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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ichino U.S. PGPub 2017/0331291 (hereinafter “Ichino”).
Regarding claim 1, Ichino discloses a power adjustment device for adjusting a supply and demand balance of power in a power system comprising one or more power devices each of which is at least one of a storage battery and a load (e.g. ¶28-30, 35-36 and 73; Fig. 1-2), comprising processing circuitry configured to: set at least one of the power devices as a target power device, for which operation control related to power is possible, based on the supply and demand balance predicted (e.g. ¶40, 54, 71-73, 84, 97 and 105); and adjust the supply and demand balance by controlling an operation (e.g. suppressing load) of the target power device (e.g. ¶40, 54, 71-73, 84, 97 and 105).
Regarding claim 2, Ichino discloses the power adjustment device according to claim 1, wherein, when it is predicted that an abnormality (e.g. imbalance) in the supply and demand balance will occur, the processing circuitry is configured to set the target power device so as to resolve the abnormality in the supply and demand balance (e.g. ¶40, 54, 71-73, 84, 97 and 105).
Regarding claim 3, Ichino discloses the power adjustment device according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to set the target power device so that an adjustment power amount that is adjustable by controlling the operation of the target power device is equal to or greater than a differential power amount, which is a difference between an amount of power scheduled to be supplied to the power system and an amount of power predicted to be demanded in the power system (e.g. ¶40, 54, 71-73, 84, 97 and 105).
Regarding claim 4, Ichino discloses the power adjustment device according to claim 3, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to set the target power device so that a difference between the adjustment power amount and the differential power amount is minimized (e.g. ¶40, 54, 71-73, 84, 97 and 105).
Regarding claim 5, Ichino discloses the power adjustment device according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to set the target power device based on at least one of an amount of power charged and discharged in a storage battery and an amount of power consumed by a load (e.g. ¶28-30, 35-36 and 73; Fig. 1-2).
Regarding claim 6, Ichino discloses the power adjustment device according to claim 1, wherein the power system comprises one or more storage batteries and one or more loads (e.g. ¶28-30, 35-36 and 73; Fig. 1-2), and the processing circuitry is configured to set the one or more storage batteries and the one or more loads as the target power devices (e.g. ¶28-30, 35-36 and 73; Fig. 1-2).
Regarding claim 7, Ichino discloses the power adjustment device according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit determines-processing circuitry is configured to determine whether or not to set a load as the target power device based on an operating state of the load (e.g. ¶40, 54, 71-73, 84, 97 and 105).
Regarding claim 8, Ichino discloses the power adjustment device according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to set the target power device based on an instruction from a user (e.g. operator of power-producer-and-supplier system) of the power adjustment device (e.g. ¶4, 37-39 and 73).
Relevant Prior Art
Zhang et al. U.S. PGPub 2015/0261239 discloses a power adjustment device for adjusting a supply and demand balance of power in a power system comprising one or more power devices each of which is at least one of a storage battery and a load (e.g. ¶67, 144-145, 159 and 188; Fig. 1), comprising processing circuitry configured to: set at least one of the power devices as a target power device, for which operation control related to power is possible, based on the supply and demand balance predicted (e.g. ¶67, 144-145, 159 and 188; Fig. 1); and adjust the supply and demand balance by controlling an operation of the target power device (e.g. ¶67, 144-145, 159 and 188; Fig. 1).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHARLES R KASENGE whose telephone number is (571)272-3743. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 7:30am to 4pm EST.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kenneth Lo can be reached at (571) 272-9774. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
CK
August 28, 2026
/CHARLES R KASENGE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2116
