METHOD FOR CONSTRUCTING SECURITY REGION OF INTEGRATED ELECTRICITY AND HEATING SYSTEM

§101 §103

DETAILED ACTION Claims 1-7 have been examined and are pending. Claims 1-7 are rejected (Non-Final Rejection). Notice of 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 . Priority Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority. Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55. Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 25 September 2023 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the IDS has been considered by the examiner. Claim Rejections - 35 U.S.C. § 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. To determine if a claim is directed to patent ineligible subject matter, the Court has guided the Office to apply the Alice/Mayo test, which requires: 1. Determining if the claim falls within a statutory category; 2A. Determining if the claim is directed to a patent ineligible judicial exception consisting of a law of nature, a natural phenomenon, or abstract idea; and 2B. If the claim is directed to a judicial exception, determining if the claim recites limitations or elements that amount to significantly more than the judicial exception. (See MPEP 2106). Claims 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 101 because the claimed inventions are directed to an abstract idea without significantly more. The claim(s) recite a mental process and a mathematical calculation. See MPEP § 2106.04(a)(2)(I) and MPEP § 2106.04(a)(2)(III). Claims 1-7 Step 1, Statutory Category?: Yes: Claims 1-7 are directed to the statutory category of a process. See MPEP § 2106.03. Step 2A: Step 2A is a two-prong inquiry. See MPEP 2106.04(II)(A). Under the first prong, examiners evaluate whether a law of nature, natural phenomenon, or abstract idea is set forth or described in the claim. Abstract ideas include mathematical concepts, certain methods of organizing human activity, and mental processes. MPEP § 2106.04(a)(2). The second prong is an inquiry into whether the claim integrates a judicial exception into a practical application. MPEP § 2106.04(d). Claim 1 Step 2A Prong One: Does the Claim Recite a Judicial Exception? For the sake of identifying the abstract ideas, recitations of the claim are provided below. The limitations of the claims that describe abstract ideas are bolded. 1. A method for constructing a security region of an integrated electricity and heating system, comprising the following steps: establishing a dynamic model of the integrated electricity and heating system, comprising a power system model established based on power conservation, a dynamic model of a quality-regulated heating system model established based on pipe heat transfer, node heat exchange, node temperature fusion, and pipe-node temperature association, and a dynamic model of a combined heat and power unit constructed based on production capacity of the combined heat and power unit; and constructing, in combination with operational security constraints of the dynamic model of the integrated electricity and heating system, a security region model of the integrated electricity and heating system, solving, aiming at nonlinear and nonconvex characteristics of the security region of the integrated electricity and heating system, a security region boundary by adopting a concave hull method, and depicting the security region. The limitations of claim 1 that are bolded can be performed using mathematical calculations/equations and therefore encompass mathematical concepts. See MPEP 2106.04(a)(2)(I). For example, Paras. [0062] & [0063] of the published specification (US 2024/0303391 A1) indicate that “power system model is established, including a power conservation equation and a power conservation equation”, and Para. [0065] of the published specification indicates that “dynamic model of the quality-regulated heating system model is established, including a pipe heat transfer equation, a node heat exchange equation, a node temperature fusion equation, and a pipe-node temperature association equation”. Thus, “establishing a dynamic model of the integrated electricity and heating system” is interpreted as establishing at least seven equations mentioned above and an eighth equation based on “production capacity of the combined heat and power unit”. The additional limitation of “constructing … a security model and solving … a security region boundary” are also interpreted as reciting mathematical concepts. In addition, the “establishing” and “constructing” of equations can be considered to be abstract ideas because they are directed to mental processes, observations, evaluations, judgments, and/or opinions. The limitations, as drafted and under broadest reasonable interpretation, “can be performed in the human mind or by a human using a pen and paper”. See MPEP 2106.04(a)(2)(III). For example, a human could establish/construct equations, such as by copying them from an original source. Accordingly, the claim 1 recites an abstract idea. Claim 1 Step 2A Prong Two: Does the claim recite additional elements that integrate the judicial exception/Abstract idea into practical application? Under Step 2A Prong Two, this judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application because the additional claim limitations outside of the abstract idea only present mere instructions to apply an exception, generally link the use of the judicial exception to the technological environment, or insignificant extra-solution activity. In particular, the claim recites the additional limitations of: • “depicting the security region” (insignificant extra-solution activity – mere data inputting or outputting – see MPEP 2106.04(d) referencing MPEP 2106.05(g); this limitation can be viewed as nothing more than mere data gathering/inputting/outputting in conjunction with the abstract idea (see MPEP § 2106.05(g)). Claim 1 Step 2B: Do the additional elements, considered individually and in combination, amount to significantly more than the judicial exception? The Examiner must consider whether each claim limitation individually or as an ordered combination amount to significantly more than the abstract idea. This analysis includes determining whether an inventive concept is furnished by an element or a combination of elements that are beyond the judicial exception. For limitations that were categorized as “apply it” or generally linking the use of the abstract idea to a particular technological environment or field of use, the analysis is the same. The claim does not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception. As explained above, there are two types of additional elements. The type of additional element is the “depicting” (outputting) of a security region, which as explained previously is insignificant extra-solution activity (mere data inputting/gathering/outputting). Recitation of outputting data is mere data gathering/inputting/outputting that is recited at a high level of generality, and is also well-known. This limitation therefore remains insignificant extra-solution activity even upon reconsideration. Thus, this limitation does not amount to significantly more. Even when considered in combination, these additional elements represent mere instructions to generally link the use of the judicial exception to the technological environment, which do not provide an inventive concept. The claims do not include any additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception. See MPEP § 2106.05(f). Considering the claim limitations as an ordered combination, claim 1 does not include significantly more than the abstract idea. The claim 1 is not patent subject matter eligible. For the foregoing reasons, claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 101 as being directed to patent ineligible subject matter. Dependent Claims 2-7 Regarding claims 2-7, claim 2 depends from claim 1 and further recites: “wherein the power system model comprises a power conservation equation and a power conservation equation at nodes and branches: PNG media_image1.png 150 433 media_image1.png Greyscale wherein i and j represent node numbers respectively, t is a time flag, Vi,t represents a voltage amplitude of node i at time t, PGi,t and PLi,t represent a generator produced active power and a load consumed active power of node i at time t, QGi,t and QLi,t represent a generator produced reactive power and a load consumed reactive power of node i at time t, Gij and Bij represent conductance and susceptance between node i and node j, θij,t represents a phase angle difference between node i and node j at time t, and P1,ij,t and Q1,ij,t represent an active power and a reactive power transmitted between node i and node j at time t”, claim 3 depends from claim 1 and further recites: “wherein the dynamic model of the quality-regulated heating system model comprises a pipe heat transfer equation, a node heat exchange equation, a node temperature fusion equation, and a pipe-node temperature association equation: PNG media_image2.png 160 417 media_image2.png Greyscale wherein Φ and Θ represent a pipe set and a node set of the heating system respectively, Tj,x,t represents a relative temperature at x on pipe j at time t, vj represents a water flow velocity of pipe j, Cw is the specific heat capacity of water, mj is the mass flow rate of pipe water flow, λj represents a thermal resistance coefficient of pipe j, ϕi,t represents a consumed thermal power of node i at time t, Ts i,t and Ti,t r represent relative water supply and return temperatures of node i at time t, L represents a pipe length, and Φj i and Φj 0 represent pipe sets flowing into and out of node j respectively; and an analytical solution of Equation (5) is represented as: PNG media_image3.png 57 426 media_image3.png Greyscale wherein δ represents a step function, φ(j,x−vt) represents a temperature distribution at x−vt on pipe j at an initial time, and ψ(j,t−x/v) represents a temperature distribution at an inlet of pipe j at time t−x/v”, claim 4 depends from claim 1 and further recites: “wherein the dynamic model of the combined heat and power unit comprises a coal-fired boiler, a steam turbine, a generator, and a steam-water heat exchanger, and the dynamic model of the combined heat and power unit is constructed as follows: input fuel of the coal-fired boiler is represented as: PNG media_image4.png 37 340 media_image4.png Greyscale wherein KB1 is a unit heat value of the fuel, ϕB,t represents input heat of the boiler at time t, and mB,t represents a mass flow rate inputted to the boiler at time t; energy conservation in the boiler is represented as: PNG media_image5.png 45 401 media_image5.png Greyscale wherein KB2 is combustion efficiency of the boiler, KB3 is a heat storage coefficient of the boiler, KT1 is a gain of the boiler, pT,t is a pressure of the steam turbine at time t, ϕH,t represents a heat supply power at time t, and pB,t is a pressure of the coal-fired boiler at time t; energy conservation in the steam turbine is represented as: PNG media_image6.png 43 381 media_image6.png Greyscale wherein KT2 is an inlet opening of the steam turbine, KT3 is a gain of the steam turbine, KT4 is a delay coefficient of the steam turbine, and PT,t is an electric power generated by the steam turbine at time t; the pressure of the coal-fired boiler and the pressure of the steam turbine satisfy: PNG media_image7.png 38 368 media_image7.png Greyscale wherein KB4 is a friction resistance coefficient of the boiler; energy conservation in the steam-water heat exchanger is represented as: PNG media_image8.png 54 422 media_image8.png Greyscale wherein KH1 represents a heat storage coefficient of the heat exchanger, KH2 represents a thermal conductivity coefficient of the heat exchanger, mH,t represents a mass flow rate of water flow for heat exchange in the heat exchanger at time t, TH,t i and TH,t o represent inlet and outlet temperatures of the steam-water heat exchanger at time t; and an ordinary differential equation is discretized by using an implicit Euler method, and Equations (11), (12), and (14) are respectively discretized as: PNG media_image9.png 153 425 media_image9.png Greyscale wherein Δt is a time step, and pB,t-Δt, PT,t-Δt, and TH,t-Δt o represent a pressure of the coal-fired boiler, an electric power inputted to the steam turbine, and an outlet temperature of the steam-water heat exchanger at time t−Δt”, claim 5 depends from claim 1 and further recites: “wherein the operational security constraints of the dynamic model of the integrated electricity and heating system comprise operational security constraints of the power system model, operational security constraints of the dynamic model of the quality-regulated heating system model, and operational security constraints of the dynamic model of the combined heat and power unit: the operational security constraints of the power system comprise branch transmission power constraints, upper and lower limit constraints of generator active and reactive powers, upper and lower limit constraints of node voltage amplitude, and voltage phase angle constraints, as shown in Equations (18) to (21) respectively: PNG media_image10.png 138 403 media_image10.png Greyscale wherein Sl,ij max represents a maximum apparent power transmitted between node i and node j, PGi min and QGi min respectively represent the lower limits of the generator active and reactive powers at node i, PGi min and QGi min respectively represent the upper limits of the generator active and reactive powers at node i, and Vi min and Vi max respectively represent the lower and upper limits of the voltage amplitude at node i; coupling constraints of the power system and the combined heat and power unit are represented as: PNG media_image11.png 38 339 media_image11.png Greyscale the operational security constraints of the quality-regulated heating system comprise node water supply and return temperature constraints, which are represented as: T i,t s,min ≤T i,t s ≤T i,t s,max ,T i,t r,min ≤T i,t r ≤T i,t r,max iϵΘ  (23) wherein Ti,t max and Ti,t s,min represent the upper and lower limits of the water supply temperature of node i at time t, Ti,t r,max and Ti,t r,min represent the upper and lower limits of the water return temperature of node i at time t, and coupling constraints of the heating system and the combined heat and power unit are represented as: PNG media_image12.png 58 357 media_image12.png Greyscale wherein TG,t s represents the water supply temperature of a heat source node at time t, TG,t r represents the water return temperature of the heat source node at time t, Equation (24) shows that the inlet and outlet mass flow rate of the steam-water heat exchanger is the mass flow rate of the heat source node, and Equation (25) shows that the outlet temperature of the steam-water heat exchanger is the water supply temperature of the heat source node and the inlet temperature of the steam-water heat exchanger is the water return temperature of the heat source node; and the operational security constraints of the combined heat and power unit comprise mass flow rate constraints of input fuel, pressure constraints of the coal-fired boiler, pressure constraints of the steam turbine, heating power constraints, supply power constraints, and electric heating power coupling constraints, as shown in Equations (26) to (31) respectively: PNG media_image13.png 212 357 media_image13.png Greyscale ”, claim 6 depends from claim 1 and further recites: “wherein the security region model of the integrated electricity and heating system is constructed as follows: variables of the integrated electricity and heating system at any time t are divided into a controllable variable Xt and a controlled variable Yt, the controllable variable comprises an active power of a generator in the power system, input fuel mass in the combined heat and power unit, a heat supply power of a heat source in the heating system, and a water supply temperature, which are respectively represented as: PNG media_image14.png 56 410 media_image14.png Greyscale wherein Xt e represents the controllable variable in the power system at time t, Xt h represents the controllable variable in the heating system at time t, Xt c represents the controllable variable in the combined heat and power unit at time t, and ϕG,t represents the heat supply power of the heat source node at time t; the controlled variable comprises branch active and reactive powers in the power system, a node voltage amplitude and phase angle, a water return temperature of the heat source node in the heating system, a water supply temperature of a load node, input heat in the combined heat and power unit, pressures of the coal-fired boiler and the steam turbine, an outlet temperature of the steam-water heat exchanger, and a supply power, which are represented as: PNG media_image15.png 115 384 media_image15.png Greyscale wherein Yt e represents the controlled variable in the power system at time t, Yt h represents the controlled variable in the heating system at time t, Yt e represents the controlled variable in the combined heat and power unit at time t, and TD,t s represents the water supply temperature of the load node at time t; the security region model of the integrated electricity and heating system considering thermal dynamics is represented as: PNG media_image16.png 58 406 media_image16.png Greyscale wherein Ωj represents the security region, X1, . . . , Xj represent the controllable variables from time 1 to time j, Y1, . . . , Yj represent the controlled variables from time 1 to time j, f is an equality constraint set in the security region model, comprising Equations (1) to (4), (6) to (10), (13), (15) to (17), (22), (24), and (25), and g is an inequality constraint set in the security region model, comprising Equations (18) to (21), (23), (26) to (31)” and claim 7 depends from claim 1 and further recites: “wherein the solving, aiming at nonlinear and nonconvex characteristics of the security region of the integrated electricity and heating system, a security region boundary by adopting a concave hull method and depicting the security region comprises the following steps: transforming a security region modeling problem into a security region boundary solving problem, transforming Equation (34) into two groups of nonlinear optimization problems, and depicting the security region boundary by solving a limit operation point, the two groups of optimization problems being respectively represented as: PNG media_image17.png 264 422 media_image17.png Greyscale wherein Equation (35) and Equation (36) respectively represent operational upper and lower limits of the integrated electricity and heating system considering thermal dynamics, Fj represents all state variable vectors in the integrated electricity and heating system at time j, Fj,i represents an ith variable in the integrated electricity and heating system at time j, A1 represents a lower limit vector of an inequality constraint, and A2 represents an upper limit vector of the inequality constraint; performing security check on the limit operation point solved by Equation (35) and Equation (36) in view of the nonconvex and nonlinear features of the security region model, defining ε as a security margin, and if the solved ith variable Fj,i in the integrated electricity and heating system at time j violates the upper limit of security operation, modifying the corresponding optimization problem as: PNG media_image18.png 79 409 media_image18.png Greyscale if the solved ith variable Fj,i in the integrated electricity and heating system at time j violates the upper limit of security operation, modifying the corresponding optimization problem as: PNG media_image19.png 82 408 media_image19.png Greyscale depicting the security region boundary by adopting the concave hull method according to the limit operation point satisfying the security check, and determining the security region of the integrated electricity and heating system considering thermal dynamics.” These features have been considered in combination with the features required by the claim(s) from which these claims depend. The bolded portion (and equations) of the additional features are considered to further clarify the details of the mathematical concepts and/or the human’s mental activity (e.g., with pen and paper). See MPEP §§ 2106.04(a)(2)(I) and (III). Therefore, these features are considered to be drawn to the abstract idea without adding significantly more, and hence claims 2-7 are considered to be ineligible under 35 U.S.C. § 101. For the foregoing reasons, claims 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 101 as being directed to patent ineligible subject matter. Claim Rejections - 35 U.S.C. § 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. 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 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over LU et al. CN107067116A (Assignee: YANSHAN UNIVERSITY) in view of BEHANDISH (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2024/0054268 A1). Examiner’s reference to LU below (and throughout the entire office action) is with reference to the attached English Translation of CN107067116A obtained from Espacenet on 28 September 2026. Regarding claim 1, LU discloses a method for constructing a security region of an integrated electricity and heating system (method for solving of multizone electric heating integrated system economic environment combined dispatching, Last Para. of Page 1 of LU), comprising the following steps: establishing a dynamic model of the integrated electricity and heating system (multizone electric heating integrated system economic environment combined dispatching, Last Para. of Page 1 of LU; See also Step 1, multizone thermodynamic system model, including cogeneration units model, first-degree heating network model and heat exchange are set up Stand model, cogeneration units model is also referred to as heat source model, Page 2 of LU), comprising a power system model established based on power conservation (3rd, Environmental costs have been taken into account while the scheduling of electric heating integrated energy system considers financial cost, have reached that energy-conservation subtracts The effect of row；,Page 6 of LU; See also Step 2, electric heating integrated energy system environmental economy combined dispatching object function is set up；, Page 8 of LU), a dynamic model of a quality-regulated heating system model (Step 1, multizone thermodynamic system model, including cogeneration units model, first-degree heating network model and heat exchange are set up Stand model, cogeneration units model is also referred to as heat source model, Page 2 of LU) established based on pipe heat transfer (Npipe For the number of heat distribution pipeline … pipeline heat loss, Section “(20)” of LU, at end of Page 4, Top of Page 5), node heat exchange (heat release of moment heat-storing device … for the maximum storage rate of heat release of heat-storing device, Sections “(25)-(26)” of LU on Page 5), node temperature fusion, and pipe-node temperature association (heat supply network is accessed using cogeneration units as thermal source, its model is expressed as：cmj (Ti,in -Ti,out )=qchp (3a) Q in (3a) formula chp For the heating power of cogeneration of heat and power, Ti,in For the temperature of flow ipe node i, Ti,out For outflow The temperature of pipeline node i, mj For pipeline j flow, Page 7 of LU), and a dynamic model of a combined heat and power unit constructed based on production capacity of the combined heat and power unit (Capacity-constrained and store hot rate constraint and be：0≤St ≤Smax (25a), Page 10 of LU); and constructing, in combination with operational security constraints of the dynamic model of the integrated electricity and heating system (Step 1, multizone thermodynamic system model, including cogeneration units model, first-degree heating network model and heat exchange are set up Stand model, cogeneration units model is also referred to as heat source model, Page 2 of LU), a security region model of the integrated electricity and heating system (Step 3, the constraints of electric heating integrated energy system economic environment combined dispatching is established；, Page 3 of LU; [the security region model/equation is interpreted as corresponding to operational states that satisfy electrical and thermal constraints]), solving, (Bidirectional variable λv , also referred to as shadow price, for increasing the susceptibility of object function, forms what Benders was cut Constraints； … Thermodynamic system subproblem solves and has drawn qv Value, and object function F values, are now defined Exist for object function F Coboundary after the v times iteration, updates Value；, Page 6 of LU). LU appears to fail to explicitly disclose solving, aiming at nonlinear and nonconvex characteristics of the security region of the integrated electricity and heating system, a security region boundary by adopting a concave hull method. BEHANDISH, however, is in the field of multi-physics models using equations (Para. [0012] of BENHADISH) and teaches solving, aiming at nonlinear and nonconvex characteristics of the security region of the integrated electricity and heating system (the relative positions, velocities, and temperatures determine pairwise spring forces, damper forces, and heat fluxes, respectively … for mechanical modeling, Para. [0083] of BEHANDISH; See also the term “conservation” laws/principles refers to laws of physics, whose scale-agnostic structure can be derived directly from the mathematical (particularly, topological) properties of space and time, such as conservation of mass, conservation of mechanical or thermal energy, conservation of momentum, conservation of electrical charge, Para. [0020] of BEHANDISH; See also nonlinear systems, Para. [0033] of BEHANDISH), a security region boundary by adopting a concave hull method (outer boundary of the complex is the convex hull for Delaunay triangulation obtained by setting α:=0 and a so-called concave hull otherwise, whose concavity is adjusted by α>0, Para. [0078] of BEHANDISH). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the electricity and heating system modeling method of LU to include the concave hull method of BEHANDISH for the purpose of providing multi-physics models that is significantly faster than high-fidelity computational fluid/solid dynamics simulations (Para. [0012] of BEHANDISH). Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over LU et al. (CN107067116A) in view of BEHANDISH (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2024/0054268 A1), and further in view of CHEN et al. (WO 2020228020 A1). Examiner’s reference to CHEN below (and throughout the entire office action) is with reference to the attached English Translation of WO 2020228020 A1 obtained from WIPO.int on 29 September 2026. Regarding claim 2, LU as modified by BEHANDISH discloses the method for constructing the security region of the integrated electricity and heating system according to claim 1 (as shown above) but appears to fail to explicitly disclose wherein the power system model comprises a power conservation equation and a power conservation equation at nodes and branches: PNG media_image1.png 150 433 media_image1.png Greyscale wherein i and j represent node numbers respectively, t is a time flag, Vi,t represents a voltage amplitude of node i at time t, PGi,t and PLi,t represent a generator produced active power and a load consumed active power of node i at time t, QGi,t and QLi,t represent a generator produced reactive power and a load consumed reactive power of node i at time t, Gij and Bij represent conductance and susceptance between node i and node j, θij,t represents a phase angle difference between node i and node j at time t, and P1,ij,t and Q1,ij,t represent an active power and a reactive power transmitted between node i and node j at time t. CHEN, however, is in the field of utilizing equations/algorithms for evaluating power (Para. [0016] of CHEN) and teaches the power system model comprises a power conservation equation and a power conservation equation at nodes and branches (good energy saving effect, Para. [0025] of CHEN): PNG media_image1.png 150 433 media_image1.png Greyscale wherein i and j represent node numbers respectively (Step 301: Determine an optimized reactive compensation amount corresponding to each compensation node based on a particle swarm algorithm, Para. [0032] of CHEN), t is a time flag, Vi,t represents a voltage amplitude of node i at time t, PGi,t (determining the timing of the network loss and determining the voltage amplitude may not be limited, Para. [0082] of CHEN) and PLi,t represent a generator produced active power and a load consumed active power of node i at time t, QGi,t and QLi,t represent a generator produced reactive power and a load consumed reactive power of node i at time t (the power flow calculation refers to calculating the distribution of active power, reactive power and voltage in the power grid under a given power system network topology, element parameters and power generation and load parameter conditions, Para. [0052] of CHEN), Gij and Bij represent conductance and susceptance between node i and node j (Gij and Bij respectively correspond to the line conductance and the voltage [susceptance] between the node i and the node j, and can be determined based on the grid topology structure, Para. [0062] of CHEN; [Examiner’s Note: the USPTO PE2E English Language translation of this Para. [0062] of CHEN recites: “G .sub.ij and B .sub.ij respectively correspond to the conductance and susceptance of the line between node i and node j, which can be determined based on the grid topology”), θij,t represents a phase angle difference between node i and node j at time t, and P1,ij,t and Q1,ij,t represent an active power and a reactive power transmitted between node i and node j at time t (since a plurality of particles are obtained by initialization, and a position of each particle corresponds to a group of reactive compensation amounts, a voltage amplitude and a node voltage phase angle of each node corresponding to each group of reactive compensation amounts may be calculated, Para. [0053] of CHEN). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the electricity and heating system modeling method of LU to include the reactive equation method of CHEN for the purpose of causing the result of the reactive compensation to be reasonable (Abstract of CHEN). Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over LU et al. (CN107067116A) in view of BEHANDISH (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2024/0054268 A1), and further in view of GU et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0356105 A1). Regarding claim 3, LU as modified by BEHANDISH discloses the method for constructing the security region of the integrated electricity and heating system according to claim 1 (as shown above), wherein the dynamic model of the quality-regulated heating system model (multizone electric heating integrated system economic environment combined dispatching, Last Para. of Page 1 of LU; See also Step 1, multizone thermodynamic system model, including cogeneration units model, first-degree heating network model and heat exchange are set up Stand model, cogeneration units model is also referred to as heat source model, Page 2 of LU) but appears to fail to explicitly disclose comprises a pipe heat transfer equation, a node heat exchange equation, a node temperature fusion equation, and a pipe-node temperature association equation PNG media_image2.png 160 417 media_image2.png Greyscale wherein Φ and Θ represent a pipe set and a node set of the heating system respectively, Tj,x,t represents a relative temperature at x on pipe j at time t, vj represents a water flow velocity of pipe j, Cw is the specific heat capacity of water, mj is the mass flow rate of pipe water flow, λj represents a thermal resistance coefficient of pipe j, ϕi,t represents a consumed thermal power of node i at time t, Ts i,t and Ti,t r represent relative water supply and return temperatures of node I at time t, L represents a pipe length, and Φj i and Φj 0 represent pipe sets flowing into and out of node j respectively; and an analytical solution of Equation (5) is represented as: PNG media_image3.png 57 426 media_image3.png Greyscale wherein δ represents a step function, φ(j,x−vt) represents a temperature distribution at x−vt on pipe j at an initial time, and ψ(j,t−x/v) represents a temperature distribution at an inlet of pipe j at time t−x/v. GU, however, is in the field of modeling method of a combined heat and power (CHP) optimal dispatching model (Para. [0002] of GU) and teaches a pipe heat transfer equation, a node heat exchange equation, a node temperature fusion equation, and a pipe-node temperature association equation: PNG media_image2.png 160 417 media_image2.png Greyscale wherein Φ and Θ represent a pipe set and a node set of the heating system respectively (the consideration of the transmission time of hot water in a heating pipe network is taken into optimal dispatch, so that the dispatching model is closer to the actual condition, the time delay characteristic of the heating pipe network is embodied, Para. [0007] of GU), Tj,x,t represents a relative temperature at x on pipe j at time t (S,k and τt+1 R,k respectively represent for water temperatures of the water supply pipeline and a water return pipe network in an area K at period t, Para. [0025] of GU), vj represents a water flow velocity of pipe j (unit pipeline length is calculated according to the velocity of water flow and dispatching time interval, see a formula (1), Para. [0025] of GU), Cw is the specific heat capacity of water (c.sub.water represents for the specific heat capacity of water, Para. [0025] of GU), mj is the mass flow rate of pipe water flow (MS.sub.t.sup.k and MR.sub.t.sup.k respectively represent for mass flow rates of hot water in a water supply pipeline and a water return pipeline in the k.sup.th heating area at period t, Para. [0025] of GU), λj represents a thermal resistance coefficient of pipe j ((1) the thermal resistance R.sub.e of soil can be calculated by using a formula (2) according to a basic theory of heat transfer … after the thermal resistance value of the soil is obtained, the temperature loss of hot water in a pipeline within a certain length can be calculated according to formulae (3) and (4), Para. [0025] of GU), ϕi,t represents a consumed thermal power of node i at time t, Ts i,t (BH.sub.u,t represents for the heating power of the electric boilers u at period t, BP.sub.u,t represents for electrical power consumed by the electric boilers, η represents for the thermal efficiency of the electric boilers, BH.sub.u represents for the maximum heating power of the electric boilers, Para. [0033] of GU) and Ti,t r represent relative water supply and return temperatures of node i at time t (S,k and τt+1 R,k respectively represent for the water supply temperature and the water return temperature of the kth heat-exchange station at period t, Para. [0025] of GU), L represents a pipe length ((1) the thermal resistance R.sub.e of soil can be calculated by using a formula (2) according to a basic theory of heat transfer … after the thermal resistance value of the soil is obtained, the temperature loss of hot water in a pipeline within a certain length can be calculated according to formulae (3) and (4), Para. [0025] of GU), and Φj i and Φj 0 represent pipe sets flowing into and out of node j respectively; and an analytical solution of Equation (5) is represented as: PNG media_image3.png 57 426 media_image3.png Greyscale wherein δ represents a step function, φ(j,x−vt) represents a temperature distribution at x−vt on pipe j at an initial time, and ψ(j,t−x/v) represents a temperature distribution at an inlet of pipe j at time t−x/v (the thermal mass temperature distribution in the building is uniform, which means that the velocity of the surface heat diffusion process on the thermal mass is far larger than that of convection heat exchange; all heat obtained in the building within the unit time can be uniformly expressed by H.sub.t.sup.k Based on the assumption, the calculation of the average indoor temperature can be expressed by the formula (21), Para. [0032] of GU). Allowable Subject Matter Claims 4 and 5 would be allowable over the cited prior art if rewritten into independent form and to overcome the rejections under 35 U.S.C. § 101 set forth in this Office action. Claims 6 and 7 depend from claim 5 and would be allowable if claim 5 was rewritten into independent form and to overcome the rejections under 35 U.S.C. § 101. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter of the claims 4 and 5: Regarding claim 4, the closest pertinent prior art of record LU as modified by BEHANDISH discloses the method for constructing the security region of the integrated electricity and heating system according to claim 1 (as shown above) but appears to fail to explicitly disclose: wherein the dynamic model of the combined heat and power unit comprises a coal-fired boiler, a steam turbine, a generator, and a steam-water heat exchanger, and the dynamic model of the combined heat and power unit is constructed as follows: input fuel of the coal-fired boiler is represented as: PNG media_image4.png 37 340 media_image4.png Greyscale wherein KB1 is a unit heat value of the fuel, ϕB,t represents input heat of the boiler at time t, and mB,t represents a mass flow rate inputted to the boiler at time t; energy conservation in the boiler is represented as: PNG media_image5.png 45 401 media_image5.png Greyscale wherein KB2 is combustion efficiency of the boiler, KB3 is a heat storage coefficient of the boiler, KT1 is a gain of the boiler, pT,t is a pressure of the steam turbine at time t, ϕH,t represents a heat supply power at time t, and pB,t is a pressure of the coal-fired boiler at time t; energy conservation in the steam turbine is represented as: PNG media_image6.png 43 381 media_image6.png Greyscale wherein KT2 is an inlet opening of the steam turbine, KT3 is a gain of the steam turbine, KT4 is a delay coefficient of the steam turbine, and PT,t is an electric power generated by the steam turbine at time t; the pressure of the coal-fired boiler and the pressure of the steam turbine satisfy: PNG media_image7.png 38 368 media_image7.png Greyscale wherein KB4 is a friction resistance coefficient of the boiler; energy conservation in the steam-water heat exchanger is represented as: PNG media_image8.png 54 422 media_image8.png Greyscale wherein KH1 represents a heat storage coefficient of the heat exchanger, KH2 represents a thermal conductivity coefficient of the heat exchanger, mH,t represents a mass flow rate of water flow for heat exchange in the heat exchanger at time t, TH,t i and TH,t o represent inlet and outlet temperatures of the steam-water heat exchanger at time t; and an ordinary differential equation is discretized by using an implicit Euler method, and Equations (11), (12), and (14) are respectively discretized as: PNG media_image9.png 153 425 media_image9.png Greyscale wherein Δt is a time step, and pB,t-Δt, PT,t-Δt, and TH,t-Δt o represent a pressure of the coal-fired boiler, an electric power inputted to the steam turbine, and an outlet temperature of the steam-water heat exchanger at time t−Δt. Regarding claim 5, the closest pertinent prior art of record LU as modified by BEHANDISH discloses the method for constructing the security region of the integrated electricity and heating system according to claim 1 (as shown above) but appears to fail to explicitly disclose: wherein the operational security constraints of the dynamic model of the integrated electricity and heating system comprise operational security constraints of the power system model, operational security constraints of the dynamic model of the quality-regulated heating system model, and operational security constraints of the dynamic model of the combined heat and power unit: the operational security constraints of the power system comprise branch transmission power constraints, upper and lower limit constraints of generator active and reactive powers, upper and lower limit constraints of node voltage amplitude, and voltage phase angle constraints, as shown in Equations (18) to (21) respectively: PNG media_image10.png 138 403 media_image10.png Greyscale wherein Sl,ij max represents a maximum apparent power transmitted between node i and node j, PGi min and QGi min respectively represent the lower limits of the generator active and reactive powers at node i, PGi min and QGi min respectively represent the upper limits of the generator active and reactive powers at node i, and Vi min and Vi max respectively represent the lower and upper limits of the voltage amplitude at node i; coupling constraints of the power system and the combined heat and power unit are represented as: PNG media_image11.png 38 339 media_image11.png Greyscale the operational security constraints of the quality-regulated heating system comprise node water supply and return temperature constraints, which are represented as: T i,t s,min ≤T i,t s ≤T i,t s,max ,T i,t r,min ≤T i,t r ≤T i,t r,max iϵΘ  (23) wherein Ti,t max and Ti,t s,min represent the upper and lower limits of the water supply temperature of node i at time t, Ti,t r,max and Ti,t r,min represent the upper and lower limits of the water return temperature of node i at time t, and coupling constraints of the heating system and the combined heat and power unit are represented as: PNG media_image12.png 58 357 media_image12.png Greyscale wherein TG,t s represents the water supply temperature of a heat source node at time t, TG,t r represents the water return temperature of the heat source node at time t, Equation (24) shows that the inlet and outlet mass flow rate of the steam-water heat exchanger is the mass flow rate of the heat source node, and Equation (25) shows that the outlet temperature of the steam-water heat exchanger is the water supply temperature of the heat source node and the inlet temperature of the steam-water heat exchanger is the water return temperature of the heat source node; and the operational security constraints of the combined heat and power unit comprise mass flow rate constraints of input fuel, pressure constraints of the coal-fired boiler, pressure constraints of the steam turbine, heating power constraints, supply power constraints, and electric heating power coupling constraints, as shown in Equations (26) to (31) respectively: PNG media_image13.png 212 357 media_image13.png Greyscale LU and BEHANDISH, alone or in combination, do not appear to teach the remaining limitations of claim 4 and/or claim 5. The claim limitations of each of claim 4 and claim 5 have been considered in combination with the other claim limitations and, when considered as a whole, each are considered to be allowable over the prior art of record. It is for this reason the claimed invention of each of claim 4 and claim 5 overcomes the prior art of record. Claims 6 and 7 would overcome the prior art of record based on dependency on claim 5, which overcomes the prior art of record. The remaining prior art of record, alone or in combination with LU and BEHANDISH, fail to cure these deficiencies of LU and BEHANDISH, as discussed below: The prior art of record SAMAAN et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020/0373759 A1) is in the field of modeling power flow (Para. [0150] of SAMAAN) based on susceptance (Para. [0032]-[0035] of SAMAAN) for the purpose of reducing the size of a distribution system while preserving accuracy (Para. [0150] of SAMAAN) but fails to cure the above-noted deficiencies of LU and BEHANDISH. The prior art of record CHEN is in the field of utilizing equations/algorithms for evaluating power (Para. [0016] of CHEN) and teaches the power system model comprises a power conservation equation and a power conservation equation at nodes and branches (good energy saving effect, Para. [0025] of CHEN): PNG media_image1.png 150 433 media_image1.png Greyscale wherein i and j represent node numbers respectively (Step 301: Determine an optimized reactive compensation amount corresponding to each compensation node based on a particle swarm algorithm, Para. [0032] of CHEN), t is a time flag, Vi,t represents a voltage amplitude of node i at time t, PGi,t (determining the timing of the network loss and determining the voltage amplitude may not be limited, Para. [0082] of CHEN) and PLi,t represent a generator produced active power and a load consumed active power of node i at time t, QGi,t and QLi,t represent a generator produced reactive power and a load consumed reactive power of node i at time t (the power flow calculation refers to calculating the distribution of active power, reactive power and voltage in the power grid under a given power system network topology, element parameters and power generation and load parameter conditions, Para. [0052] of CHEN), Gij and Bij represent conductance and susceptance between node i and node j (Gij and Bij respectively correspond to the line conductance and the voltage [susceptance] between the node i and the node j, and can be determined based on the grid topology structure, Para. [0062] of CHEN; [Examiner’s Note: the USPTO PE2E English Language translation of this Para. [0062] of CHEN recites: “G .sub.ij and B .sub.ij respectively correspond to the conductance and susceptance of the line between node i and node j, which can be determined based on the grid topology”), θij,t represents a phase angle difference between node i and node j at time t, and P1,ij,t and Q1,ij,t represent an active power and a reactive power transmitted between node i and node j at time t (since a plurality of particles are obtained by initialization, and a position of each particle corresponds to a group of reactive compensation amounts, a voltage amplitude and a node voltage phase angle of each node corresponding to each group of reactive compensation amounts may be calculated, Para. [0053] of CHEN) but fails to cure the above-noted deficiencies of LU and BEHANDISH. The prior art of record GU et al. (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0356105 A1) is in the field of modeling method of a combined heat and power (CHP) optimal dispatching model (Para. [0002] of GU) and teaches the consideration of the transmission time of hot water in a heating pipe network is taken into optimal dispatch, so that the dispatching model is closer to the actual condition, the time delay characteristic of the heating pipe network is embodied, Para. [0007] of GU), Tj,x,t represents a relative temperature at x on pipe j at time t (S,k and τt+1 R,k respectively represent for water temperatures of the water supply pipeline and a water return pipe network in an area K at period t, Para. [0025] of GU), vj represents a water flow velocity of pipe j (unit pipeline length is calculated according to the velocity of water flow and dispatching time interval, see a formula (1), Para. [0025] of GU), Cw is the specific heat capacity of water (c.sub.water represents for the specific heat capacity of water, Para. [0025] of GU), mj is the mass flow rate of pipe water flow (MS.sub.t.sup.k and MR.sub.t.sup.k respectively represent for mass flow rates of hot water in a water supply pipeline and a water return pipeline in the k.sup.th heating area at period t, Para. [0025] of GU), λj represents a thermal resistance coefficient of pipe j ((1) the thermal resistance R.sub.e of soil can be calculated by using a formula (2) according to a basic theory of heat transfer … after the thermal resistance value of the soil is obtained, the temperature loss of hot water in a pipeline within a certain length can be calculated according to formulae (3) and (4), Para. [0025] of GU), ϕi,t represents a consumed thermal power of node i at time t, Ts i,t (BH.sub.u,t represents for the heating power of the electric boilers u at period t, BP.sub.u,t represents for electrical power consumed by the electric boilers, η represents for the thermal efficiency of the electric boilers, BH.sub.u represents for the maximum heating power of the electric boilers, Para. [0033] of GU) and Ti,t r represent relative water supply and return temperatures of node i at time t (S,k and τt+1 R,k respectively represent for the water supply temperature and the water return temperature of the kth heat-exchange station at period t, Para. [0025] of GU), L represents a pipe length ((1) the thermal resistance R.sub.e of soil can be calculated by using a formula (2) according to a basic theory of heat transfer … after the thermal resistance value of the soil is obtained, the temperature loss of hot water in a pipeline within a certain length can be calculated according to formulae (3) and (4), Para. [0025] of GU), and Φj i and Φj 0 represent pipe sets flowing into and out of node j respectively; and an analytical solution of Equation (5) is represented as: PNG media_image3.png 57 426 media_image3.png Greyscale wherein δ represents a step function, φ(j,x−vt) represents a temperature distribution at x−vt on pipe j at an initial time, and ψ(j,t−x/v) represents a temperature distribution at an inlet of pipe j at time t−x/v (the thermal mass temperature distribution in the building is uniform, which means that the velocity of the surface heat diffusion process on the thermal mass is far larger than that of convection heat exchange; all heat obtained in the building within the unit time can be uniformly expressed by H.sub.t.sup.k Based on the assumption, the calculation of the average indoor temperature can be expressed by the formula (21), Para. [0032] of GU) but fails to cure the above-noted deficiencies of LU and BEHANDISH. Therefore, claims 4-7 would be allowable over the prior art of record. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN P HOCKER whose telephone number is (571)272-0501. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM EST. 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, Rehana Perveen can be reached on (571)272-3676. 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. /JOHN P HOCKER/Examiner, Art Unit 2189 /REHANA PERVEEN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2189