Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/573,980

DETECTING LIGHTNING STRIKES ON A WIND TURBINE WITH IMPROVED RELIABILITY

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Dec 22, 2023
Examiner
PREVIL, DANIEL
Art Unit
2685
Tech Center
2600 — Communications
Assignee
VESTAS WIND SYSTEMS A/S
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
86%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 4m
To Grant
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 86% — above average
86%
Career Allow Rate
1326 granted / 1547 resolved
+23.7% vs TC avg
Moderate +13% lift
Without
With
+12.6%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 4m
Avg Prosecution
38 currently pending
Career history
1585
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.1%
-38.9% vs TC avg
§103
55.6%
+15.6% vs TC avg
§102
11.0%
-29.0% vs TC avg
§112
14.6%
-25.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1547 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
CTNF 18/573,980 CTNF 76215 DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia 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 07-20-aia AIA 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. 07-21-aia AIA Claim s 1-4, 6, 9-12, 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Baumheinrich et al. (US 2012/0029853) in view of Erichsen et al. (US 2013/0028739) . PATENT Regarding claims 1, 9, 15, Baumheinrich discloses a system for monitoring a wind turbine (page 1, [0002]) comprising: one or more processors (102) (processing unit 240 in fig. 2); and a memory (104) coupled to the one or more processors (102) (fig. 2) and including program code (110) that, when executed by the one or more processors (102),(fig. 2) causes the system to: receive first data from a lightning measurement system (17) indicative of an occurrence of a lightning strike (52) at the wind turbine (10) (page 1, [0003]); receive second data from a lightning geolocation system (42) indicative of the occurrence of the lightning strike (52) that satisfies at least one criterion (page 1, [0004]); and in response to receiving both the first data indicative of the occurrence of the lightning strike (52) at the wind turbine (10) and the second data indicative of the occurrence of the lightning strike (52) that satisfies the at least one criterion, transmit an alert indicating detection of the lightning strike (52) at the wind turbine (10) wherein the lightning measurement system includes (page 1, [0004]). Baumheinrich discloses all the limitations set forth above but fails to explicitly disclose a lightning receptor configured to receive the lightning strike at the wind turbine; a down conductor that operatively couples the lightning receptor to an electrical ground; and a lightning sensor operatively coupled to the down conductor that detects the lightning strike based on a current conducted by the down conductor, wherein the occurrence of the lightning strike is determined based on one or more of a peak current, a total energy, a total electrical charge, a current rise time, and a rate of change in the current, and wherein the program code further causes the system to: determine an intensity threshold based at least in part on one or more of the peak current, the total energy, the total electrical charge, the current rise time, and the rate of change in the current, and wherein the at least one criterion includes a requirement that an intensity of the lightning strike indicated by the second data is above the intensity threshold. However, Erichsen discloses a lightning receptor configured to receive the lightning strike at the wind turbine; a down conductor that operatively couples the lightning receptor to an electrical ground; and a lightning sensor operatively coupled to the down conductor that detects the lightning strike based on a current conducted by the down conductor, wherein the occurrence of the lightning strike is determined based on one or more of a peak current, a total energy, a total electrical charge, a current rise time, and a rate of change in the current, and wherein the program code further causes the system to: determine an intensity threshold based at least in part on one or more of the peak current, the total energy, the total electrical charge, the current rise time, and the rate of change in the current (page 1, [0007; 0018]; page 2, [0037]; page 3, [0052]); and wherein the at least one criterion includes a requirement that an intensity of the lightning strike indicated by the second data is above the intensity threshold (page 5, [0074-0075]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was first filed to incorporate the features of Erichsen within the system of Baumheinrich in order to repair or replace communication towers and structures due to lightning strikes thereby increasing the reliability of the system. Regarding claims 2, 10, Baumheinrich discloses wherein the at least one criterion includes a requirement that a time of occurrence of the lightning strike (52) indicated by the second data be within a time threshold of the time of occurrence of the lightning strike (52) indicated by the first data (page 1, [0003-0004]). Regarding claims 3, 11, Baumheinrich discloses wherein the at least one criterion includes a requirement that a location of the lightning strike (52) indicated by the second data be within a distance threshold of the location of the wind turbine (10) (page 1, [0003-0004]). Regarding claims 4, 12, Baumheinrich discloses wherein the at least one criterion includes a requirement that an intensity of the lightning strike (52) indicated by the second data be above an intensity threshold.(page 6, [0045]). Regarding claim 6, Baumheinrich discloses wherein the lightning sensor (28) includes at least one of a Rogowski coil and a magnetometer (fig. 7) . Conclusion 07-96 AIA The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Kraemer (US 2008/0017788) discloses system and method for detecting lightning. Koste et al. (US 8,005,617) discloses system…..a structure. Mannar et al. (US 2012/0053984) discloses risk management ….agreements. Kraemer (US 2010/0328084) discloses system and method for detecting lightning. Dudley et al. (US 2012/0271564) discloses lightning……system. Bertelsen et al. (us 2017/0176500) discloses lightning….turbine. Kraemer (US 8,427,333) discloses system…..lightning. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL PREVIL whose telephone number is (571)272-2971. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday from 9:30 AM -6:00 PM. 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, Wang Quan-Zhen can be reached at 571 272 3114. 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. DP March 21, 2026 /DANIEL PREVIL/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2685 Application/Control Number: 18/573,980 Page 2 Art Unit: 2685 Application/Control Number: 18/573,980 Page 3 Art Unit: 2685 Application/Control Number: 18/573,980 Page 4 Art Unit: 2685 Application/Control Number: 18/573,980 Page 5 Art Unit: 2685 Application/Control Number: 18/573,980 Page 6 Art Unit: 2685
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 22, 2023
Application Filed
Mar 21, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §103 (current)

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
86%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+12.6%)
2y 4m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1547 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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