Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/504,146

ADAPTIVE POWER PRESERVATION FOR CELL SITES

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Nov 07, 2023
Examiner
CHOUDHURY, FAISAL
Art Unit
2478
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
T-Mobile Usa Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
85%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 9m
To Grant
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 85% — above average
85%
Career Allow Rate
666 granted / 784 resolved
+26.9% vs TC avg
Strong +15% interview lift
Without
With
+15.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 9m
Avg Prosecution
38 currently pending
Career history
822
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
4.4%
-35.6% vs TC avg
§103
51.6%
+11.6% vs TC avg
§102
19.0%
-21.0% vs TC avg
§112
14.1%
-25.9% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 784 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 1. 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 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. 2. 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 of this title, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made. Claims 1- 4, 6-11, 13-18 and 2 0 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Publication No US 202 4 / 03 73345 to Niemela et al. (hereinafter Niemela ) in view of CN 115696688 As to claims 1, 8 and 15 , Niemela discloses a method of wireless communication, the method comprising: collecting predicted environmental condition information for a base station of a wireless network (Niemela; [0089] -[ 0090] discloses a power consump tion profile of a base station is a characterization of how much power the base station consumes over a period of time under different conditions. It can be used to understand the energy usage patterns of the base station, which can help to optimize the energy usage of the base station. the power consum ption profile may include information about the base station's energy usage during different times of the day, different weather conditions (= environmental condition ) , different levels of network traffic, and other factors that may affect the energy consumption of the base statio n) ; collecting historical power consumption data (Niemela; [0085] discloses history-based traffic profiles and power consumption profiles may provide a good estimate on the available reserve capacity, they may become obsolete with short notice, if other functions in the system (dynamically) change the base station configuration. Such changes should be taken into account, when decisions for VPP and/or peak shaving are made, such as the amount or duration of battery-based operation or exclusion or inclusion of base station sites for VPP or peak shaving actions ) using the historical power consumption data and the environmental condition information, predicting, at the base station, a power usage profile for the base station, wherein the predicted power usage profile includes power consumed by the plurality of electrically- powered assets (Niemela; [0083] -[ 0085] discloses Data traffic and power consumption profiles may be made based on the hist ory of measurements, counters or KPIs from base stations, or in some cases directly from the power system . Different applications and functions in base stations, network management system and/or RAN intelligent controller (RIC) may trigger changes that alter data traffic and power consumption profiles in a base station. If a RAN, RIC, NMS application or function changes parameters in a certain base station, it may have impact to the data traffic and/or power consumption profiles of neighboring base stations as well . history-based traffic profiles and power consumption profiles may provide a good estimate on the available reserve capacity, they may become obsolete with short notice, if other functions in the system (dynamically) change the base station configuration. Such changes should be taken into account, when decisions for VPP and/or peak shaving are made, such as the amount or duration of battery-based operation or exclusion or inclusion of base station sites for VPP or peak shaving actions. [0180] discloses b y using ESM, data traffic and power consumption can be optimized to match with the available or predict ed renewable energy capacity, such as solar panels at the cell site, so that the cell site (base station) may be operated fully with renewable capacity, or the ratio of renewable energy over the total consumption may be optimized ) . predicting, at the base station, performance of a secondary power source at the base station (Niemela; [0180] discloses b y using ESM, data traffic and power consumption can be optimized to match with the available or predict ed renewable energy capacity, such as solar panels at the cell site, so that the cell site (base station) may be operated fully with renewable capacity, or the ratio of renewable energy over the total consumption may be optimized ) ; and using the predicted power usage profile and the predicted performance of the secondary power source, selecting, at the base station, a power preservation action from the list consisting of: diverting incoming primary power to recharge a battery, using battery charge in lieu of primary power for at least one of the electrically-powered assets located at the base station, and selectively powering one of the electrically-powered assets while reducing power to another (Niemela; [0134] -[ 0135] discloses the VPP controller initiates or performs the one or more VPP actions or peak shaving actions associated with at least one base station of the one or more base stations. The VPP action information may be transmitted before or during the one or more VPP actions or peak shaving actions (e.g., in real time as the actions are performed) . The one or more virtual power plant actions or peak shaving actions may comprise at least one of: charging one or more batteries of the at least one base station from a power grid, discharging energy from the one or more batteries to the power grid, operating the at least one base station on battery power, operating the at least one base station on power provided by the power grid, or reducing power consumption of the at least one base station ) . Niemela discloses of collecting historical power consumption data , but fails to disclose collecting historical power consumption data for a plurality of electrically-powered assets located at the base station . However, CN 115696688 discloses collecting historical power consumption data for a plurality of electrically-powered assets located at the base station (CN 115696688; Page 2 : Contents of the Invention discloses according to the historical power consumption state data of all street lamps of the outdoor illumination area, determining the illumination power consumption peak period of the outdoor illumination area, collecting the real-time power data of all street lamps in the lighting peak period, and combining the power transmission load of the power transmission transformation base station corresponding to the outdoor lighting sheet area, judging whether to switch the power supply mode of the street lamp of the outdoor lighting area, when there is no need to switch the power supply mode, then according to the external environment state information of the area of each street lamp, adjusting the illumination state of the street lamp; when the power supply mode needs to be switched, according to the historical power consumption state data of each street lamp, determining at least one street lamp needed to switch the power supply mode, and then switching the power supply of the corresponding street lamp, based on the historical power consumption state data of all street lamps in the outdoor illumination sheet area ) It is obvious for a person of ordinary skilled in the art to combine the teachings before the effective filing date of the invention. One would be motivated to combine the teachings and use the power supply based on the on demand and thus use the limited resources in an effective way. As to claims 2 , 9 and 16, the rejection of claim 1 as listed above is incorporated herein. In addition, Niemela- CN 115696688 discloses wherein the secondary power source comprise at least one power source selected from the list consisting of: a power harvester, a wind-powered generator, solar-powered generator, and a power saving mode of an electrically-powered asset located at the base station (Niemela; [0180] discloses By using ESM, data traffic and power consumption can be optimized to match with the available or predicted renewable energy capacity, such as solar panels at the cell site, so that the cell site (base station) may be operated fully with renewable capacity, or the ratio of renewable energy over the total consumption may be optimized . Here Niemela is applied for the 3rd alternative solar-powered generator ) . As to claims 3 , 10 and 1 7 , the rejection of claim 1 as listed above is incorporated herein. In addition, Niemela- CN 115696688 discloses wherein predicting the performance of the secondary power source comprises using the predicted environmental condition information (Niem ela; [0180] discloses i n legacy systems, when energy saving is done, the available renewable energy capacity (e.g., solar panels) at the cell site is not taken into account in energy saving decisions. By using ESM, data traffic and power consumption can be optimized to match with the available or pred icted renewable energy capacity, such as solar panels at the cell site, so that the cell site (base station) may be operated fully with renewable capacity, or the ratio of renewable energy over the total consumption may be optimized ) ; and wherein predicting the performance of the secondary power source comprises predicting at least one performance selected from the list consisting of: wind-powered generator performance, solar-powered generator performance, and battery performance (Niemela; [0180] discloses i n legacy systems, when energy saving is done, the available renewable energy capacity (e.g., solar panels) at the cell site is not taken into account in energy saving decisions. By using ESM, data traffic and power consumption can be optimized to match with the available or pred icted renewable energy capacity, such as solar panels at the cell site, so that the cell site (base station) may be operated fully with renewable capacity, or the ratio of renewable energy over the total consumption may be optimized . Here Niemela is applied for the 3rd alternative solar-powered generator ) . As to claims 4 , 1 1 and 1 8 , the rejection of claim 1 as listed above is incorporated herein. In addition, Niemela- CN 115696688 discloses wherein the plurality of electrically-powered assets comprises two different generation cellular technology radios, a tower light, and cooling equipment (Niemela; [0052] discloses In 5G wireless communication networks, access nodes and/or UEs may have multiple radio interfaces, namely below 6 GHz, cmWave and mmWave, and also being integrable with existing legacy radio access techn ologies ) As to claims 6 , 1 3 and 20 , the rejection of claim 1 as listed above is incorporated herein. In addition, Niemela- CN 115696688 discloses wherein the predicted power usage profile, the predicted performance of the secondary power source, and the selected power preservation action is each specific to a time of day, a day of week, and/or a specific date (Niemela; [0070]; [0090] discloses the power consumption profile may include information about the base station's energy usage during different times of the day. Here Niemela is applied for the 1st alternative) As to claims 7 and 14 , the rejection of claim 1 as listed above is incorporated herein. In addition, Niemela- CN 115696688 discloses further comprising: collecting information regarding an event associated with an increased number of wireless network users in a vicinity of the base station, wherein predicting the power usage profile for the base station comprises using the collected information regarding the event (Niemela; [0070]-[0090] discloses the power consumption profile may include information about the base station's energy usage during different times of the day , different weather conditions, different levels of network traffic, and other factors that may affect the energy consumption of the base station ) Claims 5, 12 and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Publication No US 202 4 / 0373345 to Niemela et al. (hereinafter Niemela ) in view of CN 115696688 in view of U.S. Publication No US 202 4 / 0214925 to N ocete et al. (hereinafter N ocete ) As to claims 5 , 1 2 and 1 9 , Niemela- CN 115696688 discloses prediction of the power usage profile, the prediction of the performance of the secondary power source, and the selection of the power preservation action , but fails to discloses wherein the prediction of the power usage profile, the prediction of the performance of the secondary power source, and the selection of the power preservation action are performed using machine learning (ML) . However, Nocete discloses wherein the prediction of the power usage profile, the prediction of the performance of the secondary power source, and the selection of the power preservation action are performed using machine learning (ML) (Nocete; [0009] discloses the artificial intelligence cellular base station management program is a Non-Real-Time Radio Access Network Intelligent Controller (Non-RT RIC). In some embodiments, the method further includes adjusting operational parameters of the artificial intelligence cellular base station management program using mach ine learning. [0007] discloses The process includes determining the cellular base station is subject to a power outage and is being supplied power from backup power storage, preparing a notification of the power outage that is configured to be recognized by an artif icial intelligence cellular base station management program operating on a cloud computing network, sending the notification to the cloud computing network so as to be recognized by the artif icial intelligence cellular base station management program, receiving a backup power consumption i nstruction from the cloud computer network in response to the artif icial intelligence cellular base station management program evaluating that at least one criterion compelling control of backup power consumption exists, and effectuating a change in backup power consumption at the cellular base station by executing the backup power consumption instruction ) . It is obvious for a person of ordinary skilled in the art to combine the teachings before the effective filing date of the invention. One would be motivated to combine the teachings and manage the power outage using machine learning or artificial intelligence . Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FILLIN "Examiner name" \* MERGEFORMAT FAISAL CHOUDHURY whose telephone number is FILLIN "Phone number" \* MERGEFORMAT (571)270-3001 . The examiner can normally be reached FILLIN "Work Schedule?" \* MERGEFORMAT M-F 8AM-6P.M . Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, FILLIN "SPE Name?" \* MERGEFORMAT Joseph Avellino can be reached at FILLIN "SPE Phone?" \* MERGEFORMAT 5712723905 . The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /FAISAL CHOUDHURY/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2478
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Nov 07, 2023
Application Filed
Apr 02, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12603729
TERMINAL DEVICE, BASE STATION DEVICE, METHOD FOR CONTROLLING TERMINAL DEVICE, AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING BASE STATION DEVICE
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12598599
METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR SEMI-PERSISTENT SCHEDULING (SPS) DOWNLINK TRANSMISSION
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12592768
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETECTING AND PREVENTING MALFEASANT ACTIVITY VIA USE OF SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 31, 2026
Patent 12592874
Validation of Time Synchronization
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 31, 2026
Patent 12574068
GENERATING A COMPOSITE SIGNAL WITH CODE DIVISION MULTIPLEXING (CDM) AND TIME DIVISION MULTIPLEXING (TDM) PILOTS
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 10, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

AI Strategy Recommendation

Get an AI-powered prosecution strategy using examiner precedents, rejection analysis, and claim mapping.
Powered by AI — typically takes 5-10 seconds

Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
85%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+15.4%)
2y 9m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 784 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

Sign in with your work email

Enter your email to receive a magic link. No password needed.

Personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not accepted.

Free tier: 3 strategy analyses per month