DETAILED ACTION
Status of the Application
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claims 1-20 are pending.
Priority
Applicant’s claim for the benefit of a prior-filed application under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) or under 35 U.S.C. 120, 121, 365(c), or 386(c) is acknowledged.
The later-filed application must be an application for a patent for an invention, which is also disclosed in the prior application (the parent or original non-provisional application or provisional application). The disclosure of the invention in the parent application and in the later-filed application must be sufficient to comply with the requirements of 35 U.S.C. § 112(a) or the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. § 112, except for the best mode requirement. See Transco Products, Inc. v. Performance Contracting, Inc., 38 F.3d 551, 32 USPQ2d 1077 (Fed. Cir. 1994)
The disclosure of the prior-filed application, Application No. 17/347,711, fails to provide adequate support or enablement in the manner provided by 35 U.S.C. § 112(a) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. § 112, first paragraph for one or more claims of this application. Specifically, the parent application 17/347,711 fails to provide written description support for claims 6, 13, and 19 for a “view previous one-line diagram button” located within the work history interface; and claims 7, 14, and 21 for “automatically operate a remotely controlled, electricity flow control device by initiating a signal that causes the remotely controlled, electricity flow control device to turn off the flow of electricity to the at least one of the other pieces of electrical equipment.” Therefore, these claims do not get priority of the filing date of the parent application (i.e., parent application 17/347,711) because the parent application fails to demonstrate possession of such claim terms.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: claim 1 recites “created by;” should read “created by:” Colon should be used for the subclauses of steps. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 20 is objected to because of the following informalities: claim 21 should be claim 20. The Examiner will interpret claim 21 to be claim 20. Appropriate correction is required.
Note: line numberings are incorrect on each page, Appropriate correction is required.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because the drawings are not submitted. The Specification indicates Figs. 1-10; however, the drawings are not provided. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Information Disclosure Statement
The Information Disclosure Statement filed October 14, 2024 has been considered. Initialed copies of the Form 1449 are enclosed herewith.
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 an abstract idea without significantly more.
Step 1: Is the claim to a process, machine, manufacture or composition of matter? (MPEP 2106.03)
In the present application, claims 1-7 are directed to device (i.e. a machine), claims 8-14 are directed to a system (i.e. a machine), and claims 15-20 are directed to a method (i.e. a process). Thus, the eligibility analysis proceeds to Step 2A.1.
Step 2A. 1: Does the claim recite an abstract idea, law of nature, or natural phenomenon? (MPEP 2106.04)
The abstract idea recited in claims 1, 8, and 15, is
scheduling and performing maintenance and/or repair on electrical equipment, comprising:
present information about scheduling and performing maintenance and/or repair on electrical equipment, and
receive information that a piece of electrical equipment needs maintenance or repair;
create an interactive one-line diagram to determine if any other pieces of electrical equipment are electrically connected to the piece of equipment, wherein the interactive one-line diagram is created by;
determine electrical connections between the piece of electrical equipment and any of the other pieces of electrical equipment,
determine if any of the other pieces of electrical equipment will be adversely affected by turning off the piece of electrical equipment,
prepare an interactive one-line diagram of the electrical connections, wherein the interactive one-line diagram shows how the piece of electrical equipment and any of the other pieces of electrical equipment are electrically connected and any adverse effects of turning off of the piece of electrical equipment on any of the other pieces of equipment, and
store the interactive one-line diagram in a database;
receive QR code images, wherein the QR code images are capable of being used to access the interactive one-line diagram and a plurality of thumbnail images related to the piece of electrical equipment, wherein the plurality of thumbnail images further comprises;
a user interactive image of a picture of the piece of electrical equipment,
an image of electrical equipment data related to the piece of electrical equipment,
a user interactive image of a panel schedule related to the piece of electrical equipment,
a user interactive image of a floor plan related to the piece of electrical equipment, and
a user interactive image of a work history related to the piece of electrical equipment;
shut off a flow of electricity to at least one of the other pieces of electrical equipment that is electrically connected to the piece of electrical equipment;
perform the maintenance or repair on the piece of electrical equipment;
turn on the flow of electricity to at least one of the other pieces of electrical equipment that is electrically connected to the piece of electrical equipment;
enter information about the maintenance or repair into the database; and
provide up-to-date access to the information about the maintenance or repair.
The highlighted portions of limitations above recite elements which are directed toward an abstract idea in one or more of the enumerated categories. Specifically, the claims are directed toward both “Mental Processes” concepts performable in the human mind including observation, evaluation, and judgement and “Certain Methods of Organizing Human Activity” that is commercial interaction of interactions between people (following rules or instructions) (see MPEP 2106.04(a)). Under the broadest reasonable interpretation, other than the additional elements, the claims recite processes that are all acts that could be performed by a human, e.g., mentally or manually, without the use of a computer or any other machine. This is supported in the applicant’s specification in paragraph [00024], “the method 100 is initiated when a determination is made that a piece of electrical equipment needs maintenance or repair. It is to be understood that the determination can be made by an electrical service technician, a support staff personnel, a building owner or the like.” Also, in paragraph [00024], the computer system is merely used to provide notification as part of routine maintenance schedule or repair schedule. In para. [0031]-[0034] of the applicant’s specification, the functional steps of shutting off the flow of electricity to electrical equipment, performing of maintenance repair, and turning on the flow of electricity to the electrical equipment are all done by the electrical service technician, manually, without the need of the computer system. Still, if a claim limitation, under its broadest reasonable interpretation, covers performance of the limitation in the mind for the recitation of a generic processor executing computer code stored in a computer medium, then it falls under the “Mental Processes” and “Certain Methods of Organizing Human Activity” groupings of abstract ideas. Accordingly, the claims recite an abstract idea and the analysis proceeds to Step 2A.2
Step 2A. prong two: Does the claim recite additional elements that integrate the judicial exception into a practical application? (MPEP 2106.04)
This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application because the additional elements merely add instructions to apply the abstract idea to a computer.
The additional elements considered include:
Claim 1: “An electronic device”, “a user interface configured to”, “wherein the user interface comprises a camera;” and “at least one processor connected to at least one memory operably connected to the user interface and including instructions that when executed by at least the processor, cause the processor to”;
Claim 12: “A user interface system”; “a user interface configured to”, “wherein the user interface comprises a camera;” and “at least one processor connected to at least one memory operably connected to the user interface and including instructions that when executed by at least the processor, cause the processor to”;
Claim 15: “a user interface system”; “a user interface configured to” “wherein the user interface comprises a camera; and”; “operably connecting at least one processor having at least one memory to the user interface and including instructions that when executed by at least the processor cause the processor to”;
In particular, the claim only recites the above-mentioned additional elements to monitor, obtain, provide, and determine information. The computer in the steps is recited at a high-level of generality (i.e., as generic computer components performing a generic computer function; See Applicant’s Specification at least at paragraphs [00062]-[00069]) such that it amounts to no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using a generic computer component.
That is, the function of limitations [A]-[S] are steps of adding the words “apply it” (or an equivalent) with the judicial exception, or mere instructions to implement an abstract idea on a computer, or merely uses a computer as a tool to perform an abstract idea as discussed in MPEP 2106.05(f). The combination of these additional elements is no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using a generic computer. Accordingly, even in combination, these additional element(s) do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because they do not improve a computer or other technology, do not transform a particular article, do not recite more than a general link to a computer, and do not invoke the computer in any meaningful way; the general computer is effectively part of the preamble instruction to “apply” the exception by the computer. Therefore, the claims are directed to an abstract idea and the analysis proceeds to Step 2B.
Step 2B: Does the claim recite additional elements that amount to significantly more than the judicial exception? (MPEP 2106.05)
The claim(s) does/do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception because the bold portions of the limitations recited above, were all considered to be an abstract idea in Step2A-Prong Two. The additional elements and analysis of Step2A-Prong two is carried over. For the same reason, these elements are not sufficient to provide an inventive concept. Applicant has merely recited elements that instruct the user to apply the abstract idea to a computer or other machinery. When considered individually and in combination the conclusion, as discussed above with respect to integration of the abstract idea into a practical application, the additional element of using a computer to perform the above-mentioned limitations [A]-[S] amount to no more than mere instructions to apply the function of the limitations to the exception using generic computer component, as discussed in MPEP 2106.05(f). The claim as a whole merely describes how to generally “apply” the concept for scheduling and performing maintenance. Thus, viewed as a whole, nothing in the claim adds significantly more (i.e. an inventive concept) to the abstract idea. For these reasons there is no inventive concept in the claims and thus are ineligible.
As for dependent claims 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, and 17, the dependent claims recite limitations that further define the abstract idea noted in the parent claims. In addition, the claims recite the additional element of camera and computer system at a high level of generality (i.e. as a generic computer system performing generic computer functions of scanning/providing QR code and displaying information) such that it amounts no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using a generic computer component. Even in combination, the additional element does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application and do not amount to significantly more than the abstract idea itself. The dependent claims are ineligible.
As for dependent claims 4, 11, and 18, the dependent claims recite limitations that further define the abstract idea noted in the parent claims. In addition, the claims recite the same additional element at a high level of generality (i.e. as a generic computer system performing generic computer functions of entering and storing information) such that it amounts no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using a generic computer component. Even in combination, the additional element does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application and do not amount to significantly more than the abstract idea itself. The dependent claims are ineligible.
As for dependent claims 5, 6, 12, 13, and 19, the dependent claims recite limitations that further define the abstract idea noted in the parent claims. In addition, the claims recite the same additional element at a high level of generality (i.e. as a generic computer system performing generic computer functions of providing information and displaying button) such that it amounts no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using a generic computer component. Even in combination, the additional element does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application and do not amount to significantly more than the abstract idea itself. The dependent claims are ineligible.
(Eligible) As for dependent claims 7, 14, and 20 introduce a technical step for the electronic device transmitting a request to the at least one of the other pieces of electrical equipment to shut off the flow of electricity automatically and remotely controlled. This limitation moves the abstract idea of being a mere information management tool for technician, instead, a system that actively and automatically controls physical electrical equipment remotely controlled without human intervention. This integrates the abstract idea into a practical application that provides a specific technical solution to the problem of safely and efficiently de-energizing electrical equipment. Claims 7, 14, and 20 inherent the rejection of the independent claims, however, the 101 rejection would be withdrawn if integrated into the independent claims.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
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 set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) 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.
Claims 1-4, 6, 8-11, 13, and 15-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hall (US 20190156443 A1) in view of YouTube, “Boeing 737 Electrical System (Interactive Diagram)” Published on Dec 6, 2016, < https://www.YouTube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=tY6tCCU2QLE>, hereinafter, “YouTube.”
Claim 1, an electronic device for scheduling and performing maintenance and/or repair on electrical equipment (abstract and [0012]), comprising:
a user interface configured to present information about scheduling and performing maintenance and/or repair on electrical equipment, wherein the user interface comprises a camera (para. [0086], “A user having an appropriate mobile device can scan QR codes for quick navigation using a web interface. A QR code can be a unique identifier, which can be logically linked to a room or specific piece of equipment.” disclosing the use of mobile device with camera for scanning of QR code on piece of equipment, see para. [0100] “photo-capturing device”; para. [0101], “camera view”); and
at least one processor connected to at least one memory operably connected to the user interface and including instructions that when executed by at least the processor, cause the processor to (para. [0102] and [0124] disclosing computer-implemented client-server system. Para. [0153] and [0281] disclosing the use of electrical processor and software stored in memory):
receive information that a piece of electrical equipment needs maintenance or repair (para. [0076], “service request tab can also be provided whereby a user can initiate and submit a work order and view a work order history, update a work order, or cancel a work order. A maintenance tab can also be provided where the user enters into a work order management mode to dispatch resources, view the status of a work order and change the work order status, and view the related equipment.” para. [0081], “user can also navigate to the Mechanical View, which provides links to equipment information from defined hotspots and provides links to access the work order history and equipment data.” Para. [0083], “creating and tracking work orders, the system can have full functionality to create, read, update and delete details of the work order. There can be a Work Order ID assigned to each work order created. End users can display orders which they have created, whether active or inactive. Different views can be created and presented for the Requester and the Maintenance User. The work order can be tracked from its initial status while pending assignment all the way to completion. Maintenance personnel can have the ability to self-assign tasks in work queue based on priority and responsibilities. Users can have more than one task assigned at a time. Work order status moves through a progression from being created, to Pending Assignment, to being Assigned (status changed when Maintenance User self-assigns), to completion, or to cancellation.” disclosing receiving information that maintenance is required);
create an interactive one-line diagram to determine if any other pieces of electrical equipment are electrically connected to the piece of equipment, wherein the interactive one-line diagram is created by; determine electrical connections between the piece of electrical equipment and any of the other pieces of electrical equipment (para. [0081], disclosing the navigating in the Building View navigation tree that views various images of the key plan of a floor or an area of a floor is disclosure for accessing an interactive one-line diagram. Specifically, in para. [0081] recites “user can also navigate to the Electrical View where a room description is provided as well as the end facility room number and an image of a mechanical view. Links to an Equipment View for equipment defined within the electrical image is provided.” and Para. [0225] describes discipline views including electrical, where “Asset corresponding to the particular discipline are turned on for visualization while assets not corresponding to the selected discipline are turned off and therefore hidden. The office asserts the navigating to electrical view of the equipment from the room view discloses where and how the electrical equipment is electrically connected to the piece of equipment. Also, in para. [0215], “When viewing a particular image, such as a Floorplan image, a list is displayed that displays a list of rooms in that area. This can be changed by the user, but the default is a filtered list. When viewing a discipline view (such as a view pertaining to electrical, plumbing, etc.), the assets assigned to the room appear in a list. The user sets the default size of the hotspot then drags the item from the list to the location on the room image. The size and shape of the hyperlink can be adjusted based on the geometry of the asset shown. As assets are placed on the image they are removed from the list to ensure duplicate links are not added in a single room. This tracks quantity of assets as well (i.e., there are four light fixtures in the room and 15 light fixtures left in inventory).” The office asserts the filtering of floorplan image to electrical view that illustrates the location and quantity of assets in the room, is representative of the determining if any other pieces of electrical equipment are electrically connected to the piece of equipment. Example is provided in para. [0216] disclosing a Variable Air Volume (VAY) controller can control the temperature of the HVAC system connected to one or multiple rooms. Further in para. [0250]-[0251] disclosing the Figs. 67 and 68 illustrate the edit map view for electrical system. In para. [0257] and Fig. 74 disclosing the monitoring of assets in connection to electrical panel, this is similar to applicant’s description in paragraph [00027] for electrical equipment in connected to electrical panel),
determine if any of the other pieces of electrical equipment will be adversely affected by turning off the piece of electrical equipment, prepare an interactive one-line diagram of the electrical connections, wherein the interactive one-line diagram shows how the piece of electrical equipment and any of the other pieces of electrical equipment are electrically connected and any adverse effects of turning off of the piece of electrical equipment on any of the other pieces of equipment, and store the interactive one-line diagram in a database (para. [0084], “The user can also perform a similar function at the Room Equipment Maintenance level where individual pieces of equipment are assigned to a room and links can be provided to the Equipment View navigation tree level. System Level Administrators can have access to Room Template Maintenance to define Room Templates to be used to drive which features will be available and in need of population for each room. The template serves as the template for room creation. This drives what is required to be populated. After room creation, these properties can be modified at the room level. A user can also create, read, update and delete Facility Data Maintenance information such as a list of available pieces of facility data including items such as paint color and carpet type which can be associated to rooms.” The office asserts the creating of room template with individual pieces of equipment as assigned to a room and providing links is representative of preparing the interactive one-line diagram of the electrical connections, wherein the interactive one-line diagram shows how the piece of electrical equipment and any of the other pieces of electrical equipment are electrically connected. In para. [0135] disclosing the changing of state from on to off for assets which is representative of electrical equipment, based on sensor state. In para. [0135] also discloses the assets can be grouped by asset type or location such as a building or floor. para. [0202] disclosing the turning off the electrical breaker and lock out the electrical panel of a building. In para. [0225] disclosing the discipline views including electrical, the assets corresponding to the particular discipline are turned “on” for visualization while assets not corresponding to the selected discipline are turned “off” and therefore hidden. In sum, the electrical discipline view determines and illustrates how electrical equipment are connected and how it will be affected by turning off the piece of electrical equipment. Further in para. [0084], “user interface of the present invention also provides an Administration function where users create, read, update and delete information in a database.” Disclosing the updating or storing of the interactive one-line diagram in the database);
receive from the camera QR code images, wherein the QR code images are capable of being used to access the interactive one-line diagram and a plurality of thumbnail images related to the piece of electrical equipment (para. [0086], “user having an appropriate mobile device can scan QR codes for quick navigation using a web interface.” Hall further discloses in [0113], “thumbnail view can be hyperlinked to a full-size image “), wherein the plurality of thumbnail images further comprises;
a user interactive image of a picture of the piece of electrical equipment (Para. [0094], “The can be context driven partial views for items such as Room Properties and Equipment Properties that have associated “data types” such as “String” or “Image” or “PDF.” The application can use partial views for the entry and display of content.” See Fig. 4 for install equipment instances includes examples image: installation images),
an image of electrical equipment data related to the piece of electrical equipment (Para. [0094], “The can be context driven partial views for items such as Room Properties and Equipment Properties that have associated “data types” such as “String” or “Image” or “PDF.” The application can use partial views for the entry and display of content.” See Fig. 4 for install equipment instances includes examples image: installation images. Further see Figs. 12-13 for illustration of visual identification of equipment for accessing information about the piece of equipment. See Fig. 18 for image of installed equipment data),
a user interactive image of a panel schedule related to the piece of electrical equipment (para. [0196] disclosing the panel schedule. Further in para. [0257] and Fig. 74 provides illustration of the electrical panel schedule related to the piece of electrical equipment),
a user interactive image of a floor plan related to the piece of electrical equipment (para. [0081], “In the Main Room View, a user can view various images of the Key Plan of a floor or an area of floor. A Reference key to the location of room in building can be provided and can be linked to a larger image of the same view. The current room can be highlighted and embedded within the area image and enlarged key view images can be provided. An “Extended Room View” Image can also be provided where the surrounding areas around the room or area are shown. A description of the room can be provided and various Room Construction Codes and Facility Defined Room Codes. Links can be provided to photographs of interior of room (NESW); to within “Extended Room View” to adjacent rooms visible within view; to “Structural View Above”; to “Structural View Below”; to “Mechanical View”; to “Electrical View”; to “Facility Data”; and to a page displaying Items like Wall Paint Color 1&2, Ceiling type, Mechanical Access Requirements, square feet, cubic feet, flooring. Facility Data Types can be predefined. From the Main Room View, a user can navigate to the Structural View Above and Structural View Below, which includes an image of the structural view. The user can also navigate to the Mechanical View, which provides links to equipment information from defined hotspots and provides links to access the work order history and equipment data. The user can also navigate to the Electrical View where a room description is provided as well as the end facility room number and an image of a mechanical view. Links to an Equipment View for equipment defined within the electrical image is provided.” Also in para. [0103], reciting “The images can include room home images, key plan images, mechanical views, electrical views, etc.”), and
a user interactive image of a work history related to the piece of electrical equipment (Para. [0012], “invention also includes tools to build on and update the foundational data to include maintenance schedules and history;” Fig. 6A, for “Work Order History” and “View Work Order” Specifically see Fig. 41 for illustration of Work Order image. Para. [0081], links to access the work order history);
shut off a flow of electricity to at least one of the other pieces of electrical equipment that is electrically connected to the piece of electrical equipment (para. [0135], ““sensor” senses a state, an output, or a behavior of an asset. In the example of a light fixture, a sensor on the light fixture may sense a change of state from on to off or off to on, how long a light has been on or off, etc.” Disclosing the sensor identifying the state or flow of electricity to asset (i.e. electrical equipment) that is on or off. In para. [0147], “system 4210 could identify that a piece of equipment is short-cycling and generate a corresponding alert (including a message to maintenance stall), or that a piece of equipment is on and should be off or vice versa (and issue a corresponding alert).” Further, in para. [0160], “a sensor that is on the machine/equipment may also regulate the machine/equipment. For example, a building may have two chillers that are programmed to switch between the chillers every week. In such a scenario, the sensors that are on the chillers will, based upon instructions from the controller, perform that scheduled operation programmatically by shutting off one chiller and starting the other chiller according to the preset program.” Also, in para. [0202], “for example, turns-off an electrical breaker and locks out and tags out an electrical panel so that a worker in another part of a building can safely complete an item on the task item list.” Which disclosing the shutting off the flow of electricity of electrical breaker that is electrical equipment connected to perform maintenance task);
perform the maintenance or repair on the piece of electrical equipment (according to the applicant’s specification paragraphs [0029]-[0032], “the electrical service technician then performs the desired maintenance (or repair) on the sub-panel 218.” That the performing of the maintenance or repair on the piece of electrical equipment is performed by a technician person. In para. [0083] of Hall, disclosing the tracking of work order to track maintenance personnel/user on the task assigned and the work order status moves through progression from being created, to Pending Assignment, to being Assigned (status changed when Maintenance User self-assigns), to completion, or to cancellation. The process to completion is representative of performing the maintenance or repair on the piece of electrical equipment);
turn on the flow of electricity to at least one of the other pieces of electrical equipment that is electrically connected to the piece of electrical equipment (para. [0143], “current hospital systems communicate with facility control systems such that entry of certain inputs or codes into the hospital system results in a control of systems or electrical devices relating to the room to which the input/code pertains. To illustrate as an example, in the case of the “code blue” example, the hospital system may communicate instruction messages to a facility control system to take certain actions in reaction to the input code blue. For example, reactions might include turning on all the lights in the patient's room, lowering the air conditioning (in anticipation of many more people entering the room), making sure any locked doors are unlocked and, if doors are automatic, automatically opening the door to the room, opening the blinds in the room, etc.”);
enter information about the maintenance or repair into the database; and provide up-to-date access to the information about the maintenance or repair (para. [0012], “invention also includes tools to build on and update the foundational data to include maintenance schedules and history; work order management; part tracking on work order history data; build solution in a hosted model; and administration and support of multiple client implementations on a single application instance.” Para. [0084], “user interface of the present invention also provides an Administration function where users create, read, update and delete information in a database. The information that can be operated includes User Maintenance information such as information related to properties or Role Maintenance. Account Maintenance can also be an administrative tool provided to the user where the user can create, read, update and delete client account information, building maintenance information and area maintenance information and room maintenance information including Room Project ID, Room Description, Room Number (Building Assigned), Navigation Code (QR Code), Area (From Defined Areas), Link to “Room Equipment Maintenance”, Template Type and Facility Data. Some information may have restrictions on editing. The user can also create, read, update and delete information related to equipment maintenance including general notes relating to types of equipment in the building, warranty information, subcontractor contact information, vendor contact information, service contract information, maintenance schedule and specification sheets.”).
While Hall discloses a link to equipment view navigation tree level for access of room template and features and assets, which is representative of interactive one-line diagram shows how the piece of electrical equipment and any of the other pieces of electrical equipment are electrically connected. Hall also teaches the turning or switching the state of assets from electrical breaker and visualizing the assets with on and off, which representative of determining if any of the other pieces of electrical equipment will be adversely affected by turning off the piece of electrical equipment. Still the examiner would like to introduce YouTube “Boeing 737 Electrical System (Interactive Diagram)” to show using interactive one-line diagram to determine pieces of electrical equipment are electronically connected and how the equipment is adverse effected from turning off the connected electrical equipment, and storing such information in a database server, which has been old and well-known in the field of interactive diagrams for electrical systems.
In sum, YouTube specifically teaches,
create an interactive one-line diagram to determine if any other pieces of electrical equipment are electrically connected to the piece of equipment, wherein the interactive one-line diagram is created by; determine electrical connections between the piece of electrical equipment and any of the other pieces of electrical equipment, determine if any of the other pieces of electrical equipment will be adversely affected by turning off the piece of electrical equipment, prepare an interactive one-line diagram of the electrical connections, wherein the interactive one-line diagram shows how the piece of electrical equipment and any of the other pieces of electrical equipment are electrically connected and any adverse effects of turning off of the piece of electrical equipment on any of the other pieces of equipment, and store the interactive one-line diagram in a database.
(YouTube, teaching an app, stored in the database for Boeing 737 NG electrical interactive diagram, see 0:12-0:14, for accessing the interactive one-line diagram to determine the other pieces of electrical equipment are electronically connected, and how other pieces of electrical equipment are adversely affected by turning off the piece of electrical equipment, see 0:50-1:00).
PNG
media_image1.png
1078
1447
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling of the invention to modify the user interface management system and method of assets/equipment of Hall to include the feature of providing interactive one-line diagram to determine electrically equipment that are connected and how the piece of electrical equipment and any of the other pieces of electrical equipment are electrically connected and any adverse effects of turning off of the piece of electrical equipment on any of the other pieces of equipment, and storing the interactive one-line diagram in a database, as taught by YouTube for the motivation and benefit of providing user the ability to quickly identify electrical system connection and interaction. Further, the claimed invention is merely a combination of old elements in a similar asset management field of endeavor. In such combination each element merely would have performed the same asset management related function as it did separately, and one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that, given the existing technical ability to combine the elements as evidenced by YouTube, the results of the combination were predictable (See MPEP 2143 A).
Claim 2, the combination of Hall and YouTube make obvious of the electronic device of claim 1, Hall further discloses wherein the receiving from the camera QR code images further comprises: provide a QR code on the piece of equipment (para. [0086], “A user having an appropriate mobile device can scan QR codes for quick navigation using a web interface. A QR code can be a unique identifier, which can be logically linked to a room or specific piece of equipment.”).
Claim 3, the combination of Hall and YouTube make obvious of the electronic device of claim 2, Hall further discloses wherein the accessing a plurality of thumbnail images related to the piece of electrical equipment further comprises:
upon scanning the QR code by the camera, display the plurality of thumbnail images related to the piece of electrical equipment on the user interface (para. [0086], “A user having an appropriate mobile device can scan QR codes for quick navigation using a web interface. A QR code can be a unique identifier, which can be logically linked to a room or specific piece of equipment.” Fig. 18, illustrates QR code reference installed equipment ID access to view represents the instance of the piece of equipment and images); and
upon interacting with at least one of the plurality of thumbnail images, display at least one of the plurality of images on the user interface (para. [0113] that “thumbnail view can be hyperlinked to a full-size image,” which explicit teaching of interacting with a thumbnail to display a larger image. Further see Figs. 11-13, 16-18 and 40).
Claim 4, the combination of Hall and YouTube make obvious of the electronic device of claim 1, Hall further discloses wherein enter information about the maintenance or repair into the database further comprises:
upon completing the maintenance or repair on the piece of electrical equipment, access the image of a work history on the display (See Fig. 41 for accessing the image of work history on display. In para. [0076] recites, “A service request tab can also be provided whereby a user can initiate and submit a work order and view a work order history, update a work order, or cancel a work order. A maintenance tab can also be provided where the user enters into a work order management mode to dispatch resources, view the status of a work order and change the work order status, and view the related equipment.” Disclosing the user can enter work order management mode to update the status of the work order);
enter information related to the date of the maintenance or repair on the piece of electrical equipment through the user interface (para. [0082] disclosing the work order includes the date of completion. Also in para. [0199]-[0200] disclosing the user providing date and time stamp for the task/work order completion);
enter information related to a description of the maintenance or repair on the piece of electrical equipment through the user interface (Para. [0198] and Fig. 45 and 83 disclosing the entering of description of the status such as pass or fail which is representative of description of the maintenance or repair on the piece of electrical equipment);
enter information related to an identification of an electrical service technician who performed the maintenance or repair on the piece of electrical equipment through the user interface (para. [0198] and Fig. 45 disclosing the entering of inspector’s name associated with the maintenance task); and
store the information related to the date of the maintenance or repair on the piece of electrical equipment, the description of the maintenance or repair on the piece of electrical equipment, and the identification of an electrical service technician who performed the maintenance or repair on the piece of electrical equipment in the database (Para. [0199] recite, “ability to track and store pass/fail task item list steps is an important feature for regulatory compliance purposes. This stored data provides reporting ability and verification that particular work was done and was done at an appropriate time (notably, marking an item pass or fail also stores the date/time associated with that action).” Which disclosing the storing of the information related to the date of the maintenance or repair on the piece of electrical equipment, the description of the maintenance or repair on the piece of electrical equipment, and the identification of an electrical service technician who performed the maintenance or repair on the piece of electrical equipment in the database).
Claim 6, the combination of Hall and YouTube make obvious of the electronic device of claim 1, Hall further discloses wherein the user interactive image of a work history further comprises:
an add new work history button (para. [0064], Fig. 65, illustrative of action including the ability to add a new work order); and
a view previous one-line diagram button (Fig. 38, “Electrical” button and para. [0122] for viewing and accessing room information, equipment, or electrical).
Claims 8 and 15, Hall discloses a user interface system and method for assisting in scheduling and performing maintenance and/or repair on electrical equipment (Abstract). Claims 8 and 15 are rejected under the same rejection analysis of claim 1, mutatis mutandis respectively.
Claims 9 and 16, the combination of Hall and YouTube make obvious of the user interface system claim 8 and the method claim 15. Claims 9 and 16 are rejected under the same rejection analysis of claim 2, mutatis mutandis respectively.
Claims 10 and 17, the combination of Hall and YouTube make obvious of the user interface system claim 9 and the method claim 16. Claims 10 and 17 are rejected under the same rejection analysis of claim 3, mutatis mutandis respectively.
Claims 11 and 18, the combination of Hall and YouTube make obvious of the user interface system claim 8 and the method claim 15. Claims 11 and 18 are rejected under the same rejection analysis of claim 4, mutatis mutandis respectively.
Claims 13 and 19, the combination of Hall and YouTube make obvious of the user interface system claim 8 and the method claim 15. Claims 13 and 19 are rejected under the same rejection analysis of claim 6, mutatis mutandis respectively.
Claims 5 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hall (US 20190156443 A1) in view of YouTube, “Boeing 737 Electrical System (Interactive Diagram)” Published on Dec 6, 2016, < https://www.YouTube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=tY6tCCU2QLE>, hereinafter, “YouTube,” and further in view of Jiang et al. (US 20050197141 A1).
Claim 5, the combination of Hall and YouTube make obvious of the electronic device of claim 1, Hall further discloses wherein the electronic device further comprises:
a home button (para. [0100], “For the mobile application, the home screen can consist of two large icons in the middle of the Portal Window. On the top or left will be a large version of the “Home” icon.” See Fig. 46, on top left corner for “Home” button);
a one-line button (Fig. 38, “Electrical” button);
a search button (See Fig. 46 top right corner for “Search” button);
However, Hall fails to expressly teach: a back button.
Nonetheless, Jiang is in the field of a wireless system includes a plurality of mobile devices having a ‘back’ command input that prompts backwards navigation, specifically teaches
a back button (Fig. 2).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling of the invention to modify the user interface of the system and method of Hall and YouTube to include the feature of a back button as described in Jiang for the motivation and benefit providing the user the ability to go back to the previous page if the user has mistakenly pressed a wrong button.
Claim 12, the combination of Hall and YouTube make obvious of the user interface system claim 8. Claim 12 is rejected under the same rejection analysis of claim 5, mutatis mutandis respectively.
Claims 7, 14, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hall (US 20190156443 A1) in view of YouTube, “Boeing 737 Electrical System (Interactive Diagram)” Published on Dec 6, 2016, < https://www.YouTube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=tY6tCCU2QLE>, hereinafter, “YouTube,” and further in view of Jordan et al. (US 10353359 B1).
Claim 7, the combination of Hall and YouTube make obvious of the electronic device of claim 1. The combination of Hall and YouTube teaches an electronic device for scheduling and performing maintenance on electrical equipment, wherein a user can interact with a one-line diagram to understand the electrical system before performing maintenance, which includes shutting off the flow of electricity.
However, the combination of Hall and YouTube does not explicitly teach the specific method for remotely shutting off the flow of electricity as recited. Specifically, Hall disclosure of turning off a breaker, but not an automated remote command.
Specifically, the combination fails to expressly teach:
wherein the shut off a flow of electricity to at least one of the other pieces of electrical equipment that is electrically connected to the piece of electrical equipment further comprises;
transmit a request to the at least one of the other pieces of electrical equipment to shut off the flow of electricity to the at least one of the other pieces of electrical equipment; and
upon receiving the request at the at least one of the other pieces of electrical equipment, automatically operate a remotely controlled, electricity flow control device by initiating a signal that causes the remotely controlled, electricity flow control device to turn off the flow of electricity to the at least one of the other pieces of electrical equipment.
However, Jordan is directed to systems and methods for managing electronic devices based upon electrical usage data. The system takes automated actions to mitigate risks, which includes remotely controlling the power supply to a device.
wherein the shut off a flow of electricity to at least one of the other pieces of electrical equipment that is electrically connected to the piece of electrical equipment further comprises;
transmit a request to the at least one of the other pieces of electrical equipment to shut off the flow of electricity to the at least one of the other pieces of electrical equipment (Col. 13 Ln. 64 – Col. 14 Ln. 1 “the controller may generate (block 325) a command to modify operation of the device to address the electrical usage data. In some implementations,