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 Status
Claims 1-20 are pending.
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.
Claim(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Reshef (US 2014/0195198) in view of Bergman (US 2014/0212332) in view of Klein (US 2013/0126760) in view of Bongartz (US 12,367,532) in view of Alvarez (US 10,906,647).
Examiner Note: Hereafter, above references will be entered as reference combination A.
a communication network;
Reshef discloses above limitation:
[0005] The present application discloses devices, systems and methods for establishing and utilizing a UV sensing network to harness the efficacy of distributed UV sensing to produce improved accuracy of UV exposure measurement using mobile devices. Individual mobile devices with UV sensors may be constrained by device orientation and or other factors, such as whether the device is indoors/outdoors/partially occluded from the UV radiation source that can affect the sensitivity and accuracy of UV data measurement. This problem can be largely obviated by aggregating data from multiple UV sensors coupled to multiple mobile devices connected through a UV sensing network. This collaborative UV measurement scheme may be accomplished by "crowd-sourcing." The collaboration can be implemented in many potential ways, such as, using a server based architecture where devices connect to a specific UV measurements server to provide measurements and receive aggregate estimated exposure levels, and/or by using a peer-to-peer architecture, where devices in a specific region creates a local ad-hoc UV sensing network.
a plurality of UV treatment devices communicatively connected to the communication
network, at least some of the plurality of UV treatment devices being configured to treat air
within respective zones of the facility using UV energy;
Reshef discloses above limitation as noted but does not disclose above limitation. However, Bergman discloses:
[0015] The present invention elegantly addresses all the above challenges and provides numerous additional benefits. In various example embodiments the solution discovered by the present inventor may comprise providing a plurality of relatively-inexpensive, disposable, removably-adherable UV dosimeters, and a system and method of using the same, comprising, for example, removably adhering a plurality of the UV dosimeters distally around an area to be disinfected by UV light, applying UV light to the area in a wavelength and dosage appropriate for sterilizing similar areas, for instance with one or more ultraviolet area sterilizers (UVAS), and then evaluating the UV dosimeters to determine which ones received a sufficient sterilizing dosage of UV light. If any of the UV dosimeters indicate that an insufficient dosage of UV light was received, it is then indicated that more UV light needs to be directed to the area where that or those UV dosimeter(s) were located.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Reshef to obtain above limitation based on the teachings of Bergman for the purpose of providing UV dosimeters adapted to visually indicate when they have been exposed to light in the UV C band range at a predetermined fluence level, see abstract.
Furthermore, one of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to look to Bergman’s analogous art which is from the same field of the invention as the claimed invention, i.e., Provided is an inexpensive, easy-to-use UV dosimeter and accompanying iterative process for optimizing UV disinfection parameters for a given area, including light source location(s), duration, and power level, and then recording that information for future use in connection with that area, see abstract.
a plurality of sensors communicatively connected to the communication network, each
of the plurality of sensors associated with a location within the facility and a corresponding
location identifier, and each of the plurality of sensors configured to generate facility data
associated with the location within the facility; and
Bergman [0003] The present invention relates generally to an apparatus, system, and method for evaluating and adjusting the effectiveness of ultraviolet light disinfection of areas, such as, for example, rooms in hospitals and clinics and clean rooms associated with manufacturing or testing.
Examiner Note: rooms in hospitals inherently have a location identifier, i.e., room number
a control circuit communicatively connected to the communication network, the control
circuit configured to receive the facility data from the plurality of sensors over the communication network;
Reshef discloses above limitation as noted but does not disclose above limitation. However, Klein discloses:
Claim 1, A UV sanitizing system comprising: one or more UV sensors; one or more satellite assemblies each comprising a satellite UV illumination source; a base unit in communication with the one or more UV sensors and the one or more satellite assemblies, the base unit comprising: one or more base UV illumination sources; a memory having stored therein software instructions; a processor in communication with the memory and configured to receive software instructions that when executed by the processor cause the base unit to perform operations comprising: delivering UV illumination to a location in which the one or more satellite assemblies and the base station are present; receiving sensor data from the at least one UV sensor, wherein the sensor data is indicative of the amount of UV energy received by the UV sensor; determining from the sensor data when an area within the location has received sufficient UV energy; and controlling at least one of the UV illumination sources of the one or more satellite assemblies and the one or more UV illumination sources of the base station to reduce the UV exposure of the area within the location when the area within the location has received sufficient UV energy according to the sensor data.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Reshef to obtain above limitation based on the teachings of Klein for the purpose of providing sensor data indicative of the UV energy received by the UV sensor.
Furthermore, one of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to look to Klein’s analogous art which is from the same field of the invention as the claimed invention, i.e., a UV sanitizing system, see above.
map the received facility data to a plurality of locations within the facility based
on the location identifiers of the plurality of sensors;
Reshef discloses elements of the claimed invention as noted but does not disclose above limitation. However, Bongartz discloses:
[column 32 lines 45-50], Furthermore, the computing device of the controlled agricultural system may also be configured to show the locations of the sensors in a kind of “heat maps” to constantly monitor these locations. If different seasons are to be considered, seasonal maps may be relevant/comprised.
Bongartz [col 24 lines 15-25],
The Controlled Agricultural System of one of the preceding aspects, wherein the treatment applied at the treatment location is at least one of an illumination treatment, a low or high temperature treatment, a gas absorption treatment, an insect attraction treatment, a controlled humidity treatment, an UV-radiation treatment, a non-lighting treatment.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Reshef to obtain above limitation based on the teachings of Bongartz for the purpose of showing locations of sensor in a graphical presentation.
Furthermore, one of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to look to Bongartz’s analogous art which is from the same field of the invention as the claimed invention, i.e., light treatment (UV), see below:
col 38 line 65- col 39 line 5: Start automated illumination with specific light treatment (UV) Start automated spraying of pesticides Inform the operator to have a check and show the affected or suspicious location Adjust watering, ventilation, etc.
for each of the plurality of locations, analyze a combination of facility data associated with a respective location to determine whether a UV treatment trigger condition is met;
Reshef discloses elements of the claimed invention as noted but does not disclose above limitation. However, Alvarez discloses:
Alvarez col 14 line 55 – col 15 line 10, As described herein, in at least certain embodiments, the trigger sensor(s) 940 (including at least one of the door sensor 116, the floor sensor 118, the changing table sensor 120, and the toilet sensor 122) include a motion sensor, an occupancy sensor, a thermal sensor, a door open/close sensor, an infrared sensor device, an ultrasonic sensor device, a floor pressure sensor, or other types of sensors, as described above with respect to FIGS. 1-10. For instance, in an example in which the light control system 900 is located on a vehicle having a lavatory, the trigger condition(s) detected by the trigger sensor(s) 940 includes at least one of a door of the lavatory being opened, the door of the lavatory being closed, the lavatory being occupied, and the lavatory being unoccupied. Additionally, for example, the one or more criteria that is used by the control device 936 to determine whether to activate the UV light source 910 includes one or more criterion such as a door of the lavatory being closed, the lavatory being unoccupied, the lavatory having been occupied a predetermined number of times since a previous activation of the UV light source 910, and a predetermined amount of time having passed since the previous activation of the UV light source 910.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Reshef to obtain above limitation based on the teachings of Alvarez for the purpose of providing a light control system which includes an ultraviolet (UV) UV light source, which, in at least one embodiment, is part of the cleaning system shown in FIG. 1. When activated, the UV light source emits UV light to provide a target level of antimicrobial efficacy. For instance, the UV light source emits the UV light at a predetermined wavelength and intensity for a predetermined exposure time to achieve the target level of antimicrobial efficacy during an activation cycle. In one example, the UV light source 910 emits the UV light at an intensity of 10 mW/cm2 for an exposure time of 10 seconds to achieve the target level of antimicrobial efficacy for the activation cycle, see col 12 lines 8-20, see col 12 lines 8-20.
Furthermore, one of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to look to Alvarez’s analogous art which is from the same field of the invention as the claimed invention, i.e., light treatment (UV), see above.
in response to the determination, identify one or more UV treatment devices located proximate to the respective location, and communicate over the communication network with the identified UV treatment devices to adjust one or more operational parameters.
Bergman [0015], The present invention elegantly addresses all the above challenges and provides numerous additional benefits. In various example embodiments the solution discovered by the present inventor may comprise providing a plurality of relatively-inexpensive, disposable, removably-adherable UV dosimeters, and a system and method of using the same, comprising, for example, removably adhering a plurality of the UV dosimeters distally around an area to be disinfected by UV light, applying UV light to the area in a wavelength and dosage appropriate for sterilizing similar areas, for instance with one or more ultraviolet area sterilizers (UVAS), and then evaluating the UV dosimeters to determine which ones received a sufficient sterilizing dosage of UV light. If any of the UV dosimeters indicate that an insufficient dosage of UV light was received, it is then indicated that more UV light needs to be directed to the area where that or those UV dosimeter(s) were located. Changes can then be made to the location(s) of the UVAS devices, and/or their power levels or the duration of their use, and the above steps repeated until a satisfactory result is obtained at all UV dosimeter locations. Once a satisfactory result is obtained for all identified surfaces, the parameters of that UV treatment, including location(s) of UVAS device(s), duration of use, power level, etc., can be recorded so that subsequent UV sterilizations for a particular area can be carried out in an identical manner in the future, thereby providing assurance that subsequent UV sterilizations will sufficiently treat all areas of the room.
Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable under reference combination A in view of nonfunctional descriptive material.
Reference combination A discloses elements of the claimed invention as noted but does not disclose wherein the facility data comprises at least one of temperature data, humidity data, air pressure data, air flow data, or device usage data.
The above is rejected in view of nonfunctional descriptive material. A new and nonobvious functional relationship does not exist with the known method of UV treatment based the above claimed features.
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable under reference combination A.
Reference combination A discloses wherein in response to the UV treatment trigger condition being met, the control circuit is further configured to log an event including the location identifier and a timestamp.
Bergman [0015], Once a satisfactory result is obtained for all identified surfaces, the parameters of that UV treatment, including location(s) of UVAS device(s), duration of use, power level, etc., can be recorded so that subsequent UV sterilizations for a particular area can be carried out in an identical manner in the future, thereby providing assurance that subsequent UV sterilizations will sufficiently treat all areas of the room.
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable under reference combination A in view of nonfunctional descriptive material.
Reference combination A discloses elements of the claimed invention as noted but does not disclose wherein the operational parameters include at least one of UV intensity, airflow rate, disinfection cycle duration, and activation frequency.
The above is rejected in view of nonfunctional descriptive material. A new and nonobvious functional relationship does not exist with the known method of UV treatment based on above claimed features.
Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable under reference combination A.
Reference combination A discloses wherein the UV treatment trigger is based on deviations from
expected values of the facility data for the respective location, and wherein the expected values
are updated over time based on historical facility data associated with each location.
Alvarez col 14 line 55 – col 15 line 10, As described herein, in at least certain embodiments, the trigger sensor(s) 940 (including at least one of the door sensor 116, the floor sensor 118, the changing table sensor 120, and the toilet sensor 122) include a motion sensor, an occupancy sensor, a thermal sensor, a door open/close sensor, an infrared sensor device, an ultrasonic sensor device, a floor pressure sensor, or other types of sensors, as described above with respect to FIGS. 1-10. For instance, in an example in which the light control system 900 is located on a vehicle having a lavatory, the trigger condition(s) detected by the trigger sensor(s) 940 includes at least one of a door of the lavatory being opened, the door of the lavatory being closed, the lavatory being occupied, and the lavatory being unoccupied. Additionally, for example, the one or more criteria that is used by the control device 936 to determine whether to activate the UV light source 910 includes one or more criterion such as a door of the lavatory being closed, the lavatory being unoccupied, the lavatory having been occupied a predetermined number of times since a previous activation of the UV light source 910, and a predetermined amount of time having passed since the previous activation of the UV light source 910.
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable under reference combination A in view of Official Notice.
Reference combination A discloses elements of the claimed invention as noted but does not disclose wherein the facility data comprises a combination of temperature data and humidity data. Official Notice is taken that temperature and humidity are well-known in the industry.
Official Notice is taken without documentary evidence to support the Examiner’s conclusion. Official Notice without documentary evidence may be taken where the facts asserted to be well-known or to be common knowledge in the art are capable of instant and unquestionable demonstration as to defy dispute.
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable under reference combination A in view of nonfunctional descriptive material.
Reference combination A discloses elements of the claimed invention as noted but does not disclose wherein the plurality of sensors include one or more environmental sensors selected from the group consisting of: a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, an air flow sensor, and a pressure sensor.
The above is rejected in view of nonfunctional descriptive material. A new and nonobvious functional relationship does not exist with the known method of UV treatment based on the above claimed features.
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable under reference combination A
Reference combination A discloses wherein the facility data further includes occupancy data, and wherein the UV treatment trigger condition is based at least in part on a proportional
relationship between occupancy level and a corresponding environmental value.
Alvarez col 14 line 55 – col 15 line 10, As described herein, in at least certain embodiments, the trigger sensor(s) 940 (including at least one of the door sensor 116, the floor sensor 118, the changing table sensor 120, and the toilet sensor 122) include a motion sensor, an occupancy sensor, a thermal sensor, a door open/close sensor, an infrared sensor device, an ultrasonic sensor device, a floor pressure sensor, or other types of sensors, as described above with respect to FIGS. 1-10. For instance, in an example in which the light control system 900 is located on a vehicle having a lavatory, the trigger condition(s) detected by the trigger sensor(s) 940 includes at least one of a door of the lavatory being opened, the door of the lavatory being closed, the lavatory being occupied, and the lavatory being unoccupied. Additionally, for example, the one or more criteria that is used by the control device 936 to determine whether to activate the UV light source 910 includes one or more criterion such as a door of the lavatory being closed, the lavatory being unoccupied, the lavatory having been occupied a predetermined number of times since a previous activation of the UV light source 910, and a predetermined amount of time having passed since the previous activation of the UV light source 910.
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable under reference combination A
Reference combination A discloses wherein the occupancy data is derived from at least one of a
CO2 sensor or a presence detection system associated with a monitored location.
Alvarez col 14 line 55 – col 15 line 10, As described herein, in at least certain embodiments, the trigger sensor(s) 940 (including at least one of the door sensor 116, the floor sensor 118, the changing table sensor 120, and the toilet sensor 122) include a motion sensor, an occupancy sensor, a thermal sensor, a door open/close sensor, an infrared sensor device, an ultrasonic sensor device, a floor pressure sensor, or other types of sensors, as described above with respect to FIGS. 1-10. For instance, in an example in which the light control system 900 is located on a vehicle having a lavatory, the trigger condition(s) detected by the trigger sensor(s) 940 includes at least one of a door of the lavatory being opened, the door of the lavatory being closed, the lavatory being occupied, and the lavatory being unoccupied. Additionally, for example, the one or more criteria that is used by the control device 936 to determine whether to activate the UV light source 910 includes one or more criterion such as a door of the lavatory being closed, the lavatory being unoccupied, the lavatory having been occupied a predetermined number of times since a previous activation of the UV light source 910, and a predetermined amount of time having passed since the previous activation of the UV light source 910.
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable under reference combination A
Reference combination A discloses wherein if the UV treatment trigger condition is not met, the
control circuit is further configured to log the facility data associated with the location for use
in trend analysis or future threshold determination.
Bergman discloses:
[0015] The present invention elegantly addresses all the above challenges and provides numerous additional benefits. In various example embodiments the solution discovered by the present inventor may comprise providing a plurality of relatively-inexpensive, disposable, removably-adherable UV dosimeters, and a system and method of using the same, comprising, for example, removably adhering a plurality of the UV dosimeters distally around an area to be disinfected by UV light, applying UV light to the area in a wavelength and dosage appropriate for sterilizing similar areas, for instance with one or more ultraviolet area sterilizers (UVAS), and then evaluating the UV dosimeters to determine which ones received a sufficient sterilizing dosage of UV light. If any of the UV dosimeters indicate that an insufficient dosage of UV light was received, it is then indicated that more UV light needs to be directed to the area where that or those UV dosimeter(s) were located.
Claim(s) 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable under Klein in view of Bergman in view of Bongartz in view of Alvarez.
Examiner Note: Hereafter, above references will be entered as reference combination B.
receiving facility data from a plurality of sensors,
Klein discloses above limitation.
Klein Claim 1, A UV sanitizing system comprising: one or more UV sensors; one or more satellite assemblies each comprising a satellite UV illumination source; a base unit in communication with the one or more UV sensors and the one or more satellite assemblies, the base unit comprising: one or more base UV illumination sources; a memory having stored therein software instructions; a processor in communication with the memory and configured to receive software instructions that when executed by the processor cause the base unit to perform operations comprising: delivering UV illumination to a location in which the one or more satellite assemblies and the base station are present; receiving sensor data from the at least one UV sensor, wherein the sensor data is indicative of the amount of UV energy received by the UV sensor; determining from the sensor data when an area within the location has received sufficient UV energy; and controlling at least one of the UV illumination sources of the one or more satellite assemblies and the one or more UV illumination sources of the base station to reduce the UV exposure of the area within the location when the area within the location has received sufficient UV energy according to the sensor data.
each sensor associated with a location within the facility and a corresponding location identifier
Klein discloses elements of the claimed invention as noted but does not disclose above limitation. However, Bergman discloses:
Bergman [0003] The present invention relates generally to an apparatus, system, and method for evaluating and adjusting the effectiveness of ultraviolet light disinfection of areas, such as, for example, rooms in hospitals and clinics and clean rooms associated with manufacturing or testing.
Examiner Note: rooms in hospitals inherently have a location identifier, i.e., room number
[0015] The present invention elegantly addresses all the above challenges and provides numerous additional benefits. In various example embodiments the solution discovered by the present inventor may comprise providing a plurality of relatively-inexpensive, disposable, removably-adherable UV dosimeters, and a system and method of using the same, comprising, for example, removably adhering a plurality of the UV dosimeters distally around an area to be disinfected by UV light, applying UV light to the area in a wavelength and dosage appropriate for sterilizing similar areas, for instance with one or more ultraviolet area sterilizers (UVAS), and then evaluating the UV dosimeters to determine which ones received a sufficient sterilizing dosage of UV light. If any of the UV dosimeters indicate that an insufficient dosage of UV light was received, it is then indicated that more UV light needs to be directed to the area where that or those UV dosimeter(s) were located.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Klein to obtain above limitation based on the teachings of Bergman for the purpose of providing UV dosimeters adapted to visually indicate when they have been exposed to light in the UV C band range at a predetermined fluence level, see abstract.
Furthermore, one of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to look to Bergman’s analogous art which is from the same field of the invention as the claimed invention, i.e., Provided is an inexpensive, easy-to-use UV dosimeter and accompanying iterative process for optimizing UV disinfection parameters for a given area, including light source location(s), duration, and power level, and then recording that information for future use in connection with that area, see abstract.
mapping the facility data to a plurality of locations within the facility based on the location identifiers of the sensors;
Klein discloses elements of the claimed invention as noted but does not disclose above limitation. However, Bongartz discloses:
Bongartz [column 32 lines 45-50], Furthermore, the computing device of the controlled agricultural system may also be configured to show the locations of the sensors in a kind of “heat maps” to constantly monitor these locations. If different seasons are to be considered, seasonal maps may be relevant/comprised.
Bongartz [col 24 lines 15-25],
The Controlled Agricultural System of one of the preceding aspects, wherein the treatment applied at the treatment location is at least one of an illumination treatment, a low or high temperature treatment, a gas absorption treatment, an insect attraction treatment, a controlled humidity treatment, an UV-radiation treatment, a non-lighting treatment.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Klein to obtain above limitation based on the teachings of Bongartz for the purpose of showing locations of sensor in a graphical presentation.
Furthermore, one of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to look to Bongartz’s analogous art which is from the same field of the invention as the claimed invention, i.e., light treatment (UV), see below:
col 38 line 65- col 39 line 5: Start automated illumination with specific light treatment (UV) Start automated spraying of pesticides Inform the operator to have a check and show the affected or suspicious location Adjust watering, ventilation, etc.
for each of the plurality of locations, analyzing a combination of facility data associated
with a respective location to determine whether a UV treatment trigger condition is met; and
Klein discloses elements of the claimed invention as noted but does not disclose above limitation. However, Alvarez discloses:
Alvarez col 14 line 55 – col 15 line 10, As described herein, in at least certain embodiments, the trigger sensor(s) 940 (including at least one of the door sensor 116, the floor sensor 118, the changing table sensor 120, and the toilet sensor 122) include a motion sensor, an occupancy sensor, a thermal sensor, a door open/close sensor, an infrared sensor device, an ultrasonic sensor device, a floor pressure sensor, or other types of sensors, as described above with respect to FIGS. 1-10. For instance, in an example in which the light control system 900 is located on a vehicle having a lavatory, the trigger condition(s) detected by the trigger sensor(s) 940 includes at least one of a door of the lavatory being opened, the door of the lavatory being closed, the lavatory being occupied, and the lavatory being unoccupied. Additionally, for example, the one or more criteria that is used by the control device 936 to determine whether to activate the UV light source 910 includes one or more criterion such as a door of the lavatory being closed, the lavatory being unoccupied, the lavatory having been occupied a predetermined number of times since a previous activation of the UV light source 910, and a predetermined amount of time having passed since the previous activation of the UV light source 910.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Reshef to obtain above limitation based on the teachings of Alvarez for the purpose of providing a light control system which includes an ultraviolet (UV) UV light source, which, in at least one embodiment, is part of the cleaning system shown in FIG. 1. When activated, the UV light source emits UV light to provide a target level of antimicrobial efficacy. For instance, the UV light source emits the UV light at a predetermined wavelength and intensity for a predetermined exposure time to achieve the target level of antimicrobial efficacy during an activation cycle. In one example, the UV light source 910 emits the UV light at an intensity of 10 mW/cm2 for an exposure time of 10 seconds to achieve the target level of antimicrobial efficacy for the activation cycle, see col 12 lines 8-20, see col 12 lines 8-20.
Furthermore, one of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to look to Alvarez’s analogous art which is from the same field of the invention as the claimed invention, i.e., light treatment (UV), see above.
in response to determining that the UV treatment trigger condition is met, identifying
one or more UV treatment devices located proximate to the respective location and adjusting
one or more operational parameters of the identified UV treatment devices.
Bergman [0015], The present invention elegantly addresses all the above challenges and provides numerous additional benefits. In various example embodiments the solution discovered by the present inventor may comprise providing a plurality of relatively-inexpensive, disposable, removably-adherable UV dosimeters, and a system and method of using the same, comprising, for example, removably adhering a plurality of the UV dosimeters distally around an area to be disinfected by UV light, applying UV light to the area in a wavelength and dosage appropriate for sterilizing similar areas, for instance with one or more ultraviolet area sterilizers (UVAS), and then evaluating the UV dosimeters to determine which ones received a sufficient sterilizing dosage of UV light. If any of the UV dosimeters indicate that an insufficient dosage of UV light was received, it is then indicated that more UV light needs to be directed to the area where that or those UV dosimeter(s) were located. Changes can then be made to the location(s) of the UVAS devices, and/or their power levels or the duration of their use, and the above steps repeated until a satisfactory result is obtained at all UV dosimeter locations. Once a satisfactory result is obtained for all identified surfaces, the parameters of that UV treatment, including location(s) of UVAS device(s), duration of use, power level, etc., can be recorded so that subsequent UV sterilizations for a particular area can be carried out in an identical manner in the future, thereby providing assurance that subsequent UV sterilizations will sufficiently treat all areas of the room.
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable under reference combination B in view of nonfunctional descriptive material.
Reference combination B discloses elements of the claimed invention as noted but does not disclose wherein the facility data comprises at least one of temperature data, humidity data, air pressure data, air flow data, or device usage data.
The above is rejected in view of nonfunctional descriptive material. A new and nonobvious functional relationship does not exist with the known method of UV treatment for the above claimed elements.
Claim(s) 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable under reference combination B.
Reference combination B discloses logging an event including the location
identifier and a timestamp in response to the UV treatment trigger condition being met.
Bergman [0015], Once a satisfactory result is obtained for all identified surfaces, the parameters of that UV treatment, including location(s) of UVAS device(s), duration of use, power level, etc., can be recorded so that subsequent UV sterilizations for a particular area can be carried out in an identical manner in the future, thereby providing assurance that subsequent UV sterilizations will sufficiently treat all areas of the room.
Claim(s) 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable under reference combination B in view of nonfunctional descriptive material.
Reference combination B discloses elements of the claimed invention as noted but does not disclose wherein adjusting one or more operational parameters
comprises adjusting at least one of UV intensity, airflow rate, disinfection cycle duration, or activation frequency.
The above is rejected in view of nonfunctional descriptive material. A new and nonobvious functional relationship does not exist with the known method of UV treatment based on above claimed features.
Claim(s) 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable under reference combination B.
Reference combination B discloses wherein the UV treatment trigger is based on deviations from
expected values of the facility data for the respective location, and the method includes
updating the expected values over time based on historical facility data associated with each
location.
Alvarez col 14 line 55 – col 15 line 10, As described herein, in at least certain embodiments, the trigger sensor(s) 940 (including at least one of the door sensor 116, the floor sensor 118, the changing table sensor 120, and the toilet sensor 122) include a motion sensor, an occupancy sensor, a thermal sensor, a door open/close sensor, an infrared sensor device, an ultrasonic sensor device, a floor pressure sensor, or other types of sensors, as described above with respect to FIGS. 1-10. For instance, in an example in which the light control system 900 is located on a vehicle having a lavatory, the trigger condition(s) detected by the trigger sensor(s) 940 includes at least one of a door of the lavatory being opened, the door of the lavatory being closed, the lavatory being occupied, and the lavatory being unoccupied. Additionally, for example, the one or more criteria that is used by the control device 936 to determine whether to activate the UV light source 910 includes one or more criterion such as a door of the lavatory being closed, the lavatory being unoccupied, the lavatory having been occupied a predetermined number of times since a previous activation of the UV light source 910, and a predetermined amount of time having passed since the previous activation of the UV light source 910.
Claim(s) 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable under reference combination B in view of Official Notice.
Reference combination B discloses elements of the claimed invention as noted but does not disclose wherein the facility data comprises a combination of temperature data and humidity data. Official Notice is taken that temperature and humidity are well-known in the industry.
Official Notice is taken without documentary evidence to support the Examiner’s conclusion. Official Notice without documentary evidence may be taken where the facts asserted to be well-known or to be common knowledge in the art are capable of instant and unquestionable demonstration as to defy dispute.
Claim(s) 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable under reference combination B in view of nonfunctional descriptive material.
Reference combination B discloses elements of the claimed invention as noted but does not disclose wherein the plurality of sensors include one or more environmental sensors selected from the group consisting of: a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, an air flow sensor, and a pressure sensor.
The above is rejected in view of nonfunctional descriptive material. A new and nonobvious functional relationship does not exist with the known method of UV treatment based on the above claimed features.
Claim(s) 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable under reference combination B.
Reference combination B discloses wherein the facility data further includes occupancy data, and wherein the UV treatment trigger condition is based at least in part on a proportional
relationship between occupancy level and a corresponding environmental value.
Alvarez col 14 line 55 – col 15 line 10, As described herein, in at least certain embodiments, the trigger sensor(s) 940 (including at least one of the door sensor 116, the floor sensor 118, the changing table sensor 120, and the toilet sensor 122) include a motion sensor, an occupancy sensor, a thermal sensor, a door open/close sensor, an infrared sensor device, an ultrasonic sensor device, a floor pressure sensor, or other types of sensors, as described above with respect to FIGS. 1-10. For instance, in an example in which the light control system 900 is located on a vehicle having a lavatory, the trigger condition(s) detected by the trigger sensor(s) 940 includes at least one of a door of the lavatory being opened, the door of the lavatory being closed, the lavatory being occupied, and the lavatory being unoccupied. Additionally, for example, the one or more criteria that is used by the control device 936 to determine whether to activate the UV light source 910 includes one or more criterion such as a door of the lavatory being closed, the lavatory being unoccupied, the lavatory having been occupied a predetermined number of times since a previous activation of the UV light source 910, and a predetermined amount of time having passed since the previous activation of the UV light source 910.
Claim(s) 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable under reference combination B.
Reference combination B discloses wherein the occupancy data is derived from at least one of a
CO2 sensor or a presence detection system associated with a monitored location.
Alvarez col 14 line 55 – col 15 line 10, As described herein, in at least certain embodiments, the trigger sensor(s) 940 (including at least one of the door sensor 116, the floor sensor 118, the changing table sensor 120, and the toilet sensor 122) include a motion sensor, an occupancy sensor, a thermal sensor, a door open/close sensor, an infrared sensor device, an ultrasonic sensor device, a floor pressure sensor, or other types of sensors, as described above with respect to FIGS. 1-10. For instance, in an example in which the light control system 900 is located on a vehicle having a lavatory, the trigger condition(s) detected by the trigger sensor(s) 940 includes at least one of a door of the lavatory being opened, the door of the lavatory being closed, the lavatory being occupied, and the lavatory being unoccupied. Additionally, for example, the one or more criteria that is used by the control device 936 to determine whether to activate the UV light source 910 includes one or more criterion such as a door of the lavatory being closed, the lavatory being unoccupied, the lavatory having been occupied a predetermined number of times since a previous activation of the UV light source 910, and a predetermined amount of time having passed since the previous activation of the UV light source 910.
Claim(s) 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable under reference combination A
Reference combination A discloses wherein if the UV treatment trigger condition is not met, the
control circuit is further configured to log the facility data associated with the location for use
in trend analysis or future threshold determination.
Bergman discloses:
[0015] The present invention elegantly addresses all the above challenges and provides numerous additional benefits. In various example embodiments the solution discovered by the present inventor may comprise providing a plurality of relatively-inexpensive, disposable, removably-adherable UV dosimeters, and a system and method of using the same, comprising, for example, removably adhering a plurality of the UV dosimeters distally around an area to be disinfected by UV light, applying UV light to the area in a wavelength and dosage appropriate for sterilizing similar areas, for instance with one or more ultraviolet area sterilizers (UVAS), and then evaluating the UV dosimeters to determine which ones received a sufficient sterilizing dosage of UV light. If any of the UV dosimeters indicate that an insufficient dosage of UV light was received, it is then indicated that more UV light needs to be directed to the area where that or those UV dosimeter(s) were located.
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/ETIENNE P LEROUX/Primary Examiner of Art Unit 2161