DETAILED ACTION
This final rejection is in reply to the response filed 2 March 2026, which as in reply to the non-final action, data 1 December 2025.
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application is being examined under the pre-AIA first to invent provisions.
Response to Amendment
Claims 1, 2, 4-21 are pending. Claims 1, 2, 7, 9, 15, 19 and 20 have been amended, claim 3 has been canceled and claim 21 has been newly added.
With regard to the 35 U.S.C. 102 rejection of claims 1-20 (pgs. 3-11, Action), applicant has amendment independent claims 1, 19 and 20, and contends that the cited references do not disclose the newly amended limitations (pgs. 9, Reply). Applicant’s amendments necessitated additional searching and consideration. Applicant’s contentions have been considered, but are moot based on the additional searching and consideration of new grounds of rejection. Accordingly, the new grounds of rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103 are: claims 1, 2, 4-6, 9-11, and 19-20 in view of Shah and Hunn; claim 7 in view of Shah, Hunn, Gupte and Ganesh; claim 8 in view of Shah, Hunn and Cui; claim 12 in view of Shah, Hunn and Yaqub; claims 13 and 14 in view of Shah and Ferguson; claim 15 in view of Shah and DiCosola; claim 16 in view of Shah, Hunn, DiCosola and Yaqub; claim 17 in view of Shah, Hunn, DiCosola, Yaqub, Ganesh, and Sakata; claim 18 in view of Shah, Hunn, Yaqub and Shaw; and claim 21, in view of Shah, Hunn and Shemer, as discussed below.
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 text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or non-obviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1, 2, 4-6, 9-11, and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Publication Number 2022/0383280 to Shah et al. (hereafter Shah) in view of U.S. Patent Publication Number 2018/0365201 to Hunn et al. (hereafter Hunn).
As per claim 1, Shah discloses [a] method (see at least Shah, Abstract) comprising:
... (1) ... loading, by a processing system including at least one processor, ... (1) ... to at least one uncrewed vehicle while the at least one uncrewed vehicle is situated in a first geographical region (see at least Shah, Fig. 4, showing step 440, [0086] disclosing that in step 440, once the user is authenticated, the user may be granted permission to initiate or perform a transaction, e.g., a banking transaction such as withdrawal of cash, deposit checks, check account balance, exchange foreign currency, etc. <interpreted as loading a proposed personal transaction>; claim 1, disclosing a system for facilitating a transaction via one or more unmanned motorized vehicles <interpreted as uncrewed vehicle>, the system comprising: a computer system comprising one or more processors programmed with computer program instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to perform operations comprising: in response to obtaining a deposit request for a deposit transaction from a mobile device of a user while the mobile device is at a first location <interpreted as a first geographical region>, transmitting a transaction verification code associated with the deposit transaction to the mobile device while the mobile device is at the first location); ... (2) ... ;
wherein the at least one parameter includes personal information of a user requesting the proposed personal transaction (see at least Shah, [0085] disclosing that the user may be pre-authenticated, or pre-authentication may be optional. In some embodiments, the user may be prompted to present an ATM card, credit card, identification card <interpreted as personal information>, etc. and enter a personal identification number (PIN) prior to performing a transaction);
instructing, by the processing system, the at least one uncrewed vehicle to travel to at least one access point having a communication resource situated in a second geographical region to execute ... (3) ... via the communication resource of the at least one access point (see at least Shah, [0059] disclosing that security system 250 may communicate with database server 130, financial institution 150, and/or a trusted secured agency to verify and/or monitor user identity prior to and during the transaction. In some embodiments, security system 250 may rely on communication interface module 225 <interpreted as the access point having a communication resource> to facilitate communication between security system 250 and financial institution 150, database server 130, or the like. In some embodiments, security system 250 may communicate with user interface module 210, server 230, and/or database server 130 <interpreted as communication resource>; Fig. 4, step 440; step 440 of conducting the transaction; claim 1 further disclosing determining, based on user information related to the user, a second location where a mobile banking resource is predicted to be needed, the user information indicating one or more predicted activities, behaviors, or events related to the user, the second location being different from the first location; causing, based on the determination of the second location and the deposit request, an unmanned motorized vehicle corresponding to the mobile banking resource to move to the second location to complete the deposit transaction of the deposit request),
wherein the first geographical region is different from the second geographical region (see at least Shah, claim 1, disclosing that the second location is different from the first); ... (4) ... ; and
receiving, by the processing system, a result of the proposed personal transaction having been completed from the at least one uncrewed vehicle via the at least one access point (see at least Shah, [0088] disclosing that in step 450, the user may conduct the transaction in the secure compartment of the autonomous ATM. Once the transaction is complete, the status of the autonomous ATM may be updated. For example, the amount of cash reserve, battery remaining, current location information, etc. may be transmitted, for example, to a server and/or financial institution through a communication interface module. In some embodiments, the database server may receive real-time status information associated with autonomous ATM 240). But, Shah does not explicitly teach the following limitations taught in Hunn:
(1) temporarily loading, ... , an executable software script (see at least Hunn, [0043] disclosing that the execution of the contract may be instantaneous, but may alternatively happen over some known, or unknown time period. Programmable components that effect the execution may be added, removed, or changed during non-instantaneous execution <interpreted as temporarily loading>. Changes in effecting programmable components, may change the results of the execution of the contract, change the duration of the execution, and/or may cause the compound contract to fail in execution (mid-execution));
(2) wherein the executable software script encodes a set of tasks to be performed to carry out a proposed personal transaction and at least one parameter associated with the set of tasks (see at least Hunn, [0046]; [0049] disclosing that FIG. 2 depicts tag components within clauses in an exemplary contract structure and their relationships inter se and with external resources. This example shows a tag component utilizing data from a network-connected device (which may take any suitable form, such as a sensors, machinery, vehicles, trackers, actuators, and other devices). The tag component in clause 1 may draw in delivery information from a geolocation device, UAV, or similar to determine whether delivery is made in accordance with the requirements of the programmable logic. The tag component in clause 2 may then use the state of the first tag component to execute its logic to determine the price based upon the date and/or delivery metrics (e.g., whether shipping conditions such as timeliness, temperature, vibration, humidity, etc. are met). The tag component in clause 5 may then trigger BDL scripts to invoke a transaction on a BDL using the state of the tag component in clause 1 (i.e., delivery has been made) and clause 2 (i.e., the price accounting for any adjustments based upon delivery performance). The tag in clause 5 may also initiate a transaction that transfers custody of a token or other digital asset on a BDL to the purchasing party reflecting the transfer of title to the delivered goods. Clauses 3 and 4 may be natural language clauses that do not feature tag components) ... ;
(3) in a second geographical region to execute the executable software script (see at least Hunn, [0043]); and
(4) wherein an execution of the executable software script carries out the proposed personal transaction according to the set of tasks and the at least one parameter (see at least Hunn, [0049] disclosing that The tag in clause 5 may also initiate a transaction that transfers custody of a token or other digital asset <interpreted as the set of tasks> on a BDL to the purchasing party reflecting the transfer of title <interpreted as the parameter> to the delivered goods. Clauses 3 and 4 may be natural language clauses that do not feature tag components ) ... .
Shah and Hunn are analogous art to claim 1 because they are in the same field of providing secure data delivery or transactions. Shah relates to systems and methods for conducting a transaction using an autonomous mobile banking resource (see Shah, [0002]). Hunn relates to a system and method for creating and executing contracts with programmable component (see Hunn, [0002]).
Therefore, it would be prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the method, as disclosed in Shah, to provide the benefit of (1) temporarily loading an executable software script, (2) having the executable software script encode a set of tasks to be performed to carry out a proposed personal transaction and at least one parameter associated with the set of tasks, (3) executing the executable software script in a second geographical region, and (4) having an execution of the executable software script carry out the proposed personal transaction according to the set of tasks and the at least one parameter, as disclosed in Hunn, with a reasonable expectation of success. Doing so would provide the benefit of enabling commercial documentation to interact with external resources and enable computational functionality (see Hunn, [0004]).
As per claim 2, the combination of Shah and Hunn discloses all of the limitations of claim 1, as shown above. Shah further discloses:
wherein executable software script is encrypted (see at least Shah, [0054] disclosing that some or all data communicated from autonomous ATM 240 through user interface module 240 and/or input device 220 may be encrypted using communication interface module 225 for communication with back-end infrastructure, side-channel attack prevention techniques employed for maximum security, etc. For example, communication interface module 225 may encrypt the sensitive information associated with user 120, user preferences, user passwords, bank account information, etc. prior to sharing with database server 130, financial institution 150, or the like. In some embodiments, communication interface module 225 may decrypt the sensitive information associated with user 120, user preferences, user passwords, bank account information, etc. prior to sharing with user 120).
Therefore, it would be prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the method, as disclosed in Shah, as modified by Hunn, to provide the benefit of having the proposed transaction is encrypted, as further disclosed in Shah, with a reasonable expectation of success. Doing so would provide the benefit of enabling commercial documentation to interact with external resources and enable computational functionality (see Hunn, [0004]).
As per claim 4, the combination of Shah and Hunn discloses all of the limitations of claim 1, as shown above. Shah further discloses:
wherein the at least one uncrewed vehicle travels along a navigation path to reach the at least one access point (see at least Shah, Fig. 4, step 420 of configuring a controller to control the movement of a mobile banking resource to the predicted location of the user; [0080] disclosing that with regard to Fig. 4, in step 420, a controller (e.g., controller 260) may be configured to control the movement of a mobile banking resource, for example, an unmanned motorized vehicle, to the predicted location of the user. Configuring the controller may further include programming directions to the predicted user location, speed limits, traffic rules, etc.).
Therefore, it would be prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the method, as disclosed in Shah, as modified by Hunn, to provide the benefit of having the at least one uncrewed vehicle travel along a navigation path to reach the at least one access point, as further disclosed in Shah, with a reasonable expectation of success. Doing so would provide the benefit of enabling commercial documentation to interact with external resources and enable computational functionality (see Hunn, [0004]).
As per claim 5, the combination of Shah and Hunn discloses all of the limitations of claim 4, as shown above. Shah further discloses:
calculating, by the processing system, the navigation path (see at least Shah, Fig. 4, step 420 of configuring a controller to control the movement of the mobile banking resource to the predicted location of the user); and
loading, by the processing system, the navigation path to the at least one uncrewed vehicle (see at least Shah, [0080] disclosing that the controller may be configured to operate the unmanned motorized vehicle to the predicted location of the user. Configuring a controller may include receiving information associated with predicted user location, predicted time, predicted banking service, directions to the user location, traffic updates, alternative routes to the user location, etc. from server 230 through a communication interface module (e.g., communication interface module 225 of FIG. 2)).
Therefore, it would be prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the method, as disclosed in Shah, as modified by Hunn, to provide the benefit of calculating the navigation path and loading the navigation path to the at least one uncrewed vehicle, as further disclosed in Shah, with a reasonable expectation of success. Doing so would provide the benefit of enabling commercial documentation to interact with external resources and enable computational functionality (see Hunn, [0004]).
As per claim 6, the combination of Shah and Hunn discloses all of the limitations of claim 4, as shown above. Shah further discloses:
wherein the navigation path is generated by the at least one uncrewed vehicle (see at least Shah, [0080]).
Therefore, it would be prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the method, as disclosed in Shah, as modified by Hunn, to provide the benefit of having the navigation path be generated by the at least one uncrewed vehicle, as further disclosed in Shah, with a reasonable expectation of success. Doing so would provide the benefit of enabling commercial documentation to interact with external resources and enable computational functionality (see Hunn, [0004]).
As per claim 9, the combination of Shah and Hunn discloses all of the limitations of claim 1, as shown above. Shah further discloses:
wherein the at least one parameter comprises at least one of: a currency value associated with the proposed transaction; a transaction result handling procedure associated with the proposed transaction; a quantity value associated with the proposed transaction; a conditional event associated with the proposed transaction; or an alternate execution procedure associated with the proposed transaction (see at least Shah, Fig. 5, showing step 510, predicting status of a mobile baking resource; [0088] ; [0094] disclosing the user may be granted permission to initiate a transaction and/or granted access to the user interface module to perform a transaction, e.g., a banking transaction such as withdrawal of cash <one of ordinary skill in the art would know that a withdrawal would indicate an amount of the withdraw>, deposit checks, check account balance, exchange foreign currency <one of ordinary skill in the art would know that an exchange of foreign currency would indicate an amount of that currency>).
Therefore, it would be prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the method, as disclosed in Shah, as modified by Hunn, to provide the benefit of having the at least one parameter include a currency value associated with the proposed transaction and a quantity value associated with the proposed transaction, as further disclosed in Shah, with a reasonable expectation of success. Doing so would provide the benefit of enabling commercial documentation to interact with external resources and enable computational functionality (see Hunn, [0004]).
As per claim 10, the combination of Shah and Hunn discloses all of the limitations of claim 1, as shown above. Shah further discloses:
detecting, by the processing system, the at least one uncrewed vehicle has arrived at the at least one access point (see at least Shah, Fig. 5, showing step 510, predicting status of a mobile baking resource; [0090] disclosing the status of the autonomous ATM may include information associated with the current location information, cash reserve, overall operability, mechanical and electrical issues, schedule).
Therefore, it would be prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the method, as disclosed in Shah, as modified by Hunn, to provide the benefit of detecting that the at least one uncrewed vehicle has arrived at the at least one access point, as further disclosed in Shah, with a reasonable expectation of success. Doing so would provide the benefit of enabling commercial documentation to interact with external resources and enable computational functionality (see Hunn, [0004]).
As per claim 11, the combination of Shah and Hunn discloses all of the limitations of claim 10, as shown above. Shah further discloses:
detecting, by the processing system, the at least one uncrewed vehicle has completed the proposed transaction at the at least one access point (see at least Shah, Fig. 4, showing step 450; [0088] disclosing that in step 450, the user may conduct the transaction in the secure compartment of the autonomous ATM. Once the transaction is complete, the status of the autonomous ATM may be updated. For example, the amount of cash reserve, battery remaining, current location information, etc. may be transmitted, for example, to a server and/or financial institution through a communication interface module. In some embodiments, the database server may receive real-time status information associated with autonomous ATM 240; Fig. 5, showing step 550; [0095] ).
Therefore, it would be prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the method, as disclosed in Shah, as modified by Hunn, to provide the benefit of detecting that the at least one uncrewed vehicle has completed the proposed transaction at the at least one access point, as further disclosed in Shah, with a reasonable expectation of success. Doing so would provide the benefit of enabling commercial documentation to interact with external resources and enable computational functionality (see Hunn, [0004]).
As per claim 19, similar to claim 1, Shah discloses [a] non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processing system including at least one processor, cause the processing system to perform operations, the operations (see at least Shah, claim 7 disclosing a non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause operations comprising: obtaining a transaction request for a transaction from a user device of a user while the user device is at a first location) comprising:
... (1) ... loading ... (1) ... to at least one uncrewed vehicle while the at least one uncrewed vehicle is situated in a first geographical region (see at least Shah, Fig. 4, showing step 440, [0086]; claim 1 ); ... (2) ... ;
wherein the at least one parameter includes personal information of a user requesting the proposed personal transaction (see at least Shah, [0085]);
instructing the at least one uncrewed vehicle to travel to at least one access point situated in a second geographical region to execute ... (3) ... via the at least one access point (see at least Shah, [0059]; Fig. 4, step 440; claim 1),
wherein the first geographical region is different from the second geographical region (see at least Shah, claim 1); ... (4) ... ; and
receiving a result of the proposed transaction having been completed from the at least one uncrewed vehicle via the at least one access point (see at least Shah, [0088]). But, Shah does not explicitly teach the following limitations taught in Hunn:
(1) temporarily loading, ... , an executable software script (see at least Hunn, [0043] );
(2) wherein the executable software script encodes a set of tasks to be performed to carry out a proposed personal transaction and at least one parameter associated with the set of tasks (see at least Hunn, [0046]; [0049]) ... ;
(3) in a second geographical region to execute the executable software script (see at least Hunn, [0043]); and
(4) wherein an execution of the executable software script carries out the proposed personal transaction according to the set of tasks and the at least one parameter (see at least Hunn, [0049] ) ... .
Shah and Hunn are analogous art to claim 19 because they are in the same field of providing secure data delivery or transactions. Shah relates to systems and methods for conducting a transaction using an autonomous mobile banking resource (see Shah, [0002]). Hunn relates to a system and method for creating and executing contracts with programmable component (see Hunn, [0002]).
Therefore, it would be prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the method, as disclosed in Shah, to provide the benefit of (1) temporarily loading an executable software script, (2) having the executable software script encode a set of tasks to be performed to carry out a proposed personal transaction and at least one parameter associated with the set of tasks, (3) executing the executable software script in a second geographical region, and (4) having an execution of the executable software script carry out the proposed personal transaction according to the set of tasks and the at least one parameter, as disclosed in Hunn, with a reasonable expectation of success. Doing so would provide the benefit of enabling commercial documentation to interact with external resources and enable computational functionality (see Hunn, [0004]).
As per claim 20, similar to claims 1 and 19, Shah discloses [a] device (see at least Shah, Abstract) comprising:
a processing system including at least one a computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to perform operations, the operations (see at least Shah, Abstract, claim 7) comprising:
... (1) ... loading ... (1) ... to at least one uncrewed vehicle while the at least one uncrewed vehicle is situated in a first geographical region (see at least Shah, Fig. 4, showing step 440, [0086]; claim 1); ... (2) ... ;
wherein the at least one parameter includes personal information of a user requesting the proposed personal transaction (see at least Shah, [0085]);
instructing the at least one uncrewed vehicle to travel to at least one access point situated in a second geographical region to execute ... (3) ... via the at least one access point (see at least Shah, [0059]; Fig. 4, step 440; claim 1),
wherein the first geographical region is different from the second geographical region (see at least Shah, claim 1); ... (4) ... ; and
receiving a result of the proposed transaction having been completed from the at least one uncrewed vehicle via the at least one access point (see at least Shah, [0088]). But, Shah does not explicitly teach the following limitations taught in Hunn:
(1) temporarily loading, ... , an executable software script (see at least Hunn, [0043]);
(2) wherein the executable software script encodes a set of tasks to be performed to carry out a proposed personal transaction and at least one parameter associated with the set of tasks (see at least Hunn, [0048]; [0049]) ... ;
(3) in a second geographical region to execute the executable software script (see at least Hunn, [0043] ); and
(4) wherein an execution of the executable software script carries out the proposed personal transaction according to the set of tasks and the at least one parameter (see at least Hunn, [0049]) ... .
Shah and Hunn are analogous art to claim 20 because they are in the same field of providing secure data delivery or transactions. Shah relates to systems and methods for conducting a transaction using an autonomous mobile banking resource (see Shah, [0002]). Hunn relates to a system and method for creating and executing contracts with programmable component (see Hunn, [0002]).
Therefore, it would be prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the method, as disclosed in Shah, to provide the benefit of (1) temporarily loading an executable software script, (2) having the executable software script encode a set of tasks to be performed to carry out a proposed personal transaction and at least one parameter associated with the set of tasks, (3) executing the executable software script in a second geographical region, and (4) having an execution of the executable software script carry out the proposed personal transaction according to the set of tasks and the at least one parameter, as disclosed in Hunn, with a reasonable expectation of success. Doing so would provide the benefit of enabling commercial documentation to interact with external resources and enable computational functionality (see Hunn, [0004]).
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shah and Hunn as applied to claim 4 above, and further in view U.S. Patent Publication Number 2018/0130017 to Gupte, and U.S. Patent Publication Number 2016/0068264 to Ganesh et al. (hereafter Ganesh).
As per claim 7, the combination of Shah and Hunn discloses all of the limitations of claim 4. But, neither Shah nor Hunn explicitly teach the following limitations taught in Gupte and Ganesh:
wherein the navigation path is generated by a remote server and then provided to the at least one uncrewed vehicle (see at least Gupte, [0217] disclosing that the first used technology or protocol may be programmed by default in Human Agent Device 311 and therefore may be stored in Human Agent Device Storage 314 or it may be saved externally as a configuration on a Server 400a, said configuration linked to at least one of the said device or to a login representing a specific Human Agent 310. to the Server 400, which in turn transmits Pod Passcode 213 to Pod 200 via Pod 200's connection to an External Network 105 or Local Network 106 (which in turn may be connected to External Network 105). In an alternate aspect, Human Agent Device 311 transmits Pod PassCode 213 to the Server 400, which in turn transmits Pod PassCode 213 to Pod 200 via Pod 200's connection to an External Network 104 (which may be through a Local Network 105); [0218] disclosing that the Human Agent Device 311 receives inputs and computes at least an appropriate path and at least a location of Pod in the same way as other devices discussed in Gross/Global Positioning System and Short-Range Positioning System, but in this case Human Agent may provide inputs and perform actions that may serve to change the results of the said positioning systems),
wherein the remote server is distinct from the processing system (see at least Ganesh, [0050]; [0072] disclosing that information communicated between the landing pad 320 and one or more of the server 240, the drone 100, and the device 220, may further include communications related to purchase and delivery authentication and confirmation as described above. The landing pad controller 420 may further have a connection 431 with the Internet 241, which may provide a connection to the server 240; [0121] disclosing that .
Shah, Hunn, Gupte and Ganesh are analogous art to claim 7 because they are in the same field of providing secure data delivery via an uncrewed vehicle. Shah relates to systems and methods for conducting a transaction using an autonomous mobile banking resource (see at least Shah, [0002]). Hunn relates to a system and method for creating and executing contracts with programmable component (see Hunn, [0002]). Gupte relates to systems and methods to enable delivery and pick up of packages using pods and unmanned vehicles (see at least Gupte, [0002]). Ganesh relates to a method, system and device for securing a drone delivering a package of goods to a delivery destination (see Ganesh, Abstract).
Therefore, it would be prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the method, as disclosed in Shah, as modified by Hunn, to provide the benefit of having the navigation path is generated by a remote server and then provided to the at least one uncrewed vehicle, where the remote server is distinct from the processing system, as disclosed in Gupte and Ganesh, with a reasonable expectation of success. Doing so would provide the benefit of providing additional security for the transaction (see Ganesh, [0026]).
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shah and Hunn as applied to claim 4 above, and further in view of U.S. Patent Publication Number 2022/0171385 to Cui et al. (hereafter Cui).
As per claim 8, the combination of Shah and Hunn discloses all of the limitations of claim 4. But, neither Shah nor Hunn explicitly teach the following limitations taught in Cui:
detecting, by the processing system, a deviation from the navigation path by the at least one uncrewed vehicle; and (see at least Cui, that, if the task location (e.g., the pickup location) is part of or near a known secure facility, the server(s) 125 may add a requirement for a certain security/trust level, e.g., to avoid any delay that may result from another AV without the proper level of security/trust being delayed or diverted by authorities. Additional requirements may be added by server(s) 125 relating to terrain along an anticipated route between the task location and task destination, anticipated weather conditions along the anticipated route at the time the task is to be performed); and
instructing, by the processing system, the at least one uncrewed vehicle to execute a remedial action in response to the deviation from the navigation path (see at least Cui, [0079] disclosing that the first autonomous vehicle may project that it will unlikely be able to make the deadline, cannot do some aspects of the task (e.g., at least a portion of the task), etc. The calculation could be due to an unforeseen level of traffic, unforeseen weather, a malfunction of a sensor, loss of charge (and therefore loss of expected range), etc. In still another example, an owner may need to divert the autonomous vehicle to an emergency location such as an accident or to perform another more pressing task; [0080] ).
Shah, Hunn and Cui are analogous art to claim 8 because they are in the same field of providing secure data delivery via an uncrewed vehicle. Shah relates to systems and methods for conducting a transaction using an autonomous mobile banking resource (see Shah, [0002]). Hunn relates to a system and method for creating and executing contracts with programmable component (see Hunn, [0002]). Cui relates to a processing system that obtains a request for a performance of a task by at least one autonomous vehicle (see Cui, Abstract).
Therefore, it would be prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the method, as disclosed in Shah, as modified by Hunn, to provide the benefit of detecting a deviation from the navigation path by the at least one uncrewed vehicle and instructing the at least one uncrewed vehicle to execute a remedial action in response to the deviation from the navigation path, as disclosed in Cui, with a reasonable expectation of success. Doing so would provide the benefit insuring that the transaction is completed or canceled due to adverse conditions.
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shah and Hunn as applied to claim 11 above, and further in view of U.S. Patent Number 10,996,675 to Yaqub.
As per claim 12, the combination of Shah and Hunn disclose all of the limitations of claim 11. But, neither Shah nor Hunn explicitly teach the following limitation taught in Yaqub:
detecting, by the processing system, the at least one uncrewed vehicle has departed from the at least one access point (see at least Yaqub, col. 17, ln. 7-11, disclosing that the navigation module 122 may perform functions relating to navigating and/or controlling drone 110 during travel to the vicinity of an affected area. Navigation module 122 may monitor one or more sensors 119 to determine the current location of drone 110. Navigation module 122 may determine, based on the current location of drone 110, a path to affected area 101. Navigation module 122 may cause navigation unit 116 to propel drone 110 in the direction of the affected area 101 and/or along the path affected area 101. Navigation module 122 may eventually determine that drone 110 is at or near affected area 101, and navigation module 122 may cause navigation unit 116 to ensure drone 110 remains in affected area 101. For example, navigation module 122 may control navigation unit 116 to cause drone 110 to hover over affected area 101).
Shah, Hunn and Yaqub are analogous art to claim 12 because they are in the same field of providing secure data delivery via an uncrewed vehicle. Shah relates to systems and methods for conducting a transaction using an autonomous mobile banking resource (see at least Shah, [0002]). Hunn relates to a system and method for creating and executing contracts with programmable component (see Hunn, [0002]). Yaqub relates to recovering connectivity and reconnecting systems during or after an outage (see Yaqub, col. 1, ln. 5-7).
Therefore, it would be prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the method, as disclosed in Shah, as modified by Hunn to provide the benefit of detecting that the at least one uncrewed vehicle has departed from the at least one access point, as disclosed in Yaqub, with a reasonable expectation of success. Doing so would provide the benefit of providing a mobile access to financial services.
Claims 13 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shah and Hunn as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of U.S. Patent Publication Number 2019/0035044 to Ferguson et al. (hereafter Ferguson).
As per claim 13, the combination of Shah and Hunn discloses all of the limitations of claim 1. But, neither Shah nor Hunn explicitly teach the following limitation taught in Ferguson:
instructing, by the processing system, the at least one uncrewed vehicle to provide a confirmation that the result of the proposed transaction has been received by a sender of the proposed transaction (see at least Ferguson, [0072] disclosing that upon completion the vehicles 1204 may then report a completion of the request to the fleet management module 1201 and be reassigned to a subsequent request).
Shah, Hunn and Ferguson are analogous art to claim 13 because they are in the same field of providing secure data delivery via an uncrewed vehicle. Yaqub relates to recovering connectivity and reconnecting systems during or after an outage (see Yaqub, col. 1, ln. 5-7). Shah relates to systems and methods for conducting a transaction using an autonomous mobile banking resource (see Shah, [0002]). Hunn relates to a system and method for creating and executing contracts with programmable component (see Hunn, [0002]). Ferguson relates to autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles for transporting or retrieving deliveries in either unstructured outdoor environment or closed environments (see at least Ferguson, [0003]).
Therefore, it would be prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the method, as disclosed in Shah, as modified by Hunn, to provide the benefit of instructing the at least one uncrewed vehicle to provide a confirmation that the result of the proposed transaction has been received by a sender of the proposed transaction, as disclosed in Ferguson, with a reasonable expectation of success. Doing so would provide the benefit insuring the security of the transaction (see at least Ferguson, [0046]).
As per claim 14, the combination of Shah, Hunn and Ferguson disclose all of the limitations of claim 13. Ferguson further discloses the following limitation:
wherein the instructing the at least one uncrewed vehicle to provide the confirmation comprises instructing the uncrewed vehicle to return to the at least one access point to deliver the confirmation (see at least Ferguson, [0072] disclosing that upon completion the vehicles 1204 may then report a completion of the request to the fleet management module 1201 and be reassigned to a subsequent request <interpreted as returning to the at least one access point>).
Therefore, it would be prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the method, as disclosed in Shah, as modified by Hunn and Ferguson, to provide the benefit of having the instructing of the at least one uncrewed vehicle provide the confirmation comprise instructing the uncrewed vehicle to return to the at least one access point to deliver the confirmation, as further disclosed in Ferguson, with a reasonable expectation of success. Doing so would provide the benefit insuring the security of the transaction (see at least Ferguson, [0046]).
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shah and Hunn as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of U.S. Patent Publication Number 2020/0349852 to DiCosola.
As per claim 15, the combination of Shah and Hunn discloses all of the limitations of claim 1, as shown above. But, neither Shah nor Hunn explicitly teach the following limitation taught in DiCosola:
wherein the proposed transaction having at least one parameter of the proposed transaction is captured via a transaction application deployed in a mobile device of a user (see at least DiCosola, [0038] disclosing that with regard to FIG. 21, the DAS Airport Communication Module, showing the various methods of mobile and cloud-based payment services available to end-users utilizing drones as their means of delivering the required products and services, including but not limited to crypto currency, block chain services, merchant credit, PayPal, direct checking, e-commerce, third party digital ticket, Apply Pay, G Pay, Amazon Pay, Wal-Mart Pay [0572] disclosing fees to collect; [0577] further disclosing that customers who have their own UAS/drone and rooftop or ground garaging/charging system, will have the choice of membership to have the UAS/drone act as a security drone, which will canvas the area and parameter of the property, while using a cloud and 5G feature to stream video and/or audio to the customer's mobile device, the dispatch, and any other participating agencies in as close to real time as possible).
Shah, Hunn and DiCosola are analogous art to claim 15 because they are in the same field of providing secure data delivery via an uncrewed vehicle. Shah relates to systems and methods for conducting a transaction using an autonomous mobile banking resource (see Shah, [0002]). Hunn relates to a system and method for creating and executing contracts with programmable component (see Hunn, [0002]). DiCosola relates to unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned vehicle operating systems, and airport facilities (see at least DiCosola, [0002]).
Therefore, it would be prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the method, as disclosed in Shah, as modified by Hunn, to provide the benefit of having the proposed transaction having at least one parameter of the proposed transaction be captured via a transaction application deployed in a mobile device of a user, as disclosed in DiCosola, with a reasonable expectation of success. Doing so would provide the benefit providing secure methods of payment to provide secure transactions (see at DiCosola, [0038]).
Claim 16 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shah, Hunn and DiCosola as applied to claim 15 above, and further in view of Yaqub.
As per claim 16, the combination of Shah, Hunn and DiCosola discloses all of the limitations of claim 15, as shown above. But, neither Shah, Hunn nor DiCosola explicitly teach the following limitation taught in Yaqub:
wherein the transaction application has a plurality of user interfaces comprising at least one of: a map interface; a jurisdiction information interface; or an access point information interface (see at least Yaqub, col. 20, ln. 20-26, col. 28, ln. 4-9, disclosing that with regard to Fig. 3B, I, user interface 196A illustrates a map of affected area 101 from the perspective of a user of mobile device 195A. User interface 196A shows locations of interest on the map, relative to the current location of mobile device 195A, which mobile device 195A has determined based on detected geolocation information).
Shah, Hunn, DiCosola and Yaqub are analogous art to claim 15 because they are in the same field of providing secure data delivery via an uncrewed vehicle. Shah relates to systems and methods for conducting a transaction using an autonomous mobile banking resource (see Shah, [0002]). Hunn relates to a system and method for creating and executing contracts with programmable component (see Hunn, [0002]). DiCosola relates to unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned vehicle operating systems, and airport facilities (see at least DiCosola, [0002]). Yaqub relates to recovering connectivity and reconnecting systems during or after an outage (see Yaqub, col. 1, ln. 5-7).
Therefore, it would be prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the method, as disclosed in Shah, as modified by Hunn and DiCosola, to provide the benefit of having the transaction application have a plurality of user interfaces comprising at least one of a map interface, a jurisdiction information interface, or an access point information interface, as disclosed in Yaqub, with a reasonable expectation of success. Doing so would provide the benefit of providing a mobile access to financial services.
Claim 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shah, Hunn, DiCosola and Yaqub as applied to claim 16 above, and further in view of Ganesh and U.S. Patent Publication Number 2023/0359223 Sakata et al. (hereafter Sakata).
As per claim 17, the combination of Shah, Hunn, DiCosola and Yaqub discloses all of the limitations of claim 16, as shown above. Yaqub further discloses the following limitations:
wherein the access point information interface presents a plurality of the access points that the proposed transaction can be effected (see at least Yaqub, Col. 9, ln. 7-22, disclosing that drone 110 receives input that drone 110 determines corresponds to information about the accessibility of one or more of financial service systems 130. Drone 110 may receive such input though drone-enabled network 106, through a satellite network, or through another network. Such input could be, for example, from users or technicians that have inspected the physical condition of one or more of financial service systems 130.; col. 17, ln. 45-48, <networks 105, 106 interpreted as the plurality of access points>),
the plurality of the access points including the at least one access point (see at least Yaqub, col. 17, ln. 45-48, disclosing that the analysis module 126 may output to navigation module 122 information about the outage sufficient to enable navigation module 122 to navigate drone 110 to the vicinity of the outage <interpreted as the at least one access point>; col. 17, ln. 52-55, disclosing further that the analysis module 126 may analyze information to determine whether one or more financial service systems 130 are physically accessible and/or capable of communicating over drone-enabled network 106). But, neither Shah, Hunn, DiCosola, nor Yaqub, explicitly teach the following limitations taught in Ganesh and Sakata:
wherein the map interface presents a visual presentation of a navigation path to be taken by the at least one uncrewed vehicle to reach the at least one access point (see at least Ganesh, [0028] disclosing that the specified location may be a street address, a delivery area or zone, or the location of the purchaser's computing device. The delivery location may be specified on a map (e.g., by the user touching or clicking on a location on a street map or ground image (e.g., a Google Earth? image) or as geographic coordinates or other location oriented data. Further disclosing that a drone delivery zone icon, which may be sized to match the map scale for the actual required landing space, may be presented so that it can be “dragged and dropped” onto a map to identify the desired delivery landing spot),
wherein the jurisdiction information interface presents a plurality of jurisdictions that the proposed transaction can be effected, the plurality of jurisdictions including the second geographical region (see at least Sakata, Fig. 10, showing multiple areas <interpreted as geographical regions>; [0092] disclosing that Fig. 10 illustrates still another example of standby place information 121 according to the embodiment. In FIG. 10, areas A1 are set by dividing a map into a grid. Alternatively, areas A1 may be automatically set by a system, according to a degree of demand based on past order receiving data and/or past order placing data for delivery of package B1).
Shah, Hunn, DiCosola, Yaqub, Ganesh and Sakata are analogous art to claim 17 because they are in the same field of providing secure data delivery via an uncrewed vehicle. Shah relates to systems and methods for conducting a transaction using an autonomous mobile banking resource (see Shah, [0002]). Hunn relates to a system and method for creating and executing contracts with programmable component (see Hunn, [0002]). DiCosola relates to unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned vehicle operating systems, and airport facilities (see at least DiCosola, [0002]). Yaqub relates to recovering connectivity and reconnecting systems during or after an outage (see Yaqub, col. 1, ln. 5-7). Ganesh relates to a method, system and device for securing a drone delivering a package of goods to a delivery destination (see Ganesh, Abstract). Sakata relates to a drone control system, a drone, a drone control method, and a recording medium that control a drone capable of delivering a package (see at least Sakata, [0002]).
Therefore, it would be prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the method, as disclosed in Shah, as modified by Hunn, DiCosola and Yaqub, to provide the benefit of having the map interface present a visual presentation of a navigation path to be taken by the at least one uncrewed vehicle to reach the at least one access point and having the jurisdiction information interface present a plurality of jurisdictions that the proposed transaction can be effected, where the plurality of jurisdictions including the second geographical region, as disclosed in Ganesh and Sakata, with a reasonable expectation of success. Doing so would provide the benefit providing secure methods of payment to provide secure transactions (see at DiCosola, [0038]; see at least Sakata, [0004]).
Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over and Hunn as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Yaqub and U.S. Patent Publication Number 2020/0146102 to Shaw et al. (hereafter Shaw).
As per claim 18, the combination of Shah and Hunn discloses all of the limitations of claim 1, as shown above. But, neither Shah nor Hunn explicitly teach the following limitations taught by Yaqub:
wherein the at least one uncrewed vehicle comprises a first uncrewed vehicle and a second uncrewed vehicle (see at least Yaqub, col. 13, ln. 34, disclosing one or more drones 110 (also shown in Fig. 1)),
wherein the at least one access point comprises a first access point and a second access point (see at least Yaqub, col. 2, ln. 56-58, disclosing that Affected area 101 includes one or more financial service systems 130 connected, via network 105, to other devices and/or systems, including bank computing system 108; col. 9, ln. 7-22; col. 17, ln. 45-48 <networks 105, 106 interpreted as the plurality of access points),
wherein the proposed transaction has a first portion and a second port[ion] (see at least Yaqub, col. 10, ln. 36-40, disclosing one or more of financial service systems 130 may perform ATM operations using drone-enabled network 106. For instance, in the example of FIG. 1, financial service system 130B receives input that it determines corresponds to a physical interaction by a user <interpreted as the first portion>) ... . But, neither Shah, Hunn nor Yaqub explicitly teaches the following limitations taught in Shaw:
wherein the first uncrewed vehicle is instructed to travel to the first access point to effect a completion of the first portion of the proposed transaction (see at least Shaw, Fig. 7, steps 710 and 720; [0071] disclosing with regard to Fig. 7, that method 700 that facilitates multiple mesh drone communication via a drone allocation component in accordance with aspects of the subject disclosure. At 710, method 700 can comprise receiving a first drone attribute for a first drone comprised in a first drone mesh. At 720, method 700 can comprise receiving a second drone attribute and second proximate drone data for a second drone comprised in a second drone mesh; [0020] disclosing that a drone can be remotely provisioned to arrive and remain proximate to a location in an autonomous manner where it can receive further instructions for operation from a user remote controller; [0025] disclosing that direct provisioning of an appropriate drone mesh such that the drones of the mesh arrive where/when needed and can operate in an autonomous or semi-autonomous mode, e.g., being at the desired location and then taking commands, receiving a mission package and executing the mission autonomously, etc.; [0085]), and
wherein the second uncrewed vehicle is instructed to travel to the second access point to effect a completion of the second portion of the proposed transaction (see at least Shaw, Fig. 7, steps 710 and 720; [0071]; [0020]; [0025]; [0085]).
Shah, Hunn, Yaqub and Shaw are analogous art to claim 18 because they are in the same field of providing secure data delivery via an uncrewed vehicle. Shah relates to systems and methods for conducting a transaction using an autonomous mobile banking resource (see Shah, [0002]). Hunn relates to a system and method for creating and executing contracts with programmable component (see Hunn, [0002]). Yaqub relates to recovering connectivity and reconnecting systems during or after an outage (see Yaqub, col. 1, ln. 5-7). Shaw relates to communication between drones of one or more drone mesh networks (see at least Shaw, [0002]).
Therefore, it would be prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the method, as disclosed in Shah, as modified by Hunn, to provide the benefit of having the first uncrewed vehicle be instructed to travel to the first access point to effect a completion of the first portion of the proposed transaction and having the second uncrewed vehicle be instructed to travel to the second access point to effect a completion of the second portion of the proposed transaction, as disclosed in Yaqub and Shaw, with a reasonable expectation of success. Doing so would provide redundancy to the drone provided network through drone interaction (see at least Shaw, [0003]).
Claim 21 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shah and Hunn as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of U.S. Patent Publication Number 2020/0413481 to Shemer et al. (hereafter Shemer).
As per claim 21, the combination of Shah and Hunn discloses all of the limitations of claim 1, as shown above. But, neither Shah or Hunn explicitly teaches the following limitations taught in Shemer:
wherein the executable software script is deleted from a memory of the at least one uncrewed vehicle in response to the result indicating that the proposed personal transaction has been completed (see at least Shemer, [0024] disclosing that Mobile IoT devices include vehicles such as cars, as well as devices such as drones, sometimes referred to as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). A mobile IoT device may carry human or other live occupants, or may be unmanned. Further, a mobile IoT device can be an aircraft, a watercraft, a vehicle configured to travel on land, or a vehicle with any combination of these capabilities; [0053] disclosing that the replication system 1008 can be used to migrate an application and/or other resources to one or more remote locations, or nodes, without losing information, and with little-to-no downtime, for example, using a feature such as planned failover. As a final example, the replication system 1008 is, in some embodiments at least, implemented as a software-only solution which is easily installed and removed by automation (scripts and APIs). This configuration enables the replication system 1008 to be installed on demand, and where needed).
Shah, Hunn and Shemer are analogous art to claim 21 because they are in the same field of providing secure data delivery via an uncrewed vehicle. Shah relates to systems and methods for conducting a transaction using an autonomous mobile banking resource (see Shah, [0002]). Hunn relates to a system and method for creating and executing contracts with programmable component (see Hunn, [0002]). Yaqub relates to recovering connectivity and reconnecting systems during or after an outage (see Yaqub, col. 1, ln. 5-7). Shemer relates to systems, hardware, software, computer-readable media, and methods for enabling use of resource-intensive applications by mobile IOT devices (see Shemer, [0001]).
Therefore, it would be prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the method, as disclosed in Shah, as modified by Hunn, to provide the benefit of having the executable software script be deleted from a memory of the at least one uncrewed vehicle in response to the result indicating that the proposed personal transaction has been completed, as further disclosed in Shemer, with a reasonable expectation of success. Doing so would provide the benefit of minimizing computation and storage (see Shemer, [0002]).
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 PATRICK M. BRADY III whose telephone number is (571)272-7458. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 7:00 am - 4;30 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, Erin Bishop can be reached at 571-270-3713. 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.
PATRICK M. BRADY III
Examiner
Art Unit 3665
/PATRICK M BRADY/Examiner, Art Unit 3665
/ANNE MARIE ANTONUCCI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3666
Prosecution Insights