Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 26, 2026
Application No. 18/721,986

A Method of Monitoring Processes in an Urban Water Cycle

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Jun 20, 2024
Priority
Dec 22, 2021 — EU 21217032.8 +1 more
Examiner
MUTREJA, JYOTI NAGPAUL
Art Unit
1798
Tech Center
1700 — Chemical & Materials Engineering
Assignee
Veolia Environnement S.A.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
81%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
7m
Est. Remaining
85%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 81% — above average
81%
Career Allowance Rate
765 granted / 943 resolved
+16.1% vs TC avg
Minimal +4% lift
Without
With
+4.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 11m
Avg Prosecution
24 currently pending
Career history
970
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.9%
-39.1% vs TC avg
§103
37.7%
-2.3% vs TC avg
§102
49.0%
+9.0% vs TC avg
§112
9.1%
-30.9% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 943 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
DETAILED ACTION 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 . 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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claim(s) 16-28 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Munn (US 2021/0025809). Regarding claim 16, Munn teaches a closed water system comprising defining an event (corrosion) having impact on a process activity of at least one process of the plurality of processes (water system), defining a time-period ([0023] graphs may be plotted from the data in real time, or to view historical behavior), defining a first data set representing at least one expected process activity under impact of the event, the first data set comprising interrelated values of expected process activity and point in time in the time-period, wherein the step of defining the first data set is based at least partly on historical data, the historical data comprising interrelated values of measured process activity and point in time, and wherein the first data set further comprises a ranking parameter ranking later time segments higher than earlier time segments, generating a notification (alert) relating to the process activity for the and determining a second data set representing actual process activity in the time-period, the actual process activity being the process activity under impact of the event, Munn teaches in paragraph [0023], “The first, second, and third parameters may be measured substantially continuously or periodically by the first, second, and third sensors, respectively. This data may be stored in memory, for example. This memory may be located locally or accessible from a remote location. In this manner, recent results of the further parameter can be used to refine the diagnosis, in addition to the current instantaneous value. In some cases, not all sensors are operating at once, and the second or third sensor may be turned on as a result of a diagnosis indicating a corrosion state, in order to obtain data of the further parameter selected from the second or third parameter. All data can be viewed on a remote device such as a laptop, computer, mobile telephone, tablet, etc. A dashboard view may be provided, in which each parameter is presented together, sometimes with a brief summary of e.g. historical behavior, recommended thresholds, or a color coded health indication. Additionally, graphs may be plotted from the data in real time, or to view historical behavior. A reporting and/or alerting facility may also be provided.” Munn further teaches comparing the second data set representing actual process activity with the first data set representing expected process activity, and based thereon at least one process, if a deviation between the first data set and the second data set exceeds a predetermined threshold value in the time-period. In paragraph [0036-0037]), Munn teaches “the processor may comprise a data acquisition system. The processor may be a single processor, or it may exist as a plurality of processors. For example, it may be a set of processors which be present in a single location,or may be distributed. For example, information may be transmitted to a remote location and processed elsewhere, for example over the internet and processed on a remote PC or server. In this manner, the processor may be located remotely. For example, the comparison of the data to the threshold range may be performed at a remote location. [0037] The threshold range depends on the parameter being measured, wherein there is a threshold range of acceptable values for each parameter. For example, for a given parameter such as pressure, the threshold range corresponds to a range of acceptable values, for example [X−Y] for which the system state may be under normal operating conditions, where X is the lower limit of the threshold range, and Y is the upper limit.” Regarding claim 17, the urban water cycle comprises at least one of a wastewater treatment plant for treatment of wastewater, a sewer system, a water treatment plant for treatment of raw water, and a water network for treated water. (abstract) Regarding claim 18, the process activity is selected from a group consisting of: biomass activity, such as change over time of a content of e.g. NH4, NO3, PO4, DO,, grit chamber activity, such as flow, turbulence, temperature, sewer activity, such as at least one of filling degree of basin(s), filling degree of pipes, and change of flow raw water activities, such as coagulation, sedimentation, filtration, chlorination, digester activity, such as change of gas production, dewatering activity, such as change of total solids (TS) concentration, and equalization activity. ([0019-0020]) Regarding claim 19, the event is selected from a group consisting of: start and/or stop and/or change of rate of any one of aeration, flow, return flow, recirculation flow, rain event, pumping, stirring, dosing of a substance, and backwash. ([0064]) Regarding claim 20, the event is controllable by a control action, and wherein the method further comprising a step of activating the control action. ([0307]) Regarding claim 21, the step of determining the second data set is based on data continuously received to provide a second data set based on real time values. [(0089)] Regarding claim 22, the step of comparing the second data set with the first data set comprises a step of defining a delayed response time for the event, the delayed response time being defined by comparing the expected process activity with the actual process activity at different times by shifting time series of one of the first and second data sets relative to the other one of the first and second data sets. ([0306]) Regarding claim 23, a step of preparing a mathematical model providing simulation data as a function of process activity measured in the urban water cycle by at least one sensor, wherein the step of defining the first data set comprises a step of defining interrelated values of simulation data and point in time. ([0023]) Regarding claim 24, the first data set is based on historical data and simulated data. ([0023]) Regarding claim 25, the step of determining the second data set representing actual process activity is based at least partly on measurements within the urban water cycle. ([0025]) Regarding claim 26, at least some of the measurements are online measurements provided by one or more sensors arranged in the urban water cycle. ([0023]) Regarding claim 27, a step of deactivating the control action based on the generated notification. ([0023]) Regarding claim 28, a step of activating a second event based on the generated notification. ([0023]) Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JYOTI NAGPAUL whose telephone number is (571)272-1273. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am to 5pm, 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, Charles Capozzi can be reached at 571-270-3638. 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. /JYOTI Mutreja/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1798
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Prosecution Timeline

Jun 20, 2024
Application Filed
Sep 28, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
81%
Grant Probability
85%
With Interview (+4.0%)
2y 11m (~7m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 943 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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