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 .
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)(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) 1-9, 11-15 and 18-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by He WO 2023/069025 (hereinafter “He”).
Regarding claims 1 and 20, He discloses a method for energy control comprising: receiving an operating point (e.g. setpoints) of an energy conversion device (e.g. energy dispatch system w/one or more of solar panels, wind turbine, power storage devices) at a telematics interface of a data processing system (e.g. ¶23), the telematics interface configured to receive information from the energy conversion device (e.g. pg. 1-2; pg. 5, 1st and 2nd ¶); generating, by the data processing system, a digital twin (i.e. created digital twin) of the energy conversion device, the digital twin having a virtual operating point (e.g. pg. 1-2; pg. 5, 2nd ¶ - pg. 8); predicting, by the data processing system, a future load (e.g. forecasted/predicted consumption/power demand/load) associated with the energy conversion device (e.g. pg. 1-2; pg. 5, 2nd ¶ - pg. 8); modeling a predicted response to the future load (e.g. simulated future behavior) based on the digital twin, the predicted response corresponding to the virtual operating point (e.g. pg. 1-2; pg. 5, 2nd ¶ - pg. 8); and conveying, to the energy conversion device via the telematics interface, an adjustment to the operating point (e.g. optimized setpoints) of the energy conversion device based on the predicted response to the future load (e.g. pg. 1-2; pg. 5, 2nd ¶ - pg. 8).
Regarding claims 2 and 19, He discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the energy conversion device comprises a generator set, and the method further comprises: detecting, by the data processing system, a deviation between the operating point of the generator set (e.g. actual operation behavior) and the virtual operating point (e.g. simulated operation behavior) (e.g. pg. 6-8 and 21); and updating the digital twin of the generator set based on the deviation (e.g. pg. 6-8 and 21; pg. 22-23, last ¶ and 2nd ¶).
Regarding claims 3 and 18, He discloses the method of claim 2, further comprising: identifying, based on the deviation, a degraded operation of the generator set (e.g. pg. 6-8 and 21; pg. 22-23, last ¶ and 2nd ¶); determining, by the data processing system, an intervention (e.g. optimized options/candidate solutions) associated with the degraded operation (e.g. pg. 6-8 and 21; pg. 22-23, last ¶ and 2nd ¶); and conveying, by the data processing system, a message (e.g. displayed optimized data) indicative of the intervention (e.g. pg. 23-24).
Regarding claim 4, He discloses the method of claim 3, further comprising: initiating, based on the message indicative of the intervention, an action to automatically resolve the degraded operation (e.g. pg. 6-8 and 21; pg. 22-23, last ¶ and 2nd ¶).
Regarding claim 5, He discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: receiving, from the telematics interface, additional operating points of each of a plurality of additional energy sources (e.g. pg. 1-2; pg. 5, 1st and 2nd ¶); and adjusting the operating point of the energy conversion device based on the additional operating points of the plurality of additional energy sources (e.g. pg. 1-2; pg. 5, 2nd ¶ - pg. 8).
Regarding claim 6, He discloses the method of claim 5, wherein the adjusting of the operating point of the energy conversion device comprises engaging or disengaging the energy conversion device (e.g. pg. 1-2; pg. 5, 2nd ¶ - pg. 8).
Regarding claim 7, He discloses the method of claim 6, wherein the receipt of additional operating points of each of the plurality of additional energy sources comprises: receiving additional operating points of an energy storage device (e.g. pg. 1-2; pg. 5, 2nd ¶ - pg. 8).
Regarding claim 8, He discloses the method of claim 5, wherein the digital twin of the energy conversion device models a fuel use, and the adjustment to the operating point is configured to reduce a fuel use of the plurality of additional energy sources (e.g. pg. 10, ¶2nd ¶; pg. 16-18).
Regarding claim 9, He discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the digital twin of the energy conversion device includes a wear prediction (e.g. anticipated degradation of performance), and the adjustment to the operating point is configured to extend an operating life thereof (e.g. pg. 1-2; pg. 5, 2nd ¶ - pg. 8).
Regarding claim 11, He discloses the method of claim 1, wherein conveying the adjustment to the operating point of the energy conversion device comprises: conveying an adjustment to at least one of: a voltage of a generator set; a frequency of the generator set; or a total power of the generator set (e.g. pg. 1-2; pg. 5, 2nd ¶ - pg. 8).
Regarding claim 12, He discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: presenting an indication of the adjustment to the operating point of the energy conversion device (e.g. pg. 1-2; pg. 5, 2nd ¶ - pg. 8); and thereupon receiving an indication to apply the adjustment, wherein conveying the adjustment to the operating point is responsive to receiving the indication to apply the adjustment (e.g. pg. 1-2; pg. 5, 2nd ¶ - pg. 8).
Regarding claim 13, He discloses a data processing system configured to interface with a generator set, the data processing system comprising: a telematics interface configured to: receive operating point data from a generator set (e.g. pg. 1-2; pg. 5, 1st and 2nd ¶); and convey an adjustment to the operating point of the generator set (e.g. pg. 1-2; pg. 5, 2nd ¶ - pg. 8); processing circuitry configured to generate and store a digital twin configured to: generate first virtual operating point data based the operating point data received from the telematics interface (e.g. pg. 1-2; pg. 5, 2nd ¶ - pg. 8); receive a load prediction for a load associated with the generator set (e.g. pg. 1-2; pg. 5, 2nd ¶ - pg. 8); model a generator set transfer function corresponding to the generator set and the load prediction (e.g. pg. 1-2; pg. 5, 2nd ¶ - pg. 8); and generate second virtual operating point data (e.g. additional setpoint) based on the generator set transfer function, the data processing system configured to determine the adjustment to the operating point of the generator set responsive to the second virtual operating point data (e.g. pg. 1-2; pg. 5, 2nd ¶ - pg. 8).
Regarding claim 14, He discloses the data processing system of claim 13, wherein: the telematics interface is configured to receive additional operating point data from an additional generator set (e.g. pg. 1-2; pg. 5, 1st and 2nd ¶); and the processing circuitry is configured to generate and store an additional digital twin corresponding to the additional generator set, the additional digital twin configured to: receive the load prediction (e.g. pg. 1-2; pg. 5, 2nd ¶ - pg. 8); model an additional generator set transfer function corresponding to the additional generator set and the load prediction (e.g. pg. 1-2; pg. 5, 2nd ¶ - pg. 8); and generate additional virtual operating point data based on the additional generator set transfer function, wherein the adjustment is based on the additional virtual operating point data (e.g. pg. 1-2; pg. 5, 2nd ¶ - pg. 8).
Regarding claim 15, He discloses the data processing system of claim 13, wherein, to determine the adjustment to the operating point of the generator set, the data processing system is configured to: determine that the adjustment includes an engagement or disengagement of the generator set (e.g. pg. 1-2; pg. 5, 2nd ¶ - pg. 8).
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) 10, 16 and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over He as applied to the claims above, and further in view of Scobie WO 2020/056468 (hereinafter “Scobie”).
Regarding claims 10 and 17, He discloses adjusting the operating point of the conversion device, but does not explicitly disclose adjusting the power factor. Regarding claim 16, He does not explicitly discloses determining a voltage, frequency and power factor of the operating point data.
Regarding claims 10 and 17, Scobie discloses adjusting the power factor of a generator set (e.g. pg. 12, last ¶; pg. 28, 2nd ¶; pg. 30-31, last ¶). Regarding claim 16, Scobie discloses generating virtual operating point data, by determining a voltage, frequency and power factor of a virtual operating point data (e.g. ¶28, 2nd ¶).
At the time the invention was filed, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to determine an operating point by monitoring voltage, frequency and power factor and adjust the power factor of a generator set. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do this in order to improve the quality of the supplied power (see Scobie pg. 30-31).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to modify He with Scobie to obtain the invention as specified in claims 10, 16 and 17.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHARLES R KASENGE whose telephone number is (571)272-3743. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 7:30am to 4pm EST.
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CK
January 6, 2026
/CHARLES R KASENGE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2116