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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 09/18/2024 was filed before the mailing of this action. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Status of the Claims
Claims 8-11, 13, 14, and 21 have been amended. Claims 1-20 are pending.
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The claims in this application are given their broadest reasonable interpretation using the plain meaning of the claim language in light of the specification as it would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The broadest reasonable interpretation of a claim element (also commonly referred to as a claim limitation) is limited by the description in the specification when 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is invoked.
As explained in MPEP § 2181, subsection I, claim limitations that meet the following three-prong test will be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
(A) the claim limitation uses the term “means” or “step” or a term used as a substitute for “means” that is a generic placeholder (also called a nonce term or a non-structural term having no specific structural meaning) for performing the claimed function;
(B) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is modified by functional language, typically, but not always linked by the transition word “for” (e.g., “means for”) or another linking word or phrase, such as “configured to” or “so that”; and
(C) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is not modified by sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function.
Use of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim with functional language creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites sufficient structure, material, or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Absence of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is not to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is not interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites function without reciting sufficient structure, material or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Claim limitations in this application that use the word “means” (or “step”) are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action. Conversely, claim limitations in this application that do not use the word “means” (or “step”) are not being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are: energy-efficiency module in claim 11; power control module in claims 6 and 20.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-4 and 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wu (2021/0192619).
Claim 1: Wu discloses: A variable frequency drive, comprising:
a housing; (Wu ¶0005 disclosing an AntBox that houses a plurality of miners; ¶0024 disclosing each AntBox houses computing hardware for cryptocurrency farming)
at least one computer processor disposed in the housing; (Wu ¶0024 disclosing each AntBox houses computing hardware for cryptocurrency farming; Fig. 8 and ¶0051 disclosing the cryptocurrency mining system includes a controller and a plurality of cryptocurrency miners; the controller includes one or more processors)
non-transitory memory in communication with the at least one computer processor, the non-transitory memory disposed in the housing; (Wu ¶0051 disclosing controller includes one or more processors and one or more memories; the one or more memories store program instructions executable by the one or more processors)
at least one transceiver disposed in the housing; (Wu ¶0028 disclosing a communication module that sends operation information, mining information, to the controller and receive control information about operation state adjustments from the controller)
a power input in or on the housing; a power output in or on the housing; (Wu ¶0022 disclosing the plurality of mining modules may be connected to one or more medium voltage-high voltage (MV-HV) switchgear and substation; MV-HV switchgear and substation is configured to convert high voltage from electrical grid to a medium voltage (e.g., 100 kV); a MV-HV switchgear may be provide power to 6 mining modules for isolation and protection; ¶0024 the transformer may convert a high input voltage (e.g., a 13.2 KV voltage) to a working voltage ( e. g., a 415Y/240V voltage) to supply electric power to the AntBoxes; disclosure does not limit the input and output voltages of the transformer; ¶0030 disclosing cables connecting the output of the transformer and the switchgear and panel boxes)
at least one high-power consuming module configured to be executed on at least one of the at least one computer processor or on at least one other computer processor, wherein the at least one other computer processor is distinct from the at least one computer processor; and (Wu ¶0027 disclosing a mining module including AntBoxes having a power consumption of 0.4 Megawatts or 0.5 Megawatts; ¶0051 disclosing the miners) including one or more processors)
an energy-efficiency module configured to be executed on at least one of the at least one computer processor or on the at least one other computer processor that is distinct from the at least one computer processor, the energy-efficiency module configured to: (Wu ¶0047 disclosing the control system of the miner(s) having operation modes including an energy-saving mode of maximum energy efficiency; some other miners may be adjusted from normal operation state to energy-saving state)
determine whether the at least one high-power consuming module will or will not be efficiently executed on the at least one computer processor or on the at least one other computer processor; and (Wu ¶0047 disclosing information relating to electricity price, etc., may be collected and analyzed to determine operation control parameters the operation modes may include a turbo mode for high-speed computing, an energy-saving mode of maximum energy efficiency, and one or more operations modes in between; also ¶0064 disclosing that analysis of information such as mining difficulty, etc. may be conducted to determine the operations states (energy-saving, etc.))
permit the at least one high-power consuming module to be executed on the at least one computer processor or on the at least one computer processor when the energy-efficiency module determines that doing so is desirable; or (Wu ¶0064 disclosing cryptocurrency miners whose operation states need to be adjusted after analyzing the electricity price information, the cryptocurrency price information, and/or the mining difficulty information; miners may be turned off adjusted from energy-saving state to a turbo operation state; a comprehensive analysis of the electricity price information, the cryptocurrency price information, and the mining difficulty information is performed for determining the operation control parameters; ¶0066 the number of miners being turned on (or at an operation mode that is not energy-saving mode) when the electricity real-time price is at the first price may be less than the number when the electricity real-time price at the second price; ¶0071 operation states may include a running state and an off state; the operation states correspond to different amounts of power consumption when the mining difficulty factor corresponding to a second type of cryptocurrency decreases, the operation control parameters may be determined to switch the operation state of a second group of miners mining the second type of cryptocurrency to an operation state that consumes more power; see also ¶0076 providing additional detail in determining to allow the module to be executed)
prevent the at least one high-power consuming module from being executed on the at least one computer processor or on the at least one computer processor when the energy-efficiency module determines that doing so is not desirable. (Wu ¶0064 disclosing miners may be turned off or adjusted from normal operation state to energy-saving state after analyzing the electricity price information, the cryptocurrency price information, and/or the mining difficulty information; ¶0066 disclosing operation control parameters for shutting down some miners and/or switching some miners into energy-saving mode when the electricity real-time price changes from the second price to the first price; if the mining center has previously purchased (block buy at the electricity lock-in price) electricity corresponding to this time period and the real-time price is higher than the purchased price, it may be more profitable to shut down all the miners; see also ¶0067; ¶0076 disclosing receiving a notification from the electricity retailer to stop consuming a specific amount of power, the controller device may determine to turn off a group of cryptocurrency miners corresponding to the specific amount within a short time period)
Claim 2: The variable frequency drive of claim 1, wherein the at least one high-power consuming module is configured to be executed on the at least one computer processor. (Wu ¶0027 disclosing a mining module including AntBoxes having a power consumption of 0.4 Megawatts or 0.5 Megawatts; ¶0051 disclosing the miners) including one or more processors; controller includes one or more processors and one or more memories; the one or more memories store program instructions executable by the one or more processors)
Claim 3: The variable frequency drive of claim 1, further comprising a high-power consuming component disposed in the housing, the high-power consuming component include at least one component computer processor that is distinct from the at least one computer processor and component non-transitory memory that is distinct from the non-transitory memory; and wherein the at least one high-power consuming module is configured to be executed on at least the component computer processor. (Wu ¶0027 disclosing a mining module including AntBoxes having a power consumption of 0.4 Megawatts or 0.5 Megawatts; different AntBoxes may house different types of miners;¶0051 disclosing the miners including one or more processors, and one or more memories
Claim 4: The variable frequency drive of claim 1, wherein the at least one high-power consuming module includes at least one cryptocurrency module. (Wu ¶0008 disclosing the system that includes a plurality of cryptocurrency miners; controller device includes one or more memories and one or more processors; ¶0024 disclosing each AntBox houses computing hardware for cryptocurrency farming)
Claim 7: The variable frequency drive of claim 1, further comprising a cost module configured to be executed on at least one of the at least one computer processor or on the at least one other computer processor that is distinct from the at least one computer processor, the cost module configured to determine or at least estimate at least one of a cost of executing the high-power consuming module or a value obtained executing the high-power consuming module. (Wu ¶0047 the control system may collect information such as electricity real-time price, electricity day-ahead market price, cryptocurrency price; the information may be automatically collected through a network to an application program interface; the control system may turn on, turn off, or change operation modes of the miners based on the analyzed collected price data; ¶0049 data analysis unit may be connected to the miner control unit and configured to execute a proprietary cost analysis program which is designed determine a cost-effective solution for the mining center based on the power consumption and the electricity price information, the cryptocurrency price information, and/or the mining difficulty factor; ¶0053-¶0054 disclosing charging electricity consumed based on pricing data; see also ¶0066)
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.
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) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu (2021/0192619) in view of Rettger (2022/0269324)
Claim 5: The variable frequency drive of claim 1,
wherein the energy-efficiency module determines whether the at least one high-power consuming module will or will not be efficiently executed on the at least one computer processor when the energy-efficiency module determines that there is or is not sufficient excess electrical power available in a region, respectively.
Wu discloses determining whether the high-power consuming module will or will not be executed, but does not explicitly disclose the energy-efficiency module determines whether the at least one high-power consuming module will or will not be efficiently executed on the at least one computer processor when the energy-efficiency module determines that there is or is not sufficient excess electrical power available in a region, respectively. Rettger suggests or discloses this limitation/concept: (Rettger ¶0006 disclosing any excess energy produced can no longer be stored in the battery and represents both a necessary engineering margin (to account for later issues such as panel degradation or uncertainty in equipment power draw) as well as a wasted resource in present systems; this surplus energy may only be available on an intermittent basis, it represents a resource that can be profitably used by certain computer processes that are energy intensive and can accept processing interruptions without significant loss of value; cryptocurrency mining is one such application; ¶0027 the occasional excess electrical energy can be used to run computer chips for certain applications that allow for process interruptions; ¶0052 the ancillary computation engine which receives power from satellite power management system on an “as available” basis using surplus power that would not be used for the satellite's primary purposes, and the operation of the computation engine using surplus power; satellite power management system generates indications of available power after primary satellite operations, power required for battery charge and available battery reserve charge as power availability data; the power availability data is used in a determination of availability of surplus power). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Wu to include the energy-efficiency module determines whether the at least one high-power consuming module will or will not be efficiently executed on the at least one computer processor when the energy-efficiency module determines that there is or is not sufficient excess electrical power available in a region, respectively as taught by Rettger. One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to modify Wu in order to profitably use the energy resource by computer processes without significant value loss (see ¶0006 of Rettger).
Claim(s) 6 and 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu (2021/0192619) in view of Podolefsky (2020/0266496).
Claim 6: The variable frequency drive of claim 1, further comprising
an input converter connected to the power input, an output converter connected to the power output, a DC bus connected to and between the input converter and the output converter, and a power control module configured to control at least one of the input converter, the output converter, or the DC bus.
Wu discloses an input converter connected to the power input, an output converter connected to the power output and a power control module configured to control at least one of the input converter, the output converter, or the DC bus: (Wu ¶0005 disclosing a transformer configured to convert an input voltage to a working voltage to supply electric power to the plurality of AntBoxes; ¶0006 a mining module is controlled to turn on, converting, by the transformer of the mining module, an input voltage to a working voltage to supply electric power to the plurality of AntBoxes in the mining module through the switchgear and panelboards; ¶0022 disclosing MV-HV switchgear and substation is configured to convert high voltage from electrical grid to a medium voltage; a MV-HV switchgear may be provide power to 6 mining modules; ¶0024 disclosing transformer may connect to one LV switchgear, and the LV switchgear may then connect to multiple panelboards (also referred as panel box, or control panel);the transformer may convert a high input voltage to a working voltage to supply electric power to the AntBoxes; disclosure does not limit the input and output voltages of the transformer; after being connected to electrical power source and networks, the AntBox may start cryptocurrency mining; ¶0025 cable holders and power cables for connecting the components; ¶0030 disclosing cables connecting the output of the transformer and the switchgear and panel boxes). Wu does not explicitly disclose a DC bus, however Podolefsky suggests or discloses this limitation/concept: (Podolefsky ¶0051 disclosing a voltage converter connected to first and second voltage lines that are direct current (hereinafter referred to as DC); the voltage converter provides efficient voltage conversion from one voltage to another). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Wu to include an input converter connected to the power input, an output converter connected to the power output, a DC bus connected to and between the input converter and the output converter, and a power control module configured to control at least one of the input converter, the output converter, or the DC bus as taught by Podolefsky since the claimed invention is merely a combination of old elements, and in the combination each element merely would have performed the same function as it did separately; one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable.
Claim 9:
A water pump system, comprising: one or more pumps in fluid communication with a water source and an outlet; one or more motors connected to or integrally formed with the one or more pumps; and the variable frequency drive of claim 1, the variable frequency drive configured to at least partially control the one or more motors.
Wu discloses a pump and a variable frequency drive, but does not explicitly disclose a water pump system, comprising: one or more pumps in fluid communication with a water source and an outlet; one or more motors connected to or integrally formed with the one or more pumps; and the variable frequency drive of claim 1, the variable frequency drive configured to at least partially control the one or more motors. Podolefsky suggests or discloses these limitations: (Podolefsky ¶0012 variable frequency driver and a variable frequency brushless electric motor, or other suitable motor, the shaft of which is connected to a hydraulic pump in order to complete the conversion from gas/diesel power to electric power). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Wu to include a water pump system, comprising: one or more pumps in fluid communication with a water source and an outlet; one or more motors connected to or integrally formed with the one or more pumps; and the variable frequency drive, the variable frequency drive configured to at least partially control the one or more motors as taught by Podolefsky. One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to modify Wu in order to provide a power system that provides for a clean and quiet power source that includes a self-contained battery that does not require active cooling and that can be used in a plurality of different applications that require electric power (see ¶0003 of Podolefsky).
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu (2021/0192619) in view of Romer (2015/0114632).
Claim 8: Wu discloses: An electrical submersible pumping system, comprising:
a power source; (Wu ¶0030 disclosing electrical cables may connect the AntBoxes to electrical power sources)
the variable frequency drive of claim 1, the power input connected to the power source, the variable frequency drive configured to be disposed on a surface; (Wu ¶0005 disclosing a transformer configured to convert an input voltage to a working voltage to supply electric power to the plurality of AntBoxes; ¶0006 a mining module is controlled to turn on, converting, by the transformer of the mining module, an input voltage to a working voltage (variable frequency drive) to supply electric power to the plurality of AntBoxes in the mining module through the switchgear and panelboards; ¶0022 disclosing MV-HV switchgear and substation is configured to convert high voltage from electrical grid to a medium voltage (variable frequency drive); a MV-HV switchgear may be provide power to 6 mining modules; ¶0024 disclosing transformer may connect to one LV switchgear, and the LV switchgear may then connect to multiple panelboards (also referred as panel box, or control panel);the transformer may convert a high input voltage to a working voltage (variable frequency drive) to supply electric power to the AntBoxes; Fig. 2 and ¶0030 disclosing the transformer and switch gears disposed on a surface)
a pump configured to be disposed in a wellbore; (Wu ¶0034 disclosing water-cooling mechanism for a cryptocurrency mining module; the water-cooling mechanism may further include a water storage tank placed on top of the plurality of AntBoxes; the water storage tank may not be mining module specific, and may be associated with a pump at a close location and configured to provide cooling water for multiple mining modules; ¶0036 in existing water-cooling mechanism, water flow rate through the water-cooling pad may be typically controlled by a circulation pump; ¶0038 a ground water drainage storage tank with a rainwater catch system and a pump circulation system may be configured to supply water to the top water storage tank)
Wu in view of Romer discloses:
an electric motor connected to the electrical power output of the variable frequency drive, the electric motor configured to be disposed in the wellbore, the electric motor connected to and configured to provided power to the pump; and a seal section configured to be disposed in the wellbore.
Wu discloses a pump configured to be disposed in a wellbore, but does not explicitly disclose an electric motor connected to the electrical power output of the variable frequency drive, the electric motor configured to be disposed in the wellbore, the electric motor connected to and configured to provided power to the pump; and a seal section configured to be disposed in the wellbore. Romer suggests or discloses this limitation/concept: (Romer ¶0011 disclosing the mechanical seal section is required in a conventional ESP system to separate the pump environment from the motor environment, transfer power from the motor to the pump stages; ¶0103 passive magnetic bearings can be sealed or canned; the magnetic bearing control system contemplated herein is small enough to fit within the wellbore allowing fluid flow around it, and can withstand the high temperature and hostile environment deep in the well). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Wu to include an electric motor connected to the electrical power output of the variable frequency drive, the electric motor configured to be disposed in the wellbore, the electric motor connected to and configured to provided power to the pump; and a seal section configured to be disposed in the wellbore as taught by Romer since the claimed invention is merely a combination of old elements, and in the combination each element merely would have performed the same function as it did separately; one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable.
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu (2021/0192619) in view of Schnetzka (2008/0175717).
Claim 10: A natural gas compressor system, comprising:
one or more compressors in fluid communication with a natural gas source and an outlet; one or more motors connected to or integrally formed with the one or more compressors; the variable frequency drive of claim 1, the variable frequency drive configured to at least partially control the one or more motors.
Wu discloses a variable frequency drive, but does not explicitly disclose one or more compressors in fluid communication with a natural gas source and an outlet; one or more motors connected to or integrally formed with the one or more compressors; the variable frequency drive, the variable frequency drive configured to at least partially control the one or more motors. Schnetzka suggests or discloses this limitation/concept: (Schnetzka ¶0023 disclosing a compressor is connected to a motor and variable speed drive, for selectively controlling operational parameters; compressors operate in parallel to discharge compressed refrigerant gas through discharge lines; controller includes logic devices, such as a microprocessor or other electronic means, for the generation of speed control signals for controlling the operating parameters of compressors by controlling their respective variable speed drives via respective lines and the speed of their respective motors). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Wu to include one or more compressors in fluid communication with a natural gas source and an outlet; one or more motors connected to or integrally formed with the one or more compressors; the variable frequency drive of claim 1, the variable frequency drive configured to at least partially control the one or more motors as taught by Schnetzka since the claimed invention is merely a combination of old elements, and in the combination each element merely would have performed the same function as it did separately; one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable.
Claim(s) 11-13, 15-19, and 21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu (2021/0192619) in view of Tateiwa (2023/0387682).
Claim 11: Wu discloses: A computer-based system, comprising:
at least one computer processor; non-transitory memory in communication with the at least one computer processor; (Wu ¶0051 disclosing controller includes one or more processors and one or more memories; the one or more memories store program instructions executable by the one or more processors)
at least one transceiver; (Wu ¶0028 disclosing a communication module that sends operation information, mining information, to the controller and receive control information about operation state adjustments from the controller)
at least one high-power consuming module executing on the at least one computer processor; and (Wu ¶0027 disclosing a mining module including AntBoxes having a power consumption of 0.4 Megawatts or 0.5 Megawatts; ¶0051 disclosing the miners) including one or more processors; ¶0005 disclosing an AntBox that houses a plurality of miners; ¶0024 disclosing each AntBox houses computing hardware for cryptocurrency farming)
selectively permit the at least one high-power consuming module to be executed. (Wu ¶0064 disclosing cryptocurrency miners whose operation states need to be adjusted after analyzing the mining difficulty information; miners may be adjusted from energy-saving state to a turbo operation state; a comprehensive analysis of the electricity price information, the cryptocurrency price information, and the mining difficulty information is performed for determining the operation control parameters; ¶0066 the number of miners being turned on (or at an operation mode that is not energy-saving mode); ¶0071 operation states may include a running state and an off state; the operation states correspond to different amounts of power consumption when the mining difficulty factor corresponding to a second type of cryptocurrency decreases, the operation control parameters may be determined to switch the operation state of a second group of miners mining the second type of cryptocurrency to an operation state that consumes more power; see also ¶0076 providing additional detail in determining to allow the module to be executed)
Wu in view of Tateiwa discloses:
an energy-efficiency module configured to: determine whether the at least one high-power consuming module will or will not be executed on the at least one computer processor by determining whether there is or is not, respectively, sufficient excess electrical power provided at least one of on-site or in a region that will be wasted if not used; and
Wu discloses an energy-efficiency module configured to: determine whether the at least one high-power consuming module will or will not be executed on the at least one computer processor: (Wu ¶0047 disclosing information relating to electricity price, etc., may be collected and analyzed to determine operation control parameters the operation modes may include a turbo mode for high-speed computing, an energy-saving mode of maximum energy efficiency, and one or more operations modes in between; also ¶0064 disclosing that analysis of information such as mining difficulty, etc. may be conducted to determine the operations states (energy-saving, etc.)). Wu does not explicitly disclose an energy-efficiency module configured to: determine whether the at least one high-power consuming module will or will not be executed on the at least one computer processor by determining whether there is or is not, respectively, sufficient excess electrical power provided at least one of on-site or in a region that will be wasted if not used. Tateiwa suggests or discloses this limitation/concept: (Tateiwa ¶0045 disclosing the server determines whether or not power supplied from various power sources including the power generation facility G exceeds a predetermined output suppression value indicating the upper limit that allows power transmission and distribution; determining that the grid capacity is exceeded or determining that a reverse power flow occurs, the server performs control so that the excess of surplus power is supplied to the mining machines). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Wu to include an energy-efficiency module configured to: determine whether the at least one high-power consuming module will or will not be executed on the at least one computer processor by determining whether there is or is not, respectively, sufficient excess electrical power provided at least one of on-site or in a region that will be wasted if not used as taught by Tateiwa. One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to modify Wu in order so that surplus power can optimally be used (see ¶0008 of Tateiwa).
Claim 12: The computer-based system of claim 11, wherein the at least one high-power consuming module includes at least one cryptocurrency module. (Wu ¶0024 disclosing each AntBox houses computing hardware for cryptocurrency farming; Fig. 8 and ¶0051 disclosing the cryptocurrency mining system includes a controller and a plurality of cryptocurrency miners; the controller includes one or more processors)
Claim 13: The computer-based system of claim 11,
wherein the energy-efficiency module determines whether the at least one high-power consuming module will or will not be efficiently executed on the at least one computer processor when the energy-efficiency module determines that there is or is not, respectively, sufficient excess electrical power provided on-site that will be waste if not used.
Wu discloses an energy-efficiency module configured to: determine whether the at least one high-power consuming module will or will not be executed on the at least one computer processor: (Wu ¶0047 disclosing information relating to electricity price, etc., may be collected and analyzed to determine operation control parameters the operation modes may include a turbo mode for high-speed computing, an energy-saving mode of maximum energy efficiency, and one or more operations modes in between; also ¶0064 disclosing that analysis of information such as mining difficulty, etc. may be conducted to determine the operations states (energy-saving, etc.)). Wu does not explicitly disclose the energy-efficiency module determines whether the at least one high-power consuming module will or will not be efficiently executed on the at least one computer processor when the energy-efficiency module determines that there is or is not, respectively, sufficient excess electrical power provided on-site that will be waste if not used. Tateiwa suggests or discloses this limitation/concept: (Tateiwa ¶0045 disclosing the server determines whether or not power supplied from various power sources including the power generation facility G exceeds a predetermined output suppression value indicating the upper limit that allows power transmission and distribution; determining that the grid capacity is exceeded or determining that a reverse power flow occurs, the server performs control so that the excess of surplus power is supplied to the mining machines). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Wu to include the energy-efficiency module determines whether the at least one high-power consuming module will or will not be efficiently executed on the at least one computer processor when the energy-efficiency module determines that there is or is not, respectively, sufficient excess electrical power provided on-site that will be waste if not used as taught by Tateiwa. One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to modify Wu in order so that surplus power can optimally be used (see ¶0008 of Tateiwa).
Claim 15: The computer-based system of claim 11, wherein the energy-efficiency module determines whether the at least one high-power consuming module will or will not be efficiently executed on the at least one computer processor when the energy-efficiency module determines that a current price of electrical power is below or above a threshold value, respectively; wherein the transceiver is configured to receive the current price of electrical power. (Wu ¶0045 a control system and method for controlling mining operations of the cryptocurrency mining farm; control system may consider factors such as electricity price, e.g., the control system may turn on, turn off, or change operation modes of the mining computations; ¶0047 the control system may collect information such as electricity real-time price, electricity day-ahead market price, cryptocurrency price; the control system may turn on, turn off, or change operation modes of the miners; the operation modes may include a turbo mode for high-speed computing, an energy-saving mode of maximum energy efficiency, and one or more operations modes in between; see also ¶0049 and ¶0066)
Claim 16: The computer-based system of claim 11, wherein the energy-efficiency module determines whether the at least one high-power consuming module will or will not be efficiently executed on the at least one computer processor when the energy-efficiency module determines whether the at least one computer processor does or does not have sufficient excess computing power available to execute the high-power consuming module, respectively. (Wu ¶0048 RTU may be connected to the power switch and configured to record power consumption and facilitate remote control such as remotely turning on or off the power switch and reporting the recorded power consumption to a remote terminal; PLC may be configured to obtain the amount of power consumption (e.g., from the RTU) and electricity price information (e.g., from the electricity company satellite router provided by electricity retailer); the NUC is placed on site and configured to monitor the amount of power consumption received from the PLC and send control signals to the miner control unit according to the monitored status; e.g., the NUC may detect that the power consumption at the mining center is less than a certain amount and inform the miner control unit to increase power consumption; and detect that the power consumption at the mining center is greater than another certain amount and inform the miner control unit to lower power consumption)
Claim 17: The computer-based system of claim 11, wherein the energy-efficiency module determines whether the at least one high-power consuming module will or will not be efficiently executed on the at least one computer processor when the energy-efficiency module determine that there is or is not sufficient excess computing power available on one or more computer-based systems communicably coupled to the computer-based system via the transceiver to execute the high-power consuming module on the at least one computer processor and the one or more computer-based systems, respectively. (Wu ¶0048 RTU may be connected to the power switch and configured to record power consumption and facilitate remote control such as remotely turning on or off the power switch and reporting the recorded power consumption to a remote terminal; PLC may be configured to obtain the amount of power consumption (e.g., from the RTU) and electricity price information (e.g., from the electricity company satellite router provided by electricity retailer); the NUC is placed on site and configured to monitor the amount of power consumption received from the PLC and send control signals to the miner control unit according to the monitored status; e.g., the NUC may detect that the power consumption at the mining center is less than a certain amount and inform the miner control unit to increase power consumption; and detect that the power consumption at the mining center is greater than another certain amount and inform the miner control unit to lower power consumption)
Claim 18: The computer-based system of claim 11, wherein, when the at least one high-power consuming module includes at least one cryptocurrency module, the energy-efficiency module determines whether the at least one high-power consuming module will or will not be efficiently executed on the at least one computer processor when the energy-efficiency module determines that a current price of a cryptocurrency is above or below a threshold value, respectively; wherein the transceiver is configured to receive the current price of the cryptocurrency. (Wu ¶0047 control system may collect information such as cryptocurrency price (input parameters); data analysis module may analyze collected input parameters to generate operation control parameters; operation control module may use the operation control parameters to control operation of the cryptocurrency miners; e.g., the control system may turn on, turn off, or change operation modes of the miners; ¶0059 disclosing the crypto price, and ¶0061 disclosing operation control parameters of the cryptocurrency mining system may be determined according to the cryptocurrency price information)
Claim 19: The computer-based system of claim 11, wherein the computer-based system is a variable frequency drive. (Wu ¶0005 disclosing a transformer configured to convert an input voltage to a working voltage to supply electric power to the plurality of AntBoxes; ¶0006 a mining module is controlled to turn on, converting, by the transformer of the mining module, an input voltage to a working voltage (variable frequency drive) to supply electric power to the plurality of AntBoxes in the mining module through the switchgear and panelboards; ¶0022 disclosing MV-HV switchgear and substation is configured to convert high voltage from electrical grid to a medium voltage (variable frequency drive); a MV-HV switchgear may be provide power to 6 mining modules; ¶0024 disclosing transformer may connect to one LV switchgear, and the LV switchgear may then connect to multiple panelboards (also referred as panel box, or control panel);the transformer may convert a high input voltage to a working voltage (variable frequency drive) to supply electric power to the AntBoxes; Fig. 2 and ¶0030 disclosing the transformer and switch gears disposed on a surface)
Claim 21: Wu discloses: A method of using a computer-based system, comprising:
with an energy-efficiency module executed on at least one computer processor: (Wu ¶0047 disclosing the control system of the miner(s) having operation modes including an energy-saving mode of maximum energy efficiency; some other miners may be adjusted from normal operation state to energy-saving state; ¶0051 disclosing controller includes one or more processors and one or more memories; the one or more memories store program instructions executable by the one or more processors)
permitting the at least one high-power consuming module to be executed on the at least one computer processor when the energy-efficiency module determines that operating the at least one high-power consuming module is advantageous; and (Wu ¶0064 disclosing cryptocurrency miners whose operation states need to be adjusted after analyzing the mining difficulty information; miners may be adjusted from energy-saving state to a turbo operation state; a comprehensive analysis of the electricity price information, the cryptocurrency price information, and the mining difficulty information is performed for determining the operation control parameters; ¶0066 the number of miners being turned on (or at an operation mode that is not energy-saving mode) when the electricity real-time price is at the first price may be less than the number when the electricity real-time price at the second price; ¶0071 operation states may include a running state and an off state; the operation states correspond to different amounts of power consumption when the mining difficulty factor corresponding to a second type of cryptocurrency decreases, the operation control parameters may be determined to switch the operation state of a second group of miners mining the second type of cryptocurrency to an operation state that consumes more power; see also ¶0076 providing additional detail in determining to allow the module to be executed)
preventing the at least one high-power consuming module from being executed on the at least one computer processor when the energy-efficiency module determines that operating the at least one high-power consuming module processor is not advantageous; (Wu ¶0064 disclosing miners may be turned off or adjusted from normal operation state to energy-saving state after analyzing the electricity price information, the cryptocurrency price information, and/or the mining difficulty information; ¶0066 disclosing operation control parameters for shutting down some miners and/or switching some miners into energy-saving mode when the electricity real-time price changes from the second price to the first price; if the mining center has previously purc