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 Objections
Claim 39 should be amended to change “e” to “an.” (e.g. computing e initial value…”) Appropriate correction is required.
Double Patenting
The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the conflicting claims are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on nonstatutory double patenting provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with the examined application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. See MPEP § 717.02 for applications subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA as explained in MPEP § 2159. See MPEP § 2146 et seq. for applications not subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b).
The filing of a terminal disclaimer by itself is not a complete reply to a nonstatutory double patenting (NSDP) rejection. A complete reply requires that the terminal disclaimer be accompanied by a reply requesting reconsideration of the prior Office action. Even where the NSDP rejection is provisional the reply must be complete. See MPEP § 804, subsection I.B.1. For a reply to a non-final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.111(a). For a reply to final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.113(c). A request for reconsideration while not provided for in 37 CFR 1.113(c) may be filed after final for consideration. See MPEP §§ 706.07(e) and 714.13.
The USPTO Internet website contains terminal disclaimer forms which may be used. Please visit www.uspto.gov/patent/patents-forms. The actual filing date of the application in which the form is filed determines what form (e.g., PTO/SB/25, PTO/SB/26, PTO/AIA /25, or PTO/AIA /26) should be used. A web-based eTerminal Disclaimer may be filled out completely online using web-screens. An eTerminal Disclaimer that meets all requirements is auto-processed and approved immediately upon submission. For more information about eTerminal Disclaimers, refer to www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/applying-online/eterminal-disclaimer.
Claims 21-40 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-20, respectively, of U.S. Patent No. 11835249. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because ‘249 teaches the equivalent of each and every limitations described below.
USPN 11835249
18/773365
1. An intelligent gateway coupled to a first ventilator or a first temperature adjustment assembly in a first portion of a building and a second ventilator or second temperature adjustment assembly in a second portion of the building, wherein the first ventilator or second ventilator is configured to circulate fresh air into flail the building, and the first temperature adjustment assembly or the second temperature adjustment assembly is configured to condition air within the building, wherein the intelligent gateway is configured to:
receive an updated value of an indicator from a device communicatively coupled to the building,
wherein the indicator is identified using an indicator identifier in a specification data structure maintained by the intelligent gateway, and
wherein the device comprises one or more sensors;
identify, using the specification data structure, a set of parent indicators associated with the indicator using the indicator identifier;
wherein each parent indicator associated with the indicator has a value that is derived based at least in part on a value of the indicator; and
wherein the set of parent indicators comprise a first parent indicator relating to a first comfort parameter in the first portion of the building and a second parent indicator relating to a second comfort parameter in the second portion of the building;
for each respective parent indicator in the set of parent indicators:
compute a revised value of the respective parent indicator using the updated value of the indicator; and
generate an alert associated with the respective parent indicator using the computed revised value of the respective parent indicator and one or more rules defined in the specification data structure;
identify, using the specification data structure, a third parent indicator associated with the first parent indicator and the second parent indicator;
compute a revised value of the third parent indicator using a revised value of the first parent indicator or a revised value of the second parent indicator; and
control operating conditions of the first ventilator or first temperature adjustment assembly and the second ventilator or second temperature adjustment assembly by adjusting the first comfort parameter and the second comfort parameter based on the revised value of the third parent indicator.
2. The intelligent gateway of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors is bound to one or more group functions.
3. The intelligent gateway of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors measure:
temperature,
humidity,
pressure,
carbon dioxide level,
occupancy,
leakage,
or any combination thereof.
4. The intelligent gateway of claim 1, wherein the intelligent gateway is further configured to:
prior to receiving values of the indicator from the device:
register the device with the intelligent gateway,
wherein the intelligent gateway receives information of the one or more sensors associated with the device and one or more group functions to which the one or more sensors is bound,
wherein the intelligent gateway creates, in the specification data structure, entries for indicators to represent each of the one or more sensors, and
wherein the intelligent gateway recursively creates, in the specification data structure, entries for one or more parent indicators to which each of the indicators contributes.
5. The intelligent gateway of claim 1, wherein the intelligent gateway is further configured to:
receive a request to unregister a specified indicator in the specification data structure;
delete, from the specification data structure, the specified indicator identified in the request; and
delete, from the specification data structure, one or more parent indicators to which the specified indicator is a sole contributor.
6. The intelligent gateway of claim 1, wherein the intelligent gateway computes the revised value of the third parent indicator based on a custom calculation function associated with a group function of the indicator, the first parent indicator, or the second parent indicator, and
wherein the custom calculation function is defined in the specification data structure.
7. The intelligent gateway of claim 1, wherein the intelligent gateway is further configured to create an entry to the alert associated with the third parent indicator in an alerts data structure.
8. The intelligent gateway of claim 1, wherein the intelligent gateway is further configured to maintain a device configuration data structure,
wherein the device configuration data structure comprises entries describing devices at a monitored site,
wherein the device configuration data structure identifies one or more sensors associated with each of the devices, and
wherein the device configuration data structure identifies one or more group functions to the one or more sensors is bound.
9. The intelligent gateway of claim 1, wherein the specification data structure is maintained in a markup language format.
10. The intelligent gateway of claim 1, wherein the intelligent gateway maintains an in-memory indicator network data structure,
wherein the in-memory indicator network data structure comprises a node corresponding to the indicator,
wherein the in-memory indicator network data structure comprises nodes corresponding to each parent indicator in the set of parent indicators, and
wherein each node in the in-memory indicator network data structure comprises a set of pointers to its parent indicators.
11. The intelligent gateway of claim 1, wherein the intelligent gateway is further configured to:
generate states for one or more parent indicators in the set of parent indicators; and
transmit, to a remote server, for one or more of the generated states: a level, a message, a value, or any combination thereof.
12. A method of operating an air processing system configured to monitor and control quality and temperature of air within a building, wherein the air processing system includes an intelligent gateway configured to monitor and adjust operating conditions of a first ventilator or a first temperature adjustment assembly in a first portion of a building and a second ventilator or second temperature adjustment assembly in a second portion of the building, the method comprising:
receiving an updated value of an indicator from a device communicatively coupled to the building,
wherein the indicator is identified using an indicator identifier in a specification data structure maintained by the intelligent gateway, and
wherein the device comprises one or more sensors;
identifying, using the specification data structure, a set of parent indicators associated with the indicator using the indicator identifier;
wherein each parent indicator associated with the indicator has a value that is derived based at least in part on a value of the indicator; and
wherein the set of parent indicators comprise a first parent indicator relating to a first comfort parameter in the first portion of the building and a second parent indicator relating to a second comfort parameter in the second portion of the building;
for each respective parent indicator in the set of parent indicators:
computing a revised value of the respective parent indicator using the updated value of the indicator; and
generating an alert associated with the respective parent indicator using the computed revised value of the respective parent indicator and one or more rules defined in the specification data structure;
identifying, using the specification data structure, a third parent indicator associated with the first parent indicator and the second parent indicator;
computing a revised value of the third parent indicator using a revised value of the first parent indicator or a revised value of the second parent indicator; and
controlling operating conditions of the first ventilator or first temperature adjustment assembly and the second ventilator or second temperature adjustment assembly by adjusting the first comfort parameter and the second comfort parameter based on the revised value of the third parent indicator.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more sensors measure:
temperature,
humidity,
pressure,
carbon dioxide level,
occupancy,
leakage,
or any combination thereof.
14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:
prior to receiving values of the indicator from the device:
registering the device with the intelligent gateway,
wherein the intelligent gateway receives information of the one or more sensors associated with the device and one or more group functions to which the one or more sensors is bound,
wherein the intelligent gateway creates, in the specification data structure, entries for indicators to represent each of the one or more sensors, and
wherein the intelligent gateway recursively creates, in the specification data structure, entries for one or more parent indicators to which each of the indicators contributes.
15. The method of claim 12, wherein the revised value of the third parent indicator based on a custom is computed using a calculation function associated with a group function of the indicator, the first parent indicator, or the second parent indicator, and
wherein the custom calculation function is defined in the specification data structure.
16. The method of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises maintaining an in-memory indicator network data structure,
wherein the in-memory indicator network data structure comprises a node corresponding to the indicator, and
wherein the in-memory indicator network data structure comprises nodes corresponding to each parent indicator in the set of parent indicators, and
wherein each node in the in-memory indicator network data structure comprises a set of pointers to its parent indicators.
17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:
generate states for one or more parent indicators in the set of parent indicators; and
transmit, to a remote server, for one or more of the generated states: a level, a message, a value, or any combination thereof.
18. At least one non-transitory, computer-readable medium carrying instructions, which when executed by at least one data processor, performs a method for operating a distributed metrics system, wherein the distributed metrics system includes an intelligent gateway configured to monitor and adjust operating conditions of the distributed metrics system, the method comprising:
receiving an updated value of an indicator from a device communicatively coupled to a building,
wherein the indicator is identified using an indicator identifier in a specification data structure maintained by the intelligent gateway,
wherein an indicator is associated with a metric,
wherein the metric is selected from a set of metrics, and
wherein the set of metrics comprise at least one metric representing a physical quantity and at least one metric representing a derived quantity;
identifying, using the specification data structure, a set of parent indicators associated with the indicator using the indicator identifier;
wherein each parent indicator associated with the indicator has a value that is derived based at least in part on a value of the indicator; and
wherein the set of parent indicators comprise a first parent indicator relating to a first comfort parameter in a first area monitored by the distributed metrics system and a second parent indicator relating to a second comfort parameter in a second area monitored by the distributed metrics system;
for each respective parent indicator in the set of parent indicators:
computing a revised value of the respective parent indicator using the updated value of the indicator; and
generating an alert associated with the respective parent indicator using the computed revised value of the respective parent indicator and one or more rules defined in the specification data structure; and
identifying, using the specification data structure, a third parent indicator associated with the first parent indicator and the second parent indicator;
computing a revised value of the third parent indicator using a revised value of the first parent indicator or a revised value of the second parent indicator; and
controlling operating conditions of the distributed metrics system by adjusting the first comfort parameter and the second comfort parameter based on the one or more computed revised values of the third parent indicator.
19. The intelligent gateway of claim 1, wherein the intelligent gateway is further configured to:
receive initial values of a plurality of indicators from a plurality of devices communicatively coupled to the building; and
compute an initial value for another set of parent indicators based on the initial values of the plurality of indicators, the other set of parent indicators including one or more parent indicators associated with each of the plurality of indicators and comprising the set of parent indicators associated with the indicator;
wherein computing the revised value of each respective parent indicator in the set of parent indicators comprises applying a function to the initial value of the respective parent indicator and the updated value of the indicator to compute the revised value.
20. The intelligent gateway of claim 19, wherein the plurality of devices communicatively coupled to the building comprise two or more types of sensors, and wherein a parent indicator in the set of parent indicators represents a comfort parameter that is different from a parameter measured by either of the two or more types of sensors.
21. A gateway coupled to a first device in a first portion of a building and a second device in a second portion of the building, wherein the gateway is configured to:
receive an updated value of an indicator from a third device communicatively coupled to the building, wherein the indicator is identified using an identifier in a data structure maintained by the gateway;
identify, using the data structure, a set of parent indicators associated with the indicator using the identifier, wherein each parent indicator associated with the indicator comprises a value that is derived based at least in part on a value of the indicator, and wherein the set of parent indicators comprise a first parent indicator relating to a first parameter in the first portion of the building and a second parent indicator relating to a second parameter in the second portion of the building;
compute, for each respective parent indicator in the set of parent indicators, a revised value of the respective parent indicator using the updated value of the indicator; and
identify, using the data structure, a third parent indicator associated with the first parent indicator and the second parent indicator;
compute a revised value of the third parent indicator using a revised value of the first parent indicator or a revised value of the second parent indicator; and
control operating conditions of the first device and the second device by adjusting the first parameter and the second parameter based on the revised value of the third parent indicator.
22. The gateway of claim 21, wherein the third device comprises one or more sensors, and wherein the one or more sensors is bound to one or more group functions.
23. The gateway of claim 22, wherein the one or more sensors measure:
temperature,
humidity,
pressure,
carbon dioxide level,
occupancy,
leakage,
or any combination thereof.
24. The gateway of claim 22, wherein the gateway is further configured to:
prior to receiving values of the indicator from the third device:
register the third device with the gateway,
wherein the gateway receives information of the one or more sensors associated with the third device and one or more group functions to which the one or more sensors is bound,
wherein the gateway creates, in the data structure, entries for indicators to represent each of the one or more sensors, and
wherein the gateway recursively creates, in the data structure, entries for one or more parent indicators to which each of the indicators contributes.
25. The gateway of claim 21, wherein the gateway is further configured to:
receive a request to unregister a specified indicator in the data structure;
delete, from the data structure, the specified indicator identified in the request; and
delete, from the data structure, one or more parent indicators to which the specified indicator is a sole contributor.
26. The gateway of claim 21, wherein the gateway computes the revised value of the third parent indicator based on a custom calculation function associated with a group function of the indicator, the first parent indicator, or the second parent indicator, and wherein the custom calculation function is defined in the data structure.
27. The gateway of claim 21, wherein the gateway is further configured to create an entry to an alert associated with the third parent indicator in an alerts data structure.
28. The gateway of claim 21, wherein the gateway is further configured to maintain a device configuration data structure,
wherein the device configuration data structure comprises entries describing devices at a monitored site,
wherein the device configuration data structure identifies one or more sensors associated with each of the devices, and
wherein the device configuration data structure identifies one or more group functions to the one or more sensors is bound.
29. The gateway of claim 21, wherein the data structure is maintained in a markup language format.
30. The gateway of claim 21, wherein the gateway maintains an in-memory indicator network data structure,
wherein the in-memory indicator network data structure comprises a node corresponding to the indicator,
wherein the in-memory indicator network data structure comprises nodes corresponding to each parent indicator in the set of parent indicators, and
wherein each node in the in-memory indicator network data structure comprises a set of pointers to its parent indicators.
31. The gateway of claim 21, wherein the gateway is further configured to:
generate states for one or more parent indicators in the set of parent indicators; and
transmit, to a remote server, for one or more of the generated states: a level, a message, a value, or any combination thereof.
32. A method of operating an air processing system, wherein the air processing system includes a gateway configured to monitor and adjust operating conditions of a first device in a first portion of a building and a second device in a second portion of the building, the method comprising:
receiving an updated value of an indicator from a third device communicatively coupled to the building, wherein the indicator is identified using an indicator identifier in a data structure maintained by the intelligent gateway;
identifying, using the data structure, a set of parent indicators associated with the indicator using the indicator identifier, wherein each parent indicator associated with the indicator has a value that is derived based at least in part on a value of the indicator, and wherein the set of parent indicators comprise a first parent indicator relating to a first parameter in the first portion of the building and a second parent indicator relating to a second parameter in the second portion of the building;
computing, for each respective parent indicator in the set of parent indicators, a revised value of the respective parent indicator using the updated value of the indicator; and
identifying, using the data structure, a third parent indicator associated with the first parent indicator and the second parent indicator;
computing a revised value of the third parent indicator using a revised value of the first parent indicator or a revised value of the second parent indicator; and
controlling operating conditions of the first device and the second device by adjusting the first parameter and the second parameter based on the revised value of the third parent indicator.
33. The method of claim 32, wherein the one or more sensors measure:
temperature,
humidity,
pressure,
carbon dioxide level,
occupancy,
leakage,
or any combination thereof.
34. The method of claim 32, further comprising:
prior to receiving values of the indicator from the device:
registering the device with the gateway, wherein the gateway receives information of one or more sensors associated with the third device and one or more group functions to which the one or more sensors is bound, wherein the gateway creates, in the data structure, entries for indicators to represent each of the one or more sensors, and wherein the gateway recursively creates, in the data structure, entries for one or more parent indicators to which each of the indicators contributes.
35. The method of claim 32, wherein the revised value of the third parent indicator based on a custom is computed using a calculation function associated with a group function of the indicator, the first parent indicator, or the second parent indicator, and wherein the custom calculation function is defined in the data structure.
36. The method of claim 35, wherein the method further comprises maintaining an in-memory indicator network data structure, wherein the in-memory indicator network data structure comprises a node corresponding to the indicator, and wherein the in-memory indicator network data structure comprises nodes corresponding to each parent indicator in the set of parent indicators, and wherein each node in the in-memory indicator network data structure comprises a set of pointers to its parent indicators.
37. The method of claim 35, further comprising:
generating states for one or more parent indicators in the set of parent indicators; and
transmitting, to a remote server, for one or more of the generated states: a level, a message, a value, or any combination thereof.
38. At least one non-transitory, computer-readable medium carrying instructions, which when executed by at least one data processor, performs a method for operating a distributed metrics system, wherein the distributed metrics system includes an gateway configured to monitor and adjust operating conditions of the distributed metrics system, the method comprising:
receiving an updated value of an indicator from a device communicatively coupled to a building,
wherein the indicator is identified using an identifier in a data structure maintained by the gateway,
wherein the indicator is associated with a metric,
wherein the metric is selected from a set of metrics, and
wherein the set of metrics comprise at least one metric representing
a physical quantity and at least one metric representing a derived quantity;
identifying, using the data structure, a set of parent indicators associated with the indicator using the indicator identifier;
wherein each parent indicator associated with the indicator has a value that is derived based at least in part on a value of the indicator; and
wherein the set of parent indicators comprise a first parent indicator relating to a first parameter in a first area monitored by the distributed metrics system and a second parent indicator relating to a second parameter in a second area monitored by the distributed metrics system;
computing, for each respective parent indicator in the set of parent indicators, a revised value of the respective parent indicator using the updated value of the indicator;
identifying, using the data structure, a third parent indicator associated with the first parent indicator and the second parent indicator;
computing a revised value of the third parent indicator using a revised value of the first parent indicator or a revised value of the second parent indicator; and
controlling operating conditions of the distributed metrics system by adjusting the first parameter and the second parameter based on the one or more computed revised values of the third parent indicator.
39. The at least one non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 38, wherein the method further comprises:
receiving initial values of a plurality of indicators from a plurality of devices communicatively coupled to the building; and
computing e an initial value for another set of parent indicators based on the initial values of the plurality of indicators, the other set of parent indicators including one or more parent indicators associated with each of the plurality of indicators and comprising the set of parent indicators associated with the indicator;
wherein computing the revised value of each respective parent indicator in the set of parent indicators comprises applying a function to the initial value of the respective parent indicator and the updated value of the indicator to compute the revised value.
40. at least one non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 39, wherein the plurality of devices communicatively coupled to the building comprise two or more types of sensors, and wherein a parent indicator in the set of parent indicators represents a comfort parameter that is different from a parameter measured by either of the two or more types of sensors.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 39-40, but for the 35 USC 101 and DP rejections, 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 applied combination of prior art does not expressly teach the combination of bolded limitations described below.
receiving initial values of a plurality of indicators from a plurality of devices communicatively coupled to the building; and
computing e an initial value for another set of parent indicators based on the initial values of the plurality of indicators, the other set of parent indicators including one or more parent indicators associated with each of the plurality of indicators and comprising the set of parent indicators associated with the indicator;
wherein computing the revised value of each respective parent indicator in the set of parent indicators comprises applying a function to the initial value of the respective parent indicator and the updated value of the indicator to compute the revised value.
Claim 40 depends upon claim 39.
EXAMINER'S AMENDMENT (proposal purposes for overcoming the 35 USC 101 rejections and applied prior art)
Claim 38 (Currently Amended) At least one non-transitory, computer-readable medium carrying instructions, which when executed by at least one data processor, performs a method for operating a distributed metrics system, wherein the distributed metrics system includes an gateway configured to monitor and adjust operating conditions of the distributed metrics system, the method comprising:
receiving an updated value of an indicator from a device communicatively coupled to a building,
wherein the indicator is identified using an identifier in a data structure maintained by the gateway,
wherein the indicator is associated with a metric,
wherein the metric is selected from a set of metrics, and
wherein the set of metrics comprise at least one metric representing
a physical quantity and at least one metric representing a derived quantity;
identifying, using the data structure, a set of parent indicators associated with the indicator using the indicator identifier;
wherein each parent indicator associated with the indicator has a value that is derived based at least in part on a value of the indicator; and
wherein the set of parent indicators comprise a first parent indicator relating to a first parameter in a first area monitored by the distributed metrics system and a second parent indicator relating to a second parameter in a second area monitored by the distributed metrics system;
computing, for each respective parent indicator in the set of parent indicators, a revised value of the respective parent indicator using the updated value of the indicator;
identifying, using the data structure, a third parent indicator associated with the first parent indicator and the second parent indicator;
computing a revised value of the third parent indicator using a revised value of the first parent indicator or a revised value of the second parent indicator; [[and]]
controlling operating conditions of the distributed metrics system by adjusting the first parameter and the second parameter of multiple HVAC devices based on the one or more computed revised values of the third parent indicator[[.]] ;
wherein the method further comprises
receiving initial values of a plurality of indicators from a plurality of devices communicatively coupled to the building; and
computing [[e]] an initial value for another set of parent indicators based on the initial values of the plurality of indicators, the other set of parent indicators including one or more parent indicators associated with each of the plurality of indicators and comprising the set of parent indicators associated with the indicator; and
wherein computing the revised value of each respective parent indicator in the set of parent indicators comprises applying a function to the initial value of the respective parent indicator and the updated value of the indicator to compute the revised value.
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 21-40 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more.
The claim(s) recite(s) a mental process directed to identify, using the data structure, a set of parent indicators associated with the indicator using the identifier, wherein each parent indicator associated with the indicator comprises a value that is derived based at least in part on a value of the indicator, and wherein the set of parent indicators comprise a first parent indicator relating to a first parameter in the first portion of the building and a second parent indicator relating to a second parameter in the second portion of the building; compute, for each respective parent indicator in the set of parent indicators, a revised value of the respective parent indicator using the updated value of the indicator; and identify, using the data structure, a third parent indicator associated with the first parent indicator and the second parent indicator; and compute a revised value of the third parent indicator using a revised value of the first parent indicator or a revised value of the second parent indicator, claims 21, 32, and 38; register the third device with the gateway and recursively creates, in the data structure, entries for one or more parent indicators to which each of the indicators contributes., claim 24; delete, from the data structure, the specified indicator identified in the request; and
delete, from the data structure, one or more parent indicators to which the specified indicator is a sole contributor, claim 25 ; computes the revised value of the third parent indicator based on a custom calculation function associated with a group function of the indicator, the first parent indicator, or the second parent indicator, and wherein the custom calculation function is defined in the data structure., claim 26 ; create an entry to an alert associated with the third parent indicator in an alerts data structure., claim 27 l identifies one or more sensors associated with each of the devices, and
wherein the device configuration data structure identifies one or more group functions to the one or more sensors is bound, claim 28 ; generate states for one or more parent indicators in the set of parent indicators; and, claim 31 l registering the device with the gateway, wherein the gateway receives information of one or more sensors associated with the third device and one or more group functions to which the one or more sensors is bound, wherein the gateway creates, in the data structure, entries for indicators to represent each of the one or more sensors, and wherein the gateway recursively creates, in the data structure, entries for one or more parent indicators to which each of the indicators contributes., claim 34 ; a calculation function associated with a group function of the indicator, the first parent indicator, or the second parent indicator, and wherein the custom calculation function is defined in the data structure., claim 35 ; generating states for one or more parent indicators in the set of parent indicators; , claim 27 ; computing e an initial value for another set of parent indicators based on the initial values of the plurality of indicators, the other set of parent indicators including one or more parent indicators associated with each of the plurality of indicators and comprising the set of parent indicators associated with the indicator; wherein computing the revised value of each respective parent indicator in the set of parent indicators comprises applying a function to the initial value of the respective parent indicator and the updated value of the indicator to compute the revised value, claim 39
This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application because the following combination of limitations represent insignificant extra-solution activity , MPEP 2106.05(g)
receive an updated value of an indicator from a third device communicatively coupled to the building, wherein the indicator is identified using an identifier in a data structure maintained by the gateway; and control operating conditions of the first device and the second device by adjusting the first parameter and the second parameter based on the revised value of the third parent indicator, claims 21, 32, and 38 (e.g. the controlling operating conditions is generally described so as to apply the abstract idea. The control is tied to parameter adjustments does not link the actual HVAC operation for adjusting the air quality based on the computations; register the third device with the gateway,
wherein the gateway receives information of the one or more sensors associated with the third device and one or more group functions to which the one or more sensors is bound,
, claim 24 ; receive a request to unregister a specified indicator in the data structure;, claim 25; transmit, to a remote server, for one or more of the generated states: a level, a message, a value, or any combination thereof., claim 31; receiving an updated value of an indicator from a third device communicatively coupled to the building, wherein the indicator is identified using an indicator identifier in a data structure maintained by the intelligent gateway;, claim 32 ; transmitting, to a remote server, for one or more of the generated states: a level, a message, a value, or any combination there, claim 37 ; receiving an updated value of an indicator from a device communicatively coupled to a building and controlling operating conditions of the distributed metrics system by adjusting the first parameter and the second parameter based on the one or more computed revised values of the third parent indicator. claim 38; receiving initial values of a plurality of indicators from a plurality of devices communicatively coupled to the building; and, claim 39
The following combination of limitations generally link the abstract idea to the field of HVAC, MPEP 2106.05(f)
wherein the one or more sensors measure, claims 22-23; wherein the device configuration data structure comprises entries describing devices at a monitored site,, claim 28; wherein the data structure is maintained in a markup language format., claim 29; wherein the in-memory indicator network data structure comprises a node corresponding to the indicator,
wherein the in-memory indicator network data structure comprises nodes corresponding to each parent indicator in the set of parent indicators, claim 30; herein the one or more sensors measure:
temperature, claim 33; The method of claim 35, wherein the method further comprises maintaining an in-memory indicator network data structure, wherein the in-memory indicator network data structure comprises a node corresponding to the indicator, and wherein the in-memory indicator network data structure comprises nodes corresponding to each parent indicator in the set of parent indicators, and wherein each node in the in-memory indicator network data structure comprises a set of pointers to its parent indicators., claim 36; wherein the plurality of devices communicatively coupled to the building comprise two or more types of sensors, and wherein a parent indicator in the set of parent indicators represents a comfort parameter that is different from a parameter measured by either of the two or more types of sensors, claim 40
The claim(s) does/do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception because the insignificant extra-solution activity is considered well understood, conventional, or routine, MPEP 2106.05(d).
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 (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 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 for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 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.
Claim(s) 21-23, 26, 32-33, 35, and 38 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Allsbrook et al. (PG/PUB 20190297010) in view over Gillette et al. (PG/PUB 20200292190) in view over LO et al. (PG/PUB 20180328615).
Claim 21.
Allsbrook et al. teaches a gateway (e.g. each edge device functions as a gateway, 0035) coupled to a first device (e.g. edge device, Figure 2, 0047) in a first portion of a building and a second device in a second portion of the building; however, Gillette et al. does not expressly teach the parent indicators located in the first and second portions of the building; the revised values of the updated parent indicators; and controlling operations based on the revised value of the third parent indicator described below. Gillette et al. teaches the first and second indicators corresponding to first and second building portions as well as determining revised values of updated values and LO et al. teaches controlling operations of the first and second device based on the revised value of the indicator described below.
wherein the gateway (e.g. respective edge device, ABSTRACT, Figure 8, 0035) is configured to:
receive an updated value of an indicator (e.g. first edge device obtaining a temperature value/indicator from another edge device, 0042-0056) from a third device (e.g. edge device/child/parent/grandparent) communicatively coupled to the building (e.g. receiving new value relative to prior values from a respective grandparent, parent, or child edge device), wherein the indicator is identified using an identifier in a data structure maintained by the gateway (0042-56 e.g. see the API/logic as the data structure for associating/identifying grandparent, parent, and child nodes maintained within an edge device/gateway)
identify, using the data structure (e.g. API/logic, 0042-56), a set of parent indicators associated with the indicator using the identifier (0042-56 e.g. see identifying other edge devices capable of receiving/providing temperature values from the respective edge device, where an indicator from a parent would be considered a parent indicator), wherein each parent indicator associated with the indicator comprises a value that is derived based at least in part on a value of the indicator (0042-50 e.g. see parent indicator as at least a grandparent or parent edge device providing the indicator/values to other edge device, the value derived representing at least temperature value derived from a measured or obtained temperature and/or a temperature message format. The limitation ‘derived’ is not defined. As interpreted, ‘derived’ provides a measured temperature in the form of a temperature value capable of being transmitted, infra additional derivations described below in the form of mathematical averages, median, etc.), and wherein the set of parent indicators (e.g. see other values associated with sets of parent, child, and grandparent edge devices) comprise a first parent indicator relating to a first parameter (e.g. comfort, airflow, temperature) in the first portion of the building and a second parent indicator relating to a second parameter in the second portion of the building (Figure 8, 0079-81, see Gillette et al. for first and second portions of the building comprising an equivalent edge device, see Figure 2 for multiple temperature sensors providing first and second parameters, and see Allsbrook for temperature representing/indicating the temperature relating to the measured temperature)
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention applying the teachings of Gillete, namely providing a first indicator relating to a first parameter of the first portion and providing a second indicator relating to a second parameters of the second portion of the building, to the teachings of Allsbrook, namely providing a set of parent indicators representing temperature, would achieve an expected and predictable of associating the set of parent indicators with first and second portions of the building. Whether the set of parents indicators are from the same building or from distributed buildings, an expected and predicable result is realized with a benefit of identifying local child, parent, and grandparent edge devices for propagating indicators, as described, 0051 e.g. “However, when it receives a message updating a status of at least one previously received message (e.g., the message has not been received previously), the edge may forward the message to its parent or children. In this regard, the system 1 can preserve its ability to handle requests as close to the source of the request as possible without incurring delays from processing requests across multiple hops”
compute, for each respective parent indicator in the set of parent indicators, a revised value of the respective parent indicator using the updated value of the indicator (0051 e.g. see receiving updated values of at least temperature/indicators, the revised value represent an updated message having the temperature, see Gillette for computing a revised value of the updated indicator, namely computing an average of multiple temperatures distributed across the building portions and provided by edge devices, 0038, 0041, 0064)
identify, using the data structure, a third parent indicator associated with the first parent indicator and the second parent indicator (e.g. see using API to identify a grandparent/third parent indicator associated with the respective child and parent indicators 0042-56. As interpreted, identifying other edge devices having the indicator values as reading on a third parent indicator associated with the first and second parent indicators)
compute a revised value of the third parent indicator using a revised value of the first parent indicator or a revised value of the second parent indicator (Gillete, e.g. see computing additional sum, average, mean, mode, max, min of the average temperature of the first or second parent indicators, 0044)
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention given that multiple edge devices comprise multiple temperature indicators configured to propagate the temperature indicators to respective edge devices, as per Allsbrook (0050-51), to the teachings of Gillete, namely applying additional statistical processing on updated temperature values, would achieve an expected and predictable result of applying additional mathematical computations to updated temperature data to ensure that each edge device maintains synchronous data so that “ the system 1 can preserve its ability to handle requests as close to the source of the request as possible without incurring delays from processing requests across multiple hops,” 0051. Accordinfly, for example, a grandparent edge device comprising a temperature value is further adapted to include revised value of an updated temperature value received by its sensors in a respective building portion.
The combination does not expressly teach the control operations described below. LO teaches the control operations described below while Allsbrook, as modified, teaches providing a revised indicator from the third device described below.
control operating conditions of the first device and the second device by adjusting the first parameter and the second parameter (e.g. see parameters as at least comfort and humidity and/or airflow related to the target temperature/revised third value (e.g. average target temperature), 0042, 0057) based on the revised value of the third parent indicator (LO et al., see first and second device as air conditioners, and see above for edge devices as corresponding control devices, and see LO et al. for controlling multiple air conditioners based on at least a value, and see above for the revised value as a modified temperature value, ABSTRACT, 0008)
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention applying the teachings of LO, namely controlling first and second devices/air conditioners based on a target temperature, to the teachings of Allsbrook, as modified, namely providing first and second edge devices and computing a revised value of the third parent indicator/temperature, would achieve an expected and predictable result via adapting each edge device to comprise an air conditioner for facilitating temperature control based on adapting the target temperature to comprise the revised temperature for at least controlling based on an average, mean, max, or min temperature value for temperature balance. LO is reasonably pertinent to a problem of controlling multiple devices while providing temperature compensation, as described, ABSTRACT. Accordingly, given an average target temperature, multiple air conditioners are controlled to achieve both comfort parameters and humidity parameters in relation to the target average temperature across multiple air conditioners cooperatively controlled.
Claim 22. The gateway of claim 21, wherein the third device comprises one or more sensors, and wherein the one or more sensors is bound to one or more group functions (LO , 0008 e.g. see air conditioners having environmental datums, see also Gillete, ABSTRACT)
Claim 23. The gateway of claim 22, wherein the one or more sensors measure:
Temperature (LO, 0044, see also Gillette 0029, 0033)
Humidity (Gillette, 0033)
pressure,
carbon dioxide level,
occupancy,
leakage,
or any combination thereof.
Claim 26. The gateway of claim 21, wherein the gateway computes the revised value of the third parent indicator based on a custom calculation function associated with a group function of the indicator, the first parent indicator, or the second parent indicator, and wherein the custom calculation function is defined in the data structure, supra claim 21
Claim 32.
Allsbrook, as modified, teaches a method of operating an air processing system, wherein the air processing system (supra claim 21, e.g. see gateway as an edge device adapted with an air conditioner) includes a gateway configured to monitor and adjust operating conditions of a first device in a first portion of a building and a second device in a second portion of the building, supra claim 21, the method comprising:
receiving an updated value of an indicator from a third device communicatively coupled to the building, wherein the indicator is identified using an indicator identifier in a data structure maintained by the intelligent gateway; supra claim 21
identifying, using the data structure, a set of parent indicators associated with the indicator using
the indicator identifier, wherein each parent indicator associated with the indicator has a value that is derived based at least in part on a value of the indicator, and wherein the set of parent indicators comprise a first parent indicator relating to a first parameter in the first portion of the building and a second parent indicator relating to a second parameter in the second portion of the building; supra claim 21
computing, for each respective parent indicator in the set of parent indicators, a revised value of the respective parent indicator using the updated value of the indicator; and
identifying, using the data structure, a third parent indicator associated with the first parent indicator and the second parent indicator; supra claim 21
computing a revised value of the third parent indicator using a revised value of the first parent indicator or a revised value of the second parent indicator; supra claim 21
controlling operating conditions of the first device and the second device by adjusting the first parameter and the second parameter based on the revised value of the third parent indicator. supra claim 21
Claim 33. The method of claim 32, wherein the one or more sensors measure:
Temperature (LO, 0044, see also Gillette 0029, 0033)
Humidity (Gillette, 0033)
pressure,
carbon dioxide level,
occupancy,
leakage,
or any combination thereof.
Claim 35. The method of claim 32, wherein the revised value of the third parent indicator based on a custom is computed using a calculation function associated with a group function of the indicator, the first parent indicator, or the second parent indicator, and wherein the custom calculation function is defined in the data structure, supra claim 26
Claim 38.
At least one non-transitory, computer-readable medium carrying instructions, which when executed by at least one data processor, performs a method for operating a distributed metrics system, wherein the distributed metrics system includes an gateway configured to monitor and adjust operating conditions of the distributed metrics system, the method comprising:
receiving an updated value of an indicator from a device communicatively coupled to a building,
wherein the indicator is identified using an identifier in a data structure maintained by the gateway, supra claim 21
wherein the indicator is associated with a metric, supra claim 21
wherein the metric is selected from a set of metrics, supra claim 21
wherein the set of metrics comprise at least one metric representing
a physical quantity and at least one metric representing a derived quantity; supra claim 21
identifying, using the data structure, a set of parent indicators associated with the indicator using the indicator identifier; supra claim 21
wherein each parent indicator associated with the indicator has a value that is derived based at least in part on a value of the indicator; supra claim 21
wherein the set of parent indicators comprise a first parent indicator relating to a first parameter in a first area monitored by the distributed metrics system and a second parent indicator relating to a second parameter in a second area monitored by the distributed metrics system; supra claim 21
computing, for each respective parent indicator in the set of parent indicators, a revised value of the respective parent indicator using the updated value of the indicator; supra claim 21
identifying, using the data structure, a third parent indicator associated with the first parent indicator and the second parent indicator; supra claim 21
computing a revised value of the third parent indicator using a revised value of the first parent indicator or a revised value of the second parent indicator; supra claim 21
controlling operating conditions of the distributed metrics system by adjusting the first parameter and the second parameter based on the one or more computed revised values of the third parent indicator supra claim 21
Claim(s) 24-25, 27-31, 34, and 37 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Allsbrook et al. (PG/PUB 20190297010) in view over Gillette et al. (PG/PUB 20200292190) in view over LO et al. (PG/PUB 20180328615) in view over Tal et al. (PG/PUB 20170041381)
Claim 24.
The gateway of claim 21 but does not teach the gateway limitation described below. Tal teaches the gateway limitations described below wherein the gateway is further configured to:
prior to receiving values of the indicator from the third device (Tal, 0080, 0174-0185 e.g. see registering devices prior to control and message exchange)
register the third device with the gateway (Tal, 0080, 0174 e.g. see discovery and adding new devices)
wherein the gateway receives information of the one or more sensors associated with the third device and one or more group functions to which the one or more sensors is bound (0080-82 e.g. see mapping device type to capabilities, supra claim 21 for sensors)
wherein the gateway creates, in the data structure, entries for indicators to represent each of the one or more sensors (0080-82 e.g. see mapping as reading on creating entries, supra claim 21 for API/logic data structure)
wherein the gateway recursively creates, in the data structure, entries for one or more parent indicators to which each of the indicators contributes (0080-82 e.g. see mapping, supra claim 21 for temperature values/parent indicators)
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention applying the teachings of Tal, namely adding multiple devices and mapping functions, to the teachings of Allsbrook, as modified, namely providing an API/logic for associating multiple edge devices adapted with air conditioners and sensors, would achieve an expected and predictable result via combining said elements using known methods. Tal is reasonably pertinent to mapping associations between devices and would commend itself to creating associations between each of the edge devices of claim 1 for creating and facilitating device interactions
Claim 25. The gateway of claim 21 but does not teach the gateway limitations described below. Tal teaches the gateway limitations described below, wherein the gateway is further configured to:
receive a request to unregister a specified indicator in the data structure (Tal, 0144, 0175 e.g. see value as reading in indicator including rules, scene, and associated values)
delete, from the data structure, the specified indicator identified in the request (Tal, 0144, 0175)
delete, from the data structure, one or more parent indicators to which the specified indicator is a sole contributor (Tal, 0144, 0175 supra claim 21 for parent indicators, and see a one to one correspondence between a value)
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention applying the teachings of Tal, namely adding and/or deleting multiple devices and mapping functions, to the teachings of Allsbrook, as modified, namely providing an API/logic for associating multiple edge devices adapted with air conditioners and sensors, would achieve an expected and predictable result via combining said elements using known methods. Tal is reasonably pertinent to mapping associations between devices and would commend itself to creating associations between each of the edge devices of claim 1 for creating and facilitating device interactions
Claim 27. The gateway of claim 21 but does not teach the alert limitations described below. Tal teaches the alert limitations described below wherein the gateway is further configured to create an entry to an alert associated with the third parent indicator in an alerts data structure (Tal, 0178 0219, 0246 e.g. see also get status as reading on an alert)
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention applying the teachings of Tal, namely adding multiple devices and mapping functions and creating alert entries, to the teachings of Allsbrook, as modified, namely providing an API/logic for associating multiple edge devices adapted with air conditioners and sensors, would achieve an expected and predictable result via combining said elements using known methods. Tal is reasonably pertinent to mapping associations between devices and would commend itself to creating associations between each of the edge devices of claim 1 for creating and facilitating device interactions
Claim 28. The gateway of claim 21 but does not teach the gateway limitations described below. Tal teaches the gateway limitations described below, wherein the gateway is further configured to maintain a device configuration data structure (Tal, 0178. 0219, 0144, 0175)
wherein the device configuration data structure comprises entries describing devices at a monitored site (Tal, 0144, 0175-0178 , supra claim 21)
wherein the device configuration data structure identifies one or more sensors associated with each of the devices (Tal, 0144, 0175-0178 ,supra claim 21 for sensors)
wherein the device configuration data structure identifies one or more group functions to the one or more sensors is bound (0144, 0175-0178 e.g. see rules/scenes, supra claim 21 for sensors)
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention applying the teachings of Tal, namely adding multiple devices and mapping functions, to the teachings of Allsbrook, as modified, namely providing an API/logic for associating multiple edge devices adapted with air conditioners and sensors, would achieve an expected and predictable result via combining said elements using known methods. Tal is reasonably pertinent to mapping associations between devices and would commend itself to creating associations between each of the edge devices of claim 1 for creating and facilitating device interactions
Claim 29. The gateway of claim 21 but does not expressly teach the markup language Tal teaches the markup language described below
wherein the data structure is maintained in a markup language format (supra claim 21, “API” e.g. see editable, Tal, 0019)
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention applying the teachings of Tal, namely adding multiple devices and mapping functions as well as providing markup language, to the teachings of Allsbrook, as modified, namely providing an API/logic for associating multiple edge devices adapted with air conditioners and sensors, would achieve an expected and predictable result via combining said elements using known methods via adapting the structure to comprise markup language. Tal is reasonably pertinent to mapping associations between devices while providing suitable formats and would commend itself to creating associations between each of the edge devices of claim 1 for creating and facilitating device interactions
Claim 30. The gateway of claim 21 but does not teach the gateway limitations described below. Tal teaches the gateway limitations described below
wherein the gateway maintains an in-memory indicator network data structure (Tal, 0144-0178 e.g. see claim 8 for gateway with memory)
wherein the in-memory indicator network data structure comprises a node corresponding to the indicator (Tal, Tal, 0144-0178 e.g. see mapping device to values, supra claim 21 for associating an edge device/node associated with an indicator)
wherein the in-memory indicator network data structure comprises nodes corresponding to each parent indicator in the set of parent indicators (Tal, Tal, 0144-0178 e.g. see mapping devices to data values, supra claim 21 for associating edge device/node to indicators)
wherein each node in the in-memory indicator network data structure comprises a set of pointers to its parent indicators (Tal, Tal, 0144-0178 e.g. see mapping devices to data values, supra claim 21 for associating indicator values to an edge device)
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention applying the teachings of Tal, namely adding multiple devices and mapping functions via memory, to the teachings of Allsbrook, as modified, namely providing an API/logic for associating multiple edge devices adapted with air conditioners and sensors, would achieve an expected and predictable result via combining said elements using known methods. Tal is reasonably pertinent to mapping associations between devices and would commend itself to creating associations between each of the edge devices of claim 1 for creating and facilitating device interactions
Claim 31. The gateway of claim 21 but does not teach the remote server limitations. Tal teaches the remote server limitations
wherein the gateway is further configured to:
generate states for one or more parent indicators in the set of parent indicators, see at least revised temperatures, supra claim 21; and
transmit, to a remote server, for one or more of the generated states: a level, a message, a value, or any combination thereof (Tal, 0144-0178 e.g. see status updates and transmission to a remote server/cloud, 0062, 0068, 0133-0137, 0182, 0246 supra claim 21 for indicator states and associated values)
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention applying the teachings of Tal, namely adding multiple devices and mapping functions while providing data exchange with a remote server, to the teachings of Allsbrook, as modified, namely providing an API/logic for associating multiple edge devices adapted with air conditioners and sensors, would achieve an expected and predictable result via combining said elements using known methods. Tal is reasonably pertinent to mapping associations between devices and would commend itself to creating associations between each of the edge devices of claim 1 for creating and facilitating device interactions
Claim 34. The method of claim 32, further comprising:
prior to receiving values of the indicator from the device:
registering the device with the gateway, wherein the gateway receives information of one or more sensors associated with the third device and one or more group functions to which the one or more sensors is bound, wherein the gateway creates, in the data structure, entries for indicators to represent each of the one or more sensors, and wherein the gateway recursively creates, in the data structure, entries for one or more parent indicators to which each of the indicators contributes, supra claim 24
Claim 36. The method of claim 35, wherein the method further comprises maintaining an in-memory indicator network data structure, wherein the in-memory indicator network data structure comprises a node corresponding to the indicator, and wherein the in-memory indicator network data structure comprises nodes corresponding to each parent indicator in the set of parent indicators, and wherein each node in the in-memory indicator network data structure comprises a set of pointers to its parent indicators, supra claim 30
Claim 37. The method of claim 35, further comprising:
generating states for one or more parent indicators in the set of parent indicators; and
transmitting, to a remote server, for one or more of the generated states: a level, a message, a value, or any combination thereof, supra claim 31
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
11835941 e.g. see identifying state relationships - “An industrial integrated development environment (IDE) provides a development framework for designing, programming, and configuring multiple aspects of an industrial automation system using a common design environment and data model. Projects creating using embodiments of the IDE system can be built on an object-based model rather than, or in addition to, a tag-based architecture. To this end, the IDE system can support the use of automation objects that serve as building blocks for this object-based development structure. These automation objects represent corresponding physical industrial assets and have associated programmatic attributes relating to those assets, including data logging and device configuration parameters. Functional relationships between automation objects can be defined to yield object hierarchies, and object attributes can be propagated across objects up and down the hierarchy."
10951713 e.g. see related state propagation - “IoT devices within a commercial real-estate or residential building environment may be connected through networks, such as a Building Automation and Control network (BACnet). Systems and methods according to this disclosure provide automatic discovery of IoT devices and relationships in commercial real-estate and residential buildings and integration of the BACnet devices into the digital twin of the building. In some implementations, an IoT gateway is configured to translate the communication received from the BACnet to an IoT cloud platform and configured to normalize the data across the different security platforms into a consistent format which enables integration and interoperability of the different building system platforms that may otherwise be operating in isolation from each other. Systems and methods according to the present disclosure provide edge based analytics and control of IoT BACnet devices based on defining conditions and rules, and provide integration of multiple building systems in the context of commercial real-estate and residential buildings.
20100073159 e.g. see state propagation - “A method includes accessing building automation data comprising a plurality of data objects, each data object corresponding to a device in a building automation system, the data objects interrelated in a first hierarchy. The method also includes receiving an event condition indication from a first device in the building automation system, and storing an indication of the event condition in a first data object corresponding to the first device. The method also includes propagating an indication of the event condition to upstream objects in the first hierarchy”
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/DARRIN D DUNN/Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2117
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