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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to for failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(q). Lead lines are required for each reference character except for those which indicate the surface or cross section on which they are placed. Such a reference character must be underlined to make it clear that a lead line has not been left out by mistake. So numbers like 152, 252, 852, 857, 858, 853 need to be underlined.
The drawings are objected to because of the quality of the lines and characters. 37 CFR 1.84(l) requires that all drawings must be made by a process which will give them satisfactory reproduction characteristics. Every line, number, and letter must be durable, clean, black (except for color drawings), sufficiently dense and dark, and uniformly thick and well-defined. Lines and characters in Fig. 12 and 13 are not sufficiently dense and dark, and uniformly thick and well-defined.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claim 1-20 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.
The term “substantially equals” in claims 1, 13, 18 and 20 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “substantially equals” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. Use of the “substantially equals” makes in unclear to what extent the setpoint value and the remaining level equals the demand level. For the sake of compact prosecution the term is being interpreted as “equals”.
Dependent claims 2-12, 14-17 and 19 are also rejected due to their dependency on claims 1, 13 and 18.
Claim 2 recites, “sensor device operably coupled to the controller, wherein the sensor device is configured to measure the …the remaining level….”. Remaining level as described in published specification ¶0154 appears to be a load requirement remained after fulfilling portion of the total load requirement by utility power. This appears to be parameter mathematically calculated parameter instead of a parameter that can be readily measured by a sensor. Therefore it is unclear as to what type of sensor device is being claimed as being capable of measuring the remaining level. For the sake of compact prosecution, “remaining level” is being interpreted as “reserve power” in light of the published specification ¶0133
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1, 3-4, 11-13 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang (US11868191B1) in view of Hinderliter (US20220385074A1)
Regarding claim 1,
Wang teaches, A system for providing power to field equipment for subterranean field operations, the system comprising:
a utility power source that provides utility power, wherein the utility power has a setpoint value; (Column 3 Line 20-21 teaches utility provided power 101. Column 8 Line 53-64 teaches utility provided electrical power has a threshold)
an on-site substation that is configured to receive the utility power from the utility power source and the reserve power from the …. energy storage device module; and (Column 3 Line 34-50 teaches PSU (power supply unit) receive power from utility provided power and battery backup unit)
a controller operably coupled to the on-site substation and the …. energy storage device module, wherein the controller is configured to: (Column 3 Line 37-43 teaches, each ATS/PSU 113 corresponds to a power shelf controller 115, e.g., controller 115.1, 115.2, and 115.N, that manages the power supplied by each PSU and distributes the supplied power to respective groups of electronic components 117.1, 117.2, to 117.N via a corresponding power bus 116.1, 116.2, 116.N)
determine, at a time, that a demand level of the field equipment exceeds the setpoint value; (Column 8 Line 54-57 teaches, When the utility-provided AC power source is in high demand, the system can receive an indication that demand for the utility provided electrical power has exceeded a first threshold. (Act 702).
control the …. energy storage device module to release the reserve power to the on-site substation; and (Column 8 Line 65- Column 9 Line 2 teaches, the system can cause one or more backup battery units electrically connected with the electronic components to provide an amount of supplemental power)
control the on-site substation to deliver the utility power at the setpoint value and the reserve power at a remaining level to the field equipment, wherein the setpoint value and the remaining level substantially equals the demand level of the field equipment. (Column 8 Line 65- Column 9 Line 2 teaches, the system can cause one or more backup battery units electrically connected with the electronic components to provide an amount of supplemental power to offset consumption of the electrical power from the electric utility source. Fig. 1 and Column 3 Line 40-45 teaches, distributing the supplied power to respective groups of electronic components 117.1, 117.2, to 117.N via a corresponding power bus 116.1, 116.2, 116.N. Fig. 5. Column 7 Line 18-38 teaches delivering utility power at a reduced consumption level and supplemental power at remaining level)
Wang doesn’t teach, a portable energy storage device module configured to provide reserve power, wherein the portable energy storage device module is mounted on a movable platform; (Wang in Column 3 Line 20-24 teaches, backup battery power stored in backup battery units 111 to electronic components 117. However it doesn’t teach the backup battery unit as portable and mounted on a movable platform. Hinderliter in ¶0046 teaches, In this example, a battery system 202 includes one or more battery trailers 204, which may have one or more battery packs for providing operational energy to components of the fracturing system 200.)
Hinderliter is an art in the area of interest as it relates to battery-powered hydraulic fracturing systems (see ¶0002). Wang in Column 3 Line 20-24 already teaches backup battery power stored in backup battery units 111 to electronic components 117. However it didn’t teach battery unit as portable and mounted on a movable platform. Hinderliter teaches battery mounted on a trailer. A combination of Hinderliter with Wang teaches portable battery mounted on a movable platform. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to combine the teaching of Hinderliter with Wang. One would have been motivated to do so because doing so would allow the battery system to be mobile and compact as taught Hinderliter in ¶0027.
Regarding claim 3,
Wang and Hinderliter teaches, The system of Claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to: determine, at a second time, that the demand level of the field equipment falls below the setpoint value; (Wang in Column 10 Line 28-34 teaches, When the utility source is in low demand, e.g. at night, during minimal usage of electronic components, the system can receive a second indication that the demand for the electrical power provided by the electric utility source is less than a second threshold corresponding to a period of low power demand.)
and control the portable energy storage device module to retain the reserve power. (Wang in Column 10 Line 41-45 teaches, During the period of low demand, the system can cause some or all of the fully or partially discharged backup battery units to recharge using power provided by the electric utility source. (Act 705).)
Regarding claim 4,
Wang and Hinderliter teaches, The system of Claim 3, wherein the controller is further configured to:
determine, at a third time, that a storage level of the portable energy storage device module falls below a minimum discharge threshold value; and (Wang in Column 11 Line 18-34 teaches determining when battery backup unit is exhausted by discharging down to the minimum required charge)
control the on-site substation to deliver an excess amount of the utility power to the portable energy storage device module as charging power, wherein the excess amount, when added to the demand level of the field equipment at the third time, is no greater than the setpoint value. (Wang in Column 2 Line 44-46 teaches, selecting BBUs for recharge during periods of low demand, in order to balance power demands on local infrastructure and to efficiently utilize supplied power. Column 3 line 51-54 teaches, Backup battery units 111 can be recharged via utility supplied power provided to the ATS/PSU's, which may be provided directly or indirectly, e.g., via the corresponding power bus 116 of each respective ATS/PSU 113. Column 5 Line 8-11 teaches, For example, excess power supplied to the power bus 316 by the ATS/PSU 313 can be routed to a charger 318 for recharging backup battery units of the BBU group 311. Column 10 Line 41-45 teaches, During the period of low demand, the system can cause some or all of the fully or partially discharged backup battery units to recharge using power provided by the electric utility source. (Act 705).)
Regarding claim 11,
Wang and Hinderliter teaches, The system of Claim 1, further comprising:
an additional portable energy storage device module configured to receive the charging power, wherein the additional portable energy storage device module is further configured to generate, using the charging power, the reserve power. (Wang in Column 3 Line 45-50 teaches plurality of backup battery units 111.1, 111.2. 111.N, which can supply power to each ATS/PSU 113 in order to compensate for or supplement the utility-provided power in the event of power loss, inconsistency, or excess demand. Hinderliter in ¶0046 teaches, In this example, a battery system 202 includes one or more battery trailers 204, which may have one or more battery packs for providing operational energy to components of the fracturing system 200)
Regarding claim 12,
Wang and Hinderliter teaches, The system of Claim 1, wherein the controller is part of the on-site substation. (Wang in Fig. 3 teaches power shelf controller is part of power shelf)
Regarding claim 13,
Wang teaches, An on-site substation for providing power to field equipment for subterranean field operations, the on-site substation comprising: (Column 3 Line 34-50 teaches PSU (power supply unit) receive power from utility provided power and battery backup unit)
a first channel configured to receive utility power from a utility power source; (Fig. 1 and Column 3 Line 34-40 teaches utility provided power 101 being routed to ATS/PSUs)
a second channel configured to receive reserve power from a …..energy storage device module; (Fig. 1 and Column 3 Line 34-50 teaches PSU (power supply unit) receive power from battery backup unit)
a third channel configured to deliver the utility power and the reserve power to the field equipment; and (Fig. 1 and Column 3 Line 40-45 teaches, distributing the supplied power to respective groups of electronic components 117.1, 117.2, to 117.N via a corresponding power bus 116.1, 116.2, 116.N,)
a controller configured to:
determine, at a time, that a demand level of the field equipment exceeds a setpoint value of the utility power; (Column 8 Line 54-57 teaches, When the utility-provided AC power source is in high demand, the system can receive an indication that demand for the utility provided electrical power has exceeded a first threshold. (Act 702).
limit the utility power to the setpoint value; (Column 7 Line 30-38 teaches reducing utility provided power to a reduced consumption level 529)
deliver the utility power at the setpoint value to the field equipment through the third channel; (Fig. 1 and Column 3 Line 40-45 teaches, distributing the supplied power to respective groups of electronic components 117.1, 117.2, to 117.N via a corresponding power bus 116.1, 116.2, 116.N,)
control the … energy storage device module to deliver the reserve power at a remaining level to the second channel, wherein the setpoint value and the remaining level substantially equals the demand level of the field equipment; and (Column 8 Line 65- Column 9 Line 2 teaches, the system can cause one or more backup battery units electrically connected with the electronic components to provide an amount of supplemental power to offset consumption of the electrical power from the electric utility source. Column 7 Line 18-38 teaches delivering utility power at a reduced consumption level and supplemental power at remaining level)
deliver the reserve power at the remaining level to the field equipment through the third channel. (Fig. 1 and Column 3 Line 40-45 teaches, distributing the supplied power to respective groups of electronic components 117.1, 117.2, to 117.N via a corresponding power bus 116.1, 116.2, 116.N,)
Wang doesn’t teach, a portable energy storage device module (Wang in Column 3 Line 20-24 teaches, backup battery power stored in backup battery units 111 to electronic components 117. However it doesn’t teach the backup battery unit as portable and mounted on a movable platform. Hinderliter in ¶0046 teaches, In this example, a battery system 202 includes one or more battery trailers 204, which may have one or more battery packs for providing operational energy to components of the fracturing system 200.)
Hinderliter is an art in the area of interest as it relates to battery-powered hydraulic fracturing systems (see ¶0002). Wang in Column 3 Line 20-24 already teaches backup battery power stored in backup battery units 111 to electronic components 117. However it didn’t teach battery unit as portable and mounted on a movable platform. Hinderliter teaches battery mounted on a trailer. A combination of Hinderliter with Wang teaches portable battery mounted on a movable platform. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to combine the teaching of Hinderliter with Wang. One would have been motivated to do so because doing so would allow the battery system to be mobile and compact as taught Hinderliter in ¶0027.
Regarding claim 18,
Wang teaches, A method for providing power to field equipment for subterranean field operations, the method comprising:
determining, at a time, that a demand level of the field equipment exceeds a setpoint value of a utility generation source; (Column 8 Line 54-57 teaches, When the utility-provided AC power source is in high demand, the system can receive an indication that demand for the utility provided electrical power has exceeded a first threshold. (Act 702).
controlling a … energy storage device module to release reserve power; and (Column 8 Line 65- Column 9 Line 2 teaches, the system can cause one or more backup battery units electrically connected with the electronic components to provide an amount of supplemental power)
controlling an on-site substation to deliver utility power from the utility generation source at the setpoint value and the reserve power at a remaining level to the field equipment, wherein the setpoint value and the remaining level substantially equals the demand level of the field equipment. (Column 8 Line 65- Column 9 Line 2 teaches, the system can cause one or more backup battery units electrically connected with the electronic components to provide an amount of supplemental power to offset consumption of the electrical power from the electric utility source. Fig. 1 and Column 3 Line 40-45 teaches, distributing the supplied power to respective groups of electronic components 117.1, 117.2, to 117.N via a corresponding power bus 116.1, 116.2, 116.N. Fig. 5. Column 7 Line 18-38 teaches delivering utility power at a reduced consumption level and supplemental power at remaining level)
Wang doesn’t teach, a portable energy storage device module (Wang in Column 3 Line 20-24 teaches, backup battery power stored in backup battery units 111 to electronic components 117. However it doesn’t teach the backup battery unit as portable and mounted on a movable platform. Hinderliter in ¶0046 teaches, In this example, a battery system 202 includes one or more battery trailers 204, which may have one or more battery packs for providing operational energy to components of the fracturing system 200.)
Hinderliter is an art in the area of interest as it relates to battery-powered hydraulic fracturing systems (see ¶0002). Wang in Column 3 Line 20-24 already teaches backup battery power stored in backup battery units 111 to electronic components 117. However it didn’t teach battery unit as portable and mounted on a movable platform. Hinderliter teaches battery mounted on a trailer. A combination of Hinderliter with Wang teaches portable battery mounted on a movable platform. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to combine the teaching of Hinderliter with Wang. One would have been motivated to do so because doing so would allow the battery system to be mobile and compact as taught Hinderliter in ¶0027.
Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang (US11868191B1) in view of Hinderliter (US20220385074A1) and further in view of Fife (US20200006940A1)
Regarding claim 2,
Wang and Hinderliter doesn’t teach, The system of Claim 1, further comprising: a sensor device operably coupled to the controller, wherein the sensor device is configured to measure the demand level, the remaining level, and the setpoint value. (“the remaining level” is being interpreted as reserve power (see rejection under 112(b) above). Fife in ¶0038 teaches, building electrical system 102 provides process variables. the process variable may provide one or more measurements of a state of the building electrical system 102. ¶0118 teaches, one or more sensors 628 to provide measurements or other indication(s) of a state of the building electrical system 602. ¶0048-¶0060 teaches, Process variable include Load (e.g., load energy consumption for one or more loads), Energy storage device state of charge (SoC) (%) for one or more ESSs. ¶0207 teaches, an electrical power control system, comprising one or more sensors configured to measure power stored by the energy storage system, and demand of the electrical power system. Therefore it teaches sensors that measure demand level (load energy consumption) and reserve power (power stored by the energy system). ¶0091 teaches, adjusting demand setpoint based on monitored demand. Specification does not describe the sensor device directly measuring setpoint value. According to published specification ¶0080 measurements made by sensor device assists the controller to determine the utility setpoint. Therefore in light of the specification “the sensor device is configured to measure … the setpoint value”, is being interpreted as sensor device measuring data that assist in determining the setpoint value. Fife in ¶0207 teaches, sensors measuring demand of the electrical power system. ¶0091 teaches, adjusting demand setpoint based on monitored demand. Therefore it teaches sensors for measuring information that assists in determining demand setpoint)
Fife is an art in the area of interest as it teaches, controlling an electrical system using setpoints (see Abstract). A combination of Fife with Wang and Hinderliter would allow the system to measure demand level, the remaining level (interpreted as reserve power, see 112(b) rejection above), and the setpoint value using a sensor device. Wang and Hinderliter already teaches, demand level, the remaining level (interpreted as reserve power, see 112(b) rejection above), and the setpoint value, however it doesn’t explicitly teach a sensor device to measure these values. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to combine the teaching of Fife with Wang and Hinderliter to use sensor device to measure this values. One would have been motivated to do so because doing so would allow the system to use sensors 628 (e.g., meters) to provide measurements or other indication(s) of a state of the building electrical system 602. The claimed invention is merely a combination of old elements, and in the combination each element merely would have performed the same function as it did separately, and one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable.
Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang (US11868191B1) in view of Hinderliter (US20220385074A1) and further in view of Nasuno (US20220006294A1)
Regarding claim 5,
Wang and Hinderliter doesn’t teach, The system of Claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to:
determine, at a fourth time, that a storage level of the portable energy storage device module reaches a maximum threshold value; and (Nasuno in ¶0076 teaches, In Step S19, the monitoring section 613 determines whether the storage amount is greater than the target value)
control the on-site substation to stop delivering the charging power from the utility power to the portable energy storage device module. (¶0077 teaches, In Step S20, the monitoring section 613 generates the control settings for performing control according to the determination results in Step S19, and sends these generated control settings to the power storage control device 40. ¶0078 teaches, In Step S21, the power storage control section 413 establishes the storage battery 21 in a stand-by state, based on the control settings sent in Step S20.)
Nasuno is an art in the area of interest as it relates to a power control system. A combination of Nasuno with Wang and Hinderliter would teach stop delivering the charging power from the utility power to the portable energy storage device module when a storage level of the portable energy storage device module reaches a maximum threshold value. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to combine the teaching of Nasuno with Wang and Hinderliter. One would have been motivated to do so because doing so would allow the system to fully charge the storage battery to ensure dischargeable amount as taught by Nasuno in ¶0005.
Claim(s) 6-7, 10, 14-15 and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang (US11868191B1) in view of Hinderliter (US20220385074A1) and further in view of Joost (US20210285312A1)
Regarding claim 6,
Wang and Hinderliter doesn’t teach, The system of Claim 1, further comprising: an on-site generation source configured to provide on-site power to the on-site substation, (Joost in ¶0033 teaches, frac system 300 includes generator 311. ¶0023 teaches, Electrical coupling between elements of frac system 100 may be accomplished by power distribution equipment as described below. Power distribution equipment includes, but is not limited to, switchgear, transformers, breakers, and relays)
wherein the controller is further configured to control the on-site substation to deliver a combination of the utility power and the on-site power at the demand level of the field equipment. (Joost in ¶0040 teaches, power controller 331 may use information determined from charge sensor 333 and load sensor 335 to select an operational state for frac system 300. In such an embodiment, power controller 331 may select among states in which frac equipment 301 is powered by a combination of one or more of generator 311, power storage device 321, and grid power 351.)
Joost is an art in the area of interest as it teaches, a frac system includes power generation equipment and a power storage device used to provide electric power to one or more pieces of frac equipment (see Abstract). A combination of Joost with Wang and Hinderliter would allow the system to deliver a combination of utility power and the on-site power to the equipment. One would have been motivated to do so because doing so would allow the equipment to be powered by alone or in combination of different power sources as evident by Joost in ¶0040.
Regarding claim 7,
Wang and Hinderliter and Joost teaches, The system of Claim 6, wherein the controller is further configured to:
determine, at a second time, that the demand level of the field equipment exceeds the setpoint value; (Wang in Column 11 Line 58-60 teaches, the system can receive an indication that demand for the utility-provided electrical power has exceeded a first threshold)
determine, at the second time, that an amount of storage of the portable energy storage device module falls below a minimum discharge threshold value; (Wang in Column 12 Line 31-50 teaches, monitor the available charge or excess charge of the subset of backup battery units being used at any one time to provide the supplemental power, such that any backup battery unit that exhausts its supply of excess charge over a minimum required charge can be prevented from further discharging power to the system. (Act 905).)
control the on-site generation source to deliver the on-site power to the on-site substation; (Joost in ¶0030 teaches, power from generator 111 delivering power. ¶0023 teaches, Electrical coupling between elements of frac system 100 may be accomplished by power distribution equipment as described below. Power distribution equipment includes, but is not limited to, switchgear, transformers, breakers, and relays)
control the portable energy storage device module to stop delivering the reserve power to the on-site substation; and (Wang in Column 12 Line 31-50 teaches the subset of backup battery units can continue to provide supplemental power to supplement the utility-provided power until the amount of available charge remaining in the subset of backup battery units is insufficient, i.e., all of the backup battery units at an appropriate priority level for selection have been exhausted. (Act 906).)
control the on-site substation to deliver a first portion of the on-site power to the field equipment and a second portion of the on-site power to the portable energy storage device module, wherein the first portion of the on-site power replaces the reserve power, and wherein the second portion of the on-site power serves as the charging power for the portable energy storage device module. (Joost in ¶0030 teaches, power from generator 111 may be used to both power frac equipment 101 and charge power storage device 121. ¶0031 teaches, where power storage device 121 is determined to not be sufficiently charged to allow for the desired period of operation of frac equipment 101 without need for operation of generator 111 as determined by load sensor 135 or by one or more user inputs [201], power controller 131 may turn on generator 111 [209] and power frac support equipment 201 from generator 111 as well as charge power storage device 121 [215])
Regarding claim 10,
Wang and Hinderliter and Joost teaches, The system of Claim 6, wherein the controller is further configured to control the on-site substation to provide the excess amount to the portable energy storage device module as charging power using the on-site power generated by the on-site generation source (Joost in ¶0030 teaches, when the power load from frac equipment 101 is sufficiently below the power output of generator 111 to allow excess power to be used to charge power storage device 121 without affecting operation of frac equipment 101)
Regarding claim 14,
Wang and Hinderliter teaches, , The on-site substation of Claim 13, further comprising:
wherein the controller is further configured to: determine, at a second time, that an energy storage device of the portable energy storage device module has less than a minimum discharge threshold value; and (Wang in Column 12 Line 31-50 teaches, monitor the available charge or excess charge of the subset of backup battery units being used at any one time to provide the supplemental power, such that any backup battery unit that exhausts its supply of excess charge over a minimum required charge can be prevented from further discharging power to the system. (Act 905).)
Wang and Hinderliter doesn’t teach, a fourth channel configured to receive on-site power from an on-site generation source, (Joost in ¶0033 teaches, frac system 300 includes generator 311. ¶0035 teaches, frac equipment 301 may be electrically coupled to generator 311 by one or more power lines, depicted as generator supply line 313. ¶0023 teaches, Electrical coupling between elements of frac system 100 may be accomplished by power distribution equipment as described below. Power distribution equipment includes, but is not limited to, switchgear, transformers, breakers, and relays)
deliver the on-site power to the field equipment through the third channel, wherein the on-site power is of an amount that equals the remaining level. (Joost in ¶0042 teaches, If power controller 331 determines that the charge state of power storage device 321 falls below a threshold charge state, power controller 331 may turn on generator 311 [409]. In some embodiments, power from generator 311 may be used to provide power to frac equipment 301 [411]. ¶0023 teaches, Electrical coupling between elements of frac system 100 may be accomplished by power distribution equipment as described below. Power distribution equipment includes, but is not limited to, switchgear, transformers, breakers, and relays)
Joost is an art in the area of interest as it teaches, a frac system includes power generation equipment and a power storage device used to provide electric power to one or more pieces of frac equipment (see Abstract). A combination of Joost with Wang and Hinderliter would allow the system to deliver the on-site power to the equipment if energy storage device of the portable energy storage device module has less than a minimum discharge threshold value. One would have been motivated to do so because doing so would allow the equipment to be powered by alone or in combination of different power sources as evident by Joost in ¶0040.
Regarding claim 15,
Wang and Hinderliter and Joost teaches, The on-site substation of Claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to:
determine, at a third time, that the demand level of the field equipment is below the setpoint value; (Wang in Column 10 Line 28-34 teaches, When the utility source is in low demand, e.g. at night, during minimal usage of electronic components, the system can receive a second indication that the demand for the electrical power provided by the electric utility source is less than a second threshold corresponding to a period of low power demand.)
control the on-site generation source to stop delivering the on-site power to the third channel; (Joost in ¶0041 teaches, power controller 331 may turn off generator 311 if generator 311 is in operation [403])
direct a first portion of the utility power equal to the demand level to the field equipment through the first channel; and (Wang in Column 8 Line 26-30 teaches, provide electrical power to one or more electronic components by a power supply unit receiving electrical power provided by an electric utility source. (Act 701).)
direct a second portion of the utility power to the portable energy storage device module as charging power through the second channel. (Wang in Column 2 Line 44-46 teaches, selecting BBUs for recharge during periods of low demand, in order to balance power demands on local infrastructure and to efficiently utilize supplied power. Column 3 line 51-54 teaches, Backup battery units 111 can be recharged via utility supplied power provided to the ATS/PSU's, which may be provided directly or indirectly, e.g., via the corresponding power bus 116 of each respective ATS/PSU 113. Column 5 Line 8-11 teaches, For example, excess power supplied to the power bus 316 by the ATS/PSU 313 can be routed to a charger 318 for recharging backup battery units of the BBU group 311. Column 10 Line 41-45 teaches, During the period of low demand, the system can cause some or all of the fully or partially discharged backup battery units to recharge using power provided by the electric utility source. (Act 705).)
Regarding claim 19,
Wang and Hinderliter teaches, The method of Claim 18, further comprising:
determining, at a second time, that an energy storage device of the portable energy storage device module has less than a minimum storage level; and(Wang in Column 12 Line 31-50 teaches, monitor the available charge or excess charge of the subset of backup battery units being used at any one time to provide the supplemental power, such that any backup battery unit that exhausts its supply of excess charge over a minimum required charge can be prevented from further discharging power to the system. (Act 905).)
Wang and Hinderliter doesn’t teach, controlling the on-site substation to deliver on-site power to the field equipment in an amount that equals the remaining level. (Joost in ¶0042 teaches, If power controller 331 determines that the charge state of power storage device 321 falls below a threshold charge state, power controller 331 may turn on generator 311 [409]. In some embodiments, power from generator 311 may be used to provide power to frac equipment 301 [411]. ¶0023 teaches, Electrical coupling between elements of frac system 100 may be accomplished by power distribution equipment as described below. Power distribution equipment includes, but is not limited to, switchgear, transformers, breakers, and relays)
Joost is an art in the area of interest as it teaches, a frac system includes power generation equipment and a power storage device used to provide electric power to one or more pieces of frac equipment (see Abstract). A combination of Joost with Wang and Hinderliter would allow the system to deliver the on-site power to the equipment if energy storage device of the portable energy storage device module has less than a minimum discharge threshold value. One would have been motivated to do so because doing so would allow the equipment to be powered by alone or in combination of different power sources as evident by Joost in ¶0040.
Claim(s) 8-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang (US11868191B1) in view of Hinderliter (US20220385074A1) and further in view of Joost (US20210285312A1) and further in view of BANGALORE (US20220140610A1)
Regarding claim 8,
Wang and Hinderliter and Joost doesn’t teach, The system of Claim 6, wherein the controller is further configured to:
determine that the demand level of the field equipment exceeds a sum of the utility power, the reserve power, and the on-site power that is available at a second time; (Bangalore in ¶0059-¶0061 teaches, if there is a shortfall in filling the power requirement by renewable source, battery and grid)
identify a non-critical portion of the field equipment during the second time; (Bangalore in ¶0082 and ¶0083 teaches identifying remaining EVs whose subscribers don’t have guaranteed power)
control the field equipment to curtail the non-critical portion; and (Bangalore in ¶0082 and ¶0083 teaches, assigning slots for a fraction of slots booked to remaining EVs)
control the on-site substation to deliver a curtailed level to the field equipment using at least one of a group consisting of the utility power, the reserve power, and the on-site power. (Bangalore in ¶0076 teaches Once the load balancing subroutine 234 is executed, connected EV chargers may be instructed to operate at reduced power allocation)
Bangalore is an art in the area of interest as it relates to load balancing on a grid (see ¶0076). A combination of Bangalore with Wang and Hinderliter and Joost would allow the combined system to deliver a curtailed level to the field equipment based on determining that the demand level of the field equipment exceeds a sum of the utility power, the reserve power, and the on-site power. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to combine Bangalore’s teaching of load balancing with power delivery system of Wang and Hinderliter and Joost, since the claimed invention is merely a combination of old elements, and in the combination each element merely would have performed the same function as it did separately, and one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable.
Regarding claim 9,
Wang and Hinderliter, Joost and Bangalore teaches, The system of Claim 8, wherein the non-critical portion is curtailed using at least one of a group consisting of a fast load-shedding response and a power-limiting command. (Bangalore in ¶0082 and ¶0083 teaches, calculating load balanced power allocations and time slots and outputting adjusted power level allocations)
Claim(s) 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang (US11868191B1) in view of Hinderliter (US20220385074A1) further in view of Joost (US20210285312A1) and further in view of Nasuno (US20220006294A1)
Regarding claim 16,
Wang and Hinderliter and Joost teaches, The on-site substation of Claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to:
direct the utility power equal to the demand level to the field equipment through the first channel; and (Wang in Column 8 Line 26-30 teaches, provide electrical power to one or more electronic components by a power supply unit receiving electrical power provided by an electric utility source. (Act 701).)
Wang and Hinderliter and Joost doesn’t teach, determine, at a fourth time, that the portable energy storage device module exceeds a maximum storage value; (Nasuno in ¶0076 teaches, In Step S19, the monitoring section 613 determines whether the storage amount is greater than the target value)
stop directing the charging power to the portable energy storage device module through the second channel. (¶0077 teaches, In Step S20, the monitoring section 613 generates the control settings for performing control according to the determination results in Step S19, and sends these generated control settings to the power storage control device 40. ¶0078 teaches, In Step S21, the power storage control section 413 establishes the storage battery 21 in a stand-by state, based on the control settings sent in Step S20.)
Nasuno is an art in the area of interest as it relates to a power control system. A combination of Nasuno with Wang and Hinderliter and Joost would teach stop delivering the charging power from the utility power to the portable energy storage device module when a storage level of the portable energy storage device module reaches a maximum threshold value. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to combine the teaching of Nasuno with Wang and Hinderliter and Joost. One would have been motivated to do so because doing so would allow the system to fully charge the storage battery to ensure dischargeable amount as taught by Nasuno in ¶0005.
Claim(s) 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang (US11868191B1) in view of Hinderliter (US20220385074A1) further in view of Macallister (Automatic Transfer Switches)
Regarding claim 17,
Wang and Hinderliter teaches, The on-site substation of Claim 13, further comprising:
an energy transfer device that manipulates the utility power between the first channel and the third channel; (Wang in Column 3 Line 34-55 teaches Automatic transfer switch ATS/PSU that supplies power from utility power supply and battery backup units to electronic components 117.1, 117.2, to 117.N via a corresponding power bus 116.1, 116.2, 116.N,)
Wang and Hinderliter doesn’t teach, a circuit breaker in line with the first channel and the third channel; (Macallister in Automatic Transfer Switch Types teaches, circuit breaker type automatic transfer switch which includes a circuit breaker)
and a protective relay in line with the first channel and the third channel. (Macallister in Basics of Automatic Transfer Switches teaches, This switch must handle overloads for a short period of time while the proper protective relay begins operation, therefore it includes a relay)
Macallister is an art in the area of interest as it teaches an automatic transfer switch (ATS) forms the interface between the gen set, utility power and the consuming electrical equipment. A combination of Macallister with Wang and Hinderliter would teach the automatic transfer switch to include circuit braker and relay. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to combine the teaching of Macallister with Wang and Hinderliter. One would have been motivated to include a relay because a relay would allow the system to handle overloads (as taught by Macallister in Basics of Automatic Transfer Switches). Additionally one would have been motivated to include a circuit braker because there finite types of automatic transfer switches (circuit breaker and contactor). and one of ordinary skill in the art could have pursued the known potential solutions (using circuit braker type) with a reasonable expectation of success.
Claim(s) 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang (US11868191B1) in view of Hinderliter (US20220385074A1) further in view of Carr (US20180191197A1)
Regarding claim 20,
Wang and Hinderliter teaches, controlling the on-site substation to deliver utility power from the utility generation source at the ….. setpoint value and the reserve power at a … remaining level to the field equipment, wherein the …. setpoint value and the …. remaining level substantially equals the demand level of the field equipment. (Wang in Column 8 Line 65- Column 9 Line 2 teaches, the system can cause one or more backup battery units electrically connected with the electronic components to provide an amount of supplemental power to offset consumption of the electrical power from the electric utility source. Fig. 1 and Column 3 Line 40-45 teaches, distributing the supplied power to respective groups of electronic components 117.1, 117.2, to 117.N via a corresponding power bus 116.1, 116.2, 116.N. Fig. 5. Column 7 Line 18-38 teaches delivering utility power at a reduced consumption level and supplemental power at remaining level)
Wang and Hinderliter doesn’t teach, determining, at a second time based on a measurement from a sensor device, that the setpoint value of the utility generation source has changed to a revised setpoint value; and (Carr in ¶0015 teaches, As set forth above, the building power threshold may be adjusted, e.g., based on inputs from the utility. For example, the power threshold 34 may be reduced to one or more lower values, e.g., power threshold 36, in response to a utility signal indicating a demand response event, which may enable the building owner or operator to participate in demand response programs, potentially improving the stability of the grid during peak loading in some embodiments, while minimizing the discomfort experienced by the building occupants, e.g., as set forth herein. After the end of the demand response event, the power threshold may be restored to an initial value (e.g., power threshold 34) or other value.
Carr is an art in the area of interest as it teaches, system and method for managing electrical energy output by a power utility facility. A combination of Carr with Wang and Hinderliter would allow the system to determine a revised setpoint and operate according to the revised setpoint. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to combine the teaching of Carr with Wang and Hinderliter. One would have been motivated to do so because doing so would allow the system to participate in demand response programs, potentially improving the stability of the grid during peak loading as taught by Carr in ¶0015.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Mansfield (US20130325198A1)- in ¶0041 teaches, To prevent grid power use from exceeding the target peak load, management controller 530 regulates the discharge of stored power from battery system 440 based on a comparison of an effective load with the target peak load. When actual load is being properly determined, management controller 530 uses actual load as the effective load. That is, management controller 530 determines whether actual load drawn on power system 400 exceeds the target peak load, and discharges stored power from battery system 440 when actual load exceeds the target peak load.
Chow (US20160006245A1)- in ¶0036 teaches, educe peak demand by directly mitigating excess power consumption in a 1:1 ratio. For example, a customer may desire to keep his metered peak demand level from exceeding 50 kW. When this consumption exceeds 50 kW, such as by reaching 55 kW, a command is sent to a local peak mitigation device to immediately dispatch enough energy to mitigate the peak back to the desired setpoint (e.g., 55 kW−50 kW=5 kW). In this manner, any peaks that exceed the setpoint are “canceled out” from the view of the utility provider by the power provided by the peak mitigation device. The demand actually registered by the utility meter is at or below the setpoint value (e.g., 50 kW) instead of the value of the actual peak consumption (e.g., 55 kW).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ISTIAQUE AHMED whose telephone number is (571)272-7087. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Thursday 10AM -6PM and alternate Fridays.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, kenneth M Lo can be reached at (571) 272-9774. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ISTIAQUE AHMED/ Examiner, Art Unit 2116 /KENNETH M LO/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2116