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 § 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.
Claim(s) 1-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Brady (US Patent No. 10,303,171). Relative to claims 1-4, Brady discloses:
claim 1) A transport system (Fig. 3) for an unmanned aerial vehicle (see UAV’s, 420)(Fig. 4)(Col. 22, lines , comprising:
an unmanned aerial vehicle (420)(Fig. 4);
a transport vehicle (see transportation vehicle 332)(Fig. 4) configured to travel along a predetermined travel route and comprising an aerial vehicle holding section (“storage areas”, and inherently a landing area on the transportation vehicle) configured to hold the unmanned aerial vehicle (Col. 22, lines 65-67; Col. 23, lines 1-5); and
a control device (326) configured to control the unmanned aerial vehicle and the transport vehicle (Col. 21, lines 34-41), and
the control device (326) outputs a move command designating a destination of the unmanned aerial vehicle to both the transport vehicle and the unmanned aerial vehicle held by the transport vehicle, the transport vehicle, in response to receiving the move command, travels to a corresponding stop position set on the travel route in correspondence to the destination and stops at the corresponding stop position (management system 326 controls UAV’s and transportation vehicles 332, sets travel path, including delivery locations for the AGV’s, UAV’s 420, and stopping locations for the transportation vehicles 332 - Col. 21, lines 38-45; Col. 22, lines 21-35; Col. 23, lines 18-27; Col. 23, lines 32-33), and
the unmanned aerial vehicle (420), in response to receiving the move command, takes off from the aerial vehicle holding section and moves to the destination, while the transport vehicle is stopped at the corresponding stop position (UAV travels from aerial vehicle holding section of transportation vehicle 332 to a delivery location L2 and back; Col. 25, lines 44-47);
claim 2) the move command designating the destination of the unmanned aerial vehicle is a first move command (Col. 25, lines 1-10),
the control device (326) selectively executes output of the first move command and output of a second move command and a third move command (management system selectively instructs the UAV’s and transportation vehicles to travel to and from stopping and delivery locations through coordination as needed, Col. 25, lines 1-5; Col. 23, lines 18-27), the second move command designates a target stop position (stopping location) of the transport vehicle (332) set on the travel route, and is output to the transport vehicle (332)(Col. 21, lines 35-45),
the third move command designates the destination of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV, 420) and is output to the unmanned aerial vehicle (420)(Col. 23, lines 17-27),
the control device (326) outputs the second move command to the transport vehicle (332), and thereafter outputs the third move command to the unmanned aerial vehicle (420) held by the transport vehicle (420), and the transport vehicle, in response to receiving the second move command, travels to the target stop position and stops at the target stop position (management system instructs the transportation vehicles 332 to move to designated stopping locations, Col. 22, lines 21-32; Col. 21, lines 34-45),
and the unmanned aerial vehicle (420), in response to receiving the third move command, takes off from the aerial vehicle holding section and moves to the destination (delivery location L), while the transport vehicle is stopped at the target stop position (Col. 24, lines 34-52)(Fig. 7A);
claim 3) the transport vehicle (332) remains stopped at the corresponding stop position until the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) returns from the destination and lands on the aerial vehicle holding section (Col. 24, lines 43-47; Col. 25, lines 41-44);
claim 4) the unmanned aerial vehicle (420) comprises an article holding section configured to hold and release an article (inherently included but not shown, the UAV travels with the item and releases the item at the delivery location), and the control device (326) designates, as the destination in the move command, at least one of a transport destination to which the article is to be transported and a pickup destination (“delivery location”) from which the article is to be picked up (Col. 23, lines 17-27).
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.
Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brady in view of Evans et al (US Patent No. 9,928,474). Relative to claim 5, Brady discloses all claim limitations mentioned above, including: in an automatic mode, the unmanned aerial vehicle is prohibited from flying while the transport vehicle is traveling.
Brady does not expressly disclose: the control device comprises an operation reception section configured to receive an operation input of an operator, and is switchable between: (i) an automatic mode for automatically setting the destination in accordance with a predetermined program and (ii) a manual mode for controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle and the transport vehicle according to the operation input,
in the automatic mode, the unmanned aerial vehicle is prohibited from flying while the transport vehicle is traveling, and in the manual mode, (i) the transport vehicle travels according to the operation input, and (ii) the unmanned aerial vehicle flies according to the operation input regardless of whether the transport vehicle is traveling or stopped.
Evans teaches: the control device comprises an operation reception section configured to receive an operation input of an operator, and is switchable between:
(i) an automatic mode for automatically setting the destination in accordance with a predetermined program, and (ii) a manual mode for controlling the transport vehicle according to the operation input (mobile base may be controlled automatically or manually; Col. 7, lines 34-37; Col. 25, lines 30-33), and in the manual mode, the transport vehicle travels according to the operation input, and
the unmanned aerial vehicle (transportation unit, 500)(Fig. 4) flies regardless of whether the transport vehicle is traveling or stopped (Col. 3, lines 25-31; Col. 9, lines 62-67).
Evans teaches the control device comprising an operation reception section for receiving an operation input of an operator, and is switchable between: an automatic mode, and a manual mode for controlling the transport vehicle, and the unmanned aerial vehicle flies regardless of whether the transport vehicle is traveling or stopped described above, for the purpose of providing a system and method for utilizing mobile bases for delivering items to user specified delivery locations that is automated, requires less manual labor, and minimizes costs, and is more convenient (Col. 2, lines 50-55; Col. 1, lines 35-41; Col. 3, lines 3-18).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art on or before the time of the filing to modify the system of Brady with the control device for receiving an operation input that is switchable between: an automatic mode, and a manual mode and the unmanned aerial vehicle flies regardless of whether the transport vehicle is traveling or stopped, as taught in Evans for the purpose of providing a system and method for utilizing mobile bases for delivering items to user specified delivery locations that is automated, requires less manual labor, and minimizes costs, and is more convenient.
Relative to claim 5, the disclosure of Brady in view of Evans discloses all claim limitations above, but does not expressly disclose: the operation section includes a manual mode for controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the operation input, and in the manual mode, the unmanned aerial vehicle flies according to the operation input regardless of whether the transport vehicle is traveling or stopped.
Brady in view of Evens teaches the operation section includes a manual mode for controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the operation input, and in the manual mode, the unmanned aerial vehicle flies according to the operation input regardless of whether the transport vehicle is traveling or stopped, as an obvious matter of design choice based on the user’s preference.
It is well-known in the art that unmanned aerial vehicle may be controlled both automatically and manually according to operator input in the art of drone technology. See MPEP §2144.03.
It is also to control the transportation unit, or unmanned aerial vehicle, to fly according to operator input regardless of whether the transport vehicle is traveling or stopped in the manual mode since the disclosure of Evans discloses that the transportation units may be controlled remotely (Evans, Col. 11, lines 36-40), and further implies that the transportation units (500) may be controlled manually since switching between manual and automated operations is well-known in the art. See the control system of Fig. 6. Moreover, during manual operations, the transportation unit (500) may be controlled to fly regardless of whether the mobile base is in motion so that mobile bases may move continuously to locations, thereby improving the rate of deliveries and the number of customers that can be serviced which improves overall customer satisfaction. See MPEP §2144.01, §2144.04 (III), and §2144.05.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Brady in view of Evans with the so that the manual mode also controls the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the operation input, and in the manual mode, the unmanned aerial vehicle flies according to the operation input regardless of whether the transport vehicle is traveling or stopped as an obvious matter of design choice since switching between automated and manual modes for controlling unmanned aerial vehicles is well-known in the art of drone technology, and so that the mobile bases may move continuously to locations as the unmanned aerial vehicles are performing deliveries, thereby improving the rate of deliveries and the number of customers that can be serviced.
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brady in view of Toshiaki Tazume (JP 7299368 B1). Relative to claim 6, Brady discloses all claim limitations mentioned above, but does not expressly disclose the corresponding stop position is set in a location where the unmanned aerial vehicle is not obstructed by an obstacle when taking off from the aerial vehicle holding section.
Tazume teaches: the corresponding stop position is set in a location where the unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) is not obstructed by an obstacle when taking off from the aerial vehicle holding section (Page 12, Para. 0062-0064 of the English translation of the specification, system considers whether there is an obstacle blocking the path of the drone in determining a stop position), for the purpose of providing an unmanned aerial vehicle and information processing method to improve safety (Page 2, Para. 0001; 0006 of the English translation of the specification).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art on or before the time of the filing to modify the system of Brady so that the corresponding stop position is set in a location where the unmanned aerial vehicle is not obstructed by an obstacle as taught in Tazume for the purpose of providing an unmanned aerial vehicle and information processing method to improve safety.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Theobald et al (US Patent No. 12,291,333): discloses the drone flying and returning to the vehicle without the vehicle stopping.
Brady et al (US Patent No. 10,310,500): discloses UAV’s flying to and from a transportation vehicle to deliver a package to a destination. The vehicles travel along a determined route (Col. 5, lines 15-20).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YOLANDA RENEE CUMBESS whose telephone number is (571)270-5527. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5.
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/YOLANDA R CUMBESS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3651