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 and 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Xu et al. (CN 115032721, hereafter Xu)
With respect to claim 1, Xu teaches a siphon rain gauge system, comprising: a rain collector (rain collector 2), providing an inlet for rainwater to enter and an outlet for collected rainwater to flow out; a tipping bucket, including at least two rain gauge buckets (first funnel 31, second funnel 41), the rain gauge buckets being respectively disposed on opposite sides of a tipping axis (supporting rod 13); the rain gauge buckets alternately collecting rainwater flowing from the rain collector, the rain gauge buckets alternately tipping on either side of the tipping axis based on the weight of the rainwater, causing drain openings of the rain gauge buckets to rise and fall on either side of the tipping axis; and when any one of the rain gauge buckets descends, the rainwater in the corresponding rain gauge bucket flows out of the tipping bucket, causing the tipping bucket to drain into a measuring cup (water storage device 5, 6); a measuring cup, wherein when the rain gauge buckets descend, rainwater flows into the measuring cup; a siphon drain pipe (siphon 54, 64), the siphon drain pipe being connected to the measuring cup and discharging the rainwater from the measuring cup via a siphon principle, wherein when a liquid level height of the rainwater in the measuring cup is greater than a highest point of the siphon drain pipe, the siphon drain pipe discharges the rainwater from the measuring cup; and a sensing unit (water level sensors 55, 65) disposed within the siphon drain pipe or within the measuring cup or outside of the measuring cup, for sensing the number of times or the duration of rainwater drainage, or the liquid level height, thereby generating a sensing signal, the system calculating rainfall based on the sensing signal. (translation pg. 5, Fig. 1)
With respect to claim 9, Xu teaches a siphon rain gauge system, comprising: a rain collector (rain collector 2), providing an inlet for rainwater to enter and an outlet for collected rainwater to flow out; a measuring cup (water storage device 5, 6), collecting rainwater flowing from the outlet; a siphon drain pipe (siphon 54, 64), the siphon drain pipe being connected to the measuring cup and discharging the rainwater from the measuring cup via a siphon principle, wherein when a liquid level height of the rainwater in the measuring cup is greater than a highest point of the siphon drain pipe, the siphon drain pipe discharges the rainwater from the measuring cup; and a sensing unit (water level sensors 55, 65), disposed within the measuring cup or outside of the measuring cup, for sensing the liquid level height of the rainwater to generate a sensing signal, the system calculating rainfall based on the sensing signal. (translation pg. 5, Fig. 1)
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 2, 7-8,10 and 19-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xu.
With respect to claim 2, Xu teaches all that is claimed as in the above rejection except for explicitly stating that a drainage time of the siphon drain pipe is less than the time it takes for any one of the rain gauge buckets to fill with rainwater.
However, If this was not the case the apparatus would be unable to function effectively and therefore it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed that this should be a part of the design of the apparatus in order to accurately measure the rainfall.
With respect to claims 7-8 and 19-20, Xu teaches all that is claimed as in the above rejection and teaches that the rain gauge buckets alternately collect rainwater flowing from the rain collector without passing through a buffer funnel. (translation pg. 5, Fig. 1) Although Xu does not explicitly teach the system has a microcontroller coupled to the sensing unit for calculating rainfall or controlling a sensing interval of the sensing unit, there must be some control unit present in order for the apparatus to function and it would have been obvious to include a rainfall calculation in this control unit so that the determination could be made in the apparatus rather than externally.
With respect to claim 10, Xu teaches all that is claimed as in the above rejection and teaches that the system has two measuring cups (water storage device 5, 6) and a drain pipe. (translation pg. 5, Fig. 1) Although Xu does not explicitly teach the drain pipe being directly connected to the outlet of the rain collector, and the drain pipe being coupled to a branch pipe, such that the rainwater from the rain collector is diverted through the branch pipe to the measuring cups; wherein a volume ratio of the measuring cups is a ratio of two adjacent prime numbers, and a drainage time of the siphon drain pipe is less than a time for the measuring cups to fill with rainwater divided by a largest of the adjacent prime numbers, this arrangement and the size of the measuring cups would appear to be design choices which would provide well understood functionality for the apparatus.
Claim(s) 3-4, 11-12 and 15-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xu in view of Hashimoto et al. (JP 2006-214805, hereafter Hashimoto)
With respect to claims 3-4 and 11-12, Xu teaches all that is claimed as in the above rejection except for explicitly teaching the sensing unit comprises a projected capacitance sensor, the projected capacitance sensor not directly contacting rainwater; the rainwater in the measuring cup or the rainwater in the siphon drain pipe changing a capacitance value of the projected capacitance sensor, thereby causing the system to sense a drainage time of the siphon drain pipe or a liquid level height of the measuring cup based on the change in the capacitance value of the projected capacitance sensor.
Hashimoto teaches a water level sensing unit that comprises a projected capacitance sensor (capacitance measurement unit 20a) the projected capacitance sensor not directly contacting the water, the water changing a capacitance value of the projected capacitance sensor thereby causing the system to sense a liquid level height based on the change in the capacitance of the projected capacitance sensor. (translation page 4, Figs. 1, 3)
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify the invention of Xu to include a projected capacitance sensor, as taught by Hashimoto, in order to readily detect the water level without contacting the water.
With respect to claims 15-16, Xu, as modified by Hashimoto, teaches the projected capacitance sensor is not disposed in a region containing the rainwater, and an outer wall serves as part of the measuring cup.
With respect to claims 17-18, Xu, as modified by Hashimoto, teaches the projected capacitance sensor is disposed in a region containing the rainwater, an outer wall of the projected capacitance sensor blocks the rainwater, the outer wall preventing the projected capacitance sensor from directly contacting the rainwater, the outer wall being disposed within the measuring cup.
Claim(s) 5-6 and 13-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xu in view of de Kock. (US 4,671,110)
With respect to claims 5-6 and 13-14, Xu teaches all that is claimed as in the above rejection except for explicitly teaching the sensing unit is a resistive sensing unit, the resistive sensing unit directly contacting rainwater; the rainwater in the measuring cup or the rainwater in the siphon drain pipe contacting the resistive sensing unit to change a voltage value of the resistive sensing unit, thereby causing the system to sense a drainage time of the siphon drain pipe or a liquid level height of the measuring cup based on the change in the voltage value.
De Kock teaches a liquid level sensing unit that is a resistive sensing unit, the resistive sensing unit directly contacting the liquid to change a voltage value of the resistive sensing unit to sense a liquid level height based on the change in the voltage value. (col. 4, lines 1-17)
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify the apparatus of Xu to include a liquid resistive sensing unit as taught by de Kock, in order to readily detect the water level in a well understood manner.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 2008/0184788; US 9,588,253; CN 109459804; CN 112925047; and US 2022/0260750 each teach an apparatus having similarities to the claimed subject matter.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Jill E Culler whose telephone number is (571)272-2159. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30-5:00.
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/JILL E CULLER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
