DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
This communication is responsive to amendments/remarks filed on 11/26/2025.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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)(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, 7-12, 15, 22-23, 27 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Cooley et al. (US 2015/0326049).
With respect to claim 1, Cooley discloses a subterranean energy storage and retrieval system, the system comprises: a wellbore including a wellbore casing (figures 2-3 discloses wellbore 1 including casing 21); an energy storage cell disposed in the wellbore casing (figures 2-3, paragraph 0060 disclose that the power system 16 comprises rechargeable energy storage dispose in the casing 21); and an electrical connection extending from the energy storage cell to a surface of the wellbore (figure 2-3 disclose a wireline 8 extending from energy storage to the surface of the wellbore).
With respect to claims 2, 10, Cooley discloses the subterranean energy storage and retrieval system of one of the claims, wherein the energy storage cell is a capacitor. Paragraph 00060 discloses using energy storage includes battery or capacitors.
With respect to claims 3, 11, Cooley discloses the subterranean energy storage and retrieval system of one of the claims wherein the energy storage cell is a plurality of rechargeable energy storage cells, the subterranean energy storage and retrieval system further comprising: a bypass circuit configured to selectively connect a subset of the plurality of energy storage cells to the electrical connection. Cooley discloses a bypass circuit to connect/bypass circuits that failed and connect a redundant component, paragraph 0194 and figure 18.
With respect to claims 4, 12, Cooley disclose the subterranean energy storage and retrieval system of one of the claims, further comprising: a processor; a non-transitory computer readable medium on the processor; a computer program comprising computer instructions executed by the processor, computer program comprising: instructions to place the bypass circuit in a first position in the bypass circuit thereby connecting the plurality of rechargeable storage cells to the electrical connection; and instructions to operably select a second position in the bypass circuit connecting a subset of the plurality of energy storage cells to the electrical connection. Cooley discloses in figure 18 bypass controller with memory/data to perform the bypass operation.
With respect to claims 7, Cooley discloses the subterranean energy storage and retrieval system of one of the claims, further comprising: a power management system that regulates power stored into and the energy storage cells. Figures 5-6 discloses a power management system 52 to regulate the power stored into the energy storage 30.
With respect to claim 8, Cooley discloses the subterranean energy storage and retrieval system of claim 1, further comprising: a processor; a non-transitory computer readable medium on the processor; a computer program comprising computer instructions executed by the processor, computer program comprising: instructions to govern the power management system functionality; instructions to compile data; instructions to perform calculations; and instructions to provide information regarding a status of an energy storage cell. Paragraph 0181, figure 9 discloses that the power supply 16 comprises control circuit to perform logging data including voltage levels and sending the status data to remote locations.
With respect to claim 9, Cooley discloses the apparatus necessary to complete the recited method steps, as discussed above in the rejection of claim 1.
With respect to claims 15, Cooley disclose the method of claim 9, regulating power into and extracted from the energy storage cells using a power management system. Figures 5-6 discloses a power management system 52 and 53 to regulate the power stored into and from the energy storage 30.
With respect to claims 22, 23 Cooley discloses the subterranean energy storage and retrieval system of claim 1, wherein the energy storage cell is a rechargeable battery, installed within a length of tubing disposed within the wellbore casing. Figures 2-3 discloses placing the power system 16/energy storage within the wellbore casing 21.
With respect to claims 27 Cooley discloses the subterranean energy storage and retrieval system of claim 1, further comprising: a seal interval in the wellbore, wherein the energy storage cells are installed within the sealed interval wellbore (figures 2-3, 9 paragraph 0060, 0131 disclose that the power system 16 comprises plurality of rechargeable energy storage/cells dispose in the seal casing 21).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 18-20, 26 are allowed.
Claim 18 is allowable over the prior art of record, because the prior art of record does not disclose placing a plurality of energy storage cells within the sealed interval of the casing in the wellbore; extending an electrical connection from the plurality of energy storage cells to a surface of the wellbore; and extracting electrical energy from the energy storage cells at the surface of the wellbore via the electrical connection.
Claims 24, 25 are allowable over the prior art of record, because the prior art of record does not disclose wherein the energy storage cell is cooled via conduction of heat into earth surrounding the wellbore through the casing.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CARLOS AMAYA whose telephone number is (571)272-8941. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:00AM-4:00PM.
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/CARLOS AMAYA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2836