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 .
Application Status
This communication is in response to the Amendment and Request for Reconsideration filed 27 October 2025. Claims 1-16 are pending in the application. Claims 1-16 have been amended.
The 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph rejections of claims 5-7 are hereby withdrawn in light of the amendments to the claims.
The replacement drawing sheets and specification amendments have been entered.
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 1-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ahmad et al. (International Patent Application Publication No. WO 2013/178256)1 in view of Noccioni et al. (International Patent Application Publication No. WO 2020/244808) and Palmer et al. (U. S Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0300194).
As to claim 1, Ahmad et al. discloses a low carbon emission combustible fuel gas compression station 100 connected to a gas handling system and a pipeline 110 containing combustible fuel gas to an electric grid 200 (FIG.’s 1-3, Abstract), wherein the gas compression station 100 and comprises at least one electric motor driven compressor 10 (FIG.’s 1-3, p. 5, ll. 13-36) configured to compress the combustible fuel gas in the gas handling system and the pipeline 110 (normal operation). Ahmad is silent as to the electric motor driven compressor is connected to auxiliary energy sources and energy storage devices, and comprises a supervision system configured to operate in dual mode, the dual mode configured to operate by one or more of using power from the electric grid to compress the combustible fuel gas in the gas handling system and the pipeline and/or store energy into said energy storage devices; and/or exploiting auxiliary energy sources and/or stored energy to compress the combustible fuel gas in the gas handling system and the pipeline and/or to deliver energy to the electric grid.
To these points, Noccioni teaches a compression station 100 connected to a gas handling system 3 and to an electric grid 19 (FIG.’s 1-11, Abstract, para. 0030, multiple related embodiments disclosed), the gas compression station 100 includes an electric motor driven compressor 5, 17 (FIG.’s 1 & 2, para. 0031, compressor 5, electric motor 17) connected to auxiliary energy sources 20 (para. 0033, energy collector 20) and energy storage devices 29 (para. 0047, “energy storage system 29 can include battery energy storage devices”), and is configured to operate in dual mode, configured to operate by one or more of using power from the electric grid 19 to compress gas in the gas handling system 3 and/or store energy into said energy storage devices 29 (para.’s 0030, operations powering compressor 5 using grid and/or providing excess energy to storage device 29) or exploiting auxiliary energy sources 20 and/or stored energy to compress gas in the gas handling system 3 and/or to deliver energy to the electric grid 19 (para. 0033, “energy collector 20 may provide sufficient power to drive the compressor 5”, see also para. 0041, inter alia). With this in mind, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to modify Ahmad so that the electric motor driven compressor is additionally connected to auxiliary energy sources and storage devices with the system configured to operate in a dual mode using power from the electric grid or store energy in the manner claimed in order to efficiently use power from renewable sources, such as solar panels backed by batteries, when available as suggested by Noccioni (para.’s 0030-0031).
Further, Ahmad and Noccioni are silent as to a supervision system per se. Once modified, Noccioni further teaches implementing power operations as set forth above but does not explicitly discuss where or how those operations are controlled or implemented. In this regard, Palmer teaches an electrical system supply controller 112 configured to supply power from an electrical grid 102, 110 or auxiliar energy storage devices 124 to load 108 (FIG.’s 1-4, para.’s 0047 & 0054, inter alia). With this in mind, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to equip Ahmad and Noccioni with a supervision system in the form of a power supply controller in order to supply power to the load while efficiently controlling charging of the energy storage devices as taught by Palmer, Id.
As to claim 2, once modified, Palmer further teaches the supervision system 12 is configured to balance different sources and loads, depending on available storage capacity and auxiliary energy sources capability (para.’s 0077-0085, discussing different operational modes based upon availability, demand, capacity and balancing between the battery 124 and mains electricity 130, __interpreted as balancing different sources and loads in the manner claimed).
As to claim 3, once modified, Palmer further teaches the supervision system is configured to balance different sources and loads, depending also on gas and/or energy cost (para. 0083, “… the capacity of the network … regarding the timing of peak and off peak demand on the network and the associated price of electricity”).
As to claim 4, once modified, Noccioni further teaches said gas handling system 3 comprises compression, transport 12, injection (broadly consisting of liquifying operations) and storage apparatuses 15 (para. 0024, discussing gas processing and storage operations into LNG tank 15 interpreted as meeting the claim according to the broadest reasonable interpretation of the terms).
As to claim 5, once modified, Noccioni further teaches said auxiliary energy sources 20 comprise one or more of power generation islands, renewable sources 21, 23 (para.’s 0041 & 0042, field 21 of photovoltaic panels 23), fuel cells and energy storage 29.
As to claim 6, once modified, Nocioni further teaches said power generation islands comprise one or more gas turbines 31 (para. 0038).
As to claim 7, once modified, Noccioni further teaches said renewable sources 21, 23 comprise solar panels 23 (para. 0041, photovoltaic panels 23) or wind turbines.
As to claim 8, once modified, Noccioni further teaches said energy storage devices 29 comprise a battery pack (or BESS) (para. 0047, battery energy storage devices), H2 storage systems, liquid air energy storage devices (LAES) and compressed air energy storage devices (CAES) (para. 0052).
As to claims 9-16, the applied art is discussed above but is silent as to an emergency power generation system [being] present. In this regard, providing a standby or back up electrical generator in industrial plants or utility installations is well known as a last resort power option in the event of a catastrophic system failure.2 With this in mind, the Examiner takes Official Notice that it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to provide an emergency power generation system in the form of a standby or back up generator I order to provide an emergency electrical power source in the event of system failures as a matter of common engineering knowledge.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect the 35 U.S.C. 103 rejections of the claims over Noccioni and Palmer have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument. Applicant’s claim amendments have necessitated new grounds of rejection over Ahmad and the applied art to Noccioni and Palmer.
Applicant has not presented any substantive arguments with regard to the rejections of the dependent claims over the art of record including the combinations of proposed modification, rationale, or motivations to make those combinations. Applicant simply asserts that they are allowable for the same reasons made for the independent claims.
Applicant’s failure to traverse the Examiner’s use of Official Notice in the aforesaid rejections is considered an admission that the claimed subject matter is admitted prior art. MPEP 2144.03 (C).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KENNETH J HANSEN whose telephone number is (571)272-6780. The examiner can normally be reached Monday Friday 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM (MT).
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/KENNETH J HANSEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3746
1 Reference cited in the ISR as provided in the IDS filed with the application,
2 Refer to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standby_generator.