Detailed Action
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
This action is responsive to the 4/10/2026 communication(s). As per the claims filed 6/03/2024:
Claims 1-22 are pending.
Claim(s) 1, 19 is/are independent claim(s).
Note Regarding Prior Art
Examiner cites particular columns, paragraphs, figures and line numbers in the references as applied to the claims below for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings in the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested that, in preparing responses, the applicant fully consider the references in their entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the examiner.
Note Regarding AIA Status
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.
Claim Interpretation
Claims 1, 12, and 19 each include conditional language that depends on whether a transition is from grid-tied to islanded or from islanded to grid-tied. It has been held that where “the steps dependent on the conditional “if” would not be invoked, the Examiner was not required to find these limitations in the prior art in order to render the claims obvious” (See Ex parte Katz, 2011 WL514314, at 4–5 (BPAI 2011) (Appeal No. 2010–006083)). In these particular claims, the use of the term “for the transition from” is equivalent to the type of “if” statement discussed in Ex parte Katz. Therefore, the Examiner is not required to find these limitations in the prior art in order to render these claims obvious. The Examiner recommends amending the “for the transition from” statements in a manner that would require the Examiner to find those limitations in the prior art.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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) 1-5, 7-10, 19-21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Niroj Gurung et al.(Demonstration of Islanding and Grid Reconnection Capability of a Microgrid within Distribution system; Published: 2022)(hereinafter: Gurung).
Note: Gurung was cited in the IDS filed 9/17/2024.
Claim 1:
As per independent claim 1, Gurung discloses a method for transitioning a plant between grid-tied and islanded, wherein the plant includes at least one microgrid supplying power to one or more customer loads, wherein the plant when grid-tied is providing to or receiving power from at least a part of a grid that is operated by a utility, wherein the plant when islanded is disconnected from providing or receiving power to the at least a part of the grid [[page 655, abstract] Microgrid can operate in either islanded or grid connected mode. It acts as a single controllable unit in the grid connected mode and operates as an independent grid in the islanded mode. A microgrid controller orchestrates the operation of distributed energy resources (DERs), load, voltage regulation devices and distribution automation switches to ensure a stable operation of microgrid in both modes.]
the method comprising:
responsive to an indication to transition the plant between grid-tied and islanded: performing one or more checks prior to the transition, the one or more checks comprising: for the transition from grid-tied to islanded: determining an amount of power provided to the grid and an amount of power provided to the one or more customers of the plant [[page 655, section 1]. An obvious advantage of having a microgrid is that it ensures energy supply for critical loads and maintains power quality and reliability during grid outage events [Page 656 – section III] Microgrid islanding is a process of changing the microgrid operating mode from grid-connected to islanded. It includes zeroing out the power flow at POI and opening the POI to create an isolated microgrid. Zeroing out the POI power flow is essential to minimize the stress on the generator when POI breaker opens thereby increasing the likelihood of microgrid stability following islanding.] An amount of power must first be determined in order to maintain that power when transitioning from grid to islanded. or
for the transition from islanded to grid-tied: determining, by the plant, whether sensed frequency, sensed voltage and sensed phase angle on both sides of the at least one islanding breaker is within a predetermined tolerance [[page 656, section III] Grid reconnection is the process of synchronizing the microgrid’s voltage magnitude, voltage angle and frequency with the utility grid and closing the POI breaker upon successful synchronization to return microgrid to grid-connected mode. Synchronization of the microgrid with the grid ensures transients in current and voltage are minimal when the POI breaker is closed, thereby preventing the operation of protective relays.] Transients must be within a predetermined tolerance not to trigger protective relays.
responsive to performing the one or more checks prior to the transition, determining whether to perform one or more actions, the one or more actions comprising:
for the transition from grid-tied to islanded: responsive to determining the amount of power provided to the grid and the amount of power provided to the one or more customers of the plant, modifying power output of the plant to be the amount of power provided to the one or more customers loads of the at least one microgrid [[page 658 section D. Sequence of operation for islanding and reconnection] MMC Sequence of Operation (SOO) was developed and implemented in RTAC. It monitors the POI breaker voltage (grid side and microgrid side), current, frequency, active and reactive power. It also monitors the generator voltage, active and reactive power. HMI interface provides the operator to monitor and interact with the microgrid. The islanding occurs in following steps: -The operator enables “Planned Islanding” on the HMI. RTAC calculates the power setpoint (Pset, Qset) to zero out power flow at POI and sends to Generator LCon. Generator follows the setpoint, and RTAC monitors power flow at POI. If POI power flow (P-POI and Q-POI) is less than threshold value for 5 minutes, the operator is allowed to send “Open POI” command to POI relay. This command opens the POI breaker. When POI opens, the status of POI is sent to the generator LCon via MB and the generator switches to isochronous mode. Stable voltage and frequency of the generator will indicate success of seamless planned islanding. The generator will run in isochronous mode, maintains voltage and frequency as changes in the load occur.] determining the amount of power provided to the grid and the amount provided to the demand elements is implicit in order to transition from grid to islanded. Power output of the microgrid must be adjusted according to the demand (power setpoints).
for the transition from islanded to grid-tied: responsive to determining by the plant that the sensed frequency, the sensed voltage, and the sensed phase angle on both sides of the at least one islanding breaker are not within the predetermined tolerance, performing at least one action so that the sensed frequency, the sensed voltage, and the sensed phase angle on both sides of the at least one islanding breaker are within the predetermined tolerance [[page 658, section D: Stable voltage and frequency of the generator and the feeder, and no unexpected tripping of the loads or any components of the microgrid will indicate successful seamless grid reconnection. The operator shuts down the generator upon successful reconnection.]]; and
after determining whether to perform the one or more actions and performing the one or more actions, causing the at least one islanding breaker to change its state thereby transitioning the plant between grid-tied and islanded [[page 656, Section III] Grid reconnection is the process of synchronizing the microgrid’s voltage magnitude, voltage angle and frequency with the utility grid and closing the POI breaker upon successful synchronization to return microgrid to grid-connected mode]. Breaker state is changed in order to transition the plant between grid and islanded.
Claim 2:
As per dependent claim 2, which depends on claim 1, Gurung discloses wherein the transition is from grid-tied to islanded[[page 656, Section III] Microgrid islanding is a process of changing the microgrid operating mode from grid-connected to islanded. It includes zeroing out the power flow at POI and opening the POI to create an isolated microgrid. Zeroing out the POI power flow is essential to minimize the stress on the generator when POI breaker opens thereby increasing the likelihood of microgrid stability following islanding.] and wherein responsive to receiving the indication to transition the plant from grid-tied to islanded: the amount of power provided to the grid and the amount of power provided to the one or more customers of the plant is determined; the power output of the plant is modified to be the amount of power provided to the one or more customers loads of the at least one microgrid [[page 658 section D] RTAC calculates the power setpoint (Pset, Qset) to zero out power flow at POI and sends to Generator LCon. Generator follows the setpoint, and RTAC monitors power flow at POI. If POI power flow (P-POI and Q-POI) is less than threshold value for 5 minutes, the operator is allowed to send “Open POI” command to POI relay.] determining the current power provided to the one or more customers is implicit, the islanded output must be able to match that of the current demand of the system for the method of Gurung to be able to switch to islanded.
and after modifying the power output of the plant to be the amount of power provided to the one or more customers loads of the at least one microgrid, the at least one islanding breaker is caused to be opened, thereby islanding the plant from the grid [[page 658 section D] RTAC calculates the power setpoint (Pset, Qset) to zero out power flow at POI and sends to Generator LCon. Generator follows the setpoint, and RTAC monitors power flow at POI. If POI power flow (P-POI and Q-POI) is less than threshold value for 5 minutes, the operator is allowed to send “Open POI” command to POI relay. This command opens the POI breaker. When POI opens, the status of POI is sent to the generator LCon via MB and the generator switches to isochronous mode. Stable voltage and frequency of the generator will indicate success of seamless planned islanding. The generator will run in isochronous mode, maintains voltage and frequency as changes in the load occur.] after loads have been balanced, the islanding breaker can be opened in order to island the plant from the grid.
Claim 3:
As per dependent claim 3, which depends on claim 2, Gurung discloses wherein modifying the power output of the plant to be the amount of power provided to the one or more customers loads of the at least one microgrid comprises modifying the power output to be within a predetermined tolerance of the amount of power provided to the one or more customers loads of the at least one microgrid [[page 658] If POI power flow (P-POI and Q-POI) is less than threshold value for 5 minutes, the operator is allowed to send “Open POI” command to POI relay. This command opens the POI breaker. When POI opens, the status of POI is sent to the generator LCon via MB and the generator switches to isochronous mode. Stable voltage and frequency of the generator will indicate success of seamless planned islanding.]. Adjusting power output is implied since the method of Gurung provides stable voltage and frequency.
Claim 4:
As per dependent claim 4, which depends on claim 2, Gurung discloses wherein causing the at least one islanding breaker to open comprises the plant notifying the utility that the at least one islanding breaker is to be opened so that the utility commands the at least one islanding breaker to open [[page 658] If POI power flow (P-POI and Q-POI) is less than threshold value for 5 minutes, the operator is allowed to send “Open POI” command to POI relay. This command opens the POI breaker. When POI opens, the status of POI is sent to the generator LCon via MB and the generator switches to isochronous mode.]
Claim 5:
As per dependent claim 5, which depends on claim 4, Gurung discloses wherein the plant notifying the utility that the at least one islanding breaker is to be opened further causes the utility to perform one or more additional checks prior to commanding the at least one islanding breaker to open. [[page 658] If POI power flow (P-POI and Q-POI) is less than threshold value for 5 minutes, the operator is allowed to send “Open POI” command to POI relay. This command opens the POI breaker. When POI opens, the status of POI is sent to the generator LCon via MB and the generator switches to isochronous mode.]
Claim 7:
As per dependent claim 7, which depends on claim 2, Gurung discloses wherein the indication to transition the plant from grid-tied to islanded is received from the utility; and wherein responsive to the plant receiving from the utility the indication to transition the plant from grid-tied to islanded, the plant: determines the amount of power provided to the grid and the amount of power provided to the one or more customers of the at least one microgrid; modifies the power output of the plant to be the amount of power provided to the one or more customers loads of the at least one microgrid; and causes the at least one islanding breaker to open, thereby islanding the plant from the grid [[page 658] operator enables islanding… The results for islanding and reconnection of microgrid with microgrid load (load bank) set to 0.9 lagging and unity power factor are shown. Initially, the load bank was set at 300 kW with 0.9 power factor. Upon enabling Planned Islanding, MMC was able to hold the POI active and reactive power around zero by commanding appropriate active and reactive power setpoints to the generator LCon. After 5 minutes, the POI is opened, and microgrid is isolated from the main utility grid. The generator immediately switches to isochronous mode and maintains voltage and frequency at rated values as commanded by MMC. The generator was able to maintain stable voltage and frequency during load step changes. Load was increased by 100 kW first and decreased by 100 kW. The transient response of the generator shows that it was able to maintain its voltage and frequency near its setpoint values. Upon enabling grid-reconnect, MMC calculated the voltage and frequency setpoint required to synchronize the microgrid and sends those setpoints to generator LCon.]. Operator is associated with the utility, power must be determined in order to match it and maintain it during switch from grid to islanded.
Claim 8:
As per dependent claim 8, which depends on claim 2, Gurung discloses wherein the indication to transition the plant from grid-tied to islanded is generated by the plant[[page 658] The operator enables “Planned Islanding” on the HMI]. Operator is associated with the plant.
Claim 9:
As per dependent claim 9, which depends on claim 2, Gurung discloses wherein causing the at least one islanding breaker to change its state thereby transitioning the plant from grid-tied to islanded comprises sending a communication from the plant to the utility indicating ready to island [[page 658] if POI power flow (P-POI and Q-POI) is less than threshold value for 5 minutes, the operator is allowed to send “Open POI” command to POI relay. This command opens the POI breaker. When POI opens, the status of POI is sent to the generator LCon via MB and the generator switches to isochronous mode.].
Claim 10:
As per dependent claim 10, which depends on claim 9, Gurung discloses wherein the communication from the plant to the utility indicating ready to island is indicative to the utility to perform additional checks prior to the utility controlling at least one islanding breaker to transition the plant from grid-tied to islanded [[page 658] The operator enables “Planned Islanding” on the HMI. RTAC calculates the power setpoint (Pset, Qset) to zero out power flow at POI and sends to Generator LCon. Generator follows the setpoint, and RTAC monitors power flow at POI. If POI power flow (P-POI and Q-POI) is less than threshold value for 5 minutes, the operator is allowed to send “Open POI” command to POI relay. This command opens the POI breaker. When POI opens, the status of POI is sent to the generator LCon via MB and the generator switches to isochronous mode. Stable voltage and frequency of the generator will indicate success of seamless planned islanding. The generator will run in isochronous mode, maintains voltage and frequency as changes in the load occur.]. Operator is associated with the utility. Checks performed between the request and the actual command to open the breaker.
Claim 19:
As per independent claim 19, it recites a plant configured to supply power to one or more customer loads and to supply the power to or receive the power from a grid that is operated by a utility, the plant comprising: at least one microgrid configured to supply the power to the one or more customer loads; communication functionality configured to communicate with the utility; and at least one controller configured to steps of the method of claim 1, therefore it is rejected under the same rationale as claim 1 above.
Claim 20:
As per claim 20, it is rejected under the same rationale as claim 9 above.
Claim 21:
As per claim 21, it is rejected under the same rationale as claim 10 above.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 6, 12-13, 15-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gurung in view of Matt Karlgaard et al (US PG Pub No. 2022/0261026; Published: 08/18/2022)(hereinafter: Karlgaard).
Claim 6:
As per claim 6, which depends on claim 5, Gurung discloses performing checks prior to islanding but failed to specifically disclose wherein the one or more additional checks comprises verifying frequency and voltage are within the predetermined tolerance.
Karlgaard, in the same field of islanding a grid-tied network discloses this limitation in that [[0052] The multi-port meter may provide the inverter with the actual grid voltage and frequency values or may provide the difference between the grid voltage and frequency and the inverter voltage and frequency. The multi-port meter may provide an indication of the relative phase between the grid and the inverter, as well. When the meter senses that the output of the inverter matches the grid within a tolerance 505].
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the method of Gurung to complete additional checks comprising verifying that frequency and voltage are within the predetermined tolerance as disclosed by Karlgaard. The motivation for doing so would have been to assure compliance since the allowable tolerance, i.e. allowable difference in frequency, phase, and amplitude of power between the outputs of the inverter and the power grid, may vary based on jurisdiction, regulatory authority, or other type of requirement (0038).
Claim 12:
As per claim 12, which depends on claim 1, Gurung discloses wherein the transition is from islanded to grid-tied; determining steps before the transition [ [page 658] Following microgrid operation in islanded mode, the operator can transition the microgrid from islanded mode to grid-connected mode in following steps…]. Gurung discloses determining stable voltage and frequency but failed to specifically disclose:
wherein responsive to the indication to transition the plant from islanded to grid-tied: determining, by the plant, whether the sensed frequency, the sensed voltage and the sensed phase angle on both sides of the at least one islanding breaker is within the predetermined tolerance; responsive to determining by the plant that the sensed frequency, the sensed voltage, and the sensed phase angle on both sides of the at least one islanding breaker are not within the predetermined tolerance, performing the at least one action so that the sensed frequency, the sensed voltage, and the sensed phase angle on both sides of the at least one islanding breaker are within the predetermined tolerance; and responsive to the plant determining that the sensed frequency, the sensed voltage, and the sensed phase angle on both sides of the at least one islanding breaker is within the predetermined tolerance: performing at least one of: commanding the at least one islanding breaker to transition from islanded to grid-tied only after receiving from the utility confirmation that the utility determined that the sensed frequency, the sensed voltage, and the sensed phase angle on both sides of the at least one islanding breaker is within the predetermined tolerance; or notifying the utility that the sensed frequency, the sensed voltage, and the sensed phase angle on both sides of the at least one islanding breaker is within the predetermined tolerance in order to cause the utility to command the at least one islanding breaker to transition from islanded to grid-tied only after receiving from the utility confirmation that the utility determined that the sensed frequency, the sensed voltage, and the sensed phase angle on both sides of the at least one islanding breaker is within the predetermined tolerance.
Karlgaard, in the same field of islanding a grid-tied network discloses wherein responsive to the indication to transition the plant from islanded to grid-tied: determining, by the plant, whether the sensed frequency, the sensed voltage and the sensed phase angle on both sides of the at least one islanding breaker is within the predetermined tolerance; [[0051] FIG. 5 depicts how the system transitions from islanding mode to grid-tied mode in an example of the system where the meter makes the determination to transition between modes and communicates information to the inverter [0052] The meter communicates with the inverter to inform it of the transition and to provide information regarding phase, amplitude, and frequency of the grid 503. In response, the inverter transitions its output from isochronous to synchronous. The inverter uses the grid information to adjust the inverter's output to match the grid within a tolerance 504.]
responsive to determining by the plant that the sensed frequency, the sensed voltage, and the sensed phase angle on both sides of the at least one islanding breaker are not within the predetermined tolerance, performing the at least one action so that the sensed frequency, the sensed voltage, and the sensed phase angle on both sides of the at least one islanding breaker are within the predetermined tolerance; and responsive to the plant determining that the sensed frequency, the sensed voltage, and the sensed phase angle on both sides of the at least one islanding breaker is within the predetermined tolerance: performing at least one of: commanding the at least one islanding breaker to transition from islanded to grid-tied only after receiving from the utility confirmation that the utility determined that the sensed frequency, the sensed voltage, and the sensed phase angle on both sides of the at least one islanding breaker is within the predetermined tolerance; or notifying the utility that the sensed frequency, the sensed voltage, and the sensed phase angle on both sides of the at least one islanding breaker is within the predetermined tolerance in order to cause the utility to command the at least one islanding breaker to transition from islanded to grid-tied only after receiving from the utility confirmation that the utility determined that the sensed frequency, the sensed voltage, and the sensed phase angle on both sides of the at least one islanding breaker is within the predetermined tolerance. [[0052] The multi-port meter may provide the inverter with the actual grid voltage and frequency values or may provide the difference between the grid voltage and frequency and the inverter voltage and frequency. The multi-port meter may provide an indication of the relative phase between the grid and the inverter, as well. When the meter senses that the output of the inverter matches the grid within a tolerance 505, the meter closes the grid switch to transition the system from islanding mode to grid-tied mode.]
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the method of Gurung to determine, by the plant, whether the sensed frequency, the sensed voltage and the sensed phase angle on both sides of the at least one islanding breaker is within the predetermined tolerance and to in response to such determination commanding the at least one islanding breaker to transition from islanded to grid-tied only after receiving from the utility confirmation that the utility determined that the sensed frequency, the sensed voltage, and the sensed phase angle on both sides of the at least one islanding breaker is within the predetermined tolerance as disclosed by Karlgaard. The motivation for doing so would have been to assure compliance since the allowable tolerance, i.e. allowable difference in frequency, phase, and amplitude of power between the outputs of the inverter and the power grid, may vary based on jurisdiction, regulatory authority, or other type of requirement (0038).
Claim 13:
As per claim 13, which depends on claim 12, it is rejected under the same rationale as claim 12 above. Additionally, Gurung and Karlgaard disclose wherein the plant, via at least two separate devices, determines whether the sensed frequency and the sensed voltage on both sides of the at least one islanding breaker is within the predetermined tolerance. Karlgaard, [[0052] The multi-port meter may provide the inverter with the actual grid voltage and frequency values or may provide the difference between the grid voltage and frequency and the inverter voltage and frequency. The multi-port meter may provide an indication of the relative phase between the grid and the inverter, as well. When the meter senses that the output of the inverter matches the grid within a tolerance 505, the meter closes the grid switch to transition the system from islanding mode to grid-tied mode.]
Claim 15:
As per claim 15, which depends on claim 12, it is rejected under the same rationale as claim 12 above. Additionally, Gurung and Karlgaard disclose wherein the at least one action comprises modifying at least one of the sensed frequency, the sensed voltage or the sensed phase angle of the plant. Karlgaard, [The output provided by the inverter may track the grid. This means that the inverter may adjust the output the inverter provides to track the frequency, phase, and amplitude of the grid voltage within an allowable tolerance to allow for safe cogeneration of power.]
Claim 16:
As per claim 16, which depends on claim 12, it is rejected under the same rationale as claim 12 above. Additionally, Gurung and Karlgaard disclose wherein the at least one action comprises waiting at least a predetermined amount of time so that the sensed frequency, the sensed voltage, and the sensed phase angle on both sides of the at least one islanding breaker are within the predetermined tolerance. Karlgaard, [[0056] The multi-port meter may also wait a specified delay time after sensing that the inverter output matches the grid 505 and before connecting the inverter to the grid 506.]
Claim 17:
As per claim 17, which depends on claim 1, Gurung discloses wherein the transition is from grid-tied to islanded; and wherein the transition is seamless in that there is no interruption in power to the one or more customer loads [[Page 658] Stable voltage and frequency of the generator will indicate success of seamless planned islanding].
Claim 18:
As per claim 18, which depends on claim 1, Gurung discloses wherein the transition is from islanded to grid-tied; and wherein the transition is seamless in that there is no interruption in power to the one or more customer loads[[Page 658] Stable voltage and frequency of the generator and the feeder, and no unexpected tripping of the loads or any components of the microgrid will indicate successful seamless grid reconnection.].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11, 14, 22 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The cited prior art of record, alone or in any reasonable combination fails to disclose the limitations of the above mentioned claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
The cited references not made of record (see attached 892) pertain to individual claim limitations.
Contact
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HOWARD CORTES whose telephone number is (571)270-1383. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm EST.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Scott T Baderman can be reached on (571)272-3644. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/HOWARD CORTES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2118
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