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 .
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
DETAILED ACTION
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the following must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s):
Claim(s) 5 & 14 (line 4, respectively), “a ground-based system”.
No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Objections
Claim(s) 9 & 18 is/are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 9 in line 3 & Claim 18 in line 4, should read “one [of] or more”.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ronning (US 2014/0261151 A1, see reference in its entirety).
With respect to independent Claim 1, Ronning disclose(s): An aircraft lighting system (Fig. 7) comprising:
a light source (Fig. 7: 704) adapted to be rotationally mounted on an external surface of an aircraft (Fig. 7: 703) to rotate at least 360-degrees about a rotational axis (Fig. 7 and ¶[0100]), the light source configured, upon being electrically energized, to emit light (Fig. 7 and ¶[0100]); and
processing system (Fig. 7: 751) in operable communication with the light source (Fig. 7 and ¶[0100]) and coupled to receive (i) an anti-bird mode activation signal and (ii) one or more sensor signals representative of a position and flight path of one or more birds (Fig. 7: 753), the processing system configured, upon receipt of the anti-bird mode activation signal, to:
process the one or more sensor signals to determine the position and flight path of the one or more birds (Fig. 7 and ¶[0099]);
electrically energize the light source to emit light (Fig. 7 and ¶[0100]); and
command the light source to rotate in one or more directions so that the emitted light is directed toward the one or more birds (Fig. 7 and ¶[0099] – [0100]).
Regarding Claim 2, Ronning disclose(s) the system of Claim 1.
Ronning further disclose(s): wherein: the processing system is further configured to electrically energize the light source to emit light with one or more variable characteristics (Fig. 7 and ¶ [0100]; high brightness is understood to be a variable characteristic).
Regarding Claim 3, Ronning disclose(s) the system of Claim 2.
Ronning further disclose(s): wherein the one or more variable characteristics include at least one or more of intensity, pulse pattern, and color (Fig. 7 and ¶ [0100]; high brightness is understood to be a variable characteristic of intensity).
Regarding Claim 4, Ronning disclose(s) the system of Claim 1.
Ronning further disclose(s): further comprising one or more avionics systems in operable communication with the processing system and configured to supply the anti-bird mode activation signal and the one or more sensor signals (Fig. 7: 701).
Regarding Claim 5, Ronning disclose(s) the system of Claim 4.
Ronning further disclose(s): wherein the one or more avionics systems include one or more of an onboard radar system, an onboard camera, an onboard reporting system, and an onboard communication system, wherein the onboard communication system receives information regarding one or more birds from a ground-based system (Fig. 7: 701; avionic system 701 includes an onboard camera).
Regarding Claim 6, Ronning disclose(s) the system of Claim 1.
Ronning further disclose(s): further comprising: a user interface configured to receive input from a user and, in response to receiving the input from the user, to supply the anti-bird mode activation signal (Fig. 6 and ¶ [0109]: a controller is understood to be a user interface).
Regarding Claim 7, Ronning disclose(s) the system of Claim 1.
Ronning further disclose(s): wherein the processing system is further configured to selectively generate and supply one or more alert signals (Fig. 7 and ¶ [0100]: sound producer 754 is understood to be an alert signal).
Regarding Claim 8, Ronning disclose(s) the system of Claim 1.
Ronning further disclose(s): wherein the processing system is further configured to generate and transmit one or more alert signals to other aircraft (Fig. 7 and ¶ [0100]: sound producer 754 is understood to be an alert signal that is transmitted to surrounding area that includes other aircrafts).
Regarding Claim 9, Ronning disclose(s) the system of Claim 1.
Ronning further disclose(s): further comprising: a sound generator (Fig. 7: 754 ) in operable communication with the processing system (Fig. 7 and ¶ [0100]) , the sound generator configured, upon receiving one or more commands, to generate one of more audible sounds, wherein the processing system is further configured to supply the one or more commands to the sound generator (Fig. 7 and ¶ [0100]).
With respect to independent Claim 10, Ronning disclose(s): A method for averting a bird strike for an aircraft (Fig. 7 and ¶ [0100]), comprising the steps of:
receiving, in a processing system (Fig. 7: 751), one or more sensor signals (Fig. 7: 753) representative of a position and flight path of one or more birds (¶ [0100]),
receiving, in the processing system, an anti-bird mode activation signal (¶ [0100]);
processing the one or more sensor signals, in the processing system, to determine the position and flight path of the one or more birds (¶ [0100]);
electrically energizing a light source to emit light (Fig. 7: 704); and
commanding the light source to rotate in one or more directions (Fig. 7: 703) so that the emitted light is directed toward the one or more birds (Fig. 7 and ¶[0100]),
wherein the light source is rotationally mounted on an external surface of the aircraft to rotate at least 360-degrees about a rotational axis (Fig. 7 and ¶[0100]).
Regarding Claim 11, Ronning disclose(s) the method of Claim 10.
Ronning further disclose(s): electrically energizing the light source to emit light with one or more variable characteristics (Fig. 7 and ¶ [0100]; high brightness is understood to be a variable characteristic).
Regarding Claim 12, Ronning disclose(s) the method of Claim 11.
Ronning further disclose(s): wherein the one or more variable characteristics include at least one or more of intensity, pulse pattern, and color (Fig. 7 and ¶ [0100]; high brightness is understood to be a variable characteristic of intensity).
Regarding Claim 13, Ronning disclose(s) the method of Claim 10.
Ronning further disclose(s): supplying the anti-bird mode activation signal and the one or more sensor signals from one or more avionics systems in operable communication with the processing system (Fig. 7: 701).
Regarding Claim 14, Ronning disclose(s) the method of Claim 13.
Ronning further disclose(s): wherein the one or more avionics systems include one or more of an onboard radar system, an onboard camera, an onboard reporting system, and an onboard communication system, wherein the onboard communication system receives information regarding one or more birds from a ground-based system (Fig. 7: 701; avionic system 701 includes an onboard camera).
Regarding Claim 15, Ronning disclose(s) the method of Claim 10.
Ronning further disclose(s): further comprising supplying the anti-bird mode activation signal from a user interface that is configured to receive input from a user (Fig. 6 and ¶ [0109]: a controller is understood to be a user interface).
Regarding Claim 16, Ronning disclose(s) the method of Claim 10.
Ronning further disclose(s): further comprising selectively generating and supplying one or more alert signals (Fig. 7 and ¶ [0100]: sound producer 754 is understood to be an alert signal).
Regarding Claim 17, Ronning disclose(s) the method of Claim 10.
Ronning further disclose(s): further comprising generating and transmitting one or more alert signals to other aircraft (Fig. 7 and ¶ [0100]: sound producer 754 is understood to be an alert signal that is transmitted to surrounding area that includes other aircrafts).
Regarding Claim 18, Ronning disclose(s) the method of Claim 10.
Ronning further disclose(s): supply one or more commands from the processing system (Fig. 7 and ¶ [0100]) to a sound generator (Fig. 7: 754 ) and generating, using the sound generator and in response to receiving the one or more commands, one of more audible sounds (Fig. 7 and ¶ [0100]).
With respect to independent Claim 19, Ronning disclose(s): An aircraft system (Fig. 7 and ¶ [0100]), comprising:
an aircraft (Fig. 7: 700);
a light source (Fig. 7: 704) rotationally mounted on an external surface of the aircraft (Fig. 7: 703) to rotate at least 360-degrees about a rotational axis (Fig. 7 and ¶[0100]), the light source configured, upon being electrically energized, to emit light (Fig. 7 and ¶[0100]); and
a processing system (Fig. 7: 751) disposed within the aircraft and in operable communication with the light source (Fig. 7 and ¶[0100]) , the processing system coupled to receive (i) an anti-bird mode activation signal and (ii) one or more sensor signals representative of a position and flight path of one or more birds (Fig. 7: 753), the processing system configured, upon receipt of the anti-bird mode activation signal, to:
process the one or more sensor signals to determine the position and flight path of the one or more birds (Fig. 7 and ¶[0099]);
electrically energize the light source to emit light (Fig. 7 and ¶[0100]); and
command the light source to rotate in one or more directions so that the emitted light is directed toward the one or more birds (Fig. 7 and ¶[0099] – [0100]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure.
The following reference(s) relate to avian avoidance systems: Fogiel (US 2010/0192834 A1); Husseiny et al. (US 2012/0113754 A1); Kimsey-Lin et al. (US 2021/0206510 A1); Newcamp et al. (US 2016/0029615 A1); Duncan et al. (US 9474265 B2); Yifrach (US 8616144 B2); Ronning (US 10709127 B2); Cramer et al. (US 6575597 B1); Maher (US 7106216 B1); Tamaoki (US 7344264 B2).
The following reference(s) relate to avian avoidance systems (same assignee: Honeywell International, Inc.): Srinivasan et al. (US 2020/0380958 A1).
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/TC/
26 March 2026
/KRISTINA M DEHERRERA/
Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2855
Prosecution Insights