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 is a response to U.S. Patent Application No. 18/429,987 filed on 02/01/2024 in which Claims 1 – 17 were filed for examination.
Status of the Claims
Claims 1, 10, 11 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) and Claims 2 – 9, 12 and 14 – 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103.
Examiner Note
The Examiner cites particular columns, line numbers and/or paragraph numbers in the references as applied to the claims below for the convenience of the Applicant(s). Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings in 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 that, in preparing responses, the Applicant fully consider the references in their 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.
Drawings
The drawings in Figures 4 and 5 are objected to because of one or more of the following reasons:
the text is small, unfocused and/or difficult to read;
Applicant should amend all figures in the drawings so that all text, icons, elements and/or GUIs are easily readable/seen and/or easily understood.
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.
Claim Objections
Claims 1, 5, 6, 8, 12 – 14 and 16 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claims 1, 5, 6, 8, 12, 14 and 16 recite the term "and/or", which is selective language, the examiner suggests using either the "and" term or the "or" term, otherwise the claim should be worded in a more clearer fashion to claim both terms.
For the purpose of this examination the examiner is selecting the "or" term from this selective language.
Claim 13 recites “further comprising utilizing a caron emission factor to calculate the carbon emission per unit of product”. It appears that “caron” is a misspelling instead of “carbon”.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The claims in this application are given their broadest reasonable interpretation using the plain meaning of the claim language in light of the specification as it would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The broadest reasonable interpretation of a claim element (also commonly referred to as a claim limitation) is limited by the description in the specification when 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is invoked.
As explained in MPEP § 2181, subsection I, claim limitations that meet the following three-prong test will be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
(A) the claim limitation uses the term “means” or “step” or a term used as a substitute for “means” that is a generic placeholder (also called a nonce term or a non-structural term having no specific structural meaning) for performing the claimed function;
(B) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is modified by functional language, typically, but not always linked by the transition word “for” (e.g., “means for”) or another linking word or phrase, such as “configured to” or “so that”; and
(C) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is not modified by sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function.
Use of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim with functional language creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites sufficient structure, material, or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Absence of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is not to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is not interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites function without reciting sufficient structure, material or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Claim limitations in this application that use the word “means” (or “step”) are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action. Conversely, claim limitations in this application that do not use the word “means” (or “step”) are not being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are: “an energy consumption measurement module used to…”, “a product-sensing module adapted to…”, “a control module coupled to the energy consumption measurement module and the product -sensing module, and adapted to…” and “a display unit coupled to the control module, and adapted to…” in claim 1 and “a machine energy consumption calculation module, for…”, “a unit product energy consumption analysis module, for…”, “an unit product carbon emission analysis module, for…” and “an alert module, for…” in Claim 2.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
The specification recites:
“In the present embodiment, the energy consumption measurement module 10 is a power sensor for measuring the current variation of the manufacturing machine and generating power consumption data of the manufacturing machine (See par 0032). The product-sensing module 20 is composed of a sensor installed on the manufacturing machine and can monitor the quantity of products processed by the manufacturing machine (See par 0033). The control module 30 is composed of hardware (e.g., a chipset) with computing capability (See par 0034). The display unit 40 is coupled to the control module 30 and is used to receive and display the energy consumption data per unit of product from the control module 30 and a signal (such as an indicator light of energy consumption) showing whether the energy consumption per unit of product exceeds the preset value or not. For example, the display unit 40 can be a monitor including a screen showing the energy consumption per unit of product” (See par 0039).
Accordingly, the “energy consumption measurement module”, the “product-sensing module”, the “control module” and the “display unit” are interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in paragraphs 0032 – 0034 and 0039.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
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)(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.
Claims 1, 10, 11 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kawaguchi et al. (US 2025/0104166) (continuation of PCT/JP2022/030035 filed on August 5, 2022)(hereinafter, Kawaguchi).
Regarding Claim 1, Kawaguchi teaches an energy-saving management system for applying to a manufacturing machine (See Kawaguchi’s Abstract), including:
an energy consumption measurement module used to measure energy usage of the manufacturing machine (Kawaguchi in par 0090, teaches that the production facilities 1 include, for example, an injection molding machine or an extrusion molding machine that processes raw materials of the articles. Also, the production facilities 1 may include a processing device such as a lathe and a grinder. Kawaguchi in par 434, and Fig. 16, further teaches that for start of the work 1, electricity and worker are used as resources. And, the amount of consumption of electricity is 0.0139 kWh/piece. Also, the amount of consumption of worker is 1 h. And, the expense item of electricity is electricity, and the expense item of worker is labor cost. Kawaguchi in par 0493 – 0494 and Fig. 25, further teaches an example of consumption resource information and environmental load information to be generated by the resource load calculating unit 415);
a product-sensing module adapted to monitor each product processed by the manufacturing machine and calculate quantity of the products being processed (Kawaguchi in par 0240, teaches that in the correction proposal generation instruction, “production quantity” is indicated as a change parameter to be reflected on the correction proposal. When “production quantity” is indicated in the correction proposal generation instruction, the production plan generating unit 411 generates a plurality of correction proposals for changing the production quantity of any article. Kawaguchi in par 0441 – 0445 and Fig. 21, further teaches that the item of production quantity, the production quantity of the target model is indicated. The production plan generating unit 411 generates production plan information based on order data and production facility information. FIG. 21 depicts an example of production facility operation plan information to be generated by the production facility operation plan generating unit 412. The production facility operation plan information of FIG. 21 is configured of operation time, production model in each work process, production quantity, and facility operation);
a control module coupled to the energy consumption measurement module and the product-sensing module, and adapted to generate energy consumption data per unit of product and carbon emission data per unit of product (Kawaguchi in par 0434 and Fig. 16, further teaches that for start of the work 1, electricity and worker are used as resources. And, the amount of consumption of electricity is 0.0139 kWh/piece. Also, the amount of consumption of worker is 1 h. And, the expense item of electricity is electricity, and the expense item of worker is labor cost. Kawaguchi in par 0437 – 0438 and Fig. 20, further teaches that the environmental load information is configured of production process, facility operation, environmental load substance, amount of emission, reduction resource, amount of consumption, and regulation threshold. In the item of environmental load substance, a substance as a cause of environmental load is indicated. In the item of amount of emission, the amount of emission of the environmental load substance is indicated. In the item of reduction resource, a reduction resource for use to reduce emission of the environmental load substance is indicated. In the item of amount of consumption, the amount of consumption of the reduction resource is indicated. In the item of regulation threshold, a regulation upper limit of the amount of emission of the environmental load substance is indicated); and
a display unit coupled to the control module, and adapted to display energy consumption data per unit of product, and carbon emission data per unit of product (Kawaguchi in par 0113, further teaches that the display device 9 generates a display screen reflecting the production plan approved by the optimization device 8, and displays the generated display screen. Kawaguchi in par 0434 and Fig. 16, further teaches that for start of the work 1, electricity and worker are used as resources. And, the amount of consumption of electricity is 0.0139 kWh/piece. Kawaguchi in par 0437 – 0438 and Fig. 20, further teaches that the environmental load information is configured of production process, facility operation, environmental load substance, amount of emission, reduction resource, amount of consumption, and regulation threshold. In the item of environmental load substance, a substance as a cause of environmental load is indicated. In the item of amount of emission, the amount of emission of the environmental load substance is indicated. In the item of reduction resource, a reduction resource for use to reduce emission of the environmental load substance is indicated. In the item of amount of consumption, the amount of consumption of the reduction resource is indicated. In the item of regulation threshold, a regulation upper limit of the amount of emission of the environmental load substance is indicated).
Regarding Claim 10, Kawaguchi teaches a manufacturing machine, including the energy-saving management system of claim 1 (See the above rejection of Claim 1 and Kawaguchi par 0090).
Regarding Claim 11, this claim merely recites a method of energy-saving management for a manufacturing machine, including steps as similarly recited in Claim 1. Accordingly, Kawaguchi discloses/teaches every limitation of claim 11, as indicated in the above rejection of Claim 1.
Regarding Claim 13, Kawaguchi teaches the limitations contained in parent Claim 11. Kawaguchi further teaches
further comprising utilizing a caron emission factor to calculate the carbon emission per unit of product (Kawaguchi in par 0524, teaches that for example, for “2021/04/05 09:00” in FIG. 21, the value (“0.0488”) of “amount of emission” of “work 1 process” of “work 1” in FIG. 20 is multiplied by the value (“250”) of “work 1 production quantity” in FIG. 21. Then, the resource load calculating unit 415 sets the multiplication value in “work 1 amount of CO2 emission” of “2021/04/05 09:00” in FIG. 25).
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 2 – 8, 12 and 14 – 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kawaguchi in view of Ly Seymour et al. (US 2025/0103043) (hereinafter, Seymour).
Regarding Claim 2, Kawaguchi teaches the limitations contained in parent Claim 1. Kawaguchi further teaches:
wherein the control module includes:
a machine energy consumption calculation module, for receiving the energy usage from the energy consumption measurement module, and generating energy consumption data of the manufacturing machine at different points in time (Kawaguchi in par 0160 – 0171 and Fig. 45, further teaches that when receiving the correction proposal generation instruction from the optimization device 8, the production plan generation device 4 generates a plurality of proposals for correction of the production plan with the round-robin scheme (step S420). Information in which the new production plan is indicated is referred to as new production plan information. Also, the production plan generation device 4 calculates an i-th (i is any from 0 to N) new total of consumption resources to be consumed at the production facilities 1 and the utility facility 3 based on the i-th new production facility operation plan and the i-th new utility facility operation plan (step S424). Information in which the new total of resources to be consumed at the production facilities 1 and the utility facility 3 is indicated is referred to as new consumption resource information. The new consumption resource information is different from the consumption resource information depicted in FIG. 25 only in numerical values, and the format is identical to the consumption resource information depicted in FIG. 25);
a unit product energy consumption analysis module, for receiving the energy consumption data from the machine energy consumption calculation module, and the quantity of the products being processed to generate energy consumption data per unit of product (Kawaguchi in par 0411 and Fig. 10, teaches that work 1 process for the model A has a production capacity of 14.4 seconds/piece. A work 2 process for the model A has a production capacity of 15.3 seconds/piece. A work 3 process for the model A has a production capacity of 12.5 seconds/piece. A work 4 process for the model A has a production capacity of 18.8 seconds/piece);
an unit product carbon emission analysis module, for converting the energy consumption data per unit of product into carbon emission data per unit of product (Kawaguchi in par 0437 – 0438 and Fig. 20, further teaches that the environmental load information is configured of production process, facility operation, environmental load substance, amount of emission, reduction resource, amount of consumption, and regulation threshold. In the item of environmental load substance, a substance as a cause of environmental load is indicated. In the item of amount of emission, the amount of emission of the environmental load substance is indicated. In the item of reduction resource, a reduction resource for use to reduce emission of the environmental load substance is indicated. In the item of amount of consumption, the amount of consumption of the reduction resource is indicated. In the item of regulation threshold, a regulation upper limit of the amount of emission of the environmental load substance is indicated); and
However, Kawaguchi does not specifically disclose an alert module, for determining whether the energy consumption data per unit of product and/or the carbon emission data per unit of product exceed a preset value.
Seymour teaches a system and method for monitoring and controlling production of batches of products in an industrial process (See Seymour’s Abstract). Seymour in par 0011, further teaches that if the key performance indicators (KPIs) are above one or more pre-determined thresholds, taking a corrective action in response to the key performance indicators being above the one or more pre-determined thresholds. Seymour in par 0165, further teaches that there may be pre-determined thresholds which set a limit for energy costs, energy demand, energy consumption, and emission levels. Key performance indicators (KPIs) generated at step 2806 are above these pre-determined thresholds, then the energy management system 2700 may take a corrective action to address these KPIs being above the predetermined threshold at step 2812. The corrective action may including highlighting and displaying unexpected energy usage such as when equipment is unnecessarily kept in operation. The corrective action may include generating a notification alert which is sent to users when a target energy consumption amount is about to exceed a threshold so that the operation personnel can proactively reduce usage in order to avoid peak usage cost penalties.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to utilize the teachings as in Seymour with the teachings as in Kawaguchi to display to the user of Kawaguchi a notification alert when exceeding a threshold as disclosed in Seymour. The motivation for doing so would have been to effectively notify the user that the consumption amount is about to exceed a threshold so that the user can proactively reduce usage in order to avoid peak usage cost penalties (See Seymour’s par 0165).
Regarding Claim 3, Kawaguchi in view of Seymour teaches the limitations contained in parent Claim 2. Kawaguchi further teaches:
wherein the energy-saving management system further includes a storage module coupled to the control module, for storing the energy usage measured by the energy consumption measurement module, the quantity of the products calculated from the product-sensing module, the energy consumption data per unit of product and the carbon emission data per unit of product from the control module, the preset value and a carbon emission factor table (Kawaguchi in par 0245, teaches that the production facility operation plan generating unit 412 causes the i-th production facility operation plan information to be stored in a production facility operation plan database 432. The production facility operation plan information is information exemplarily depicted in FIG. 21. Kawaguchi in par 0257 – 0258, further teaches that the resource load calculating unit 415 causes i-th environmental load information indicating the total amount of environmental load emission to be stored in the resource load database 434. The consumption resource information and the environmental load information are information exemplarily depicted in FIG. 25. Kawaguchi in par 0437, further teaches that as depicted in FIG. 20, the environmental load information is configured of production process, facility operation, environmental load substance, amount of emission, reduction resource, amount of consumption, and regulation threshold).
Regarding Claim 4, Kawaguchi in view of Seymour teaches the limitations contained in parent Claim 2. Kawaguchi further teaches:
wherein the energy-saving management system further includes an input unit coupled to the control module and adapted to input the preset value and the carbon emission factor table (Kawaguchi in par 0219 - 0222 and Fig. 3, teaches that using the input unit 45, an information input unit 451 receives an input of production plan necessary information based on order data from a user of the production plan generation device 4. When generation of a proposal for correction of the production plan is required, by using the input unit 45, the information input unit 451 receives an input of production start time interval information from the user of the production plan generation device 4. Kawaguchi in par 0438 and Fig. 20, further teaches that in the item of amount of emission, the amount of emission of the environmental load substance is indicated. In the item of reduction resource, a reduction resource for use to reduce emission of the environmental load substance is indicated. In the item of amount of consumption, the amount of consumption of the reduction resource is indicated. In the item of regulation threshold, a regulation upper limit of the amount of emission of the environmental load substance is indicated).
Regarding Claim 5, Kawaguchi in view of Seymour teaches the limitations contained in parent Claim 2. Seymour further teaches:
wherein the control module further includes an energy-saving circuit module coupled to the alert module (Seymour in par 0165, further teaches that if the key performance indicators determined at step 2806 are above one or more pre-determined thresholds. For example, there may be pre-determined thresholds which set a limit for energy costs, energy demand, energy consumption, and emission levels. If the KPIs generated at step 2806 are above these pre-determined thresholds, then the energy management system 2700 may take a corrective action to address these KPIs being above the predetermined threshold at step 2812. The corrective action may be automatically implemented control action for a piece of equipment to lower an energy usage amount);
when the alert module determines that the energy consumption data per unit of product and/or the carbon emission data per unit of product exceed the preset value, the alert module transmits a control signal to the energy-saving circuit module to activate an energy-saving mode of the manufacturing machine (Seymour in par 0122, Based on the corrective action, the baseline for one or more KPIs may automatically be adjusted. Seymour in par 0165, further teaches that there may be pre-determined thresholds which set a limit for energy costs, energy demand, energy consumption, and emission levels. Key performance indicators (KPIs) generated at step 2806 are above these pre-determined thresholds, then the energy management system 2700 may take a corrective action to address these KPIs being above the predetermined threshold at step 2812. The corrective action may including highlighting and displaying unexpected energy usage such as when equipment is unnecessarily kept in operation. The corrective action may include generating a notification alert which is sent to users when a target energy consumption amount is about to exceed a threshold so that the operation personnel can proactively reduce usage in order to avoid peak usage cost penalties).
Regarding Claim 6, Kawaguchi in view of Seymour teaches the limitations contained in parent Claim 2. Seymour further teaches:
wherein the alert module transmits an alert signal to the display unit to show an alert message when the alert module determines that the energy consumption data per unit of product and/or the carbon emission data per unit of product exceed the preset value (Seymour in par 0069 and Fig. 10, teaches that the severity of the health advisory is shown on the user interface portion 1002. Specifically, the health advisory user interface portion 1004 may display the relative number of active advisories based on their severity level (e.g., warning, alert, and critical). Seymour in par 0122, Based on the corrective action, the baseline for one or more KPIs may automatically be adjusted. Seymour in par 0165, further teaches that there may be pre-determined thresholds which set a limit for energy costs, energy demand, energy consumption, and emission levels. Key performance indicators (KPIs) generated at step 2806 are above these pre-determined thresholds, then the energy management system 2700 may take a corrective action to address these KPIs being above the predetermined threshold at step 2812. The corrective action may including highlighting and displaying unexpected energy usage such as when equipment is unnecessarily kept in operation. The corrective action may include generating a notification alert which is sent to users when a target energy consumption amount is about to exceed a threshold so that the operation personnel can proactively reduce usage in order to avoid peak usage cost penalties).
Regarding Claim 7, Kawaguchi in view of Seymour teaches the limitations contained in parent Claim 2. Seymour further teaches:
wherein the energy-saving management system further includes a network communication module coupled to the control module, for connecting the manufacturing machine to a cloud server (Seymour in par 0060, teaches that the asset intelligence application is a cloud-based Software as a Service (SAAS) offering that contextualizes data by using pre-built industry specific asset models, surfaced in dashboards with alert notification management and the ability to configure by persona and user. Seymour in par 0141, further teaches that the extracted data 2602 may be sent to the cloud computing system 2403 where the data is processed. The cloud computing system 2403 also stores the batch analytics models 2414 and the extracted data 2602 in data storage (e.g., raw and inference data storage 2426). The data stored in the cloud computing system 2403 may be sent to the SAAS application 2405).
Regarding Claim 8, Kawaguchi in view of Seymour teaches the limitations contained in parent Claim 2. Seymour further teaches:
wherein the display unit further includes an indicator light that changes color to indicate energy consumption (Seymour in par 0038 and Fig. 29A, teaches a user interface implemented by the energy management system. Seymour in par 0060, that the asset intelligence application is a cloud-based Software as a Service (SAAS) offering that contextualizes data by using pre-built industry specific asset models, surfaced in dashboards with alert notification management and the ability to configure by persona and user. Seymour in par 0069 and Fig. 10, further teaches that the health advisory user interface portion 1004 may display the relative number of active advisories based on their severity level (e.g., warning, alert, and critical).;
the alert module transmits a signal to activate the indicator light when the alert module determines that the energy consumption data per unit of product and/or the carbon emission data per unit of product exceed the preset value (Seymour in par 0165, further teaches there may be pre-determined thresholds which set a limit for energy costs, energy demand, energy consumption, and emission levels. If the KPIs generated at step 2806 are above these pre-determined thresholds, then the energy management system 2700 may take a corrective action to address these KPIs being above the predetermined threshold at step 2812. The corrective action may include generating a notification alert which is sent to users when a target energy consumption amount is about to exceed a threshold so that the operation personnel can proactively reduce usage in order to avoid peak usage cost penalties).
Regarding Claim 12, Kawaguchi teaches the limitations contained in parent Claim 11.
However, Kawaguchi does not specifically disclose further comprising determining whether the energy consumption per unit of product and/or the carbon emission per unit of product exceed a preset value; and displaying an alert message when the energy consumption per unit of product and/or the carbon emission per unit of product exceed the preset value.
Seymour teaches a system and method for monitoring and controlling production of batches of products in an industrial process (See Seymour’s Abstract). Seymour in par 0011, further teaches that if the key performance indicators (KPIs) are above one or more pre-determined thresholds, taking a corrective action in response to the key performance indicators being above the one or more pre-determined thresholds. Seymour in par 0165, further teaches that there may be pre-determined thresholds which set a limit for energy costs, energy demand, energy consumption, and emission levels. Key performance indicators (KPIs) generated at step 2806 are above these pre-determined thresholds, then the energy management system 2700 may take a corrective action to address these KPIs being above the predetermined threshold at step 2812. The corrective action may including highlighting and displaying unexpected energy usage such as when equipment is unnecessarily kept in operation. The corrective action may include generating a notification alert which is sent to users when a target energy consumption amount is about to exceed a threshold so that the operation personnel can proactively reduce usage in order to avoid peak usage cost penalties.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to utilize the teachings as in Seymour with the teachings as in Kawaguchi to display to the user of Kawaguchi a notification alert when exceeding a threshold as disclosed in Seymour. The motivation for doing so would have been to effectively notify the user that the consumption amount is about to exceed a threshold so that the user can proactively reduce usage in order to avoid peak usage cost penalties (See Seymour’s par 0165).
Regarding Claim 14, Kawaguchi in view of Seymour teaches the limitations contained in parent Claim 12. Seymour further teaches:
further comprising a step of activating an energy-saving mode of the manufacturing machine when the energy consumption per unit of product and/or the carbon emission per unit of product exceed the preset value (Seymour in par 0122, Based on the corrective action, the baseline for one or more KPIs may automatically be adjusted. Seymour in par 0165, further teaches that there may be pre-determined thresholds which set a limit for energy costs, energy demand, energy consumption, and emission levels. Key performance indicators (KPIs) generated at step 2806 are above these pre-determined thresholds, then the energy management system 2700 may take a corrective action to address these KPIs being above the predetermined threshold at step 2812. The corrective action may including highlighting and displaying unexpected energy usage such as when equipment is unnecessarily kept in operation. The corrective action may include generating a notification alert which is sent to users when a target energy consumption amount is about to exceed a threshold so that the operation personnel can proactively reduce usage in order to avoid peak usage cost penalties).
Regarding Claim 15, Kawaguchi teaches the limitations contained in parent Claim 11.
However, Kawaguchi does not specifically disclose further comprising a step of sending the energy consumption per unit of product and the carbon emission per unit of product to a cloud server.
Seymour in par 0060, teaches that the asset intelligence application is a cloud-based Software as a Service (SAAS) offering that contextualizes data by using pre-built industry specific asset models, surfaced in dashboards with alert notification management and the ability to configure by persona and user. Seymour in par 0141, further teaches that the extracted data 2602 may be sent to the cloud computing system 2403 where the data is processed. The cloud computing system 2403 also stores the batch analytics models 2414 and the extracted data 2602 in data storage (e.g., raw and inference data storage 2426). The data stored in the cloud computing system 2403 may be sent to the SAAS application 2405).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to utilize the teachings as in Seymour with the teachings as in Kawaguchi to utilize cloud services in Kawaguchi as disclosed in Seymour. The motivation for doing so would have been to effectively improve the reliability and availability of physical asses while minimizing risk and operating costs within an industrial plant (See Seymour’s par 0060).
Regarding Claim 16, Kawaguchi in view of Seymour teaches the limitations contained in parent Claim 12. Seymour further teaches:
further comprising a step of activating an indicator light when the energy consumption data per unit of product and/or the carbon emission data per unit of product exceed the preset value (Seymour in par 0038 and Fig. 29A, teaches a user interface implemented by the energy management system. Seymour in par 0060, that the asset intelligence application is a cloud-based Software as a Service (SAAS) offering that contextualizes data by using pre-built industry specific asset models, surfaced in dashboards with alert notification management and the ability to configure by persona and user. Seymour in par 0069 and Fig. 10, further teaches that the health advisory user interface portion 1004 may display the relative number of active advisories based on their severity level (e.g., warning, alert, and critical). Seymour in par 0165, further teaches there may be pre-determined thresholds which set a limit for energy costs, energy demand, energy consumption, and emission levels. If the KPIs generated at step 2806 are above these pre-determined thresholds, then the energy management system 2700 may take a corrective action to address these KPIs being above the predetermined threshold at step 2812. The corrective action may include generating a notification alert which is sent to users when a target energy consumption amount is about to exceed a threshold so that the operation personnel can proactively reduce usage in order to avoid peak usage cost penalties).
Claims 9 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kawaguchi in Pokorny et al. (US 2003/0154144) (hereinafter, Pokorny).
Regarding Claim 9, Kawaguchi teaches the limitations contained in parent Claim 1.
However, Kawaguchi does not specifically disclose wherein the product-sensing module can further identify bar codes on the products being processed.
Pokorny teaches a method of tracking production information, a method of analyzing event-based production information to provide financial reports, a method of adapting an online production documentation system to provide financial report data, and a production documentation system (see Pokorny’s Abstract). Pokorny in par 0084, further teaches that prior to loading a raw material onto the converting machine, material label information is transferred to the raw materials database (such as from label bar codes using bar code scanners). This includes material label information such as part number, lot number, and quantity. The converting line keeps a product counter that resets at a fixed preset. This product counter is a reference number that is transferred to the database on certain machine events. Pokorny in par 0151, further teaches handling raw materials in the production of an article, a label with one or more bar codes is typically applied to a container or to the material itself to provide information about the source and properties of the material. Those using the material in manufacturing scan the bar code to extract information. Multiple scans are often needed to extract information from multiple bar codes on a label, such as bar codes for manufacturer item number, vendor lot number, and quantity.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary in the art before the effective filing date to utilize the teachings as in Pokorny with the teachings as in Kawaguchi to include a barcode in the pieces of Kawaguchi as disclosed in Pokorny. The motivation for doing so would have been to effectively track and count the manufactured pieces (See Pokorny’s par 0151).
Regarding Claim 17, Kawaguchi teaches the limitations contained in parent Claim 11.
However. Kawaguchi does not specifically disclose further comprising a step of identifying bar codes on products when calculating the quantity of the products being processed.
Pokorny teaches a method of tracking production information, a method of analyzing event-based production information to provide financial reports, a method of adapting an online production documentation system to provide financial report data, and a production documentation system (see Pokorny’s Abstract). Pokorny in par 0084, further teaches that prior to loading a raw material onto the converting machine, material label information is transferred to the raw materials database (such as from label bar codes using bar code scanners). This includes material label information such as part number, lot number, and quantity. The converting line keeps a product counter that resets at a fixed preset. This product counter is a reference number that is transferred to the database on certain machine events. Pokorny in par 0151, further teaches handling raw materials in the production of an article, a label with one or more bar codes is typically applied to a container or to the material itself to provide information about the source and properties of the material. Those using the material in manufacturing scan the bar code to extract information. Multiple scans are often needed to extract information from multiple bar codes on a label, such as bar codes for manufacturer item number, vendor lot number, and quantity.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary in the art before the effective filing date to utilize the teachings as in Pokorny with the teachings as in Kawaguchi to include a barcode in the pieces of Kawaguchi as disclosed in Pokorny. The motivation for doing so would have been to effectively track and count the manufactured pieces (See Pokorny’s par 0151).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
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/ARIEL MERCADO-VARGAS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2118
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