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
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 15-17 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 as being anticipated by Luciani et al. Publication No. US 2014/0268458.
Regarding claim 15, Luciani discloses a method for limiting inrush current to an end device, the method comprising:
providing, via a power cord comprising a first current carrying conductor [Fig. 3 to Fig. 5, a first top current carrying conductor as shown], and a second current carrying conductor [Fig. 3 to 5, a second current carrying conductor as shown], an alternating current to an end device;
sensing, via at least one voltage sensor [Fig. 3, voltage measuring device 115] operatively coupled to the first and second current carrying conductors and enclosed by a housing attached to the power cord, at least one input voltage;
sensing, via a current sensor [Fig. 3, current measuring device 112] operatively coupled to the first current carrying conductor and enclosed by the housing, an inrush current;
receiving, via a microcontroller unit (MCU) [Fig. 3, microprocessor 343] enclosed by the housing, the at least one sensed input voltage and the sensed inrush current; and
when one or more of the at least one sensed input voltage or the sensed inrush current reaches a threshold level, engaging an NTC thermistor to limit the inrush current by opening, via the MCU, a switching device [Fig. 4, relay R1], the NTC thermistor and the switching device connected in series to the first current carrying conductor [par. 0055 to par. 0063].
Regarding claim 16, Luciani discloses, wherein receiving, via a microcontroller unit (MCU) enclosed by the housing, the sensed input voltage and inrush current includes: capturing, via the MCU, a voltage waveform based on the at least one sensed input voltage [Fig. 6A1, 6A2, 6B; par. 0055]; and capturing, via the MCU, a current waveform based on the sensed inrush current [par. 0039, 0046, 0051].
Regarding claim 17, Luciani discloses that capturing, via the MCU, a current waveform based on the sensed inrush current includes: measuring, via the MCU, a peak inrush current based on the current waveform [par. 0039, 0046, 0051].
Regarding claim 19, Luciani further comprising: subsequent to engagement of the NTC thermistor, shunting the NTC thermistor for a cool-down interval by closing, via the MCU, the switching device. [par. 0084, 0122].
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 1-2 and 7-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Luciani et al. Publication No. US 2014/0268458, in view of Miller et al. Patent No. US 11,791,620.
Regarding claim 1, Luciani discloses an inrush current limiter device, comprising:
a housing [Fig. 3, the dashed line shows a housing with a ground connected to it] fashioned of a flame-retardant plastic, the housing embedded within a power supply cord between a first connector [Fig. 3, Line voltage] and a second connector [Fig.3, electrical load],
the first connector couplable to a power distribution unit (PDU) capable of providing an alternating current (AC) to an end device [Fig. 3 to Fig. 5, line voltage Vin],
the second connector couplable to the end device [Fig. 3 to Fig. 5, load],
the power supply cord comprising at least one first current carrying conductor and at least one second current carrying conductor [Fig. 3 to Fig. 5, as shown]; and
the housing configured to at least partially enclose:
at least one switching device [Fig. 4, relay R1] and a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistor [Fig. 4, 426a], wherein the switching device and the NTC thermistor are connected in series to the first current carrying conductor, and wherein the switching device has an open state and a closed state [Fig. 4, relay R1 is either in open or closed condition];
at least one voltage sensor operatively coupled to the first and second current carrying conductors, each voltage sensor configured to sense an input voltage relative to the NTC thermistor [Fig. 4, voltage measuring device 115 continually monitoring the input line voltage, which is configured to sense an input (upstream) voltage relative to the NTC; par. 0057, 0059];
a current sensor operatively coupled to the at least one first current carrying conductor and configured to sense an inrush current [Fig. 3 to Fig. 5, current measuring device 112 [par. 0059];
a microcontroller unit (MCU) [Fig. 4, microprocessor 343] operatively coupled to the at least one voltage sensor, to the current sensor, and to the switching device, the MCU configured to:
receive the at least one sensed input voltage and sensed inrush current [Fig. 6A1, 6A2, 6B; par. 0055];
capture a voltage waveform based on the at least one sensed input voltage [par. 0058];
capture a current waveform based on the sensed inrush current [par. 0055];
when one or more of the at least one sensed input voltage or the sensed inrush current reaches a threshold level, engage the NTC thermistor for limiting the inrush current by opening the switching device; and
shunt the NTC thermistor for at least one cool-down interval subsequent to engagement of the NTC thermistor by closing the switching device [par. 0084, 0122].
However, Luciani does not disclose at least one reset button operatively coupled to the MCU, the at least one button configured for at least one of arming the current limiter device or resetting the current limiter device when engaged by a user.
Miller discloses a power protection circuit including an inrush current limiting circuit. Miller discloses a thermistor [Fig. 1, 152] and a switching device [Fig. 1, 116] connected in series with the first conductor; a voltage sensor [Fig. 1, 154/156]; a current sensor [Fig. 1, 154/156]; an MCU [Fig. 1, MCU 102]. Miller further discloses a reset button [Fig. 1, Reset Button 144] operatively coupled to the MCU, the at least one reset button configured for at least one of arming the current limiter device or resetting the current limiter device when engaged by a user [par. 0063].
Luciani and Miller are analogous current limiting circuits with switching devices connected between power source and load. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate a reset button of Miller, into Luciani, for the benefit of letting the user turn the power back on safely after a short circuit or overload trips and prevents constant damaging restarts.
Regarding claim 2, Luciani discloses that the MCU is configured to measure a peak inrush current [par. 0039, 0046, 0051] based on the current waveform.
Regarding claim 7, Luciani discloses that the at least one current sensor includes at least one toroidal current transformer [par. 0055, current transformer].
Regarding claim 8, Luciani discloses that the at least one current sensor includes at least one proximity current sensor [par. 0055 suggests that the current measuring device can comprise any type of current sensing circuit].
Regarding claim 9, Luciani discloses that the at least one switching device includes a bistable power relay [Fig. 4, relay R1, par. 0069].
Regarding claim 10, Luciani discloses that the at least one switching device includes at least one solid-state switch selected from a group including a silicon- controlled rectifier (SCR) [par. 0069; relay R1 may be an SCR] and an insulated gate bipolar transistor.
Regarding claim 11, Miller further comprises at least one visual indicator operatively coupled to the MCU [Fig. 1, ON/OFF/Standby buttons 107, 109, 111, SSCB display 113 coupled to the MCU 102 as shown], the at least one visual indicator configured to report at least one of: a status of the current limiter device; or a condition associated with the PDU [col. 8 lines 15-63; col. 12 lines 25-50].
Regarding claim 12, Miller discloses that the at least one visual indicator includes at least one light emitting diode [col. 12 lines 25-50, LEDs of different colors].
Regarding claim 13, Miller discloses that the condition includes at least one of: a severity of an undervoltage associated with the at least one sensed input voltage; a severity of an overvoltage associated with the at least one sensed input voltage; or a severity of an overcurrent associated with the sensed inrush current [col. 8 lines 16 to 56].
Regarding claim 14, Miller discloses that the reset button is configured to reset the at least one visual indicator [The reset button is connected to the MCU and resets the MCU, which inherently resets the display button].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-6, 18, and 20 are 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 an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance of claim 3: The prior art does not disclose that the MCU is configured to detect an operational state of the NTC thermistor based on one or more of the voltage waveform or the current waveform. This feature in combination with the rest of the claim limitations is not anticipated or rendered obvious by the prior art of record.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance of claim 18: The prior art does not further comprise: detecting, via the MCU and based on one or more of the voltage waveform or the current waveform, at least one operational state of the NTC thermistor. This feature in combination with the rest of the claim limitations is not anticipated or rendered obvious by the prior art of record.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance of claim 20: The prior art does not further disclose determining, via the MCU, a voltage drop across the NTC thermistor based at least one of the line-side voltage or the load-side voltage; and wherein when one or more of the at least one sensed input voltage or the sensed inrush current reaches a threshold level, engaging the NTC thermistor to limit the inrush current includes: engaging the NTC thermistor based at least on the determined voltage drop.
Conclusion
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DHARTI PATEL
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2836
/DHARTI H PATEL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838
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