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 Amendment
The Amendment filed 5/4/2026 has been entered. Claims 1 and 3-5 remain pending in the application along with added new claim 6, and claim 2 has been canceled. Applicant’s amendments to the Claims have overcome every claim objection and 112 rejection previously set forth in the Non-Final Office Action mailed 12/12/2025. The new grounds of rejection presented below are necessitated by the amendments. Accordingly, this Office Action is made Final.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 5/4/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
The applicant submits on page 8 of remarks that Shibuya does not teach or suggest subject matter of “power required for moving.”
Applicant submits that “power required for moving” is understood as the amount of power required for planned movement between predetermined points, and that the specification shows, as a specific example, the concept of power amount B based on the energy consumption considering the distance traveled and the weight of the aircraft carried [0038]. On the apparatus side, the power supply control unit 24 controls the amount of first power supplied based on the power required for moving [0025][0047].
The phrase “based on power required for moving” in amended claim 1 does not simply mean the existence of general power for movement, but rather a first power amount determination that takes into account the amount of power required for movement over the planned section.
With regard to amended claims 1 and 5, it is respectfully submitted that Shibuya does not teach or suggest the subject matter defined therein. As described in paragraphs [0061] to [0067] of Shibuya, Shibuya's concept is limited to selecting a power supply vehicle and power supply location from multiple candidates, and Shibuya does not disclose a concept of controlling the amount of power supplied to the aircraft while retaining the power required for the vehicle side in the selected vehicle. Accordingly, Shibuya does not teach or suggest "the power supply control unit determines a supply amount of the first power, based on power required for moving, by using the traveling unit while the aircraft is placed on the pad, between predetermined points by a time of a next flight of the aircraft", as required.
The examiner submits that Shibuya reads on the phrase,
a power supply control unit (¶0032: control unit 54) for controlling first power and second power via the power supply unit, based on the movement plan recognized by the movement plan recognition unit and the state of the second storage battery recognized by the second storage battery state recognition unit, the first power being supplied from the first storage battery to the traveling unit, the second power being supplied from the first storage battery to the aircraft via the power supply unit (Fig. 5 and ¶[58, 66-69, 15]: based on the determined departure place and destination, the aviation unit receives electric power from the traveling device 14 with battery 24 on traveling device 14 charging battery 22 on aviation device 12. Battery 24 on traveling device 14 drives the wheels of traveling device 14),
wherein the power supply control unit determines a supply amount of the first power, based on the power required for moving, the traveling unit while the aircraft is placed on the pad, between predetermined points by a time of a next flight of the aircraft (¶’s [15, 21, 69]: Traveling unit 42 is the combination of traveling device 14 and cabin 10 connected to each other. Traveling unit 42 moves on the ground when the aviation unit cannot reach the destination. Based on the destination to be reached, power is provided from the battery 24, with battery capacity supported by driving the engine or regenerative braking. The examiner interprets the power supply amount of the first power as any power that is required for moving).
The phrase “power required for moving” or “based on power required for moving” fails to distinguish claims 1 and 5 over Shibuya. The arranging unit 68 considers that power supply is required during movement and supplies power based on traffic information, including power supply position candidate information (¶[58-59] and Fig. 5), which implies identifying available power for both traveling unit 14 and aviation unit 12. Shibuya teaches power management when traveling between locations (¶[15, 21, 56, 59, 64, 69] and Fig. 5).
The applicant submits on page 9, regarding claim 3, that neither Shibuya or Gisser teaches or suggests that the first and second power are controlled based upon the movement plan and the state of the second battery while the aircraft is being moved by the travelling unit, as required. Accordingly, claim 3 is allowable over the art of record.
The examiner submits that traveling device 14 and aviation unit 12 as described by Shibuya operate in conjunction with each other and manage power accordingly while moving between locations (¶[15, 21, 56, 59, 64, 69] and Fig. 5).
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1 recites “wherein the power supply control unit determines a supply amount of the first power, based on the power required for moving, the traveling unit while the aircraft is placed on the pad, between predetermined points by a time of a next flight of the aircraft” which seems to have grammatical issues. For the purposes of compact prosecution, the examiner interprets the phrase as, “wherein the power supply control unit determines a supply amount of the first power, based on the power required for moving[[,]] the traveling unit, while the aircraft is placed on the pad, between predetermined points by a time of a next flight of the aircraft.”
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1 and 4-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Shibuya et al. (JP 2020152212 A), hereinafter referred to as Shibuya.
Regarding independent claim 1, Shibuya discloses a power supply apparatus (Figs. 1-3: traveling device 14, cabin 10, aviation device 12) comprising:
a first storage battery (¶0015 and Figs. 1-3: battery 24);
a traveling unit operated and caused to travel by electric power supplied from the first storage battery (traveling device 14 consumes electric power of battery 24 to drive the wheels);
a pad, mounted on the traveling unit (¶0017 and Figs. 2-3: traveling device 14 is provided with a cabin connecting portion 36), on which a vertical take-off and landing aircraft is placed (¶’s [19-20] and Figs. 2-3: Aviation unit 40 is formed from aviation device 12 and cabin 10 and moves through the sky. The traveling device 14 is connectable to the cabin 10 through the cabin connecting portion 36);
a power supply unit for supplying the aircraft placed on the pad with power output from the first storage battery (¶0026 and Fig. 3: battery 24 of the traveling device 14 supplies power to battery 22 of aviation device 12. A power supply unit is implied);
a movement plan recognition unit for recognizing a movement plan of the aircraft (¶0058 and Fig. 5: arranging unit 68 derives the travelable distance for aviation unit 40);
a second storage battery state recognition unit for recognizing a state of a second storage battery provided in the aircraft (¶0045, 0055, 0058, 0085: server 20 obtains current battery capacity (battery 22) of aviation device 12); and
a power supply control unit (¶0032: control unit 54) for controlling first power and second power via the power supply unit, based on the movement plan recognized by the movement plan recognition unit and the state of the second storage battery recognized by the second storage battery state recognition unit, the first power being supplied from the first storage battery to the traveling unit, the second power being supplied from the first storage battery to the aircraft via the power supply unit (Fig. 5 and ¶[58, 66-69, 15]: based on the determined departure place and destination, the aviation unit receives electric power from the traveling device 14 with battery 24 on traveling device 14 charging battery 22 on aviation device 12. Battery 24 on traveling device 14 drives the wheels of traveling device 14),
wherein the power supply control unit determines a supply amount of the first power, based on the power required for moving, the traveling unit while the aircraft is placed on the pad, between predetermined points by a time of a next flight of the aircraft (¶’s [15, 21, 69]: Traveling unit 42 is the combination of traveling device 14 and cabin 10 connected to each other. Traveling unit 42 moves on the ground when the aviation unit cannot reach the destination. Based on the destination to be reached, power is provided from the battery 24, with battery capacity supported by driving the engine or regenerative braking. The examiner interprets the power supply amount of the first power as any power that is required for moving).
Regarding independent claim 5, Shibuya discloses a power supply management system for managing operation of a power supply apparatus including (Figs. 1-3: traveling device 14, cabin 10, aviation device 12):
a first storage battery (¶0015 and Figs. 1-3: battery 24);
a traveling unit operated and caused to travel by electric power supplied from the first storage battery (traveling device 14 consumes electric power of battery 24 to drive the wheels);
a pad, mounted on the traveling unit (¶0017 and Figs. 2-3: traveling device 14 is provided with a cabin connecting portion 36), on which a vertical take-off and landing aircraft is placed (¶’s [19-20] and Figs. 2-3: Aviation unit 40 is formed from aviation device 12 and cabin 10 and moves through the sky. The traveling device 14 is connectable to the cabin 10 through the cabin connecting portion 36); and
a power supply unit for supplying the aircraft placed on the pad with power output from the first storage battery (¶0026 and Fig. 3: battery 24 of the traveling device 14 supplies power to battery 22 of aviation device 12. A power supply unit is implied), the power supply management system comprising:
a first storage battery state recognition unit that individually recognizes states of the first storage batteries for a plurality of the power supply apparatuses (¶0059-0061 and Fig. 5: arranging unit 68 determines a power source from a plurality of candidate traveling devices 14 based on battery capacity and position of traveling device);
a movement plan recognition unit for recognizing a movement plan of a target aircraft, the target aircraft being the aircraft parked at a first point (¶0058, 0075, 0087 and Fig. 5: arranging unit 68 derives the travelable distance for aviation unit 40. Movement plan is based on departure point of aircraft, where it is first parked);
a second storage battery state recognition unit for recognizing a state of a second storage battery provided in the target aircraft (¶0045, 0055, 0058, 0085: server 20 obtains current battery capacity (battery 22) of aviation device 12); and
a power supply apparatus selection unit for selecting the power supply apparatus that is to travel to a second point while the target aircraft is placed on the pad, based on:
states of the first storage batteries of a plurality of the power supply apparatuses;
the movement plan recognized by the movement plan recognition unit; and
a state of the second storage battery, the states of the first storage batteries being recognized by the first storage battery state recognition unit, the state of the second storage battery being recognized by the second storage battery state recognition unit (¶0058-0061 and Figs. 1 and 5: arrangement unit 68 coordinates aviation unit 40 and traveling devices 14 to set up a feeding position in a candidate extraction range A20. The arrangement unit 68 selects based on available battery capacity of and position of traveling device 14 and moving plan from departure point to temporary power supply position to final destination.),
wherein the power supply control unit determines a supply amount of the first power, based on the power required for moving, the traveling unit while the aircraft is placed on the pad, between predetermined points by a time of a next flight of the aircraft (¶’s [15, 21, 69]: Traveling unit 42 is the combination of traveling device 14 and cabin 10 connected to each other. Traveling unit 42 moves on the ground when the aviation unit cannot reach the destination. Based on the destination to be reached, power is provided from the battery 24, with battery capacity supported by driving the engine or regenerative braking. The examiner interprets the power supply amount of the first power as any power that is required for moving).
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 3-4 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shibuya in view of Gisser et al. (US 20230063419 A1, filed 2021-08-30).
Regarding claim 3, Shibuya discloses a power supply apparatus comprising:
a first storage battery (¶0015 and Figs. 1-3: battery 24);
a traveling unit operated and caused to travel by electric power supplied from the first storage battery (traveling device 14 consumes electric power of battery 24 to drive the wheels);
a pad, mounted on the traveling unit (¶0017 and Figs. 2-3: traveling device 14 is provided with a cabin connecting portion 36), on which a vertical take-off and landing aircraft is placed (¶’s [19-20] and Figs. 2-3: Aviation unit 40 is formed from aviation device 12 and cabin 10 and moves through the sky. The traveling device 14 is connectable to the cabin 10 through the cabin connecting portion 36);
a power supply unit for supplying the aircraft placed on the pad with power output from the first storage battery (¶0026 and Fig. 3: battery 24 of the traveling device 14 supplies power to battery 22 of aviation device 12. A power supply unit is implied);
a movement plan recognition unit for recognizing a movement plan of the aircraft (¶0058 and Fig. 5: arranging unit 68 derives the travelable distance for aviation unit 40);
a second storage battery state recognition unit for recognizing a state of a second storage battery provided in the aircraft (¶0045, 0055, 0058, 0085: server 20 obtains current battery capacity (battery 22) of aviation device 12); and
a power supply control unit (¶0032: control unit 54) for controlling first power and second power via the power supply unit, based on the movement plan recognized by the movement plan recognition unit and the state of the second storage battery recognized by the second storage battery state recognition unit, the first power being supplied from the first storage battery to the traveling unit, the second power being supplied from the first storage battery to the aircraft via the power supply unit (Fig. 5 and ¶0058, 0066-0069, 0015: based on the determined departure place and destination, the aviation unit receives electric power from the traveling device 14 with battery 24 on traveling device 14 charging battery 22 on aviation device 12. Battery 24 on traveling device 14 drives the wheels of traveling device 14),
wherein the power supply control unit determines a supply amount of the second power, based on power required for charging a second storage battery t, the second storage battery being provided in the aircraft (¶’s [45, 27, 69]: the server 20 obtains current battery capacity of battery 22. The battery 24 of traveling device 14 supplies sufficient electric power to battery 22 of aviation device.), and
wherein the first power and the second power are controlled based on the movement plan and the state of the second battery while the aircraft is placed on the pad and being moved by the traveling unit while the aircraft is placed on the pad (¶’s [15, 21, 67-69]: Traveling unit 42 is the combination of traveling device 14 and cabin 10 connected to each other. Traveling unit 42 moves on the ground when the aviation unit cannot reach the destination. Based on the destination to be reached, power is provided from the battery 24, with battery capacity supported by driving the engine or regenerative braking. Based on demand and capacity, the aviation unit 40 moves powered by its battery 22).
Shibuya does not disclose determining a supply of the second power based on power required for operating a storage battery temperature adjustment unit in the aircraft, the storage battery temperature adjustment unit heating or cooling the second storage battery.
Gisser discloses determining a supply of the second power based on power required for operating a storage battery temperature adjustment unit in the aircraft, the storage battery temperature adjustment unit heating or cooling the second storage battery (¶0127: controller determines how much power is needed to cool the battery system below a threshold temperature based on the ambient air temperature).
Shibuya and Gisser disclose charging batteries of mobile systems. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to incorporate the power determination in the system of Gisser into the system of Shibuya to ensure that the battery of the aviation device has enough energy to maintain temperature control of the battery so the battery life is maximized and does not malfunction with the aviation device is flying.
Regarding claim 4, Shibuya discloses the power supply apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the movement plan includes a departure time, a departure location, an arrival time, an arrival location, and movement points on ground (¶’s [55-57, 85-86, 91, 96] and Fig. 5: arranging unit 68 refers to the aviation equipment table and derives the movable time of the target aviation unit based on current battery capacity. Current battery capacity is measured against the distance to travel between departure point and destination. Movement points along the ground are illustrated in Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 6, Shibuya teaches the power supply apparatus according to claim 3, wherein second power is supplied to the aircraft while the aircraft is moved between predetermined points by the traveling unit while the aircraft is placed on the pad (¶[69]: Sufficient power can be supplied from the traveling device 14 to the battery 22 of the aviation unit 40, especially as the aviation unit 40 needs resupply because if its shorter movable distance than the traveling device).
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 Ryu-Sung P. Weinmann whose telephone number is (703)756-5964. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9am-5pm ET.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Julian Huffman, can be reached at (571) 272-2147. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Ryu-Sung P. Weinmann/Examiner, Art Unit 2859 July 6, 2026
/JULIAN D HUFFMAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2859
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