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.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Barnett (US 10,392,860).
Regarding claim 8, Barnett discloses a method for operating a controller of a motorized window blind in concert with a wake-up alarm (col. 2, lines 40-43; col. 8, lines 18-20) , the method comprising the step of: in response to a) an automatic blind opening mode being selected with a device (col. 2, lines 1-3) and b) the wake-up alarm being set for a given time, the controller causing a motor to open the window blind (col. 2, lines 1-8; col. 8, lines 18-20).
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 5-7, 27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nielsen (US 2016/0295397) in view of La Mell et al. (US 4,160,972).
Regarding claims 5, 7, 27, Nielsen discloses a method for deterring theft (burglar) from a house equipped with an alarm system and a window blind assembly for a window, the window blind assembly having a movement sensor capable of detecting movement of a window blind of the window blind assembly (col. 7, lines 0129-0136]), the method comprising: in response to the alarm system being armed with an away status (remote control) and in response to the movement sensor detecting movement of the window blind from the standby position (page 7, [0136]; page 10, [0181-0187]): activating, by a controller of the window blind assembly, an intruder signal (page 10, [0181]). Claim 7, interloper (user) exterior and proximal to the at least one window (page 10, [0181]); in response to detecting motion of the interloper (user enter in page 10, [0181).
Nielsen discloses all the limitations set forth above but fails to explicitly disclose detecting, by the movement sensor, the window blind being moved from a standby position. Claim 27, a sound sensor in communication with the controller, said sound sensor capable of being trained to detect an alarm sound, wherein the sound sensor sends a signal to the controller to open the window blind in response to the sound sensor detecting the alarm sound.
However, La Mell discloses detecting, by the movement sensor, the window blind being moved from a standby position (when the blind 10 is moved relative to the window frame 14 in col. 5, lines 36-50).
Claim 27, a sound sensor in communication with the controller, said sound sensor capable of being trained to detect an alarm sound, wherein the sound sensor sends a signal to the controller to open the window blind in response to the sound sensor detecting the alarm sound (col. 6, lines 15-38).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was first filed to incorporate the features of La Mell within the system of Nielsen in order to accurately control operation of the window blind thereby improving the reliability of the system.
Regarding claim 6, Nielsen discloses wherein the intruder signal includes at least one of an
alarm, an alert to a smart phone, an alert to police, an alert to a security firm, a voice warning,
and a light signal (page 7, [0136]).
Claims 9-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Barnett (US 10,392,860) in view of O’Reilly et al. (US 2007/0057775).
Regarding claims 9-10, Barnet discloses all the limitations set forth in claim 8 but fails to explicitly disclose wherein the wake-up alarm is a crescendo alarm which when activated increases in volume over a crescendo period T>0.
However, O’Reilly discloses wherein the wake-up alarm is a crescendo alarm which when activated increases in volume over a crescendo period T>0 (page 4, [0045]).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was first filed to incorporate the features of O’Reilly within the system of Barnett in order to accurately control operation of the window blind thereby improving the reliability of the system.
Regarding claim 11, Barnett discloses wherein the device is a smart phone (col. 2, line 13).
Regarding claim 12, Barnett discloses wherein the device is a remote control (col. 2, line 12-13).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Casey et al. (US 2022/0341256) discloses control of covering………treatments.
Wendt et al. (US 2016/0043873) discloses Dc power distribution system.
Rodriguez Barros (US 2017/0210282) discloses multifunction….motor vehicle.
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DP
August 4, 2026
/DANIEL PREVIL/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2685
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