DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Introduction
The claims 1-8 are pending in this application. This is a non-final office action in response to Application Number 18/859,122 filed on 22 October 2024 with a preliminary amendment also filed on 22 October 2024 in which the specification is amended, claims 1-8 are amended, no claims are canceled or added. The instant application is a 371 of PCT/JP2022/018724 filed on 25 April 2022.
The applicant of record is NTT, Inc. and the inventors of record are Hiroshi O, Kota Asaka, and Tatsuya Shimada.
The application papers are signed by a U.S. registered practitioner
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 22 October 2024 and 23 April 2026 were filed on or after the filing date of the instant application on 22 October 2024 and before the mailing date of the first office action on the merits. The submissions are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because of the inclusion of legal phraseology. A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the subject of claims 2 and 5-7 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
With respect to the drawings and claim 1, although there is no objection to the drawings based on claim 1, examiner makes note of inconsistent language. Figure 5 illustrates a server however different names for the components are used. The functions claimed within claim 1 are illustrated within any of figures 2, 4, and 6.
With respect to the drawings and claim 2, the claimed subject matter is not illustrated in any of the drawings.
With respect to the drawings and claim 3, the claimed functions are illustrated in Figure 4.
With respect to the drawings and claim 4, although there is no objection to the drawings based on claim 4, examiner makes note of inconsistent language. Figure 6 illustrates sending the request with a “report” transmission time and also notes that a report is a type of response, however the claim describes sending the request with a “response” transmission time.
With respect to the drawings and claim 5, although the claimed components are described in Figure 5 using different names, the claimed functions are not illustrated in any of the figures.
With respect to the drawings and claim 6, although the claimed components are described in Figure 5 using different names, the claimed functions are not illustrated in any of the figures.
With respect to the drawings and claim 7, although Figure 5 illustrates a server and a plurality of remote devices, none of the figures illustrate a plurality of relay devices. Also, although Figures 2, 4, and 6 each illustrate some of the claimed functions, none of the figures illustrate the claimed functions for the plurality of remote devices (“measure delay time between the server and the remote device, and calculate, on the basis of the measured delay time, an adjustment time for aligning timings at which the responses are received by the server, and each one of the plurality of remote devices or each one of the plurality of relay devices is configured to transmit, to the server, the response to the request transmitted by the server at a timing based on the adjustment time”). Examiner notes that although Figure 4 illustrated transmitting a response to the request based on the adjustment time, the claimed adjustment time is calculated by the remote device(s) based on a delay measured by the remote device(s) and this is not included in any of the figures; therefore using the adjustment time that is calculated in this manner is also not illustrated.
With respect to the drawings and claim 8, the claimed functions are illustrated in any of Figures 2, 4, and 6.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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 limitations are: “a communicator configured to transmit…” in claim 1, “a timing analyser configured to calculate…” in claim 1, “a controller configured to control…” in claim 1, “a time synchronizer configured to perform…” in claims 5-6. Dependent claims 2-6 also describe functions performed by “the controller” and dependent claims 2-4 also describe functions performed by “the communicator”.
Because these claim limitations are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, they 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.
Examiner notes that applicant’s specification does not clarify whether or not the communicator, timing analyser, controller, and time synchronizer are hardware components.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. The claim(s) does/do not fall within at least one of the four categories of patent eligible subject matter because the claims describe a server comprising a communicator, timing analyser, controller, and time synchronizer, however applicant’s specification does not clarify whether or not these components are implemented hardware. Examiner notes that the broadest reasonable interpretation of these components includes a software-only implementation. As such, the claims are directed to non-statutory subject matter.
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.
Claims 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mukaitani et al. (JP 2019/061870 A) in view of Shen (U.S. Patent Publication 2022/0272645).
Regarding claim 1, Mukaitani disclosed a server (see Mukaitani Fig. 1 server #1, [0018]: “…The battery status monitoring system of this embodiment includes a cloud server 1 and DB 100, multiple battery systems for each customer site, and multiple user terminals 9 for each customer, all of which are connected via a wide-area communication network 90…”; [0019]: “In other words, Cloud Server 1 is a monitoring and processing device, a server device that performs monitoring and processing…”) comprising:
a communicator (see Mukaitani Fig. 2 interface #104, [0067]: “Figure 2 shows the functional block configuration of the base control device 20, which includes the cloud server 1 and the central master unit 2. Cloud server 1 includes a monitoring control unit 101, a measurement data collection unit 102, a monitoring processing unit 103, and an interface unit 104…”; [0069]: “The interface unit 104 has a communication interface that corresponds to the wide-area communication network 90 and performs communication processing for the master unit 2…”) configured to transmit (examiner notes that the phrasing of “transmit a request to each one of a plurality of remote devices to be remotely monitored” allows for multiple interpretations of “request”, e.g., 1) that the request is a remote monitoring request for each of the devices, 2) that the request is any type of request message sent to each monitored device; examiner applies the second interpretation) a request to each one of a plurality of remote devices to be remotely monitored and receives a response to the request from each remote device (see Mukaitani [0019]: “…The cloud server 1 performs monitoring processing to estimate and determine the status of each battery 5 of each power supply unit 40 based on measurement data collected from each customer site via the site control device 20…” | [0041]: cloud server 1 creates and sets the schedule for acquiring and collecting battery measurement data; [0042]: measurement requests are sent according to the schedule and measurement data is sent in response to the measurement request; [0044]: requests include scheduled requests as well as commands for immediately performing and sending measurements | [0120]: “…For example, the cloud server 1 pre-configures the measurement cycle, communication cycle, and acquisition cycle of the master unit 3 (or the transmission cycle of the slave unit 4) based on user settings. Furthermore, the master unit 2 sets a schedule (described later) for collecting measurement data from multiple battery units 6 (slave units 4) of the power supply unit 40 in the customer's battery storage system. Each master unit 3 acquires measurement data from each of the multiple slave units 4 by performing a predetermined wireless communication method as shown in Figure 7, according to a set schedule. When the master unit 3 is ready to acquire data according to the schedule, it sends a measurement data request signal 701 to the slave unit 4 to be acquired (step A4). The slave unit 4 receives a measurement data request signal 701 from the master unit 3 and transmits a measurement data response signal 702 containing its own measurement data multiple times (B) using multiple (A) frequencies (step A5).”; [0121]: “The master unit 3 transmits the measurement data acquired based on the measurement data response signals 702 from each slave unit 4 to the central master unit 2 (step A5). The master unit 2 transmits the measurement data acquired from each master unit 3 to the cloud server 1 via the gateway server 21 (step A7). The cloud server 1 stores the measurement data acquired from the master unit 2 in the measurement data history information 112 of the DB 100 (step A8).” | [0159]: “As shown in Figure 7, etc., in the wireless communication network 80, the master unit 3 transmits a beacon signal, which is a measurement data request signal 701, to one or more of the multiple (m) slave units 4 that are to be acquired. Multiple slave units 4, including the slave unit 4 targeted for acquisition, receive the beacon signal. The slave unit 4, which is the target of the data acquisition, transmits a beacon signal, which is a measurement data response signal 702, to the master unit 3 in response to the measurement data request signal 701. The slave unit 4 transmits multiple (B) measurement data signals using the multiple (A) frequencies mentioned above.”);
a timing analyser (see Mukaitani Fig. 2 monitoring control unit #101, [0067]: “Figure 2 shows the functional block configuration of the base control device 20, which includes the cloud server 1 and the central master unit 2. Cloud server 1 includes a monitoring control unit 101, a measurement data collection unit 102, a monitoring processing unit 103, and an interface unit 104…”; [0068]: “The monitoring control unit 101 controls the entire monitoring process of the cloud server 1. The monitoring and control unit 101 stores the configuration information 111 based on the settings from the user terminal 9…”; [0070]: “…The configuration information 111 includes the measurement cycle, communication cycle, and acquisition cycle for each parameter.”; [0041]: cloud server 1 creates and sets the schedule for acquiring and collecting battery measurement data) configured to calculate, on the basis of reception times corresponding to a plurality of the responses obtained from the plurality of remote devices (see Shen combination below), an adjustment time for each remote device for aligning response reception timings of own (examiner notes that “own devices” has a variety of possible interpretations and is interpreted such that the adjustment times are specific to each remote device such that responses from multiple remote devices are aligned to be received at the same time) devices (see Mukaitani [0052]: coordinating measurement timings for multiple devices | [0157]: “The master unit 3 has basic wireless communication functions, including the ability to communicate with multiple slave units 4 in parallel...” | [0162]: “The master unit P1 should perform reception processing in synchronization with at least one of the signals for each of the slave units 4, and acquire the measurement data…” | Fig. 13, [0168]: “…In this example, the master unit P1 performs reception processing for two slave units 4, C1 and C3, at times T1 to T4, and then performs reception processing for two more slave units 4, C2 and C4, at times T5 to T8. For example, at time T1, the slave unit C1 transmits a measurement data signal for the first time using frequency F11. The slave unit C3 transmits the measurement data signal using a different frequency, F21, the first time. During time points T1 to T4, the master unit P1 can acquire measurement data from slave units C1 and C3 by synchronizing with some of the multiple signals. Similarly, the number of slave units 4 that process concurrently may be increased to three or more.”); and
a controller (see Mukaitani Fig. 2 monitoring control unit #101, [0067]: “Figure 2 shows the functional block configuration of the base control device 20, which includes the cloud server 1 and the central master unit 2. Cloud server 1 includes a monitoring control unit 101, a measurement data collection unit 102, a monitoring processing unit 103, and an interface unit 104…”; [0068]: “The monitoring control unit 101 controls the entire monitoring process of the cloud server 1. The monitoring and control unit 101 stores the configuration information 111 based on the settings from the user terminal 9. The monitoring and control unit 101 transmits setting and instruction signals to the master unit 2 at the customer site…”; [0070]: “…The configuration information 111 includes the measurement cycle, communication cycle, and acquisition cycle for each parameter.”) configured to control a response transmission timing of each remote device on the basis of the calculated adjustment time for each remote device (see Mukaitani [0052]: coordinating measurement timings for multiple devices | [0113]: “…the master unit 3 can synchronize the processing of multiple signals from multiple slave units 4 with a time delay, thereby enabling more reliable acquisition of measurement data….” | [0157]: “The master unit 3 has basic wireless communication functions, including the ability to communicate with multiple slave units 4 in parallel... For example, when using the former function, the master unit 3 transmits multiple measurement data request signals 701 in parallel to each of the multiple slave units 4, and receives multiple measurement data response signals 702 in parallel from each of the multiple slave units 4…”; [0158]: “Alternatively, in the case of an automatic transmission method for slave units, where measurement data signals are automatically transmitted from each of the multiple slave units 4 to the master unit 3, multiple measurement data signals may be transmitted in parallel from the multiple slave units 4…” | [0162]: “The master unit P1 should perform reception processing in synchronization with at least one of the signals for each of the slave units 4, and acquire the measurement data…” | Fig. 13, [0168]: “…In this example, the master unit P1 performs reception processing for two slave units 4, C1 and C3, at times T1 to T4, and then performs reception processing for two more slave units 4, C2 and C4, at times T5 to T8. For example, at time T1, the slave unit C1 transmits a measurement data signal for the first time using frequency F11. The slave unit C3 transmits the measurement data signal using a different frequency, F21, the first time. During time points T1 to T4, the master unit P1 can acquire measurement data from slave units C1 and C3 by synchronizing with some of the multiple signals. Similarly, the number of slave units 4 that process concurrently may be increased to three or more.”).
Mukaitani did not explicitly disclose that the adjustment time used for aligning responses from multiple devices is calculated “on the basis of reception times corresponding to a plurality of the responses obtained from the plurality of remote devices”.
However in a related art, Shen disclosed a system involving a server communicating with multiple devices (see Shen Fig. 5) and coordinating responses from multiple devices based on relative moments obtained through calculation such that the responses are simultaneous (see Shen [0096]). For example, simultaneous response is based on target duration T and time consumption t such that transmission is offset at the secondary device side (see Shen [0013]), e.g. the first device responds after T, second device responds after T-t1, third device responds after T-t2 wherein t1 and t2 are transmission times between the device and the first device and either the second or third device respectively and T is greater than the larger of t1 and t2 (see Shen [0012]). The first electronic device measures transmission time delays t1 and t2 for the second and third devices (see Shen [0024]). In another example, primary device A receives a wake-up instruction from the server (see Shen [0197]) and sets timers for sending instructions to secondary devices B (see Shen [0197]) and C (see Shen [0199]) such that the simultaneous responses from devices B and C also align with when primary device A sends its response (see Shen [0202]). In this example, the adjustment time is offset at the primary device side based on a calculated time difference due to transmission between devices A and B (see Shen [0198]) and also based on a calculated time difference due to transmission between devices A and C (see Shen [0200]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Mukaitani and Shen to further clarify how transmissions can be coordinated to be simultaneously received from multiple devices. Expanding on Mukaitani’s explanation that multiple responses are received in parallel and performing reception processing in synchronization with signals from multiple devices with Shen’s teachings regarding how to synchronize response signals from multiple devices would improve user experience (see Shen [0003]) while also reducing simultaneous response time errors of a plurality of devices and improving simultaneous response consistency (see Shen [0007]).
Regarding claim 2, Mukaitani-Shen disclosed the server according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls the response transmission timing of each remote device by setting a certain timing as a reference and controlling, every time the adjustment time calculated for each remote device elapses since the timing set as the reference, the communicator to transmit the request to the remote device corresponding to the elapsed adjustment time (see Mukaitani [0157]: “…the master unit 3 transmits multiple measurement data request signals 701 in parallel to each of the multiple slave units 4, and receives multiple measurement data response signals 702 in parallel from each of the multiple slave units 4…”; [0158]: “Alternatively, in the case of an automatic transmission method for slave units, where measurement data signals are automatically transmitted from each of the multiple slave units 4 to the master unit 3, multiple measurement data signals may be transmitted in parallel from the multiple slave units 4…”; [0159]: “As shown in Figure 7, etc., in the wireless communication network 80, the master unit 3 transmits a beacon signal, which is a measurement data request signal 701, to one or more of the multiple (m) slave units 4 that are to be acquired. Multiple slave units 4, including the slave unit 4 targeted for acquisition, receive the beacon signal. The slave unit 4, which is the target of the data acquisition, transmits a beacon signal, which is a measurement data response signal 702, to the master unit 3 in response to the measurement data request signal 701. The slave unit 4 transmits multiple (B) measurement data signals using the multiple (A) frequencies mentioned above.” | [0041]: cloud server 1 creates and sets the schedule for acquiring and collecting battery measurement data; [0042]: measurement requests are sent according to the schedule and measurement data is sent in response to the measurement request; [0044]: requests include scheduled requests as well as commands for immediately performing and sending measurements | [0120]: “…For example, the cloud server 1 pre-configures the measurement cycle, communication cycle, and acquisition cycle of the master unit 3 (or the transmission cycle of the slave unit 4) based on user settings. Furthermore, the master unit 2 sets a schedule (described later) for collecting measurement data from multiple battery units 6 (slave units 4) of the power supply unit 40 in the customer's battery storage system. Each master unit 3 acquires measurement data from each of the multiple slave units 4 by performing a predetermined wireless communication method as shown in Figure 7, according to a set schedule. When the master unit 3 is ready to acquire data according to the schedule, it sends a measurement data request signal 701 to the slave unit 4 to be acquired (step A4). The slave unit 4 receives a measurement data request signal 701 from the master unit 3 and transmits a measurement data response signal 702 containing its own measurement data multiple times (B) using multiple (A) frequencies (step A5).”; [0121]: “The master unit 3 transmits the measurement data acquired based on the measurement data response signals 702 from each slave unit 4 to the central master unit 2 (step A5). The master unit 2 transmits the measurement data acquired from each master unit 3 to the cloud server 1 via the gateway server 21 (step A7). The cloud server 1 stores the measurement data acquired from the master unit 2 in the measurement data history information 112 of the DB 100 (step A8).”).
Regarding claim 3, Mukaitani-Shen disclosed the server according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls the response transmission timing of each remote device by controlling the communicator to transmit the adjustment time for each remote device to each remote device, together with transmission of the request to each remote device (see Shen [0022]: first device sends a response instruction (i.e. “request”) to the second device and includes a target duration T and a time consumption t1 (i.e. offset) in the response instruction; the second device sends a response T-t1 and the first device sends a response at T).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Mukaitani and Shen to further clarify how transmissions can be coordinated to be simultaneously received from multiple devices. Expanding on Mukaitani’s explanation that multiple responses are received in parallel and performing reception processing in synchronization with signals from multiple devices with Shen’s teachings regarding how to synchronize response signals from multiple devices would improve user experience (see Shen [0003]) while also reducing simultaneous response time errors of a plurality of devices and improving simultaneous response consistency (see Shen [0007]).
Regarding claim 4, Mukaitani-Shen disclosed the server according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls the response transmission timing of each remote device by controlling the communicator to transmit, to each remote device, response transmission time for each remote device in which the adjustment time for each remote device is taken into consideration, together with transmission of the request to each remote device (see Shen [0022]: first device sends a response instruction (i.e. “request”) to the second device and includes a target duration T and a time consumption t1 (i.e. offset) in the response instruction; the second device sends a response T-t1 and the first device sends a response at T).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Mukaitani and Shen to further clarify how transmissions can be coordinated to be simultaneously received from multiple devices. Expanding on Mukaitani’s explanation that multiple responses are received in parallel and performing reception processing in synchronization with signals from multiple devices with Shen’s teachings regarding how to synchronize response signals from multiple devices would improve user experience (see Shen [0003]) while also reducing simultaneous response time errors of a plurality of devices and improving simultaneous response consistency (see Shen [0007]).
Regarding claim 5, Mukaitani-Shen disclosed the server according to claim 4, further comprising:
a time synchronizer configured to perform absolute time synchronization, between the server and each remote device, with time of the server (Shen Fig. 2, [0086]: standard implementation is based on network clock synchronization (absolute time) and a timer, such that responses are delayed relative to the standard time after the standard time arrives at the device(s), e.g., [0087]: time at each device is synched with a clock source according to standard time + sync transmission time | examiner notes that clock time synchronization is well-known in the communication art),
wherein the controller calculates the response transmission time for each remote device on the basis of time of the own device, taking into consideration the adjustment time for each remote device (see Shen [0197]-[0202]: primary device A sets timers for sending instructions to secondary devices B (see Shen [0197]) and C (see Shen [0199]) such that the simultaneous responses from devices B and C also align with when primary device A sends its response (see Shen [0202]). In this example, the adjustment time is offset at the primary device side based on a calculated time difference due to transmission between devices A and B (see Shen [0198]) and also based on a calculated time difference due to transmission between devices A and C (see Shen [0200]).).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Mukaitani and Shen to further clarify how transmissions can be coordinated to be simultaneously received from multiple devices. Expanding on Mukaitani’s explanation that multiple responses are received in parallel and performing reception processing in synchronization with signals from multiple devices with Shen’s teachings regarding how to synchronize response signals from multiple devices would improve user experience (see Shen [0003]) while also reducing simultaneous response time errors of a plurality of devices and improving simultaneous response consistency (see Shen [0007]).
Regarding claim 6, Mukaitani-Shen disclosed the server according to claim 4, further comprising:
a time synchronizer configured to perform relative time synchronization, between the server and each remote device, with time of which each remote device is notified by the server (see Shen [0204]: timers are implemented relative to physical clock timers of one device | examiner notes that clock time synchronization is well-known in the communication art),
wherein the controller calculates the response transmission time for each remote device on the basis of reference time, taking into consideration the adjustment time for each remote device (see Shen [0197]-[0202]: primary device A sets timers for sending instructions to secondary devices B (see Shen [0197]) and C (see Shen [0199]) such that the simultaneous responses from devices B and C also align with when primary device A sends its response (see Shen [0202]). In this example, the adjustment time is offset at the primary device side based on a calculated time difference due to transmission between devices A and B (see Shen [0198]) and also based on a calculated time difference due to transmission between devices A and C (see Shen [0200]).).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Mukaitani and Shen to further clarify how transmissions can be coordinated to be simultaneously received from multiple devices. Expanding on Mukaitani’s explanation that multiple responses are received in parallel and performing reception processing in synchronization with signals from multiple devices with Shen’s teachings regarding how to synchronize response signals from multiple devices would improve user experience (see Shen [0003]) while also reducing simultaneous response time errors of a plurality of devices and improving simultaneous response consistency (see Shen [0007]).
Regarding claim 7, Mukaitani disclosed a communication system (see Mukaitani Fig. 1 server #1, [0018]: “…The battery status monitoring system of this embodiment includes a cloud server 1 and DB 100, multiple battery systems for each customer site, and multiple user terminals 9 for each customer, all of which are connected via a wide-area communication network 90…”) comprising:
a server (see Mukaitani Fig. 1 server #1, [0018]: “…The battery status monitoring system of this embodiment includes a cloud server 1 and DB 100, multiple battery systems for each customer site, and multiple user terminals 9 for each customer, all of which are connected via a wide-area communication network 90…”; [0019]: “In other words, Cloud Server 1 is a monitoring and processing device, a server device that performs monitoring and processing…” | Fig. 1 master unit #2, [0024]: “The master unit 2 is a device that manages multiple master units 3 (3A, 3B) in the battery storage system at the customer's site. The master control unit 2 is, for example, composed of dedicated server equipment...The master unit 2 has communication interfaces to the gateway server 21 and the communication network 70, and performs communication processing with the cloud server 1 and the master unit 3…”);
a plurality of remote devices remotely monitored by the server (see Mukaitani Fig. 1 slave unit #4, [0032]: “As a variation of the embodiment, the slave unit 4 may consist of a measuring device and a communication device. The measuring device measures the storage battery 5 and stores the measurement data. The communication device reads measurement data from the measuring device and transmits the measurement data signal to the master unit 3.”; [0019]: “…The cloud server 1 performs monitoring processing to estimate and determine the status of each battery 5 of each power supply unit 40 based on measurement data collected from each customer site via the site control device 20…”); and
a plurality of relay devices that relays communication between the server and the plurality of remote devices (see Mukaitani Fig. 1 #3 master unit, [0025]: “The master unit 3 is a wireless communication master unit in the wireless communication network 80, or in other words, a relay device placed between the master unit 2 and the slave units 4. The master unit 3 is equipped with a communication interface with the central master unit 2 and a wireless communication interface with the slave unit 4. The master unit 3 communicates with the central master unit 2, receiving signals such as instructions from the central master unit 2 and transmitting signals such as measurement data to the central master unit 2. Furthermore, the master unit 3 communicates wirelessly with multiple associated slave units 4, transmitting request signals and the like to each slave unit 4, and receiving response signals such as measurement data from each slave unit 4.”),
wherein the server is configured to transmit (examiner notes that the phrasing of “transmit a request to each one of a plurality of remote devices to be remotely monitored” allows for multiple interpretations of “request”, e.g., 1) that the request is a remote monitoring request for each of the devices, 2) that the request is any type of request message sent to each monitored device; examiner applies the second interpretation) a request to each one of the plurality of remote devices and receive a response to the request from each remote device (see Mukaitani [0019]: “…The cloud server 1 performs monitoring processing to estimate and determine the status of each battery 5 of each power supply unit 40 based on measurement data collected from each customer site via the site control device 20…” | [0041]: cloud server 1 creates and sets the schedule for acquiring and collecting battery measurement data; [0042]: measurement requests are sent according to the schedule and measurement data is sent in response to the measurement request; [0044]: requests include scheduled requests as well as commands for immediately performing and sending measurements | [0120]: “…For example, the cloud server 1 pre-configures the measurement cycle, communication cycle, and acquisition cycle of the master unit 3 (or the transmission cycle of the slave unit 4) based on user settings. Furthermore, the master unit 2 sets a schedule (described later) for collecting measurement data from multiple battery units 6 (slave units 4) of the power supply unit 40 in the customer's battery storage system. Each master unit 3 acquires measurement data from each of the multiple slave units 4 by performing a predetermined wireless communication method as shown in Figure 7, according to a set schedule. When the master unit 3 is ready to acquire data according to the schedule, it sends a measurement data request signal 701 to the slave unit 4 to be acquired (step A4). The slave unit 4 receives a measurement data request signal 701 from the master unit 3 and transmits a measurement data response signal 702 containing its own measurement data multiple times (B) using multiple (A) frequencies (step A5).”; [0121]: “The master unit 3 transmits the measurement data acquired based on the measurement data response signals 702 from each slave unit 4 to the central master unit 2 (step A5). The master unit 2 transmits the measurement data acquired from each master unit 3 to the cloud server 1 via the gateway server 21 (step A7). The cloud server 1 stores the measurement data acquired from the master unit 2 in the measurement data history information 112 of the DB 100 (step A8).” | [0159]: “As shown in Figure 7, etc., in the wireless communication network 80, the master unit 3 transmits a beacon signal, which is a measurement data request signal 701, to one or more of the multiple (m) slave units 4 that are to be acquired. Multiple slave units 4, including the slave unit 4 targeted for acquisition, receive the beacon signal. The slave unit 4, which is the target of the data acquisition, transmits a beacon signal, which is a measurement data response signal 702, to the master unit 3 in response to the measurement data request signal 701. The slave unit 4 transmits multiple (B) measurement data signals using the multiple (A) frequencies mentioned above.”),
each one of the plurality of remote devices is configured to measure delay time between the server and the remote device, and calculate, on the basis of the measured delay time, an adjustment time for aligning timings at which the responses are received by the server (see Shen combination below), and
each one of the plurality of remote devices or each one of the plurality of relay devices is configured to transmit, to the server, the response to the request transmitted by the server at a timing based on the adjustment time (see Mukaitani [0042]: measurement requests are sent according to the schedule and measurement data is sent in response to the measurement request | [0052]: coordinating measurement timings for multiple devices | [0070]: “…The configuration information 111 includes the measurement cycle, communication cycle, and acquisition cycle for each parameter.”; [0041]: cloud server 1 creates and sets the schedule for acquiring and collecting battery measurement data | [0113]: “…the master unit 3 can synchronize the processing of multiple signals from multiple slave units 4 with a time delay, thereby enabling more reliable acquisition of measurement data….” | [0157]: “The master unit 3 has basic wireless communication functions, including the ability to communicate with multiple slave units 4 in parallel... For example, when using the former function, the master unit 3 transmits multiple measurement data request signals 701 in parallel to each of the multiple slave units 4, and receives multiple measurement data response signals 702 in parallel from each of the multiple slave units 4…”; [0158]: “Alternatively, in the case of an automatic transmission method for slave units, where measurement data signals are automatically transmitted from each of the multiple slave units 4 to the master unit 3, multiple measurement data signals may be transmitted in parallel from the multiple slave units 4…” | [0162]: “The master unit P1 should perform reception processing in synchronization with at least one of the signals for each of the slave units 4, and acquire the measurement data…” | Fig. 13, [0168]: “…In this example, the master unit P1 performs reception processing for two slave units 4, C1 and C3, at times T1 to T4, and then performs reception processing for two more slave units 4, C2 and C4, at times T5 to T8. For example, at time T1, the slave unit C1 transmits a measurement data signal for the first time using frequency F11. The slave unit C3 transmits the measurement data signal using a different frequency, F21, the first time. During time points T1 to T4, the master unit P1 can acquire measurement data from slave units C1 and C3 by synchronizing with some of the multiple signals. Similarly, the number of slave units 4 that process concurrently may be increased to three or more.”).
Mukaitani did not explicitly disclose the entirety of the limitation “each one of the plurality of remote devices is configured to measure delay time between the server and the remote device, and calculate, on the basis of the measured delay time, an adjustment time for aligning timings at which the responses are received by the server”.
However in a related art, Shen disclosed a system involving a server communicating with multiple devices (see Shen Fig. 5) and coordinating responses from multiple devices based on relative moments obtained through calculation such that the responses are simultaneous (see Shen [0096]). For example, simultaneous response is based on target duration T and time consumption t such that transmission is offset at the secondary device side (see Shen [0013]), e.g. the first device responds after T, second device responds after T-t1, third device responds after T-t2 wherein t1 and t2 are transmission times between the device and the first device and either the second or third device respectively and T is greater than the larger of t1 and t2 (see Shen [0012]). The first electronic device measures transmission time delays t1 and t2 for the second and third devices (see Shen [0024]). In another example, primary device A receives a wake-up instruction from the server (see Shen [0197]) and sets timers for sending instructions to secondary devices B (see Shen [0197]) and C (see Shen [0199]) such that the simultaneous responses from devices B and C also align with when primary device A sends its response (see Shen [0202]). In this example, the adjustment time is offset at the primary device side based on a calculated time difference due to transmission between devices A and B (see Shen [0198]) and also based on a calculated time difference due to transmission between devices A and C (see Shen [0200]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Mukaitani and Shen to further clarify how transmissions can be coordinated to be simultaneously received from multiple devices. Expanding on Mukaitani’s explanation that multiple responses are received in parallel and performing reception processing in synchronization with signals from multiple devices with Shen’s teachings regarding how to synchronize response signals from multiple devices would improve user experience (see Shen [0003]) while also reducing simultaneous response time errors of a plurality of devices and improving simultaneous response consistency (see Shen [0007]).
Regarding claim 8, the claim contains the limitations, substantially as claimed, as described in claim 1 above. Examiner notes that claim 1 is directed to a server whereas claim 8 is directed to a method. Mukaitani disclosed, as recited in claim 8: A transmission timing control method comprising:
transmitting (examiner notes that the phrasing of “transmitting a request to each one of a plurality of remote devices to be remotely monitored” allows for multiple interpretations of “request”, e.g., 1) that the request is a remote monitoring request for each of the devices, 2) that the request is any type of request message sent to each monitored device; examiner applies the second interpretation) a request to each one of a plurality of remote devices to be remotely monitored, and receiving a response to the request from each remote device (see Mukaitani Fig. 1, [0018]: “…The battery status monitoring system of this embodiment includes a cloud server 1 and DB 100, multiple battery systems for each customer site, and multiple user terminals 9 for each customer, all of which are connected via a wide-area communication network 90…”; [0019]: “…The cloud server 1 performs monitoring processing to estimate and determine the status of each battery 5 of each power supply unit 40 based on measurement data collected from each customer site via the site control device 20…” | [0041]: cloud server 1 creates and sets the schedule for acquiring and collecting battery measurement data; [0042]: measurement requests are sent according to the schedule and measurement data is sent in response to the measurement request; [0044]: requests include scheduled requests as well as commands for immediately performing and sending measurements | [0120]: “…For example, the cloud server 1 pre-configures the measurement cycle, communication cycle, and acquisition cycle of the master unit 3 (or the transmission cycle of the slave unit 4) based on user settings. Furthermore, the master unit 2 sets a schedule (described later) for collecting measurement data from multiple battery units 6 (slave units 4) of the power supply unit 40 in the customer's battery storage system. Each master unit 3 acquires measurement data from each of the multiple slave units 4 by performing a predetermined wireless communication method as shown in Figure 7, according to a set schedule. When the master unit 3 is ready to acquire data according to the schedule, it sends a measurement data request signal 701 to the slave unit 4 to be acquired (step A4). The slave unit 4 receives a measurement data request signal 701 from the master unit 3 and transmits a measurement data response signal 702 containing its own measurement data multiple times (B) using multiple (A) frequencies (step A5).”; [0121]: “The master unit 3 transmits the measurement data acquired based on the measurement data response signals 702 from each slave unit 4 to the central master unit 2 (step A5). The master unit 2 transmits the measurement data acquired from each master unit 3 to the cloud server 1 via the gateway server 21 (step A7). The cloud server 1 stores the measurement data acquired from the master unit 2 in the measurement data history information 112 of the DB 100 (step A8).” | [0159]: “As shown in Figure 7, etc., in the wireless communication network 80, the master unit 3 transmits a beacon signal, which is a measurement data request signal 701, to one or more of the multiple (m) slave units 4 that are to be acquired. Multiple slave units 4, including the slave unit 4 targeted for acquisition, receive the beacon signal. The slave unit 4, which is the target of the data acquisition, transmits a beacon signal, which is a measurement data response signal 702, to the master unit 3 in response to the measurement data request signal 701. The slave unit 4 transmits multiple (B) measurement data signals using the multiple (A) frequencies mentioned above.”);
calculating, on the basis of reception times corresponding to a plurality of the responses obtained from the plurality of remote devices (see Shen combination below), an adjustment time for each remote device for aligning response reception timings of own (examiner notes that “own devices” has a variety of possible interpretations and is interpreted such that the adjustment times are specific to each remote device such that responses from multiple remote devices are aligned to be received at the same time) devices (see Mukaitani [0052]: coordinating measurement timings for multiple devices | [0070]: “…The configuration information 111 includes the measurement cycle, communication cycle, and acquisition cycle for each parameter.”; [0041]: cloud server 1 creates and sets the schedule for acquiring and collecting battery measurement data | [0157]: “The master unit 3 has basic wireless communication functions, including the ability to communicate with multiple slave units 4 in parallel...” | [0162]: “The master unit P1 should perform reception processing in synchronization with at least one of the signals for each of the slave units 4, and acquire the measurement data…” | Fig. 13, [0168]: “…In this example, the master unit P1 performs reception processing for two slave units 4, C1 and C3, at times T1 to T4, and then performs reception processing for two more slave units 4, C2 and C4, at times T5 to T8. For example, at time T1, the slave unit C1 transmits a measurement data signal for the first time using frequency F11. The slave unit C3 transmits the measurement data signal using a different frequency, F21, the first time. During time points T1 to T4, the master unit P1 can acquire measurement data from slave units C1 and C3 by synchronizing with some of the multiple signals. Similarly, the number of slave units 4 that process concurrently may be increased to three or more.”); and
controlling a response transmission timing of each remote device on the basis of the calculated adjustment time for each remote device (see Mukaitani [0052]: coordinating measurement timings for multiple devices | [0068]: “The monitoring control unit 101 controls the entire monitoring process of the cloud server 1. The monitoring and control unit 101 stores the configuration information 111 based on the settings from the user terminal 9. The monitoring and control unit 101 transmits setting and instruction signals to the master unit 2 at the customer site…”; [0070]: “…The configuration information 111 includes the measurement cycle, communication cycle, and acquisition cycle for each parameter.” | [0113]: “…the master unit 3 can synchronize the processing of multiple signals from multiple slave units 4 with a time delay, thereby enabling more reliable acquisition of measurement data….” | [0157]: “The master unit 3 has basic wireless communication functions, including the ability to communicate with multiple slave units 4 in parallel... For example, when using the former function, the master unit 3 transmits multiple measurement data request signals 701 in parallel to each of the multiple slave units 4, and receives multiple measurement data response signals 702 in parallel from each of the multiple slave units 4…”; [0158]: “Alternatively, in the case of an automatic transmission method for slave units, where measurement data signals are automatically transmitted from each of the multiple slave units 4 to the master unit 3, multiple measurement data signals may be transmitted in parallel from the multiple slave units 4…” | [0162]: “The master unit P1 should perform reception processing in synchronization with at least one of the signals for each of the slave units 4, and acquire the measurement data…” | Fig. 13, [0168]: “…In this example, the master unit P1 performs reception processing for two slave units 4, C1 and C3, at times T1 to T4, and then performs reception processing for two more slave units 4, C2 and C4, at times T5 to T8. For example, at time T1, the slave unit C1 transmits a measurement data signal for the first time using frequency F11. The slave unit C3 transmits the measurement data signal using a different frequency, F21, the first time. During time points T1 to T4, the master unit P1 can acquire measurement data from slave units C1 and C3 by synchronizing with some of the multiple signals. Similarly, the number of slave units 4 that process concurrently may be increased to three or more.”).
Mukaitani did not explicitly disclose that the adjustment time used for aligning responses from multiple devices is calculated “on the basis of reception times corresponding to a plurality of the responses obtained from the plurality of remote devices”.
However in a related art, Shen disclosed a system involving a server communicating with multiple devices (see Shen Fig. 5) and coordinating responses from multiple devices based on relative moments obtained through calculation such that the responses are simultaneous (see Shen [0096]). For example, simultaneous response is based on target duration T and time consumption t such that transmission is offset at the secondary device side (see Shen [0013]), e.g. the first device responds after T, second device responds after T-t1, third device responds after T-t2 wherein t1 and t2 are transmission times between the device and the first device and either the second or third device respectively and T is greater than the larger of t1 and t2 (see Shen [0012]). The first electronic device measures transmission time delays t1 and t2 for the second and third devices (see Shen [0024]). In another example, primary device A receives a wake-up instruction from the server (see Shen [0197]) and sets timers for sending instructions to secondary devices B (see Shen [0197]) and C (see Shen [0199]) such that the simultaneous responses from devices B and C also align with when primary device A sends its response (see Shen [0202]). In this example, the adjustment time is offset at the primary device side based on a calculated time difference due to transmission between devices A and B (see Shen [0198]) and also based on a calculated time difference due to transmission between devices A and C (see Shen [0200]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of Mukaitani and Shen to further clarify how transmissions can be coordinated to be simultaneously received from multiple devices. Expanding on Mukaitani’s explanation that multiple responses are received in parallel and performing reception processing in synchronization with signals from multiple devices with Shen’s teachings regarding how to synchronize response signals from multiple devices would improve user experience (see Shen [0003]) while also reducing simultaneous response time errors of a plurality of devices and improving simultaneous response consistency (see Shen [0007]).
Conclusion
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/ANGELA WIDHALM DE RODRIGUEZ/Examiner, Art Unit 2443
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