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 Objections
Claim 22 is objected to because of the following informalities: in line 15, it appears “the adjustments” should be “the adjustments”. Generally, pronouns should be avoided. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 28 is objected to because of the following informalities: in line 2, “adjust the operation” should be “adjust operation”. Appropriate correction is required.
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)(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) 22, 28-30, 33 and 38-40 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Rainone et al. U.S. PGPub 2017/0318761 (hereinafter “Rainone”).
Regarding claim 22, Rainone discloses a hydraulic control system for managing irrigation, comprising: a controller (e.g. control device, sensing controller) configured to receive input from pressure sensors and flow meters within a hydraulic system to monitor pressure and flow rate in a water line (e.g. ¶31, 40 and 74; Fig. 1, 6 and 7); an analytics server (e.g. main controller, interrupt controller) communicatively connected to the controller via a network interface (e.g. Fig. 1, 6 and 7), configured to: receive operational data from the controller, including measurements of pressure and flow rate and valve position information of a plurality of valves (e.g. ¶31, 40 and 74; Fig. 1, 6 and 7); analyze the operational data, incorporating historical data to predict hydraulic system performance (e.g. predicted pattern) (e.g. ¶83); generate operational commands for changes in valve positions of the plurality of valves based on predictions to maintain the pressure and flow rate within a target operational range (e.g. within acceptable ranges) (e.g. ¶68-70, 74, 77, 83 and 87-88); send the operational commands to the controller (e.g. ¶35, 40-43 and 88-83); and in which the controller adjusts the valve positions of the plurality of valves based on the received operational commands and feeds back results of these adjustments for continuous system optimization and learning (e.g. ¶35, 40-43 and 88-83).
Regarding claims 28 and 38, Rainone discloses the hydraulic control system of claim 22, in which the analytics server is configured to adjust the operation of water sources or pumps controlled by the controller based on predicted valve profiles to maintain optimal pressure and flow rate (e.g. ¶68-70, 74, 77, 83 and 87-88).
Regarding claims 29 and 39, Rainone discloses the hydraulic control system of claim 22, in which the analytics server operates either remotely or integrated with the controller (e.g. ¶31, 40 and 74; Fig. 1, 6 and 7).
Regarding claims 30 and 40, Rainone discloses the hydraulic control system of claim 22, in which the analytics server updates predicted valve profiles (e.g. predicted pattern) in real-time based on new operational data received during system operation (e.g. ¶68-70, 74, 77, 83 and 87-88).
Regarding claim 33, Rainone discloses a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions thereon that, when executed by an analytics server for a hydraulic control system having a hydraulic system controller, configure the analytics server to: receive from the hydraulic system controller data including pressure measurements, flow rate measurements, and valve states (e.g. ¶31, 40 and 74; Fig. 1, 6 and 7); perform heuristic analysis on the data to develop and update predicted profiles for each valve in the hydraulic control system, the profiles including changes in pressure and flow rate associated with valve operations (e.g. ¶68-70, 74, 77, 83 and 87-88); and generate recommendations for valve position changes to optimize flow and maintain pressure within a target operational range based on the heuristic analysis and historical data (e.g. ¶68-70, 74, 77, 83 and 87-88).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 23-27, 31, 32, 34-37, 41 and 42 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: Regarding claim 23, Rainone does not disclose a hydraulic control system wherein the analytics server is further configured to use heuristic analysis to update predicted profiles for each valve based on the received operational data, in which the profiles include anticipated changes in pressure and flow rate resulting from the changes in valve positions.
Regarding claims 27 and 37, Rainone does not disclose a hydraulic control system wherein the analytics server receives user-defined operational parameters including boundary conditions via a web or application interface, allowing users to customize minimum pressure thresholds, maximum flow rate thresholds, and desired recovery times.
Regarding claims 31 and 41, Rainone does not disclose a hydraulic control system wherein the analytics server sends alerts to users via personal electronic devices when effectiveness of a change in valve position falls below a predefined threshold.
Regarding claims 32 and 42, Rainone does not disclose a hydraulic control system wherein the analytics server maintains a historical log of valve operations, pressure and flow rate measurements, and effectiveness rankings. The allowability, at least in part, resides in these facts.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
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.
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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.
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CK
July 16, 2026
/CHARLES R KASENGE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2116
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