DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claims 1-19 are presented for examination.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 9/25/24, 12/24/24, 1/22/25, 5/16/25, 8/14/25 and 7/22/26 was considered by the examiner. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97.
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 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.
4. 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.
5. Claims 1-7 and 9-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Matan et al. (Matan), U.S.Publication No. 2016/0204606 A11 in view of Donnal et al. (Donnal), (NPL, Noncontact Power Meter)2.
As per claim 1, Matan discloses an apparatus for current monitoring comprising:
a first sensor to monitor … a connection to a point of common coupling (PCC) to connect to a power grid [para 45, metering device enables monitoring the operation of the grid network at the PCC; para 30, meter can receive one or more external grid inputs];
a second sensor to monitor a connection to a local system to couple to the PCC, the local system to include a local load and a local power converter [para 30, the meter can identify power demand within the PCC, meter can calculate output power to generate with a local power converter]; and
a controller to compute a quadrant of operation of the second current waveform [para 86-87, monitors power as a complex power vector, vector can have a negative y-component],
compute a desired quadrant of operation of the second current waveform based on a quadrant of operation of the first current waveform, and send a command to cause the local power converter to inject reactive power into the local system to adjust the second current waveform to the desired quadrant of operation [para 0094, power converter can compensate by providing reactive power needed to match the load to the
grid, not simply in power factor but in complex vector].
Matan et al. does not teach a first sensor to monitor a first current waveform and a second sensor to monitor a second current waveform.
However, Donna teaches a first sensor to monitor a first current waveform and a
second sensor to monitor a second current waveform [Figures 1, 2; shows the non-contact power meter; Additionally, Section 3A details using the hall effect for current sensing; Section 5C].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Matan's metering device with Donnal’s non-contact power meter in order to determine the power usage using a current sensor. One would be motivated to combine these teachings in order to allow a user to retrofit power monitoring with no service interruptions (Donnal Section 1. Introduction).
Matan teaches:
[0030] As described herein, distributed grid network intelligence enables data aggregation at a local control node. In a consumer node, a meter is on a consumer side of a point of common coupling (PCC). The meter can receive one or more
external grid inputs and one or more local sensor inputs. The grid inputs can come from sources outside the PCC, and the local sensor inputs monitor conditions at the PCC and/or within the PCC. The meter can identify power demand within the PCC and calculate an output power to generate with a local power converter. The calculation is not simply based on power demand, but on aggregation information, including the one or more external grid inputs, the one or more local sensor inputs, and the power demand for the local load. The local power converter can then output power in accordance with the calculated output power.
[0045] In one embodiment, each control node includes a metering device or energy meter built into or associated with or part of the control node. More details about embodiments of a metering device are provided below. The metering device measures energy usage at the PCC and can determine a net power demand or power generation from downstream. In one embodiment, the metering device enables monitoring the
operation of the grid network at the PCC. In one embodiment, the metering device can measure energy signatures. Each converter can control the power usage at the PCC. In one embodiment, the converter controls the use of real and/or reactive power at the PCC.
[0094] In one embodiment, the power meter or energy meter can detect such shifts as the angular offsets of the harmonic current vectors, by measuring energy contributions.
The power converter can compensate for the actual composite current by providing the reactive power needed to match the load and/or PCC to the grid. Thus, the current at the load can be adjusted by the converter to bring the composite current into alignment with the grid, not simply in power factor, but in complex vector. Such operation will naturally eliminate or at least reduce harmonic distortion caused by loading on the grid.
As per claim 2, Donnal discloses the first sensor comprises a first internal power meter and the second sensor comprises a second internal power meter [figure 1; Section 6A and B, show calculating real and reactive power using the non-contact sensors].
As per claim 3, Donnal discloses the connection to the local system comprises a node coupled to one or more circuit breakers [Section 5A and Fig. 13, show monitoring power usage through individual circuit breakers].
As per claim 4, Matan discloses the controller is to send the command to cause the local power converter to generate an output current to adjust a ratio of real power to
reactive power generated by the local power converter to inject the reactive power to adjust the second current waveform to the desired quadrant [para 94, power converter can compensate by providing reactive power needed to match the load to the grid, not simply in power factor but in complex vector].
As per claim 5, Matan discloses the controller is to send the command to cause the local power converter to inject reactive power generated from energy stored in a local energy storage device [para 188, system includes local energy store, the use of stored energy can include the conversion of the energy to any mix of real and reactive power needed].
As per claim 6, Matan discloses a third sensor to monitor the local energy storage device separately from the local load and the local power converter [figure 2; para 55, 57].
As per claim 7, Matan discloses the controller wherein the second sensor is to detect specific current signatures; and wherein the controller is to identify a specific load operating on an electrical circuit of a breaker monitored by the second sensor [para 95 96, 115].
6. Claims 9-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Matan et al. (Matan), U.S.Publication No. 2016/0204606 A1 in view of Donnal et al. (Donnal), (NPL, Noncontact Power Meter) and Ueno (Ueno), US publication no. 2011/0058391 A13
Matan et al. does not teach the limitation in claim 9.
However, Ueno teaches a contact to an electrical supply for a circuit breaker to
provide power to an electrical circuit when the circuit breaker is connected to the contact [figure 5; para 23]; a conducting plate to connect the electrical supply to the contact [figure 5; para 23]; an integrated circuit (I/C) sensor mounted proximate the contact to generate current sense data for the electrical circuit when the circuit breaker is connected, [para 24], the I/C sensor to be mounted above the conducting plate and below the circuit breaker; and an insulator layer between the conducting plate and the I/C sensor, the I/C sensor mounted to the insulator layer [para 24; figure 5]. Donnal teaches of including data to indicate real and reactive power draw of the electrical circuit [section 6A, 6B].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at time the invention to combine the teachings of Matan and Donnal and Ueno because they disclose a power system, the specify teachings of Ueno stated above would have further enhanced the flexibility and functionality of Matan system to obtain predictable results with mounting IC sensor to the insulator layer.
As per claim 10, Ueno and Donnal disclose the circuit breaker comprises a first circuit breaker, the electrical circuit comprises a first electrical circuit, the I/C sensor comprises a first I/C sensor, and the current sense data comprises first current sense data; and further comprising a second circuit breaker to couple to the contact to provide power to a second electrical circuit when connected; and a second I/C sensor mounted proximate the contact to generate second current sense data for the second electrical circuit when connected, including data to indicate real and reactive power draw of the second electrical circuit [Ueno para 23, other phases for motor have the same structure; additionally, Donnal, figure 13 shows multiple circuit breakers]; wherein the controller is to receive the first current sense data and the second current sense data and compute real and reactive power current draw for the first and second electrical circuits, respectively [Donnal, section 5A, number of sensors must be equal to the number of breakers and sensor output is equal to the sum of the currents for each of the following breakers].
As per claim 11, Ueno discloses the I/C sensor comprises a first I/C sensor and the current sense data comprises first current sense data, and further comprising:
a second I/C sensor mounted to the insulator layer proximate the contact to generate second current sense data for the electrical circuit when the circuit breaker is connected; wherein the controller is to compute the real and reactive power current draw for the electrical circuit as a difference between the first current sense data and the second current sense data [Ueno para 23, 34, each current sensor measures a different motor phase; additionally, Donnal, section 6A and 6b detail measuring real and reactive power of a single and multiphase system].
As to claims 12-18, claims 1-7 basically are the corresponding elements that are carried out the method of operating step in claims 12-18. Accordingly, claims 12-18 are rejected for the same reason as set forth in claims 1-7.
Allowable Subject Matter
7. Claims 8 and 19 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.
8. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the prior art of records do not teach: in claims 8 and 19, compute the quadrant of operation comprises the controller to compute a first vector having a first vector angle on a unit circle to represent the second current waveform, and wherein to compute the desired quadrant of operation comprises the controller to compute a second vector with a second vector angle on the unit circle to represent an output current needed to move the first vector to the desired quadrant of operation.
9. Examiner's note: Examiner has cited particular paragraphs and columns and line numbers in the references as applied to the claims above for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings of the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested from the applicant in preparing responses, to fully consider the references in entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the examiner. MPEP 2141.02 VI: “PRIOR ART MUST BE CONSIDERED IN ITS ENTIRETY, INCLUDING DISCLOSURES THAT TEACH AWAY FROM THE CLAIMS."
10. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure.
Paarder (GB 2514415 A) disclose a system for measurement of one or more parameters of a power grid comprises recording of waveforms of alternating voltage or current signals in at least two locations A, B in the power grid using sensors.
Patel et al. (U.S. Publication No. 2012/0068692 Al) discloses a power consumption measurement device for a circuit breaker box.
Bazhinov et al. (U.S. Publication No. 2020/0020050 Al) discloses using hall effect current sensors to collect power consumption.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHUN CAO whose telephone number is (571)272-3664. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 7:.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kamini Shah can be reached on 571-272-9. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CHUN CAO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2115
1 Matan is cited by applicant.
2 Donnal is cited by applicant.
3 Ueno is cited by applicant.
