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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 3 recites the limitation "the plurality of devices". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. For examination purposes, the plurality of devices is interpreted as a pump, pipes, and valves.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 1-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to a judicial exception (i.e. an abstract idea) without significantly more.
Claims 1-16 recite a method (i.e. process), claims 17-19 a system (i.e. machine). Therefore claims 1-19 fall within one of the four statutory categories of invention.
Independent claims 1 and 17 recite the limitations of calculating a set of one or more marginal values for a water supply system by: determining a set of transmission marginal values for a transmission stage; determining a set of treatment marginal values for a treatment stage; and determining a set of distribution marginal values for a distribution stage for a set of consumers, wherein determining the set of one or more marginal values comprises: backtracking consumed water to a set of one or more raw water sources; identifying a set of one or more marginal paths of water supply from each raw water source to a consumer; and quantifying the intensity of inputs associated with the marginal paths; and managing the water supply system based on at least the set of marginal values. The invention and claims are drawn towards optimizing water system management by calculating the marginal attributes of water delivered at specific locations and times, and the claims recite limitations that correspond to certain methods of organizing human activity (commercial interactions, business relations, managing personal behavior) as indicated by the claims indicating a method for managing and operating a water supply system, identifying a set of one or more marginal paths of water supply from each raw water source toa consumer, quantifying the intensity of inputs associated with the marginal paths, and managing the water supply system based on the marginal values. The claim limitations also correspond to mental processes (observation, evaluation, judgment, opinion), as evidence by the claims determining marginal values for the transmission, treatment, and distribution stages, identifying a set of one or more marginal paths of water supply from each raw water source toa consumer, quantifying the intensity of inputs associated with the marginal paths, and managing the water supply system based on the marginal values. The claims recite an abstract idea.
The judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application simply because the claims recite the additional elements of: a processor and memory containing software (claim 17). The additional elements are computer components recited at a high-level of generality performing the above-mentioned limitations. The combination of the additional elements are no more than mere instructions to apply the judicial exception using a generic computer. Accordingly, in combination, these additional elements do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because they do not impose any meaningful limits on practicing the abstract idea. The claims are directed to an abstract idea.
The claims do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception. As discussed above with respect to integration of the abstract idea into a practical application, the additional elements amount to no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using a generic computer. Mere instructions to apply an exception using a generic computer cannot provide an inventive concept. Thus, when viewed as an ordered combination, nothing in the claims add significantly more (i.e. an inventive concept) to the abstract idea. The claims are not patent eligible.
Note: No additional elements are present in claim 1 to evaluate under Step 2A Prong Two and Step 2B.
Dependent claim 3 recites a plurality of devices comprising at least one of a pump, treatment process, pipes, and valves. The acclaim recites the additional elements of a pump, pipes, and valves. The treatment process is further directed to the abstract idea analyzed above. The additional elements amount to generally linking the judicial exception to a particular field of use. Accordingly, in combination, these additional elements do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because they do not impose any meaningful limits on practicing the abstract idea. Further, when viewed as an ordered combination, nothing in the claim adds significantly more (i.e. an inventive concept) to the abstract idea. The claim is not patent eligible.
Dependent claim 7 recites the limitation that the node is [a tank] that discharges water, wherein backtracking consumed water comprises backtracking historical flows into [the tank] prior to the current discharge. The claim limitation is further directed to the abstract idea analyzed above. The claim also recites the additional element of a tank. The additional element amounts to generally linking the judicial exception to a particular field of use. Accordingly, in combination, the additional element does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because it does not impose any meaningful limits on practicing the abstract idea. Further, when viewed as an ordered combination, nothing in the claim adds significantly more (i.e. an inventive concept) to the abstract idea. The claim is not patent eligible.
Dependent claim 8 recites the limitations that the set of marginal values comprises a marginal energy intensity of water supply to a specific location, wherein integrating the intensity of inputs comprises computing energy consumption by [electrical devices] and energy dissipation due to frictional and minor losses along the marginal paths; and wherein the set of marginal values comprises an electricity demand response potential of a specific location at a specific time, wherein integrating the intensity of inputs comprises calculating an energy cost that can be saved by shifting water consumption by consumers. The claim limitations are further directed to the abstract idea analyzed above. The claim also recites the additional element of electrical devices. The additional element amounts to generally linking the judicial exception to a particular field of use. Accordingly, in combination, the additional element does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because it does not impose any meaningful limits on practicing the abstract idea. Further, when viewed as an ordered combination, nothing in the claim adds significantly more (i.e. an inventive concept) to the abstract idea. The claim is not patent eligible.
Dependent claims 2, 4-6, 9-16, 18, and 19 recite additional limitations that are further directed to the abstract idea analyzed in the rejected claims above. The claims also recite additional elements that have been analyzed in the rejected claims above. Thus, claims 2, 4-6, 9-16, 18, and 19 are also rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-4, 6, 7, 9, 12, 15, 17-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Katagawa (2019/0031530).
Claim 1: A method for managing and operating a water supply system, the method comprising:
calculating a set of one or more marginal values for a water supply system by: determining a set of transmission marginal values for a transmission stage; (Kitagawa ¶0072 disclosing information regarding performance change may be compared with the degradation speed and the pattern in the in-service filter unit degradation reference information for each type of reference water before treatment; the type of the water before treatment treated by the filter unit 10 in service may be estimated on the basis of the reference water before treatment to which the water before treatment is similar; type of the water before treatment may also be estimated as a combination of multiple types of reference water before treatment; water treatment apparatus management system may also receive from user's computer and household water treatment apparatus, user input information including at least one of the use application of water in the place to utilize the water, the specific quality of the water before treatment, and the source of the water before treatment, and then use the user input information to estimate the water type; ¶0073 the CPU may operate based on the water type estimating program stored in the memory to receive sensor detection results (working state detection values); see also ¶0074)
determining a set of treatment marginal values for a treatment stage; and (Kitagawa ¶0082 in a household water treatment apparatus, the valve unit operates so that the water before treatment always passes through the first filter 11 and then the second filter 12, and the water type leads to treated water at a certain level or higher when the first filter 11 removes foreign matter; the operation method information indicating that the current place for use and this working provide such treated water quality is transmitted to the household water treatment apparatus or the computer; ¶0083 depending on place, position, situation, temperature, humidity, vibrations, and atmospheric pressure for use of water, the use pattern factors such as a way of using water and water use applications, and the temporal factors such as the frequency of the use of water and a time period taken per use of water, the various types of information regarding performance change and the degradation reference information created based on various supposed situations)
determining a set of distribution marginal values for a distribution stage for a set of consumers, (Kitagawa ¶0163 while a user is using treated water in a body washing room (distribution), the control unit, when the CPU operates based on a treated water information feeding program stored in the memory device, transmits information regarding the treated water quality detected by the fifth sensor to the display or the voice generator in the body washing room; fifth sensor may be positioned to detect the water quality of treated water flowing immediately downstream of the second filter or treated water within the water storage tank)
wherein determining the set of one or more marginal values comprises: backtracking consumed water to a set of one or more raw water sources; (Kitagawa ¶0117 disclosing water supply place information 130 includes water supply place basic information such as the locations and the names of individual water supply places, e.g., the water supply place information 130 preferably includes reference information of…water before treatment obtained by filtering water from river 2 through the same or the same type of filter as the first filter 11, water before treatment obtained by filtering water from swamp 1 through the same or the same type of filter as the first filter 11, water before treatment obtained by filtering water from swamp 2 through the same or the same type of filter as the first filter 11, and water before treatment obtained by filtering water from well 1 through the same or the same type of filter as the first filter 11; ¶0074 the water type may be estimated based merely on the information regarding performance change, e.g., a household water treatment apparatus and the water treatment management system that operates based on the estimating program associate treating time with the detection results from the pressure sensor 61, the electric conductivity sensor 63, the odor sensor 64, and other sensors and the treated flow rate derived from the detection result from the flow sensor 62 to form data showing a change in each detection value that depend on the time; if the data indicates that the pressure significantly changes depending on the time, the quality of the water before treatment varies greatly; thus the water before treatment is presumed to have come from a place in which water has a constant quality, such as a river or a swamp)
identifying a set of one or more marginal paths of water supply from each raw water source to a consumer; and (Kitagawa ¶0117 disclosing water supply place information 130 includes water supply place basic information such as the locations and the names of individual water supply places, e.g., the water supply place information 130 preferably includes reference information of…water before treatment obtained by filtering water from river 2 through the same or the same type of filter as the first filter 11, water before treatment obtained by filtering water from swamp 1 through the same or the same type of filter as the first filter 11, water before treatment obtained by filtering water from swamp 2 through the same or the same type of filter as the first filter 11, and water before treatment obtained by filtering water from well 1 through the same or the same type of filter as the first filter 11; ¶0118 disclosing water supply places are not limited to a river, a swamp, and a well, but may be a water outlet in the existing infrastructure, a water bottle, and any other spot)
quantifying the intensity of inputs associated with the marginal paths; and (Kitagawa ¶0159 disclosing household water treatment apparatus 300 includes a first sensor 361 that detects the water quality, the water pressure, the flow rate, and the like of water before treatment flowing from the wastewater tank 310 to the first type of first filter 11, a second sensor 362 that detects the water quality, the water pressure, the flow rate, and the like of water flowing from the first type of first filter 11 to the second type of first filter 11…the water pressure, the flow rate, and the like of treated water fed from the water storage tank 330 to each shower head 201 and each faucet 202 in the body washing main section 200)
managing the water supply system based on at least the set of marginal values. (Kitagawa ¶0163 disclosing while a user is using treated water in a body washing room 210, the control unit 370, when the CPU operates based on a treated water information feeding program stored in the memory device, transmits information regarding the treated water quality detected by the fifth sensor 365 to the display 220 or the voice generator in the body washing room 210. This information enables the user to understand the conditions of the treated water being fed. The fifth sensor 365 may be positioned to detect the water quality of treated water flowing immediately downstream of the second filter 12 or treated water within the water storage tank.; ¶0164 disclosing display 220 may have an input unit to control the household water treatment apparatus. When a user enters an instruction regarding water quality into the input unit, the instruction signal may be transmitted to the control unit 370, and the control unit 370 may control the working speed of each of the pumps 20, 340, and 350 in accordance with the instruction signal. If the household water treatment apparatus 300 is one of the household water treatment apparatuses according to the first to fourth embodiments, the control unit 30 may control the pump 20 and valves 41 to 45 in accordance with instruction signals.; ¶0165 if the user instruction demands that the water quality be traded off for an increase in the speed of water treatment because of an insufficient water feed, the control unit 30 controls the valves 41 to 44 to cause water before treatment to pass merely through the first filter 11 without passing through the second filter 12. Alternatively, if simply increasing the speed of the pump 20 can trade off the water quality for an increase in the speed of water treatment, the rotational speed of the pump 20 is increased.)
Claim 17 is directed to a system. Claim 17 recites limitations that are parallel in nature as those addressed above for claim 1, which is directed towards a method. Claim 17 is therefore rejected for the same reasons as set forth above for claim 1. Furthermore, claim 17 recites:
(Claim 17): A system for managing and operating a water supply system, comprising: a processor; and memory containing software; wherein the software directs the processor to: (Kitagawa ¶0011 disclosing FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by a control unit; ¶0021 disclosing the control unit 30 is a computer including a CPU, a memory device; ¶0047 the operation of the control unit 30 to output the detection result, the working state information, or the information regarding performance change based on stored programs will now be described with reference to FIG. 3)
Claim 2: The method of claim 1, where backtracking consumed water comprises a simulation of water flows under at least one feasible operation schedule over a period of time. (Kitagawa ¶0006 disclosing simulated information of the performance changes, wherein the multiple types of water before treatment include at least one of water used at the place of water use and water taken from natural water such as river water, swamp water, lake water, seawater, and rainwater, and wherein the place of water use includes at least one of: a place with a body washer whose example include a shower room, a bathroom, a place to wash hands, etc.; ¶0049 disclosing allowing the reference water in the reference water flow channel 57 to pass through the first filter 11 and then flow to the second filter 12. In this state, when the elapse of a predetermined time or the feed of a predetermined flow rate of reference water satisfies a criterion for determining that only the reference water occupies the path from the fifth three-way valve 45 to the first three-way valve; ¶0050 Step S9 is preferably performed when a predetermined time elapses after step S8; ¶0052 Steps S1 to S10 have been performed several times at time intervals, and each time the steps are executed. The detection result is stored in the memory; ¶0062 the degradation reference information may also be created based on calculations and simulations performed using basic characteristics (e.g., catalog values) of the second filter 12; ¶0074 a household water treatment apparatus and the water treatment management system that operates based on the estimating program associate treating time with the detection results…other sensors and the treated flow rate derived from the detection result from the flow sensor 62 to form data showing a change in each detection value that depend on the time; ¶0119 degradation reference information may also be created based on calculations and simulations performed using basic characteristics; ¶0197 disclosing the information about the performance changes has been properly simulated, and the whole of or a part of the specifications of the in-service filter can be prepared based on the information about the various performance changes or the simulation results)
Claim 18 is directed to a system. Claim 18 recites limitations that are parallel in nature as those addressed above for claim 2, which is directed towards a method. Claim 18 is therefore rejected for the same reasons as set forth above for claim 2.
Claim 3: The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of devices comprises at least one of a pump, treatment process, pipes, and valves. (Kitagawa ¶0034 disclosing the pump and various valves and pipes)
Claim 4: The method of claim 1, wherein the set of one or more marginal values comprises at least one of energy intensity, energy flexibility, demand response potential, carbon intensity, chemical intensity, water age, water quality, and value of infrastructure maintenance/upgrade. (Kitagawa ¶0163 disclosing the control unit, when the CPU operates based on a treated water information feeding program stored in the memory device, transmits information regarding the treated water quality detected by the fifth sensor to the display or the voice generator in the body washing room; fifth sensor may be positioned to detect the water quality of treated water flowing immediately downstream of the second filter or treated water within the water storage tank; ¶0072 disclosing information regarding performance change may be compared with the degradation speed and the pattern in the in-service filter unit degradation reference information for each type of reference water before treatment)
Claim 19 is directed to a system. Claim 19 recites limitations that are parallel in nature as those addressed above for claim 4, which is directed towards a method. Claim 19 is therefore rejected for the same reasons as set forth above for claim 4.
Claim 6: The method of claim 1, wherein backtracking consumed water for paths from the set of raw water sources, comprises treating at least one node as a mixer of upstream inflows. (Kitagawa ¶0062 disclosing “Indirect potable reuse” which is the mixing of reclaimed water with an existing water resource (e.g., surface resource or a groundwater resource) before the water from the resource is delivered to a drinking-water treatment system. The mixing can occur in a river, lake, or reservoir, or by injection into an aquifer)
Claim 7: The method of claim 6, wherein the node is a tank that discharges water, wherein backtracking consumed water comprises backtracking historical flows into the tank prior to the current discharge. (Kitagawa ¶0105 disclosing the household water treatment apparatus, as shown in FIG. 8, the controller 590 first controls the first pump 530 to cause water before treatment from the water before treatment inlet to pass through the first filter 510 and flow to the tank; ¶0109 disclosing water in the tank 550 is discharged via the pipe 566; ¶0157 a wastewater tank 310 that stores water before treatment (wastewater) coming from each body washing room 210 in the body washing main section 200, a pump 20 that allows the water before treatment in the wastewater tank 310 to flow through a first type of first filter 11 and a second type of first filter 11 and allows the treated water that has passed through the second type of first filter 11 to flow to a buffer tank 320, a second filter pump 340 that allows the water accumulated in the buffer tank 320 to pass through a second filter 12 and flow to a water storage tank 330, and a treated water feed pump 350 that sends the treated water accumulated in the water storage tank 330 to the shower head 201, the faucet 202, and the like in each body washing room 210)
Claim 9: The method of claim 1, wherein the set of marginal values comprises a marginal chemical intensity of water supply, wherein backtracking the consumed water comprises backtracking the chemicals added to the water along the flow paths. (Kitagawa ¶0061 disclosing in-service filter information 110 preferably includes reference information of degradation of the second filter 12 for each of the various types of reference water before treatment, examples of which include water before treatment after filtration of water containing a dissolved surfactant of type (soap) through the same or the same type of filter as the first filter 11, water before treatment after filtration of water containing a dissolved surfactant of type 2 (soap of a different type) through the same or the same type of filter as the first filter 11, water before treatment after filtration of water containing a dissolved surfactant of type 3 (dish-washing detergent) through the same or the same type of filter as the first filter 11; see also ¶0065; ¶0074 the detection values from the electric conductivity sensor 63 and the odor sensor 64 differ significantly depending on the time, the water before treatment is presumed to be multiple types of wastewater including water that contains detergent; ¶0087 reference water before treatment containing soap with varying concentrations is passed through a filter, and the pressure, the turbidity, and other quantities before and behind the filter are detected using a number of sensors; creation of the degradation reference information on the basis of, for example, the various concentrations, the concentration changing patterns, and the types of soap enables more accurate water type estimation)
Claim 12: The method of claim 1, wherein the set of marginal values comprises a marginal quality of delivered water, wherein integrating the intensity of inputs comprises computing water quality parameters comprising at least one of temperature, color, taste, turbidity, electrical conductivity, major cations and anions, pH, metals, phosphorus, disinfection byproducts, organic material, and fecal coliform. (Kitagawa ¶0045 present embodiment also includes, as the detection means…an electric conductivity sensor 63; ¶0073 the estimation may be based on the water before treatment composition estimated by the electric conductivity sensor; ¶0074 the water before treatment is presumed to have come from a place in which water has a constant quality, such as a river or a swamp. If the detection values from the electric conductivity sensor; ¶0087 disclosing sensing the turbidity of the water)
Claim 15: The method of claim 1, wherein the set of marginal values comprises a value of infrastructure maintenance at a specific location, wherein integrating the intensity of inputs comprises integrating a marginal value of a set of one or more attributes of water that is delivered to or passes through the specific location over time. (Kitagawa ¶0061 in-service filter information 110 includes, for each individual type of reference water before treatment, reference information of degradation of the second filter 12 in service in a target household water treatment apparatus (in-service filter degradation reference information); ¶0062 degradation reference information may also be created based on calculations and simulations performed using basic characteristics (e.g., catalog values); ¶0067 replacement filter information 120 includes, for each individual type of reference water before treatment used for the reference information of degradation of the second filter 12, reference information of degradation of a number of replacement filters with which the second filter 12 can be replaced (replacement filter degradation reference information); see also ¶0068, ¶0076, ¶0077 disclosing filter replacement information is transmitted as maintenance information for the household water treatment apparatus; ¶0083 the use pattern factors such as a way of using water and water use applications, and the temporal factors such as the frequency of the use of water and a time period taken per use of water, the various types of information regarding performance change and the degradation reference information created based on various supposed situations (in-service filter degradation reference information, in-service filter unit degradation reference information, replacement filter degradation reference information, replacement filter unit degradation reference information); ¶0379 the replacement filter information creation means may accumulate at least information regarding the performance change of the in-service filter unit and information regarding the estimated water type, and use the accumulated information to create information regarding a replacement filter unit also used in another household water treatment apparatus. The information is preferably accumulated in a time-series manner in association with the way of use, the pump working, and the like; ¶0387 the user may request that enough water flows through a filter per unit time even if the quality of the passed water deteriorates significantly. In such a case, the information feed means uses the absolute value of the flow rate of water passing through the filter per unit time as a criterion of degradation, and provides information regarding a replacement filter that can keep the absolute value of the flow rate higher than the in-service filter)
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Katagawa (2019/0031530) in view of Quigley (2016/0115675).
Claim 11: The method of claim 1,
wherein the set of marginal values comprises a marginal quality of delivered water, wherein integrating the intensity of inputs comprises computing the concentrations of conservative and non-conservative contaminants.
Katagawa discloses a set of marginal values, but does not explicitly disclose that the set of marginal values comprises a marginal quality of delivered water, wherein integrating the intensity of inputs comprises computing the concentrations of conservative and non-conservative contaminants. Quigley suggests or discloses this limitation/concept: (Quigley ¶0032 site-specific algorithms can also be customized to take into consideration, in addition to the other inputs discussed above, the storage tank 120 water quality and possible need for purging and refilling to address contents of increasing turbidity and stagnation; sensors associated with the storage tank 160 and providing input to the controller 102 can include nitrate concentration (non-conservative); ¶0033 disclosing controller algorithm may also enable the prediction of a number of water quality parameters (e.g., biological oxygen demand, fecal coliform concentration (conservative), based upon one or more of how much stormwater runoff has entered the tank in a given time period versus how much greywater has entered the tank in the same time period). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Katagawa to include that the set of marginal values comprises a marginal quality of delivered water, wherein integrating the intensity of inputs comprises computing the concentrations of conservative and non-conservative contaminants as taught by Quigley. One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to modify Katagawa in order to provide a forecast-integrated automated control system for combined greywater-stormwater storage and reuse (see ¶0007 of Quigley).
Claim(s) 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Katagawa (2019/0031530) in view of Allen (2014/0052421).
Claim 14: The method of claim 1,
wherein the set of marginal values comprises a water demand response potential of a specific location at a specific time, wherein integrating the intensity of inputs comprises backtracking water received at specific locations for a specific time.
Katagawa discloses a set of marginal values, but does not explicitly disclose that the set of marginal values comprises a water demand response potential of a specific location at a specific time, wherein integrating the intensity of inputs comprises backtracking water received at specific locations for a specific time. Allen suggests or discloses this limitation/concept: (Allen ¶0009 estimating water consumption data for said demand zones; simulating the hydraulic characteristics of the water distribution system using said estimated water consumption data; ¶0033 disclosing total water consumption for each demand zone (at time t) is estimated; ¶0034 simulated pressure and flow data 30 measured pressure and flow data from a set of in-line sensors 40 SCADA data 50 on the water network reservoirs' and pumps' operational states and virtual sensors data 45 that predict missing or faulty sensor data are integrated simultaneously into the model at time step t). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Katagawa to include that the set of marginal values comprises a water demand response potential of a specific location at a specific time, wherein integrating the intensity of inputs comprises backtracking water received at specific locations for a specific time as taught by Allen. One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to modify Katagawa in order to provide an improved hydraulic modelling system and method for a water distribution system (see ¶0011 of Allen).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5, 8, 10, 13, and 16 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 101, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
No prior art is applied to the following claims:
Claim 5: The method of claim 1 further comprising calculating an average attribute of the water supply to a subset of water consumers during a period of time by integrating marginal values over location and time.
Claim 8: The method of claim 1, wherein the set of marginal values comprises a marginal energy intensity of water supply to a specific location, wherein integrating the intensity of inputs comprises computing energy consumption by electrical devices and energy dissipation due to frictional and minor losses along the marginal paths; and wherein the set of marginal values comprises an electricity demand response potential of a specific location at a specific time, wherein integrating the intensity of inputs comprises calculating an energy cost that can be saved by shifting water consumption by consumers.
Claim 10: The method of claim 1, wherein the set of marginal values comprises a marginal carbon intensity of water supply that fluctuates with time, wherein integrating the intensity of inputs comprises calculating the underlying carbon emission associated with the inputs along the flow paths.
Claim 13: The method of claim 1, wherein the set of marginal values comprises a marginal cost of water supply, wherein integrating the intensity of inputs comprises calculating an operational cost that is associated with time-varying inputs along the flow paths and a fixed cost that is proportional to the usage of the water supply infrastructure along the flow paths.
Claim 16: The method of claim 15, wherein the infrastructure maintenance comprises identifying a set of pipes to replace using computed marginal energy intensity values over a period of time.
Additional Prior Art References
Additional references that are relevant to the applicant’s invention, but are not used in the prior art rejection includes Kobayashi (2017/0247863), which discloses a water management system for supplying clean water to a consumer through a water distribution pipe network, a tap water management device, a tap water management method, and a tap water management program = recording medium.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DIONE N SIMPSON whose telephone number is (571)272-5513. The examiner can normally be reached M-F; 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m..
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Resha Desai can be reached at 571-270-7792. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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DIONE N. SIMPSON
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3628
/DIONE N. SIMPSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3628