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 .
Claims 26-41 are pending.
Claims 26-41 are pending.
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 26-40 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.
Claim 26 recites the limitation "said server" in line 26. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claims 27-30 depend from claim 26 and are rejected for the same reason.
Claim 31 recites “a sensor” in both lines 5 and 6. It is unclear this is the same sensor. Claims 32-33 do not remedy this issue and are rejected for the same reason.
Claim 34 recites “said remote telemetry unit.” However, there is are multiple units defined. Claims 35-40 depend from claim 34 and do not remedy this issue and are therefore rejected for the same reason.
Claim(s) 31-33 and 41 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fowler (U.S. PG Pub. 2021/0017999) in view of Montestruque (U.S. PG Pub. 2016/0378123).
As to claim 31, Fowler teaches a method of fluid infrastructure network management, said method comprising: obtaining, inside a server(element 950/952), a digital twin model providing[0087], for an instance in time or for a period of time, one or more estimates of a flow attribute inside a fluid infrastructure item[0087], wherein a remote telemetry unit (900/910) and a sensor (902) are remotely located to said server (fig. 9), wherein said remote telemetry unit is communicatively coupled to a sensor that measures flow attribute inside said fluid infrastructure item such that said remote telemetry unit receives from said sensor a sensor measurement[0097-0098], and wherein said fluid infrastructure item is part of a fluid infrastructure network (abstract); estimating, at said server and using said forecast of said environmental condition and one of said digital twin models, flow attribute inside said fluid infrastructure item for said instance in time or for said period of time to produce one or more server's estimated flow attribute values[0106 optimum value]; obtaining, using said sensor and at said remote telemetry unit, said sensor measurement of said flow attribute inside said fluid infrastructure item[0097]; reporting, for said instance in time or for said period of time, one or more of said server's estimated flow attribute values as being or being an estimate of said sensor measurement, if said server does not receive from said remote telemetry unit said sensor measurement [0106 optimal operating parameters].
Fowler teaches most of the claimed invention, but fails to teach receiving and using, for said instance in time or for said period of time, a forecast of an environmental condition around an area surrounding said sensor. However, this is taught by Montestruque as follows:
As to claim 31, Montestruque teach receiving and using, for said instance in time or for said period of time, a forecast of an environmental condition around an area surrounding said sensor [0031].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the current application to include the teachings of Montestruque into the system and methods of Fowler. The motivation to combine is that Montestruque teaches using these forecasting information optimal operation can be accomplished [0009].
As to claim 32, Fowler teaches wherein said reporting is carried out if, after lapse of said instance in time or after lapse of said period of time, said server does not receive from said remote telemetry unit said sensor measurement ([0106] this would occur it does or doesn’t receive the data. The claim does not state “only receive”).
As to claim 33, Montestruque teach wherein fluid infrastructure network management manages a fluid infrastructure network that includes one element chosen from a group comprising groundwater system, storm water system and sewage system (abstract).
Claim 41 seems to be similar to that of claim 31, but with multiple sensors and remote units. This can be seen in [0097-0098] of Fowler.
Other art of record
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Pescarmona (U.S. PG Pub. 2019/0354873) teaches hydrology management of a river basin.
Pasken (U.S. PG Pub. 2013/0338920) environmental prediction monitoring for a water system.
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