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 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kondo et al. JP 7-123504A.
Kondo discloses:
(1) regarding Claim 1:
An in-vehicle control device for inclusion in an in-vehicle system provided with a power path through which power is supplied from a power source unit (2) to a load (1), a relay (switch 3) provided on the power path (between power 2 and load 1), and an interruption unit (switch 3) provided on the power path, the in-vehicle control device comprising: a control unit (13, 14 and 21) configured to control the interruption unit ([0010]), wherein the interruption unit is configured to switch from an allowable state in which supply of power from the power source unit side to the load side is allowed to an interruption state in which the supply of power is interrupted ([0010]), when a value of current flowing through the relay exceeds a threshold value (S1), the control unit switches the interruption unit to the interruption state based on an elapsed time from when the threshold value is exceeded (S2) and the current value after exceeding the threshold value ([0010]), and the threshold value is a value smaller than a maximum interruptible current, which is a maximum current at which the relay is switchable from an ON state to an OFF state ([0010]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-6 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CRYSTAL L HAMMOND whose telephone number is (571)270-1682. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 12pm-4pm Alt Fridays.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Crystal L Hammond can be reached at 571-270-1682. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CRYSTAL L HAMMOND/Supervisory Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838
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