Ex Parte Gunturu

Patent Trials and Appeals Board

Jun 18, 2019

14014149 - (D) (P.T.A.B. Jun. 18, 2019)

UNITED STA TES p A TENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
APPLICATION NO. FILING DATE
14/014,149 08/29/2013
26290 7590 06/20/2019
PATTERSON & SHERIDAN, L.L.P.
24 Greenway Plaza, Suite 1600
Houston, TX 77046
FIRST NAMED INVENTOR
Sashi B. Gunturu
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
United States Patent and Trademark Office
Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
P.O. Box 1450
Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450
www .uspto.gov
ATTORNEY DOCKET NO. CONFIRMATION NO.
SRIS/0002US 2373
EXAMINER
LEVEL, BARBARA M
ART UNIT PAPER NUMBER
2144
NOTIFICATION DATE DELIVERY MODE
06/20/2019 ELECTRONIC
Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above-indicated "Notification Date" to the
following e-mail address(es):
PSDocketing@pattersonsheridan.com
pair_eofficeaction@pattersonsheridan.com
jcardenas@pattersonsheridan.com
PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)
UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
Ex parte SASHI B. GUNTURU
Appeal2018-004508
Application 14/014,149 1
Technology Center 2100
Before ALLEN R. MacDONALD, JON M. JURGOV AN, and
NABEEL U. KHAN, Administrative Patent Judges.
KHAN, Administrative Patent Judge.
DECISION ON APPEAL
Appellant appeals under 35 U.S.C. § 134(a) from the Final Rejection
of claims 1, 5-10, 14-19, and 21-24. We have jurisdiction under 35 U.S.C.
§ 6(b).
We reverse.
1 Appellant identifies Sristy Technologies, LLC as the real party in interest.
App. Br. 3.
Appeal2018-004508
Application 14/014, 149
BACKGROUND
THE INVENTION
Appellant describes the invention as follows:
Data collected during reservoir monitoring may include fiber
optic measurements utilizing a distributed sensing system.
Downhole monitoring with the distributed sensing system may
generate large amounts of data. For example, the system may
be capable of producing the functional equivalent of tens,
hundreds, or even thousands of sensors along a length of a
well bore. Continuous monitoring of various properties,
including temperature, pressure, Bragg gradient, acoustic, and
strain, may create a large volume of data, possibly spanning
into several gigabytes. Embodiments of the present invention
provide techniques for analyzing a large volume of
measurements taken in a wellbore without compromising on the
integrity of data.
Abstract.
Exemplary independent claim 1 is reproduced below.
1. A method of organizing, visualizing, and/or analyzing
oilfield measurements, the method comprising:
storing the oilfield measurements as profiles in one or
more files, each profile including a set of measurements at a
respective time at each measured depth along a wellbore;
determining a page size for visualizing portions of the
measurements in the one or more files or a real-time stream
based on at least an available physical memory of a computer
system which performs rendering;
dividing the profiles in the one or more files or the real-
time stream into a plurality of pages based on the page size,
wherein each page corresponds to the page size and includes a
respective set of profiles, the respective set of profiles
comprising a plurality of profiles with measurements from a
start time to an end time, thereby indicating measurement
variations in space and time;
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Application 14/014, 149
displaying, on a display unit, a user interface configured
to indicate the plurality of pages corresponding to the page size
and to permit selection of the pages;
responsive to receiving a user selection of one of the
plurality of pages via the user interface, rendering a set of
profiles associated with the selected page, wherein the
rendering generates a three-dimensional (3D) visualization of a
portion of the measurements corresponding to the set of profiles
associated with the selected page and showing measurement
variations in space and time in the selected page, and wherein
the 3D visualization includes a graph with axes representing
time, depth, and measurement; and
displaying the rendering of the selected page on the
display unit.
REFERENCES AND REJECTIONS
1. Claims 1, 5-10, 14-19 and 21-23 stand rejected under
35 U.S.C. § 103(a) over Zamora (US 2006/0293872 Al, Dec. 28, 2006),
Venon (US 2012/0036466 Al, Feb. 9, 2012), and Kibalo (US 2006/0164245
Al, July 27, 2006). Final Act. 8-24.
2. Claims 24 stands rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) over
Zamora, Venon, Kibalo, and Agarwal (US 2012/0299965 Al, Nov. 29,
2012). Final Act. 24-26.
DISCUSSION
Claim 1 recites "dividing the profiles in the one or more files or the
real-time stream into a plurality of pages based on the page size." The
Examiner finds Zamora's matrices correspond to the claimed "profiles" and
Zamora's segments correspond to the claimed "pages." Final Act. 9-10.
The Examiner finds "Zamora teaches storing oilfield measurement data in
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Application 14/014, 149
matrices ( arrays, sets, profiles, etc.) and dividing the data matrices into
segments (pages) of matrices data for rendering and display." Final Act. 10
( citing Zamora Abstract, ,i 51, Fig. 1 ).
Appellant argues "there is no teaching that the matrices
themselves, which are merely used for sharing data between
applications, are divided into 'segments (pages).'" App. Br. 14.
We are persuaded by Appellant's argument. Zamora discloses that
"the drill string and annulus (borehole) are subdivided into segments of
predetermined length, preferably 50 to 100-ft cells or segments for
simulation purposes." Zamora ,i 47. Zamora also discloses that "[t]he data
displayed in FIG. 1 are shared with a graphics engine application executed
by the computer system in the form of matrices." Zamora ,i 51. Zamora
further explains that "[t]o enhance continuity and improve resolution, the
100-ft segments commonly used by hydraulics simulation programs may
preferably be further subdivided into shorter cells for the graphics engine."
Id. Thus, Zamora teaches dividing the borehole into segments for simulation
purposes and also discloses sharing the borehole data with the graphic
engine in the form of matrices for display. However, we do not discern from
these disclosures that Zamora's matrices are divided into Zamora's segments
as the Examiner finds. The cited portions of Zamora do not disclose how the
visually simulated borehole segments specifically inter-relate with the
display data matrices shared with the graphics engine. Thus, we agree with
Appellant that Zamora does not teach or suggest "dividing the profiles in the
one or more files or the real-time stream into a plurality of pages based on
the page size." App. Br. 19.
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Application 14/014, 149
Accordingly, we do not sustain the Examiner's rejection of
independent claim 1. The Examiner rejects independent claims 10 and 19 on
the same basis as claim 1, and therefore we also do not sustain the
Examiner's rejection of claims 10 and 19. See Final Act. 19. For the same
reasons we also do not sustain the rejection of the pending dependent claims,
which depend from one of claims 1, 10, or 19.
DECISION
The Examiner's rejections of claims 1, 5-10, 14-19, and 21-24 are
reversed.
REVERSED
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