DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Responsive to the communication dated 5/1/2026.
Claims 1, 9, 16 are amended.
Claims 1 – 20 are presented for examination.
Final Action
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Response to Arguments
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The independent claims have been amened to recite, in pertinent part:
“… determining, via the avatar, a particular micro-service of the at least one micro-service to invoke based on a result of parsing the query from the entity; executing, via the avatar a request to the particular micro-service for at least one solution parameter for the wellbore operation based on the query and by using data streamed from a set of sensors of the real-world wellbore operation as input to the particular micro-service; receiving, via the avatar, the at least one solution parameter from the particular micro-service, the at least one solution parameter associated with a well tool of the real-world wellbore operation; generating, via the avatar, an output based on the at least one solution parameter, the output comprising the at least one solution parameter and a particular location within the metaverse space to display the at least one solution parameter, and the particular location selectable based on a proximity to the well tool within the metaverse space; and providing the output for display in the metaverse space, the at least one solution parameter usable to adjust the well tool of the wellbore operation.”
The Applicant asserts that the amended claim language is not made obvious over the cited prior art.
In response:
Georgiou_2021 teaches:
Abstract: “a virtual operation assistant for use in a processing/manufacturing facility… may be an autonomous system that interfaces with a user. The virtual operation assistant may collect real-time and/or historical data… analyze the data, provide reporting and/or recommendations based on the data, execute commands relating to the operational parameters of the processes and/or hardware, and any combination thereof.”
Par 6: “the present application related to a virtual operation assistant for a processing/manufacturing facility…”
Par 7: “a method of the present disclosure may comprise: communicating a question relating to a processing/manufacturing facility (e.g., processing/manufacturing facility) to a virtual operation assistant; parsing the question into key-words and phrases (KWP)… identifying one or more queries and/or adaptive analytical models… to answer the question or portions of the question…”
Par 8: “… communicating a command relating to a process/manufacturing facility (e.g., processing/manufacturing facility) to a virtual operation assistant… identifying one or more queries/models… wherein the queries/models are configured to identify instructions or portions of instructions for executing the command; executing the queries/models to yield the instructions or portions of the instructions; formulating the instructions or portions of instructions into digital commands using the virtual operation assistant; and communicating the digital commands to the processing/manufacturing facility, thereby changing an operational parameter of the processing/manufacturing facility.”
Par 9: “… monitoring processes and/or hardware in a processing/manufacturing facility (e.g., processing/manufacturing facility) with a virtual operation assistant; detecting an upset and/or condition that requires attention by the virtual operation assistant; and communicating a recommendation from the virtual operation assistant to a user and/or taking an action by the virtual operation assistant to mitigate and/or remedy the upset and/or condition…”
Par 15: “a virtual operations assistant is an autonomous system that interfaces with a user like an operator, a manager, or an assistant and can collect data (real-time and/or historical) about processes and/or hardware in a processing/manufacturing facility (e.g., processing/manufacturing facility), analyze the data, provide reporting and/or recommendations based on the data, execute commands relating to the operational parameters of the processing and/or hardware, and any combination thereof. In a first example mode, the virtual operation assistant translates the question and/or command (question/command) from the user into one or more adaptive analytical models (or artificial intelligence) configured to answer and/or execute (answer/execute) the question/command or portions of the question/command and eventually provide a response to the user and/or execute the command…”
Par 34: “the queries and/or adaptive analytical models use data from one or more knowledge sources like database, rea-time measurements, and the like, and any combination thereof…”
Par 39: “the queries and/pr adaptive analytical models use data from one or more knowledge sources like databases, real-time measurements, and the like, and any combination thereof…”
The instant specification, at paragraph 10, indicates that an avatar may be a bot or other suitable entity. Accordingly, the Examiner interprets “the avatar” is, for example, a virtual operation assistant and “the entity” is, for example, a user and a micro-service is, for example, a command/analytical model.
With this understanding, the above citations teach for an avatar (e.g., virtual operation assistant) to receive a query from an entity (e.g., a user). The avatar parses the query and determines commands and/or analytical models that are executed to answer the query. The query may be a question about the status of a processing/manufacturing facility where real-time measurements of the facility parameters are obtained and the avatar responds to the user/entity with these real-time measurements.
Therefore, Georgious_2021 makes obvious: “… determining, via the avatar, a particular micro-service of the at least one micro-service to invoke based on a result of parsing the query from the entity; executing, via the avatar a request to the particular micro-service for at least one solution parameter for the wellbore operation based on the query and by using data streamed from a set of sensors of the real-world wellbore operation as input to the particular micro-service; receiving, via the avatar, the at least one solution parameter from the particular micro-service, the at least one solution parameter associated with a well tool of the real-world wellbore operation; generating, via the avatar, an output based on the at least one solution parameter, the output comprising the at least one solution parameter”
While Georgious_2021 teaches to provide a response to the user/entity, Georgious_2021 does not explicitly teach that the response is provided at “a particular location within the metaverse space to display the at least one solution parameter, and the particular location selectable based on a proximity to the well tool within the metaverse space; and providing the output for display in the metaverse space, the at least one solution parameter usable to adjust the well tool of the wellbore operation.”
Zapico_2021, however, teaches to obtain command(s) from a VR user device and to present real-world wellbore operation parameters at a particular location proximate to a well toll in a virtual reality (i.e., metaverse) space in Figures 5 and 6. See below. Notice that in Figure 5 operational parameters are provided in a VR area proximate a drilling rig. Further, Figure 6 illustrates that operational parameters for well A are displayed on well A’s wall. Indeed, paragraph 66 states: “… FIG. 6 illustrates A (650) that is disposed proximate a wellbore wall A (640)…”. Further, Figure 5 at block 560 states: “adjusting drilling operation parameters in the VR area in response to the command(s)” which indicates that the displayed parameters are usable to adjust the well tool of the wellbore operation.
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Therefore, Zapico_2021 makes obvious “a particular location within the metaverse space to display the at least one solution parameter, and the particular location selectable based on a proximity to the well tool within the metaverse space; and providing the output for display in the metaverse space, the at least one solution parameter usable to adjust the well tool of the wellbore operation.”
Moreover, Zapico_2021 teaches at paragraph 68, that the petroleum processing facility VR system that displays real-time operational parameters proximate a selected well tool in the VR space can be implemented on “any type of computing system” and Georgious_2021 teaches to have a computer system for “a virtual operation assistant for processing and/or manufacturing facility, preferably a petroleum and/or chemical processing” facility where the user interface is augmented with “a virtual assistant.” Therefore, in combination the Georgious_2021 and Zapico_2021 makes the amended claim language obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art.
Therefore, the rejection is maintained.
End Response to Arguments
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.
Claims 1 - 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Georgiou_2021 (US 2021/0241142 A1) in view of Zapico_2021 (US 2021/0198989 A1) in view of Leonard_2022 (US 2022/0083779 A1)
Claim 1. Georgiou_2021 makes obvious “A system comprising: A processor; and A non-transitory computer-readable medium that includes instructions executable by the processor for causing the processor to perform operations comprising (par 41: “computer-readable medium… non-transitory computer-readable medium… computer can read data or instructions…”; par 42: “the methods described herein can… be performed using computing devices or processor-based devices…”): Receiving, via an r [virtual operation assistant] a query from an entity relating to a [petroleum] operation, [virtual operation assistant] including a software application for performing tasks determining, via the [virtual operation assistant], a particular micro-service of the at least one micro-service to invoke based on a result of parsing the query from the entity; executing, via the[virtual operation assistant], a request to the particular micro-service for at least one solution parameter for thee [petroleum] operation based on the query and by using data streamed from a set of sensors of the real-world [petroleum] operation as input to the particular micro-sensor; receiving, via the[virtual operations assistant], the at least one solution parameter from the particular micro-service the at least one solution parameter associated with a [petroleum] tool of the real-world [petroleum] operation; generating, via the [virtual operations assistant], an output based on the at least one solution parameter, the output comprising the at least one solution parameter(Abstract: “a virtual operation assistant for use in a processing/manufacturing facility… may be an autonomous system that interfaces with a user. The virtual operation assistant may collect real-time and/or historical data… analyze the data, provide reporting and/or recommendations based on the data, execute commands relating to the operational parameters of the processes and/or hardware, and any combination thereof.”; Par 6: “the present application related to a virtual operation assistant for a processing/manufacturing facility…”; Par 7: “a method of the present disclosure may comprise: communicating a question relating to a processing/manufacturing facility (e.g., processing/manufacturing facility) to a virtual operation assistant; parsing the question into key-words and phrases (KWP)… identifying one or more queries and/or adaptive analytical models… to answer the question or portions of the question…”; Par 8: “… communicating a command relating to a process/manufacturing facility (e.g., processing/manufacturing facility) to a virtual operation assistant… identifying one or more queries/models… wherein the queries/models are configured to identify instructions or portions of instructions for executing the command; executing the queries/models to yield the instructions or portions of the instructions; formulating the instructions or portions of instructions into digital commands using the virtual operation assistant; and communicating the digital commands to the processing/manufacturing facility, thereby changing an operational parameter of the processing/manufacturing facility.”; Par 9: “… monitoring processes and/or hardware in a processing/manufacturing facility (e.g., processing/manufacturing facility) with a virtual operation assistant; detecting an upset and/or condition that requires attention by the virtual operation assistant; and communicating a recommendation from the virtual operation assistant to a user and/or taking an action by the virtual operation assistant to mitigate and/or remedy the upset and/or condition…”; Par 15: “a virtual operations assistant is an autonomous system that interfaces with a user like an operator, a manager, or an assistant and can collect data (real-time and/or historical) about processes and/or hardware in a processing/manufacturing facility (e.g., processing/manufacturing facility), analyze the data, provide reporting and/or recommendations based on the data, execute commands relating to the operational parameters of the processing and/or hardware, and any combination thereof. In a first example mode, the virtual operation assistant translates the question and/or command (question/command) from the user into one or more adaptive analytical models (or artificial intelligence) configured to answer and/or execute (answer/execute) the question/command or portions of the question/command and eventually provide a response to the user and/or execute the command…”; Par 34: “the queries and/or adaptive analytical models use data from one or more knowledge sources like database, rea-time measurements, and the like, and any combination thereof…”; Par 39: “the queries and/pr adaptive analytical models use data from one or more knowledge sources like databases, real-time measurements, and the like, and any combination thereof…”
EXAMINER NOTE: The instant specification, at paragraph 10, indicates that an avatar may be a bot or other suitable entity. Accordingly, the Examiner interprets “the avatar” is, for example, a virtual operation assistant and “the entity” is, for example, a user and a micro-service is, for example, a commands/analytical model. Further, real-time measurements and the collection of real-time data makes obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art data streamed from a set of sensors of the real-world operations.
With this understanding, the above citations teach for an avatar (e.g., virtual operation assistant) to receive a query from an entity (e.g., a user). The avatar parses the query and determines commands and/or analytical models that are executed to answer the query. The query may be a question about the status of a processing/manufacturing facility where real-time measurements of the facility parameters are obtained and the avatar responds to the user/entity with these real-time measurements. Further, the virtual operation assistant uses the real-time measurement data to identify upset conditions and take an action by the virtual operation assistant to mitigate and/or remedy the upset and/or condition)
”
While Georgiou_2021 teaches a virtual operation assistant and to use the virtual operation assistant for a petroleum and/or chemical processing facility, and while a virtual operation assistant is a software module/bot Georgiou_2021 does not explicitly recite that the virtual operation assistant is an “avatar.” Further, while a wellbore operation and a wellbore are petroleum processing facilities, Georgiou_2021 does not explicitly recite that the petroleum processing facility is a wellbore operation or a wellbore.
Therefore, Georgiou_2021 does not explicitly recite: “via an avatar in a metaverse space” nor “relating to a wellbore operation” nor “the avatar” nor “in the metaverse space, the metaverse space including a computer-generated representation of a location related to the wellbore operation, the metaverse space usable to communicatively couple data from a real-world wellbore operation and at least one micro-service” nor “via the avatar” nor “wellbore” nor “well” nor “via the metaverse space” nor “and a particular location within the metaverse space to display the at least one solution parameter, and the particular location selectable based on a proximity to the well tool within the metaverse; and providing the output for display in the metaverse space, the at least one solution parameter usable to adjust the wellbore operation”
Zapico_2021; however, makes obvious “relating to a wellbore operation” and “wellbore” and “well” (abstract: “… the first VR area may be associated with at least on drilling rig device…”; FIG. 2 VR Area X includes a Drilling Rig Device; FIG. 4 block 410: “… VR area proximate a drilling rig…”) and “in a metaverse space” and “in the metaverse space, the metaverse space including a computer-generated representation of a location related to the wellbore operation, the metaverse space usable to communicatively couple data from a real-world wellbore operation and at least one micro-service” and “via the metaverse space” (FIG. 4: “… a virtual reality (VR) image of a VR area proximate a drilling rig…”; FIG. 5; FIG. 6; FIG. 7) and “and a particular location within the metaverse space to display the at least one solution parameter, and the particular location selectable based on a proximity to the well tool within the metaverse; and providing the output for display in the metaverse space, the at least one solution parameter usable to adjust the wellbore operation” (Figures 5, 6: illustrate to obtain command(s) from a VR user device and to present real-world wellbore operation parameters at a particular location proximate to a well in a virtual reality (i.e., metaverse) space in Figures 5 and 6. See below. EXAMINER NOTE: in Figure 5 operational parameters are provided in a VR area proximate a drilling rig. Further, Figure 6 illustrates that operational parameters for well A are displayed on well A’s wall. paragraph 66 states: “… FIG. 6 illustrates A (650) that is disposed proximate a wellbore wall A (640)…”. Further, Figure 5 at block 560 states: “adjusting drilling operation parameters in the VR area in response to the command(s)” which indicates that the displayed parameters are usable to adjust the well tool of the wellbore operation. Par 46: ”… adjust drilling operations and/or maintenance operations by control systems at a drilling rig…”; Par 44: “… the VR manager may provide a virtual reality control cabin offsite from a drilling rig. For example, the VR control cabin may provide a user with an experience of being onsite at the drilling rig and proximate controls and human machine interface that operate the system…”
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Georgiou_2021 and Zapico_2021 are analogous art because they are from the same field of endeavor called control of facilities including petroleum and/or chemical processing. Before the effective filing date, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to combine Georgiou_2021 and Zapico_2021. The rationale for doing so would have been that Georgiou_2021 teaches to control the processing and/or manufacturing facilities of petroleum and/or chemical processing or manufacturing facility (par 2) by including a user interface with a virtual operations assistant. Zapico_2021 teaches to use a virtual reality environment for the user interface in order to reduce the risk to the operator in hazardous environments by presenting information to a user at a user interface in a virtual environment (i.e., metaverse space). Therefore, it would have been obvious to combine Georgiou_2021 and Zapico_2021 for the benefit of being able to control a petroleum manufacturing facility (i.e., oil well) while reducing the danger to the operator with a modified user interface that has a virtual operations assistant in a virtual environment (i.e., metaverse space) to obtain the invention as specified in the claims.
Georgiou_2021 and Zapico_2021 does not explicitly recite the phrase “via an avatar” nor “the avatar” nor “via the avatar”
Leonard_2022 however, makes obvious “via an avatar” and “the avatar” and “via the avatar”
(abstract: “… creating and certifying the “virtual presence” of a user at a location… commonly referred to as an “avatar”…” par 31: “… software bot, image, icon, hologram, augmented reality object, or avatar…”).
Zapico_2021 and Leonard_2022 are analogous art because they are from the same field of endeavor called virtual environments. Before the effective filing date, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to combine Zapico_2021 and Leonard_2022. The rationale for doing so would have been that Zapico_2021 teaches to have a virtual environment for oil wells and to control the oil wells from the virtual environment. and Leonard_2022 teaches to have avatars and to use the avatars to remotely operate/control equipment. Therefore, it would have been obvious to combine Zapico_2021 and Leonard_2022 for the benefit of having entities in the virtual environment that represent the users to obtain the invention as specified in the claims.
Claim 9. The limitations of claim 9 are substantially the same as those of claim 1 and are therefore rejected due to the same reasons as outlined above for claim 1.
Claim 16. The limitations of claim 16 are substantially the same as those of claim 1 and are therefore rejected due to the same reasons as outlined above for claim 1.
Claim 2, 10, 17. Zapico_2021 makes obvious “Wherein the operation of executing, via the avatar, the request to the at least one micro-service for the at least one solution parameter further comprises:
Providing, via the metaverse space, real-time data for the wellbore operation to the at least one micro-service for predicting at least one optimized parameter relating to the wellbore operation; and
Simulating, via the metaverse space, at least one scenario relating to the wellbore operation”
(par 43: “… in real time with no noticeable latency… may be emergency safety responses triggered by sampling performed by the VR manager…” par 46: “… the simulator may be coupled to various control systems… the simulator may be used to adjust drilling operations and/or maintenance operations by control systems at a drilling rig…”)
Claim 3, 11, 18. Zapico_2021 makes obvious “Further comprising the operation of providing access to the metaverse space for the entity by: Providing access to the metaverse space via virtual reality technology or augmented reality technology; and Generating, via the virtual reality technology or the augmented reality technology, a virtual rig or a virtual office, wherein the virtual rig or the virtual office includes at least one avatar” ( par 44: “… may provide a virtual reality control cabin offsite from a drilling rig… may provide a user with an experience of being onsite at the drilling rig and proximate control and human machine interface that operate the system on the drilling rig… may provide an augmented reality experience for an actual control cabin and/or other rooms in a drilling rig…”).
Claim 4, 12, 19 Leonard_2022 makes obvious “Wherein the operation further comprises providing access to the metaverse space for the entity using a blockchain by: Partitioning at least one set of data for access by a particular entity; Generating a particular metaverse space, the particular metaverse space including the at least one set of data; and Providing, via an authentication process, access to the particular metaverse space and the at least one set of data for the particular entity, wherein the authentication process includes the particular entity providing an authorization credential and permitting the particular entity to enter to the particular metaverse space” (par 29: “… the associated representing entity identifier, authorized user identification information or indicia, and agency agreement in a certificate, blockchain record or any other trusted and/or immutable database…”; par 32: “… authority to act could be… record on a digital certificate created by hashing and encrypting the included information, a blockchain ledger…”; par 43: “… agency agreement… digital authenctication certificate… blockchain ledger…” abstract: “… deploying, creating and certifying the virtual presence of a user at a location… avatar… the certifying document or record in a blockchain ledger…”)
Claim 5, 13 Georgiou_2021 makes obvious “Wherein the operation of receiving, via the avatar in the metaverse space, the query further comprises: Performing natural language processing on the query for generating an input ingestible by the avatar in the metaverse space; Transmitting the input ingestible by the avatar from the entity to the avatar in the metaverse space; Transmitting the input ingestible by the avatar from the avatar in the metaverse space to the at least one micro-service; and Determining the at least one micro-service to access based on the input ingestible by the avatar” (par 31 - 33: “… a virtual operating assistant… a command is transmitted 104 to the virtual operation assistant 106. The question 102 may be transmitted 104 by voice, text, typing, or any other suitable communication form… the virtual operating assistant 106 parses the 108… may be nouns, verbs, adjectives, prepositional phrases… and any combination thereof…”; par 36: “… the command 202 may be transmitted 204 by voice, text, typing, or any other suitable communication form…”).
Claim 6, 14 Georgiou_2021 makes obvious “Wherein the operation of executing, via the avatar, the request to the at least one micro-service for the at least one solution parameter further comprises: Transmitting, via an application programming interface, the request from the avatar to the micro-service based on the input ingestible by the avatar; and Receiving the at least one solution parameter based on an output from the micro-service” (Par 42: “… the instructions are executable by the processor to communicate a question relating to a processing/manufacturing facility… to a virtual operation assistant; parse the question into KWP using a KWP model… identify one or more queries/model based on the KWP… configured to answer the question or portions of the questions; execute the queries/model to yield data; formulate the data into an answer using the virtual operation assistant; and report the answer… the queries/model are configured to identify instructions or portions of instructions for executing the command; execute the queries/model to yield the instructions… into digital commands using the virtual operation assistant; and communicate the digital commands to the processing/manufacturing facility, thereby changing an operational parameter of the processing/manufacturing facility…”).
Claim 7, 15 Zapico_2021 makes obvious “Wherein the operation of outputting the at least one solution parameter for display in the metaverse space further comprises displaying, for the entity, the at least one solution parameter proximate to the avatar in the metaverse space” (par 44: “… the VR control cabin may provide a uswer with an experience of being onsite at the drilling rig and proximate controls and human machine interface that operate the system on the drilling rig… VR manager may provide an augmented reality experience for an actual control cabin and/or other rooms in a drilling rig…” par 46: “… the simulator may be coupled to various control systems in a drilling management network and the VR manager (350) such that areas of a drilling rig may be wholly or partially simulated by the simulator…”).
Claim 8, 20 Georgiou_2021 makes obvious “Further comprising the operation of adjusting the wellbore operation autonomously by: Receiving the at least one solution parameter via the metaverse space,
Determining an adjustment to the wellbore operation based on the at least one solution parameter; and Adjusting the wellbore operation based on the adjustment” (Par 42: “… the instructions are executable by the processor to communicate a question relating to a processing/manufacturing facility… to a virtual operation assistant; parse the question into KWP using a KWP model… identify one or more queries/model based on the KWP… configured to answer the question or portions of the questions; execute the queries/model to yield data; formulate the data into an answer using the virtual operation assistant; and report the answer… the queries/model are configured to identify instructions or portions of instructions for executing the command; execute the queries/model to yield the instructions… into digital commands using the virtual operation assistant; and communicate the digital commands to the processing/manufacturing facility, thereby changing an operational parameter of the processing/manufacturing facility…”).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRIAN S COOK whose telephone number is (571)272-4276. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM.
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/BRIAN S COOK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2187
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