinafter “Di Marco”).
As to claim 6, Bushman in view of Ross discloses the device of claim 1.
Ross discloses aligned rotation axes of the magnet and the dial assembly (shaped magnet 54, pin 52, axis 50 as shown in Figs. 2 and 3) (“Preferably, the rotational axis of the dial assembly 35 when the dial assembly 35 is mounted on the head 22 of the gauge substantially aligns with the axis of rotation of the drive shaft 26.” “a shaped magnet 54 is pivotally mounted on pin 52.”).
Bushman in view of Ross does not expressly disclose a rotation axis of the position adjuster and a rotation axis of the magnet coincide with each other.
However, Di Marco discloses in Figs. 1 and 2:
a rotation axis of the [sensor on the lid] and a rotation axis of the magnet coincide with each other (Hall sensor on display glass 11 / conductor plate 16, pointer 12, permanent magnet 31 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2) (“the Hall sensor being disposed in parallel to the plane of rotation and above the rotational axis of a pointer of the analogue rotational display of a gauge”; “the pointer supporting a magnet”; “the remote transmitter is disposed on a display glass adapted to be installed in or mounted to a gauge”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the system of Bushman in view of Ross and implement a rotation axis of the position adjuster and a rotation axis of the magnet [that] coincide with each other, as taught by Di Marco for on-axis Hall sensing of pointer-magnet rotation through the display glass.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-3, 8 objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
As to claims 2-3, 8, the prior art in record alone and/or in combination does not discloses the magnetic sensor is disposed on the position adjuster, and the position adjuster is screwed to a fixing lid, and is movable so as to change the facing distance by rotating around a rotation axis in a direction along the opening in plan view.
Conclusion
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/TUNG X NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858 9/18/2026
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