DETAILED ACTION
Claims 1-20 are pending and have been examined.
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Objections
Claims 1 and 10 are objected to because of the following informalities: The claims recite the phrase “AI model” without defining the acronym “AI”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. The claims are directed to an abstract idea without significantly more.
Here, under step 1 of the Alice analysis, method claims 1-9 are directed to a series of steps, computer-readable media claims 10-19 are directed to storing program instructions, and system claim 20 is directed to one or more processors; and one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing program instructions. Thus the claims are directed to a process, manufacture, and machine, respectively.
Under step 2A Prong One of the analysis, the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more. The claims recite servicing a building, including creating, augmenting, and facilitating steps.
The limitations of creating, augmenting, and facilitating, are a process that, under its broadest reasonable interpretation, covers organizing human activity concepts, but for the recitation of generic computer components.
Specifically, the claim elements recite creating a workflow for a service by stitching building lifecycle data together with enterprise data from a plurality of sources; augmenting the workflow by stitching, into the workflow, specific information associated with an object involved in the service; and facilitating completion of the service in accordance with the augmented workflow by guiding a user through the augmented workflow.
That is, other than reciting at least one AI model, the claim limitations merely cover managing business relations and personal behavior, including following rules or instructions , thus falling within the “Certain Methods of Organizing Human Activity” grouping of abstract ideas. Accordingly, the claims recite an abstract idea.
Moreover, it is noted that method claims 1-9 fail to recite any computer components implementing the method steps.
Under Step 2A Prong Two, the eligibility analysis evaluates whether the claim as a whole integrates the recited judicial exception into a practical application of the exception. This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application. The claims include at least one AI model. The at least one AI model in the steps is recited at a high-level of generality, such that it amounts no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using a generic computer component. Accordingly, this additional element does not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because it does not impose any meaningful limits on practicing the abstract idea. As a result, the claims are directed to an abstract idea.
The claims do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception. As discussed above with respect to integration of the abstract idea into a practical application, the additional element of at least one AI model amounts to no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using a generic computer component. Mere instructions to apply an exception using a generic computer component cannot provide an inventive concept.
None of the dependent claims recite additional limitations that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the abstract idea. Claims 2-5 further describe the stitching the building lifecycle data together, the plurality of sources for the enterprise data, and augmenting the workflow. Claims 6 and 7 recite additional generating and selecting steps, and further describes augmenting the workflow. Claims 8 and 9 further describe guiding the user through the augmented workflow and augmenting the workflow. Similarly, dependent claims 11-18 recite additional details that further restrict/define the abstract idea. A more detailed abstract idea remains an abstract idea.
Under step 2B of the analysis, the claims include, inter alia, at least one AI model.
As discussed with respect to Step 2A Prong Two, the additional elements in the claim amount to no more than mere instructions to apply the exception using a generic computer component. The same analysis applies here in 2B, i.e., mere instructions to apply an exception on a generic computer cannot integrate a judicial exception into a practical application at Step 2A or provide an inventive concept in Step 2B.
There isn’t any improvement to another technology or technical field, or the functioning of the computer itself. Moreover, individually, there are not any meaningful limitations beyond generally linking the abstract idea to a particular technological environment, i.e., implementation via a computer system. Further, taken as a combination, the limitations add nothing more than what is present when the limitations are considered individually. There is no indication that the combination provides any effect regarding the functioning of the computer or any improvement to another technology.
In addition, as discussed in paragraph 0053 of the specification, “Various components of the system 100 or portions thereof can be implemented by one or more processors coupled with or more memory devices (memory). The processors can be a general purpose or specific purpose processors, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), a group of processing components, or other suitable processing components. The processors may be configured to execute computer code and/or instructions stored in the memories or received from other computer readable media (e.g., CDROM, network storage, a remote server, etc.). The processors can be configured in various computer architectures, such as graphics processing units (GPUs), distributed computing architectures, cloud server architectures, client-server architectures, or various combinations thereof. One or more first processors can be implemented by a first device, such as an edge device, and one or more second processors can be implemented by a second device, such as a server or other device that is communicatively coupled with the first device and may have greater processor and/or memory resources.”
As such, this disclosure supports the finding that no more than a general purpose computer, performing generic computer functions, is required by the claims.
Viewed as a whole, these additional claim element(s) do not provide meaningful limitation(s) to transform the abstract idea into a patent eligible application of the abstract idea such that the claim(s) amounts to significantly more than the abstract idea itself. Therefore, the claim(s) are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 as being directed to non-statutory subject matter. See Alice Corporation Pty. Ltd. v. CLS Bank Int’l et al., No. 13-298 (U.S. June 19, 2014).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Reichl (US 20230417439 A1).
As per claim 1, Reichl discloses a method of servicing a building (i.e., Referring now to FIG. 1, a perspective view of a building 10 is shown, according to an exemplary embodiment. A building management system (BMS) serves building 10. The BMS for building 10 may include any number or type of devices that serve building 10, ¶ 0023), comprising:
creating a workflow for a service by stitching building lifecycle data together with enterprise data from a plurality of sources (i.e., While the example of process 600 refers to troubleshooting options, process 600 can also be used to provide other workflow recommendations and execution. Process 600 can be adapted to automatically provide, with regional intelligence according to the teachings process 600, building system design and engineering recommendations, installation workflow instructions, building system commissioning, testing, and validation instructions or control, maintenance recommendations, etc. to provide building engineers, managers, technicians, etc. with regionally-tuned information through the building life-cycle, ¶ 0124);
augmenting the workflow by stitching, into the workflow using at least one AI model, specific information associated with an object involved in the service (i.e., A process can include determining the location of a unit of equipment, building management system, or other relevant device and automatically selecting the artificial intelligence model associated with the geographic region including the location of the equipment, BMS, or device, ¶ 0022); and
facilitating completion of the service in accordance with the augmented workflow by guiding a user through the augmented workflow (i.e., For example, process 600 can be adapted to automatically provide, with regional intelligence according to the teachings process 600, building system design and engineering recommendations, installation workflow instructions, building system commissioning, testing, and validation instructions or control, maintenance recommendations, ¶ 0124).
As per claim 2, Reichl discloses stitching the building lifecycle data together with the enterprise data from the plurality of sources comprises customizing the workflow for the building based on relationships between equipment and spaces in the building represented in the building lifecycle data and at least one of a service action, troubleshooting task, or test value generated from the enterprise data based on the relationships from the building lifecycle data (i.e., at step 604 troubleshooting options are ranked for the building automation system by applying an artificial intelligence tool selected in step 602 to data associated with the building automation system. The data can include sensor measurements, meter data, setpoints, settings, configuration parameters, digital twin information, equipment models, weather information, building utilization information, and/or other information relating to the building automation system, ¶ 0121).
As per claim 3, Reichl discloses the plurality of sources for the enterprise data comprise service data relating to other buildings and product literature relating to the service, and wherein the building lifecycle data comprises sales data, engineering data, and installation data (i.e., process 600 can be adapted to automatically provide, with regional intelligence according to the teachings process 600, building system design and engineering recommendations, installation workflow instructions, building system commissioning, testing, and validation instructions or control, maintenance recommendations, etc. to provide building engineers, managers, technicians, etc. with regionally-tuned information through the building life-cycle, ¶ 0124).
As per claim 4, Reichl discloses identifying the object involved in the service based on a user location (i.e., Step 602 thereby enables the geographic location of the building automation system, building equipment, or other relevant device to drive selection of an appropriate artificial intelligence tool (e.g., AI model, machine learning model, neural network, etc.) that may be better suited to that geographic region, ¶ 0120); generating, by the at least one AI model, the specific information associated with the object using the plurality of sources of enterprise data comprising historical operational data and natural language data comprising at least one of product literature or service records; and integrating the specific information into a corresponding step of the workflow (i.e., The artificial intelligence tool can be trained (e.g., using results of historical troubleshooting, using data representing successful configurations of other building management systems, in a supervised training approach, based on such information and/or supervised training particularly associated with the relevant geographic region) to rank troubleshooting options from a list of available troubleshooting options, ¶ 0121).
As per claim 5, Reichl discloses the at least one AI model comprises a generative AI model (i.e., each artificial intelligence tool is or includes a different generative artificial intelligence model, for example a generative artificial models fine-tuned based on different, regional training data to be adapted to regional details (e.g., regional service data, regional building operating data, regional warranty data, etc.), ¶ 0118).
As per claim 6, Reichl discloses generating a library of selectable workflows comprising the workflow, wherein the selectable workflows corresponding to different types of services (i.e., process 600 can be adapted to automatically provide, with regional intelligence according to the teachings process 600, building system design and engineering recommendations, installation workflow instructions, ¶ 0124).
As per claim 7, Reichl discloses selecting the workflow from the library of selectable workflows based on the service being a first type of service, and wherein augmenting the workflow comprises customizing the workflow for the object, wherein the object is a specific unit of equipment serving a specific space of the building (i.e., process 600 can be adapted to automatically provide, with regional intelligence according to the teachings process 600, building system design and engineering recommendations, installation workflow instructions, building system commissioning, testing, and validation instructions or control, maintenance recommendations, etc. to provide building engineers, managers, technicians, etc. with regionally-tuned information through the building life-cycle, ¶ 0124).
As per claim 8, Reichl discloses guiding the user through the augmented workflow comprises generating, by the at least one AI model, a graphical user interface comprising the augmented workflow (i.e., BMS controller 12 is shown to include a communications interface 407 and a BMS interface 132. Interface 407 may facilitate communications between BMS controller 12 and external applications (e.g., monitoring and reporting applications 422, enterprise control applications 426, remote systems and applications 444, applications residing on client devices 448, etc.) for allowing user control, monitoring, and adjustment to BMS controller 12 and/or subsystems 428, ¶ 0084).
As per claim 9, Reichl discloses the augmenting the workflow is performed responsive to determining that the user is to perform the service on the object (i.e., process 600 can be adapted to automatically provide, with regional intelligence according to the teachings process 600, building system design and engineering recommendations, installation workflow instructions, building system commissioning, testing, and validation instructions or control, maintenance recommendations, etc. to provide building engineers, managers, technicians, etc. with regionally-tuned information through the building life-cycle, ¶ 0124).
As per claim 19, Reichl discloses guiding the user through the augmented workflow comprises controlling equipment to provide a step of the augmented workflow (i.e., Software equipment objects may allow developers to write applications capable of monitoring and/or controlling various types of building equipment regardless of equipment-specific variations (e.g., equipment model, equipment manufacturer, equipment version, etc.). Software building objects may allow developers to write applications capable of monitoring and/or controlling building zones, ¶ 0030).
Claims 10-18 are rejected based upon the same rationale as the rejection of claims 1-9, respectively, since they are the computer-readable media claims corresponding to the method claims.
Claim 20 is rejected based upon the same rationale as the rejection of claim 1, since it is the system claim corresponding to the method claim.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon, listed in the PTO-892, considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure, discloses workflow management in building lifecycle analysis.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANDRE D BOYCE whose telephone number is (571)272-6726. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10a-6:30p.
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, Rutao (Rob) Wu can be reached at (571) 272-6045. 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.
/ANDRE D BOYCE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3623 August 23, 2025