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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
1. Claims 1, 3, 4, 6-8, 12-15, 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Montenegro et al (USPN 2010/0296215).
Regarding claim 1, Montenegro discloses a method (see figures 3-4) for maintaining electrical stability of a power system (a power system shown in 1) in response to a fault, the method comprising:
detecting the fault (step 404, see par. 0028);
opening a switch (such as a vacuum interrupter 1302, figure 13, to clear the fault (step 408);
performing a first pulse test (such as a test pulse shown in figure 3, step 410) for a predetermined duration of time (e.g. about 0.5 second, see par. 0034) to determine if the fault is still present (see step 416);
preventing a reclosing operation by the switch from occurring if the first pulse test indicates that the fault is still present (step 426, par. 0033); and
allowing the reclosing operation (418) to occur if the first pulse test indicates that the fault is no longer present (e.g. see par. 0032).
Regarding claims 3, 14, 17, Montenegro discloses wherein the predetermined duration of time is less than or equal 0.5 cycles (such as haft cycle pulses 208, 504, see figures 3, 5, par. 0031).
Regarding claims 4, 15, Montenegro discloses further comprising performing subsequent pulse tests (see step 414) if the first pulse test is inclusive about the persistence of the fault (see par. 0033) , wherein preventing a reclosing (step 426) operation from occurring includes preventing the reclosing operation from occurring if any of the pulse tests indicates that the fault is still present (see par. 0033) and allowing the reclosing operation to occur includes allowing the reclosing operation (418) to occur if any of the pulse tests indicates that the fault is no longer present (e.g. see par. 0032).
Regarding claims 6, 18, Montenegro discloses wherein the first pulse test is performed at a predetermined point-on-wave time (such as 208, 210).
Regarding claims 7, 20, Montenegro discloses wherein the power system is a high-voltage transmission power system (see par. 0021, see figure 1).
Regarding claims 8, 19, Montenegro discloses wherein the reclosing operation is performed by the switch (1302, see figure 13).
Regarding claims 12, 13, 16, Montenegro discloses a system (10, see figures 1-2) for maintaining electrical stability of a power network in response to a fault, the system comprising:
Sensors (a fault sensor of the circuit tester 130, see par. 0019) coupled to the power network (a network in figure 1) and to a controller (a controller of the circuit tester 130, see par. 0020) couple to the sensors, the sensors and controller operable to detect the fault (see par. 0019);
an actuator (814) (an actuation mechanism of the circuit tester 130 shown in figure 8, see par. 0066) coupled to a switch (12), the actuator being operable in the presence of a fault to open the switch to clear the fault (see par. 0070);
a first pulse tester (a circuit tester 130) coupled to the power network, the first pulse tester being operable to perform a pulse test of the power network for a predetermined duration of time (about 0.5 second) to determine if the fault is still present (such as see figure 3, steps 410, 416 par. 0034);
the actuator (814) being configured to prevent a reclosing of the switch (the vacuum switch of the tester 130, see figures 8, and 13) where the first pulse test indicates that the fault is still present (see par. 0033, 0078); and
the actuator being further configured to provide the reclosing operation where the first pulse test indicates that the fault is not present (see par. 0078).
2. Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Djogo et al (USPN 2020/0191855).
Regarding claim 1, Djogo discloses a method (see figures 1-2, 8) for maintaining electrical stability of a power system (a power system 10 shown in 1) in response to a fault, the method comprising:
detecting the fault (step 142, see par. 0044);
opening a switch (such as a switch 12) to clear the fault (step 408, see par. 0008);
performing a first pulse test (such as a test pulse generated from a triggering circuit 42, also step 148) for a predetermined duration of time (e.g. about 0.5 nanosecond, see par. 0039, 0045) to determine if the fault is still present (see step 416);
preventing a reclosing operation (see step 156) from occurring if the first pulse test indicates that the fault is still present (par. 0048); and
allowing the reclosing operation (step 154) to occur if the first pulse test indicates that the fault is no longer present (e.g. see par. 0047).
Regarding claim 2, Djogo discloses wherein the first pulse test is performed by a triggered vacuum gap (TVG) device (36, see figure 4).
Regarding claims 3, 10, 14, 17, Djogo discloses wherein the predetermined duration of time is less than or equal 0.5 cycles (e.g. see par. 0006).
Regarding claim 4, Djogo discloses further comprising performing subsequent pulse tests (see step 158) if the first pulse test is inclusive about the persistence of the fault (see steps 148, 152) , wherein preventing a reclosing operation from occurring includes preventing the reclosing operation from occurring if any of the pulse tests indicates that the fault is still present (see par. 0048) and allowing the reclosing operation to occur includes allowing the reclosing operation to occur if any of the pulse tests indicates that the fault is no longer present (e.g. steps 146, 148, 152, and 154).
Regarding claim 5, Djogo discloses wherein the first and subsequent pulse tests are performed by a triggered vacuum gap (TVG) device (42, 36).
Regarding claims 6, 11, 18, Dojogo discloses wherein the first pulse test is performed at a predetermined point-on-wave time (see par. 0050).
Regarding claims 7, 20, Djogo discloses wherein the power system is a high-voltage transmission power system ( see figure 1).
Regarding claim 8, Djogo discloses wherein the reclosing operation is performed by the switch (12).
Regarding claim 9, Djogo discloses a method (figure 8) for maintaining electrical stability of a high-voltage transmission power system (10, see figure 1) in response to a fault, the method comprising:
detecting the fault (by step 142);
opening a switch (a switch 12) to clear the fault;
performing a first pulse test for a predetermined duration of time (such as 0.5 nanosecond) using a triggered vacuum gap (TVG) device (42, 36 and steps 148) to determine if the fault is still present (see par. 0039, 0045);
performing subsequent pulse tests by the TVG device (by loop steps 148, 150, 152, 158) for the predetermined duration of time if the first pulse test is inclusive about the persistence of the fault;
preventing a reclosing operation (step 156, see par. 0048) by the switch (12) from occurring if the pulse tests indicate that the fault is still present; and
allowing the reclosing operation (step 154, par. 0047) to occur by the switch if the pulse tests indicate that the fault is no longer present.
Regarding claims 12, 13, 16, 19, Dojogo discloses a system (10, see figures 1-2) for maintaining electrical stability of a power network in response to a fault, the system comprising:
Sensors (28, 32) coupled to the power network and to a controller (34) couple to the sensors, the sensors and controller operable to detect the fault (see par. 0029);
an actuator (a actuation mechanism of the switching 12, see par. 0027) coupled to a switch (12), the actuator being operable in the presence of a fault to open the switch to clear the fault;
a first pulse tester (a triggered vacuum gap 42, 36) coupled to the power network, the first pulse tester being operable to perform a pulse test of the power network for a predetermined duration of time to determine if the fault is still present (see par. 0039, and 0045, 0046); the actuator being configured to prevent a reclosing of the switch (12) where the first pulse test indicates that the fault is still present (see step 156, par. 0048); and the actuator being further configured to provide the reclosing operation where the first pulse test indicates that the fault is not present (see par. 0047).
Regarding claim 15, Djogo discloses the pulse tester (42, 36) being configured to perform subsequent pulse tests (generates a number of testing pulses, see par. 0039, and 0048) if the first pulse test indicates the fault being present, wherein the actuator is further configured to prevent a reclosing of the switch where the subsequent pulse test indicates that the fault is still present (see par. 0048); and the actuator being further configured to provide the reclosing operation where the subsequent pulse test indicates that the fault is not present (see par. 0047).
Regarding claim 20, Djogo discloses wherein the power network (10, see figure 1, and par. 0025) is a high-voltage transmission power network.
Conclusion
3. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANNY NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-2054. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00AM-4:30PM.
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/DANNY NGUYEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2836