Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 03/06/2026 has been entered.
Priority
Applicant’s claim for the benefit of a prior-filed application under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) or under 35 U.S.C. 120, 121, 365(c), or 386(c) is acknowledged. Applicant has not complied with one or more conditions for receiving the benefit of an earlier filing date under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, first paragraph as follows:
The later-filed application must be an application for a patent for an invention which is also disclosed in the prior application (the parent or original nonprovisional application or provisional application). The disclosure of the invention in the parent application and in the later-filed application must be sufficient to comply with the requirements of 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, except for the best mode requirement. See Transco Products, Inc. v. Performance Contracting, Inc., 38 F.3d 551, 32 USPQ2d 1077 (Fed. Cir. 1994).
The disclosure of the prior-filed application, provisional Application No. 61/870,750, fails to provide adequate support or enablement in the manner provided by 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, first paragraph for one or more claims of this application. Claim limitations “transmitting a signal for predicting contributions of the plurality of electrical devices to peak power consumption for a utility provider providing electrical power to the entity; wherein the one or more device-specific notifications are based, at least in part, on the predicted contributions of the plurality of electrical devices to peak power consumption for the utility provider;” are not supported by the Provisional application 61/870,750 filed on 8/27/2013. Specification of the provisional application discloses “a system performs predictive analysis based on collected energy use data” which does not provide adequate support or enablement in the manner provided by 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, first paragraph for one or more claims of this application. Instant Application is a continuation in part of patent application 16/953,931 which claims priority to Provisional application filed on 8/27/2013. Accordingly, above mentioned claim limitations of independent claims 1 and 12 are not entitled to the benefit of the prior provisional application.
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 21 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 21 recites the limitation “the disaggregation" in line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Examiner is reading this as “wherein identifying the types of electrical devices is based on…”
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.
Claim(s) 1, 4-5, 7-10, and 12-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Frader-Thompson et al. (US 20090195349 A1) in view of Edmonds et al. (US 20160086199 A1).
In regard to claim 1, Frader-Thompson teaches a method of managing power consumption of electrical devices (Frader-Thompson, Fig. 1; Para. 8, the power usage of the power consuming device may then be measured and monitored), comprising: measuring one or more electrical load characteristics of electrical power lines providing electrical power to a plurality of electrical devices associated with an entity (Frader-Thompson, Figs. 3-4; Para. 34, nodes may also be embedded directly within appliances and devices, embedded directly into the wiring system of the home or building itself, or be devices able to connect to the various appliances and devices, as well as the power network in the home or building as more fully described below; Para, 37, The circuit 40 may contain a microprocessor 400 and may be capable of measuring and recording electrical current and voltage; deriving, processing, and storing power data; and communicating power data over the network. The circuit may monitor the current and voltage via a voltage transducer 404 and a current transducer 406. Those measurements may then be fed through to signal conditioners 408 and 410 and into an analog-to-digital conversion circuit (ADC) 414 via a multiplexer (MUX) 412. The digitally converted signal may then be interpreted by microprocessor 400. The circuit may also be capable of controlling an attached electrical device by switching the power to said device or controlling the amount of power received by the device, and of communicating the switch state or power consumption level over the network); transmitting a signal for determining, based on remote digital signal processing of the one or more electrical load characteristics, electrical signatures for the plurality of electrical devices (Frader-Thompson, Para. 123, the system may analyze the power consumption of the appliance or device over time to make an educated guess about its type or may be used to recognize specific devices or appliances. The system may also learn from analyzing the power signatures and consumption patterns of previously registered devices and appliances in order to better estimate the category or specific identity of newly connected appliances or devices. Further embodiments consider the system receiving updated heuristics or other identity estimation data from a remote server); transmitting a signal for identifying types of electrical devices for at least two of the electrical devices based on the electrical signatures (Frader-Thompson, Para. 123, As data describing the power profiles of specific types and models of appliances are generated both in the user's home and throughout the user community, this data can be used to improve the heuristic analysis for identifying new devices as they are connected to the system. For instance, if the system detects a pattern of high power consumption on a predictable duty cycle, the new appliance might be assumed to contain a compressor. If the appliance is attached to an outlet known to be in a bedroom, the appliance could be reasonably assumed to be a window-mounted air conditioner and not a refrigerator, and if the duty cycle or other characteristics correspond to those of a known make and model, the system could infer this as well); transmitting a signal for detecting use by the plurality of electrical devices (Frader-Thompson, Para. 152-153, After being switched off, the connected device may be periodically polled at 1942 in order to determine if a state change occurs and continually monitor and improve the intelligent control policy); transmitting a signal for providing, to a person associated with the entity, one or more device-specific notifications relating to at least one electrical device in the at least two identified types of electrical devices (Frader-Thompson, Para. 152, The system may also determine optimal modifications to any existing schedules or settings at step 1950, and either implement those modifications at step 1960. Implementation may occur as either a direct or automatic adjustment to the schedule at 1962, or by recommending changes to the user at 1964), and transmitting a signal for controlling, in response to at least one of the device- specific notifications, the at least one electrical device (Frader-Thompson, Para. 189, Based on observed usage patterns. The system may prompt users to approve or modify suggested automation scheduling changes, or may inform users of changes that were automatically applied; therefore, it's inherent that system transmits a control signal to the device for scheduling changed when the user approves the prompted approval notification).
Frader-Thompson does not specifically teach transmitting a signal for predicting contributions of the plurality of electrical devices to power consumption during peak demand times for a utility provider providing electrical power to the entity and a plurality of additional entities; wherein the one or more device-specific notifications are based, at least in part, on the predicted contributions of the plurality of electrical devices to the power consumption during peak demand times for the utility provider; wherein the transmitted signal includes at least one control measure for the at least one electrical device that offsets the power consumption during peak demand times for the utility provider.
Edmonds teaches transmitting a signal for predicting contributions of the plurality of electrical devices to power consumption during peak demand times (Edmonds, Fig. 1; Para. 69, The expected impact of a device at 108 is determined in this example based on historical analytics, such as determining at 102, what appliances each potential consumer 14 has, and determining at 104 whether these appliances are interruptible and curtailable. Analytics may then be performed at 106 in order to arrive at the expected impact of that particular device. For example, once a curtailable appliance is identified, a predictive load model can be create by evaluating the appliance's historical usage behavior. This is estimated by disaggregating historical smart meter data. The predictive load model is then used to estimate how much power the appliance will draw in an upcoming peak event) for a utility provider providing electrical power to the entity and a plurality of additional entities (Edmonds, Fig. 1; Para. 35, the DR controller 24 may be connectable to multiple consumers 14 within the electricity grid 12); wherein the one or more device-specific notifications are based, at least in part, on the predicted contributions of the plurality of electrical devices to the power consumption during peak demand times for the utility provider (Edmonds, Para. 75, when the utility wishes to trigger a DR event in a peak hour (e.g., by determining which users to trigger so as to optimize the cost of the event while minimizing the inconvenience to the consumers); Para. 35, the consumer 14 includes one or more power control devices (PCD) 20 which can alter power consumption of a device 22, e.g., by shutting off or reducing power to the device 22. The PCD 20 is controlled by a DR controller 24, which in this example is operated by the utility 16 via a communication connection 26); wherein the transmitted signal includes at least one control measure for the at least one electrical device that offsets the power consumption during peak demand times for the utility provider (Edmonds, Para. 75, when the utility wishes to trigger a DR event in a peak hour (e.g., by determining which users to trigger so as to optimize the cost of the event while minimizing the inconvenience to the consumers); Para. 35, the consumer 14 includes one or more power control devices (PCD) 20 which can alter power consumption of a device 22, e.g., by shutting off or reducing power to the device 22. The PCD 20 is controlled by a DR controller 24, which in this example is operated by the utility 16 via a communication connection 26).
Frader-Thompson and Edmonds are analogous art because they both pertain to monitoring and managing performance of appliances.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further predict power consumption of home electric appliances during peak hour (as taught by Edmonds) in order to manage customer consumption of electricity in response to supply conditions.
In regard to claim 4, Combination of Frader-Thompson and Edmonds teach the method of claim 1, wherein the predicting contributions of the plurality of electrical devices to the power consumption during the peak demand times for the utility provider is based on, at least in part, an energy usage capacity of at least one of the electrical devices (Edmonds, Para. 51-52, One variable to estimate for a given appliance load is the appliance's consumption over time, given an aggregate consumption signal from sensors such as smart meters; Other variables include the appliance size (i.e., nameplate or effective maximum load size of an appliance), etc).
In regard to claim 5, Combination of Frader-Thompson and Edmonds teach the method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a signal for making one or more recommendations about one or more of the plurality of electrical devices based in part on measurements taken for the at least one electrical device (Frader-Thompson, Fig. 19B, step 1964 recommend changes to user; Para. 149, the system may detect when an appliance or device is not in use, or in reduced use, and automatically switch off power, or reduce power, to that device or appliance. Other aspects may contemplate determining ideal use or lack thereof by monitoring related device use, such as the other appliances in the same room or group, or other user power-usage habits. The system may then calculate optimal modifications to any existing schedules or settings at step 1950, and either implement those modifications directly or suggest implementation to the user at step 1960).
In regard to claim 7, Combination of Frader-Thompson and Edmonds teach the method of claim 1, further comprising: transmitting a signal for determining, based at least in part on a state or usage level detected by the at least one electrical device, an event or condition associated with the at least one electrical device; and transmitting a signal for providing, to a person associated with the entity, one or more notifications relating to at least one of the events or conditions associated with the at least one electrical device (Frader-Thompson, Para. 152, After being switched off, the connected device may be periodically polled at 1942 in order to determine if a state change occurs and continually monitor and improve the intelligent control policy. The system may also determine optimal modifications to any existing schedules or settings at step 1950, and either implement those modifications at step 1960. Implementation may occur as either a direct or automatic adjustment to the schedule at 1962, or by recommending changes to the user at 1964).
In regard to claim 8, Combination of Frader-Thompson and Edmonds teach the method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a signal for providing, to at least one person associated with the entity, power consumption information in comparison with at least one other entity (Frader-Thompson, Para. 216, posted user forums to allow for person-to-person communication and posting of data reports for direct comparison to the individual and aggregated data of other users. Another embodiment consists of individual profile pages for users to share customized information about their home energy usage and themselves; including statistics, blog entries, articles, links, and custom applications. Yet another aspect includes software tools and scriptable "widgets" that are generated by both the company and the community of users and shared online. These custom applications can make use of system-generated data or data relevant to the use of the system).
In regard to claim 9, Combination of Frader-Thompson and Edmonds teach the method of claim 1, further comprising: transmitting a signal for detecting use by at least one of the plurality of electrical devices, wherein the use by the at least one electrical device is detected based on the electrical signature for the at least one electrical device (Frader-Thompson, Para. 152-153, After being switched off, the connected device may be periodically polled at 1942 in order to determine if a state change occurs and continually monitor and improve the intelligent control policy); transmitting a signal for providing, to the person associated with the location, one or more device-specific notifications relating to the at least one electrical device (Frader-Thompson, Para. 152, The system may also determine optimal modifications to any existing schedules or settings at step 1950, and either implement those modifications at step 1960. Implementation may occur as either a direct or automatic adjustment to the schedule at 1962, or by recommending changes to the user at 1964); transmitting a signal for providing, to the person associated with the entity, one or more device-specific notifications relating to the at least one electrical device (Frader-Thompson, Para. 152, The system may also determine optimal modifications to any existing schedules or settings at step 1950, and either implement those modifications at step 1960. Implementation may occur as either a direct or automatic adjustment to the schedule at 1962, or by recommending changes to the user at 1964); and transmitting a signal for controlling, in response to at least one of the one or more device-specific notifications, the at least one electrical device (Frader-Thompson, Para. 189, Based on observed usage patterns. The system may prompt users to approve or modify suggested automation scheduling changes, or may inform users of changes that were automatically applied; therefore, it’s inherent that system transmits a control signal to the device for scheduling changed when the user approves the prompted approval notification).
In regard to claim 10, Combination of Frader-Thompson and Edmonds teach the method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting the signal for controlling the at least one electrical device comprises sending an instruction to the at least one electrical device (Frader-Thompson, Para. 130, direct (and possibly two-way) communication with computers and other electronic devices, allowing the system to regulate power states and/or send commands and messages. In this way the controller could ask a computer, DVR, appliance, etc. to enter sleep mode, or low-power mode, but the device could choose how best to comply with the request, perform a number of actions before complying with the request, or choose to ignore the request. In other aspects of the invention, the controller could trigger any possible reduced-power mode of a device or appliance, such that even a slight reduction in power could be realized in that mode. This would also allow the controller to "throttle" the power draw of certain devices, with more options than a simple binary on/off, and would enable power management of devices that are not suitable for physical power switching) over electrical power lines using power line communication (Frader-Thompson, Para. 83, nodes may communicate with each other, the controller, and other devices listed herein via a low-power wireless, powerline network, or any other network system or technology known to those in the art).
In regard to claim 12, Frader-Thompson teaches a system, comprising: a resource consumption management system associated with a resource (Frader-Thompson, Fig. 1), comprising: a processor (Frader-Thompson, Fig. 3, Controller 300; Para. 183, controllers that contain ports, processors, switches, or memory modules); a memory coupled to the processor and storing program instructions executable by the processor (Frader-Thompson, Para. 183, controllers that contain ports, processors, switches, or memory modules; Memory modules may consist of any type of memory device, such as random-access memory, read-only memory, flash memory chips, processor registers, caches, hard disks, readable or writable optical or tape storage, capacitors, other circuitry, or any other type of device known to those of skill in the art). Rest of the claim is interpreted and rejected for the same reasons as stated in the rejection of claim 1 as stated above.
In regard to claim 13, Combination of Frader-Thompson and Edmonds teach the system of claim 12, wherein at least one of the notifications comprises information about the power consumption during peak demand times of one or more of the plurality of electrical devices associated with the entity (Frader-Thompson, Para. 190, the dashboard may present a visualization of energy consumption, from one or multiple sources of energy, over time. The visualization may include the price of electricity ($/kWh) over time for each of the various sources of energy, whether the pricing is based on a fixed peak/off -peak schedule, or realtime pricing data gathered over the Internet, cellular networks, or other communication networks. The display may also include the system's electricity usage (kW) over time, as well as a dollars per time period calculation based upon multiplying the price by usage, which can be done on a system-wide average or individual energy source basis).
In regard to claim 14, Combination of Frader-Thompson and Edmonds teach the system of claim 12, wherein the transmitting the signal for controlling the at least one electrical device comprises receiving at least one instruction from the person to whom at least one of the notifications was provided (Frader-Thompson, Para. 189, Based on observed usage patterns. The system may prompt users to approve or modify suggested automation scheduling changes, or may inform users of changes that were automatically applied; therefore, it’s inherent that system transmits a control signal to the device for scheduling changed when the user approves the prompted approval notification).
In regard to claim 15, Combination of Frader-Thompson and Edmonds teach the system of claim 12, wherein the resource comprises an electricity resource (Frader-Thompson, Para. 36, the power monitoring and control nodes may be packaged in the form of common household electrical fixtures: outlets, switches, dimmers, power strips, thermostats, bulb sockets, and any other form of fixture or power-related device known to those of skill in the art).
In regard to claim 16, Combination of Frader-Thompson and Edmonds teach the system of claim 12, wherein the memory stores program instructions executable by the processor to implement: transmitting a signal for detecting power consumption of the at least two electrical devices (Frader-Thompson, Para. 123, in order to identify the specific model of device connected, and consequently the category and other information associated with that specific model of device or appliance. Some constituent elements of an energy signature or power consumption profile may include the amount of power consumed upon startup of the device or appliance, amount of power consumed upon normal or prolonged operation of the device or appliance, resistance of the device or appliance at both startup and during prolonged or normal usage, amount of power or resistance measured from the device or appliance during standby or other reduced power or usage modes, the times of day at which the appliance or device is typically used (e.g., a television or DVD player may be used more frequently in the afternoons or evenings, whereas a coffee maker or espresso machine is more typically used in the mornings), the frequency at which a device or appliance is used, and what other devices are typically used in conjunction with or at the same time as the device or appliance), wherein the power consumption by the at least two electrical devices is detected based on the electrical signatures for the at least two electrical devices (Frader-Thompson, Para. 123, The system may also learn from analyzing the power signatures and consumption patterns of previously registered devices and appliances in order to better estimate the category or specific identity of newly connected appliances or devices); and transmitting a signal for determining, based at least in part on the power consumption detected of the at least two electrical devices, one or more operating specifications for the at least two electrical devices, wherein the one or more operational specifications manage a power consumption for electrical loads by the entity (Frader-Thompson, Para. 123, if the system detects a pattern of high power consumption on a predictable duty cycle, the new appliance might be assumed to contain a compressor. If the appliance is attached to an outlet known to be in a bedroom, the appliance could be reasonably assumed to be a window-mounted air conditioner and not a refrigerator, and if the duty cycle or other characteristics correspond to those of a known make and model, the system could infer this as well).
In regard to claim 17, Combination of Frader-Thompson and Edmonds teach the system of claim 12, wherein the at least one control measure is capable of controlling a setting on an air conditioning system providing cooling at a location of the entity (Frader-Thompson, Para. 131, when the price of electricity drops below a threshold, the controller may send a message to a chiller, air conditioner, or refrigerator).
In regard to claim 18, Combination of Frader-Thompson and Edmonds teach the system of claim 12, wherein the at least one control measure comprises reducing lighting usage by the at least one electrical device (Frader-Thompson, Para. 61, The bulb socket node 1110 may consist primarily of an internal monitoring and control unit, an optional on/off button, and a bulb receptacle. The node may plug into a standard light fixture 1120 and provides a standard bulb receptacle to receive a light bulb 1130. In various embodiments, the bulb socket node may have a two or more light bulb receptacles in which to plug multiple light bulbs. In those embodiments, each receptacle may be individually monitored and/or switched; The receptacle may be configured to automatically switch off power in the absence of anything plugged in. The node may also be able to monitor, measure, and control the intensity of light emanating from the attached light bulb(s)).
In regard to claim 19, Combination of Frader-Thompson and Edmonds teach the system of claim 12, wherein the at least one control measure comprises reducing plug loads by the at least one electrical device (Frader-Thompson, Para. 53, the inline outlet node may have multiple receptacles in which to plug multiple devices or appliances, while the node itself can plug into multiple outlet sockets. In some aspects, the number of receptacles on the node may equal the number of outlets the node plugs into, while in other aspects, there may be a disproportionate number of receptacles available and outlets used. In various embodiments, each receptacle may be individually monitored and/or switched; the receptacle may be configured to automatically switch off power in the absence of anything plugged in).
Claim(s) 2, 3, and 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Frader-Thompson et al. (US 20090195349 A1) in view of Edmonds et al. (US 20160086199 A1) and further in view of Pimputkar et al. (US 20050102068 A1).
In regard to claim 2, Combination of Frader-Thompson and Edmonds do not specifically teach the method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a signal for receiving one or more user inputs associated with controlling at least one of the electrical devices, wherein the predicting contributions of the plurality of electrical devices to the power consumption during peak demand times for the utility provider is based on, at least in part, the one or more user inputs.
However, Pimputkar teaches the method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a signal for receiving one or more user inputs associated with controlling at least one of the electrical devices, wherein the predicting contributions of the plurality of electrical devices to the power consumption during peak demand times for the utility provider is based on, at least in part, the one or more user inputs (Pimputkar, Fig. 1, Input devices 28 and input from customer 38; Para. 74, Also associated with the central controller 12 are one or more input devices, indicated collectively at 28. The input devices are adapted to receive input from a physical building characteristics data source 30, a customer practices data source 32, and a customer tolerances data source 34. A weather data source 36 also supplies data to the controller 12 through the input device 28. Further, a customer input source 38 can be linked to the input device 28; Para. 72, a provision is provided for the customers to provide additional input or feedback to the energy supplier or the central controller. This feedback may be, for example, information pertaining to changes in the energy consumption expectations for the customer's building, such as a message from the customer that the water heater for the building has just been replaced with a new, energy efficient electric water heater).
Frader-Thompson, Edmonds, and Pimputkar are analogous art because they all pertain to energy management system.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use customer’s feedback (as taught by Pimputkar) to improve the accuracy of the algorithm.
In regard to claim 3, Combination of Frader-Thompson, Edmonds, and Pimputkar teach the method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a signal for receiving historical or predicted external weather information for the utility provider (Pimputkar, Para. 67, a forecast of local weather is obtained for use in energy shedding decision making. The weather forecast preferably includes a short term forecast of about 24 hours, and a long term forecast of about 7 days. The forecast ideally includes a prediction of the temperature, precipitation, cloud cover, wind speed, humidity, and special meteorological events such as a hurricane or an ice storm that might affect the distribution of electric energy), wherein the predicting contributions of the plurality of electrical devices to the power consumption during peak demand times for the utility provider is based on, at least in part, the external weather information (Pimputkar, Para. 70, With the algorithm calibrated, it can be used, in combination with the short term weather data, to predict energy loading over the short term, i.e., short term future energy needs. Short term is defined as about a day, such as, for example, about 24 hours or less. A threshold question is whether or not peak demand conditions exist. This can be provided as an input from an external source to the central controller. The calibrated algorithm can also be used to make energy loading predictions for longer time spans such as a week).
In regard to claim 6, Combination of Frader-Thompson, Edmonds, and Pimputkar teach the method of claim 1, wherein the at least one control measure for the at least one electrical device that offsets power consumption for the utility provider includes precooling or preheating of a portion of a residence or building before the power consumption during peak demand times for the utility provider (Pimputkar, Para. 71, The ability to predict future load demands, i.e., short term future energy needs, enables the central controller to keep ahead of demand by shutting off or adjusting appliances ahead of the demand, i.e., prior in time. For example, in one embodiment of the invention, when it is determined that certain appliances, such as an air conditioner, must be turned off or otherwise controlled to reduce peak demand during a specific time period, the building can be pre-cooled before the peak energy demand is reached, thereby providing greater comfort for the customer during the appliance control period).
Claim 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Frader-Thompson et al. (US 20090195349 A1) in view of Edmonds et al. (US 20160086199 A1) and further in view of Cohen (US 20100305773 A1).
In regard to claim 11, Combination of Frader-Thompson and Edmonds teach the method of claim 1, wherein the identifying the types of electrical devices associated with the entity (Frader-Thompson, Fig. 3; Para. 47-48, the node may also contain appliance or device determining sensors. These sensors may be based upon radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, other electronic signatures or identifications emanating from the device or appliance, a power signature or profile of the appliance or device, or a manual or automatic pairing process between the appliance or device and the node. The node may transmit the identity of the connected appliance or device, along with any other information previously described, to the network for use by the system; Para. 123) includes: capturing, using one or more sensors coupled to the electrical power lines associated with the entity, power signals being transmitted between a power source and the plurality of electrical devices (Frader-Thompson, Fig. 4a, current transducer 406 and voltage transducer 404 coupled to the power line; Para, 37, The circuit 40 may contain a microprocessor 400 and may be capable of measuring and recording electrical current and voltage; deriving, processing, and storing power data; and communicating power data over the network. The circuit may monitor the current and voltage via a voltage transducer 404 and a current transducer 406. Those measurements may then be fed through to signal conditioners 408 and 410 and into an analog-to-digital conversion circuit (ADC) 414 via a multiplexer (MUX) 412. The digitally converted signal may then be interpreted by microprocessor 400. The circuit may also be capable of controlling an attached electrical device by switching the power to said device or controlling the amount of power received by the device, and of communicating the switch state or power consumption level over the network).
Frader-Thompson and Edmonds do not specifically teach transforming the captured power signals from a time domain to a frequency domain; determining the electrical signatures in the frequency domain for each of the plurality of electrical devices based on the transformed signals; and distinguishing between two or more types of the plurality of electrical devices based on frequency characteristics in the frequency domain of the electrical signatures.
However, Cohen teaches transforming the captured power signals from a time domain to a frequency domain (Cohen, Para. 19, measuring electrical parameters of an electrical signal at the outlet connected to the appliance (e.g. measuring AC current and AC voltage); analyzing the measured electrical signal (e.g. performing an analysis in time domain and/or in frequency domain)); determining electrical signatures in the frequency domain for each of the plurality of electrical devices based on the transformed signals (Cohen, Para. 19, detecting an electrical signature of the electrical appliance; characterizing predefined parameters of the electrical appliance utilizing the electrical signature; and detecting the status of the electrical appliance in relation to the predefined parameters; Para. 39, frequency domain pattern recognition algorithms may be employed to determine the appliance status indications, e.g. use of spectral density of the current signal as a signature of an appliance at a certain operational stage). distinguishing between two or more types of the plurality of electrical devices based on frequency characteristics in the frequency domain of the electrical signatures (Cohen, Para. 37 and 39, frequency domain pattern recognition algorithms may be employed to determine the appliance status indications, e.g. use of spectral density of the current signal as a signature of an appliance at a certain operational stage; Time -domain and/or frequency domain pattern recognition algorithms may be employed to determine the appliance type or its stage).
Frader-Thompson, Edmonds, and Cohen are analogous art because they all pertain to monitoring and managing performance of appliances.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use frequency domain pattern recognition (as taught by Cohen) resulting in predictable result of identifying the device.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed on 03/06/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. In that remarks, applicant's argues in substance:
Applicant argues: "The cited art does not teach or suggest at least the above-quoted features of claims 1 and 12, in combination with the other features of the claims. Specifically, nothing in cited art teaches or suggests the above-recited features of measuring electrical load characteristics in combination with digital signal processing of the electrical load characteristics to determine electrical signatures in further combination with identifying types of electrical devices based on the electrical signatures. For instance, Frader-Thompson merely teaches the use of RFID technology to identify different types of devices while Edmonds is silent with respect to any identification of types of devices or measuring electrical load characteristics. Yet further, Cohen, referenced in the rejection of claim 11, merely teaches the use of frequency domain pattern recognition. Cohen, however, does not teach or suggest "remote digital signal processing" of measured electrical load characteristics to determine electrical signatures for identifying types of electrical devices.”
Examiner's Response: Examiner respectfully submits that Frader-Thompson teaches the system may analyze the power consumption of the appliance or device over time to make an educated guess about its type or may be used to recognize specific devices or appliances. The system may also learn from analyzing the power signatures and consumption patterns of previously registered devices and appliances in order to better estimate the category or specific identity of newly connected appliances or devices. Further embodiments consider the system receiving updated heuristics or other identity estimation data from a remote server (Para. 123).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 21 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims and the above mentioned 112(b) rejection is resolved.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
With regard to claim 21, Bruneel et al. (US 20160132032 A1) teaches the signature is to be understood as a collection of power parameters over a limited period of time and represents a change in energy consumption typical to an appliance or a combination of appliances. Such a typical change may be a peak and/or transient changes after the peak and/or typical energy consumption characteristic before and/or after and/or during the peak, or combinations thereof. The change in energy consumption can be determined through a change of power parameters such as: current, voltage, COS (p (where q is the phase angle between the current and the voltage), real power, reactive power, a normalized real/reactive power, or the like (Para. 42) but does not teach the method of claim1, wherein the disaggregation is based on at least one of a phase angle and frequency harmonics in the electrical signatures of the at least two devices. Therefore, prior art of record neither anticipates nor renders obvious the claim limitations.
Conclusion
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/SHARMIN AKHTER/
Examiner, Art Unit 2689