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 .
Applicant’s Response
In Applicant’s response dated 02/27/2026, Applicant amended Claims 41, 47, 53 and 57; canceled Claim 51 and argued against all rejections previously set forth in the Office Action dated 12/02/2025. Accordingly, Claims 41 – 50 and 52 – 60 remain pending for examination.
Status of the Claims
Claims 41 – 50 and 52 – 60 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103.
Examiner Note
The Examiner cites particular columns, line numbers and/or paragraph numbers in the references as applied to the claims below for the convenience of the Applicant(s). Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings in the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested that, in preparing responses, the Applicant fully consider the references in their entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the Examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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 41 – 45, 47 – 50 and 53 – 60 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Eleftheriadis et al. (WO 2019/086121) (hereinafter, Eleftheriadis) (Cited in IDS dated 07/03/2024) in view of Penzenstadler et al. (US 2019/0280482) (hereinafter, Penzenstadler), in further view of Eleftheriadis et al. (US 2018/0302804) (hereinafter, Lackis) (cited in IDs dated 07/03/2024) and in further view of Narasimha et al. (US 2021/0306904) (hereinafter, Narasimha).
Regarding Claim 41, Eleftheriadis teaches a method for a radio base station to control reactive power of a power grid (See Eleftheriadis’ Abstract and Claim 1), comprising:
measuring an electrical property indicating a level of the [reactive] power supplied by the power grid to which the radio base station is connected (Eleftheriadis in page 18 lines 25 – 33, teaches that a radio access node 40 monitors an electricity supply to the power supply unit (PSU) of the RBS 40, the parameter or parameters that can be monitored and used as a trigger for detecting a fault can be a supply voltage and/or the supplied current. For example, a fault can be detected if the supply voltage is below a threshold (or the supply voltage is above another threshold). Likewise, a fault can be detected if the sensed current is below a threshold (or the sensed current is above another threshold). The value of the threshold(s) can be set by the operator of the power distribution network 102, and optionally modified or adjusted to improve the stability of the network 102); and
performing an action to stabilize the level of the [reactive] power of the power grid when the measured electrical property reaches a certain value (Eleftheriadis teaches control of the local energy storage system to supply power to the power distribution network in the event of a fault in the power distribution network (See Eleftheriadis’ Abstract). Eleftheriadis in page 15 line 34 – page 16 line 25, teaches that the radio access node 40 can manage and/or control the supply of power from the local energy storage system 122 to the AC distribution grid 118, for example in response to faults occurring in the power distribution network 102 as a whole, or in a part of the power distribution network 102 local to the radio access node 40. In this way the performance of the power distribution network 102, and in particular robustness of faults, can be improved. The stored energy can be release in the event of a fault in the AC distribution grid 118. With the radio access node 40 controlling a local energy storage system 122, the time required to stabilize the power distribution network 102 when a power dip occurs (e.g. due to a power source 104 going offline or end-user demand increasing beyond supply) can be reduced).
As indicated in Applicant’s disclosure par 0005 “to be able to deliver power via the power grid, the grid must be capable of producing active power and reactive power. The reactive power maintains the voltage level of power transmissions lines to that the active power can be transported over the transmission lines in order to power any equipment connected to the grid”.
Eleftheriadis teaches a method for controlling a local energy storage system to supply power to the power distribution network to stabilize the system in response to a fault in the system including a voltage below or above a set threshold. Accordingly, Eleftheriadis teaches or suggest the measuring of parameters associated with electric power and the actions to stabilize reactive power as claimed.
However, Eleftheriadis does not specifically disclose that the supplied power includes reactive power.
Penzenstadler teaches a central control system connected to a network to receive data reflecting local variations in conditions on a power grid and to transmit system control commands over the network (See Penzenstadler’s Abstract).
Penzenstadler in par 0008, teaches sourcing reactive power in Volt Ampere Reactive units (VAR’s) to the grid in order to stabilize voltage in the power grid. Penzenstadler in par 0010, further teaches a monitoring device is connected to the control system and to a power grid. The monitoring device is configured to detect local variations in conditions on the power grid and communicate the local variations in conditions on the power grid to the control system. The VAR dispatch device further includes at least one power storage device connected to the control system and an energy conversion device connected to the control system, the power storage device, and the power grid.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to utilize the teachings as in Penzenstadler with the teachings as in Eleftheriadis to supply reactive power in the system of Eleftheriadis in response to a monitoring notification to stabilize the grid as disclosed Penzenstadler. The motivation for doing so would have been to effectively provide an autonomous and centrally controlled grid management to react to voltage instability (See Penzenstadler’s par 0005 and 0008).
However, Eleftheriadis in view of Penzenstadler does not specifically disclose handing over one or more wireless communication devices served by the radio base station to one or more neighbouring base stations to decrease the load of the radio base station on the power grid.
Lackis teaches a power feed circuitry for providing electric power from an external power feed to the radio base station, which is adapted to be driven in either internal power feed mode by an internal power feed or an external power feed mode by said external power feed providing unstable electric power due to disturbances in the electric power (See Lackis’ Abstract).
Lackis in par 0024 and Fig. 1, further teaches that radio base stations (RBS) 30, 30B are capable of signaling and exchanging information messages via standardized protocols, e.g., handover procedures. If a mobile terminal (MT) 25 moves from one cell or site to another cell or site, the RBSs of said cells exchange information to initiate and finalize such handover procedure. Lackis in par 0031, further teaches that said computer software when executed by the digital processors implements different functions of a RBS, such as handover of mobile terminals between different RBS sites.
Lackis in par 0071 – 0073, further teaches that when operating the radio base station in the external power feed mode, mode_A, the method comprises: sending status information to one or more nearby radio base station sites. Said status information may involve information that the RBS has switched from operating in the internal power feed mode, mode_B, and the RBS is now in the external power feed mode, mode_A, allowing more mobile terminals to be served by the RBS. The sending of status information to one or more nearby radio base station sites prepares said nearby sites to prepare for some of the MTs to be handed over by the RBS by initiating handover of mobile terminals from nearby radio base station sites.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to utilize the teachings as in Lackis with the teachings as in Eleftheriadis and Penzenstadler to conduct a handover procedure in Eleftheriadis as disclosed in Lackis. The motivation for doing so would have been to effectively move mobile terminals to another RBS, thus reducing the load of the RBS conducting the handover procedure (See radio base station by handing over (Lackis in par 0071 – 0073).
However, Eleftheriadis in view of Penzenstadler and in further view of Lackis does not specifically disclose wherein the measured electrical property indicating the level of reactive power supplied by the power grid to which the radio base station is connected is included in a predetermined controlled symbol in a Backhaul Adaptation Protocol (BAP) header before transmission to a supervising device.
Eleftheriadis in page 18 lines 25 – 33, teaches that a radio access node 40 monitors an electricity supply to the power supply unit (PSU) of the RBS 40, the parameter or parameters that can be monitored and used as a trigger for detecting a fault can be a supply voltage and/or the supplied current.
Penzenstadler in par 0008, teaches sourcing reactive power in Volt Ampere Reactive units (VAR’s) to the grid in order to stabilize voltage in the power grid.
Lackis in par 0024 teaches that a micro or small cell may cover a smaller part of a macro cell in a RBS macro cell site. The RBSs 30, 30B are capable of signaling and exchanging information messages via standardized protocols, e.g. at handover procedures. If an MT 25 moves from one cell or site to another cell or site, the RBSs of said cells exchange information to initiate and finalize such a handover procedure.
Accordingly, Eleftheriadis in view of Penzenstadler and in further view of Lackis teaches the monitoring of power and the supply of reactive power to stabilize the power grid. Wherein the communication between radio base stations is via standardized protocols. However, Eleftheriadis in view of Penzenstadler and in further view of Lackis does not specifically disclose that the protocol is a “Backhaul Adaptation Protocol (BAP)”.
Narasimha teaches flow control for uplink traffic in an integrated access and backhaul network (See Narasimha’s Abstract). Narasimha in par 0040 and Fig. 4, further teaches that the example protocol architecture for IAB 400 also includes a backhaul adaptation protocol (BAP) layer, that provides functionality for routing data for different UW bearers over different routes through the network. This may be done by having an adaptation layer header that includes some information to identify a bearer.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to utilize the teachings as in Narasimha with the teachings as in Eleftheriadis, Penzenstadler and Lackis to provide appropriate routing as disclosed in Narasimha. The motivation for doing so would have been since different bearers can be routed along different routes. Such an approach can enable faster awareness of congestion along the route. Individual nodes can then take this information into account in allocating uplink resources (See Narasimha’s par 0031).
Regarding Claim 42, Eleftheriadis in view of Penzenstadler, in further view of Lackis and in further view of Narasimha teaches the limitations contained in parent Claim 41. Eleftheriadis further teaches:
wherein performing an action to stabilize variation of the [reactive] power of the power grid comprises generating a [reactive] power and supplying the generated [reactive] power to the power grid (Eleftheriadis in page 18 lines 25 – 28, further teaches where the radio access node 40 monitors an electricity supply to the power supply unit (PSU) of the RBS 40, the parameters that can be monitored and used as a trigger for detecting a fault can be a supply voltage and/or the supplied current. Eleftheriadis in page 30 lines 8 – 15, further teaches that the RBS 40 or RBS power agent 136 can receive inputs from and/or send information to a SCADA 134, an RBS scheduler, the AC distribution grid 118 and local energy storage system 122. Power from the local energy storage system 122 can be delivered on demand, or when there is a power outage. On demand activation can be used to stabilize the AC distribution grid 118, for example when demand exceeds supply. Eleftheriadis in page 25 lines 11 – 13, further teaches that if a fault is detected in the power distribution network 102 in step 401, the local energy storage system 122 for the RBS 40 can be controlled to supply power to the power distribution network 102).
However, Eleftheriadis does not specifically disclose that the supplied power includes reactive power.
Penzenstadler in par 0008, teaches sourcing reactive power in Volt Ampere Reactive units (VAR’s) to the grid in order to stabilize voltage in the power grid. Penzenstadler in par 0010, further teaches a monitoring device is connected to the control system and to a power grid. The monitoring device is configured to detect local variations in conditions on the power grid and communicate the local variations in conditions on the power grid to the control system. The VAR dispatch device further includes at least one power storage device connected to the control system and an energy conversion device connected to the control system, the power storage device, and the power grid.
Regarding Claim 43, , Eleftheriadis in view of Penzenstadler, in further view of Lackis and in further view of Narasimha teaches the limitations contained in parent Claim 41. Penzenstadler further teaches:
wherein performing an action to stabilize variation of the reactive power of the power grid further comprises one or more of the following: sending, to a supervising device, an indication that the measurement performed by the radio base station indicates that the reactive power of the grid at the radio base station needs to be stabilized; and inactivating power-consuming components of the radio base station to decrease load of the radio base station on the power grid.
Penzenstadler teaches a central control system connected to a network to receive data reflecting local variations in conditions on a power grid and to transmit system control commands over the network (See Penzenstadler’s Abstract).
sending, to a supervising device, an indication that the measurement performed by the radio base station indicates that the reactive power of the grid at the radio base station needs to be stabilized (Penzenstadler in par 0008, teaches sourcing reactive power in Volt Ampere Reactive units (VAR’s) to the grid in order to stabilize voltage in the power grid. Penzenstadler in par 0010, further teaches a monitoring device is connected to the control system and to a power grid. The monitoring device is configured to detect local variations in conditions on the power grid and communicate the local variations in conditions on the power grid to the control system. The VAR dispatch device further includes at least one power storage device connected to the control system and an energy conversion device connected to the control system, the power storage device, and the power grid. Penzenstadler in par 0023, teaches that the control system, 110, of the VAR dispatch device, 100, is programmable, and can be programmed to command the device to output AC power at a specific frequency, voltage, and/or power factor based upon rules downloaded to the device or on specific instruction from an authorized source. Penzenstadler in par 0026 and Fig. 4, further teaches that a number of VAR dispatch devices, 100, may be combined in a network of devices distributed across a power grid, 200. Individual devices, 100, are located near the load they are intended to support. The devices, 100, may be programmed to respond autonomously to react to local grid conditions, for example, to stabilize voltage. Since the devices, 100, are located near the load they are intended to support, the devices may also supply a limited quantity of backup power during an outage).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to utilize the teachings as in Penzenstadler with the teachings as in Eleftheriadis to supply reactive power in the system of Eleftheriadis in response to a monitoring notification to stabilize the grid as disclosed Penzenstadler. The motivation for doing so would have been to effectively provide an autonomous and centrally controlled grid management to react to voltage instability (See Penzenstadler’s par 0005 and 0008).
Regarding Claim 44, Eleftheriadis in view of Penzenstadler, in further view of Lackis and in further view of Narasimha teaches the limitations contained in parent Claim 41. Eleftheriadis further teaches:
wherein the measured electrical property indicating a level of the reactive power supplied by the power grid to which the radio base station is connected is one of the following: voltage, current, or reactive power (Eleftheriadis in page 18 lines 25 – 33, teaches that a radio access node 40 monitors an electricity supply to the power supply unit (PSU) of the RBS 40, the parameter or parameters that can be monitored and used as a trigger for detecting a fault can be a supply voltage and/or the supplied current. For example, a fault can be detected if the supply voltage is below a threshold (or the supply voltage is above another threshold). Likewise, a fault can be detected if the sensed current is below a threshold (or the sensed current is above another threshold). The value of the threshold(s) can be set by the operator of the power distribution network 102, and optionally modified or adjusted to improve the stability of the network 102).
Regarding Claim 45, Eleftheriadis in view of Penzenstadler, in further view of Lackis and in further view of Narasimha teaches the limitations contained in parent Claim 41. Eleftheriadis further teaches:
wherein the action is performed in response to one of the following:
when a measured value of the electrical property falls below a predetermined voltage threshold value, or when measured values of the electrical property over time vary more than a threshold value from a nominal value (Eleftheriadis in page 18 lines 25 – 33, teaches that a radio access node 40 monitors an electricity supply to the power supply unit (PSU) of the RBS 40, the parameter or parameters that can be monitored and used as a trigger for detecting a fault can be a supply voltage and/or the supplied current. For example, a fault can be detected if the supply voltage is below a threshold (or the supply voltage is above another threshold). Likewise, a fault can be detected if the sensed current is below a threshold (or the sensed current is above another threshold). The value of the threshold(s) can be set by the operator of the power distribution network 102, and optionally modified or adjusted to improve the stability of the network 102).
Regarding Claim 47, Eleftheriadis teaches a method for controlling reactive power of a power grid (See Eleftheriadis’ Abstract and Claim 1), the method performed by a device configured to communicate with a group of radio base station (Eleftheriadis page 13 lines 12 – 20, teaches that nodes in a core network 34 part of the system 32 include one or more Mobility Management Entities (MMEs) 36, a key control node for the LTE access network, and one or more Serving Gateways (SGWs) 38 which route and forward user data packets while acting as a mobility anchor. They communicate with base stations or radio access nodes 40 referred to in LTE as eNBs, over an interface, for example an 51 interface. The eNBs 40 can include the same or different categories of eNBs, e.g. macro eNBs, and/or micro/pico/femto eNBs. The eNBs 40 communicate with each other over an inter-node interface, for example an X2 interface) and comprising:
performing an action to stabilize the level of the [reactive] power of the power grid when the received indication indicates that the level of the [reactive] power of the power grid has reached a certain value (Eleftheriadis teaches control of the local energy storage system to supply power to the power distribution network in the event of a fault in the power distribution network (See Eleftheriadis’ Abstract). Eleftheriadis in page 15 line 34 – page 16 line 25, further teaches that the radio access node 40 can manage and/or control the supply of power from the local energy storage system 122 to the AC distribution grid 118, for example in response to faults occurring in the power distribution network 102 as a whole, or in a part of the power distribution network 102 local to the radio access node 40. In this way the performance of the power distribution network 102, and in particular robustness of faults, can be improved. The stored energy can be release in the event of a fault in the AC distribution grid 118. With the radio access node 40 controlling a local energy storage system 122, the time required to stabilize the power distribution network 102 when a power dip occurs (e.g. due to a power source 104 going offline or end-user demand increasing beyond supply) can be reduced.
As indicated in Applicant’s disclosure par 0005 “to be able to deliver power via the power grid, the grid must be capable of producing active power and reactive power. The reactive power maintains the voltage level of power transmissions lines to that the active power can be transported over the transmission lines in order to power any equipment connected to the grid”.
Eleftheriadis teaches a method for controlling a local energy storage system to supply power to the power distribution network to stabilize the system in response to a fault in the system including a voltage below or above a set threshold. Accordingly, Eleftheriadis teaches or suggest the measuring of parameters associated with electric power and the actions to stabilize reactive power as claimed.
As indicated in Applicant’s disclosure par 0005 “to be able to deliver power via the power grid, the grid must be capable of producing active power and reactive power. The reactive power maintains the voltage level of power transmissions lines to that the active power can be transported over the transmission lines in order to power any equipment connected to the grid”.
Eleftheriadis teaches a method for controlling a local energy storage system to supply power to the power distribution network to stabilize the system in response to a fault in the system including a voltage below or above a set threshold. Accordingly, Eleftheriadis teaches or suggest the measuring of parameters associated with electric power and the actions to stabilize reactive power as claimed.
However, Eleftheriadis does not specifically disclose receiving, from at least one of the radio base stations, an indication of a level of reactive power of the power grid to which the at least one radio base station is connected needs to be stabilized.
Penzenstadler teaches a central control system connected to a network to receive data reflecting local variations in conditions on a power grid and to transmit system control commands over the network (See Penzenstadler’s Abstract).
Penzenstadler in par 0008, teaches sourcing reactive power in Volt Ampere Reactive units (VAR’s) to the grid in order to stabilize voltage in the power grid. Penzenstadler in par 0010, further teaches a monitoring device is connected to the control system and to a power grid. The monitoring device is configured to detect local variations in conditions on the power grid and communicate the local variations in conditions on the power grid to the control system. The VAR dispatch device further includes at least one power storage device connected to the control system and an energy conversion device connected to the control system, the power storage device, and the power grid.
Penzenstadler in par 0023, teaches that the control system, 110, of the VAR dispatch device, 100, is programmable, and can be programmed to command the device to output AC power at a specific frequency, voltage, and/or power factor based upon rules downloaded to the device or on specific instruction from an authorized source. Penzenstadler in par 0026 and Fig. 4, further teaches that a number of VAR dispatch devices, 100, may be combined in a network of devices distributed across a power grid, 200. Individual devices, 100, are located near the load they are intended to support. The devices, 100, may be programmed to respond autonomously to react to local grid conditions, for example, to stabilize voltage. Since the devices, 100, are located near the load they are intended to support, the devices may also supply a limited quantity of backup power during an outage.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to utilize the teachings as in Penzenstadler with the teachings as in Eleftheriadis to supply reactive power in the system of Eleftheriadis in response to a monitoring notification to stabilize the grid as disclosed Penzenstadler. The motivation for doing so would have been to effectively provide an autonomous and centrally controlled grid management to react to voltage instability (See Penzenstadler’s par 0005 and 0008).
However, Eleftheriadis in view of Penzenstadler does not specifically disclose wherein performing an action to stabilize variation of the reactive power of the power grid comprises handing over one or more wireless communication devices served by the radio base station to one or more neighbouring base stations to decrease the load of the radio base station on the power grid.
Lackis teaches a power feed circuitry for providing electric power from an external power feed to the radio base station, which is adapted to be driven in either internal power feed mode by an internal power feed or an external power feed mode by said external power feed providing unstable electric power due to disturbances in the electric power (See Lackis’ Abstract).
Lackis in par 0024 and Fig. 1, further teaches that radio base stations (RBS) 30, 30B are capable of signaling and exchanging information messages via standardized protocols, e.g., handover procedures. If a mobile terminal (MT) 25 moves from one cell or site to another cell or site, the RBSs of said cells exchange information to initiate and finalize such handover procedure. Lackis in par 0031, further teaches that said computer software when executed by the digital processors implements different functions of a RBS, such as handover of mobile terminals between different RBS sites.
Lackis in par 0071 – 0073, further teaches that when operating the radio base station in the external power feed mode, mode_A, the method comprises: sending status information to one or more nearby radio base station sites. Said status information may involve information that the RBS has switched from operating in the internal power feed mode, mode_B, and the RBS is now in the external power feed mode, mode_A, allowing more mobile terminals to be served by the RBS. The sending of status information to one or more nearby radio base station sites prepares said nearby sites to prepare for some of the MTs to be handed over by the RBS by initiating handover of mobile terminals from nearby radio base station sites.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to utilize the teachings as in Lackis with the teachings as in Eleftheriadis and Penzenstadler to conduct a handover procedure in Eleftheriadis as disclosed in Lackis. The motivation for doing so would have been to effectively move mobile terminals to another RBS, thus reducing the load of the RBS conducting the handover procedure (See radio base station by handing over (Lackis in par 0071 – 0073).
However, Eleftheriadis in view of Penzenstadler and in further view of Lackis does not specifically disclose wherein the received indication of the level of the reactive power of the power grid to which at least one radio base station is connected is included in a predetermined controlled symbol in a Backhaul Adaptation Protocol (BAP) header.
Eleftheriadis in page 18 lines 25 – 33, teaches that a radio access node 40 monitors an electricity supply to the power supply unit (PSU) of the RBS 40, the parameter or parameters that can be monitored and used as a trigger for detecting a fault can be a supply voltage and/or the supplied current.
Penzenstadler in par 0008, teaches sourcing reactive power in Volt Ampere Reactive units (VAR’s) to the grid in order to stabilize voltage in the power grid.
Lackis in par 0024 teaches that a micro or small cell may cover a smaller part of a macro cell in a RBS macro cell site. The RBSs 30, 30B are capable of signaling and exchanging information messages via standardized protocols, e.g. at handover procedures. If an MT 25 moves from one cell or site to another cell or site, the RBSs of said cells exchange information to initiate and finalize such a handover procedure.
Accordingly, Eleftheriadis in view of Penzenstadler and in further view of Lackis teaches the monitoring of power and the supply of reactive power to stabilize the power grid. Wherein the communication between radio base stations is via standardized protocols. However, Eleftheriadis in view of Penzenstadler and in further view of Lackis does not specifically disclose that the protocol is a “Backhaul Adaptation Protocol (BAP)”.
Narasimha teaches flow control for uplink traffic in an integrated access and backhaul network (See Narasimha’s Abstract). Narasimha in par 0040 and Fig. 4, further teaches that the example protocol architecture for IAB 400 also includes a backhaul adaptation protocol (BAP) layer, that provides functionality for routing data for different UW bearers over different routes through the network. This may be done by having an adaptation layer header that includes some information to identify a bearer.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to utilize the teachings as in Narasimha with the teachings as in Eleftheriadis, Penzenstadler and Lackis to provide appropriate routing as disclosed in Narasimha. The motivation for doing so would have been since different bearers can be routed along different routes. Such an approach can enable faster awareness of congestion along the route. Individual nodes can then take this information into account in allocating uplink resources (See Narasimha’s par 0031).
Regarding Claim 48, Eleftheriadis in view of Penzenstadler, in further view of Lackis and in further view of Narasimha teaches the limitations contained in parent Claim 47. Penzenstadler further teaches:
wherein performing an action to stabilize the level of the reactive power of the power grid comprises instructing the at least one radio base station to perform one or more of the following: generate a reactive power and to supply the generated reactive power to the power grid (Penzenstadler in par 0008, teaches sourcing reactive power in Volt Ampere Reactive units (VAR’s) to the grid in order to stabilize voltage in the power grid. Penzenstadler in par 0010, further teaches a monitoring device is connected to the control system and to a power grid. The monitoring device is configured to detect local variations in conditions on the power grid and communicate the local variations in conditions on the power grid to the control system. The VAR dispatch device further includes at least one power storage device connected to the control system and an energy conversion device connected to the control system, the power storage device, and the power grid).
Regarding Claim 49, Eleftheriadis in view of Penzenstadler, in further view of Lackis and in further view of Narasimha teaches the limitations contained in parent Claim 47. Lackis further teaches:
wherein performing an action to stabilize the level of the reactive power of the power grid comprises instructing the at least one radio base station to perform one or more of the following: inactivate power-consuming components of the at least one radio base station to decrease the load of the at least one radio base station on the power grid; and route data to the group of radio base stations, such that no data is routed via a radio base station from which a received indication indicates that the level of the reactive power of the power grid has reached the certain value (Lackis in par 0024 and Fig. 1, further teaches that radio base stations (RBS) 30, 30B are capable of signaling and exchanging information messages via standardized protocols, e.g., handover procedures. If a mobile terminal (MT) 25 moves from one cell or site to another cell or site, the RBSs of said cells exchange information to initiate and finalize such handover procedure. Lackis in par 0031, further teaches that said computer software when executed by the digital processors implements different functions of a RBS, such as handover of mobile terminals between different RBS sites. Lackis in par 0071 – 0073, further teaches that when operating the radio base station in the external power feed mode, mode_A, the method comprises: sending status information to one or more nearby radio base station sites. Said status information may involve information that the RBS has switched from operating in the internal power feed mode, mode_B, and the RBS is now in the external power feed mode, mode_A, allowing more mobile terminals to be served by the RBS. The sending of status information to one or more nearby radio base station sites prepares said nearby sites to prepare for some of the MTs to be handed over by the RBS by initiating handover of mobile terminals from nearby radio base station sites).
Accordingly, Lackis by handing over the mobile terminal to another RBS is inactivating the power consuming components, thus reducing the load of the RBS.
Regarding Claim 50, Eleftheriadis in view of Penzenstadler, in further view of Lackis and in further view of Narasimha teaches the limitations contained in parent Claim 49. Lackis further teaches:
wherein performing an action to stabilize the level of the reactive power of the power grid further comprises instructing a radio base station, from which a received indication indicates that the level of the reactive power of the power grid has reached a certain value, to inactivate a radio cell it is serving (Lackis in par 0024 and Fig. 1, further teaches that radio base stations (RBS) 30, 30B are capable of signaling and exchanging information messages via standardized protocols, e.g., handover procedures. If a mobile terminal (MT) 25 moves from one cell or site to another cell or site, the RBSs of said cells exchange information to initiate and finalize such handover procedure. Lackis in par 0031, further teaches that said computer software when executed by the digital processors implements different functions of a RBS, such as handover of mobile terminals between different RBS sites. Lackis in par 0071 – 0073, further teaches that when operating the radio base station in the external power feed mode, mode_A, the method comprises: sending status information to one or more nearby radio base station sites. Said status information may involve information that the RBS has switched from operating in the internal power feed mode, mode_B, and the RBS is now in the external power feed mode, mode_A, allowing more mobile terminals to be served by the RBS. The sending of status information to one or more nearby radio base station sites prepares said nearby sites to prepare for some of the MTs to be handed over by the RBS by initiating handover of mobile terminals from nearby radio base station sites).
Regarding Claim 53, this Claim merely recites a radio base station configured to control reactive power of a power grid, the radio base station comprising: one or more processors; and a storage medium containing computer-executable instructions, wherein execution of the instructions by the one or more processors causes the radio base station to perform the method as similarly disclosed in Claim 41. Accordingly, Eleftheriadis in view of Penzenstadler, in further view of Lackis and in further view of Narasimha discloses/teaches every limitation of Claim 53, as indicated in the above rejection of Claim 41.
Regarding Claim 54, this Claim merely recites a radio base station configured to control reactive power of a power grid, the radio base station comprising: one or more processors; and a storage medium containing computer-executable instructions, wherein execution of the instructions by the one or more processors causes the radio base station to perform the method as similarly disclosed in Claim 42. Accordingly, Eleftheriadis in view of Penzenstadler, in further view of Lackis and in further view of Narasimha discloses/teaches every limitation of Claim 54, as indicated in the above rejection of Claim 42.
Regarding Claim 55, this Claim merely recites a radio base station configured to control reactive power of a power grid, the radio base station comprising: one or more processors; and a storage medium containing computer-executable instructions, wherein execution of the instructions by the one or more processors causes the radio base station to perform the method as similarly disclosed in Claim 43. Accordingly, Eleftheriadis in view of Penzenstadler, in further view of Lackis and in further view of Narasimha discloses/teaches every limitation of Claim 55, as indicated in the above rejection of Claim 43.
Regarding Claim 56, this Claim merely recites a radio base station configured to control reactive power of a power grid, the radio base station comprising: one or more processors; and a storage medium containing computer-executable instructions, wherein execution of the instructions by the one or more processors causes the radio base station to perform the method as similarly disclosed in Claim 45. Accordingly, Eleftheriadis in view of Penzenstadler, in further view of Lackis and in further view of Narasimha discloses/teaches every limitation of Claim 56, as indicated in the above rejection of Claim 45.
Regarding Claim 57, this Claim merely recites a device configured to communicate with a group of radio base stations for controlling reactive power of a power grid, the device comprising: one or more processors; and a storage medium containing computer-executable instructions, wherein execution of the instructions by the one or more processors causes the device to perform the method as similarly disclosed in Claim 47. Accordingly, Eleftheriadis in view of Penzenstadler, in further view of Lackis and in further view of Narasimha discloses/teaches every limitation of Claim 57, as indicated in the above rejection of Claim 47.
Regarding Claim 58, this Claim merely recites a device configured to communicate with a group of radio base stations for controlling reactive power of a power grid, the device comprising: one or more processors; and a storage medium containing computer-executable instructions, wherein execution of the instructions by the one or more processors causes the device to perform the method as similarly disclosed in Claim 48. Accordingly, Eleftheriadis in view of Penzenstadler, in further view of Lackis and in further view of Narasimha discloses/teaches every limitation of Claim 58, as indicated in the above rejection of Claim 48.
Regarding Claim 59, this Claim merely recites a device configured to communicate with a group of radio base stations for controlling reactive power of a power grid, the device comprising: one or more processors; and a storage medium containing computer-executable instructions, wherein execution of the instructions by the one or more processors causes the device to perform the method as similarly disclosed in Claim 49. Accordingly, Eleftheriadis in view of Penzenstadler, in further view of Lackis and in further view of Narasimha discloses/teaches every limitation of Claim 59, as indicated in the above rejection of Claim 49.
Regarding Claim 60, this Claim merely recites a device configured to communicate with a group of radio base stations for controlling reactive power of a power grid, the device comprising: one or more processors; and a storage medium containing computer-executable instructions, wherein execution of the instructions by the one or more processors causes the device to perform the method as similarly disclosed in Claim 50. Accordingly, Eleftheriadis in view of Penzenstadler, in further view of Lackis and in further view of Narasimha discloses/teaches every limitation of Claim 60, as indicated in the above rejection of Claim 50.
Claims 46 and 52 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Eleftheriadis in view of Penzenstadler, in further view of Lackis, in further view of Narasimha and in further view of Abdur-Rahim et al. (US 8,933,572) (hereinafter, Abdur-Rahim).
Regarding Claim 46, Eleftheriadis in view of Penzenstadler, in further view of Lackis and in further view of Narasimha teaches the limitations contained in parent Claim 41.
However, Eleftheriadis in view of Penzenstadler, in further view of Lackis and in further view of Narasimha does not specifically disclose further comprising determining one or more of the following using machine learning (ML): the action performed, and the certain value.
Abdur-Rahim in Col. 1 lines 38 – 40, teaches an adaptive superconductive magnetic energy storage (SMES) that can deliver both real and reactive power. Abdur-Rahim in Col. 1 lines 62 – 66, further teaches that the SMES control and system involves generating starting weights for a neural network by training the network from input-output data created by an improved particle swarm optimization (IPSO) procedure. Abdur-Rahim in Col. 3 lines 34 – 37 and Fig. 4, further teaches that the control methodology 400 includes a radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) 412 connected to the SMES controller 2104 adaptively adjust gain constant of the SMES controller 2104. Abdur-Rahim in Col. 5 lines 51 – 54, further teaches that after updating the weights, new values of SMES controller parameters are applied to the system for calculating the real and the reactive power of SMES according to the demand.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to utilize the teachings as Abdur-Rahim with the teachings as in Eleftheriadis, Penzenstadler, Lackis and Narasimha to supply reactive power in the system of Eleftheriadis as disclosed in Abdur-Rahim. The motivation for doing so would have been to use a neural network to automatically transmit signals to the controller to adaptively adjust gain and time constant controller parameters (See Abdur-Rahim’s Claim 1).
Regarding Claim 52, Eleftheriadis in view of Penzenstadler, in further view of Lackis and in further view of Narasimha teaches the limitations contained in parent Claim 47.
However, Eleftheriadis in view of Penzenstadler, in further view of Lackis and in further view of Narasimha does not specifically disclose determining one or more of the following using machine learning (ML): the action performed, and the certain value.
Abdur-Rahim in Col. 1 lines 38 – 40, teaches an adaptive superconductive magnetic energy storage (SMES) that can deliver both real and reactive power. Abdur-Rahim in Col. 1 lines 62 – 66, further teaches that the SMES control and system involves generating starting weights for a neural network by training the network from input-output data created by an improved particle swarm optimization (IPSO) procedure. Abdur-Rahim in Col. 3 lines 34 – 37 and Fig. 4, further teaches that the control methodology 400 includes a radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) 412 connected to the SMES controller 2104 adaptively adjust gain constant of the SMES controller 2104. Abdur-Rahim in Col. 5 lines 51 – 54, further teaches that after updating the weights, new values of SMES controller parameters are applied to the system for calculating the real and the reactive power of SMES according to the demand.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to utilize the teachings as Abdur-Rahim with the teachings as in Eleftheriadis, Penzenstadler, Lackis and Narasimha to supply reactive power in the system of Eleftheriadis as disclosed in Abdur-Rahim. The motivation for doing so would have been to use a neural network to automatically transmit signals to the controller to adaptively adjust gain and time constant controller parameters (See Abdur-Rahim’s Claim 1).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 02/27/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
(1) Applicant argues: that Narasimha appears to disclose usage of BAP layer for communicating buffer status of a relay node and data between UEs. However, Narasimha does not disclose transmission of measured level of reactive power of the grid to supervising device through BAP header. Accordingly, Applicant respectfully submits that Narasimha does not disclose or suggest at least the recitation “wherein the measured electrical property indicating the level of reactive power supplied by the power grid to which the radio base station is connected is included in a predetermined controlled symbol in a Backhaul Adaptation Protocol (BAP) header before transmission to a supervising device”.
The examiner respectfully disagrees.
Eleftheriadis in page 18 lines 25 – 33, teaches that a radio access node 40 monitors an electricity supply to the power supply unit (PSU) of the RBS 40, the parameter or parameters that can be monitored and used as a trigger for detecting a fault can be a supply voltage and/or the supplied current.
Penzenstadler in par 0008, teaches sourcing reactive power in Volt Ampere Reactive units (VAR’s) to the grid in order to stabilize voltage in the power grid.
Lackis in par 0024 teaches that a micro or small cell may cover a smaller part of a macro cell in a RBS macro cell site. The RBSs 30, 30B are capable of signaling and exchanging information messages via standardized protocols, e.g. at handover procedures. If an MT 25 moves from one cell or site to another cell or site, the RBSs of said cells exchange information to initiate and finalize such a handover procedure.
Accordingly, Eleftheriadis in view of Penzenstadler and in further view of Lackis teaches the monitoring of power and the communication of a notification of the required reactive power to stabilize the power grid. Wherein the communication between radio base stations is via standardized protocols. However, Eleftheriadis in view of Penzenstadler and in further view of Lackis does not specifically disclose that the protocol is a “Backhaul Adaptation Protocol (BAP)”.
Narasimha teaches flow control for uplink traffic in an integrated access and backhaul network (See Narasimha’s Abstract). Narasimha in par 0040 and Fig. 4, further teaches that the example protocol architecture for IAB 400 also includes a backhaul adaptation protocol (BAP) layer, that provides functionality for routing data for different UW bearers over different routes through the network. This may be done by having an adaptation layer header that includes some information to identify a bearer.
Narasimha as correctly indicated by the Applicant, Narasimha teaches the communication of the buffer status, however, Narasimha is communicating information between base station using backhaul adaptation protocol. Lackis is communicating the information using a protocol without indicating a specific protocol. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to utilize the teachings as in Narasimha with the teachings as in Eleftheriadis, Penzenstadler and Lackis to provide appropriate routing as disclosed in Narasimha. The motivation for doing so would have been since different bearers can be routed along different routes. Such an approach can enable faster awareness of congestion along the route. Individual nodes can then take this information into account in allocating uplink resources (See Narasimha’s par 0031).
Applicant's remaining arguments with respect to claims are substantially encompassed in the arguments above, therefore examiner responds with the same rationale.
For at least the foregoing reasons, Examiner maintains prior art rejections.
Conclusion
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.
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/ARIEL MERCADO-VARGAS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2118
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