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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see page 8, filed 04/29/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1 under 35 USC § 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Gentry et al. (US 9,387,928), herein after Gentry.
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).
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.
Claim(s) 1-4, 7-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gentry (US 9,387,928), and Zhang (CN211501288), with publication date: 09/15/2020, (attached is the human translation).
Regarding claim 1, Gentry discloses a landing pad (The system 100 can comprise an elevated landing platform 115 to enable one or more UAVs 105 to land, Col. 2, lines 58-59), comprising:
a first body comprising: a pad portion (115, fig. 1A); and a first coupling portion with a mounting portion configured for mounting to a position to be mounted connected to the pad portion (the pad 115 is couple to street light 110 with the coupling unit, fig. 1A);
Gentry discloses a landing pad (115, fig. 2)mount on the lamp pole to charge any drone (The docking station 102 portion (with the landing pad 115) of the system 100 is shown as installed on a conventional pole-mounted street light 110, Col. 2, lines 51-53). Gentry further discloses that the mounting portion dispose below a center of a bottom of the pad portion (fig. 1A shows that the pad 115 is mounting in the middle over the street light). However, Gentry is silent about the mounting bracket.
Zhang discloses a connecting device to support any external device (abstract).
a second coupling portion connected to the mounting portion, the second coupling portion configured for coupling with the first coupling portion (the coupling devices 8 and 9 are configured to connect with each other, fig. 1,) ;
an elastic component (spring device 7, fig. 1) disposed between the first coupling portion and the second coupling portion (7 is connected between 8, 9, fig. 1); and
a fastening (11, fig. 1) component configured for combination of the first coupling portion, the second coupling portion, and the elastic component (When the fastener 11, 10 is tightened, the spring device 7 is compressed under the pressure of the nut being tightened or the cam rotating to its highest point of contact with the fastener 3. This causes the fixing part 1 and the fastener 3 to move closer together, and the sawtooth devices 8 and 9 to mesh with each other, thus engaging the fixing part 1 and the fastener 3, paragraph [0012]).
It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Gentry to include a mounting bracket as taught by Zhang, in order to have a firm and reliable connection and also provide the benefit of precisely positioning the land pad (abstract).
Regarding claim 2, Gentry in view of Zhang discloses the landing pad of the claim 1. Zhang further discloses wherein the first coupling portion and the second coupling portion comprise gears (the saw tooth devices 8 and 9 are flat gears welded, paragraph [0012]).
It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Gentry to include a mounting bracket as taught by Zhang, in order to have a firm and reliable connection and also provide the benefit of precisely positioning the land pad (abstract).
Regarding claim 3, Gentry in view of Zhang discloses the landing pad of the claim 1. Zhang further discloses wherein the elastic component is a spring (the spring device 7, paragraph [0012]).
It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Gentry to include a mounting bracket as taught by Zhang, in order to have a firm and reliable connection and also provide the benefit of precisely positioning the land pad (abstract).
Regarding claim 4, Gentry in view of Zhang discloses the landing pad of the claim 1. Zhang further discloses wherein the fastening component comprises a screw and a nut (paragraph [0012], fig. 1) .
It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Gentry to include a mounting bracket as taught by Zhang, in order to have a firm and reliable connection and also provide the benefit of precisely positioning the land pad (abstract).
Regarding claim 7, Gentry in view of Zhang discloses the landing pad of the claim 1. Gentry further discloses wherein the first body further comprising: a securing component disposed on the pad portion, the securing component configured for fastening the drone on the pad portion (Col. 5, lines 36-40)
Regarding claim 8, Gentry in view of Zhang discloses the landing pad of the claim 1. Zhang further discloses wherein the second body further comprising: an auxiliary plate disposed between the mounting portion and the second coupling portion (3, fig. 1).
It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Gentry to include a mounting bracket as taught by Zhang, in order to have a firm and reliable connection and also provide the benefit of precisely positioning the land pad (abstract).
Regarding claim 9, Gentry discloses a street light: comprising: a pole portion; a lamp portion connected to the pole portion (490 connected to the pole, fig. 4C); and the landing pad according to claim 1 mounted on the lamp portion through the mounting portion (see the rejection of claim).
It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Gentry to include a mounting bracket as taught by Zhang, in order to have a firm and reliable connection and also provide the benefit of precisely positioning the land pad (abstract).
Regarding claim 10, Gentry in view of Zhang discloses the street light of the claim 8, Gentry further discloses the street light further comprising: a storage space below the lamp portion, the storage space provided for the drone (Col. 6, lines 62-66).
Regarding claim 11, Gentry in view of Zhang discloses a landing pad using method, comprising: mounting the landing pad according to claim 1 on a lamp portion of a street light (Col. 2, lines 51-53). However, Gentry is silent about the mounting bracket.
Zhang discloses leveling the pad portion at an angle rotatable state of the landing pad (paragraph [0007]-[0009]); and fastening the fastening component such that the landing pad is at a fixed state (the spring device is compressed, the fixing member and the fastener come together, the serrated device engages with each other, paragraph [0004]; the fixed position of the mounting bracket).
It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify C Gentry to include a mounting bracket as taught by Zhang, in order to have a firm and reliable connection and also provide the benefit of precisely positioning the land pad (abstract).
Regarding claim 12, Gentry in view of Zhang discloses the landing pad of claim 10, Gentry further discloses the landing pad further comprising landing the drone on the leveled pad portion (the leveled surface 115, fig. 1A).
Regrading claim 13, Gentry in view of Zhang discloses the landing pad of claim 10, Gentry further discloses charging the drone with the landing pad (the landing pad 115 has the charging station 205 in the pad, fig. 2D ).
Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gentry (US 9,387,928), and Zhang (CN211501288) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Hanmin et al. (CN106786866A), herein after Hanmin.
Regarding claim 5, Gentry in view of Zhang discloses the landing pad of claim 1. However, they are silent about wherein the pad portion is functioned as a solar panel.
Hanmin discloses wherein the pad portion is functioned as a solar panel (The solar streetlamp is used for charging the unmanned aerial vehicle, and the charging system, Abstract).
It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Gentry in view of Zhang to include solar power supply system as taught by Hanmin, in order to have the a sustainable, decentralized, and cost-effective infrastructure for autonomous drone charging.
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gentry (US 9,387,928), and Zhang (CN211501288), as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Carpenter (US 2019/0028903).
Regarding claim 6, Gentry in view of Zhang discloses the landing pad of the claim 1. Gentry further discloses the battery can be charged through the charging station (205, fig. 2A). However, Gentry and Zhang are silent about a wireless charging device disposed in or under the pad portion.
Carpenter discloses the drone pad with the wireless charging functionality ((Attached to or integrated with the base portion might be a sub-platform 415, which might comprise a recharger system, which might include, but is not limited to, an inductive charging system (wireless), paragraph [0112])).
It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Gentry to include a wireless charging function in the pad as taught by Carpenter, in order to charge the drone wirelessly and have significant advantages over physical plug-in systems, primarily through enhanced weather resistance, reduced wear and tear, and universal compatibility.
Claim(s) 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gentry (US 9,387,928), and Zhang (CN211501288) as applied to claim 10 above, and further in view of Filipovic et al. (US 11,492,114), herein after.
Regarding claim 14, Gentry in view of Zhang discloses the landing pad of claim 11. However, they are silent about charging the street light with the landing pad.
Filipovic discloses street pole with the charging station to charge the drone and lamp connected to the charging station (Col. 1, lines 58-61, fig. 16).
It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Gentry in view of Zhang to include a charging station to charge the street lamp through landing pad as taught by Filipovic, in order to conveniently charge the lamp with drone, improved safety, and the ability to leverage existing infrastructure for broader smart city applications.
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 SADIA KOUSAR whose telephone number is (571)272-3386. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 7:30am-5:30pm.
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SADIA . KOUSAR
Examiner
Art Unit 2859
/JULIAN D HUFFMAN/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2859
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