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, 3-15, and 17-22 are pending.
Claims 1, 3-15, and 17-20 have been amended.
Claims 21 and 22 are new.
This action is Final.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 1, 3-15, and 17-22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cline et al. (hereinafter as Cline) PGPUB 2023/0384852, and further in view of Bresniker et al. (hereinafter as Bresniker) PGPUB 2003/0084359.
As per claim 1, Cline teaches a computer-implemented method, comprising:
monitoring power available to a plurality of nodes [0063: (computer systems (nodes) of a flexible data center) and 0227: (monitoring behind-the-meter BTM availability)], each node of the plurality of nodes corresponding to an electronic component, device, or group of devices [0056, 0116, 0189, 0191, and 0216: (computing systems correspond to computing devices in a rack in a data center, and each has a processor component)];
detecting that the power available to the plurality of nodes is outside a power range within which all of the nodes of the plurality of nodes can operate at a full operation level [0230: (detects that there is sufficient but less than full range of power available; sufficient is less than full operation level and is thus outside full operation level)];
in response to detecting that the power available to the plurality of nodes is outside the power range, determining allocation of the available power amongst the plurality of nodes [0230: (when there is sufficient but less than full power, provide power to only a subset of computing systems or operate the plurality of computing systems in a lower power mode)], the determined allocation comprising an allocation of a non-zero amount of power [0230: (a subset of computing systems receives power, and thus a non-zero amount of power is allocated to at least one computing system; alternatively, each computing system may be provided with power to operate in a lower power mode)]; and
in response to the determined allocation, signaling at least some of the nodes of the plurality of nodes to transition from the full operation level to a mode that utilizes less power than the full operation level [0230: (provide power to only a subset of computing devices or a reduced amount of power to all devices to operate in a lower power mode; this implies other computing devices are turned off or transitioned to a mode that uses less power than full operation level)].
Cline does not explicitly teach continuing, after the signaling, to monitor the power available to the plurality of nodes and, in response to detecting that the power available to the plurality of nodes is again within the power range, signaling the at least some of the nodes to transition to the full operation level. Cline describes continuing monitoring conditions to determine when power becomes more or less than the sufficient power level [0129, 0197, and 0227], but does not describe monitoring conditions to determine when the power reaches the full operation level again.
Bresniker teaches server systems in data center and selectively reducing power to server/processing cards based on the amount of available power [FIG. 9 and 0107-0110]. Bresniker is thus similar to Cline because they both place computing devices of a server into a lower power mode based on reduced availability of power from the power supplies. Bresniker further teaches continuing, after the signaling, to monitor the power available to the plurality of nodes and, in response to detecting that the power available to the plurality of nodes is again within the power range, signaling the at least some of the nodes to transition to the full operation level [FIG. 9 and 0113-0117: (when a change in power supply status is detected after cards are placed in the power saving mode, process of 900B is performed which detects that the increased power availability can return a processor card to the normal/full power mode)]. Thus Bresniker continues to monitor the available power after the signaling, and allows cards to transition back to the full power mode when there is enough power available.
The combination of Cline with Bresniker allows Cline to provide a reduced amount of power to computing devices to operate in a lower power mode when there is sufficient but less than full power available, and to subsequently restore these computing devices from the low power mode to the full power mode when power availability increases and full power is available.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use Bresniker’s teachings of restoring computing devices from a power saving mode to a normal operation/full power mode when additional power is available in Cline. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to restore devices that were placed into a power saving mode back to the normal/full power mode in Cline when available power is increased because it would improve computational performance, and thus improve performance of the server and/or data center.
.
As per claim 3, Cline and Bresniker teaches The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the signaling causes the at least some of the plurality of nodes to engage in power reduction measures [Cline 0230 and 0234 : (reduce power consumption of computing systems by reducing their operating frequency and forcing them into a lower power mode)].
As per claim 4, Cline and Bresniker teaches the computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each node of the plurality of nodes comprises an electronic component of a computer device [Cline 0116: (processors of each computing system are components)] and the signaling causes the least some of the nodes to adjust performance of one or more electronic component operation parameters, wherein the electronic component operation parameters comprise a clock speed, a voltage parameter, a current parameter, or a cooling parameter [Cline 0234: (reduce power consumption of one or more computing systems by reducing their operating frequency)].
As per claim 5, Cline and Bresniker teaches the computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each node of the plurality of nodes independently comprises computer devices in a computing cluster, servers in a server rack, or server racks in a data center [Cline 0056, 0189, 0191, and 0216: (computing systems (e.g. server racks) of a data center)].
As per claim 6, Cline and Bresniker teaches the computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising determining a priority among the plurality of nodes [Bresniker 0089: (certain components are determined to have lower priority and others higher priority)]; and enabling an alternate power source to supply power to one or more nodes of the plurality of nodes [Cline 0094 and 0205: (energy storage system may be used to provide power when power supplied from BTM generation station is disadvantageous)] based on the determined priority amongst the plurality of nodes [Bresniker 0114: (identifies the priority order in which components should be powered and resume operation)].
As per claim 7, Cline and Bresniker teach the computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein monitoring the power available is continuous [Cline 0113] and the signaling that causes at least some of the nodes to adjust performance of the one or more electronic components is substantially instantaneous [Cline 0056, 0063, and 0161: (signaling to quickly ramp up or down (substantially instantaneous) or Bresniker 0087: (power consumption is altered very quickly)].
As per claim 8, Cline teaches a computer-implemented method comprising:
monitoring power available to a system that includes a plurality of nodes [0063: (computer systems (nodes) of a flexible data center) and 0227: (monitoring behind-the-meter BTM availability)], wherein the monitoring comprises determining whether the power available is within a first range that is above a first threshold, within a second range that is below the first threshold and above a second threshold, or within a third range that is below the second threshold [0228, 0230-0231, and 0235: (there are a number of different ranges for sufficient and available BTM power; there are ranges where sufficient BTM power availability may be less than that required to fully power the entire flexible data center; and there are ranges where there is insufficient BTM power availability); thus there is a first range above a first threshold (a point of full power of flexible data center) that corresponds to enough power to fully power the entire flexible data center, a second range that is less than the first threshold but above a second threshold (a minimum point of power sufficiency) that corresponds to sufficient BTM power but less than full power, and a third range under the second threshold where there is insufficient BTM power availability];
determining, at a first time, that the power available is within the first range, an in response, providing full power to each node of the plurality of nodes [0018, 0120, 0132, 0137, and 0216: (initially when power is available, the system operates at full power)];
determining, at a second time, that the power available is within the second range, and in response, modifying power utilization amongst the plurality of nodes [0218 and 0230: (as conditions change and less power is available (at a second time), the change is communicated and power is provided to only a subset of computing systems or the plurality of computing systems is operated in a lower power mode)]; and
determining, at a third time, that the power available is within the third range, and in response, prompting the plurality of nodes to take measures in anticipation of receiving insufficient power to operate properly [0217, and 0231-0232: (as conditions further change to where the monitoring detects there is insufficient BTM power availability (at a third time), a datacenter ramp-down condition may be performed, which disables power delivery to computing systems of the flexible datacenter)].
Cline does not explicitly teach that when the power available is within the second range, prioritizing power utilization amongst the plurality of nodes and providing more power to higher priority nodes of the plurality of nodes than to lower priority nodes of the plurality of nodes. Although Cline describes the possibility of providing power to only a subset of computing systems (which heavily implies a prioritization of the computing systems), Cline does not explicitly state that they are prioritized and that higher prioritized computing systems are provide with more power than lower priority systems.
Bresniker teaches server systems in data center and selectively reducing power to server/processing cards based on the amount of available power [FIG. 9 and 0107-0110]. Bresniker is thus similar to Cline because they both place computing devices of a server into a lower power mode based on reduced availability of power from the power supplies. Bresniker further teaches that when the power available is within the second range, prioritizing power utilization amongst the plurality of nodes and providing more power to higher priority nodes of the plurality of nodes than to lower priority nodes of the plurality of nodes [0011, 0014, 0089, 0109-0110: (components are assigned priorities, and when there is a need to reduce power consumption such as from a reduced power availability, all lower priority components are gracefully suspended; thus more power is provided to higher priority nodes and less power is provided to lower priority nodes)].
The combination of Cline with Bresniker allows Cline to provide a reduced amount of power to lower priority computing devices to operate in a lower power mode when there is sufficient but less than full power available.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use Bresniker’s teachings of reducing power to lower priority components when there is reduced power availability in Cline. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to reduce power to only the lower priority components in Cline because it allows the higher priority components to operate for a longer period of time, which allows for a greater performance or benefit such as a higher revenue.
As per claim 9, Cline and Bresniker teach the computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein providing more power to higher priority nodes comprises keeping the higher priority nodes at full power and providing low power to the lower priority nodes [Bresniker 0089, 0098-0099, 0107, 0109-0110: (lower priority components are placed in a power saving mode before higher priority ones are)].
As per claim 10, Cline and Bresniker teach the computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein providing more power to higher priority nodes comprises providing power sufficient for the higher priority nodes to continue to operate and causing the lower priority nodes to suspend operation [Bresniker 0089, 0098-0099, 0107, 0109-0110: (lower priority components are suspended before higher priority ones are).
As per claim 11, Cline and Bresniker teach the computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein each node of the plurality of nodes independently comprises: computer devices in a computing cluster; servers in a server rack; or server racks in a data center [Cline 0056, 0189, 0191, and 0216: (computing systems (e.g. server racks) of a data center)].
As per claim 12, Cline and Bresniker teaches the computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein each node of the plurality of nodes comprises a component of a computer device [Cline 0116: (processors of each computing system are components)].
As per claim 13, Cline and Bresniker teaches the computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising, in response to determining that the power available is within the second range or the third range, enabling an alternate power source to supply power to the plurality of nodes [Cline 0094 and 0205: (energy storage system may be used to provide power when power supplied from BTM generation station is disadvantageous, e.g. when there is insufficient power available)].
As per claim 14, Cline and Bresniker teaches the computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the measures taken in anticipation of receiving insufficient power to operate properly comprises suspending operation of the plurality of nodes [Cline 0217, and 0231-0232: (when there is insufficient BTM power availability, a datacenter ramp-down condition may be performed, which disables power delivery to computing systems of the flexible datacenter)].
As per claim 15, Cline teaches a system, comprising:
one or more processors and one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media storing programming for execution by the one or more processors [0168], the programming comprising instructions to:
for each of a plurality of nodes, monitor power available to the respective node [0063: (computer systems (nodes) of a flexible data center) and 0227: (monitoring behind-the-meter BTM availability)];
detect that the power available to the plurality of nodes is outside a first power range within which the nodes of the plurality of nodes operate at a first operation level [0217, and 0230-0232: (detects that BTM power availability is less than that required to fully power the entire flexible datacenter and its computing devices; thus the power available is outside the full power range)];
in response to detecting that the power available to the plurality of nodes is outside the first power range, determine whether the power available to the plurality of nodes is within a second power range in which the power available is lower than power available in the first power range [0230: (determines that the power available is within the sufficient, but less than full, power range)];
signal at least some of the nodes of the plurality of nodes to transition to a second operation level associated with a power level within the second range to cause at least some of the nodes to adjust performance [0230: (provide power to only a subset of computing systems or adjust operational frequency)].
continue, after the instruction to signal, to monitor the power available to the plurality of nodes [0113: (continuously) and 0227: (monitor BTM power conditions to determine when to ramp-up)].
Cline does not explicitly teach in response to detecting that the power available to the plurality of nodes is within the first power range, signal the at least some of the nodes to transition to the first operation level. Cline describes continuing monitoring conditions to determine when power becomes more or less than the sufficient power level [0129, 0197, and 0227], but does not describe monitoring conditions to determine when the power reaches the full operation level again.
Bresniker teaches server systems in data center and selectively reducing power to server/processing cards based on the amount of available power [FIG. 9 and 0107-0110]. Bresniker is thus similar to Cline because they both place computing devices of a server into a lower power mode based on reduced availability of power from the power supplies. Bresniker further teaches continuing, after the instruction to signal, to monitor the power available to the plurality of nodes and, in response to detecting that the power available to the plurality of nodes is again within the power range, signaling the at least some of the nodes to transition to the full operation level [FIG. 9 and 0113-0117: (when a change in power supply status is detected after cards are placed in the power saving mode, process of 900B is performed which detects that the increased power availability can return a processor card to the normal/full power mode)]. Thus Bresniker continues to monitor the available power after the signaling, and allows cards to transition back to the full power mode when there is enough power available.
The combination of Cline with Bresniker allows Cline to provide a reduced amount of power to computing devices to operate in a lower power mode when there is sufficient but less than full power available, and to subsequently restore these computing devices from the low power mode to the full power mode when power availability increases and full power is available.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use Bresniker’s teachings of restoring computing devices from a power saving mode to a normal operation/full power mode when additional power is available in Cline. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to restore devices that were placed into a power saving mode back to the normal/full power mode in Cline when available power is increased because it would improve computational performance, and thus improve performance of the server and/or data center.
As per claim 17, Cline and Bresniker teach the system of claim 15, wherein the programming further comprises instructions to determine whether the power available is within a third power level in which the power available is lower than the power available in the second power range [Cline 0231: (determine an insufficient power range which is lower than the sufficient power range)] and, in response to determining that the power available is within the third power level, signal each the nodes of the plurality of nodes to take measures in anticipation of receiving insufficient power to operate properly [Cline 0217, and 0231-0232: (when there is insufficient BTM power availability, a datacenter ramp-down condition may be performed, which disables power delivery to computing systems of the flexible datacenter)].
As per claim 18, Cline and Bresniker teach the system of claim 15, further comprising instructions that enable an alternate power source to supply power to at least one node of the plurality of nodes in response to detecting that the power available to the plurality of nodes is outside the first power range [Cline 0094 and 0205: (energy storage system may be used to provide power when power supplied from BTM generation station is disadvantageous)].
As per claim 19, Cline and Bresniker teach the system of claim 15, wherein each node comprises an electronic component and the instruction to signal the at least some of the nodes of the plurality of nodes to transition to the second operation level causes the at least some of the nodes of the plurality of nodes to adjust performance of one or more electronic component parameters, wherein the one or more electronic component parameters comprise a clock speed, a voltage parameter, a current parameter, or a cooling parameter [Cline 0234: (reduce power consumption of one or more computing systems by reducing their operating frequency)].
As per claim 20, Cline and Bresniker teach the system of claim 19, wherein the instructions to: monitor the power available comprise instructions to monitor the power available continuously [Cline 0113 and 0227] and signaling the one or more electronic components to adjust performance of the one or more electronic components is substantially instantaneous [Cline 0056, 0063, and 0161: (signaling to quickly ramp up or down (substantially instantaneous) or Bresniker 0087: (power consumption is altered very quickly)].
As per claim 21, Cline and Bresniker teach the computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining, in response to detecting that the power available to the plurality of nodes is outside the power range, the allocation of the available power amongst the plurality of nodes comprises determining the allocation of the available power amongst the plurality of nodes according to priorities determined for the nodes of the plurality of nodes [Bresniker 0089, 0107, and 0114: (components are ranked according to priorities and are provided available power based on their priority)].
As per claim 22, Cline and Bresniker teach the system of claim 15, further comprising instructions to determine the at least some of the nodes to signal to transition to the second operation level according to priorities determined for the nodes of the plurality of nodes [Bresniker 0089, 0107, and 0114: (components are ranked according to priorities and are provided available power based on their priority)].
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1, 8, and 15 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on the combination of references applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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.
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/DANNY CHAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2175
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