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 1-20 are pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. The claims are directed to “a computer readable medium”. The specification is silent regarding the meaning of this term. Thus, applying the broadest reasonable interpretation in light of the specification and taking into account the meaning of the words in their ordinary usage as they would be understood by one of the ordinary skill in the art (MPEP 2111), the claim as a whole covers both transitory and non-transitory media. A transitory medium does not fall into any of the four categories of invention (process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter).
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) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by ZHENG et al. EP 4510408A1 (hereinafter “ZHENG”).
As to claim 1, ZHENG teaches a method for controlling electric power (abstract “electric energy dispatch method and apparatus, and a power management method and apparatus”), the method comprising: acquiring first data, the first data being configured to indicate electricity consumption information of a power grid (paragraph 0008 “acquiring, by the electric energy dispatch apparatus, predicted load data of the power grid from the power grid”); and controlling an electricity consumption device to acquire electric energy from the power grid or to transmit the electric energy to the power grid through a charging and discharging device according to the first data in a case where the electricity consumption device is connected to the charging and discharging device (paragraph 0007-0009 “control an energy storage battery of the base station to store electric energy from a power grid connected to the base station within the first time period” and paragraph 0014-0022).
As to claim 2, ZHENG teaches wherein when the electricity consumption device is connected to the charging and discharging device, the method further comprises: acquiring an electric quantity of the electricity consumption device (paragraph 0100-0012).
As to claim 3, ZHENG teaches wherein when the step of controlling the electricity consumption device to transmit the electric energy to the power grid comprises: controlling the electricity consumption device to transmit the electric energy to the power grid in a case where the electric quantity of the electricity consumption device is greater than a first threshold (paragraph 0007-0009).
As to claim 4, ZHENG teaches further comprising: controlling the electricity consumption device to stop transmitting the electric energy to the power grid in a case where the electric quantity of the electricity consumption device is less than or equal to a second threshold, wherein the second threshold is less than the first threshold (paragraph 0046-0053).
As to claim 5, ZHENG teaches wherein the first threshold is 50% of a fully charged electric quantity of the electricity consumption device (paragraph 0009-0010).
As to claim 6, ZHENG teaches wherein the first data comprises historical electricity consumption information of the power grid (paragraph 0011-0012).
As to claim 7, ZHENG teaches wherein the first data comprises predicted electricity consumption information of the power grid (paragraph 0008-0013).
As to claim 8, ZHENG teaches wherein before acquiring the first data, the method further comprises: sending a prediction request to a server; and the acquiring the first data comprises: receiving the predicted electricity consumption information sent by the server (paragraph 0007-0013).
As to claim 9, ZHENG teaches wherein before the step of controlling the electricity consumption device to acquire electric energy from the power grid or to transmit the electric energy to the power grid through the charging and discharging device according to the first data, the method further comprises: determining an electricity consumption peak period of the power grid or an electricity consumption trough period of the power grid according to the first data (paragraph 0007-0015).
As to claim 10, ZHENG teaches wherein the electricity consumption information comprises the electricity consumption peak period of the power grid and/or the electricity consumption trough period of the power grid, and the step of controlling the electricity consumption device to acquire electric energy from the power grid or to transmit the electric energy to the power grid through the charging and discharging device according to the first data comprises: in the electricity consumption peak period, controlling the electricity consumption device to transmit the electric energy to the power grid, and/or in the electricity consumption trough period, controlling the electricity consumption device to acquire the electric energy from the power grid (paragraph 0007-0016, FIG. 1-3).
As to claim 11, is related to claim 1 with similar limitations also rejected by same rational.
As to claim 12, ZHENG teaches wherein the control unit is configured to: acquire an electric quantity of the electricity consumption device; control the electricity consumption device to transmit the electric energy to the power grid in a case where the electric quantity of the electricity consumption device is greater than a first threshold (paragraph 0007-0009).
As to claim 13, ZHENG teaches wherein the control unit is configured to: control the electricity consumption device to stop transmitting the electric energy to the power grid in a case where the electric quantity of the electricity consumption device is less than or equal to a second threshold, wherein the second threshold is less than the first threshold (paragraph 0046-0053 and paragraph 0008-0009).
As to claim 14, ZHENG teaches wherein the first threshold is 50% of a fully charged electric quantity of the electricity consumption device (paragraph 0009-0010).
As to claim 15, ZHENG teaches wherein the first data comprises historical electricity consumption information of the power grid (paragraph 0011-0012).
As to claim 16, ZHENG teaches wherein the first data comprises predicted electricity consumption information of the power grid (paragraph 0008-0013).
As to claim 17, ZHENG teaches the charging and discharging system further comprising a server, wherein the server is configured to receive a prediction request sent by the control unit and to calculate the predicted electricity consumption information according to the prediction request; and the control unit is configured to receive the predicted electricity consumption information (paragraph 0007-0014, FIG. 1-2).
As to claim 18, ZHENG teaches wherein the control unit is configured to: determine an electricity consumption peak period of the power grid or an electricity consumption trough period according to the first data (paragraph 0008-0015).
As to claim 19, ZHENG teaches wherein the electricity consumption information comprises the electricity consumption peak period of the power grid and/or the electricity consumption trough period of the power grid, and control unit is configured to: in the electricity consumption peak period, control the electricity consumption device to transmit the electric energy to the power grid; or in the electricity consumption trough period, control the electricity consumption device to acquire the electric energy from the power grid (paragraph 0007-0016, FIG. 2-3).
As to claim 20, is related to claim 1 with similar limitations also rejected by same rational.
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.
Continuation of 12# new language in the claims does not support by the specifications.
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.
Li et al USPGPUB 2017/0070069 an electric energy dispatch method and apparatus, and a power management method and apparatus are disclosed. The method includes: determining, by an electric energy dispatch apparatus, a first time period and a second time period and sending, by the electric energy dispatch apparatus, first indication information to a base station. The first indication information is used to control an energy storage battery of the base station to store electric energy from a power grid connected to the base station within the first time period. The method further includes sending, by the electric energy dispatch apparatus, second indication information to the base station. The second indication information is used to control the energy storage battery of the base station to perform electric energy compensation for the power grid connected to the base station within the second time period.
Tsuda USPGPUB 2012/0053742 teaches a a power transmission/distribution network-control device including a communication section configured to receive a predetermined state quantity of a first storage battery from a first power source control device connected to the first storage battery, and a control section configured to control a first switch, the first switch being for establishing a connection, based on the predetermined state quantity of the first storage battery, between a first charging section which charges the first storage battery or a first linkage section which transmits power accumulated in the first storage battery to a distribution system, and the first storage battery.
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.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/ZIAUL KARIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2119
Prosecution Insights