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 . This action is responsive to an amendment filed on 6/2/2026.
Claims 1-9, 12-18, and 20-21 are pending.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement submitted on 3/3/26 have been considered by the
Examiner and made of record in the application.
Response to Amendments
Amendments filed on 6/2/2026 are under consideration. Claims 1-2, and 6-7 are amended. Claims 19 and 22 are cancelled.
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 1-2, 4-7, 9, 12, 15-16, and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yao et al. (CN116588347A) and in view of Hershey et al. (US 10,404,569 B2) and in further view of Saito (JP 6720101 B2) and in further of Reza (CN 118798800 A)
Regarding Claim 1 Yao teaches A structural integrity management system for an aircraft, (Pg. 7- Description – “Digital twins and intelligent repair methods and systems for aviation composite material repair.”) the system comprising: an electronic processor configured to receive, from one or more sensors, information regarding damage to a component of the aircraft, (Pg. 11 – [n0021]– “A processor for executing the intelligent emergency repair method for repairing a digital twin using aviation composite materials as claimed in the claim;” & See Also Pg. 9 – [n0007] – “The repair elements of the aviation composite repair entity acquired in real time…” & See Also Pg. 26 – [n0095] – “According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the real-time data transmission module 310 includes: a damage scanning and identification module and a sensor.” (equates to the system comprising: an electronic processor configured to receive information regarding damage to a component of the aircraft as the processor is shown in the first quote used for executing the entirety of the method described in the prior art and the second quote shows the repairs entities or the damage of an aircraft component being received in real time )) update a digital twin model associated with the aircraft based on the received information, (Pg. 15 – [n0045] – “According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the aviation composite material repair digital twin (referred to as "digital twin") provided by the present disclosure is a group of virtual objects composed of information technology, which can imitate the structure, environment and behavior of the composite material repair entity, dynamically update it during the entire life cycle of the digital twin by using the repair data of the repair entity” & See Also Pg. 9 – [n0007] – “The repair elements of the aviation composite repair entity acquired in real time…” (equates to update a digital twin model associated with the aircraft based on the received information as the first quote includes the updating of the digital twin and the second quote shows how data about the vehicle is collected in real time and thus that data would be used to update the digital twin. )) perform a rapid structural analysis using the updated digital twin model, (Pg. 16 & 17 – [n0050] – “Among them, the repair process parameter combination includes at least one combination of temperature, pressure, size, time, curing degree, and tool path; the key performance includes at least one of curing degree, deformation, strain, stress, tensile strength, bearing strength, hardness, plasticity, and toughness.”) determine based on the results of the rapid structural analysis an actionable direction including a command, and implement the command to address the damage to the component of the aircraft, Pg. 17 – [n0051] – “…three-dimensional full-field real-time display and analysis of the repair entity based on the full-field distribution information of the key performance of the repaired entity after repair based on the repair process parameters acquired in real time and the initial visualized digital model; and transmits the target repair process parameters to the repair tool through the digital twin,” & See Also Pg. 16 & 17 – [n0050] – “Among them, the repair process parameter combination includes at least one combination of temperature, pressure, size, time, curing degree, and tool path; the key performance includes at least one of curing degree, deformation, strain, stress, tensile strength, bearing strength, hardness, plasticity, and toughness.” (equates to determine based on the results of the rapid structural analysis an actionable direction including a command, and implement the command to address the damage to the component of the aircraft as the first quote shows a rapid structural analysis and the second showing the repair process parameter being any structural determination concerning integrity of the aircraft wherein a repair may be made or actionable direction given to the aircraft’s condition.)) one of a plurality of devices to receive a notification with instructions for addressing the repair ( Pg. 4 – [n0010] – “and the received target repair process parameters are transmitted to the repair tool;” & See Also Pg. 35 – [n0141] - “The program code may execute entirely on the user's computing device, partly on the user's computing device, partly on a remote computing device, or entirely on the remote computing device or server”. (equates to one of a plurality of devices to receive a notification with instructions for addressing the repair as the first quote shows the transmission of the notification to about the repair elements wherein the second quote shows the plurality of devices in which would enact this method and thus the transmission of the notification would go to either device dependent on scenario. ))
Yet fails to and a future usage profile indicative of future intended use of the aircraft and wherein determining the actionable direction includes determining a level of maintenance intervention for addressing a repair of the aircraft; wherein implementing the command includes repairing the damage to the component of the aircraft and determining, based on the level of maintenance, one of a plurality of devices to receive a notification with instructions for addressing the repair, wherein the determining, based on the level of maintenance, one of the plurality of devices to receive the notification includes transmitting the notification to a first device of the plurality of devices corresponding to an operator of the aircraft in response to determining that the maintenance is correctable by the operator and transmitting the notification to a second device of the plurality of devices corresponding to a maintenance operator/engineer in response to determining that the maintenance is not correctable by the operator of the aircraft
Hershey teaches and a future usage profile indicative of future intended use of the aircraft (Pg. 25 – Col. 7 – lines 41-44 – “Similarly, the digital twin 250 might include an ecosystem simulator 260 that may allow all contributors to interact, not just at the physical layer, but virtually as well” & See Also Pg. 7 – Fig. 3 & See Also Pg. 26 – Col. 9 – lines 5-9 – “The recommendation 370 (e.g., to inspect, repair, and/or intervene in connection with control operations) may be used to determined simulated operations exogenous data via an ecosystem simulator.” & See Also Pg. 24 – Col. 6 – lines 51 – 57 – “This may be implemented using a computer model having substantial number of degrees of freedom and may be associated with, as illustrated 200 in FIG. 2A, an integration of complex physical models for computational fluid dynamics 202, structural dynamics 204, thermodynamic modeling 206, stress analysis modeling 210, and/or a fatigue cracking model 208” (equates to and a future usage profile indicative of future intended use of the aircraft as the first quote shows how an ecosystem simulator acts as a physical and digital layer for allowing changes to the aircraft to be made. Quote 2 shows how a recommendation is made to intervene the controls of the aircraft and thus can block or release the aircraft for the designated mission.)) transmit the future usage profile, as modified, to a computing device associated with the aircraft (Pg. 4 – Fig. 1B – S140 – “Transmit Information Associated With A Result Generated By The Computer Processor” & See Also Pg. 24 – Col. 5 – lines 4 – 10 – “The digital twin of twinned physical system 150 may, according to some embodiments, access the data store 110, and utilize a probabilistic model creation unit to automatically create a predictive model that may be used by a digital twin modeling software and processing platform to create a prediction and/or result that may be transmitted to various user platforms 170 as appropriate (e.g., for display to a user).” (equates to transmit the future usage profile, as modified, to a computing device associated with the aircraft as the first quote shows how a result is generated and transmitted to a user as seen by quote 2 and thus is transmitted to a device associated with the aircraft. ))
Yet Yao-Hershey fails to teach; wherein implementing the command includes repairing the damage to the component of the aircraft and determining, wherein determining the actionable direction includes determining a level of maintenance intervention for addressing a repair of the aircraft and determining, based on the level of maintenance, one of a plurality of devices to receive a notification with instructions for addressing the repair, wherein the determining, based on the level of maintenance, one of the plurality of devices to receive the notification includes transmitting the notification to a first device of the plurality of devices corresponding to an operator of the aircraft in response to determining that the maintenance is correctable by the operator and transmitting the notification to a second device of the plurality of devices corresponding to a maintenance operator/engineer in response to determining that the maintenance is not correctable by the operator of the aircraft.
Saito teaches ; wherein implementing the command includes repairing the damage to the component of the aircraft, (Pg. 6 – “At least one of the items required for repair (eg, parts of the machine to be repaired, equipment, etc.) and human resources in charge of repair (eg, name of worker involved in work, attribute information of worker, etc.) is presented. By doing so, it is possible to arrange items and human resources needed for repair before the aircraft in flight arrives. As a result, the aircraft can be promptly repaired after it arrives, and downtime of the aircraft can be reduced” (equates to wherein implementing the command includes repairing the damage to the component of the aircraft and determining as the quote shows the human resources being assigned to the determinate repair before the airplane lands for the implementation of the repair operation.)) wherein determining the actionable direction includes determining a level of maintenance intervention for addressing a repair of the aircraft, (Pg. 2 - “The present invention provides a fatigue estimating means for estimating a fatigue life of a predetermined area based on a damage level in a predetermined area of a body of an aircraft in operation, and the estimated fatigue life comes after a predetermined period has elapsed from the present” (equates to wherein determining the actionable direction includes determining a level of maintenance intervention for addressing a repair of the aircraft as the quote shows a level of damage and thus a level of maintenance needed for the aircraft to undergo based on the damage assessment.)) based on the level of maintenance (Pg. 2 – “fatigue life of the aircraft is estimated based on the damage level in a predetermined region of the aircraft being operated,”) wherein the determining, based on the level of maintenance, corresponding to an operator of the aircraft in response to determining that the maintenance is correctable by the operator and corresponding to a maintenance operator/engineer in response to determining that the maintenance is not correctable by the operator of the aircraft ( Pg. 2 - “The present invention provides a fatigue estimating means for estimating a fatigue life of a predetermined area based on a damage level in a predetermined area of a body of an aircraft in operation, and the estimated fatigue life comes after a predetermined period has elapsed from the present” & See Also Pg. 6 – “At least one of the items required for repair (eg, parts of the machine to be repaired, equipment, etc.) and human resources in charge of repair (eg, name of worker involved in work, attribute information of worker, etc.) is presented. By doing so, it is possible to arrange items and human resources needed for repair before the aircraft in flight arrives. As a result, the aircraft can be promptly repaired after it arrives, and downtime of the aircraft can be reduced” (equates to wherein the determining, based on the level of maintenance, corresponding to an operator of the aircraft in response to determining that the maintenance is correctable by the operator and corresponding to a maintenance operator/engineer in response to determining that the maintenance is not correctable by the operator of the aircraft as the first quote shows a level of damage to the aircraft being determined, wherein the second quote shows the transmission of damage to the aircraft to a device that is on the ground, and the second quote also showing the person in charge being selected for the appropriate repair, ie the operator assigned to the aircraft either may or may not be determined to be the one to make the repair. ))
Yet all fail to teach one of a plurality of devices to receive a notification, one of the plurality of devices to receive the notification includes transmitting the notification to a first device of the plurality of devices; transmitting the notification to a second device of the plurality of devices
Reza teaches one of a plurality of devices to receive a notification, (Pg. 9 – “In an embodiment, the access module 214 may be configured to provide one or more notifications to the one or more users 103” & See Also Pg. 6 – “Further, a user activity log may be maintained that indicates user access to the digital twin data. In addition, the system provides notifications or task updates to the relevant user regarding various states of the digital twinning” (equates to one of a plurality of devices to receive a notification, as the quote shows the one or more users able to receive a notification regarding the digital twin and thus a plurality of devices is realized. )) one of the plurality of devices to receive the notification includes transmitting the notification to a first device of the plurality of devices (Pg. 9 – “In an embodiment, the access module 214 may be configured to provide one or more notifications to the one or more users 103” & See Also Pg. 6 – “Further, a user activity log may be maintained that indicates user access to the digital twin data. In addition, the system provides notifications or task updates to the relevant user regarding various states of the digital twinning” (equates to one of the plurality of devices to receive the notification includes transmitting the notification to a first device of the plurality of devices as the quotes show a notification provided to a device in a device grouping corresponding to a designated user.)) transmitting the notification to a second device of the plurality of devices (Pg. 9 – “In an embodiment, the access module 214 may be configured to provide one or more notifications to the one or more users 103” & See Also Pg. 6 – “Further, a user activity log may be maintained that indicates user access to the digital twin data. In addition, the system provides notifications or task updates to the relevant user regarding various states of the digital twinning” (equates to transmitting the notification to a second device of the plurality of devices as the quote shows the one or more users being able to receive the notification and thus a second device within that one or more devices is actualized. )) It would have been an advantageous addition to the system described by Yao-Hershey-Saito to include one of a plurality of devices to receive a notification, one of the plurality of devices to receive the notification includes transmitting the notification to a first device of the plurality of devices; transmitting the notification to a second device of the plurality of devices as this allows for specific users within a system to receive the notification regarding the status of the aircraft to receive alerts and allows for expediated actions to take place based on the recipient of the notification.
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to include one of a plurality of devices to receive a notification, one of the plurality of devices to receive the notification includes transmitting the notification to a first device of the plurality of devices; transmitting the notification to a second device of the plurality of devices as these limitations allows for network of devices to all be in communication with the digital twin management system designated the status of the aircraft to be readily accessible to the operator to take action upon.
Regarding Claim 2 Yao-Hershey-Saito-Reza teaches The system of claim 1, (Yao Discloses the following limitations:) wherein the electronic processor is further configured to transmit, via a transceiver the notification to the determined one of the plurality of devices ( Pg. 4 – [n0010] – “and the received target repair process parameters are transmitted to the repair tool;” & See Also Pg. 35 – [n0141] - “The program code may execute entirely on the user's computing device, partly on the user's computing device, partly on a remote computing device, or entirely on the remote computing device or server”. (equates to electronic processor is further configured to transmit, via a transceiver the notification to the determined one of the plurality of devices as the first quote shows the transmission of the notification to about the repair elements wherein the second quote shows the plurality of devices in which would enact this method and thus the transmission of the notification would go to either device dependent on scenario. ))
Regarding Claim 4 Yao-Hershey-Saito-Reza teaches The system of claim 1, as previously mapped above.
Yao fails to teach wherein the electronic processor configured to modify the future usage profile based on a residual structural strength determination assessment wherein the system operates the aircraft according to the future usage profile as modified.
Hershey teaches configured to modify the future usage profile based on a residual structural strength determination assessment. (Pg. 24 – Col. 6 – lines 51 – 57 – “This may be implemented using a computer model having substantial number of degrees of freedom and may be associated with, as illustrated 200 in FIG. 2A, an integration of complex physical models for computational fluid 55 dynamics 202, structural dynamics 204, thermodynamic modeling 206, stress analysis modeling 210, and/or a fatigue cracking model 208” & See Also Pg. 25 – Col. 7 – lines 41-44 – “Similarly, the digital twin 250 might include an ecosystem simulator 260 that may allow all contributors to interact, not just at the physical layer, but virtually as well” & See Also Pg. 7 – Fig. 3 & See Also Pg. 26 – Col. 9 – lines 5-9 – “The recommendation 370 (e.g., to inspect, repair, and/or intervene in connection with control operations) may be used to determined simulated operations exogenous data via an ecosystem simulator.” (equates to wherein the modifying of the future usage profile is further based on a residual structural strength determination assessment as the first quote shows the result being one of a rapid structural analysis including stress and fatigue models wherein the remaining quotes show the modifying of the future profile as it relates to the mission planning, for use of the physical system.)) wherein the system operates the aircraft according to the future usage profile as modified. ((Pg. 25 – Col. 7 – lines 41-44 – “Similarly, the digital twin 250 might include an ecosystem simulator 260 that may allow all contributors to interact, not just at the physical layer, but virtually as well” & See Also Pg. 7 – Fig. 3 & See Also Pg. 26 – Col. 9 – lines 5-9 – “The recommendation 370 (e.g., to inspect, repair, and/or intervene in connection with control operations) may be used to determined simulated operations exogenous data via an ecosystem simulator.” & See Also Pg. 24 – Col. 6 – lines 51 – 57 – “This may be implemented using a computer model having substantial number of degrees of freedom and may be associated with, as illustrated 200 in FIG. 2A, an integration of complex physical models for computational fluid dynamics 202, structural dynamics 204, thermodynamic modeling 206, stress analysis modeling 210, and/or a fatigue cracking model 208” (equates to wherein the system operates the aircraft according to the future usage profile as modified as the second quote shows the intervention with controls operation based on the structural determination to the system and thus the operation of the aircraft is controlled by usage profile as determined.) ) It would have been an advantageous addition to the system disclosed by Yao to include wherein the modifying of the future usage profile is further based on a residual structural strength determination assessment wherein the system operates the aircraft according to the future usage profile as modified as this limitation ensures the mission being modified is being based on a strength analysis of the vehicle ensuring the vehicle can structurally withstand the mission it is about to be placed on.
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to include wherein the modifying of the future usage profile is further based on a residual structural strength determination assessment wherein the system operates the aircraft according to the future usage profile as modified as this limitation grounds the digital twin analysis to be based specifically on structural analysis performed and ensuring the modification of the usage profile or the mission assignment is based on the strength assessment.
Regarding Claim 5 Yao-Hershey-Saito-Reza teaches (Yao Discloses the following limitations:) The system of claim 1, wherein the future usage profile includes at least one selected from a group consisting of environmental information, duration, altitude range, and destination. (Pg. 17 – [n0053] – “According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the intelligent emergency repair method for aviation composite materials further includes: using a digital twin to monitor in real time parameter changes of the repaired repair entity during the service phase. It can be understood that after the digital twin completes the repair of the repair entity, the digital twin continues to receive the same load, environmental parameters” (equates to wherein the future usage profile includes at least one selected from a group consisting of environmental information, duration, altitude range, and destination as the environmental parameters of the vehicle are taken into account thus the environment of where the vehicle is and where it will be going it taken into account within the digital twin.))
Regarding Claim 6 Yao teaches A method of maintaining an aircraft, (Pg.1 – Title – “Method and system for repairing digital twinborn body by aviation composite material and intelligent first-aid repair”) the method comprising: receiving, at an electronic processor, from one or more sensors, information regarding damage to a component of the aircraft; (Pg. 11 – [n0021]– “A processor for executing the intelligent emergency repair method for repairing a digital twin using aviation composite materials as claimed in the claim;” & See Also Pg. 9 – [n0007] – “The repair elements of the aviation composite repair entity acquired in real time…”& See Also Pg. 26 – [n0095] – “According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the real-time data transmission module 310 includes: a damage scanning and identification module and a sensor.” (equates to the method comprising: an electronic processor configured to receive information regarding damage to a component of the aircraft as the processor is shown in the first quote used for executing the entirety of the method described in the prior art and the second quote shows the repairs entities or the damage of an aircraft component being received in real time )) updating a digital twin model associated with the aircraft based on the received information; (Pg. 15 – [n0045] – “According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the aviation composite material repair digital twin (referred to as "digital twin") provided by the present disclosure is a group of virtual objects composed of information technology, which can imitate the structure, environment and behavior of the composite material repair entity, dynamically update it during the entire life cycle of the digital twin by using the repair data of the repair entity” & See Also Pg. 9 – [n0007] – “The repair elements of the aviation composite repair entity acquired in real time…” (equates to updating a digital twin model associated with the aircraft based on the received information as the first quote includes the updating of the digital twin and the second quote shows how data about the vehicle is collected in real time and thus that data would be used to update the digital twin. )) performing, via the electronic processor, a rapid structural analysis using the updated digital twin model; (Pg. 16 & 17 – [n0050] – “Among them, the repair process parameter combination includes at least one combination of temperature, pressure, size, time, curing degree, and tool path; the key performance includes at least one of curing degree, deformation, strain, stress, tensile strength, bearing strength, hardness, plasticity, and toughness.”) based on the results of the rapid structural analysis and a future usage profile of the aircraft,. (Pg. 17 – [n0051] – “…three-dimensional full-field real-time display and analysis of the repair entity based on the full-field distribution information of the key performance of the repaired entity after repair based on the repair process parameters acquired in real time and the initial visualized digital model; and transmits the target repair process parameters to the repair tool through the digital twin,” & See Also Pg. 16 & 17 – [n0050] – “Among them, the repair process parameter combination includes at least one combination of temperature, pressure, size, time, curing degree, and tool path; the key performance includes at least one of curing degree, deformation, strain, stress, tensile strength, bearing strength, hardness, plasticity, and toughness.” & See Also Pg. 17 – [n0053] – “According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the intelligent emergency repair method for aviation composite materials further includes: using a digital twin to monitor in real time parameter changes of the repaired repair entity during the service phase. It can be understood that after the digital twin completes the repair of the repair entity, the digital twin continues to receive the same load, environmental parameters” (equates to based on the results of the rapid structural analysis and a future usage profile of the aircraft, as the first quote shows analysis being performed wherein the second quote shows how the analysis includes structural determinations such as stress and strain considerations..) ) determining, via the electronic processor, based on the results of the rapid structural analysis, an actionable direction including a command; and implementing, via the electronic processor, the command to address the damage to the component of the aircraft, ( Pg. 17 – [n0051] – “…three-dimensional full-field real-time display and analysis of the repair entity based on the full-field distribution information of the key performance of the repaired entity after repair based on the repair process parameters acquired in real time and the initial visualized digital model; and transmits the target repair process parameters to the repair tool through the digital twin,” & See Also Pg. 16 & 17 – [n0050] – “Among them, the repair process parameter combination includes at least one combination of temperature, pressure, size, time, curing degree, and tool path; the key performance includes at least one of curing degree, deformation, strain, stress, tensile strength, bearing strength, hardness, plasticity, and toughness.” (equates to determine based on the results of the rapid structural analysis an actionable direction including a command, and implement the command to address the damage to the component of the aircraft as the first quote shows a rapid structural analysis and the second showing the repair process parameter being any structural determination concerning integrity of the aircraft wherein a repair may be made or actionable direction given to the aircraft’s condition.)) one of a plurality of devices to receive a notification with instructions for addressing the repair ( Pg. 4 – [n0010] – “and the received target repair process parameters are transmitted to the repair tool;” & See Also Pg. 35 – [n0141] - “The program code may execute entirely on the user's computing device, partly on the user's computing device, partly on a remote computing device, or entirely on the remote computing device or server”. (equates to one of a plurality of devices to receive a notification with instructions for addressing the repair as the first quote shows the transmission of the notification to about the repair elements wherein the second quote shows the plurality of devices in which would enact this method and thus the transmission of the notification would go to either device dependent on scenario. ))
Yet Yao fails to teach and a future usage profile indicative of future intended use of the aircraft , wherein implementing the command includes repairing the damage to the component of the aircraft; wherein determining the actionable direction includes determining a level of maintenance intervention for addressing a repair of the aircraft and determining, based on the level of maintenance, wherein the determining, based on the level of maintenance, one of the plurality of devices to receive the notification includes transmitting the notification to a first device of the plurality of devices corresponding to an operator of the aircraft in response to determining that the maintenance is correctable by the operator and transmitting the notification to a second device of the plurality of devices corresponding to a maintenance operator/engineer in response to determining that the maintenance is not correctable by the operator of the aircraft.
Hershey teaches and a future usage profile indicative of future intended use of the aircraft (Pg. 25 – Col. 7 – lines 41-44 – “Similarly, the digital twin 250 might include an ecosystem simulator 260 that may allow all contributors to interact, not just at the physical layer, but virtually as well” & See Also Pg. 7 – Fig. 3 & See Also Pg. 26 – Col. 9 – lines 5-9 – “The recommendation 370 (e.g., to inspect, repair, and/or intervene in connection with control operations) may be used to determined simulated operations exogenous data via an ecosystem simulator.” & See Also Pg. 24 – Col. 6 – lines 51 – 57 – “This may be implemented using a computer model having substantial number of degrees of freedom and may be associated with, as illustrated 200 in FIG. 2A, an integration of complex physical models for computational fluid dynamics 202, structural dynamics 204, thermodynamic modeling 206, stress analysis modeling 210, and/or a fatigue cracking model 208” (equates to and a future usage profile indicative of future intended use of the aircraft as the first quote shows how an ecosystem simulator acts as a physical and digital layer for allowing changes to the aircraft to be made. Quote 2 shows how a recommendation is made to intervene the controls of the aircraft and thus can block or release the aircraft for the designated mission.))
Yet Yao-Hershey fails to teach wherein implementing the command includes repairing the damage to the component of the aircraft; wherein determining the actionable direction includes determining a level of maintenance intervention for addressing a repair of the aircraft and determining, based on the level of maintenance, wherein the determining, based on the level of maintenance, one of the plurality of devices to receive the notification includes transmitting the notification to a first device of the plurality of devices corresponding to an operator of the aircraft in response to determining that the maintenance is correctable by the operator and transmitting the notification to a second device of the plurality of devices corresponding to a maintenance operator/engineer in response to determining that the maintenance is not correctable by the operator of the aircraft.
Saito teaches ; wherein implementing the command includes repairing the damage to the component of the aircraft, (Pg. 6 – “At least one of the items required for repair (eg, parts of the machine to be repaired, equipment, etc.) and human resources in charge of repair (eg, name of worker involved in work, attribute information of worker, etc.) is presented. By doing so, it is possible to arrange items and human resources needed for repair before the aircraft in flight arrives. As a result, the aircraft can be promptly repaired after it arrives, and downtime of the aircraft can be reduced” (equates to wherein implementing the command includes repairing the damage to the component of the aircraft and determining as the quote shows the human resources being assigned to the determinate repair before the airplane lands for the implementation of the repair operation.)) wherein determining the actionable direction includes determining a level of maintenance intervention for addressing a repair of the aircraft, (Pg. 2 - “The present invention provides a fatigue estimating means for estimating a fatigue life of a predetermined area based on a damage level in a predetermined area of a body of an aircraft in operation, and the estimated fatigue life comes after a predetermined period has elapsed from the present” (equates to wherein determining the actionable direction includes determining a level of maintenance intervention for addressing a repair of the aircraft as the quote shows a level of damage and thus a level of maintenance needed for the aircraft to undergo based on the damage assessment.)) based on the level of maintenance (Pg. 2 – “fatigue life of the aircraft is estimated based on the damage level in a predetermined region of the aircraft being operated,”) wherein the determining, based on the level of maintenance, corresponding to an operator of the aircraft in response to determining that the maintenance is correctable by the operator and corresponding to a maintenance operator/engineer in response to determining that the maintenance is not correctable by the operator of the aircraft ( Pg. 2 - “The present invention provides a fatigue estimating means for estimating a fatigue life of a predetermined area based on a damage level in a predetermined area of a body of an aircraft in operation, and the estimated fatigue life comes after a predetermined period has elapsed from the present” & See Also Pg. 6 – “At least one of the items required for repair (eg, parts of the machine to be repaired, equipment, etc.) and human resources in charge of repair (eg, name of worker involved in work, attribute information of worker, etc.) is presented. By doing so, it is possible to arrange items and human resources needed for repair before the aircraft in flight arrives. As a result, the aircraft can be promptly repaired after it arrives, and downtime of the aircraft can be reduced” (equates to wherein the determining, based on the level of maintenance, corresponding to an operator of the aircraft in response to determining that the maintenance is correctable by the operator and corresponding to a maintenance operator/engineer in response to determining that the maintenance is not correctable by the operator of the aircraft as the first quote shows a level of damage to the aircraft being determined, wherein the second quote shows the transmission of damage to the aircraft to a device that is on the ground, and the second quote also showing the person in charge being selected for the appropriate repair, ie the operator assigned to the aircraft either may or may not be determined to be the one to make the repair. ))
Yet all fail to teach one of a plurality of devices to receive a notification, one of the plurality of devices to receive the notification includes transmitting the notification to a first device of the plurality of devices; transmitting the notification to a second device of the plurality of devices
Reza teaches one of a plurality of devices to receive a notification, (Pg. 9 – “In an embodiment, the access module 214 may be configured to provide one or more notifications to the one or more users 103” & See Also Pg. 6 – “Further, a user activity log may be maintained that indicates user access to the digital twin data. In addition, the system provides notifications or task updates to the relevant user regarding various states of the digital twinning” (equates to one of a plurality of devices to receive a notification, as the quote shows the one or more users able to receive a notification regarding the digital twin and thus a plurality of devices is realized. )) one of the plurality of devices to receive the notification includes transmitting the notification to a first device of the plurality of devices (Pg. 9 – “In an embodiment, the access module 214 may be configured to provide one or more notifications to the one or more users 103” & See Also Pg. 6 – “Further, a user activity log may be maintained that indicates user access to the digital twin data. In addition, the system provides notifications or task updates to the relevant user regarding various states of the digital twinning” (equates to one of the plurality of devices to receive the notification includes transmitting the notification to a first device of the plurality of devices as the quotes show a notification provided to a device in a device grouping corresponding to a designated user.)) transmitting the notification to a second device of the plurality of devices (Pg. 9 – “In an embodiment, the access module 214 may be configured to provide one or more notifications to the one or more users 103” & See Also Pg. 6 – “Further, a user activity log may be maintained that indicates user access to the digital twin data. In addition, the system provides notifications or task updates to the relevant user regarding various states of the digital twinning” (equates to transmitting the notification to a second device of the plurality of devices as the quote shows the one or more users being able to receive the notification and thus a second device within that one or more devices is actualized. )) It would have been an advantageous addition to the system described by Yao-Hershey-Saito to include one of a plurality of devices to receive a notification, one of the plurality of devices to receive the notification includes transmitting the notification to a first device of the plurality of devices; transmitting the notification to a second device of the plurality of devices as this allows for specific users within a system to receive the notification regarding the status of the aircraft to receive alerts and allows for expediated actions to take place based on the recipient of the notification.
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to include one of a plurality of devices to receive a notification, one of the plurality of devices to receive the notification includes transmitting the notification to a first device of the plurality of devices; transmitting the notification to a second device of the plurality of devices as these limitations allows for network of devices to all be in communication with the digital twin management system designated the status of the aircraft to be readily accessible to the operator to take action upon.
Regarding Claim 7 Yao-Hershey-Saito-Reza teaches The method of claim 6, (Yao discloses the following limitations:) further including transmitting, via a transceiver the notification to the determined one of the plurality of devices ( Pg. 4 – [n0010] – “and the received target repair process parameters are transmitted to the repair tool;” & See Also Pg. 35 – [n0141] - “The program code may execute entirely on the user's computing device, partly on the user's computing device, partly on a remote computing device, or entirely on the remote computing device or server”. (equates to electronic processor is further configured to transmit, via a transceiver the notification to the determined one of the plurality of devices as the first quote shows the transmission of the notification to about the repair elements wherein the second quote shows the plurality of devices in which would enact this method and thus the transmission of the notification would go to either device dependent on scenario. ))
Regarding Claim 9 Yao-Hershey-Saito-Reza teaches The method of claim 6, as previously mapped above.
Yao fails to teach further comprising modifying the future usage profile based on a residual structural strength determination assessment and operating the aircraft according to the future usage profile as modified.
Hershey teaches wherein the modifying of the future usage profile is further based on a residual structural strength determination assessment. (Pg. 24 – Col. 6 – lines 51 – 57 – “This may be implemented using a computer model having substantial number of degrees of freedom and may be associated with, as illustrated 200 in FIG. 2A, an integration of complex physical models for computational fluid 55 dynamics 202, structural dynamics 204, thermodynamic modeling 206, stress analysis modeling 210, and/or a fatigue cracking model 208” & See Also Pg. 25 – Col. 7 – lines 41-44 – “Similarly, the digital twin 250 might include an ecosystem simulator 260 that may allow all contributors to interact, not just at the physical layer, but virtually as well” & See Also Pg. 7 – Fig. 3 & See Also Pg. 26 – Col. 9 – lines 5-9 – “The recommendation 370 (e.g., to inspect, repair, and/or intervene in connection with control operations) may be used to determined simulated operations exogenous data via an ecosystem simulator.” (equates to wherein the modifying of the future usage profile is further based on a residual structural strength determination assessment as the first quote shows the result being one of a rapid structural analysis including stress and fatigue models wherein the remaining quotes show the modifying of the future profile as it relates to the mission planning, for use of the physical system.)) and operating the aircraft according to the future usage profile as modified. ((Pg. 25 – Col. 7 – lines 41-44 – “Similarly, the digital twin 250 might include an ecosystem simulator 260 that may allow all contributors to interact, not just at the physical layer, but virtually as well” & See Also Pg. 7 – Fig. 3 & See Also Pg. 26 – Col. 9 – lines 5-9 – “The recommendation 370 (e.g., to inspect, repair, and/or intervene in connection with control operations) may be used to determined simulated operations exogenous data via an ecosystem simulator.” & See Also Pg. 24 – Col. 6 – lines 51 – 57 – “This may be implemented using a computer model having substantial number of degrees of freedom and may be associated with, as illustrated 200 in FIG. 2A, an integration of complex physical models for computational fluid dynamics 202, structural dynamics 204, thermodynamic modeling 206, stress analysis modeling 210, and/or a fatigue cracking model 208” (equates to wherein the system operates the aircraft according to the future usage profile as modified as the second quote shows the intervention with controls operation based on the structural determination to the system and thus the operation of the aircraft is controlled by usage profile as determined.) ) It would have been an advantageous addition to the system disclosed by Yao to include wherein the modifying of the future usage profile is further based on a residual structural strength determination assessment wherein the system operates the aircraft according to the future usage profile as modified as this limitation ensures the mission being modified is being based on a strength analysis of the vehicle ensuring the vehicle can structurally withstand the mission it is about to be placed on.
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to include wherein the modifying of the future usage profile is further based on a residual structural strength determination assessment wherein the system operates the aircraft according to the future usage profile as modified as this limitation grounds the digital twin analysis to be based specifically on structural analysis performed and ensuring the modification of the usage profile or the mission assignment is based on the strength assessment.
Regarding claim 12 Yao-Hershey-Saito-Reza teaches The system of claim 4, as previously mapped above.
Yet Yao fails to teach wherein the electronic processor is configured to modify , the future usage profile evaluating a load applied to the component of the aircraft.
Hershey teaches wherein the electronic processor is configured to modify, the future usage profile by evaluating a load applied to the component of the aircraft. (Pg. 25 – Col. 7 – lines 41-44 – “Similarly, the digital twin 250 might include an ecosystem simulator 260 that may allow all contributors to interact, not just at the physical layer, but virtually as well” & See Also Pg. 7 – Fig. 3 & See Also Pg. 26 – Col. 9 – lines 5-9 – “The recommendation 370 (e.g., to inspect, repair, and/or intervene in connection with control operations) may be used to determined simulated operations exogenous data via an ecosystem simulator.” & See Also Pg. 24 – Col. 6 – lines 51 – 57 – “This may be implemented using a computer model having substantial number of degrees of freedom and may be associated with, as illustrated 200 in FIG. 2A, an integration of complex physical models for computational fluid dynamics 202, structural dynamics 204, thermodynamic modeling 206, stress analysis modeling 210, and/or a fatigue cracking model 208” & See Also Pg. 25 – Col. 7 – lines 32-35 – “The system structure 256 may also specify how the components react to input conditions that include environmental data, operational controls, and/or externally applied forces” & See Also Pg. 32 – Col. 21 – lines 56-58 – “The processor 1510 performs instructions of the programs 1512, 1514, and thereby operates in accordance with any of the embodiments described herein” (equates to wherein the electronic processor is configured to modify , the future usage profile evaluating a load applied to the component of the aircraft. as the first and second quote shows the modifying of the future usage profile as the second quote shows a recommendation provided to intervene with control operations or not allow the craft to go on the said mission and the first quote showing this can affect the physical layer. The third quote shows the rapid structural analysis where the fourth specifically shows the system considering externally applied forces. Finally the last quote showing a processor being configured to execute any embodiment of the art and thus be able to perform system configuration. )) It would have been an advantageous addition to the system disclosed by Yao to include wherein the electronic processor is configured to modify , the future usage profile evaluating a load applied to the component of the aircraft as this limitation allows for a specific modification of the aircraft’s ability to perform a mission via the external forces applied to the craft and thus ensuring the aircrafts structural integrity when dealing with the mission conditions.
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to include wherein the electronic processor is configured to modify , the future usage profile evaluating a load applied to the component of the aircraft as this ensures the aircraft can handle external applied forces for the given mission and properly modifying the aircraft’s ability to perform the future usage based on determined forces.
Regarding claim 15 Yao-Hershey-Saito-Reza teaches The method of claim 6, as previously mapped above .
Yet Yao fails to teach wherein the information regarding damage to a component of the aircraft includes a magnitude and distribution of force on an airframe of the aircraft.
Hershey teaches wherein the information regarding damage to a component of the aircraft includes a magnitude and distribution of force on an airframe of the aircraft. (Pg. 25 – [Col. 8] – lines 19-22 – “Other inputs may include tolerance envelopes (that specify time and magnitude regions that are acceptable regions of differences between actual sensor values and their predictions by the digital twin),” & See Also Pg. 25 – [Col. 7] – “The digital twin 250 may also include a system structure 256 which specifies the components of the twinned physical 30 system and how the components are connected or interact with each other. The system structure 256 may also specify how the components react to input conditions that include environmental data, operational controls, and/or externally applied forces.” & See Also Pg. 22 – [Col. 1] – Lines 22 – 30 – “Note that a real world physical system might be associated with system components, such as sensors and actuators. Increasingly, systems are becoming spatially distributed and these systems therefore include components that are significantly spatially distributed. As a consequence, there may be a need to provide an information transportation fabric that serves to sense, transport data, and control the spatially distributed components in order for the system to function efficiently and safely.” & See Also Pg. 23 – Col. 4 – lines 41-42 – “outputs which could include sensor measurement estimates or asset states (part life damage states, etc.).” (equates to wherein the information regarding damage to a component of the aircraft includes a magnitude and distribution of force on an airframe of the aircraft as the first quote shows the magnitude of sensor values being accounted for, the second quote showing the sensor data being force values, the third quote showing how the digital twin has spatially distributed data being accounted for thus the force data can be spatially distributed, and the last quote showing the fact the sensor measurements include part damage.)) It would have been an advantageous addition to the system disclosed by Yao to include wherein the information regarding damage to a component of the aircraft includes a magnitude and distribution of force on an airframe of the aircraft as this limitation allows for damage upon the aircraft to be based upon force values by sensors that would represent the physical system in a digital twin configuration wherein multiple points across the aircraft can be considered simultaneously thus allowing a full understanding of forces endured by the aircraft before it embarks upon its mission.
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to include wherein the information regarding damage to a component of the aircraft includes a magnitude and distribution of force on an airframe of the aircraft as this limitation allows for a range of force values to be interpreted by the system, ensuring either direction of force applied is considered as well as a spatial distribution covering a range of the aircraft is kept track of allowing a large portion to be monitored at once.
Regarding claim 16 Yao-Hershey-Saito-Reza teaches The method of claim 9, as previously mapped above.
Yet Yao fails to teach wherein the electronic processor is configured to modify, , the future usage profile includes evaluating a load applied to the component of the aircraft.
Hershey teaches wherein the electronic processor is configured to modify, , the future usage profile includes evaluating a load applied to the component of the aircraft. (Pg. 25 – Col. 7 – lines 41-44 – “Similarly, the digital twin 250 might include an ecosystem simulator 260 that may allow all contributors to interact, not just at the physical layer, but virtually as well” & See Also Pg. 7 – Fig. 3 & See Also Pg. 26 – Col. 9 – lines 5-9 – “The recommendation 370 (e.g., to inspect, repair, and/or intervene in connection with control operations) may be used to determined simulated operations exogenous data via an ecosystem simulator.” & See Also Pg. 24 – Col. 6 – lines 51 – 57 – “This may be implemented using a computer model having substantial number of degrees of freedom and may be associated with, as illustrated 200 in FIG. 2A, an integration of complex physical models for computational fluid dynamics 202, structural dynamics 204, thermodynamic modeling 206, stress analysis modeling 210, and/or a fatigue cracking model 208” & See Also Pg. 25 – Col. 7 – lines 32-35 – “The system structure 256 may also specify how the components react to input conditions that include environmental data, operational controls, and/or externally applied forces” & See Also Pg. 32 – Col. 21 – lines 56-58 – “The processor 1510 performs instructions of the programs 1512, 1514, and thereby operates in accordance with any of the embodiments described herein” (equates to wherein the electronic processor is configured to modify, , the future usage profile includes evaluating a load applied to the component of the aircraft. as the first and second quote shows the modifying of the future usage profile as the second quote shows a recommendation provided to intervene with control operations or not allow the craft to go on the said mission and the first quote showing this can affect the physical layer. The third quote shows the rapid structural analysis where the fourth specifically shows the system considering externally applied forces. Finally the last quote showing a processor being configured to execute any embodiment of the art and thus be able to perform system configuration. )) It would have been an advantageous addition to the system disclosed by Yao to include wherein the electronic processor is configured to modify, , the future usage profile includes evaluating a load applied to the component of the aircraft. as this limitation allows for a specific modification of the aircraft’s ability to perform a mission via the external forces applied to the craft and thus ensuring the aircrafts structural integrity when dealing with the mission conditions.
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to include wherein the electronic processor is configured to modify, , the future usage profile includes evaluating a load applied to the component of the aircraft as this ensures the aircraft can handle external applied forces for the given mission and properly modifying the aircraft’s ability to perform the future usage based on determined forces.
Regarding claim 21 Yao-Hershey-Saito-Reza teaches The method of claim 6, as previously mapped above.
Yet Yao fails to teach wherein implementing, via the electronic processor, the command to address the damage to the component of the aircraft includes modifying the future usage profile based on the actionable direction and controlling the aircraft based on the modification of the future usage profile.
Hershey teaches wherein implementing, via the electronic processor, the command to address the damage to the component of the aircraft includes modifying the future usage profile (Pg. 24 – Col. 6 – lines 51 – 57 – “This may be implemented using a computer model having substantial number of degrees of freedom and may be associated with, as illustrated 200 in FIG. 2A, an integration of complex physical models for computational fluid 55 dynamics 202, structural dynamics 204, thermodynamic modeling 206, stress analysis modeling 210, and/or a fatigue cracking model 208” & See Also Pg. 25 – Col. 7 – lines 41-44 – “Similarly, the digital twin 250 might include an ecosystem simulator 260 that may allow all contributors to interact, not just at the physical layer, but virtually as well” & See Also Pg. 7 – Fig. 3 & See Also Pg. 26 – Col. 9 – lines 5-9 – “The recommendation 370 (e.g., to inspect, repair, and/or intervene in connection with control operations) may be used to determined simulated operations exogenous data via an ecosystem simulator.” (equates to wherein implementing, via the electronic processor, the command to address the damage to the component of the aircraft includes modifying the future usage profile as the first quote shows the determination of damage to the aircraft via the model being run on the digital twin and the modification of the future usage profile being shown in the last quote where intervention of controlling the aircraft is given as a command. )) and controlling the aircraft based on the modification of the future usage profile. ((Pg. 24 – Col. 6 – lines 51 – 57 – “This may be implemented using a computer model having substantial number of degrees of freedom and may be associated with, as illustrated 200 in FIG. 2A, an integration of complex physical models for computational fluid 55 dynamics 202, structural dynamics 204, thermodynamic modeling 206, stress analysis modeling 210, and/or a fatigue cracking model 208” & See Also Pg. 25 – Col. 7 – lines 41-44 – “Similarly, the digital twin 250 might include an ecosystem simulator 260 that may allow all contributors to interact, not just at the physical layer, but virtually as well” & See Also Pg. 7 – Fig. 3 & See Also Pg. 26 – Col. 9 – lines 5-9 – “The recommendation 370 (e.g., to inspect, repair, and/or intervene in connection with control operations) may be used to determined simulated operations exogenous data via an ecosystem simulator.”)
Yet Yao-Hershey fail to teach based on the actionable direction.
Saito teaches based on the actionable direction (Pg. 2 - “The present invention provides a fatigue estimating means for estimating a fatigue life of a predetermined area based on a damage level in a predetermined area of a body of an aircraft in operation, and the estimated fatigue life comes after a predetermined period has elapsed from the present” (equates to based on the actionable direction as the quote shows the level of damage being assessed and thus the actionable direction is the repair being based on the level of damage as claimed in claim 1.)) It would have been an advantageous addition to the system disclosed by Yao-Hershey to include based on the actionable direction as this allows a specific amount of damage to be measured and then conveyed to the operator for understanding the system’s shortcomings and potential mission changes needed for the aircraft.
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to include based on the actionable direction as this allows a repair or mission change to be better understood in the moment as what is most effective for the current use of the aircraft.
Claims 3, 8, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yao-Hershey-Saito-Reza as mapped above and in further view of Brown (CN 116136923 A)
Regarding Claim 3 Yao-Hershey-Saito-Reza teaches The system of claim 1, (Yao Discloses the following limitations:) wherein the electronic processor is further configured to generate a digital overlay of the repair on the digital twin; (Pg. 11 – [n0021]– “A processor for executing the intelligent emergency repair method for repairing a digital twin using aviation composite materials as claimed in the claim;” & See Also Pg. 16 – [n0049] – “…step S102, an initial visualized digital model is established through a digital twin according to the structural parameters and damage parameters of the repair entity, and the repair entity is converted into a virtual object for visual display, so as to describe the structural parameters and damage parameters of the repair entity.” (equates to electronic processor is further configured to generate a digital overlay of a repair to address the damage on the digital twin as the processor of the first quote carries out the entirety of the method as described in the prior art and the second quote shows the repair entity containing the damage parameter being displayed on the digital twin. )) and transmit via the transceiver, with the notification, (Pg. 9 & 10 – [n0013] - “A real-time data transmission module is used to transmit the repair elements of the aviation composite repair entity acquired in real time to the aviation composite repair digital twin, wherein the repair elements include damage parameters, repair process parameters and structural parameters” & See Also Pg. 16 – [n0049] – “…step S102, an initial visualized digital model is established through a digital twin according to the structural parameters and damage parameters of the repair entity, and the repair entity is converted into a virtual object for visual display, so as to describe the structural parameters and damage parameters of the repair entity.” (Equates to and transmit via a transceiver, with the request, the digital overlay as the transmission module transmits the repair entity and quote 2 shows how this can be displayed addressing the damage.))
Yet Yao-Hershey-Saito fails to teach the digital overlays request confirmation that the damage to the component has been repaired; and upon receiving the confirmation, update the digital twin model
Brown teaches the digital overlays request confirmation that the damage to the component has been repaired; and upon receiving the confirmation, update the digital twin model (Pg. 11 – “If the component is replaced, the maintenance processor may update the digital twinning to store the component identifier of the new part (assuming it is different). For example, a faulty infotainment system may be replaced by a newer model with a different serial number, as the older model may have been revoked. Updating digital twinning allows the maintenance processor to better track failure rates between old and new models.” (equates to request confirmation that the damage to the component has been repaired; and upon receiving the confirmation, update the digital twin model as the quote shows a replacement component being implemented and thus a repair being completed wherein the digital twin is then subsequently updated.)) It would have been an advantageous addition to the system disclosed by Yao-Hershey-Saito to include the digital overlays request confirmation that the damage to the component has been repaired; and upon receiving the confirmation, update the digital twin model as this allows a specific step indicating the repair has been completed and the operator doesn’t have to manually check and then update the system saving time and energy for those involved.
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to include the digital overlays request confirmation that the damage to the component has been repaired; and upon receiving the confirmation, update the digital twin model as this allows an immediate update of the digital twin model to be made and similarly no manual inputting of a physical change to a digital system.
Regarding Claim 8 Yao-Hershey-Saito-Reza teaches The method of claim 6, (Yao discloses the following limitations:) the method further comprising generating a digital overlay of the repair on the digital twin model , ; (Pg. 11 – [n0021]– “A processor for executing the intelligent emergency repair method for repairing a digital twin using aviation composite materials as claimed in the claim;” & See Also Pg. 16 – [n0049] – “…step S102, an initial visualized digital model is established through a digital twin according to the structural parameters and damage parameters of the repair entity, and the repair entity is converted into a virtual object for visual display, so as to describe the structural parameters and damage parameters of the repair entity.” (equates to the method is further comprising generating a digital overlay of a repair to address the damage on the digital twin as the second quote shows the repair entity containing the damage parameter being displayed on the digital twin. )) transmitting, with the notification request, the digital overlay. (Pg. 9 & 10 – [n0013] - “A real-time data transmission module is used to transmit the repair elements of the aviation composite repair entity acquired in real time to the aviation composite repair digital twin, wherein the repair elements include damage parameters, repair process parameters and structural parameters” & See Also Pg. 16 – [n0049] – “…step S102, an initial visualized digital model is established through a digital twin according to the structural parameters and damage parameters of the repair entity, and the repair entity is converted into a virtual object for visual display, so as to describe the structural parameters and damage parameters of the repair entity.” (Equates to and transmit via a transceiver, with the request, the digital overlay as the transmission module transmits the repair entity and quote 2 shows how this can be displayed addressing the damage.))
Yet Yao-Hershey-Saito fails to teach the digital overlays requesting confirmation that the damage to the component has been repaired; and upon receiving the confirmation, updating the digital twin model.
Brown teaches the digital overlays request confirmation that the damage to the component has been repaired; and upon receiving the confirmation, update the digital twin model (Pg. 11 – “If the component is replaced, the maintenance processor may update the digital twinning to store the component identifier of the new part (assuming it is different). For example, a faulty infotainment system may be replaced by a newer model with a different serial number, as the older model may have been revoked. Updating digital twinning allows the maintenance processor to better track failure rates between old and new models.” (equates to request confirmation that the damage to the component has been repaired; and upon receiving the confirmation, update the digital twin model as the quote shows a replacement component being implemented and thus a repair being completed wherein the digital twin is then subsequently updated.)) It would have been an advantageous addition to the system disclosed by Yao-Hershey-Saito to include the digital overlays request confirmation that the damage to the component has been repaired; and upon receiving the confirmation, update the digital twin model as this allows a specific step indicating the repair has been completed and the operator doesn’t have to manually check and then update the system saving time and energy for those involved.
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to include the digital overlays request confirmation that the damage to the component has been repaired; and upon receiving the confirmation, update the digital twin model as this allows an immediate update of the digital twin model to be made and similarly no manual inputting of a physical change to a digital system.
Regarding claim 20 Yao-Hershey-Saito-Reza -Brown teaches (Yao discloses the following limitations:) The system of claim 3, wherein generating the overlay includes receiving, at least one of the one or more sensors, (Pg. 11 – [n0021]– “A processor for executing the intelligent emergency repair method for repairing a digital twin using aviation composite materials as claimed in the claim;” & See Also Pg. 9 – [n0007] – “The repair elements of the aviation composite repair entity acquired in real time…” & See Also Pg. 26 – [n0095] – “According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the real-time data transmission module 310 includes: a damage scanning and identification module and a sensor.” (equates to wherein generating the overlay includes receiving, at least one of the one or more sensors, as the digital twin is an overlay of the physical system and the quote showing repair needed based on damage to an aircraft component in which the sensor is used to determine said repair.))an image of a damaged component, (Pg. 26 – [n0096] – “Specifically, the damage scanning and identification module obtains damage parameters by scanning the damage features of the damaged part through image recognition and processing technology, wherein the damage scanning and identification module can be an instrument related to digital images” (equates to an image of a damaged component, as image recognition is used to determine damage to an aircraft component.)) and identifying, from the image of the damaged component, an area of damage based on sensor information from the one or more sensors, (Pg. 26 – [n0096] – “Specifically, the damage scanning and identification module obtains damage parameters by scanning the damage features of the damaged part through image recognition and processing technology, wherein the damage scanning and identification module can be an instrument related to digital images, ultrasound, laser, and thermal imaging. Damage parameters can use shape functions to describe defects, use image segmentation technology to extract defect features, quickly count the types and volume fractions of defects, determine the cause of damage, and convert them into damage degree ratings as damage parameters for digital twin input.” (equates to and identifying, from the image of the damaged component, an area of damage based on sensor information from the one or more sensors, as the quote shows image recognition in determination a volume or area of damage inflicted upon the aircraft.)) and generate and transmit at least one digital overlay illustrating an intermediate stage of the repair. (Pg. 26 – [n0096] – “Specifically, the damage scanning and identification module obtains damage parameters by scanning the damage features of the damaged part through image recognition and processing technology, wherein the damage scanning and identification module can be an instrument related to digital images, ultrasound, laser, and thermal imaging. Damage parameters can use shape functions to describe defects, use image segmentation technology to extract defect features, quickly count the types and volume fractions of defects, determine the cause of damage, and convert them into damage degree ratings as damage parameters for digital twin input.” (equates to and generate and transmit at least one digital overlay illustrating an intermediate stage of the repair. As the quote shows the intermediate stage of repair being the damage done to the aircraft and thus signaling the remaining work to be done to the aircraft based on the finished repair determination. ))
Claims 13 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yao-Hershey-Saito-Reza as previously mapped above and in further view of Beecroft et al. (US 2022/0306315 Al)
Regarding claim 13 Yao-Hershey-Saito-Reza teaches The system of claim 1, (Yao discloses the following limitations: )wherein the electronic processor is configured to: determining a severity of the damage to the component of the aircraft, (Pg. 15 – [n0046] – “the repaired entity is a physical component that has suffered damage during the manufacturing and/or service process, wherein the damage suffered includes but is not limited to gaps, delamination, debonding, scratches, cracks, impacts, lightning strikes, burning, etc. caused by external force impact” & See Also Pg. 16 – [n0049] – “According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in step S102, an initial visualized digital model is established through a digital twin according to the structural parameters and damage parameters of the repair entity, and the repair entity is converted into a virtual object for visual display, so as to describe the structural parameters and damage parameters of the repair entity” (equates to determining a severity of the damage to the component of the aircraft as the quote shows the repaired entity suffering damage wherein the damage can be of any type listed and is determined via the implementation of the repair entity utilized as seen by quote 2 )
Yet Both Yao-Hershey fail to teach determine the level of maintenance intervention for addressing the repair of the aircraft and comparing the severity of the damage to the component of the aircraft to a predetermined threshold.
Beecroft teaches and comparing the severity of the damage to the component of the aircraft to a predetermined threshold (Pg. 12 – [0074] – “the controller 60 may determine whether damage has occurred to the aircraft 10 by determining whether the amplitude in the acoustic wave data has exceeded a threshold amplitude stored in the memory” (equates to and comparing the severity of the damage to the component of the aircraft to a predetermined threshold as the quote shows the aircraft being damaged and by running an acoustic wave to test the severity there’s a threshold in which the component is them deemed “damaged”. ))
Yet Yao-Hershey-Beecroft fail to teach determine the level of maintenance intervention for addressing the repair of the aircraft.
Saito teaches determine the level of maintenance intervention for addressing the repair of the aircraft. (Pg. 2 - “The present invention provides a fatigue estimating means for estimating a fatigue life of a predetermined area based on a damage level in a predetermined area of a body of an aircraft in operation, and the estimated fatigue life comes after a predetermined period has elapsed from the present” (equates to wherein determining the actionable direction includes determining a level of maintenance intervention for addressing a repair of the aircraft as the quote shows a level of damage and thus a level of maintenance needed for the aircraft to undergo based on the damage assessment.)) It would have been an advantageous addition to the system described by Yao-Hershey to include wherein determining the actionable direction includes determining a level of maintenance intervention for addressing a repair of the aircraft, as this allows a specific amount of damage to be measured and then conveyed to the operator for understanding the system’s shortcomings and potential mission changes needed for the aircraft.
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to include wherein determining the actionable direction includes determining a level of maintenance intervention for addressing a repair of the aircraft as this allows a repair or mission change to be better understood in the moment as what is most effective for the current use of the aircraft.
Regarding claim 17 Yao-Hershey-Saito-Reza teaches The method of claim 6, wherein using the updated digital twin model includes: determining a severity of the damage to the component of the aircraft, (Pg. 15 – [n0046] – “the repaired entity is a physical component that has suffered damage during the manufacturing and/or service process, wherein the damage suffered includes but is not limited to gaps, delamination, debonding, scratches, cracks, impacts, lightning strikes, burning, etc. caused by external force impact” & See Also Pg. 16 – [n0049] – “According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in step S102, an initial visualized digital model is established through a digital twin according to the structural parameters and damage parameters of the repair entity, and the repair entity is converted into a virtual object for visual display, so as to describe the structural parameters and damage parameters of the repair entity” (equates to determining a severity of the damage to the component of the aircraft as the quote shows the repaired entity suffering damage wherein the damage can be of any type listed and is determined via the implementation of the repair entity utilized as seen by quote 2 )
Yet Both Yao-Hershey fail to teach and comparing the severity of the damage to the component of the aircraft to a predetermined threshold.
Beecroft teaches and comparing the severity of the damage to the component of the aircraft to a predetermined threshold. (Pg. 12 – [0074] – “the controller 60 may determine whether damage has occurred to the aircraft 10 by determining whether the amplitude in the acoustic wave data has exceeded a threshold amplitude stored in the memory” (equates to and comparing the severity of the damage to the component of the aircraft to a predetermined threshold as the quote shows the aircraft being damaged and by running an acoustic wave to test the severity there’s a threshold in which the component is them deemed “damaged”. ))
Yet Yao-Hershey-Beecroft fail to teach determining the level of maintenance intervention for addressing the repair of the aircraft.
Saito teaches determine the level of maintenance intervention for addressing the repair of the aircraft. (Pg. 2 - “The present invention provides a fatigue estimating means for estimating a fatigue life of a predetermined area based on a damage level in a predetermined area of a body of an aircraft in operation, and the estimated fatigue life comes after a predetermined period has elapsed from the present” (equates to wherein determining the actionable direction includes determining a level of maintenance intervention for addressing a repair of the aircraft as the quote shows a level of damage and thus a level of maintenance needed for the aircraft to undergo based on the damage assessment.)) It would have been an advantageous addition to the system described by Yao-Hershey to include wherein determining the actionable direction includes determining a level of maintenance intervention for addressing a repair of the aircraft, as this allows a specific amount of damage to be measured and then conveyed to the operator for understanding the system’s shortcomings and potential mission changes needed for the aircraft.
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to include wherein determining the actionable direction includes determining a level of maintenance intervention for addressing a repair of the aircraft as this allows a repair or mission change to be better understood in the moment as what is most effective for the current use of the aircraft.
Claims 14 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yao-Hershey-Saito-Reza as previously mapped above and in further view of Padan et al. (US 2006/0108476 Al)
Regarding claim 14 Yao-Hershey-Saito-Reza teaches The system of claim 1, as previously mapped above.
Yet Yao fails to teach future usage profile includes a type of flying to complete a mission assigned to the aircraft, the type of flying including one selected from a group consisting of surveillance and combative.
Padan teaches future usage profile includes a type of flying to complete a mission assigned to the aircraft, the type of flying including one selected from a group consisting of surveillance and combative (Pg. 6 – [0007] – “For economical efficiency, organizational and operational reasons most military aerial vehicles are designed as multi-role platforms. Consequently modern military aircraft are provided with functional versatility, such as the capability of conducting a variety of missions including offensive counterair (OCA), defensive counterair (DCA), interception (AA), combat air patrol (CAP), close air support (CAS), suppression of enemy air defenses, (SEAD), deep strike, anti-shipping (AS), anti-submarine warfare (ASW), electronic warfare (EW), reconnaissance, surveillance,” (equates to future usage profile includes a type of flying to complete a mission assigned to the aircraft, the type of flying including one selected from a group consisting of surveillance and combative as the quote shows a mission assignment in which a combative or surveillance can be selected from a group of actions.)) It would have been an advantageous addition to the system disclosed by Yao-Hershey-Saito to include future usage profile includes a type of flying to complete a mission assigned to the aircraft, the type of flying including one selected from a group consisting of surveillance and combative as this allows a variety of mission types to be assigned to the aircraft thus making the system versatile for a number of operations.
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to include future usage profile includes a type of flying to complete a mission assigned to the aircraft, the type of flying including one selected from a group consisting of surveillance and combative as this allows for the system to best understand the repairs needed based on a diverse future usage profile for the vehicle ensuring repairs made allow for mission completion.
Regarding claim 18 Yao-Hershey-Saito-Reza teaches The method of claim 6, as previously mapped above.
Yet Yao fails to teach wherein the future usage profile includes a type of flying to complete a mission assigned to the aircraft, the type of flying including one selected from a group consisting of surveillance and combative
Padan teaches future usage profile includes a type of flying to complete a mission assigned to the aircraft, the type of flying including one selected from a group consisting of surveillance and combative (Pg. 6 – [0007] – “For economical efficiency, organizational and operational reasons most military aerial vehicles are designed as multi-role platforms. Consequently modern military aircraft are provided with functional versatility, such as the capability of conducting a variety of missions including offensive counterair (OCA), defensive counterair (DCA), interception (AA), combat air patrol (CAP), close air support (CAS), suppression of enemy air defenses, (SEAD), deep strike, anti-shipping (AS), anti-submarine warfare (ASW), electronic warfare (EW), reconnaissance, surveillance,” (equates to future usage profile includes a type of flying to complete a mission assigned to the aircraft, the type of flying including one selected from a group consisting of surveillance and combative as the quote shows a mission assignment in which a combative or surveillance can be selected from a group of actions.)) It would have been an advantageous addition to the system disclosed by Yao-Hershey-Saito to include future usage profile includes a type of flying to complete a mission assigned to the aircraft, the type of flying including one selected from a group consisting of surveillance and combative as this allows a variety of mission types to be assigned to the aircraft thus making the system versatile for a number of operations.
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to include future usage profile includes a type of flying to complete a mission assigned to the aircraft, the type of flying including one selected from a group consisting of surveillance and combative as this allows for the system to best understand the repairs needed based on a diverse future usage profile for the vehicle ensuring repairs made allow for mission completion.
Response to Arguments
Response to 35 U.S.C. § 101 rejection of claims 1-9, and 12-22, applicant’s arguments have been considered and are persuasive.
Applicant argues on pages 1-2, “ Claims 1 - 18 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 101 as the Office alleges that "the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more." Office Action dated 10 2 25, p. 2. By this response, Applicant has amended independent claims 1 and 6 and dependent claims 2 - 4 and 7 - 9 to recite subject matter similar to that discussed in the interview dated December 12, 2025 summarized above. In particular, independent claims 1 and 6 are each herein amended to clarify that electronic processor determines a level of maintenance necessary addressing a repair of the aircraft and determining one of a plurality of devices to receive a notification with instructions for addressing the repair based on the determined level. Dependent claims 2 and 3 and 7 and 8 each respectively clarify further actions of the electronic processor regarding notifying a user to perform the repair and confirm that the repair has been performed. Dependent claims 4 and 9 clarify that the electronic processor modifies the future usage profile based on a residual structural strength determination assessment and that the system operates the aircraft according to the future usage profile as modified. New claims 21 and 22 further clarify controlling the aircraft based on the modification of the future usage profile and that the command to address the damage to the component includes repairing the aircraft based on the results of the rapid structural analysis. Applicant accordingly respectfully submits that the pending claims are eligible under 35 U.S.C. § 101 ” - As to point (A), Examiner agrees. The specific inclusion of the limitation, “wherein implementing the command includes repairing the damage to the component of the aircraft” adds a specific means of activity that cannot be performed by the human mind or with the aid of pen and paper as the repair is occurring to the physical body of the aircraft. And as such removes the previous mental process determination used for rejection under 35 U.S.C. § 101.
Response to 35 U.S.C. § 103 rejection of claims 1-9 and 12-22 applicant’s amendments to the claim changes the scope. Applicant’s arguments have been considered but are not persuasive.
Applicant argues on pages 2-3, “Independent claim 1 recites, in part, "determining, based on the level of maintenance, one of a plurality of devices to receive a notification with instructions for addressing the repair."
The Office relies on Saito for teaching "determining a level of maintenance intervention for addressing a repair of the aircraft" and relies on Yao for teaching "one of a plurality of devices to receive a notification." Office Action dated 3/2/26, pgs. 8 - 9. Applicant respectfully disagrees. Neither Saito nor Yao, taken alone or in combination, teach the particular determination of which device receives the notification based on the level of maintenance as generally claimed.
Saito discloses a fatigue estimating means for estimating fatigue life based on a damage level. Saito, paragraph [0006. Saito generally teaches estimating when future maintenance will be needed based on fatigue accumulation-not determining which device should receive repair instructions based on a maintenance level determination. In fact, Saito teaches presenting all information on a single display device 4. See Saito, paragraphs [0023] and [0031]. In particular, Saito describes the presentation unit 26 presenting the repair method on the display device 4, and the necessary items presentation unit 27 presenting items required for repair and human resources in charge of repair on the same display of the display device 4. Saito, paragraph [0031] - [0032]. Saito does not teach or suggest selecting among a plurality of devices to receive a notification based on the level of maintenance.
The Office also cites paragraph [0141] of Yao, which states that "program code may execute entirely on the user's computing device, partly on the user's computing device, partly on a remote computing device, or entirely on the remote computing device or server." Office Action, pg. 8. Applicant respectfully submits that the cited passage is a generic boilerplate statement describing where software code can be executed in a distributed computing environment. The generic recitation that processing may be executed on a single electronic device or at least partially on a remote electronic device does not teach or suggest the particular decision-making process for selecting which device should receive a notification based on a maintenance level determination as claimed. Yao does not teach or suggest (1) determining a level of maintenance intervention, (2) using that maintenance level determination as a basis for selecting among multiple devices, or (3) routing notifications with repair instructions to a specific device based on such a determination. The passage cited by the Office is silent on a relationship between maintenance severity and device selection. Accordingly, like Saito, Yao fails to teach or suggest "determining, based on the level of maintenance, one of a plurality of devices to receive a notification with instructions for addressing the repair," as recited in independent claim 1. ” –Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 and 6 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Applicant argues on pages 3-4, “Furthermore, solely to advance prosecution and without conceding the appropriateness of the current rejections, Applicant has amended claim 1 to recite that "wherein the determining, based on the level of maintenance, one of the plurality of devices to receive the notification includes transmitting the notification to a first device of the plurality of devices corresponding to an operator of the aircraft in response to determining that the maintenance is correctable by the operator and transmitting the notification to a second device of the plurality of devices corresponding to a maintenance operator/engineer in response to determining that the maintenance is not correctable by the operator of the aircraft." For example, as described in Applicant's Specification at paragraph [0056], in instances where the damage may be corrected by an operator of the aircraft, the notification is transmitted to the operator's device, whereas in instances where the damage requires maintenance intervention outside of the operator, the notification is transmitted to a remote device associated with a maintenance operator/engineer. Yao, Hershey, and Saito, taken alone or in combination, do not teach or suggest the claimed device selection based on maintenance level.
Therefore, for at least the reasons set forth above, Yao, Hershey, and Saito fail to teach or suggest the subject matter of amended independent claim 1. Amended independent claim 1 is thus allowable. Claims 2, 4, 5, 13, 14, and 20 depend from claim 1 and are allowable at least by virtue of their dependency. Amended independent claim 6 recites similar subject matter as amended independent claim 1. Therefore, amended independent claim 6 is allowable for at least the same reasons. Claims 7, 9, 15 - 18, 21, and 22 are depend from claim 6 and are allowable at least by virtue of their dependency.” – As to point C see point B
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 2020/0391560 Al – “A repair system for a vehicle includes a base and a lift component movably secured to the base for lifting a portion of a frame of the vehicle. An air compressor unit is disposed on the base and has a discharge hose configured to be selectively connected to the tire for delivering compressed. A sealant reservoir is disposed on the base and filled with a flat tire sealant.”
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 extension fee 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 date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to REECE ANTHONY WAKELY whose telephone number is (571)272-3783. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:30am-6:00pm EST.
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, Hitesh Patel can be reached on (571) 270-5442. 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.
/R.A.W./Examiner, Art Unit 3667
/Hitesh Patel/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3667
8/11/26
Prosecution Insights