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 .
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)(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.
Claims 1-3,5-6,14-16, and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hansen et al. (US 11,545,848).
Regarding claim 1, Hansen (H) discloses a system, comprising: a battery energy storage system (BESS, Figure 2) including one or more rechargeable batteries; an energy recovery system coupled to the battery energy storage system (C16, L2-7), wherein the energy recovery system is configured to: capture heat generated by one or more of charging and discharging the one or more rechargeable batteries; and store or use energy associated with the captured heat (C8, L51-64).
Regarding claim 2, Hansen (H) discloses the system of claim 1, wherein the energy recovery system comprises a heat pump or heat exchanger configured to capture the heat generated by the one or more of charging and discharging the one or more rechargeable batteries (C8, L51-64).
Regarding claim 3, Hansen (H) discloses the system of claim 2, wherein the heat pump or heat exchanger is configured to capture ambient air surrounding the one or more rechargeable batteries and transfer the energy associated with heat captured from a heat exchange medium to a heating and cooling system of one or more buildings, one or more geothermal energy storages, one or more fluid conduits, or a combination thereof (C9,L23-38,C16,L36-44).
Regarding claim 5, Hansen (H) discloses the system of claim 3, wherein the energy recovery system further comprises at least one flow of fluid in a first fluid conduit, and wherein a heat pump or heat exchanger is configured to transfer the energy associated with the captured heat to the at least one flow of fluid (C8,L51-64, i.e., liquid cooling systems).
Regarding claim 6, Hansen (H) discloses the system of claim 5, wherein the at least one flow of fluid is configured to transfer the energy associated with the captured heat to the one or more buildings (C9,L23-38, C16,L36-44).
Regarding claim 14, Hansen (H) discloses a method, comprising: charging or discharging one or more rechargeable batteries of a battery energy storage system (BESS, Figure 2); capturing heat generated by the charging or discharging of the one or more rechargeable batteries; and storing or using energy associated with the captured heat (C8, L51-64).
Regarding claim 15, Hansen (H) discloses the method of claim 14, wherein the capturing the heat generated by the charging or discharging the one or more rechargeable batteries comprises transferring, via a heat pump or a heat exchanger, the energy associated with heat captured from a heat exchange medium to a heating and cooling system of one or more buildings, one or more geothermal energy storages, one or more fluid conduits, or a combination thereof (C9,L23-38, C16,L36-44).
Regarding claim 16, Hansen (H) discloses the method of claim 15, wherein the capturing the heat generated by the charging or discharging the one or more rechargeable batteries comprises: capturing ambient air surrounding the one or more rechargeable batteries (C8,L51-64); and transferring, via the heat pump or a heat exchanger, the energy associated with heat captured from the ambient air to the heating and cooling system of one or more buildings, one or more geothermal energy storages, one or more fluid conduits, or a combination thereof (C9,L23-38, C16,L36-44).
Regarding claim 19, Hansen (H) discloses the method of claim 14, further comprising: transferring, via at least one flow of fluid, the energy associated with heat stored in one or more geothermal energy storages and energy independently generated by the one or more geothermal energy storages to a heating and cooling system for one or more buildings (C9,L23-38, C16,L36-44).
Regarding claim 20, Hansen (H) discloses a system, comprising: a battery energy storage system including one or more rechargeable batteries (BESS, Figure 2), wherein the battery energy storage system is connected to an energy grid (C16,L2-7); an energy recovery system coupled to the battery energy storage system, wherein the energy recovery system comprises: a first heat pump (C8,L51-64) or heat exchanger configured to: capture energy from a heat exchange medium heated by one or more of charging and discharging the one or more rechargeable batteries; and transfer the energy to at least one flow of fluid in at least one fluid conduit; and one or more conduits including the at least one fluid conduit, wherein the one or more conduits are configured to transfer the at least one flow of fluid to one or more geothermal energy storages, to at least one building, or a combination thereof (C9,L23-38, C16,L36-44).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 4, 7-13, and 17-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hansen et al. (US 11,545,848) and Amerman et al. (US 6,276,438).
Regarding claim 4, Hansen (H) discloses the system of claim 3, but not that the one or more geothermal energy storages comprises an array of geothermal boreholes.
However, Amerman (A) discloses an energy system (Abstract), wherein the one or more geothermal energy storages (11, C11,L38-45) comprises an array of geothermal boreholes (12). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of this application to utilize a plurality of well bores in order to increase the heat transfer load of the system, just as multiple fins on heat exchangers transfer more energy than finless heat exchangers.
Regarding claim 7, Hansen (H) discloses the system of claim 6, but not a second heat pump or heat exchanger configured to transfer the energy from the at least one flow of fluid to at least one of the one or more buildings.
However, Amerman (A) discloses an energy system (Abstract), with a second heat pump or heat exchanger configured to transfer the energy from the at least one flow of fluid to at least one of the one or more buildings (506,508, Figure 21, C19,L1-16). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of this application to utilize a plurality of system in order accommodate the individual heating and cooling needs of multiple buildings or as a duplication of parts: two heat pumps may be better than one.
Regarding claim 8, Hansen (H), as modified, discloses the system of claim 5, wherein the at least one flow of fluid is configured to transfer the energy associated with the captured heat to the one or more geothermal energy storages (H- 11, C11,L38-45). Please refer to the reasoning of the combination applied to in claim 4.
Regarding claim 9, Hansen (H), as modified, discloses the system of claim 8, capable for further comprising a third heat pump or heat exchanger configured to transfer the energy from the at least one flow of fluid, to the one or more geothermal energy storages (H- 11, C11,L38-45). As a clarification, this would depend on the thermal loads and capacity of the heat pumps.
Regarding claim 10, Hansen (H), as modified, discloses the system of claim 8, wherein the at least one flow of fluid is further configured to transfer the energy associated with heat stored in the one or more geothermal energy storages to the heating and cooling system for the one or more buildings (506, 508, Figure 21, C19,L1-16).
Regarding claim 11, Hansen (H), as modified, discloses the system of claim 8, wherein the one or more geothermal energy storages are configured to independently generate energy (506, 508, Figure 21, C19,L1-16).
Regarding claim 12, Hansen (H), as modified, discloses the system of claim 3, wherein the energy recovery system further comprises one or more of a first flow of warm fluid in a first fluid conduit of one or more fluid conduits and a second flow of cool fluid in a second fluid conduit of the one or more fluid conduits, wherein the first flow of warm fluid is at a higher temperature than the second flow of cool fluid, and wherein a heat pump (506, 508, Figure 21) or heat exchanger is configured to transfer the energy associated with the captured heat to the first flow of warm fluid, the second flow of cool fluid, or a combination thereof (Claim 1)
Regarding claim 13, Hansen (H), as modified, discloses the system of claim 12, wherein: the first fluid conduit comprises a first one or more pipes forming a first loop (502, Figure 21); and the second fluid conduit comprises a second one or more pipes forming a second loop (504).
Regarding claim 17, Hansen (H) discloses the method of claim 15, but not that the transferring the energy associated with the captured heat is via a first flow of warm fluid in a first fluid conduit of the one or more fluid conduits and a second flow of cool fluid in a second fluid conduit of the one or more fluid conduits, and wherein the first flow of warm fluid is at a higher temperature than the second flow of cool fluid.
However, Amerman (A) discloses an energy system (Abstract), wherein the energy recovery system further comprises one or more of a first flow of warm fluid in a first fluid conduit of one or more fluid conduits and a second flow of cool fluid in a second fluid conduit of the one or more fluid conduits, wherein the first flow of warm fluid is at a higher temperature than the second flow of cool fluid, and wherein a heat pump (506,508, Figure 21) or heat exchanger is configured to transfer the energy associated with the captured heat to the first flow of warm fluid, the second flow of cool fluid, or a combination thereof (Claim 1). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of this application to utilize a common two temperature system with the heated and cooled fluid as a common heat pump configuration and that it is readily available and cost effective.
Regarding claim 18, Hansen (H), as modified, discloses the method of claim 17, wherein: the first fluid conduit comprises a first one or more pipes forming a first loop (502, Figure 21); and the second fluid conduit comprises a second one or more pipes forming a second loop (504).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Rosen (US 2019/0154271) and (US 2021/0088227) both disclose heat pumps that utilize dissimilar temperatures between the conduits and contemplate utilizing geothermal energy within the system.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN E BARGERO whose telephone number is (571) 270-1770. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Steve McAllister can be reached at (571) 272-6785. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/JOHN E BARGERO/Examiner, Art Unit 3762
/STEVEN B MCALLISTER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3762