DETAILED ACTION
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.
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 is directed to non-statutory subject matter. The claims do not fall within at least one of the four categories of patent eligible subject matter because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more.
The claims recite regulating a gas pressure, gasifying a gas, and determining an emergency gas supply plan (see claims 1, 11, 12). The claims further using user information (see claims 2, 13), predicting gas demand (see claims 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 14, 15, 16, 17), obtaining emergency vehicle information and dispatching the emergency vehicle (see claims 8, 9, 18, 19), and determining a duration of a gas supply (see claims 10, 20). The regulating, gasifying, determining, using, predicting, obtaining, dispatching, and determining, as briefly described above and as recited in claims 1-20, are mental processes (e.g., determining operation parameters as recited in claim 1). Accordingly, claims 1-20 recite an abstract idea because the particular limitations, as briefly outlined above, fall into at one of the groupings of abstract ideas (see MPEP 2106.04(a)).
This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application because the claim limitations are directed to the generality of determining operating parameters (e.g., see claim 1). In other words, the claim limitations are generally determining operating parameters based on information and these generally applicable claim limitations are not particularly tied to a system. Furthermore, the claim limitations are not directed to an application for any particular system and the application is only nominally directed to an application for various systems (e.g., see paragraph 0002 of the specification as filed). In other words, the claim limitations are not providing meaningful limitations to the equipment and system. Finally, the equipment and system, as recited in independent claims 1 and 11, are merely the field of use of the determining an emergency plan as the elements are not integrated into the claim limitations. In other words, the equipment and system are no more than a general link to the technology environment and do not provide any meaningful limitations to the claims.
The claims do not include additional elements, individually or in combination, that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception because the equipment, vehicle, tank, device, module, pipeline, and platforms, as recited in claims 1-20, are generic elements. Furthermore, the claim limitations are implemented on these generic elements. In other words, the claim limitations are being implemented on these components and are not specifically liked to these elements.
Accordingly, these claims are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claims 1 and 11, the metes and bounds of the limitation” the gasification device being configured to gasify a gas in the gas storage tank” is unclear. How does the gasification device gasify a gas? If gas is in the gas storage tank then what is the gasification device doing to the gas to gasify the gas? Paragraphs 0043-0044 and 0055 of the specification as filed describe the gasification device 250, as illustrated in figure 2, but provides no support as to how gas is gasified.
Claims 2-10 and 12-20 depend, directly or indirectly, from claims 1 and 11, respectively, and are rejected based on their dependency thereto.
Allowable Subject Matter
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance with respect to the prior art (except for the 35 U.S.C. 101 and 112 rejections as described above):
Claims 1-10
Regarding claim 1, the prior art as described in the prosecution history describes:
CN 112145965A (Beijing) (citations to English translation) (cited by Applicant) in view of
Yang Guoying, Ren Yongping, Chen Shuping and Feng Chenran, "Structural design of skid-mounted fueling station for LNG vehicles," 2011 International Conference on Materials for Renewable Energy & Environment, Shanghai, China, 2011, pp. 1971-1975 (Yang).
The cited prior art describes a smart gas emergency gas supply equipment, (Beijing: see the gas emergency device as described in the abstract)
wherein the smart gas emergency gas supply equipment is an emergency vehicle including (Beijing: see the vehicle mounted gas emergency device 100 as described in the abstract and as illustrated in figure 1)
a skid-mounted vehicle, (Yang: see the skid mounted gas filling station with gas storage, piping, and a control system as described in section III)
a gas storage tank, (Beijing: see the gas storage device 101 as described in the abstract and as illustrated in figure 1)
an extensible pipeline group, (Beijing: see the air source inlet 106 and the air source outlet 107 as illustrated in figure 1)
a pressure regulating device, (Beijing: see the pressure regulating device 103 as described in the abstract and as illustrated in figure 1)
a gasification device, and (Beijing: see the gasification device 102 as described in the abstract and as illustrated in figure 1)
a control module, (Yang: see the control system as described in section III)
the skid-mounted vehicle being configured to install the gas storage tank, the extensible pipeline group, the pressure regulating device, the gasification device, and the control module by skid-mounting; (Yang: see the skid mounted gas filling station with gas storage, piping, and a control system as described in section III) (Beijing: see the vehicle mounted gas emergency device 100 as described in the abstract and as illustrated in figure 1)
the extensible pipeline group at least including (Beijing: see the air source inlet 106 and the air source outlet 107 as illustrated in figure 1)
a gas inlet pipeline group and (Beijing: see the air source inlet 106 as illustrated in figure 1)
a gas outlet pipeline group, (Beijing: see the air source outlet 107 as illustrated in figure 1)
wherein the gas inlet pipeline group is configured to connect to a pipeline in a gas pipeline network or an emergency vehicle to be dispatched within a preset range, and (Beijing: see the air source inlet 106 as illustrated in figure 1; “one port of the air storage device 101 is connected to the air source inlet 106 for storing LNG (compressed natural gas)” page 3; “Referring to fig. 1 and 2, the gas storage device 101 includes four gas storage cylinders connected in parallel, the four gas storage cylinders are four low-temperature heat-insulating steel cylinders 11 to 14, the four low-temperature heat-insulating steel cylinders 11 to 14 are respectively used for storing LNG, one ports of the four low-temperature heat-insulating steel cylinders 11 to 14 are respectively connected to a gas source inlet 106 through pipes and are used for storing LNG, and one port of the gas storage device 101 is also respectively connected to the gasification device 102 through a gas inlet pipe 16 and is used for conveying the stored LNG to the gasification device 102 for gasification and temperature rise.” Page 3)
the gas outlet pipeline group is configured to connect to the pipeline in the gas pipeline network or the pressure regulating device; (Beijing: see the air source outlet 107 as illustrated in figure 1; “The pressure regulating device 103 comprises a first pressure regulating valve group 31 and a second pressure regulating valve group 32, the air outlet ends of the first heat exchanger 21 and the second heat exchanger 22 are respectively connected with one end of the first pressure regulating valve group 31 through an air transmission pipeline 23, the other end of the first pressure regulating valve group 31 is connected with an air source outlet 107 through an air outlet pipeline 33, and the pressure regulating device is used for carrying out primary pressure regulation on the LNG gasified and heated by the first heat exchanger 21 and the second heat exchanger 22; the outlet pipe way 33 that the other end of first pressure regulating valves 31 and air supply outlet 107 are connected has in parallel on the second pressure regulating valves 32, the one end of second pressure regulating valves 32 is connected first pressure regulating valves 31, the other end is connected outlet pipe way 33, process LNG behind the 31 one-level pressure regulating of first pressure regulating valves gets into second pressure regulating valves 32 carries out the second grade pressure regulating, process LNG after the second grade pressure regulating of second pressure regulating valves 32 exports to in the outlet pipe way.” Page 4)
the pressure regulating device being configured to regulate a gas pressure; (Beijing: see the pressure regulating device 103 as described in the abstract and as illustrated in figure 1; “the pressure regulating device 103 regulates the pressure of the gasified LNG” page 3)
the gasification device being configured to gasify a gas in the gas storage tank; and (Beijing: see the gasification device 102 as described in the abstract and as illustrated in figure 1; “the gasification device 102 for gasification and temperature rise” page 3)
However, regarding claim 1, the prior art as described in the prosecution history does not describe:
the control module being configured to determine, based on an emergency gas supply plan of the smart gas emergency gas supply device, operating parameters of the pressure regulating device and the gasification device,
wherein the emergency gas supply plan at least includes
a gas source selection plan and
a gas demand,
the gas source selection plan at least including
a gas pipeline network crossover and
a gas tank direct supply.
Dependent claims 2-10 depend from independent claim 1 and are allowable for the same reasons as described above.
Claims 11-20
Independent claim 11 is substantially similar to independent claim 1 and is allowable for the same reasons as outlined above with respect to claim 1. Dependent claims 12-20 depend from independent claim 11 and are allowable for the same reasons as described above.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0149097 describes a gas demand prediction system.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020/0293997 describes maintenance scheduling according to fault handling of a gas meter.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2022/0146048 describes hydrogen transport, distribution, and storage system.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2022/0180453 describes LPG price determination system using climate and household information.
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/Christopher E. Everett/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2117