Obviousness

Obviousness Analysis under 35 U.S.C. § 103 for US10928796

This analysis identifies combinations of prior art references that would render the claims of US Patent 10928796 obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art (PHOSITA) and explains the motivation for such combinations. A PHOSITA in this field would be an electrical engineer or embedded systems designer familiar with battery-powered consumer electronics, sensor integration, microcontroller programming, and power management techniques.

The problem addressed by US10928796, as stated in its background, is the high standby power consumption of conventional induction trash cans, where "the daily standby power consumption is much greater than the daily action power consumption." The patent calculates a conventional trash can consuming 36 mAh daily in standby, leading to a short battery life of approximately 13 days for an AA zinc-carbon battery. The primary motivation for combining prior art references would be to overcome this known problem by reducing standby power consumption and extending battery life in automatic trash cans.

Combination 1: US20060214620A1 in view of US9510401B1 (or US20160359358A1)

This combination would render Claim 1 of US10928796 obvious.

• Primary Reference: US20060214620A1 ("Automatic opening garbage can")

  • This reference explicitly discloses an "automatic opening garbage can," which directly corresponds to the "induction trash can" in the context of US10928796. It would teach the core system comprising an active infrared sensor (for sensing presence), a microcontroller (implied for control), a driving circuit, and a motor to open and close the lid based on sensor input. Specifically, it discloses the elements of a microcontroller controlling an active infrared sensor to detect an obstacle, and if detected, controlling a driving circuit to drive a motor to open and then close the lid. The iTouchless "Touchless Trashcan" from 2004 further confirms the existence and commercial availability of such a system.

• Secondary Reference: US9510401B1 ("Reduced standby power in an electronic power control system")

  • This patent teaches a method for reducing standby power in an electronic power control system. It specifically discloses putting a microcontroller into a sleep state and using a watchdog timer to periodically wake it up to perform a function before returning to sleep. Alternatively, US20160359358A1 ("Standby power saving circuit") teaches a similar standby power-saving circuit. These references disclose the general concept of using microcontroller sleep functions and watchdog timers to reduce power consumption in electronic devices, addressing the "setting a microcontroller into a sleep state" and "waking up the microcontroller from the sleep state via a watchdog timer" aspects of Claim 1.

• Motivation to Combine: A PHOSITA encountering the significant standby power consumption of the automatic trash can disclosed by US20060214620A1 would be motivated to apply known power-saving techniques to extend battery life. The problem of high standby power in battery-operated devices is well-known. US9510401B1 provides a direct solution by teaching how to implement a microcontroller's sleep mode, periodically woken by a watchdog timer, to achieve "reduced standby power in an electronic power control system." Applying this established power-saving method to the control circuit of an automatic trash can would be an obvious design choice to solve the clear problem of poor battery longevity, without requiring any inventive step beyond the ordinary skill in the art. The PHOSITA would understand that during periods of no detection (i.e., when the trash can lid is motionless and no obstacle is present), the active components, including the microcontroller and sensor, are consuming power unnecessarily, making them ideal candidates for intermittent operation.

Combination 2: Combination 1 in further view of general engineering principles

This combination would render Claim 2 of US10928796 obvious, building upon the foundation established for Claim 1.

• Starting Point: The combination of US20060214620A1 and US9510401B1 (or US20160359358A1) as discussed above, which would lead to an automatic trash can with a microcontroller that enters a sleep state and is periodically woken by a watchdog timer.

• Further Elements Disclosed by General Engineering Principles / Implied by Power Saving References:

  • "Cutting off the power supply of the active infrared sensor when the microcontroller enters the sleep state" (also present in Claim 1) and "restoring the power supply of the active infrared sensor."
    • The motivation for "reduced standby power" (US9510401B1) or a "standby power saving circuit" (US20160359358A1) inherently suggests identifying and de-powering any unnecessary components during a sleep cycle to maximize power savings. An active infrared sensor, while active, consumes current (e.g., 0.03 mA-0.6 mA according to US10928796). A PHOSITA seeking to optimize power consumption would logically extend the microcontroller's sleep control to external peripherals, like the active infrared sensor, cutting their power when not in active use (i.e., when the microcontroller is in sleep mode and not performing a detection scan). This is a standard and obvious design practice in battery-operated embedded systems.
  • "Delaying for a preset threshold time for the active infrared sensor to enter a stable working state"
    • It is a well-known engineering consideration that many electronic components, including sensors, require a brief stabilization or "warm-up" period after power is applied before they can operate accurately and reliably. A PHOSITA integrating an active infrared sensor into a system where its power is cycled on and off would recognize the need for such a delay to ensure accurate readings are obtained, thereby making the system robust and reliable. This "preset threshold time" (e.g., 2 ms to 50 ms as described in US10928796) is a conventional adjustment made to accommodate the operational characteristics of standard electronic components, not an inventive feature.

• Motivation to Combine: Having implemented a sleep/wake cycle for the microcontroller in the automatic trash can (from Combination 1), a PHOSITA focused on optimizing battery life would further examine the power consumption of all peripherals. Recognizing that the active infrared sensor consumes power even when the microcontroller is asleep, it would be obvious to directly control the sensor's power supply, turning it off when the microcontroller sleeps and turning it back on when the microcontroller wakes up to perform a scan. Furthermore, it is common engineering practice to incorporate a brief delay after powering on an electronic component (like a sensor) to allow it to stabilize before attempting to use it for measurement. These steps represent routine design choices and optimizations for power management and reliability in battery-powered sensor-based systems, well within the grasp of a PHOSITA, and motivated by the continuous drive to extend battery life and improve product reliability.