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 (IDS) submitted on 10/05/2023 was considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention in each of these claims is directed to a judicial exception (i.e., a law of nature, a natural phenomenon, or an abstract idea) without significantly more.
Specifically, representative Claim 1 recites:
“A computer-implemented method comprising:
detecting a first Power Line Disturbance (PLD) in a first voltage feed of a first power unit at a first time;
comparing the first PLD to other PLDs aggregated from multiple power units;
determining that the first voltage feed of the first power unit originates from a same source as a second power unit based on a similarity between the first PLD and a second PLD of the second power unit satisfying a similarity threshold and occurring within a same timeframe proximate to the first time; and
recording that the first power unit and the second power unit receive power from the same source.”
The claim limitations considered to fall within in the abstract idea are highlighted in bold font above; the remaining features are “additional elements.”
Step 1 of the subject matter eligibility analysis entails determining whether the claimed subject matter falls within one of the four statutory categories of patentable subject matter identified by 35 U.S.C. 101: process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter. Claim 1 recites a process and is therefore falls within a statutory category.
Step 2A, Prong One of the analysis entails determining whether the claim recites a judicial exception such as an abstract idea. Under a broadest reasonable interpretation, the highlighted portion of claim 1 comprises process steps that fall within the abstract idea judicial exception. Specifically, under the 2019 Revised Patent Subject matter Eligibility Guidance, the highlighted subject matter falls within the mental processes category.
Individually and collectively, the steps:
“detecting a first Power Line Disturbance (PLD) in a first voltage feed […] at a first time”;
“comparing the first PLD to other PLDs aggregated from multiple power units”;
“determining that the first voltage feed of the first power unit originates from a same source as a second power unit based on a similarity between the first PLD and a second PLD of the second power unit satisfying a similarity threshold and occurring within a same timeframe proximate to the first time”; and
“recording that the first power unit and the second power unit receive power from the same source.”
may be performed as mental processes. Detecting a power line disturbance in a voltage feed is collecting and/or analyzing information, which may be performed as mental processes. Comparing disturbances to other aggregated disturbances is analysis, which may be performed as mental processes. Determining that the first voltage feed originates from the same source as a second power unit is analysis, which may be performed as mental processes. Recording that the first and second power unit receive power from the same source is collecting information and/or displaying a certain result of an analysis, which may be performed as mental processes. The type of high-level information collecting and analyzing data recited in these elements has been found by the Federal Circuit to constitute patent ineligible matter (see Electric Power Group v. Alstom, S.A., 830 F.3d 1350, 1353-54, 119 USPQ2d 1739, 1741-42 (Fed. Cir. 2016), a claim to "collecting information, analyzing it, and displaying certain results of the collection and analysis," where the data analysis steps are recited at a high level of generality such that they could practically be performed in the human mind).
Similar limitations comprise the mental processes type abstract idea recited by independent claims 11 and 16.
Step 2A, Prong Two of the analysis entails determining whether a claim includes additional elements that integrate the recited judicial exception (e.g., abstract idea) into a practical application. In view of the various considerations encompassed by the Step 2A, Prong Two analysis, claim 1 does not include additional elements that integrate the recited abstract idea into a practical application. Based on the individual and collective limitations of claim 1, applying a broadest reasonable interpretation, the most significant of such considerations appear to include: improvements to the functioning of a computer, or to any other technology or technical field (MPEP 2106.05(a)); applying the judicial exception with, or by use of, a particular machine (MPEP 2106.05(b)); and effecting a transformation or reduction of a particular article to a different state or thing (MPEP 2106.05(c)).
Regarding improvements to the functioning of a computer or other technology, none of the “additional elements” in any combination appear to integrate the abstract idea to technologically improve any aspect of a system that may be used to implement the highlighted steps such a generic computer. The limitation “a computer-implemented method” amounts to mere instruction to implement the process steps on a generic computer (MPEP 2106.05(f)).
Regarding application of the judicial exception with, or by use of, a particular machine, none of the additional elements are utilized in a particularized manner of implementing the abstract idea process steps.
Regarding effectuation of a transformation or reduction of a particular article to a different state or thing, the claim includes no such transformation or reduction. Recording that a two units receive power from the same source is not a transformation of a particular article to a different state. Instead, the claim as a whole amounts to collecting information (“detecting”), analyzing said information (“detecting”, “comparing”, and “determining”), and displaying certain results of the analysis (“recording”).
Independent claim 11 recites additional elements “A system comprising: one or more processors; and one or more computer-readable storage media storing program instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors are configured to cause the one or more processors to perform a method”, which amounts to implementing the instructions on a generic computer (MPEP 2106.05(f)).
Independent claim 16 recites additional elements “A computer program product comprising one or more computer readable storage media, and program instructions collectively stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, the program instructions comprising instructions configured to cause one or more processors to perform a method”. Under broadest reasonable interpretation, “a computer program product comprising one or more computer readable storage media, and program instructions collectively stored on the one or more computer readable storage media” includes products that do not have physical or tangible form (“software per se”) and transitory forms (“signals per se”), and therefore is not directed to any statutory category (MPEP 2106.03.I). Further, the additional element of “one or more processors” amounts to a generic computer, and the claim as a whole amounts to implementing the instructions on a generic computer (MPEP 2106.05(f)).
The above additional elements, considered individually and in combination with the claim elements reciting an abstract idea do not reflect an improvement to other technology or technical field, and, therefore, do not integrate the judicial exception into a practical application. Therefore, the claims are directed to a judicial exception and require further analysis under Step 2B.
Regarding Step 2B, independent claims 1, 11 and 16, do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception because they are generically recited and are well-understood/conventional in the relevant art as evidenced by the prior art of record as indicated in the rejections under 35 U.S.C. §103.
Independent claims 1, 11 and 16 are therefore not patent eligible.
Dependent claims 2-10, 12-15, and 17-20 provide additional features/steps which are part of an expanded algorithm that includes the abstract idea of the independent claims (Step 2A, Prong One). Claims 2, 12, and 17 further recite a step of determining that the first and second power units are configured to be connected to distinct power sources, which is an analytical process and may be performed as mental processes, and transmitting an indication of a misconnection of the power units to the source, which is displaying the result of the analysis, which may be performed as mental processes. Claims 3-8, 13-15, and 18-20 further detail the disturbance detected. Claims 9 recites additional elements that amount to a generic computer, and therefore do not integrate the judicial exception into a practical application. Claim 10 further details the power units from which a detection is made. Dependent claims 2-10, 12-15, and 17-20 all fail the “significantly more” test under the step 2B for the same reasons as discussed with regards to the independent claims.
The dependent claims 2-10, 12-15, and 17-20 therefore are also ineligible subject matter.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(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, 15-18, and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Ignatova et al. (US 20170270414 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Ignatova teaches A computer-implemented method comprising:
detecting (Figs. 5A-C and 6) a first Power Line Disturbance (PLD) (power quality (PQ) event) in a first voltage feed ([0061] lines 15-18, “PQ meters that are configured to obtain basic power measurements, such as current, voltage, power, resistance, electrical charge, etc.”; [0059] lines 1-6, “one or more of the PQ monitoring devices 130 may be configured to monitor utility feeds, including surge protectors, trip units, and transformers and can detect ground faults, voltage sags, voltage swells, momentary interruptions and oscillatory transients”) of a first power unit ([0060] lines 11-12, “The PQ monitoring devices 130 can also monitor PDUs”) at a first time ([0060] lines 13-15, “PQ monitoring devices 130 system may also monitor electrical power systems, such facilities and their equipment, in real time”);
comparing the first PLD to other PLDs aggregated from multiple power units ([0067] lines 93-101, “The power outage information gathered at 566 may be aggregated to determine characteristics of the power outage, including the location and duration of the power outage. According to at least one embodiment, the aggregation may be based on time stamping. For instance, if multiple PQ monitoring devices (that are interconnected) detect a power outage during the same 45 second period, then these devices may be aggregated together.”);
determining that the first voltage feed of the first power unit originates from a same source as a second power unit (Fig. 4) based on a similarity between the first PLD and a second PLD of the second power unit satisfying a similarity threshold ([0079] lines 24-32, “the value of the parameter is out of range when it deviates from a predetermined range of values or predetermined threshold value. These predetermined ranges and threshold values may be set by industry standards or by users, as discussed above. For example, a sag in a voltage value that is less than 90% of the nominal value (the predetermined threshold value) for a duration of 30 seconds may be detected by one or more of the PQ monitoring devices.”) and occurring within a same timeframe proximate to the first time ([0067] lines 36-46, “For the duration of a time period that includes a defined time period that extends from the start of the PQ event to the end of the PQ event, plus an additional predetermined time period, the PQ monitoring device(s) that initially detected the PQ event and PQ monitoring devices positioned downstream from this PQ monitoring device are monitored to detect if a power outage occurs (e.g., drawn current equals zero), during the described time period (562). In accordance with at least one embodiment, the additional predetermined time period may be 30 seconds, although other lengths of time are within the scope of this disclosure”, lines 93-101, “The power outage information gathered at 566 may be aggregated to determine characteristics of the power outage, including the location and duration of the power outage. According to at least one embodiment, the aggregation may be based on time stamping. For instance, if multiple PQ monitoring devices (that are interconnected) detect a power outage during the same 45 second period, then these devices may be aggregated together.”. The out of range threshold is the similarity threshold and defined time period is the proximate time frame); and
recording that the first power unit and the second power unit receive power from the same source ([0067] lines 67-69, “The PQ event type, time, and the most upstream PQ monitoring device detecting the PQ event may be recorded by the PQ analysis system.” The determination of the most upstream PQ is the determining that the first and second power units receive power from the same source.)
Regarding claim 2, Ignatova teaches The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining that the first power unit and the second power unit are configured to be connected to distinct power sources ([0083] lines 10-19, “the location of the PQ event can be determined by the PQ analysis system by first determining if the reference device detected the PQ event. If no, then the PQ event is internal, i.e., within the electrical power system being monitored. If yes, then the PQ analysis system may use the event information received from the reference PQ monitoring device to determine if the event occurred upstream. If no, then the PQ event location is internal. If yes, then the event location is external to the electrical power system being monitored, i.e., at the utility level.”); and
transmitting, to a management system (PQ analysis system 125), an indication of a misconnection of the first power unit and/or the second power unit to the same source (The power outage information may therefore be passed or otherwise transmitted by the PQ monitoring devices and/or an input device to the PQ analysis system.).
Regarding claim 3, Ignatova teaches The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first PLD is based on a voltage surge (swell of [0043]; [0059] lines 1-6, one or more of the PQ monitoring devices 130 may be configured to monitor utility feeds, including surge protectors, trip units, and transformers and can detect ground faults, voltage sags, voltage swells, momentary interruptions and oscillatory transients).
Regarding claim 4, Ignatova teaches The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first PLD is based on a voltage sag (voltage sag of [0043]; [0059] lines 1-6, one or more of the PQ monitoring devices 130 may be configured to monitor utility feeds, including surge protectors, trip units, and transformers and can detect ground faults, voltage sags, voltage swells, momentary interruptions and oscillatory transients).
Regarding claim 5, Ignatova teaches The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first PLD is based on voltage ringing (oscillatory transients of [0041]; [0059] lines 1-6, one or more of the PQ monitoring devices 130 may be configured to monitor utility feeds, including surge protectors, trip units, and transformers and can detect ground faults, voltage sags, voltage swells, momentary interruptions and oscillatory transients).
Regarding claim 7, Ignatova teaches The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first PLD includes a timestamp ([0079] lines 36-40, “PQ monitoring device that detected the PQ event, the type of PQ event that has occurred, i.e., a temporary sag (ID class 9 in Table 2 above), and record the event, and the timestamp (including the duration of the event).”), phase information ([0037] lines 14-18, “PQ events may include, for example, changes to a frequency and/or phase of alternating current through a portion of the electrical power system, or changes in an amount of reflected or absorbed power from a piece of equipment connected to the electrical power system.”; [0039] lines 11-19, “Generally speaking, short-term events such as transients and short-duration voltage variations have durations of less than one minute. In contrast, long-term events, such as harmonics, unbalance, undervoltage, overvoltage, frequency and voltage variations, and power factor, are considered to be steady state or continuous disturbances. One or more of the power quality events listed in FIGS. 2A and 2B may be a measurable quantity that can be detected by a PQ monitoring device”), a magnitude of a voltage disturbance (Table 2, Voltage (% nominal)), a duration of the voltage disturbance (Table 2, Duration), and a ringing frequency of the voltage disturbance ([0041] lines 8-11, “An oscillatory transient is a sudden change in the steady-state condition of a signal's voltage and/or current, at both the positive and negative signal limits, oscillating at the natural system frequency.”; [0039] lines 11-19, “Generally speaking, short-term events such as transients and short-duration voltage variations have durations of less than one minute. In contrast, long-term events, such as harmonics, unbalance, undervoltage, overvoltage, frequency and voltage variations, and power factor, are considered to be steady state or continuous disturbances. One or more of the power quality events listed in FIGS. 2A and 2B may be a measurable quantity that can be detected by a PQ monitoring device”).
Regarding claim 8, Ignatova teaches The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first PLD has a duration within an inclusive range of 1 millisecond (ms) to 10 seconds (s) (Table 2, ID class 2-7). One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize the identified classes, with durations ranging from a minimum of 0.001 seconds to a maximum of 3 seconds, have durations within the inclusive range of 1 millisecond to 10 seconds.
Regarding claim 9, Ignatova teaches The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the computer-implemented method is executed by a computational device (Fig. 7) based on electrical grid origination code downloaded to the computational device ([0090] lines 11-16, “Storage 1112, typically includes a computer readable and writeable nonvolatile recording medium in which computer executable instructions are stored that define a program to be executed by the processor or information stored on or in the medium to be processed by the program.”) from a remote data processing system ([0089] lines 11-16, “Components of the computer system 1100 can be coupled by an interconnection mechanism 1108, which may include one or more buses (e.g., between components that are integrated within a same machine) and/or a network (e.g., between components that reside on separate discrete machines).”).
Regarding claim 10, Ignatova teaches The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first power unit and the second power unit are selected from a group consisting of: Power Distribution Units (PDUs) ([0057] lines 12-15, “one or more of the PQ monitoring devices 130 may be embedded within devices such as UPS modules, controllers, PDUs, and other equipment that comprise a data center.”), and Power Supply Units (PSUs).
Regarding claim 11, Ignatova teaches A system comprising:
one or more processors (Fig. 7, processor 1106); and
one or more computer-readable storage media storing program instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, are configured to cause the one or more processors to perform a method ([0090] lines 11-16, “Storage 1112, typically includes a computer readable and writeable nonvolatile recording medium in which computer executable instructions are stored that define a program to be executed by the processor or information stored on or in the medium to be processed by the program.”) comprising:
detecting (Figs. 5A-C and 6) a first Power Line Disturbance (PLD) ) (power quality (PQ) event) in a first voltage feed ([0061] lines 15-18, “PQ meters that are configured to obtain basic power measurements, such as current, voltage, power, resistance, electrical charge, etc.”; [0059] lines 1-6, “one or more of the PQ monitoring devices 130 may be configured to monitor utility feeds, including surge protectors, trip units, and transformers and can detect ground faults, voltage sags, voltage swells, momentary interruptions and oscillatory transients”) of a first power unit ([0060] lines 11-12, “The PQ monitoring devices 130 can also monitor PDUs”) at a first time ([0060] lines 13-15, “PQ monitoring devices 130 system may also monitor electrical power systems, such facilities and their equipment, in real time”);
comparing the first PLD to other PLDs aggregated from multiple power units ([0067] lines 93-101, “The power outage information gathered at 566 may be aggregated to determine characteristics of the power outage, including the location and duration of the power outage. According to at least one embodiment, the aggregation may be based on time stamping. For instance, if multiple PQ monitoring devices (that are interconnected) detect a power outage during the same 45 second period, then these devices may be aggregated together.”);
determining that the first voltage feed of the first power unit originates from a same source as a second power unit (Fig. 4) based on a similarity between the first PLD and a second PLD of the second power unit satisfying a similarity threshold ([0079] lines 24-32, “the value of the parameter is out of range when it deviates from a predetermined range of values or predetermined threshold value. These predetermined ranges and threshold values may be set by industry standards or by users, as discussed above. For example, a sag in a voltage value that is less than 90% of the nominal value (the predetermined threshold value) for a duration of 30 seconds may be detected by one or more of the PQ monitoring devices.”) and occurring within a same timeframe proximate to the first time ([0067] lines 36-46, “For the duration of a time period that includes a defined time period that extends from the start of the PQ event to the end of the PQ event, plus an additional predetermined time period, the PQ monitoring device(s) that initially detected the PQ event and PQ monitoring devices positioned downstream from this PQ monitoring device are monitored to detect if a power outage occurs (e.g., drawn current equals zero), during the described time period (562). In accordance with at least one embodiment, the additional predetermined time period may be 30 seconds, although other lengths of time are within the scope of this disclosure”, lines 93-101, “The power outage information gathered at 566 may be aggregated to determine characteristics of the power outage, including the location and duration of the power outage. According to at least one embodiment, the aggregation may be based on time stamping. For instance, if multiple PQ monitoring devices (that are interconnected) detect a power outage during the same 45 second period, then these devices may be aggregated together.”). The out of range threshold is the similarity threshold and defined time period is the proximate time frame; and
recording that the first power unit and the second power unit receive power from the same source ([0067] lines 67-69, “The PQ event type, time, and the most upstream PQ monitoring device detecting the PQ event may be recorded by the PQ analysis system.”). The determination of the most upstream PQ is the determining that the first and second power units receive power from the same source.
Regarding claim 12, Ignatova teaches The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more computer readable storage media further comprise additional program instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, are configured to cause the one or more processors to perform the method ([0090] lines 11-16, “Storage 1112, typically includes a computer readable and writeable nonvolatile recording medium in which computer executable instructions are stored that define a program to be executed by the processor or information stored on or in the medium to be processed by the program.”) further comprising:
determining that the first power unit and the second power unit are configured to be connected to distinct power sources ([0083] lines 10-19, “the location of the PQ event can be determined by the PQ analysis system by first determining if the reference device detected the PQ event. If no, then the PQ event is internal, i.e., within the electrical power system being monitored. If yes, then the PQ analysis system may use the event information received from the reference PQ monitoring device to determine if the event occurred upstream. If no, then the PQ event location is internal. If yes, then the event location is external to the electrical power system being monitored, i.e., at the utility level.”); and
transmitting, to a management system (PQ analysis system 125), an indication of a misconnection of the first power unit and/or the second power unit to the same source (The power outage information may therefore be passed or otherwise transmitted by the PQ monitoring devices and/or an input device to the PQ analysis system.).
Regarding claim 13, Ignatova teaches The system of claim 11, wherein the first PLD is based on one or more selected from a group consisting of: a voltage surge, a voltage sag, and voltage ringing ([0059] lines 1-6, one or more of the PQ monitoring devices 130 may be configured to monitor utility feeds, including surge protectors, trip units, and transformers and can detect ground faults, voltage sags, voltage swells, momentary interruptions and oscillatory transients). The swell is the voltage surge (see [0043]), the sag is the voltage sag (see [0043]), and the oscillatory transients are the voltage ringing (see [0041]).
Regarding claim 15, Ignatova teaches The system of claim 11, wherein the first PLD includes a timestamp ([0079] lines 36-40, “PQ monitoring device that detected the PQ event, the type of PQ event that has occurred, i.e., a temporary sag (ID class 9 in Table 2 above), and record the event, and the timestamp (including the duration of the event).”), phase information ([0037] lines 14-18, “PQ events may include, for example, changes to a frequency and/or phase of alternating current through a portion of the electrical power system, or changes in an amount of reflected or absorbed power from a piece of equipment connected to the electrical power system.”; [0039] lines 11-19, “Generally speaking, short-term events such as transients and short-duration voltage variations have durations of less than one minute. In contrast, long-term events, such as harmonics, unbalance, undervoltage, overvoltage, frequency and voltage variations, and power factor, are considered to be steady state or continuous disturbances. One or more of the power quality events listed in FIGS. 2A and 2B may be a measurable quantity that can be detected by a PQ monitoring device”), a magnitude of a voltage disturbance (Table 2, Voltage (% nominal)), a duration of the voltage disturbance (Table 2, Duration), and a ringing frequency of the voltage disturbance ([0041] lines 8-11, “An oscillatory transient is a sudden change in the steady-state condition of a signal's voltage and/or current, at both the positive and negative signal limits, oscillating at the natural system frequency.”; [0039] lines 11-19, “Generally speaking, short-term events such as transients and short-duration voltage variations have durations of less than one minute. In contrast, long-term events, such as harmonics, unbalance, undervoltage, overvoltage, frequency and voltage variations, and power factor, are considered to be steady state or continuous disturbances. One or more of the power quality events listed in FIGS. 2A and 2B may be a measurable quantity that can be detected by a PQ monitoring device”).
Regarding claim 16, Ignatova teaches A computer program product comprising one or more computer readable storage media (Figs. 7 and 8), and program instructions collectively stored on the one or more computer readable storage media (storage 1112), the program instructions comprising instructions configured to cause one or more processors to perform a method ([0090] lines 11-16, “Storage 1112, typically includes a computer readable and writeable nonvolatile recording medium in which computer executable instructions are stored that define a program to be executed by the processor or information stored on or in the medium to be processed by the program.”) comprising:
detecting (Figs. 5A-C and 6) a first Power Line Disturbance (PLD) (power quality (PQ) event) in a first voltage feed ([0061] lines 15-18, “PQ meters that are configured to obtain basic power measurements, such as current, voltage, power, resistance, electrical charge, etc.”; [0059] lines 1-6, “one or more of the PQ monitoring devices 130 may be configured to monitor utility feeds, including surge protectors, trip units, and transformers and can detect ground faults, voltage sags, voltage swells, momentary interruptions and oscillatory transients”) of a first power unit ([0060] lines 11-12, “The PQ monitoring devices 130 can also monitor PDUs”) at a first time ([0060] lines 13-15, “PQ monitoring devices 130 system may also monitor electrical power systems, such facilities and their equipment, in real time”);
comparing the first PLD to other PLDs aggregated from multiple power units ([0067] lines 93-101, “The power outage information gathered at 566 may be aggregated to determine characteristics of the power outage, including the location and duration of the power outage. According to at least one embodiment, the aggregation may be based on time stamping. For instance, if multiple PQ monitoring devices (that are interconnected) detect a power outage during the same 45 second period, then these devices may be aggregated together.”);
determining that the first voltage feed of the first power unit originates from a same source as a second power unit (Fig. 4) based on a similarity between the first PLD and a second PLD of the second power unit satisfying a similarity threshold ([0079] lines 24-32, “the value of the parameter is out of range when it deviates from a predetermined range of values or predetermined threshold value. These predetermined ranges and threshold values may be set by industry standards or by users, as discussed above. For example, a sag in a voltage value that is less than 90% of the nominal value (the predetermined threshold value) for a duration of 30 seconds may be detected by one or more of the PQ monitoring devices.”) and occurring within a same timeframe proximate to the first time ([0067] lines 36-46, “For the duration of a time period that includes a defined time period that extends from the start of the PQ event to the end of the PQ event, plus an additional predetermined time period, the PQ monitoring device(s) that initially detected the PQ event and PQ monitoring devices positioned downstream from this PQ monitoring device are monitored to detect if a power outage occurs (e.g., drawn current equals zero), during the described time period (562). In accordance with at least one embodiment, the additional predetermined time period may be 30 seconds, although other lengths of time are within the scope of this disclosure”, lines 93-101, “The power outage information gathered at 566 may be aggregated to determine characteristics of the power outage, including the location and duration of the power outage. According to at least one embodiment, the aggregation may be based on time stamping. For instance, if multiple PQ monitoring devices (that are interconnected) detect a power outage during the same 45 second period, then these devices may be aggregated together.”). The out of range threshold is the similarity threshold and defined time period is the proximate time frame; and
recording that the first power unit and the second power unit receive power from the same source (“The PQ event type, time, and the most upstream PQ monitoring device detecting the PQ event may be recorded by the PQ analysis system.”). The determination of the most upstream PQ is the determining that the first and second power units receive power from the same source.
Regarding claim 17, Ignatova teaches The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the one or more computer readable storage media further comprise additional program instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, are configured to cause the one or more processors to perform the method further comprising:
determining that the first power unit and the second power unit are configured to be connected to distinct power sources ([0083] lines 10-19, “the location of the PQ event can be determined by the PQ analysis system by first determining if the reference device detected the PQ event. If no, then the PQ event is internal, i.e., within the electrical power system being monitored. If yes, then the PQ analysis system may use the event information received from the reference PQ monitoring device to determine if the event occurred upstream. If no, then the PQ event location is internal. If yes, then the event location is external to the electrical power system being monitored, i.e., at the utility level.”); and
transmitting, to a management system (PQ analysis system 125), an indication of a misconnection of the first power unit and/or the second power unit to the same source (The power outage information may therefore be passed or otherwise transmitted by the PQ monitoring devices and/or an input device to the PQ analysis system.).
Regarding claim 18, Ignatova teaches The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the first PLD is based on one or more selected from a group consisting of: a voltage surge, a voltage sag, and voltage ringing ([0059] lines 1-6, one or more of the PQ monitoring devices 130 may be configured to monitor utility feeds, including surge protectors, trip units, and transformers and can detect ground faults, voltage sags, voltage swells, momentary interruptions and oscillatory transients). The swell is the voltage surge (see [0043]), the sag is the voltage sag (see [0043]), and the oscillatory transients are the voltage ringing (see [0041]).
Regarding claim 20, Ignatova teaches The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the first PLD includes a timestamp ([0079] lines 36-40, “PQ monitoring device that detected the PQ event, the type of PQ event that has occurred, i.e., a temporary sag (ID class 9 in Table 2 above), and record the event, and the timestamp (including the duration of the event).”), phase information ([0037] lines 14-18, “PQ events may include, for example, changes to a frequency and/or phase of alternating current through a portion of the electrical power system, or changes in an amount of reflected or absorbed power from a piece of equipment connected to the electrical power system.”; [0039] lines 11-19, “Generally speaking, short-term events such as transients and short-duration voltage variations have durations of less than one minute. In contrast, long-term events, such as harmonics, unbalance, undervoltage, overvoltage, frequency and voltage variations, and power factor, are considered to be steady state or continuous disturbances. One or more of the power quality events listed in FIGS. 2A and 2B may be a measurable quantity that can be detected by a PQ monitoring device”), a magnitude of a voltage disturbance (Table 2, Voltage (% nominal)), a duration of the voltage disturbance (Table 2, Duration), and a ringing frequency of the voltage disturbance ([0041] lines 8-11, “An oscillatory transient is a sudden change in the steady-state condition of a signal's voltage and/or current, at both the positive and negative signal limits, oscillating at the natural system frequency.”; [0039] lines 11-19, “Generally speaking, short-term events such as transients and short-duration voltage variations have durations of less than one minute. In contrast, long-term events, such as harmonics, unbalance, undervoltage, overvoltage, frequency and voltage variations, and power factor, are considered to be steady state or continuous disturbances. One or more of the power quality events listed in FIGS. 2A and 2B may be a measurable quantity that can be detected by a PQ monitoring device”).
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.
Claim(s) 6, 14, and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ignatova in view of West et al. (US 20150333668 A1).
Regarding claim 6, Ignatova teaches The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein detecting the first PLD further comprises:
receiving the first voltage feed ([0061] lines 15-18, “PQ meters that are configured to obtain basic power measurements, such as current, voltage, power, resistance, electrical charge, etc.”; [0059] lines 1-6, “one or more of the PQ monitoring devices 130 may be configured to monitor utility feeds, including surge protectors, trip units, and transformers and can detect ground faults, voltage sags, voltage swells, momentary interruptions and oscillatory transients”);
comparing the digital output to a PLD threshold ([0079] lines 24-32, “the value of the parameter is out of range when it deviates from a predetermined range of values or predetermined threshold value. These predetermined ranges and threshold values may be set by industry standards or by users, as discussed above. For example, a sag in a voltage value that is less than 90% of the nominal value (the predetermined threshold value) for a duration of 30 seconds may be detected by one or more of the PQ monitoring devices.”); and
outputting the first PLD in response to determining that the digital output satisfies the PLD threshold ([0084] lines 1-4, “In act 650, the PQ analysis system may output information regarding the results of the analysis associated with the characteristics of the PQ event, power outage, and/or reliability index.”).
Ignatova does not teach the method, comprising:
scaling the first voltage feed to generate a scaled first voltage feed; and
inputting the scaled first voltage feed to an Analog-to-Digital converter to generate a digital output.
West teaches an analogous method for determining electrical disturbances ([0023] lines 6-10, “The short term electrical disturbances may include an electrical transient, a voltage surge, a ring wave, an electrical fast transient burst, an RF conducted immunity, a voltage variation, a voltage dip, a voltage interruption, and a voltage notch among others.”), comprising:
scaling the first voltage feed to generate a scaled first voltage feed ([0015] lines 13-15, “ID module 293 may also provide scaling functionality for other parameters such as voltage or flux signals in other embodiments.”); and
inputting the scaled first voltage feed to an Analog-to-Digital converter to generate a digital output ([0015] lines 1-4, “ID module 293 includes burden resistors used in connection with current sensing to set the scaling on current signals ultimately provided to analog to digital converters for further processing.”; lines 7-8, “ID module 293 also outputs current and voltage information to gate drive module 250”).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method of Ignatova to include the scaling of the voltage feed and the conversion to a digital signal of West because the steps would yield predictable results, such as having the voltage feed normalized and the output digital signal which could be analyzed by a digital system.
Regarding claim 14, Ignatova teaches The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more computer readable storage media further comprise additional program instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, are configured to cause the one or more processors to detect the first PLD further by:
receiving the first voltage feed ([0061] lines 15-18, “PQ meters that are configured to obtain basic power measurements, such as current, voltage, power, resistance, electrical charge, etc.”; [0059] lines 1-6, “one or more of the PQ monitoring devices 130 may be configured to monitor utility feeds, including surge protectors, trip units, and transformers and can detect ground faults, voltage sags, voltage swells, momentary interruptions and oscillatory transients”);
comparing the digital output to a PLD threshold ([0079] lines 24-32, “the value of the parameter is out of range when it deviates from a predetermined range of values or predetermined threshold value. These predetermined ranges and threshold values may be set by industry standards or by users, as discussed above. For example, a sag in a voltage value that is less than 90% of the nominal value (the predetermined threshold value) for a duration of 30 seconds may be detected by one or more of the PQ monitoring devices.”); and
outputting the first PLD in response to determining that the digital output satisfies the PLD threshold ([0084] lines 1-4, “In act 650, the PQ analysis system may output information regarding the results of the analysis associated with the characteristics of the PQ event, power outage, and/or reliability index.”).
Ignatova does not teach the system comprising:
scaling the first voltage feed to generate a scaled first voltage feed;
inputting the scaled first voltage feed to an Analog-to-Digital converter to generate a digital output;
West teaches an analogous system (Fig. 2), comprising:
scaling the first voltage feed to generate a scaled first voltage feed ([0015] lines 13-15, “ID module 293 may also provide scaling functionality for other parameters such as voltage or flux signals in other embodiments.”);
inputting the scaled first voltage feed to an Analog-to-Digital converter to generate a digital output ([0015] lines 1-4, “ID module 293 includes burden resistors used in connection with current sensing to set the scaling on current signals ultimately provided to analog to digital converters for further processing.”; lines 7-8, “ID module 293 also outputs current and voltage information to gate drive module 250”);
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Ignatova to include the scaling of the voltage feed and the conversion to a digital signal of West because the steps would yield predictable results, such as having the voltage feed normalized and the output digital signal which could be analyzed by a digital system.
Regarding claim 19, Ignatova teaches The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the one or more computer readable storage media further comprise additional program instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, are configured to cause the one or more processors to detect the first PLD further by:
receiving the first voltage feed ([0061] lines 15-18, “PQ meters that are configured to obtain basic power measurements, such as current, voltage, power, resistance, electrical charge, etc.”; [0059] lines 1-6, “one or more of the PQ monitoring devices 130 may be configured to monitor utility feeds, including surge protectors, trip units, and transformers and can detect ground faults, voltage sags, voltage swells, momentary interruptions and oscillatory transients”);
comparing the digital output to a PLD threshold; and
outputting the first PLD in response to determining that the digital output satisfies the PLD threshold.
Ignatova does not teach the computer program product, comprising:
scaling the first voltage feed to generate a scaled first voltage feed;
inputting the scaled first voltage feed to an Analog-to-Digital converter to generate a digital output;
West teaches an analogous computer program product ([0012] lines 8-14, “It shall be appreciated that the controls, control routines, and control modules described herein may be implemented using hardware, software, firmware and various combinations thereof and may utilize executable instructions stored in a non-transitory computer readable medium or multiple non-transitory computer readable media.”), comprising:
scaling the first voltage feed to generate a scaled first voltage feed ([0015] lines 13-15, “ID module 293 may also provide scaling functionality for other parameters such as voltage or flux signals in other embodiments.”); and
inputting the scaled first voltage feed to an Analog-to-Digital converter to generate a digital output ([0015] lines 1-4, “ID module 293 includes burden resistors used in connection with current sensing to set the scaling on current signals ultimately provided to analog to digital converters for further processing.”; lines 7-8, “ID module 293 also outputs current and voltage information to gate drive module 250”).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the computer program product of Ignatova to include the scaling of the voltage feed and the conversion to a digital signal of West because the steps would yield predictable results, such as having the voltage feed normalized and the output digital signal which could be analyzed by a digital system.
Conclusion
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/B.B.G./Examiner,
Art Unit 2857
/Catherine T. Rastovski/Supervisory Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2857