http://www.peertopatent.org/patent/20070255832/activity A method for automatically configuring a local network in a windfarm is provided, the method including the steps of (a) automatically assigning an IP address to a device connected to the local windfarm network, (b) automatically receiving an identifier tag from the device, and (c) relating the automatically assigned IP address of the device to a specific wind turbine in the windfarm which is identified by said identifier tag. en-us Method for configuring a windfarm network Wow, lots of recent comments. Please note that while this is good, this pilot is not set up to forward these comments to the USPTO. According to P2P, only the materials and annotations under the Prior Art section are forwarded to USPTO. If you know matching prior art, please upload it in that area, and add relevance info for the specific related claims of this application. Tue, 19 Feb 2008 11:38:03 -0800 http://www.peertopatent.org/patent/20070255832/discussion Method for configuring a windfarm network Regarding [[claim 00014]] As noted above, there is a lot of prior art in the network asset management world, centered on MIBs that can do what is described and much more, depending on the managed device's function and level of intelligence. Tue, 19 Feb 2008 11:05:45 -0800 http://www.peertopatent.org/patent/20070255832/discussion Method for configuring a windfarm network Regarding [[claim 00008]]Again, these are steps normally used to set up a DHCP IP address assignment proces. There are many tools to associate IP address and MAC and other address data - e.g., see http://manageengine.adventnet.com/products/oputils/address-monitoring-tools.html As noted above, addresses assigned by DHCP can be made either very long lived or permanent. Tue, 19 Feb 2008 11:03:11 -0800 http://www.peertopatent.org/patent/20070255832/discussion Method for configuring a windfarm network Regarding [[claim 00005]] This claim essentially covers the same ground as DHCP, which dynamically "leases" IP addressees." The DHCP process can be used to support essentially static IP addresses by extending the lease time or by supporting client renewal of IP address. In any case, DHCP addressed can also be mapped to MAC addresses, obviating the need for static IP addresses. Tue, 19 Feb 2008 10:10:59 -0800 http://www.peertopatent.org/patent/20070255832/discussion Method for configuring a windfarm network Regarding [[claim 00004]]: There is nothing new about static IP addresses. Essentially, this patent application does not purport to offer any new claims regarding static IP addresses, ecept that under different claims asserts that it sets them up faster. Tue, 19 Feb 2008 10:07:00 -0800 http://www.peertopatent.org/patent/20070255832/discussion Method for configuring a windfarm network Regarding [[claim 00003]] The capability to receive a polling command and to respond with appropriate data is inherent to any "managed object." At the network physical layer, the MAC (media access control") device plays this managed object rolle. THE MAC-IP address relationship is fundamental to the client-seber relationship described in this claim, and it qualifies as rather ancient state of the art. http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc2358.html Tue, 19 Feb 2008 10:04:16 -0800 http://www.peertopatent.org/patent/20070255832/discussion Method for configuring a windfarm network Regarding [[claim 00002]] In the ethernet and other standards-based netoworking world, this "tag" is known as the MAC address, and there are billions of them in operation. Tue, 19 Feb 2008 09:43:01 -0800 http://www.peertopatent.org/patent/20070255832/discussion Method for configuring a windfarm network Regarding [[claim 00001]] There is no evident novelty to this claim. Indeed, if from a standards perspective, the devices involved conformed to widespread ethernet and related standards, the claims described would in effect be "out of the box" capabilities. As an example of long-existing state of the art:, "When a customer plugs in a device, the ESLAM reports the customer's device MAC when it sees it. The DHCP server records the MAC <=> IP binding." http://www.ieee802.org/3/efm/public/email/msg00516.html . Although the patent descriotion rejects the relevance of DHCP because of its use of an IP address "lease" mechanism, in fact DHCP permirs very long leases as wee as enabling client devices to renew leases. It therefore appears that this claim represents a non-standard recreation of long existing standards based handshakes and inventory methods found in ethernet networks (and probably some predecessor environments such as SNA. Tue, 19 Feb 2008 09:41:06 -0800 http://www.peertopatent.org/patent/20070255832/discussion Method for configuring a windfarm network This invention appears to associate a transient value, the DHCP assigned IP address, with a constant value, the MAC address or the turbine identifier, and group the constant values together into relates subsets, a wind turbine. A data base design to hold this data might looks like this: TRANSIENT_VALUE, CONSTANT_VALUE, GROUP_NAME. Since every programmer I know has designed something like that before, this can't be the uniqueness needed for a patent. So maybe the tools are used uniquely. But those are DHCP, MAC addresses, preassigned identifiers, LLDP; and all are being used for the purpose they were intended. So that's not unique. So maybe wind farms are uniquely different from any other collection of things that need to be organized. But they seem to be composed of parts and subsystems just like any other industrial system. I think this invention may be unique to the management of wind farms, but not to the world of networked devices. This is probably because wind turbines have only recently become networked devices and so these problems and solutions look new to wind-turbine people. I think copyright is the appropriate level of protection for this invention. I think a patent would incorrectly credit this invention with the creation of some basic networking concepts. Tue, 19 Feb 2008 07:20:28 -0800 http://www.peertopatent.org/patent/20070255832/discussion Method for configuring a windfarm network Given that using DHCP in a new application domain can’t be considered a novelty, and I believe most participants of this discussion agree on that, may be the author should take a little bit different angle on this invention. For example, most units in the wind farm have a unique serial number, or even better, a unique GPS location that is unlikely to change. If you come up with a method of using unique attributes of a device to generate unique network address, this may be considered a novelty. How about generating a hash code from GPS location and use it as the address in the subnet? Then you do not need DHCP in the first place. I am not sure, but this can possibly give this idea a second chance. I am not sure if this approach will make the wind farm maintenance any cheaper though. Mon, 18 Feb 2008 14:28:35 -0800 http://www.peertopatent.org/patent/20070255832/discussion Method for configuring a windfarm network Sure, dynamically assigning an IP address to a device on a network is not new. However, the novelty lies in its application to a wind farm. Still, I'd hate to see such a broad claim issue as it would likely have a chilling effect on 3rd party development of centrally controlled wind farm devices. Mon, 11 Feb 2008 06:27:14 -0800 http://www.peertopatent.org/patent/20070255832/discussion Method for configuring a windfarm network In that case mustn't there be a whole class of related patents to be had? Just substitute the name of another domain that might make use of networking everwhere we find "wind farm" here (and get rid of the specifics having to do with turbines and such), and if it's not already claimed by someone else, it's patentable? Method for configuring a [your choice here] network. At what point does the next one become obvious? Mon, 11 Feb 2008 18:24:09 -0800 http://www.peertopatent.org/patent/20070255832/discussion Method for configuring a windfarm network every major industrial facility uses ip to define components of the system. look at refineries etc. looks like they just want to sue people for configuring a wind farm, just because they can. where is the novelty , it is obvious and non inventive Fri, 15 Feb 2008 14:47:59 -0800 http://www.peertopatent.org/patent/20070255832/discussion Method for configuring a windfarm network I do not think the use of dhcp to provide communication with what is essentialy an embedded device or component, is in any way new. It would seem to have so much prior work (art) as to not even bother with. Thu, 03 Jan 2008 08:49:02 -0800 http://www.peertopatent.org/patent/20070255832/discussion Method for configuring a windfarm network This invention is not an invention. DHCP is open source. Networks of every kind of appliance have been auto-configuring themselves for decades. Taken to the logical extreme, if this patent were legitimate, we should then be patenting DHCP driven auto-configuration of every kind of "Internet Appliance" How about Refrigerators? Network monitoring and management has been a profession using a myriad of tools for decades. Patenting a specific arrangement (I hesitate to call it an implementation, as there is little uniqueness in it) of DHCP & Monitoring software on standard servers just doesn't make any sense. Just because you give a windmill an IP address, does not make it any difference from any other kind of appliance on a network. Technologically speaking, this is all standard fare. Nothing new or unique here. Thu, 03 Jan 2008 06:03:52 -0800 http://www.peertopatent.org/patent/20070255832/discussion Method for configuring a windfarm network I don't have any documentation on this, but I built a network of embedded systems that derived their host name and ip address from a central dhcp server. These systems were uniquely identified by their hardware MAC address, which I used to insure that they always got the same hostname across different subnets within the company, even if the system was shipped to a location in a different country (same company internal network). We used the IP address to track location to specific facility, then narrowed it down from there via other visual identification techniques (including CD eject). This network was deployed in the 2001-2002 timeframe, and has only recently been replaced with a new network infrastructure (I was let go before they realized they didn't know how to maintain the network - even though I had extensive documentation). This isn't much different than that scenario (test equipment vs wind turbine). Now if it did this through some mechanism involving quantum physics and the relationship of the space/time continuum to cheese, then I'd say good patent. Otherwise, there is prior art all over the globe. Thu, 06 Dec 2007 15:34:52 -0800 http://www.peertopatent.org/patent/20070255832/discussion Method for configuring a windfarm network I agree. When I read the title of this patent on Groklaw, I thought to myself how would I do that and came up with a plan similar to the patent, sight unseen. Given the requirements of the equipment being networked I think anyone versed in networking and remote monitoring/control would come up with something similar or quite possibly identical. That to me qualifies it as obvious. While the application to a wind farm may be novel, the DHCP, TC/IP, MAC and component monitoring/control/identification techniques involved are widespread and used together in common applications from the ubiquitous security monitoring camera to large server farms. Thu, 06 Dec 2007 18:17:51 -0800 http://www.peertopatent.org/patent/20070255832/discussion Method for configuring a windfarm network I too agree with your assessment. The techniques of DHCP, LLDP, MAC, sending an asset ID periodically (or every time an asset is connected to a network) by means of an agent on the asset is widely known in the art. I did not see any unique challenge that is put forward by a wind farm/turbine/switch/controller. Fri, 07 Dec 2007 04:30:32 -0800 http://www.peertopatent.org/patent/20070255832/discussion Method for configuring a windfarm network The inventors seem to have everything well thought out, and this invention seems very beneficial. There are many advantages and limited disadvantages associated with this invention. The only important factor that was not mentioned, that could be a disadvantage, was the approximate startup cost associated with implementing this idea. The cost of the new technology should not outweigh the benefit that companies will receive as a result of implementation. The patent under consideration has been presented in such a manner, that there appears to be sufficient evidence towards granting this idea a patent. The basic concepts of the idea are clearly represented and the technical approach to setting up the windfarm network is both reasonable and probable. This idea would allow for decreased setup time and potentially increased efficiency in monitoring/maintaining the windfarm network. Since this idea hasn’t violated any laws or encroached upon any previously patented ideas or methods, we feel that this idea should be assigned a patent. Mon, 03 Dec 2007 15:56:19 -0800 http://www.peertopatent.org/patent/20070255832/discussion Method for configuring a windfarm network This invention relates to a method for automating the process of configuring the LAN in a windfarm. There is increasing concern about global warming and the future is increasingly aiming for cleaner, regenerative energy sources, wind energy being one such source. In order to meet an increasing demand for wind energy, windfarms would need increasing numbers of turbines running on the farm, and consequently an efficient and effective way to run them. This invention will help and maintain windfarm networks efficiently as the size of windfarms grow bigger and bigger. The automation of the manual network processes, and the fact that it would be possible to control the turbines remotely where technical experts would be easily available, makes for better accuracy, speed, reliability and quicker identification of problems. However, the invention needs to address the issue of a backup server for optimal performance and continuity of service in case of interruptions. Mon, 03 Dec 2007 11:48:22 -0800 http://www.peertopatent.org/patent/20070255832/discussion Method for configuring a windfarm network This appears to me to be a specific application, i.e., for a wind farm network, of automatic network configuration techniques. Automatic network configuration as an area appears to have substantial existing art. See for example the following US patents: 6012088, 7240106, 6686838, 7159016, 7149792, 5446897. In my initial searching I don't see much art having to do specifically with wind farm networks. But the application of known techniques to a new domain might be considered obvious if the new domain presents similar networking needs as do at least some other networking applications. Fri, 30 Nov 2007 20:11:40 -0800 http://www.peertopatent.org/patent/20070255832/discussion