Appeal No. 2000-1944
Application 08/738,157
to an "HVAC device" (controllers 10 and devices downstream
therefrom). The Examiner admits that "Froehling does not
specifically disclose the claimed network control device sending
a message including information for prompting the HVAC device to
initiate a visible display on the HVAC device if the message is
successfully processed by the HVAC device" (FR3). However, the
Examiner finds that Froehling discloses (at col. 10, lines 46-52)
data processing units 16 used for checking and verifying
information passing between the controllers 10 and the head end
unit 14. The Examiner finds that Dahl discloses sending a signal
and providing a visible display of the sent signal (FR3-4). The
Examiner concludes (FR14; EA6):
Since Froehling teaches the concept of sending a signal from
a network control unit to a controller used to operate a
HVAC and having a processing unit to verify the information
sent, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art
to incorporate a display panel on each receiving unit, as
disclosed by Dahl, with the HVAC unit, disclosed by
Froehling, to allow the user to be notified that the signals
being sent are being received.
BOTH references are used to show that communication and
verification of the data between two devices are performed.
The Dahl reference is used merely to show that light
emitting means is well known in the art and may be used to
display that an acknowledgment has been made. It is not
necessary that the references actually suggest, expressly or
in so many words, the changes or improvements that the
applicant has made.
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