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 .
Claims 1-22 are pending.
Double Patenting
The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the conflicting claims are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on nonstatutory double patenting provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with the examined application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. See MPEP § 717.02 for applications subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA as explained in MPEP § 2159. See MPEP § 2146 et seq. for applications not subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b).
The filing of a terminal disclaimer by itself is not a complete reply to a nonstatutory double patenting (NSDP) rejection. A complete reply requires that the terminal disclaimer be accompanied by a reply requesting reconsideration of the prior Office action. Even where the NSDP rejection is provisional the reply must be complete. See MPEP § 804, subsection I.B.1. For a reply to a non-final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.111(a). For a reply to final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.113(c). A request for reconsideration while not provided for in 37 CFR 1.113(c) may be filed after final for consideration. See MPEP §§ 706.07(e) and 714.13.
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Claim 1 is rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claim 1 of U.S. Patent No. 12176708 B2. Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because they have similar limitations.
USP 12176708 B2
18/939042
1. An electric power control system for an electric power grid configured to supply electric power from a supply point to a plurality of consumption locations, the system comprising: a plurality of sensors, wherein each sensor is located at a respective one of a plurality of distribution locations on the electric power grid at or between the supply point and at least one of the plurality of consumption locations, and wherein each sensor is configured to sense at least one component of the supplied electric power received by the sensor at the respective distribution location and to generate measurement data based on the sensed component; and a controller configured to receive measurement data from each sensor of a subset of the plurality of sensors, wherein the subset includes more than one and fewer than all of the plurality of sensors receiving the supplied electric power, and the controller is further configured to determine a determined effective impedance for a first time period between a first sensor of the subset at the supply point and a second sensor of the subset, to associate the determined effective impedance with at least one dynamic impedance variable, to compare one or more comparison variables from the first time period to a respective comparison variable from each of a plurality of second time periods, the second time periods being less recent than the first time period, to select one of the plurality of second time periods, to update the determined effective impedance, based on the selected one of the plurality of second time periods, resulting in an updated determined effective impedance, and to provide instructions to an adjusting device based on the updated determined effective impedance, wherein the controller is configured to determine the determined effective impedance between the supply point and a plurality of other sensors of the subset, wherein the plurality of other sensors of the subset includes the second sensor, and wherein the controller is configured to determine at least one component of the supplied electric power at the plurality of other sensors based on the updated determined effective impedance; wherein, the adjusting device is configured to adjust a component of the electric power supplied at the supply point based on the instructions.
1. An electric power control system for an electric power grid configured to supply electric power from a supply point to a plurality of consumption locations, the system comprising: a plurality of sensors, wherein each sensor is located at a respective one of a plurality of distribution locations on the electric power grid at or between the supply point and at least one of the plurality of consumption locations, and wherein each sensor is configured to sense at least one component of the electric power received by the sensor at the respective distribution location and to generate measurement data based on the at least one sensed component; and a controller configured to receive measurement data from each sensor of a subset of the plurality of sensors, wherein the subset includes more than one and fewer than all of the plurality of sensors receiving the electric power, and the controller is further configured to determine a determined effective impedance for a first time period between a first sensor of the subset and a plurality of other sensors of the subset, to associate the determined effective impedance with at least one dynamic impedance variable, to compare one or more comparison variables from the first time period to a respective comparison variable from each of a plurality of second time periods, the second time periods being less recent than the first time period, to select one of the plurality of second time periods, to update the determined effective impedance based on the selected one of the plurality of second time periods to create an updated determined effective impedance, and to provide instructions to an adjusting device based on the updated determined effective impedance; wherein, the adjusting device is configured to adjust a component of the electric power supplied at the supply point based on the instructions.
It is noted that any citations to specific, pages, columns, lines, or figures in the prior art references and any interpretation of the reference should not be considered to be limiting in any way. A reference is relevant for all it contains and may be relied upon for all that it would have reasonably suggested to one having ordinary skill in the art. See MPEP 2123.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and listed on the attached PTO Form 892 but not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Hall et al USPGPUB 2017 a method, apparatus, system and computer program is provided for controlling an electric power system, including implementation of voltage measurement using paired t statistical analysis applied to calculating a shift in average usage per customer from one time period to another time period for a given electrical use population where the pairing process is optimized using a novel technique to improve the accuracy of the statistical measurement.
Tyler et al. USP 9553453 B2 teaches a method, apparatus, system and computer program is provided for controlling an electric power system, including implementation of a voltage control and conservation (VCC) system used to optimally control the independent voltage and capacitor banks using a linear optimization methodology to minimize the losses in the EEDCS and the EUS. An energy validation process system (EVP) is provided which is used to document the savings of the VCC and an EPP is used to optimize improvements to the EEDCS for continuously improving the energy losses in the EEDS. The EVP system measures the improvement in the EEDS a result of operating the VCC system in the “ON” state determining the level of energy conservation achieved by the VCC system.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZIAUL KARIM whose telephone number is (571)270-3279. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Thursday 8:00-4:00 PM EST.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Mohammad Ali can be reached on 571 272 4105. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ZIAUL KARIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2119
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