DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claims 1-19 are presented for examination.
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 06/14/23 was considered by the examiner. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97.
Drawings
5. The drawings filed on 6/14/2023 are objected to because drawing quality in figures 2-3 are not good to view; some features in those drawings are unable to read. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
INFORMATION ON HOW TO EFFECT DRAWING CHANGES
Replacement Drawing Sheets
Drawing changes must be made by presenting replacement sheets which incorporate the desired changes and which comply with 37 CFR 1.84. An explanation of the changes made must be presented either in the drawing amendments section, or remarks, section of the amendment paper. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). A replacement sheet must include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of the amended drawing(s) must not be labeled as “amended.” If the changes to the drawing figure(s) are not accepted by the examiner, applicant will be notified of any required corrective action in the next Office action. No further drawing submission will be required, unless applicant is notified.
Identifying indicia, if provided, should include the title of the invention, inventor’s name, and application number, or docket number (if any) if an application number has not been assigned to the application. If this information is provided, it must be placed on the front of each sheet and within the top margin.
Annotated Drawing Sheets
A marked-up copy of any amended drawing figure, including annotations indicating the changes made, may be submitted or required by the examiner. The annotated drawing sheet(s) must be clearly labeled as “Annotated Sheet” and must be presented in the amendment or remarks section that explains the change(s) to the drawings.
Timing of Corrections
Applicant is required to submit acceptable corrected drawings within the time period set in the Office action. See 37 CFR 1.85(a). Failure to take corrective action within the set period will result in ABANDONMENT of the application.
6. If corrected drawings are required in a Notice of Allowability (PTOL-37), the new drawings MUST be filed within the THREE MONTH shortened statutory period set for reply in the “Notice of Allowability.” Extensions of time may NOT be obtained under the provisions of 37 CFR 1.136 for filing the corrected drawings after the mailing of a Notice of Allowability.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
7. 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.
8. Claims 1-19 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 1 recites the limitations “the operation” in line 1, “the level of electricity” in line 5, “the process of discharging” in line 5, “the average current energy” in line 13, “the discharge function of the energy buffers” in line 16, “the probability of energy” in line 17, “the on-demand mode” in line 22. There are insufficient antecedent basis for these limitation in the claim.
Claim 2 recites the limitation “the zone of operation” in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for these limitation in the claim.
Claim 3 recites the limitation “the user” in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for these limitation in the claim.
Claim 4 recites the limitation “the output current” in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for these limitation in the claim.
Claim 5 recites the limitation “the location” in line 5. There is insufficient antecedent basis for these limitation in the claim.
Claim 6 recites the limitation “the configuration” in line 4. There is insufficient antecedent basis for these limitation in the claim.
Claim 7 recites the limitations “the ratio” in line 5, “the unmetered weather
coefficient”, in line 7, “the number of hours”, in line 11, “the product”, in line 12. There is insufficient antecedent basis for these limitation in the claim.
Claim 10 recites the limitations “the operation” in line 1, “the storage” in line 4, “the level” in line 5, “the process of discharging” in line 6, “the process of charging” in lines 6-7, “the amount of electricity” in line 12, “the average current energy” in line 13, “the discharge function” in line 15, “the probability” in line 16, “the said system” in line 17, “the power system” in line 18. There are insufficient antecedent basis for these limitation in the claim.
Claim 13 recites the limitation “the zone of operation” in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for these limitation in the claim.
claim 14 recites the limitation “the user” in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for these limitation in the claim.
Claim 15 recites the limitation “the output current” in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for these limitation in the claim.
Claims 2-9 and 11-19 rejected because they incorporate the deficiencies of claims 1 and 10 respectively.
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 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.
9. 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.
10. Claims 1-6 and 8-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Tennant (Tennant), US publication no. 2023/0139514.
As per claim 1, Tennant teaches a method [figure 2a] for wirelessly managing an operation of a power supply system for electric loads, supplied from buffers of electricity from renewable energy sources that generate electricity under changing weather and environmental conditions, wherein the power supply system stores electricity in electricity buffers [figure 1a; para 102, 107, 108], monitors the level of electricity stored in said buffers, and the process of discharging said buffers by the loads is regulated, and the process of recharging the electric load buffers from renewable energy sources is regulated, taking into account the weather and environmental conditions that are expected in the future [para 110, 122], characterized in that the individual loads are prioritized and the functionalities provided by each load are prioritized [para 64, 101, 106], at least one load voltage threshold is determined for each load, wherein exceeding the load voltage threshold changes the functionalities provided by said load, wherein at least one buffer energy threshold is determined determining the amount of electricity stored in the electricity buffers, wherein the average current energy consumption over time is calculated for all loads and, based on the calculated average energy consumption over time and on the forecasted weather and/or environmental conditions [para 72, 126], the discharge function of the energy buffers over time is determined, as well as the probability of energy decline in the buffers below the established buffer energy threshold is calculated, and the charging current of the electricity buffers and the operation of the power system are controlled predictively, wherein, based on the established voltage thresholds of all loads and the established energy threshold of the buffer of electricity, according to the priorities assigned to the loads, turns on, changes to the on-demand mode of operation or turns off the loads and/or the functionality provided by these loads, and continuously adjusts this operation based on measurement data so as to maximize the operation time of the loads with the highest assigned priorities and or the functionality of these loads with the highest hierarchy [figures 2a-2c; para 63, 70, 126, 130, 142].
Tennant teaches:
[0070] At least one of the analyses may be defined by the user via the user interface. These may be custom analyses to be stored on the database. The analyses may provide their output to the user via the user interface. This can allow the user to receive a range of standard and custom analyses regarding the operation of the energy system. For example, comparison of actual renewable energy generated with that
predicted allows the user to adjust parameters to improve the accuracy of the weather prediction. Similarly, analysis of the state of charge of the energy storage devices and the total energy coming in and out of the system over time allows the user to assess whether the current energy conservation strategy is too aggressive or too lenient. Adjusting the energy conservation strategy using this tool may allow optimisation
of the use of grid power or maximising the lifespan of the energy storage devices.
[0101] The energy system 100a has renewable energy sources 110 which may include an array or arrays of solar cells and a wind turbine, and a non-renewable energy source 120 such as a generator. The generator 120 may be powered by hydrocarbon fuel such as diesel or petrol. The solar cells and wind turbine 110 and the generator 120 are configured to supply electricity to loads 140. The loads 140 include any component, process or sub-system of the system 100a which requires an energy supply. It is these loads which define the functionality of the system 100a. The loads 140 may be divided into a group of critical loads 142 and non-critical loads 144. Critical loads 142 are loads which are essential to a basic level of use and operation of the yacht, including navigation systems and bilge pumps. It is highly undesirable for power supply to be interrupted for the critical loads 142. Non-critical loads 144 are loads which are non-essential to the use and operation of the yacht, and therefore interruption to their power supply is permissible at least for short periods of time. Non-critical loads include appliances such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems (HVAC), cooking appliances and televisions; internal and external lighting
units not required for navigation; and power sockets, which may be grouped further by location, function and/or power rating.
[0122] The amount of grid-derived energy required may be determined by predicting a state of charge of the energy storage devices 130 over a predetermined time period using the predictions 215, 225. The amount of grid-derived energy required to supplement the renewable sources is then calculated over the predetermined time period based on the state of charge prediction and one or more constraints. The constraints may include a minimum allowable state of charge, requiring a full charge once a day, a maximum charge level, and/or time intervals where charging may occur. These constraints may be configured by the user 150. The grid-derived energy may be determined as the energy input required to adjust the predicted state of charge such that it satisfies the constraints. Determination of the grid-derived energy may be an iterative process of updating the state of charge prediction and the grid- derived energy prediction in order to satisfy the constraints. Thus, this can optimise the grid usage by minimising the amount of energy drawn from the grid. For example, if the weather forecast indicates good weather with plenty of sunshine and the predictions 215, 225 indicate low demand and high solar panel output respectively, then it can be determined that a lower amount of grid power will be required to supplement solar power in charging the batteries 130. By satisfying the constraints, this method can
also allow battery health to be improved, for example by avoiding continued charging of the energy storage devices once they reach a full state of charge and avoiding the
charge level falling below some minimum level.
As per claim 2, Tennant teaches for each load two voltage thresholds are established, an upper and a lower one, wherein in a zone of operation above the upper voltage threshold the load operates with all functionalities in continuous mode, in the zone of operation below the lower voltage threshold the load is turned off, and in the zone between the lower and the upper voltage threshold the operation of the load is provided on demand and/or some functionalities are turned off or limited [para 124, 126].
As per claim 3, Tennant teaches the on demand operation of the load occurs when a user presses a button that activates the operation of the load [para 103, 141].
As per claim 4, Tennant teaches for loads in the form of, inter alia, inductive chargers, or USB chargers, on-demand operation means limiting the output current of
said chargers, wherein the limited value of said output current results from the current energy capabilities of the buffer and/or operation in a zone above or below a predetermined voltage threshold of the buffer [para 72, 101, 106, 126, 127].
As per claim 5, Tennant teaches the prioritization of loads and the prioritization of functionality within each load is determined based on, among other things, an
analysis of the frequency of functionality used by users of individual loads, the type of device, weather and environmental conditions occurring at the location of the device [para 63-65, 106].
As per claim 6, Tennant teaches the priorities given to the loads and/or the prioritization of the functionality provided by the loads are determined prior to the start
of operation of the electric loads during the configuration of their operation and can be remotely modified during the operation of the device [para 63-65, 106].
As per claim 8, Tennant teaches an unmetered weather coefficient depends on the level of cloudiness or wind strength or sea agitation and/or forecast weather
Conditions [para 108, 110].
As per claim 9, Tennant teaches in the case of obtaining electricity from photovoltaic panels, the weather factor preferably takes the values: 0 for no sun, 0-0.2 for high cloud cover, 0.2-0.4 for medium cloud cover, 0.4-0.6 for low cloud cover and 0.6-1.0 for sunny weather [para 108, 110-111, 117].
As per claims 10-19, basically are the corresponding elements that are carried out the method of operating step in claims 1-6 and 8-9. Accordingly, claims 10-19 are rejected for the same reason as set forth in claims 1-6 and 8-9.
Allowable Subject Matter
11. Claim 7 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.
12. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the prior art of records do not teach of the discharge function of the electricity buffer over time is calculated in such a way that firstly the charge level of the
electricity buffer is determined in watt-hours, then the average current power consumption, that is power consumed by the entire device, is determined in watts, while the ratio of the level of charge of the electricity buffer to the average current power consumption determines the operating time of the device in hours, after which the unmetered weather coefficient is introduced, and by this weather coefficient the
nominal power of the renewable energy source is multiplied, taking into account the fact that the day has a different length depending on the season of the year and also depending on the latitude, on which the device operates, therefore a coefficient, specified in hours, is introduced, specifying the number of hours of sunshine on a particular day, and the product of the nominal power of the renewable energy
source and the weather coefficient is multiplied by the coefficient specifying the number of hours of sunshine for a particular day, obtaining in watt-hours the amount of energy
produced during a particular day, then the determined amount of energy produced in watt-hours for one day is multiplied by the number of days, the level of charge of the
energy buffer in watt-hours is added, and the sum obtained is divided by the average current power consumption in watts.
13. Examiner's note: Examiner has cited particular paragraphs and columns and line numbers in the references as applied to the claims above for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings of 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 from the applicant in preparing responses, to fully consider the references in 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. MPEP 2141.02 VI: “PRIOR ART MUST BE CONSIDERED IN ITS ENTIRETY, INCLUDING DISCLOSURES THAT TEACH AWAY FROM THE CLAIMS."
14. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure.
Nakayama et al., US publication no. 2019/0147552, teaches a method for controlling battery charge levels to maximize power demand savings in a behind the meter energy management system.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHUN CAO whose telephone number is (571)272-3664. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 7:00 am-3:30 pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Thomas Lee can be reached on 571-272-3667. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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Sep. 35, 2025
/CHUN CAO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2115