Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 04, 2026
Application No. 18/124,493

Hybrid Link Adaptation For Improved Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Communication

Final Rejection §103
Filed
Mar 21, 2023
Priority
Mar 21, 2022 — provisional 63/321,849
Examiner
WASEL, SHIMA MOHAMED
Art Unit
2475
Tech Center
2400 — Computer Networks
Assignee
Skydio Inc.
OA Round
4 (Final)
72%
Grant Probability
Favorable
5-6
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 72% — above average
72%
Career Allowance Rate
23 granted / 32 resolved
+13.9% vs TC avg
Strong +43% interview lift
Without
With
+43.3%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 4m
Avg Prosecution
23 currently pending
Career history
57
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.9%
-39.1% vs TC avg
§103
87.7%
+47.7% vs TC avg
§102
7.5%
-32.5% vs TC avg
§112
2.6%
-37.4% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 32 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
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 . Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114 A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 02/17/2026 has been entered. Response to Arguments Claims 1-2, 4-9, 11-12, 14-18, and 20 have been amended. Claims 1-20 are pending. 1. Applicant's arguments with respect to the claim(s) have been considered but are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 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, 11-17, 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang et al. (US 20230198607, hereinafter, “Yang”) in view of Esteves et al. (US 20010000750, hereinafter, “Esteves”), and further in view of Yan et al. (CN 105163387, hereinafter, “Yan”). Claim 1. Yang teaches: A method of operating an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the method comprising: - See Fig. 1, 7A, ¶ [0016], (“UAV 140”) operating a wireless radio of the UAV in a dynamic modulation mode, wherein the wireless radio, when in the dynamic modulation mode, - See Fig. 1, ¶ [0016], (“UAV 140 may include cellular communication capability (e.g., 5G…4G LTE…6G…to allow UAV 140 to receive command and control messages…as well as transmit data and information (e.g., transmit telemetry information…UAV 140 may also include a short range wireless communication capability (e.g., WiFi)”) dynamically adjusts a modulation rate of a signal within a range of possible modulation rates; - See Fig. 7A, ¶ [0052], (“base station 130-1 may modify the MCS associated with transmissions to UAV 140…base station 130-1 is to reduce the MCS index value associated with the initial transmission by one or two or more…reduce the MCS for transmissions to UAV 140 from, for example, 19 to 14”) while operating the wireless radio in the dynamic modulation mode, monitoring for when a current modulation rate of the signal reaches a low end of the range; - in ¶ [0054 - 0055], (“base station 130-1 may determine if the current MCS…is at a minimum value (block 750)…may determine if the MCS index value is zero or some other minimum value…If the current MCS index value is not at the minimum (block 750—no), base station 130-1 may lower the MCS index value”) in response to the current modulation rate reaching the low end of the range, determining to transition the wireless radio from the dynamic modulation mode to a fixed modulation mode, wherein the wireless radio, when in the fixed modulation mode, holds the modulation rate of the signal at the low end of the range; - in ¶ [0054 - 0055], (“base station…may determine if the MCS index value is zero or some other minimum value…If the current MCS index value is not at the minimum (block 750—no), base station 130-1 may lower the MCS index value”) Yang does not explicitly teach: operating a wireless radio of the UAV in a dynamic modulation mode, wherein the wireless radio, when in the dynamic modulation mode, dynamically adjusts a modulation rate of a signal within a range of possible modulation rates; while operating the wireless radio in the dynamic modulation mode, monitoring for when a current modulation rate of the signal reaches a low end of the range; in response to the current modulation rate reaching the low end of the range, determining to transition the wireless radio from the dynamic modulation mode to a fixed modulation mode, wherein the wireless radio, when in the fixed modulation mode, holds the modulation rate of the signal at the low end of the range; in response to transitioning the wireless radio from the dynamic modulation mode to the fixed modulation mode, determining when to transition the wireless radio from the fixed modulation mode back to the dynamic modulation mode; and transitioning the wireless radio back to the dynamic modulation mode when a quality of the signal is greater than a threshold. However, Esteves teaches: operating a wireless radio of the UAV in a dynamic modulation mode, wherein the wireless radio, when in the dynamic modulation mode, dynamically adjusts a modulation rate of a signal within a range of possible modulation rates; - in ¶ [0019], (“a base station is operating…in a variable rate transmission mode when the transmission rate…is permitted to vary between successive time slots…”) while operating the wireless radio in the dynamic modulation mode, monitoring for when a current modulation rate of the signal reaches a low end of the range; - in ¶ [0019], (“a base station is operating…in a variable rate transmission mode when the transmission rate…is permitted to vary between successive time slots…”) in response to the current modulation rate reaching the low end of the range, determining to transition the wireless radio from the dynamic modulation mode to a fixed modulation mode, - in ¶ [0025], (“the FixedRateC_I threshold represents the minimum value of the long term average signal to noise ratio…required to switch the system out of the variable rate mode and into the fixed rate mode.”) wherein the wireless radio, when in the fixed modulation mode, holds the modulation rate of the signal at the low end of the range; - See Fig. 1, ¶ [0019], (“…fixed rate transmission mode when the transmission rate…is not permitted to vary (and is held fixed)”) in response to transitioning the wireless radio from the dynamic modulation mode to the fixed modulation mode, - See Fig. 1, ¶ [0019], (“a variable rate transmission mode when the transmission rate of data traffic to the mobile station on the forward link is permitted to vary…fixed rate transmission mode when the transmission rate…is not permitted to vary (and is held fixed)”); ¶ [0025], (“the FixedRateC_I threshold represents the minimum value of the long term average signal to noise ratio…required to switch the system out of the variable rate mode and into the fixed rate mode.”) determining when to transition the wireless radio from the fixed modulation mode back to the dynamic modulation mode; - in ¶ [0012], (“The mobile station will switch from the fixed rate mode back to the variable rate mode either (i) when the designated base station…has a long term average signal to noise ratio that exceeds a threshold…”) and transitioning the wireless radio back to the dynamic modulation mode when a quality of the signal is greater than a threshold. - See Fig. 1, ¶ [0012], (“The mobile station will switch from the fixed rate mode back to the variable rate mode either (i) when the designated base station…has a long term average signal to noise ratio that exceeds a threshold”); ¶ [0026], (“Remaining in the variable rate mode when the FixedRateC_I value is not exceeded in step 150 represents a design choice that, in cases where a minimum data rate cannot be achieved by switching to the fixed rate mode, it is preferable to remain in the variable rate mode and operate with a weak (i.e., low data rate) forward link.”) It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system disclosed by Yang to include the method disclosed by Esteves. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to apply the dual modulation modes and techniques taught by Esteves to a UAV system and method taught by Yang in order to ensure reliability in UAV flight conditions, as suggested by Esteves, method for controlling the transmission rate of data on the forward link by alternatively using variable and fixed rate data transmission modes to transmit data. - ¶ [0003] Combination of Yang and Esteves does not explicitly teach: in response to the current modulation rate reaching the low end of the range, determining to transition the wireless radio from the dynamic modulation mode to a fixed modulation mode, wherein the wireless radio, when in the fixed modulation mode, holds the modulation rate of the signal at the low end of the range; However, Yan teaches: in response to the current modulation rate reaching the low end of the range, determining to transition the wireless radio from the dynamic modulation mode to a fixed modulation mode, wherein the wireless radio, when in the fixed modulation mode, holds the modulation rate of the signal at the low end of the range; - in ¶ [0026 - 0027], (“After the modulation rate reaches the minimum rate...no adjustment is made and the modulation rate is maintained…Through the above adjustments, the system will gradually enter a balanced state, and each terminal can be allocated a suitable modulation rate.”) It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Yang and Esteves with Yan to include holding the modulation rate of the signal at the low end of the range, as taught by Yan. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to improve reliability, as suggested by Yan, The base station selects the most appropriate modulation mode according to different channel conditions of each terminal to ensure reliable communication quality of each terminal. - ¶ [0034] Claim 4. Combination of Yang, Esteves, and Yan teaches The method of claim 1 - refer to the indicated claim for reference(s). Yang teaches: wherein the quality of the signal is based on a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the signal and wherein the threshold is an SNR threshold. - See Fig. 1, ¶ [0012], (“The mobile station will switch from the fixed rate mode back to the variable rate mode either (i) when the designated base station…has a long term average signal to noise ratio that exceeds a threshold”) Claim 5. Combination of Yang, Esteves, and Yan teaches The method of claim 4 - refer to the indicated claim for reference(s). Esteves further teaches: wherein the method further comprises, maintaining the wireless radio in the fixed modulation mode when the SNR of the signal is less than the SNR threshold. - See Fig. 1, ¶ [0012], (“The mobile station will switch from the fixed rate mode back to the variable rate mode either (i) when the designated base station…has a long term average signal to noise ratio that exceeds a threshold…”) It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system disclosed by Yang to include the method of Esteves. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to apply the dual modulation modes and techniques taught by Esteves to a UAV system and method taught by Yang in order to ensure reliability in UAV flight conditions, as suggested by Esteves, method for controlling the transmission rate of data on the forward link by alternatively using variable and fixed rate data transmission modes to transmit data. - ¶ [0003] Claim 6. Combination of Yang, Esteves, and Yan teaches The method of claim 1 - refer to the indicated claim for reference(s). Yang teaches: further comprising the UAV capturing images while in flight and encoding the images into the signal. - See Fig. 1, ¶ [0016], (“UAV 140 may include cellular communication capability…to allow UAV 140 to…transmit data and information (e.g., transmit telemetry information, images taken by a camera included in UAV 140”) Claim 7. Combination of Yang, Esteves, and Yan teaches The method of claim 1 - refer to the indicated claim for reference(s). Yang teaches: wherein the low end of the range of the possible modulation rates comprises a lowest possible modulation rate allowed by the UAV. – See Fig. 7A, 7B, ¶ [0054], (“base station 130-1 may determine if the current MCS used to encode the message is at a minimum value (block 750). For example, base station 130-1 may determine if the MCS index value is zero or some other minimum value.”); ¶ [0055], (“If, however, the MCS index value is at the minimum value (block 750—yes)…”) Claim 8. Yang teaches: An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) comprising: - See Fig. 1 a flight control subsystem; - See Fig. 1, ¶ [0016], (“UAV 140 may include an aircraft (e.g., a single rotor aircraft, multirotor aircraft or fixed wing aircraft) that receives control signals from a controller, such as UE 110 to control the flight of UAV 140.”) an electromechanical subsystem coupled with the flight control subsystem and configured to fly the UAV; - See Fig. 1, ¶ [0024], (“For example, for device 200 implemented in UAV 140, device 200 may include…sensors and control circuitry to control and/or monitor the flight of UAV 140.”) and a communication subsystem over which the UAV communicates one or more other elements; wherein the communication subsystem is configured to: - See Fig. 1, ¶ [0016], (“UAV 140 may include cellular communication capability (e.g., 5G…4G LTE…6G…to allow UAV 140 to receive command and control messages…as well as transmit data and information (e.g., transmit telemetry information…UAV 140 may also include a short range wireless communication capability (e.g., WiFi)”) operate a wireless radio of the UAV in a dynamic modulation mode, wherein the wireless radio, when in the dynamic modulation mode, dynamically adjusts a modulation rate of a signal within a range of possible modulation rates; - in ¶ [0058], (“base station 130-1 may dynamically modify the MCS index values…”); ¶ [0052], (“base station 130-1 may modify the MCS associated with transmissions to UAV 140…base station 130-1 is to reduce the MCS index value associated with the initial transmission by one or two or more…reduce the MCS for transmissions to UAV 140 from, for example, 19 to 14”) while operating the wireless radio in the dynamic modulation mode, monitor for when a current modulation rate of the signal reaches a low end of the range; - in ¶ [0054 - 0055], (“base station 130-1 may determine if the current MCS used to encode the message is at a minimum value (block 750)…may determine if the MCS index value is zero or some other minimum value…If the current MCS index value is not at the minimum (block 750—no), base station 130-1 may lower the MCS index value”) in response to the current modulation rate reaching the low end of the range, determine to transition the wireless radio from the dynamic modulation mode to a fixed modulation mode, wherein the wireless radio, when in the fixed modulation mode, holds the modulation rate of the signal at the low end of the range; - in ¶ [0054 - 0055], (“base station 130-1 may determine if the current MCS used to encode the message is at a minimum value (block 750)…may determine if the MCS index value is zero or some other minimum value…If the current MCS index value is not at the minimum (block 750—no), base station 130-1 may lower the MCS index value”) Yang does not explicitly teach: operate a wireless radio of the UAV in a dynamic modulation mode, wherein the wireless radio, when in the dynamic modulation mode, dynamically adjusts a modulation rate of a signal within a range of possible modulation rates; while operating the wireless radio in the dynamic modulation mode, monitor for when a current modulation rate of the signal reaches a low end of the range; in response to the current modulation rate reaching the low end of the range, determine to transition the wireless radio from the dynamic modulation mode to a fixed modulation mode, wherein the wireless radio, when in the fixed modulation mode, holds the modulation rate of the signal at the low end of the range; in response to transitioning the wireless radio from the dynamic modulation mode to the fixed modulation mode, determine when to transition the wireless radio from the fixed modulation mode back to the dynamic modulation mode; and transition the wireless radio back to the dynamic modulation mode when a quality of the signal is greater than a threshold. However, Esteves teaches: operate a wireless radio of the UAV in a dynamic modulation mode, wherein the wireless radio, when in the dynamic modulation mode, dynamically adjusts a modulation rate of a signal within a range of possible modulation rates; - in ¶ [0019], (“a base station is operating…in a variable rate transmission mode when the transmission rate…is permitted to vary between successive time slots…”) while operating the wireless radio in the dynamic modulation mode, monitor for when a current modulation rate of the signal reaches a low end of the range; - in ¶ [0019], (“a base station is operating…in a variable rate transmission mode when the transmission rate…is permitted to vary between successive time slots…”) in response to the current modulation rate reaching the low end of the range, determine to transition the wireless radio from the dynamic modulation mode to a fixed modulation mode, - in ¶ [0025], (“the FixedRateC_I threshold represents the minimum value of the long term average signal to noise ratio…required to switch the system out of the variable rate mode and into the fixed rate mode.”) wherein the wireless radio, when in the fixed modulation mode, holds the modulation rate of the signal at the low end of the range; - See Fig. 1, ¶ [0019], (“…fixed rate transmission mode when the transmission rate…is not permitted to vary (and is held fixed)”) in response to transitioning the wireless radio from the dynamic modulation mode to the fixed modulation mode, - See Fig. 1, ¶ [0019], (“a variable rate transmission mode when the transmission rate of data traffic to the mobile station on the forward link is permitted to vary…fixed rate transmission mode when the transmission rate…is not permitted to vary (and is held fixed)”); ¶ [0025], (“the FixedRateC_I threshold represents the minimum value of the long term average signal to noise ratio…required to switch the system out of the variable rate mode and into the fixed rate mode.”) determine when to transition the wireless radio from the fixed modulation mode back to the dynamic modulation mode; - in ¶ [0012], (“The mobile station will switch from the fixed rate mode back to the variable rate mode either (i) when the designated base station…has a long term average signal to noise ratio that exceeds a threshold”) and transition the wireless radio back to the dynamic modulation mode when a quality of the signal is greater than a threshold. - See Fig. 1, ¶ [0012], (“The mobile station will switch from the fixed rate mode back to the variable rate mode either (i) when the designated base station…has a long term average signal to noise ratio that exceeds a threshold”); ¶ [0026], (“Remaining in the variable rate mode when the FixedRateC_I value is not exceeded in step 150 represents a design choice that, in cases where a minimum data rate cannot be achieved by switching to the fixed rate mode, it is preferable to remain in the variable rate mode and operate with a weak (i.e., low data rate) forward link.”) It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system disclosed by Yang to include the method of Esteves. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to apply the dual modulation modes and techniques taught by Esteves to a UAV system and method taught by Yang in order to ensure reliability in UAV flight conditions, as suggested by Esteves, method for controlling the transmission rate of data on the forward link by alternatively using variable and fixed rate data transmission modes to transmit data. - ¶ [0003] Combination of Yang and Esteves does not explicitly teach: in response to the current modulation rate reaching the low end of the range, determine to transition the wireless radio from the dynamic modulation mode to a fixed modulation mode, wherein the wireless radio, when in the fixed modulation mode, holds the modulation rate of the signal at the low end of the range; However, Yan teaches: in response to the current modulation rate reaching the low end of the range, determine to transition the wireless radio from the dynamic modulation mode to a fixed modulation mode, wherein the wireless radio, when in the fixed modulation mode, holds the modulation rate of the signal at the low end of the range; - in ¶ [0026 - 0027], (“After the modulation rate reaches the minimum rate, even if the communication success rate or signal-to-noise ratio is lower than L_Val, no adjustment is made and the modulation rate is maintained…Through the above adjustments, the system will gradually enter a balanced state, and each terminal can be allocated a suitable modulation rate.”) It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Yang and Esteves with Yan to include holding the modulation rate of the signal at the low end of the range, as taught by Yan. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to improve reliability, as suggested by Yan, The base station selects the most appropriate modulation mode according to different channel conditions of each terminal to ensure reliable communication quality of each terminal. - ¶ [0034] Claim 16. Combination of Yang, Esteves, and Yan teaches The computing apparatus of claim 15 - refer to the indicated claim for reference(s). Yang further teaches: wherein the program instructions further direct the communication subsystem of the UAV to: - See Fig. 1, ¶ [0016], (“UAV 140 may include cellular communication capability (e.g., 5G…4G LTE…6G…to allow UAV 140 to receive command and control messages…”) Esteves further teaches: transition the wireless radio back to the dynamic modulation mode when a quality of the signal is greater than a threshold; - See Fig. 1, ¶ [0012], (“The mobile station will switch from the fixed rate mode back to the variable rate mode either (i) when the designated base station…has a long term average signal to noise ratio that exceeds a threshold”) and maintain the wireless radio in the fixed modulation mode when the quality of the signal of the signal is less than the threshold. - See Fig. 1, ¶ [0012], (“The mobile station will switch from the fixed rate mode back to the variable rate mode either (i) when the designated base station…has a long term average signal to noise ratio that exceeds a threshold…”) It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system disclosed by Yang to include the method of Esteves. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to apply the dual modulation modes and techniques taught by Esteves to a UAV system and method taught by Yang in order to ensure reliability in UAV flight conditions, as suggested by Esteves, method for controlling the transmission rate of data on the forward link by alternatively using variable and fixed rate data transmission modes to transmit data. - ¶ [0003] Claims 11-15 are rejected under the same rationale as Claims 4-8 since they recite nearly identical limitations. Claim 17 is rejected under the same rationale as Claim 4 since they recite nearly identical limitations. Claim 20 is rejected under the same rationale as Claim 14 since they recite nearly identical limitations. Claims 2-3, 9-10, 18-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang et al. (US 20230198607, hereinafter, “Yang”) in view of Esteves et al. (US 20010000750, hereinafter, “Esteves”), and further in view of Yan et al. (CN 105163387, hereinafter, “Yan”) and Han et al. (US 20130343255, hereinafter, “Han”). Claim 2. Combination of Yang, Esteves, and Yan teaches The method of claim 1, - refer to the indicated claim for reference(s). Yang does not explicitly teach: wherein determining to transition the wireless radio from the dynamic modulation mode to the fixed modulation mode is based on a success ratio of the current modulation rate at the low end of the range relative to success ratios of one or more previous modulation rates. However, Esteves teaches: wherein determining to transition the wireless radio from the dynamic modulation mode to the fixed modulation mode is based on a success ratio of the current modulation rate at the low end of the range relative to success ratios of one or more previous modulation rates. - in ¶ [0025], (“the FixedRateC_I threshold represents the minimum value of the long term average signal to noise ratio…required to switch the system out of the variable rate mode and into the fixed rate mode.”) Combination of Yang, Esteves, and Yan does not explicitly teach: wherein determining to transition the wireless radio from the dynamic modulation mode to the fixed modulation mode is based on a success ratio of the current modulation rate at the low end of the range relative to success ratios of one or more previous modulation rates. However, Han teaches: wherein determining to transition the wireless radio from the dynamic modulation mode to the fixed modulation mode is based on a success ratio of the current modulation rate -See Fig. 2, ¶ [0038], (“the terminal may calculate a success rate for the current MCS. The terminal may calculate the success rate based on the rate at which the terminal receives a positive acknowledgement in response to a transmission. For example, the success rate of the MCS may be equal to the number of positive acknowledgements received divided by the total acknowledgements received for transmissions transmitted using the MCS.”) at the low end of the range - in ¶ [0043], (“the terminal may adjust the MCS to an MCS with a slower data rate. In some embodiments, the terminal may use an MCS with a lower MCS index. For example, the terminal may lower the MCS index by 1.”, this teaches transitioning to a modulation rate at the low end of the range) relative to success ratios of one or more previous modulation rates. - ¶ [0039], (“the terminal may consider a historical success rate of the MCS and/or an immediate success rate of the MCS in calculating the success rate…using the following equation. r=.lamda.r.sub.historical+(1-.lamda.)a”) It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Yang, Esteves, and Yan with Han to include a success ratio, as taught by Han. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to improve reliability in UAV systems, as suggested by Han, Adjusting MCSs at the terminals 108 may allow each of the terminals 108 to improve the utilization of channels without requiring large signaling overhead. - ¶ [0035] Claim 3. Combination of Yang, Esteves, Yan, and Han teaches The method of claim 2, - refer to the indicated claim for reference(s). Yang further teaches: wherein the success ratio of the current modulation rate at the low end of the range is based on an amount of received acknowledgments generated by a receiving computing device in response to the UAV employing the current modulation rate at the low end of the range, and wherein the success ratios of the one or more previous modulation rates are also based on the amount of received acknowledgments generated by the receiving computing device in response to the UAV employing the one or more previous modulation rates. - See Fig. 1 Han further teaches: wherein the success ratio of the current modulation rate at the low end of the range is based on an amount of received acknowledgments generated by a receiving computing device in response to the UAV employing the current modulation rate at the low end of the range, -See Fig. 2, ¶ [0038], (“the terminal may calculate a success rate for the current MCS. The terminal may calculate the success rate based on the rate at which the terminal receives a positive acknowledgement in response to a transmission. For example, the success rate of the MCS may be equal to the number of positive acknowledgements received divided by the total acknowledgements received for transmissions transmitted using the MCS.”) and wherein the success ratios of the one or more previous modulation rates are also based on the amount of received acknowledgments generated by the receiving computing device in response to the UAV employing the one or more previous modulation rates. - in ¶ [0040], (“In some embodiments, a historical success rate may be stored for multiple MCSs the terminal may use to transmit transmissions. Alternately or additionally, the use of a historical success rate for each MCS may free the terminal from having to store a historical count of each positive and/or negative acknowledgement received for each MCS.”) It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Yang, Esteves, and Yan with Han to include a success ratio based on received acknowledgments, as taught by Han. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to improve reliability in UAV systems, as suggested by Han, Adjusting MCSs at the terminals 108 may allow each of the terminals 108 to improve the utilization of channels without requiring large signaling overhead. - ¶ [0035] Claims 9-10 are rejected under the same rationale as Claims 2-3 since they recite nearly identical limitations. Claim 18 is rejected under the same rationale as Claim 2 since they recite nearly identical limitations. Claim 19 is rejected under the same rationale as Claim 10 since they recite nearly identical limitations. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Shima Wasel whose telephone number is (703)756-4725. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Khaled Kassim can be reached at (571) 270-3770. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /SHIMA WASEL/Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2475 /KHALED M KASSIM/supervisory patent examiner, Art Unit 2475
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Prosecution Timeline

Show 1 earlier event
May 23, 2025
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103
Aug 06, 2025
Response Filed
Oct 16, 2025
Final Rejection mailed — §103
Feb 17, 2026
Request for Continued Examination
Feb 26, 2026
Response after Non-Final Action
Apr 24, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103
Jul 23, 2026
Response Filed
Sep 29, 2026
Final Rejection mailed — §103 (current)

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Expected OA Rounds
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