DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 75-80, 83, 84, 85, 87-103 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Byers et al. (US 11,104,552).
Regarding claim 75, Byers et al. teaches a payload-deployment assembly, comprising: a payload-attachment subassembly; a payload-decoupling subassembly; and a payload-detachment subassembly, see column 5, lines 10-62.
Regarding claim 76, Byers et al. teaches the payload-attachment subassembly is configured to attach a payload at a landing site; and the payload-detachment assembly is configured to cause the payload to detach from the landing site, see column 5, lines 10-62.
Regarding claim 77, Byers et al. teaches the payload-attachment subassembly comprises: one or more motors configured to orient the payload-attachment subassembly relative to a landing site, see UAV depicted in figure 2 and column 6, lines 25+ which describe a mobility mechanism, 330; one or more sensors, see column 6, lines 44-52; and a controller configured to receive data from the one or more sensors and to control the one or more motors in response to the data, see figure 3 and column 6, lines 25-52.
Regarding claim 78, Byers et al. teaches that the mobile robot are such things as drones and unmanned aerial vehicles which in order to operate inherently include one or more motors that include at least one of a yaw motor, a pitch motor, and/or a roll motor.
Regarding claim 79, Byers et al. teaches the payload-attachment subassembly further comprises: a vacuum cup, see figures 10A and 10B and column 14, lines 6-36; a sensor configured to determine a pressure within a space defined by the vacuum cup, see column 16, lines 30-39, which teaches the use of anchor state sensors to monitor the state of the payload-attachment subassembly; and a pump pneumatically coupled to the vacuum cup and configured to remove a fluid from the space in response to a signal from the sensor, see figures 10A and 10B.
Regarding claim 80, Byers et al. teaches the payload-detachment subassembly comprises a release mechanism configured to reduce a magnitude of the pressure within the space to allow detachment of a payload from a landing site, see figures 10A and 10B.
Regarding claim 83, Byers et al. teaches the payload-attachment subassembly comprises an RF transceiver, 310, configured to receive information from a remote source and to transmit information to a remote destination, see column 6, lines 53+ .
Regarding claim 84, Byers et al. teaches the payload-attachment subassembly includes a payload, 220, see figure 2.
Regarding claim 85, Byers et al. teaches the payload-deployment assembly comprises a payload including one or more sensors, see column 4, lines 65+. Byers et al. does not specify what type of sensors the payload is and specifically that the sensors are selected from a group including an accelerometer, a microphone, a hydrophone, a contact microphone, a laser vibrometer, an ultrasound sensor, an Eddy current sensor, a surface profiler, and/or an electromagnetic acoustic transducer. Byers et al. generically teaches that the payload is a type of sensor, and the office is taking official notice that the specific type of sensors is old and well known in the art.
Regarding claim 87, Byers et al. teaches a system comprising: a payload positioner, 210; and a payload-deployment assembly configured for attachment to the payload positioner and comprising: a payload-attachment subassembly, a payload-decoupling subassembly, and a payload-detachment subassembly, see column 5, lines 10-62.
Regarding claim 88, Byers et al. teaches: the payload-attachment subassembly is configured to attach a payload at a landing site; the payload-decoupling subassembly is configured to decouple the payload from the payload positioner such that the decoupled payload is at least partially supported at the landing site and the decoupled payload positioner is free to move relative to the payload; and the payload-detachment subassembly is configured to cause the payload to detach from the landing site, see column 5, lines 10-62.
Regarding claim 89, Byers et al. teaches the payload-decoupling subassembly includes: an upper portion; a lower portion; and an umbilical, 240, coupled between the upper portion and the lower portion and configured to allow the payload positioner to move while a payload is attached to a landing site, see figure 2 and column 5, lines 63 through column 6, line 24.
Regarding claim 90, Byers et al. teaches: wherein the payload-attachment subassembly includes a first RF module; and a payload control station including a second RF module configured to transmit a control signal to, and to receive a data signal from, the first RF module, see column 6, lines 53+.
Regarding claim 91, Byers et al. teaches the payload positioner comprises an unmanned aerial vehicle, see column 6, lines 19-24.
Regarding claim 92, Byers et al. teaches a ground subsystem configured for controlling the payload-deployment assembly, see column 6, lines 53+ which teach a home base or docking station communicating with the payload-deployment assembly.
Regarding claim 93, Byers et al. teaches: wherein the payload positioner includes an unmanned aerial vehicle, 210; wherein the payload-deployment assembly includes a payload; and a ground subsystem including an unmanned-aerial-vehicle control station and a payload control station, see column 6, lines 19+.
Regarding claim 94, Byers et al. teaches a method, comprising: positioning a payload at a payload-disposition site with a payload positioner; attaching the payload to the payload-disposition site; and decoupling the payload from the payload positioner, see column 5, lines 22-62.
Regarding claim 95, Byers et al. teaches the attaching includes orienting the payload relative to the payload-disposition site, see column 5, lines 22-62.
Regarding claim 96, Byers et al. teaches the attaching includes generating a vacuum between the payload and the payload-disposition site, see figures 10A and 10B and column 14, lines 6+.
Regarding claim 97, Byers et al. teaches the decoupling includes decoupling the payload from the payload positioner while the payload is attached to, and is at least partially supported by, the payload-disposition site, see column 5, lines 22+.
Regarding claim 98, Byers et al. teaches the payload is mechanically coupled to the payload positioner during the positioning, attaching, and/or decoupling, see column 5, lines 22+.
Regarding claim 99, Byers et al. teaches: detaching the payload from the payload-disposition site; and removing payload from the payload-disposition site using the payload positioner, see column 5, lines 22+.
Regarding claim 100, Byers et al. teaches the payload positioner comprises an unmanned aerial vehicle, see column 6, lines 19+.
Regarding claim 101, Byers et al. teaches the decoupling includes decoupling the payload from the payload positioner while the payload is supported at the payload-disposition site, see column 5, lines 22+.
Regarding claim 102, Byers et al. teaches further comprising causing the payload to perform a task while the payload is attached to the payload-disposition site, see column 4, lines 65+, which teaches that the payload is a sensor, which performs a task of sensing.
Regarding claim 103, Byers et al. teaches using a payload controller to cause the payload to perform a task while the payload is attached to the payload- disposition site, see figure 1 and column 4, lines 23+.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 81 and 82 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Byers et al. (US 11,104,552) in view of Poltorak (US 2019/0276140).
Regarding claim 81, Byers et al. does not teach the payload-decoupling subassembly comprises: one or more arms; and one or more rotators.
Poltorak teaches a payload-deployment assembly, comprising: a payload-attachment subassembly, a payload-decoupling subassembly; and a payload-detachment subassembly, where the decoupling assembly comprises one or more arms and one or more rotators, see figures 3A and 3B and paragraph 0089 and 0090. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to replace the payload-decoupling assembly of Byers et al. with the arms and rotators of Poltorak in order to enable the assembly to have a longer reach and more degrees of freedom of movement.
Regarding claim 82, Byers et al. does not teach the payload-decoupling subassembly comprises: one or more rigid arms; one or more rotators; a telescope system; and a counterweight.
Poltorak teaches a payload-deployment assembly, comprising: a payload-attachment subassembly, a payload-decoupling subassembly; and a payload-detachment subassembly, where the decoupling subassembly comprises: one or more rigid arms; one or more rotators; a telescope system; and a counterweight, see figure 3A and 3B and paragraphs 0089 and 0090. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to replace the payload-decoupling assembly of Byers et al. with the arms and rotators of Poltorak in order to enable the assembly to have a longer reach and more degrees of freedom of movement.
Claim(s) 86 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Byers et al. (US 11,104,552) in view of Litton et al. (US 2022/0194578).
Regarding claim 86, Byers et al. does not teach that the payload-deployment subassembly comprises a payload including one or more tools selected from a group including a paint sprayer, a marker, a drill, an actuated knife, and/or a laser.
Litton et al. teaches a UAV with a tool, specifically a drill, attached, see figure 1E. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to combine the drill tool taught by Litton et al. with the payload-deployment assembly of Byers et al. in order to achieve the predictable result of enabling the deployment assembly to drill at payload deployment locations.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Prior are listed on the PTO-892 and not cited are included to show additional examples of UAVs and the general state of the prior art.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KAITLIN S JOERGER whose telephone number is (571)272-6938. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30-5 (CST).
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, Saul Rodriguez can be reached at (571)272-7097. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KAITLIN S JOERGER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3652
27 January 2026