Appeal No. 96-2838
Application 08/336,721
Appellants point out (brief at page 9) that Spencer does not
count step increases in current in the electrical system, and
does not count step increases within a preselected time
interval. According to Appellants, Spencer counts half cycles
of line current which exceed a threshold value, and thus would
respond to a single step increase in current in the electrical
system if the Spencer threshold were exceeded for a sufficient
count of half cycles (Spencer at column 9, lines 19 through
35).
The Examiner responds (answer at page 9) that "Spencer
is responsive and will record anything which is above his
predetermined threshold, including two successive step
increases in current," and that this meets the language of
claim 13 "arc fault sensing means...in response to at least
two successive step increases in current". The Examiner's
quote of claim 13 stops short of very significant language,
i.e., "...increases in current in said electrical system."
Increases in current in said electrical system represent
separate arc faults, but Spencer is counting half cycles of
arc signal (e.g., half cycle current increases) which
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