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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in Japan on 03/22/2022.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 03/20/2023 was filed. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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) 9-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ESHKENAZY et al (U.S. 2016/0236775) and further in view of Wong et al (U.S. 2018/0319482).
3. As per claim 9 ESHKENAZY disclosed a control device for an aircraft including a vertical rotor device configured to provide a vertical thrust, and a horizontal rotor device configured to provide a horizontal thrust [Instead the airframe/aircraft may be a flying wing without a distinct fuselage and/or tail. Such an embodiment may still include aerodynamic surfaces that impact pitch/roll/yaw, at least one horizontal thrust rotor, a plurality of vertical thrust rotors, a wing with an airfoil, etc. as disclosed herein throughout. For example, a flying wing configuration using a wing similar to the wing 6 in FIG. 1 could be utilized with vertical thrust rotors 24 positioned ahead of and behind the wing 6, with the ailerons 12 utilized for both pitch and roll control depending on whether they are deflected in the same direction or opposing directions. A further illustrative embodiment would consist of a flying wing with a sufficiently large chord to permit some or all of the vertical thrust rotors to be embedded in holes passing substantially vertically through the wing 6 to enable air to flow past the vertical thrust rotors 24] (Paragraph. 0038),
wherein the control device is configured to:
calculate a magnitude of a resultant thrust of the vertical thrust and the horizontal thrust in accordance with a stop position of a single thrust adjustment lever [Pilot Interface] operated by an operator [Notwithstanding the embodiments described above, various modifications, changes, and enhancements are contemplated and considered within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the shape, size, and other configuration of the vertical thrust rotors and/or forward thrust rotor(s) may vary based upon the size and configuration of the aircraft. Similarly, the aircraft/airframe itself may vary in size, including the wing, fuselage, aerodynamic control surfaces, stabilizers, etc. Additionally, other components used for operation of a controller, receiver, pilot interfaces, vertical thrust system, forward thrust system, and aerodynamic system may be employed. In various embodiments, a computer algorithm may be developed to control the safe transition from vertical to forward flight modes and from forward to vertical flight modes by merely setting a position of a switch or button on the pilot interface] (Paragraph. 0039); and
However, ESHKENAZY did not explicitly disclose, “perform coordinated control of the vertical rotor device and the horizontal rotor device based on the resultant thrust”.
In the same field of endeavor Wong disclosed, “FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a multicopter which is controlled using a vertical thrust lever. In the example shown, the multicopter is a manned multicopter with two sets of rotors where at least some of the rotors are controlled using a vertical thrust lever (not shown). The rotors in the first set (102) are oriented to rotate in a horizontal plane. Generally speaking, these rotors are optimized for vertical thrust. For example, the blades of rotors 102 are positioned to be at a relatively flat pitch angle in order to provide better vertical lift, which makes rotors 102 efficient and/or good at hovering or ascending/descending substantially vertically into the air. These rotors (102) are sometimes referred to as a vertical propulsion system. The second set of rotors (including left tail rotor 104a and right tail rotor 104b) are oriented to rotate in a vertical plane. Generally speaking, these rotors in the second set are optimized for forward flight. For example, the blades of the rotors in the second set may have their blades at a steeper pitch angle which is better for propelling the multicopter forward through the air (e.g., nose first) where lift comes from the airflow over the wings (106). These rotors (104a and 104b) are sometimes referred to as a horizontal propulsion system (Paragraph. 0013 and 0014)
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing was made to have incorporated FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a multicopter which is controlled using a vertical thrust lever. In the example shown, the multicopter is a manned multicopter with two sets of rotors where at least some of the rotors are controlled using a vertical thrust lever (not shown). The rotors in the first set (102) are oriented to rotate in a horizontal plane. Generally speaking, these rotors are optimized for vertical thrust. For example, the blades of rotors 102 are positioned to be at a relatively flat pitch angle in order to provide better vertical lift, which makes rotors 102 efficient and/or good at hovering or ascending/descending substantially vertically into the air. These rotors (102) are sometimes referred to as a vertical propulsion system. The second set of rotors (including left tail rotor 104a and right tail rotor 104b) are oriented to rotate in a vertical plane. Generally speaking, these rotors in the second set are optimized for forward flight. For example, the blades of the rotors in the second set may have their blades at a steeper pitch angle which is better for propelling the multicopter forward through the air (e.g., nose first) where lift comes from the airflow over the wings (106). These rotors (104a and 104b) are sometimes referred to as a horizontal propulsion system as taught by Wong in the method and system of ESHKENAZY to increase the efficiency of the aircraft system.
4. As per claim 10 ESHKENAZY -Wong disclosed, the control device according to wherein the control device is configured to:
calculate the magnitude of the resultant thrust based on a magnitude of a thrust, the magnitude of the thrust being indicated by a signal that is output from the thrust adjustment lever (Wong, Paragraph. 0022);
set a resultant thrust angle that is an angle formed by the horizontal thrust and the resultant thrust, in accordance with a speed of the aircraft (Wong, Paragraph. 0012);
calculate a vertical component and a horizontal component of the resultant thrust, based on the resultant thrust angle and the magnitude of the resultant thrust; and control the vertical rotor device to provide the vertical thrust having the vertical component, and control the horizontal rotor device to provide the horizontal thrust having the horizontal component (Wong, Paragraph. 0023). Claim 10 has the same motivation as to claim 9.
5. As per claim 11 ESHKENAZY -Wong disclosed the control device according to wherein the control device is configured to change a distribution between the vertical component and the horizontal component without requiring an attitude adjustment operation (Wong, Paragraph. 0016). Claim 11 has the same motivation as to claim 9.
6. As per claim 12 ESHKENAZY -Wong disclosed the control device according to wherein the thrust adjustment lever includes an operation member configured to be operated by a finger of a hand of the operator gripping the thrust adjustment lever, and the operation member is configured to output a signal for adjusting a resultant thrust angle that is an angle formed by the horizontal thrust and the resultant thrust (Wong, Paragraph. 0020). Claim 12 has the same motivation as to claim 9.
Response to Arguments
7. Applicant's arguments filed 01/30/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Response to applicant’s argument is as follows.
A. Applicant argued that prior art did not disclose, “wherein the control device is configured to: calculate a magnitude of a resultant thrust of the vertical thrust and the horizontal thrust based on a magnitude of a thrust”.
As to applicant’s argument ESHKENAZY disclosed, “In order to enhance stability and efficiency, and due to the fact that the rotors on this vertical takeoff and landing aircraft 2 are not repositioned to provide primary vertical and horizontal thrust from the same set of rotors, the vertical thrust rotors 24 and the forward thrust rotor 18 have rotor blades optimized for their unique operating environments. The vertical thrust rotor blade pitch angle 316 for each of the vertical thrust rotor blades 302 included on each of the vertical thrust rotor 18 is less than the forward thrust rotor blade pitch angle 212 of each of the forward thrust rotor blade 202 included on the forward thrust roto1`r 18. The chord length of vertical thrust rotor blades 302 is also larger than that of the forward thrust rotor blades 202; and the thickness of the vertical thrust rotor blades 302 measured perpendicular to their blade chord lines are less than the thickness of the forward thrust rotor blades 202 when measured perpendicular to their blade chord lines. Other relative sizes of the various rotors, rotor blades, and chord lengths may be used in different embodiments (Paragraph. 0033).
B. Applicant argued that prior did not disclose, “calculate a magnitude of a resultant thrust of the vertical thrust and the horizontal thrust in accordance with a stop position of a single thrust adjustment lever [Pilot Interface] operated by an operator”.
As to applicant’s argument ESHKENAZY disclosed, “Notwithstanding the embodiments described above, various modifications, changes, and enhancements are contemplated and considered within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the shape, size, and other configuration of the vertical thrust rotors and/or forward thrust rotor(s) may vary based upon the size and configuration of the aircraft. Similarly, the aircraft/airframe itself may vary in size, including the wing, fuselage, aerodynamic control surfaces, stabilizers, etc. Additionally, other components used for operation of a controller, receiver, pilot interfaces, vertical thrust system, forward thrust system, and aerodynamic system may be employed. In various embodiments, a computer algorithm may be developed to control the safe transition from vertical to forward flight modes and from forward to vertical flight modes by merely setting a position of a switch or button on the pilot interface” (Paragraph. 0039).
Conclusion
8. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communication from the
examiner should be directed to Adnan Mirza whose telephone number is (571)-272-3885.
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business hours. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the
examiner’s supervisor, Faris Almatrahi can be reached on (313)-446-4821.
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/ADNAN M MIRZA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3667
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