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 .
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.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 5/15/2026 was in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 24-31 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. The claim(s) does/do not fall within at least one of the four categories of patent eligible subject matter because:
With regards to claims 24-31: “a computer readable medium.” The broadest reasonable interpretation of a claim drawn to a computer readable medium typically covers forms of non-transitory tangible media and transitory propagating signals per se in view of the ordinary and customary meaning of computer readable media, particularly when the specification is silent See MPEP 2111.01.
As currently claimed, the language a computer readable medium does not specify if the computer readable medium is “transitory” or “non-transitory” and therefore claims 9-11 are considered to be non-statutory under 35 U.S.C. 101 (See In re Nuijten, 500 F.3d 1346, 1356-57 (Fed. Cir. 2007) (transitory embodiments are not directed to statutory subject matter) and Interim Examination Instructions for Evaluating Subject Matter Eligibility Under 35 U.S.C. § 101, Aug. 24, 2009; p. 2).
The following language is suggested:
“A non-transitory computer readable medium having …”
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 2-23 is/are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
With regards to claim(s) 2: the prior art fails to disclose a/an load controller requiring:
determine that the second fade time is shorter than a remaining fade time associated with the first fade time for controlling the first parameter of the electrical load; transmit, via the communication circuit, a second message configured to maintain a constant value of the first parameter for the duration of the second fade time over which the second parameter of the electrical load is controlled to the second target value; and transmit, via the communication circuit, a third message configured to cause the first parameter to continue to be controlled to the first target value after the second fade time, in combination with other limitations of the claim.
With regards to claim(s) 16: the prior art fails to disclose a/an method requiring:
determining that the second fade time is shorter than a remaining fade time associated with the first fade time for controlling the first parameter of the electrical load; transmitting a second message configured to maintain a constant value of the first parameter for the duration of the second fade time over which the second parameter of the electrical load is controlled to the second target value; and transmitting a third message configured to cause the first parameter to continue to be controlled to the first target value after the second fade time, in combination with other limitations of the claim.
With regards to dependent claim(s) 3-15, 17-23; it/they are allowable in virtue of their dependency.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Folkmanis (US 20140169362 A1) discloses:
A load controller (fig. 2) comprising:
a control circuit configured to:
identify a plurality of load control parameters that each have a different fade time (see multiple ramps in fig 2) for performing control of the electrical load;
Lamminpaeae (EP 2728972 A1)
A load controller (fig 2) comprising:
a communication circuit ([0022]) configured to communicate messages configured to control an electrical load (240); and
a control circuit configured to:
identify a plurality of load control parameters that each have a different fade time for performing control of the electrical load (see different control signal for corresponding 240a and 240b; [0085]);
transmit, via the communication circuit, a message configured to control the first load control parameter and the second load control parameter [0022].
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Renan Luque whose telephone number is (571)270-1044. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:30AM-5:30PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Alexander H. Taningco can be reached at (571)272-8048. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/RENAN LUQUE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845
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