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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) (IDS) submitted on 2/12/2024 and 1/10/2026 /have been considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claim 13 is objected to because of the following informalities:
“the cessation of the consume energy” should be “the cessation of the energy consumption” (or similar language). Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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.
Claims 1-20 are 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.
Regarding Claim 1, the claim recites the limitation “the first battery” in line 7. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. For the purposes of examination, it will be assumed that the battery of an electric vehicle (line 4) is the first battery.
Claims 2-7 are rejected because they depend on Claim 1.Independent claim 8 and its dependent claims 9-14 are rejected for similar reasons.Independent claim 15 and its dependent claims 16-20 are rejected for similar reasons.
Additionally regarding Claim 5, the claim recites “ determining … an amount of energy available from the first battery and the second battery”.
The preceding claim (claim 1) recites “one or more of a battery of an electric vehicle at the location or a second battery of an energy storage unit at the location”.
Based on the wording of the claim 1, having both a first battery and a second battery is not required, therefore the “and” in Claim 5 should be changed to “or” or “and/or”.
Claims 12 and 19 are additionally rejected for similar reasons.
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)(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.
Claim(s) 1-5, 7-13, and 15-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ruiz et al. (WO 2010042550 A2).
Regarding Claim 1, Ruiz teaches a method, comprising:
providing energy to a location (building 820) through a multi-interface energy panel (Fig. 5, ¶[67] “FIGURE 5 is a schematic of an exemplary embodiment of a user interface 140 of HEMS 26” in view of ¶[53] “an exemplary embodiment of BMS 30 may be configured to perform many similar functions as HEMS 26”),
wherein a first interface connects to an electrical grid (884) and a second interface connects to one or more of a battery of an electric vehicle at the location or a second battery of an energy storage unit at the location (880) (¶[6] “energy may be stored in one or more battery packs (e.g., stationary batteries or vehicle batteries)”); and
wherein, in response to a demand of the electrical grid being above a threshold (¶[153] “In both upper and lower graphs 838 and 840, a horizontal line 858 represents an energy threshold or limit for the utility power” see Fig. 23B for the graphs), providing the energy through the multi-interface energy panel to the location, from the first battery or the second battery, based on a state-of-charge of the first battery and a state-of-charge of the second battery (¶[153] “the lower graph 840 shows that power utility 826 supplies power to the devices 824 up to the horizontal line 858 (e.g., energy threshold), while the upper graph 838 shows that the batteries 822 supply the additional energy needed above the horizontal line 858”).
Regarding Claim 2, Ruiz teaches the method of claim 1.
Ruiz further teaches identifying, by the multi-interface energy panel, one or more devices at the location (824); and
adjusting the energy being provided, by the multi-interface energy panel, from one or more of the electrical grid (884), the first battery or the second battery (822), to the identified one or more devices at the location, based on one or more of an energy demand associated with the location, an energy demand of the electrical grid, the state-of-charge of the first battery, or the state-of-charge of the second battery (¶[149] “FIGURES 23A and 23B are schematics of an exemplary embodiment of an electrical infrastructure in a building 820, which employs one or more stationary batteries 822 to even out startup power demands for various high startup electrical devices 824 throughout the building 820”).
Regarding Claim 3, Ruiz teaches the method of claim 1.
Ruiz further teaches receiving, by the multi-interface energy panel, a priority level for the one or more devices at the location; and
prioritizing the energy being provided to each of the one or more devices based on the received priority level and an availability of the energy from one or more of the electrical grid, the first battery, or the second battery (¶[52] “HEMS 26 may include preset and user selectable load priorities in the event of high demand, high real time pricing (RTP) of energy, power outages, and user schedules. For example, the load priority may include a high priority for refrigerators, freezers, security systems, and other important equipment. In the event of high demand, high pricing, or power outages, HEMS 26 may use energy from batteries 38 and 46, solar panels 50, and wind turbines 54 to power the various equipment in the preset or user defined order of priority”, see also ¶[53] “an exemplary embodiment of BMS 30 may be configured to perform many similar functions as HEMS 26”).
Regarding Claim 4, Ruiz teaches the method of claim 1,
comprising: receiving, by the multi-interface energy panel, energy consumption data for an electrical grid (¶[119] “the BMS 30 may be configured to monitor loads and take equipment 470 off-grid via an automatic transfer switch (ATS) during high consumption times of the day to prevent any surcharges”);
predicting, by the multi-interface energy panel, an energy demand at the location during one or more peak periods of the electrical grid to the location (¶[160] “In certain embodiments, a controller tracks where and when the energy is distributed throughout a building. For example, the controller may monitor energy demand throughout floors and vehicle power connections external to the building. The controller may monitor a short term cyclic nature (or random fluctuations) of the energy demand in the building, but may determine a general trend in the energy demand over the course of each day”); and
in response to the one or more peak periods, performing one or more of:
increasing, by the multi-interface energy panel, a first portion of the energy provided to the location by one or more of the first battery or the second battery, or decreasing a second portion of the energy provided to the location by the electrical grid (¶[119] “During peak demand, the BMS 30 commands the ATS to switch from grid power to battery power. When the demand has fallen, BMS 30 switches the equipment 470 back to grid power and the batteries recharge”).
Regarding Claim 5, Ruiz teaches the method of claim 1.
Ruiz further teaches determining, by the multi-interface energy panel, an energy consumption at the location (¶[119] “the BMS 30 may be configured to monitor loads and take equipment 470 off-grid via an automatic transfer switch (ATS) during high consumption times of the day to prevent any surcharges”);
determining, by the multi-interface energy panel, an amount of energy available from the first battery and the second battery (¶[58] “HEMS 26, VCS 34, and UEMS 22 also may coordinate and share other information with one another. For example, VCS 34 and HEMS 26 may exchange a variety of vehicle information, such as … battery charge levels. HEMS 26 may display this information inside residential building for convenience of the owner”);
in response to the energy consumption at the location being greater than the amount of energy available, providing, by the multi-interface energy panel, a notification to a device associated with the location requesting that the energy consumption at the location be reduced (¶131] “a power utility may provide a demand reduction program where consumers receive a rate incentive if the power utility can automatically turn off their air conditioner during peak electrical demand times” and ¶[132] “the air conditioning system 600 may automatically switch to battery power via battery pack 602. The system 600 runs on battery power until either the battery pack 602 is exhausted”, if the battery pack is not charged, the air conditioner will be turned off); and
in response to the energy consumption at the location being less than the amount of energy available, providing, by the multi-interface energy panel, the energy from one or more of the first battery or the second battery (see ¶[132 quoted above, if the battery pack is sufficiently charged, the air conditioner will run on battery power).
Regarding Claim 7, Ruiz teaches the method of claim 1.
Ruiz further teaches determining, by the multi-interface energy panel, an energy consumption at the location; and in response to the energy consumption at the location falling below an energy consumption threshold (¶[77] “In an exemplary embodiment, electricity manager 210 may be configured to control 248 residential power distribution system 200 to buy and sell energy sources 202 based on utility signals 20, e.g., demand levels and real time pricing (RTP) of energy”),
receiving, by the multi-interface energy panel, energy from one or more of the first battery or the second battery, and sending, by the multi-interface energy panel, the received energy to the electrical grid (¶[77] “For example, if utility signals 20 indicate a high real time pricing (RTP) of energy, then electricity manager 210 may control 248 residential power distribution system 200 to sell wind energy 212, solar energy 214, stationary battery power 216, and/or vehicle battery power 218 back to power grid 40 through meter 222”).
Regarding Claim 8, Ruiz teaches a system, comprising:
a processor (26, see Fig. 7 and ¶[80] for details); and
a memory (inherent part of processor, also see scheduling 272 and alarm and event management 282 in Fig. 7),
wherein the processor and the memory are communicably coupled (see Fig. 7), wherein the processor:
provides energy to a location (building 820) through a multi-interface energy panel (Fig. 5, ¶[67] “FIGURE 5 is a schematic of an exemplary embodiment of a user interface 140 of HEMS 26” in view of ¶[53] “an exemplary embodiment of BMS 30 may be configured to perform many similar functions as HEMS 26”),
wherein a first interface connects to an electrical grid (884) and a second interface connects to one or more of a battery of an electric vehicle at the location or a second battery of an energy storage unit at the location (880) (¶[6] “energy may be stored in one or more battery packs (e.g., stationary batteries or vehicle batteries)”); and
wherein, in response to a demand of the electrical grid is above a threshold (¶[153] “In both upper and lower graphs 838 and 840, a horizontal line 858 represents an energy threshold or limit for the utility power” see Fig. 23B for the graphs), provides the energy through the multi-interface energy panel to the location, from the first battery or the second battery, based on a state-of-charge of the first battery and a state-of-charge of the second battery (¶[153] “the lower graph 840 shows that power utility 826 supplies power to the devices 824 up to the horizontal line 858 (e.g., energy threshold), while the upper graph 838 shows that the batteries 822 supply the additional energy needed above the horizontal line 858”).
Regarding Claim 9, Ruiz teaches the system of claim 8.
Ruiz further teaches wherein the processor:
identifies, at the multi-interface energy panel, one or more devices at the location (824); and
adjusts the energy being provided, by the multi-interface energy panel, from one or more of the electrical grid, the first battery or the second battery, to the identified one or more devices at the location, based on one or more of an energy demand associated with the location, an energy demand of the electrical grid, the state-of-charge of the first battery, or the state-of-charge of the second battery (¶[149] “FIGURES 23A and 23B are schematics of an exemplary embodiment of an electrical infrastructure in a building 820, which employs one or more stationary batteries 822 to even out startup power demands for various high startup electrical devices 824 throughout the building 820”).
Regarding Claim 10, Ruiz teaches the system of claim 8.
Ruiz further teaches wherein the processor:
receives, by the multi-interface energy panel, a priority level for the one or more devices at the location; and
prioritizes the energy provided to each of the one or more devices based on the received priority level and an availability of the energy from one or more of the electrical grid, the first battery, or the second battery (¶[52] “HEMS 26 may include preset and user selectable load priorities in the event of high demand, high real time pricing (RTP) of energy, power outages, and user schedules. For example, the load priority may include a high priority for refrigerators, freezers, security systems, and other important equipment. In the event of high demand, high pricing, or power outages, HEMS 26 may use energy from batteries 38 and 46, solar panels 50, and wind turbines 54 to power the various equipment in the preset or user defined order of priority”, see also ¶[53] “an exemplary embodiment of BMS 30 may be configured to perform many similar functions as HEMS 26”).
Regarding Claim 12, Ruiz teaches the system of claim 8,
Ruiz further teaches wherein the processor: determines, at the multi-interface energy panel, an energy consumption at the location (¶[119] “the BMS 30 may be configured to monitor loads and take equipment 470 off-grid via an automatic transfer switch (ATS) during high consumption times of the day to prevent any surcharges”);
determines, at the multi-interface energy panel, an amount of energy available from the first battery and the second battery (¶[58] “HEMS 26, VCS 34, and UEMS 22 also may coordinate and share other information with one another. For example, VCS 34 and HEMS 26 may exchange a variety of vehicle information, such as … battery charge levels. HEMS 26 may display this information inside residential building for convenience of the owner”);
in response to the energy consumption at the location is greater than the amount of energy available, provides, from the multi-interface energy panel, a notification to a device associated with the location that requests the energy consumption at the location be reduced (¶131] “a power utility may provide a demand reduction program where consumers receive a rate incentive if the power utility can automatically turn off their air conditioner during peak electrical demand times” and ¶[132] “the air conditioning system 600 may automatically switch to battery power via battery pack 602. The system 600 runs on battery power until either the battery pack 602 is exhausted”, if the battery pack is not charged, the air conditioner will be turned off); and
in response to the energy consumption at the location is less than the amount of energy available, provides, at the multi-interface energy panel, the energy from one or more of the first battery or the second battery (see ¶[132 quoted above, if the battery pack is sufficiently charged, the air conditioner will run on battery power).
Regarding Claim 11, Ruiz teaches the system of claim 8.
Ruiz further teaches wherein the processor: receives, at the multi-interface energy panel, energy consumption data for an electrical grid (¶[119] “the BMS 30 may be configured to monitor loads and take equipment 470 off-grid via an automatic transfer switch (ATS) during high consumption times of the day to prevent any surcharges”);
predicts, at the multi-interface energy panel, an energy demand at the location contemporaneously with one or more peak periods of the electrical grid to the location (¶[160] “In certain embodiments, a controller tracks where and when the energy is distributed throughout a building. For example, the controller may monitor energy demand throughout floors and vehicle power connections external to the building. The controller may monitor a short term cyclic nature (or random fluctuations) of the energy demand in the building, but may determine a general trend in the energy demand over the course of each day”); and
in response to the one or more peak periods, performs one or more of:
increases, by the multi-interface energy panel, a first portion of the energy provided to the location by one or more of the first battery or the second battery, or
decreases a second portion of the energy provided to the location by the electrical grid.
Regarding Claim 14, Ruiz teaches the system of claim 8.
Ruiz further teaches wherein the processor: determines, at the multi-interface energy panel, an energy consumption at the location; and in response to the energy consumption at the location falls below an energy consumption threshold (¶[77] “In an exemplary embodiment, electricity manager 210 may be configured to control 248 residential power distribution system 200 to buy and sell energy sources 202 based on utility signals 20, e.g., demand levels and real time pricing (RTP) of energy”),
receives, at the multi-interface energy panel, energy from one or more of the first battery or the second battery, and sends, from the multi-interface energy panel, the received energy to the electrical grid (¶[77] “For example, if utility signals 20 indicate a high real time pricing (RTP) of energy, then electricity manager 210 may control 248 residential power distribution system 200 to sell wind energy 212, solar energy 214, stationary battery power 216, and/or vehicle battery power 218 back to power grid 40 through meter 222”).
Regarding Claim 15, Ruiz teaches a computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when read by a processor (see internal structure of HEMS in Fig. 7 and instructions in Fig. 15), cause the processor to perform:
providing energy to a location (building 820) through a multi-interface energy panel (Fig. 5, ¶[67] “FIGURE 5 is a schematic of an exemplary embodiment of a user interface 140 of HEMS 26” in view of ¶[53] “an exemplary embodiment of BMS 30 may be configured to perform many similar functions as HEMS 26”),
wherein a first interface connects to an electrical grid (884)and a second interface connects to one or more of a battery of an electric vehicle at the location or a second battery of an energy storage unit at the location (880) (¶[6] “energy may be stored in one or more battery packs (e.g., stationary batteries or vehicle batteries)”); and
wherein, in response to a demand of the electrical grid being above a threshold (¶[153] “In both upper and lower graphs 838 and 840, a horizontal line 858 represents an energy threshold or limit for the utility power” see Fig. 23B for the graphs), providing the energy through the multi-interface energy panel to the location, from the first battery or the second battery, based on a state-of-charge of the first battery and a state-of-charge of the second battery (¶[153] “the lower graph 840 shows that power utility 826 supplies power to the devices 824 up to the horizontal line 858 (e.g., energy threshold), while the upper graph 838 shows that the batteries 822 supply the additional energy needed above the horizontal line 858”).
Regarding Claim 16, Ruiz teaches the computer-readable storage medium of claim 15.
Ruiz further teaches identifying, by the multi-interface energy panel, one or more devices at the location (824); and
adjusting the energy being provided, by the multi-interface energy panel, from one or more of the electrical grid, the first battery or the second battery, to the identified one or more devices at the location, based on one or more of an energy demand associated with the location, an energy demand of the electrical grid, the state-of-charge of the first battery, or the state-of-charge of the second battery (¶[149] “FIGURES 23A and 23B are schematics of an exemplary embodiment of an electrical infrastructure in a building 820, which employs one or more stationary batteries 822 to even out startup power demands for various high startup electrical devices 824 throughout the building 820”).
Regarding Claim 17, Ruiz teaches the computer-readable storage medium of claim 15.
Ruiz further teaches instructions for: receiving, by the multi-interface energy panel, a priority level for the one or more devices at the location; and
prioritizing the energy being provided to each of the one or more devices based on the received priority level and an availability of the energy from one or more of the electrical grid, the first battery, or the second battery (¶[52] “HEMS 26 may include preset and user selectable load priorities in the event of high demand, high real time pricing (RTP) of energy, power outages, and user schedules. For example, the load priority may include a high priority for refrigerators, freezers, security systems, and other important equipment. In the event of high demand, high pricing, or power outages, HEMS 26 may use energy from batteries 38 and 46, solar panels 50, and wind turbines 54 to power the various equipment in the preset or user defined order of priority”, see also ¶[53] “an exemplary embodiment of BMS 30 may be configured to perform many similar functions as HEMS 26”)
Regarding Claim 18, Ruiz teaches the computer-readable storage medium of claim 15,
Ruiz further teaches instructions for: receiving, by the multi-interface energy panel, energy consumption data for an electrical grid (¶[119] “the BMS 30 may be configured to monitor loads and take equipment 470 off-grid via an automatic transfer switch (ATS) during high consumption times of the day to prevent any surcharges”);
predicting, by the multi-interface energy panel, an energy demand at the location during one or more peak periods of the electrical grid to the location (¶[160] “In certain embodiments, a controller tracks where and when the energy is distributed throughout a building. For example, the controller may monitor energy demand throughout floors and vehicle power connections external to the building. The controller may monitor a short term cyclic nature (or random fluctuations) of the energy demand in the building, but may determine a general trend in the energy demand over the course of each day”); and
in response to the one or more peak periods, performing one or more of:
increasing, by the multi-interface energy panel, a first portion of the energy provided to the location by one or more of the first battery or the second battery, or
decreasing a second portion of the energy provided to the location by the electrical grid.
Regarding Claim 19, Ruiz teaches the computer-readable storage medium of claim 15.
Ruiz further teaches instructions for: determining, by the multi-interface energy panel, an energy consumption at the location (¶[119] “the BMS 30 may be configured to monitor loads and take equipment 470 off-grid via an automatic transfer switch (ATS) during high consumption times of the day to prevent any surcharges”);
determining, by the multi-interface energy panel, an amount of energy available from the first battery and the second battery (¶[58] “HEMS 26, VCS 34, and UEMS 22 also may coordinate and share other information with one another. For example, VCS 34 and HEMS 26 may exchange a variety of vehicle information, such as … battery charge levels. HEMS 26 may display this information inside residential building for convenience of the owner”);
in response to the energy consumption at the location being greater than the amount of energy available, providing, by the multi-interface energy panel, a notification to a device associated with the location requesting that the energy consumption at the location be reduced (¶131] “a power utility may provide a demand reduction program where consumers receive a rate incentive if the power utility can automatically turn off their air conditioner during peak electrical demand times” and ¶[132] “the air conditioning system 600 may automatically switch to battery power via battery pack 602. The system 600 runs on battery power until either the battery pack 602 is exhausted”, if the battery pack is not charged, the air conditioner will be turned off); and
in response to the energy consumption at the location being less than the amount of energy available, providing, by the multi-interface energy panel, the energy from one or more of the first battery or the second battery (see ¶[132 quoted above, if the battery pack is sufficiently charged, the air conditioner will run on battery power).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
Claim(s) 6, 13, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ruiz et al. (WO 2010042550 A2) in view of Desai et al. (US 20120215369 A1)
Regarding Claim 6, Ruiz teaches the method of claim 1.
Ruiz does not explicitly teach determining, by the multi-interface energy panel, that one or more devices at the location are consuming energy in an unoccupied portion of the location;
determining an amount of energy savings from ceasing the consuming of the energy; and
in response to the amount of the energy savings being above a threshold, causing, by the multi-interface energy panel, the ceasing of the consuming of the energy.
Desai teaches determining, by the multi-interface energy panel, that one or more devices at the location are consuming energy in an unoccupied portion of the location (¶[81] “The controller 102 may be programmed to identify and/or infer a specific cause for an abnormal event. For example, the controller 102 may be programmed and configured to detect that a particular appliance is switched on at a time when, according to the profile 304, the premises is not usually occupied and the appliance is not usually in use”); and
determining an amount of energy savings from ceasing the consuming of the energy (¶[115] “the system may be configured to adaptively set target temperatures within the residence to an acceptable compromise between energy efficiency and desired temperature, within a predetermined range, depending upon whether significant savings may be achieved by allowing appropriately small variations from a desired set temperature”); and
in response to the amount of the energy savings being above a threshold (see ¶[115] quoted above, particularly “significant savings” which indicates the savings should be greater than a certain amount), causing, by the multi-interface energy panel, the ceasing of the consuming of the energy (¶82] “For example, the controller 102 may be programmed, in accordance with information stored in the profile 304, to automatically shut down an appliance, such as an air conditioner, when it is unexpectedly active at particular times of day, and/or in particular weather conditions”)
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Ruiz to incorporate the teachings of Desai to provide
determining, by the multi-interface energy panel, that one or more devices at the location are consuming energy in an unoccupied portion of the location;
determining an amount of energy savings from ceasing the consuming of the energy; and
in response to the amount of the energy savings being above a threshold, causing, by the multi-interface energy panel, the ceasing of the consuming of the energy.
in order to reduce costs and electric grid demand by preventing unnecessary energy consumption.
Regarding Claim 13, Ruiz teaches the system of claim 8.
Ruiz does not explicitly teach wherein the processor: determines, by the multi-interface energy panel, that one or more devices at the location consume energy in an unoccupied portion of the location;
determine an amount of energy saved by a cessation of the consume energy; and
in response to the amount of the energy saved is above a threshold, causes, at the multi-interface energy panel, the cessation of the consume energy.
Desai teaches wherein the processor: determines, by the multi-interface energy panel, that one or more devices at the location consume energy in an unoccupied portion of the location (¶[81] “The controller 102 may be programmed to identify and/or infer a specific cause for an abnormal event. For example, the controller 102 may be programmed and configured to detect that a particular appliance is switched on at a time when, according to the profile 304, the premises is not usually occupied and the appliance is not usually in use”);
determine an amount of energy saved by a cessation of the consume energy (¶[115] “the system may be configured to adaptively set target temperatures within the residence to an acceptable compromise between energy efficiency and desired temperature, within a predetermined range, depending upon whether significant savings may be achieved by allowing appropriately small variations from a desired set temperature”); and
in response to the amount of the energy saved is above a threshold (see ¶[115] quoted above, particularly “significant savings” which indicates the savings should be greater than a certain amount), causes, at the multi-interface energy panel, the cessation of the consume energy (¶82] “For example, the controller 102 may be programmed, in accordance with information stored in the profile 304, to automatically shut down an appliance, such as an air conditioner, when it is unexpectedly active at particular times of day, and/or in particular weather conditions”).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Ruiz to incorporate the teachings of Desai to provide
wherein the processor: determines, by the multi-interface energy panel, that one or more devices at the location consume energy in an unoccupied portion of the location;
determine an amount of energy saved by a cessation of the consume energy; and
in response to the amount of the energy saved is above a threshold, causes, at the multi-interface energy panel, the cessation of the consume energy.
in order to reduce costs and electric grid demand by preventing unnecessary energy consumption.
Regarding Claim 20, Ruiz teaches the computer-readable storage medium of claim 15.
Ruiz does not explicitly teach instructions for: determining, by the multi-interface energy panel, that one or more devices at the location are consuming energy in an unoccupied portion of the location;
determining an amount of energy savings from ceasing the consuming of the energy; and
in response to the amount of the energy savings being above a threshold, causing, by the multi-interface energy panel, the ceasing of the consuming of the energy.
Desai teaches instructions for: determining, by the multi-interface energy panel, that one or more devices at the location are consuming energy in an unoccupied portion of the location (¶[81] “The controller 102 may be programmed to identify and/or infer a specific cause for an abnormal event. For example, the controller 102 may be programmed and configured to detect that a particular appliance is switched on at a time when, according to the profile 304, the premises is not usually occupied and the appliance is not usually in use”);
determining an amount of energy savings from ceasing the consuming of the energy (¶[115] “the system may be configured to adaptively set target temperatures within the residence to an acceptable compromise between energy efficiency and desired temperature, within a predetermined range, depending upon whether significant savings may be achieved by allowing appropriately small variations from a desired set temperature”); and
in response to the amount of the energy savings being above a threshold (see ¶[115] quoted above, particularly “significant savings” which indicates the savings should be greater than a certain amount), causing, by the multi-interface energy panel, the ceasing of the consuming of the energy (¶82] “For example, the controller 102 may be programmed, in accordance with information stored in the profile 304, to automatically shut down an appliance, such as an air conditioner, when it is unexpectedly active at particular times of day, and/or in particular weather conditions”)
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Ruiz to incorporate the teachings of Desai to provide
instructions for: determining, by the multi-interface energy panel, that one or more devices at the location are consuming energy in an unoccupied portion of the location;
determining an amount of energy savings from ceasing the consuming of the energy; and
in response to the amount of the energy savings being above a threshold, causing, by the multi-interface energy panel, the ceasing of the consuming of the energy.
in order to reduce costs and electric grid demand by preventing unnecessary energy consumption.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AIMAN BICKIYA whose telephone number is (571)270-0555. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30 - 6 PM EST.
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, Julian Huffman can be reached at 571-272-2147. 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.
/A.B./Examiner, Art Unit 2859
/JULIAN D HUFFMAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2859
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