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 Objections
Claims 1, 5, objected to because of the following informalities: Claims 1, 5, and 9-11 each utilize claim limitation. Appropriate correction is required.
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(s) 1, 2, 9, and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Cavarec (EP3504393).
Regarding claim 1, Cavarec teaches an electromechanical actuator for a sun protection or a privacy device, the electromechanical actuator (11) comprising at least: an electric motor (16), an electronic control unit (5), a connection device (30) to at least one rechargeable battery (24), and a connector (18), the connector (18) being configured to be connected to a photovoltaic solar panel (25) or to a charger, the electronic control unit (5) comprising at least: a charging circuit (as seen in fig 4), the charging circuit (as seen in fig 4) being, on the one hand, connected to the connection device (30) to the at least one rechargeable battery (24), and, on the other hand, electrically connected to the connector (18) via a power supply bus (26), a controller (15), and a detector (as part of monitoring unit 30 [0135-0136]) for detecting a connection of the photovoltaic solar panel (25) to the connector (18), the electronic control unit (5) further comprising at least: a first switch (38), the first switch (38) being connected, on the one hand, to the connector (18) via the power supply bus (26), and, on the other hand, to the connection device (30) to the at least one rechargeable battery (24), and the controller (15) being configured to control the first switch (38) in a closed state by means of a first controllable output of the controller (15) when a connection of a photovoltaic solar panel (25) to the connector (18) is detected, so as to electrically connect the power supply bus (26) to the connection device (30) to the least one rechargeable battery (24).
Regarding claim 2, Cavarec teaches the electromechanical actuator of claim 1. Cavarec further teaches wherein the first switch (38) is connected in parallel with the charging circuit (as seen in fig 4) such that the first switch short- circuits the charging circuit when the first switch is controlled by the first controllable output of the controller (as described in [0135-0136], the connection device 30 determines if power from battery provided by the photovoltaic cell is sufficient and connects to electrical power supply system).
Regarding claim 9, Cavarec teaches a sun protection or privacy device comprising at least one roller tube (4), a screen (2) which can be rolled around the roller tube (4, see fig 1), an electromechanical actuator comprising at least: an electric motor (16), an electronic control unit (5), a connection device (30) to at least one rechargeable battery (24), and a connector (18), the connector (18) being configured to be connected to a photovoltaic solar panel (25) or to a charger, the electronic control unit (5) comprising at least: a charging circuit (as seen in fig 4), the charging circuit (as seen in fig 4) being, on the one hand, connected to the connection device (30) to the at least one rechargeable battery (24), and, on the other hand, electrically connected to the connector (18) via a power supply bus (26), a controller (15), and a detector (as part of monitoring unit 30 [0135-0136]) for detecting a connection of the photovoltaic solar panel (25) to the connector (18), the electronic control unit (5) further comprising at least: a first switch (38), the first switch (38) being connected, on the one hand, to the connector (18) via the power supply bus (26), and, on the other hand, to the connection device (30) to the at least one rechargeable battery (24), and the controller (15) being configured to control the first switch (38) in a closed state by means of a first controllable output () of the controller (15) when a connection of a photovoltaic solar panel (25) to the connector (18) is detected, so as to electrically connect the power supply bus (26) to the connection device (30) to the least one rechargeable battery (24), the electromechanical actuator being further configured to rotate the roller tube (4), the electromechanical actuator further comprising a torque support (23), the torque support comprising the connector (18, see fig 3).
Regarding claim 10, Cavarec teaches a method of charging at least one rechargeable battery configured to supply power to an electromechanical actuator for a sun protection or a privacy device, the electromechanical actuator comprising at least: an electric motor (16), an electronic control unit (5), a connection device (30) to at least one rechargeable battery (24), and a connector (18), the connector (18) being configured to be connected to a photovoltaic solar panel (25) or to a charger, the electronic control unit (5) comprising at least: a charging circuit (as seen in fig 4), the charging circuit (as seen in fig 4) being, on the one hand, connected to the connection device (30) to the at least one rechargeable battery (24), and, on the other hand, electrically connected to the connector (18) via a power supply bus (26), a controller (15), and a detector (as part of monitoring unit 30 [0135-0136]) for detecting a connection of the photovoltaic solar panel (25) to the connector (18), the electronic control unit (5) further comprising at least: a first switch (38), the first switch (38) being connected, on the one hand, to the connector (18) via the power supply bus (26), and, on the other hand, to the connection device (30) to the at least one rechargeable battery (24), and the controller (15) being configured to control the first switch (38) in a closed state by means of a first controllable output () of the controller (15) when a connection of a photovoltaic solar panel (25) to the connector (18) is detected, so as to electrically connect the power supply bus (26) to the connection device (30) to the least one rechargeable battery (24), the method being implemented by the electronic control unit (5), and comprising at least: a step of detecting a connection of the photovoltaic solar panel (25) to the connector (18), when a connection of the photovoltaic solar panel (25) to the connector is detected (18, via 30 as taught in [0135]), a step of controlling the first switch (38) in a closed state so as to electrically connect the power supply bus (26) to the connection device (30) to the at least one rechargeable battery (24).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cavarec (EP3504393) in view of Son (WO 2022/045422).
Regarding claim 3, Cavarec teaches the electromechanical actuator of claim 1. Cavarec further teaches wherein the first output electrically connects the power supply bus (26) to the connection device (30) to the at least one rechargeable battery (24). Cavarec is silent as to the connection between the elements being via a diode such that a current from the rechargeable battery (24) is blocked towards the power supply bus.
Son teaches a similar type of system for charging a system with a solar method that includes a diode to block current ([47] describes a diode as part of the overcharge protection circuit to block charging).
Cavarec and Son are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of solar charging systems. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Cavarec to incorporate the teachings of Son and provide a diode to block current in the charging system. Doing so would allow current to charge the battery from one source at a time to avoid the battery being charged by multiple sources at once and therefore being overcharged, as taught by [47] of Son.
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cavarec (EP3504393) in view of Chien (U.S. 2024/0039316).
Regarding claim 4, Cavarec teaches the electromechanical actuator of claim 1. Cavarec is silent as to the configuration type of the connector (18) and the controller (15).
Chien teaches a similar system charging device that utilizes USB Type-C connectors for the connecter and the controller, and the USB Type-C controller is connected to at least one communication pin of the Universal Serial Bus Type-C connector via a communication bus (as described in [0034] of Chien).
Cavarec and Chien are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of charging systems. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Cavarec to incorporate the teachings of Chien and provide a connector and controller with USB Type-C connections to communicate with one another. Doing so would utilize a known connection method that enables sufficient supply of power to the system as well as peripheral devices, as taught by Chien in [0005].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 11 is allowed.
Claims 5-8 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 closest prior art of record is discussed with respect to the claims above. The prior art of record does not anticipate or make obvious “wherein the controller further comprises a second controllable output electrically connected to the voltage input, and the controller is configured to control the second controllable output when the connection of the photovoltaic solar panel to the connector is detected, so as to simulate an overvoltage at the voltage input”. While charging from multiple power sources is known in the art, such as what has been taught by Cavarec, and stopping charging from one source to prioritize another source has been taught by the prior art, the controller utilizing a second controllable output and simulating an overvoltage input when the connection of a photovoltaic solar panel to the connector is detected is not known or anticipated by the prior art having the combination of structural and functional limitations of applicant’s claimed invention.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 2023/0216317, US 2022/0228437, US 2024/0003185 (all of which contain features of the claimed invention).
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/SUSAN M. HESCHEL/Examiner, Art Unit 3637
/Muhammad Ijaz/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3631
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