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 .
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) 1-30 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ali et al. US 2022/0351627 A1 (hereinafter Ali) in view of Moses et al. US 20230150625 A1 (hereinafter Moses).
Regarding claims 1, 11, and 21, Ali teaches a computer-implemented method executed on a computing device (paragraph 0066 teaches a computer implemented method executed on a general purpose processor which is understood by the examiner to be a computing device); a computer program product residing on a non-transitory computer readable medium having a plurality of instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations (paragraph 0067 teaches computer readable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium that performs the method when executed by a processor); and a computing system including a processor (paragraph 0066 teaches a general purpose processor) and memory (paragraph 0066 teaches a programmable read only memory) configured to perform operations (paragraph 0066 teaches computer implemented instructions for executing the method on a general purpose processor) comprising:
monitoring a plurality of drones (Abstract teaches determining flight conflict between two or more UAVs) moving within a controlled space (Abstract teaches controlling UAVs according to a specified geographic regions);
receiving a request from an additional drone seeking permission to move within the controlled space (Figure 9 710 and 910 teach receiving a flight path into a controlled geographic cell and a request to approve the path from another UAV);
plotting an additional navigation path through the controlled space (Figure 9 730 teaches that new navigational instructions are produced) based, at least in part, upon the plurality of drones (Figure 9 730 teaches that the navigation instructions prevent conflict with one or more UAVs) and known obstacles within the controlled space (paragraph 0094 teaches that navigation determination is based on obstructions in the geographic space; obstructions are understood as a type of obstacle to the examiner);
providing the additional navigation path to the additional drone (Figure 9 730 teaches that new navigational instructions are provided to one or more UAVs to avoid conflict; paragraph 0085 more explicitly details rerouting the requesting drone); and
securing the additional navigation path (paragraph 0085 details rerouting the requesting drone) utilizing one or more of data encryption (paragraph 0032 teach all communications between UAVs, which would include communications regarding navigation path, are encrypted) and blockchain technology (paragraph 0044 teach using blockchain entries when updating route information).
Ali does not teach processing a medical assistance request via a voice-based virtual assistant and defining a location for the medical assistance request; and searching the location for the medical assistance request via a thermal imaging camera.
Moses teaches processing a medical assistance request via a voice-based virtual assistant (paragraph 0011 discloses a user, hereinafter swimmer in distress, on a boat may request emergency assistance from a search and rescue drone using voice commands on a wearable device; see also paragraph 0047 where a swimmer in distress may require additional medical assistance and/or may need to be saved from a boat accident) and defining a location for the medical assistance request (paragraph 0011 discloses that the search and rescue drone is programmed to fly to the location of the wearable device); and searching the location for the medical assistance request via a thermal imaging camera (paragraph 0042 discloses searching an area the drone has navigated to using thermal cameras to identify a swimmer in distress).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to have modified Ali to incorporate the teachings of Moses such that search and rescue services can be called to a location of a swimmer in distress according to the teachings of Moses wherein the search and rescue drone can be controlled according to the method of Ali and such that upon reaching an assistance destination, search and rescue operations using a thermal camera may be performed as taught by Moses. This modification would be made with a reasonable expectation of success to improve safety and reduce mortality of people on boats by providing a safe and intuitive alert system such that people in emergency situations, such as boating accidents, can quickly and efficiently receive search and rescue services at any time and can be quickly identified at their requesting location.
Regarding claims 2, 12, and 22, the modified Ali reference teaches all of claims 1, 11, and 21 as described above. Ali further teaches obtaining weather information from a weather resource (paragraph 0073 teaches using weather data from one or more weather data severs).
Regarding claims 3, 13, and 23, the modified Ali reference teaches all of claims 2, 12, and 22 as described above. Ali further teaches considering the weather information when plotting the additional navigation path through the controlled space (paragraph 0073 teaches using weather data for navigation determination).
Regarding claims 4, 14, and 24, the modified Ali reference teaches all of claims 1, 11, and 21 as described above. Ali further teaches obtaining restricted airspace information (paragraph 0053 teaches airspace information being obtained from regulatory data servers) and/or air traffic information (paragraph 0073 teaches using air traffic data from air traffic data servers) from an aviation authority (paragraph 0051 teaches air traffic data severs may be from the Federal Aviation Administration; paragraph 0053 teaches regulatory data servers may be from Federal Aviation Administration).
Regarding claims 5, 15, and 25, the modified Ali reference teaches all of claims 4, 14, and 24 as described above. Ali further teaches considering the restricted airspace information and/or air traffic information when plotting the additional navigation path through the controlled space (paragraph 0073 teaches using air traffic and regulatory data for navigation determination).
Regarding claims 6, 16, and 26, the modified Ali reference teaches all of claims 1, 11, and 21 as described above. Ali further teaches obtaining charge / range information for the additional drone (paragraph 0070 teaches using UAV attributes like maximum range).
Regarding claims 7, 17, and 27, the modified Ali reference teaches all of claims 6, 16, and 26 as described above. Ali further teaches (paragraph 0070 teaches using UAV attributes like maximum range in the deconfliction module which is what determines navigational paths)
Regarding claims 8, 18, and 28, the modified Ali reference teaches all of claims 1, 11, and 21 as described above. Ali further teaches that each of the plurality of drones moving within a controlled space has a defined navigation path, thus defining a plurality of navigation paths (paragraph 0005 teaches flight path data of two or more UAVs i.e., a plurality of navigation paths).
Regarding claims 9, 19, and 29, the modified Ali reference teaches all of claims 8, 18, and 28 as described above. Ali further teaches securing one or more of the plurality of navigation paths (paragraph 0115 teaches carrying out the alternative proposed flight path for the additional UAV; paragraph 0085 teaches carrying out the proposed flight path for one or more UAVs to avoid conflict with the additional UAV).
Regarding claims 10, 20, and 30, the modified Ali reference teaches all of claims 9, 19, and 29 as described above. Ali further teaches that securing one or more of the plurality of navigation paths includes one or more of:
utilizing data encryption to secure one or more of the plurality of navigation paths (paragraph 0032 teaches all communications between UAVs, which would inherently include communications regarding navigation path, are encrypted); and
utilizing data encryption to secure one or more of the plurality of navigation paths (paragraph 0044 teaches using blockchain entries when updating route information).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 8-9, filed 4/30/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1, 11, and 21 under 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive in light of claim amendments filed 4/30/2026. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Ali as modified by Moses.
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.
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/A.T.S./Examiner, Art Unit 3669
/Erin M Piateski/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3669
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