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 .
This is a final office action on the merits. Claims 1-20 are currently pending and are addressed below.
The examiner notes that the fundamentals of the rejection are based on the broadest reasonable interpretation of the claim language. Applicant is kindly invited to consider the reference as a whole. References are to be interpreted as by one of ordinary skill in the art rather than as by a novice. See MPEP 2141. Therefore, the relevant inquiry when interpreting a reference is not what the reference expressly discloses on its face but what the reference would teach or suggest to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on February 4, 2026 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the rejection of claim 1-20 under 35 U.S.C 103 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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.
Claims 1-4, 8, 11-14, 18-19, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shaw Venson et al. (US20190064796A1), hereinafter referred to as Venson, in view of Kritzler Marieke et al. (WO20180222225A1), hereinafter referred to as Marieke, in further view of Adams Nathan et al. (US2020286271A1), hereinafter referred to as Nathan.
Regarding claim 1, Venson discloses: a system, comprising:
a communication interface and one or more processors coupled to the communication interface (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0034], Fig.2, Item 260, “communication framework”) and configured to:
cause a first user interface to be displayed, the first user interface comprising one or more selectable elements associated with a characteristic of one or more tasks to be performed (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0029], [0035] which discloses the execution of a user interface (GUI) that can allow input of information related to the remote provisioning of drone resources via a user terminal device (touch interface, smartphone, etc.) and input information can be related to mission parameters; [0043] disclose the first selection information pertaining to, but not limited to, drone set, weather, and schedule information related to the mission event, this means that a first user interface is displayed, the first user interface comprising one or more selectable elements of information associated with a characteristic of one or more tasks to be performed by a drone)
receive, via the first user interface, one or more user selections pertaining to the characteristic of the one or more tasks to be performed (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0039]-[0040] discloses receiving first user input regarding drone request information from a user; [0041], [0043]-[0044] discloses the DAC (drone allocation component) that may determine drone provisioning information based on the first selection (request response information) made by the user in order to determine available drones best suited for the task)
in response to receiving the one or more user selections input to the first user interface, cause a second user interface to be displayed wherein the second user interface is configured based at least in part on at least one of the one or more user selections input to the first user interface (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0036]-[0038] which discloses the first selection parameters can be based on other information, for example, drone set information, drone information used to determine what, if any, drone in one or more sets of available drones satisfy drone allocation parameters based on user’s first selection (drone request information); additionally, after the DAC generates potential options of the available drones that have received the mission information and meet the criteria, and the selection choice of one or more drones is available to the user, this means that in response to receiving the one or more user selections input to the first user interface, cause a second user interface to be displayed wherein the second user interface is configured based at least in part on at least one of the one or more user selections input to the first user interface, [0042])
the second user interface comprises a plurality of one or more selectable elements associated with a set of one or more assets to perform an operation wherein the set of one or more assets comprises two or more drones, and the two or more drones are semi-autonomous (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0019] discloses the drone resources of the disclosure being semi-autonomous; ¶¶ [0037] which disclose the second selection based on the first selection (drone request information) associated with a set of one or more assets (drones) that are semi-autonomous to perform an operation; ¶¶ [0038] discloses that rather than provisioning a single drone, multiple (meaning two or more) can be provisioned)
receive, via the second user interface, one or more user selections selecting one or more assets, from pertaining to the set of one or more assets, to be deployed to perform the operation (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0031]-[0032] discloses the second selection being employed in conjunction to the first selection of the user (drone request information) [0036]-[0038] which discloses receiving from the DAC, one or more user selections of a plurality of drones meeting the criteria of the mission that may be selected by the user to be provisioned to perform the designated mission criteria, this means receive, via the second user interface, one or more user selections selecting one or more assets, from pertaining to the set of one or more assets, to be deployed to perform the operation)
determine the operation to be performed, the operation being determined based at least in part on (i) the one or more user selections pertaining to the characteristic of the one or more tasks to be performed, and (ii) the one or more user selections selecting the one or more assets to be deployed to perform the operation and (iii) the one or more user selections selecting the one or more parameters associated with the operation (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0029], [0035]-[0038], [0041], [0043]-[0044], which discloses determining the operation based on the first selection information (drone request information) pertaining to mission parameters and the second selection (selection of the available generated drones meeting the criteria by the DAC based on the first selection) of multiple drones to perform the mission)
communicate, via the communication interface, information pertaining to the operation, wherein the information pertaining to the operation is communicated to at least one drone of the set of assets (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0032], [0035], [0044]-[0045] which discloses the first user selection (drone request information) being communicated to various drones selected by the DAC that are candidates, the drone can either accept/deny the request to determine if it meets the parameters indicated by the user’s first selection, after the information is gathered, the DAC generates to the user selection options based on their first selection (drone request information) of drones (that meet the parameters by accepting) for the user to select in provisioning the deployment)
the information pertaining to the operation causes the one or more set of assets to be deployed to implement at least part of the operation (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0018], [0020]-[0021], [0037]-[0038], discloses the information pertaining to the operation causes the one or more set of assets to be deployed to implement at least part of the operation)
Venson is silent on, however, in the same field of endeavor, Marieke teaches: in response to determining the operation to be performed, cause a fourth user interface to be displayed for implementation of the operation, wherein the fourth user interface comprises a first selectable input element for pausing the operation and a second selectable input element for canceling the operation (see at least Marieke, ¶¶ [0022] which discloses the ability to dispose, replace, etc. an asset, [0028]-[0030] which discloses the ability for an option in the user interface in light of a negative response to update or change the implemented operation, pausing and reassigning a task, or disassociating an asset from an operation)
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify Venson to include in response to determining the operation to be performed, cause a third user interface to be displayed for implementation of the operation, wherein the third user interface comprises a first selectable input element for pausing the operation and a second selectable input element for canceling the operation as taught by Marieke. The examiner would like to note the disclosure of Venson (¶¶ [0056]) provides an input ability for the user to cancel, or cease an operation to be performed by a drone by implementing a user’s schedule within the first selection (drone request information) onto the user interface, however, it is not as explicitly disclosed as in Marieke, and does not mention temporarily ceasing, or pausing the operation. While Venson appears to be able to implement a form such a feature within its base invention, the reference of Marieke has been integrated to fortify. Incorporating this teaching would allow for an improve to Venson that presents the user with more accessibility that optimizes the drone provision process, allowing resources to be allocated in an efficient manner. Modified Venson is silent on, however, in the same field of endeavor, teaches: in response to receiving the one or more user selections input to the second user interface, cause a third user interface to be displayed, wherein: the third user interface comprises one or more selectable elements configured for specifying parameters associated with the operation; and the parameters include (1) a restricted geographical area in which the set of assets are not to enter for performing the operation, and (2) an operation geographical area in which the set of assets are to perform the operation; receive, via the third user interface, one or more user selections selecting one or more parameters associated with the operation (see at least Nathan, ¶¶ [0009]-[0010], [0014]-[0016], [0022], [0032]-[0034], [0043]-[0044], which discloses receiving one or more user selections input which comprises specifying parameters associated with the operation; and the parameters include (1) a restricted geographical area in which the set of assets are not to enter for performing the operation, and (2) an operation geographical area in which the set of assets are to perform the operation)
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to change modified Venson to include in response to receiving the one or more user selections input to the second user interface, cause a third user interface to be displayed, wherein: the third user interface comprises one or more selectable elements configured for specifying parameters associated with the operation; and the parameters include (1) a restricted geographical area in which the set of assets are not to enter for performing the operation, and (2) an operation geographical area in which the set of assets are to perform the operation; receive, via the third user interface, one or more user selections selecting one or more parameters associated with the operation as taught by Nathan. Incorporating the teachings of Nathan would allow for an improvement of further versatility in optimizing the drone operation through the user interface available.
Regarding claim 2, Venson discloses:
The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more user selections pertaining to the characteristic of the one or more tasks to be performed comprises one or more constraints on the operation (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0029], [0032], [0035], [0044]-[0045] which discloses the execution of a user interface (GUI) that can allow input of information related to the remote provisioning of drone resources via a user terminal device (touch interface, smartphone, etc.) and input information can be related to mission parameters/constraints; [0043] disclose the first selection information pertaining to, but not limited to, drone set, weather, and schedule information related to the mission event)
Regarding claim 3, Venson discloses: the system of claim 2, wherein the fourth user interface includes a live operations screen (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0019] which discloses an example of information of an mission providing an expected completion time on a GUI where a dog trainer provides an expected completion time and parameter for a drone’s arrival to a dog park; [0029] discloses drone mission information including, but not limited to mission time (duration, time executed, completion, etc, this means there is a live operations screen allowing the user to monitor the real-time operation); [0056]-[0057])
Regarding claim 4, Venson discloses: the system of claim 1, wherein communicating the information pertaining to the operation comprises providing an expected completion time on a graphical user interface (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0019] which discloses an example of information of an mission providing an expected completion time on a GUI where a dog trainer provides an expected completion time and parameter for a drone’s arrival to a dog park; [0029] discloses drone mission information including, but not limited to mission time (duration, time executed, completion, etc.); [0056]-[0057])
Regarding claim 8, Venson discloses: the system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to in response to determining the operation to be performed, determining the set of assets to perform the operation based at least in part on:
(i) corresponding ownerships of one or more assets (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0016] which discloses the determination of drones by the DAC to perform the operation based corresponding ownerships of one or more assets)
(ii) corresponding drone capabilities of the two or more drones (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0030]-[0031] which discloses the determination of drones by the DAC to perform the operation based on whether the drones’ capabilities meet the designated parameters of the user’s first selection)
Regarding claim 11, Venson discloses: a method for grouping assets (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0026]), comprising:
causing a first user interface to be displayed, the first user interface comprising one or more selectable elements associated with a characteristic of one or more tasks to be performed (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0029], [0035] which discloses the execution of a user interface (GUI) that can allow input of information related to the remote provisioning of drone resources via a user terminal device (touch interface, smartphone, etc.) and input information can be related to mission parameters; [0043] disclose the first selection information pertaining to, but not limited to, drone set, weather, and schedule information related to the mission event, this means that a first user interface is displayed, the first user interface comprising one or more selectable elements of information associated with a characteristic of one or more tasks to be performed by a drone)
receiving, via the first user interface, one or more user selections pertaining to the characteristic of the one or more tasks to be performed (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0039]-[0040] discloses receiving first user input regarding drone request information from a user; [0041], [0043]-[0044] discloses the DAC (drone allocation component) that may determine drone provisioning information based on the first selection (request response information) made by the user in order to determine available drones best suited for the task)
in response to receiving the one or more user selections input to the first user interface, causing a second user interface to be displayed, wherein the second user interface is configured based at least in part on at least one of the one or more user selections input to the first user interface (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0036]-[0038] which discloses the first selection parameters can be based on other information, for example, drone set information, drone information used to determine what, if any, drone in one or more sets of available drones satisfy drone allocation parameters based on user’s first selection (drone request information); additionally, after the DAC generates potential options of the available drones that have received the mission information and meet the criteria, and the selection choice of one or more drones is available to the user, this means that in response to receiving the one or more user selections input to the first user interface, cause a second user interface to be displayed wherein the second user interface is configured based at least in part on at least one of the one or more user selections input to the first user interface, [0042])
the second user interface comprises a plurality of one or more selectable elements associated with a set of one or more assets to perform an operation, wherein the set of one or more assets comprises two or more drones, and the two or more drones are semi-autonomous (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0019] discloses the drone resources of the disclosure being semi-autonomous; ¶¶ [0037] which disclose the second selection based on the first selection (drone request information) associated with a set of one or more assets (drones) that are semi-autonomous to perform an operation; ¶¶ [0038] discloses that rather than provisioning a single drone, multiple (meaning two or more) can be provisioned)
receiving, via the second user interface, one or more user selections selecting one or more assets from the set of assets, to be deployed to perform the operation (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0031]-[0032] discloses the second selection being employed in conjunction to the first selection of the user (drone request information) [0036]-[0038] which discloses receiving from the DAC, one or more user selections of a plurality of drones meeting the criteria of the mission that may be selected by the user to be provisioned to perform the designated mission criteria, this means receive, via the second user interface, one or more user selections selecting one or more assets, from pertaining to the set of one or more assets, to be deployed to perform the operation)
determining an operation to be performed, the operation being determined based at least in part on (i) the one or more user selections pertaining to the characteristic of the one or more tasks to be performed, and (ii) the one or more user selections selecting the set of assets to be deployed to perform the operation, and (iii) the one or more user selections selecting the one or more parameters associated with the operation (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0029], [0035]-[0038], [0041], [0043]-[0044], which discloses determining the operation based on the first selection information (drone request information) pertaining to mission parameters and the second selection (selection of the available generated drones meeting the criteria by the DAC based on the first selection) of multiple drones to perform the mission)
communicating, via a communication interface, information pertaining to the operation, wherein the information pertaining to the operation is communicated to at least one drone of the set of assets (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0032], [0035], [0044]-[0045] which discloses the first user selection (drone request information) being communicated to various drones selected by the DAC that are candidates, the drone can either accept/deny the request to determine if it meets the parameters indicated by the user’s first selection, after the information is gathered, the DAC generates to the user selection options based on their first selection (drone request information) of drones (that meet the parameters by accepting) for the user to select in provisioning the deployment)
the information pertaining to the operation causes the one or more set of assets to be deployed to implement at least part of the operation (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0018], [0020]-[0021], [0037]-[0038], discloses the information pertaining to the operation causes the one or more set of assets to be deployed to implement at least part of the operation)
Venson is silent on, however, in the same field of endeavor, Marieke teaches:
in response to determining the operation to be performed, causing a third user interface to be displayed for implementation of the operation, wherein the third user interface comprises a first selectable input element for pausing the operation and a second selectable input element for canceling the operation (see at least Marieke, ¶¶ [0022] which discloses the ability to dispose, replace, etc an asset, [0028]-[0030] which discloses the ability for an option in the user interface in light of a negative response to update or change the implemented operation, pausing and reassigning a task, or disassociating an asset from an operation)
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify Venson to include in response to determining the operation to be performed, cause a third user interface to be displayed for implementation of the operation, wherein the third user interface comprises a first selectable input element for pausing the operation and a second selectable input element for canceling the operation as taught by Marieke. The examiner would like to note the disclosure of Venson (¶¶ [0056]) provides an input ability for the user to cancel, or cease an operation to be performed by a drone by implementing a user’s schedule within the first selection (drone request information) onto the user interface, however, it is not as explicitly disclosed as in Marieke, and does not mention temporarily ceasing, or pausing the operation. While Venson appears to be able to implement a form such a feature within its base invention, the reference of Marieke has been integrated to fortify. Incorporating this teaching would allow for an improve to Venson that presents the user with more accessibility that optimizes the drone provision process, allowing resources to be allocated in an efficient manner. Modified Venson is silent on, however, in the same field of endeavor, teaches: in response to receiving the one or more user selections input to the second user interface, cause a third user interface to be displayed, wherein: the third user interface comprises one or more selectable elements configured for specifying parameters associated with the operation; and the parameters include (1) a restricted geographical area in which the set of assets are not to enter for performing the operation, and (2) an operation geographical area in which the set of assets are to perform the operation; receive, via the third user interface, one or more user selections selecting one or more parameters associated with the operation (see at least Nathan, ¶¶ [0009]-[0010], [0014]-[0016], [0022], [0032]-[0034], [0043]-[0044], which discloses receiving one or more user selections input which comprises specifying parameters associated with the operation; and the parameters include (1) a restricted geographical area in which the set of assets are not to enter for performing the operation, and (2) an operation geographical area in which the set of assets are to perform the operation)
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to change modified Venson to include in response to receiving the one or more user selections input to the second user interface, cause a third user interface to be displayed, wherein: the third user interface comprises one or more selectable elements configured for specifying parameters associated with the operation; and the parameters include (1) a restricted geographical area in which the set of assets are not to enter for performing the operation, and (2) an operation geographical area in which the set of assets are to perform the operation; receive, via the third user interface, one or more user selections selecting one or more parameters associated with the operation as taught by Nathan. Incorporating the teachings of Nathan would allow for an improvement of further versatility in optimizing the drone operation through the user interface available.
Regarding claim 12, Venson discloses: the method of claim 11, wherein the one or more user selections pertaining to the characteristic of the one or more tasks to be performed comprises one or more constraints on the operation (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0029], [0032], [0035], [0044]-[0045] which discloses the execution of a user interface (GUI) that can allow input of information related to the remote provisioning of drone resources via a user terminal device (touch interface, smartphone, etc.) and input information can be related to mission parameters/constraints; [0043] disclose the first selection information pertaining to, but not limited to, drone set, weather, and schedule information related to the mission event)
Regarding claim 13, Venson discloses: the method of claim 12, wherein the wherein the fourth user interface includes a live operations screen (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0019] which discloses an example of information of an mission providing an expected completion time on a GUI where a dog trainer provides an expected completion time and parameter for a drone’s arrival to a dog park; [0029] discloses drone mission information including, but not limited to mission time (duration, time executed, completion, etc, this means there is a live operations screen allowing the user to monitor the real-time operation); [0056]-[0057])
Regarding claim 14, Venson discloses: the method of claim 11, wherein communicating the information pertaining to the operation comprises providing an expected completion time on graphical user interface (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0019] which discloses an example of information of an mission providing an expected completion time on a GUI where a dog trainer provides an expected completion time and parameter for a drone’s arrival to a dog park; [0029] discloses drone mission information including, but not limited to mission time (duration, time executed, completion, etc.); [0056]-[0057])
Regarding claim 18, Venson discloses: the method of claim 11, further comprising: in response to determining the operation to be performed, determining the set of assets to perform the operation based at least in part on:
(i) corresponding ownerships of one or more assets (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0016] which discloses the determination of drones by the DAC to perform the operation based corresponding ownerships of one or more assets)
(ii) corresponding drone capabilities of the two or more drones (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0030]-[0031] which discloses the determination of drones by the DAC to perform the operation based on whether the drones’ capabilities meet the designated parameters of the user’s first selection)
Regarding claim 19, Venson discloses: the method of claim 11, further comprising:
receiving a user selection to deactivate the operation; and in response to receiving the user selection to deactivate the operation, communicating to at least one asset of the set of assets an indication to cancel or abandon the operation (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0056] which discloses an example where the system receives a user selection to deactivate/cancel an operation to be performed by a previously scheduled/provisioned drone, and in response to receiving the deactivation notification, the provisioned drone is instructed to cancel, or abandon the operation)
Regarding claim 20, Venson discloses: a computer program product for grouping assets (see at least Venson, Fig.2), the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium and comprising computer instructions for:
causing a first user interface to be displayed, the first user interface comprising one or more selectable elements associated with a characteristic of one or more tasks to be performed (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0029], [0035] which discloses the execution of a user interface (GUI) that can allow input of information related to the remote provisioning of drone resources via a user terminal device (touch interface, smartphone, etc.) and input information can be related to mission parameters; [0043] disclose the first selection information pertaining to, but not limited to, drone set, weather, and schedule information related to the mission event, this means that a first user interface is displayed, the first user interface comprising one or more selectable elements of information associated with a characteristic of one or more tasks to be performed by a drone)
receiving, via the first user interface, one or more user selections pertaining to the characteristic of the one or more tasks to be performed (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0039]-[0040] discloses receiving first user input regarding drone request information from a user; [0041], [0043]-[0044] discloses the DAC (drone allocation component) that may determine drone provisioning information based on the first selection (request response information) made by the user in order to determine available drones best suited for the task)
in response to receiving the one or more user selections input to the first user interface, causing a second user interface to be displayed, wherein the second user interface is configured based at least in part on at least one of the one or more user selections input to the first user interface (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0036]-[0038] which discloses the first selection parameters can be based on other information, for example, drone set information, drone information used to determine what, if any, drone in one or more sets of available drones satisfy drone allocation parameters based on user’s first selection (drone request information); additionally, after the DAC generates potential options of the available drones that have received the mission information and meet the criteria, and the selection choice of one or more drones is available to the user, this means that in response to receiving the one or more user selections input to the first user interface, cause a second user interface to be displayed wherein the second user interface is configured based at least in part on at least one of the one or more user selections input to the first user interface, [0042])
the second user interface comprises a plurality of selectable elements associated with a set of assets to perform an operation, wherein the set of one or more assets comprises one or more drones, and the two or more drones, and the two or more drones are semi-autonomous (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0019] discloses the drone resources of the disclosure being semi-autonomous; ¶¶ [0037] which disclose the second selection based on the first selection (drone request information) associated with a set of one or more assets (drones) that are semi-autonomous to perform an operation; ¶¶ [0038] discloses that rather than provisioning a single drone, multiple (meaning two or more) can be provisioned)
receiving, via the second user interface, one or more user selections selecting one or more assets from the set of assets to be deployed to perform the operation (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0031]-[0032] discloses the second selection being employed in conjunction to the first selection of the user (drone request information) [0036]-[0038] which discloses receiving from the DAC, one or more user selections of a plurality of drones meeting the criteria of the mission that may be selected by the user to be provisioned to perform the designated mission criteria, this means receive, via the second user interface, one or more user selections selecting one or more assets, from pertaining to the set of one or more assets, to be deployed to perform the operation)
determining the operation to be performed, the operation being determined based at least in part on (i) the one or more user selections pertaining to the characteristic of the one or more tasks to be performed, and (ii) the one or more user selections selecting the one or more assets to be deployed to perform the operation, (iii.) the one or more user selections selecting the one or more parameters associated with the operation (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0029], [0035]-[0038], [0041], [0043]-[0044], which discloses determining the operation based on the first selection information (drone request information) pertaining to mission parameters and the second selection (selection of the available generated drones meeting the criteria by the DAC based on the first selection) of multiple drones to perform the mission)
communicating, via a communication interface, information pertaining to the operation, wherein the information pertaining to the operation is communicated to at least one drone of the set of assets (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0032], [0035], [0044]-[0045] which discloses the first user selection (drone request information) being communicated to various drones selected by the DAC that are candidates, the drone can either accept/deny the request to determine if it meets the parameters indicated by the user’s first selection, after the information is gathered, the DAC generates to the user selection options based on their first selection (drone request information) of drones (that meet the parameters by accepting) for the user to select in provisioning the deployment)
the information pertaining to the operation causes the one or more set of assets to be deployed to implement at least part of the operation (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0018], [0020]-[0021], [0037]-[0038], discloses the information pertaining to the operation causes the one or more set of assets to be deployed to implement at least part of the operation)
Venson is silent on, however, in the same field of endeavor, Marieke teaches: in response to determining the operation to be performed, causing a third user interface to be displayed for implementation of the operation, wherein the third user interface comprises a first selectable input element for pausing the operation and a second selectable input element for canceling the operation (see at least Marieke, ¶¶ [0022] which discloses the ability to dispose, replace, etc. an asset, [0028]-[0030] which discloses the ability for an option in the user interface in light of a negative response to update or change the implemented operation, pausing and reassigning a task, or disassociating an asset from an operation)
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify Venson to include in response to determining the operation to be performed, cause a third user interface to be displayed for implementation of the operation, wherein the third user interface comprises a first selectable input element for pausing the operation and a second selectable input element for canceling the operation as taught by Marieke. The examiner would like to note the disclosure of Venson (¶¶ [0056]) provides an input ability for the user to cancel, or cease an operation to be performed by a drone by implementing a user’s schedule within the first selection (drone request information) onto the user interface, however, it is not as explicitly disclosed as in Marieke, and does not mention temporarily ceasing, or pausing the operation. While Venson appears to be able to implement a form such a feature within its base invention, the reference of Marieke has been integrated to fortify. Incorporating this teaching would allow for an improve to Venson that presents the user with more accessibility that optimizes the drone provision process, allowing resources to be allocated in an efficient manner.Modified Venson is silent on, however, in the same field of endeavor, teaches: in response to receiving the one or more user selections input to the second user interface, cause a third user interface to be displayed, wherein: the third user interface comprises one or more selectable elements configured for specifying parameters associated with the operation; and the parameters include (1) a restricted geographical area in which the set of assets are not to enter for performing the operation, and (2) an operation geographical area in which the set of assets are to perform the operation; receive, via the third user interface, one or more user selections selecting one or more parameters associated with the operation (see at least Nathan, ¶¶ [0009]-[0010], [0014]-[0016], [0022], [0032]-[0034], [0043]-[0044], which discloses receiving one or more user selections input which comprises specifying parameters associated with the operation; and the parameters include (1) a restricted geographical area in which the set of assets are not to enter for performing the operation, and (2) an operation geographical area in which the set of assets are to perform the operation)
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to change modified Venson to include in response to receiving the one or more user selections input to the second user interface, cause a third user interface to be displayed, wherein: the third user interface comprises one or more selectable elements configured for specifying parameters associated with the operation; and the parameters include (1) a restricted geographical area in which the set of assets are not to enter for performing the operation, and (2) an operation geographical area in which the set of assets are to perform the operation; receive, via the third user interface, one or more user selections selecting one or more parameters associated with the operation as taught by Nathan. Incorporating the teachings of Nathan would allow for an improvement of further versatility in optimizing the drone operation through the user interface available.
Claims 5-7, 9-10, and 15-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over further modified Venson in view of Johnston Jay et al. (US20170323235A1), hereinafter known as Jay.
Regarding claim 5, modified Venson discloses: the system of claim 4, wherein:
providing an expected completion time comprises providing a first expected completion time corresponding to a first estimated time determined based on a current set of assets (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0019] which discloses an example of information of an mission providing an expected completion time on a GUI where a dog trainer provides an expected completion time and parameter for a drone’s arrival to a dog park; [0029] discloses drone mission information including, but not limited to mission time (duration, time executed, completion, etc.); [0056]-[0057])
Modified Venson is silent on, however, in the same field of endeavor, Jay teaches: providing a second expected completion time corresponding to a second estimated time determined based on a proposed different set of assets (see at least Jay, ¶¶ [0021] which discloses a new timeline of completion which can be forwarded to the user in the event of a proposed different set of factors, this means providing a second expected completion time corresponding to a second estimated time determined based on a proposed different set of assets)
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to further change modified Venson to include providing a second expected completion time corresponding to a second estimated time determined based on a proposed different set of assets as taught by Jay. The examiner would like to note that modification of the first selection (drone request information) by the user may be updated and it can be assumed that since the disclosure provides a first expected completion time of a task to the user, if this modification were to occur, a second updated time could be provided, but that is not explicitly provided in the disclosure. Incorporating the teaching would allow for an improvement to modified Venson where the DAC is able to analyze cost factors of time/duration to ensure that a user-defined mission is sufficiently completed by the most qualifiable drones.
Regarding claim 6, modified Venson discloses: the system of claim 5, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
receive a user input selecting a use of the proposed different set of assets and in response to receiving the user input to use the proposed different set of assets and determine a modification to the set of assets (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0040]-[0041] which discloses receiving a user input regarding updating information of an already provisioned drone; [0041]-[0042], [0044] which discloses first selection (drone request information, updated) by the user of updating a mission parameter/provisioned drone being used to determine a new set of drones to meet the updated mission parameters, presented to the user in a second selection based on the first)
Modified Venson is silent on, however, in the same field of endeavor, Jay teaches: communicate, to at least a leader drone of the one or more assets, an indication that the set of assets is modified (see at least Jay, ¶¶ [0014], [0022], [0053]-[0054], which discloses the notification of change to certain parameters to the fog drone after user approval such as formerly predefined intervals, such as, but not limited to, mission parameters such as a changed time, weather, etc.)
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to further change modified Venson to include communicate, to at least a leader drone of the set of one or more assets, an indication that the set of assets is modified as taught by Jay. The examiner would like to note, in the context of a leader drone, the DAC (drone allocation component) is capable of deconstructing high-level instruction into one or more tasks for a set of provisional drones, selectable by the user. However, in the disclosure of Venson, the DAC is not explicitly disclosed as a “leader drone,” so therefore, the embodiment of Jay is provided. Incorporating the teachings of Jay into the base invention of modified Venson would allow for a more dynamic implementation of task division from the DAC onto a leader drone for finer tuning and adaptability based on the user’s selected first and second parameters.
Regarding claim 7, modified Venson is silent on, however, in the same field of endeavor, Jay teaches: the system of claim 1, wherein communicating the information pertaining to the operation comprises:
communicating to at least a leader drone of the set of assets at least (i) an indication of the one or more assets to perform the operation, and (ii) an indication of at least one or more elements of the operation to be performed (see at least Jay, ¶¶ [0014], [0022], [0053]-[0054], which discloses the notification of change to certain parameters to the fog drone after user approval such as formerly predefined intervals, such as, but not limited to, mission parameters such as a changed time, weather, etc. this includes an indication of a changed time of execution (time element) to be performed)
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to further change modified Venson to include communicating to at least a leader drone of the set of assets at least (i) an indication of the one or more assets to perform the operation, and (ii) an indication of at least one or more elements of the operation to be performed as taught by Jay. The examiner would like to note, in the context of a leader drone, the DAC (drone allocation component) is capable of deconstructing high-level instruction into one or more tasks for a set of provisional drones, selectable by the user. However, in the disclosure of Venson, the DAC is not explicitly disclosed as a “leader drone,” so therefore, the embodiment of Jay is provided. Incorporating the teachings of Jay into the base invention of modified Venson would allow for a more dynamic implementation of task division from the DAC onto a leader drone for finer tuning and adaptability based on the user’s selected first and second parameters.
Regarding claim 9, modified Venson discloses: the system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
receive a user selection to deactivate the operation and in response to receiving the user selection to deactivate the operation, communicating to at least one asset of the set of assets an indication to cancel or abandon the operation (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0056] which discloses an example where the system receives a user selection to deactivate/cancel an operation to be performed by a previously scheduled/provisioned drone, and in response to receiving the deactivation notification, the provisioned drone is instructed to cancel, or abandon the operation)
Regarding claim 10, Modified Venson is silent on, however, in the same field of endeavor, Jay teaches: the system of claim 9, wherein the indication to cancel or abandon the operation is sent to a leader drone in the set of assets, and the leader drone subsequently instructs one or more other drones in the set of assets (see at least Jay, ¶¶ [0047] which discloses the ability of a fog drone to stop tasks when asked and report to the standby or active drones of a terminated task)
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to further change modified Venson to include wherein the indication to cancel or abandon the operation is sent to a leader drone in the set of assets, and the leader drone subsequently instructs one or more other drones in the set of assets as taught by Jay. Incorporating the teachings of Jay into the base invention of modified Venson would allow for a more dynamic implementation of task division from the DAC onto a leader drone for finer tuning and adaptability based on the user’s selected first and second parameters.
Regarding claim 15, modified Venson discloses: the method of claim 14, wherein:
providing the expected completion time comprises providing a first expected completion time corresponding to an expected time determined based on a current set of assets (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0019] which discloses an example of information of an mission providing an expected completion time on a GUI where a dog trainer provides an expected completion time and parameter for a drone’s arrival to a dog park; [0029] discloses drone mission information including, but not limited to mission time (duration, time executed, completion, etc.); [0056]-[0057])
Modified Venson is silent on, however, in the same field of endeavor, Jay teaches: providing a second expected completion time corresponding to an expected time determined based on a proposed different set of assets (see at least Jay, ¶¶ [0021] which discloses a new timeline of completion which can be forwarded to the user in the event of a proposed different set of factors, this means providing a second expected completion time corresponding to a second estimated time determined based on a proposed different set of assets)
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to further change modified Venson to include providing a second expected completion time corresponding to a second estimated time determined based on a proposed different set of assets as taught by Jay. The examiner would like to note that modification of the first selection (drone request information) by the user may be updated and it can be assumed that since the disclosure provides a first expected completion time of a task to the user, if this modification were to occur, a second updated time could be provided, but that is not explicitly provided in the disclosure. Incorporating the teaching would allow for an improvement to modified Venson where the DAC is able to analyze cost factors of time/duration to ensure that a user-defined mission is sufficiently completed by the most qualifiable drones.
Regarding claim 16, modified Venson discloses: the method of claim 15, further comprising:
receiving a user input selecting a use of the proposed different set of assets; and in response to receiving the user input to use the proposed different set of assets, determining a modification to the set of assets (see at least Venson, ¶¶ [0040]-[0041] which discloses receiving a user input regarding updating information of an already provisioned drone; [0041]-[0042], [0044] which discloses first selection (drone request information, updated) by the user of updating a mission parameter/provisioned drone being used to determine a new set of drones to meet the updated mission parameters, presented to the user in a second selection based on the first)
Modified Venson is silent on, however, in the same field of endeavor, Jay teaches: communicating, to at least a leader drone of the one or more assets, an indication that the set of assets is modified (see at least Jay, ¶¶ [0014], [0022], [0053]-[0054], which discloses the notification of change to certain parameters to the fog drone after user approval such as formerly predefined intervals, such as, but not limited to, mission parameters such as a changed time, weather, etc.)
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to further change modified Venson to include communicate, to at least a leader drone of the set of one or more assets, an indication that the set of assets is modified as taught by Jay. The examiner would like to note, in the context of a leader drone, the DAC (drone allocation component) is capable of deconstructing high-level instruction into one or more tasks for a set of provisional drones, selectable by the user. However, in the disclosure of Venson, the DAC is not explicitly disclosed as a “leader drone,” so therefore, the embodiment of Jay is provided. Incorporating the teachings of Jay into the base invention of modified Venson would allow for a more dynamic implementation of task division from the DAC onto a leader drone for finer tuning and adaptability based on the user’s selected first and second parameters.
Regarding claim 17, modified Venson is silent on, however, in the same field of endeavor, Jay teaches: the method of claim 11, communicating the information pertaining to the operation comprises:
communicating to at least a leader drone of the set of assets at least (i) an indication of one or more assets to perform the operation, and (ii) an indication of at least one or more elements of the operation to be performed (see at least Jay, ¶¶ [0014], [0022], [0053]-[0054], which discloses the notification of change to certain parameters to the fog drone after user approval such as formerly predefined intervals, such as, but not limited to, mission parameters such as a changed time, weather, etc. this includes an indication of a changed time of execution (time element) to be performed)
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to further change modified Venson to include communicating to at least a leader drone of the set of assets at least (i) an indication of the one or more assets to perform the operation, and (ii) an indication of at least one or more elements of the operation to be performed as taught by Jay. The examiner would like to note, in the context of a leader drone, the DAC (drone allocation component) is capable of deconstructing high-level instruction into one or more tasks for a set of provisional drones, selectable by the user. However, in the disclosure of Venson, the DAC is not explicitly disclosed as a “leader drone,” so therefore, the embodiment of Jay is provided. Incorporating the teachings of Jay into the base invention of modified Venson would allow for a more dynamic implementation of task division from the DAC onto a leader drone for finer tuning and adaptability based on the user’s selected first and second parameters.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KIRSTEN JADE M SANTOS whose telephone number is (571)272-7442. The examiner can normally be reached Monday: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm, 6:00-8:00 pm (+ with flex).
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/KIRSTEN JADE M SANTOS/Examiner, Art Unit 3664
/RACHID BENDIDI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3664
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