DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 01/14/2025, 04/10/2025 and 07/14/2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings filed on 03/27/2024 are accepted by the Examiner.
Specification
The specification filed on 03/27/2024 is accepted by the Examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Diamond (US 20170358851 A1) in view of Gao (“Files Delivery and Share Optimization in LEO Satellite-Terrestrial Integrated Networks: A NOMA Based Coalition Formation Game Approach” IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology Year: 2022).
Regarding claim 1, Diamond discloses a satellite communication system (SATCOM) comprising the antenna that emits RF signals, the SATCOM is configured to operate in a plurality of modes comprising a low power mode and a high-power mode,
a strength of the RF signals emitted by the antenna is greater when the SATCOM is operating in the high power mode than when the SATCOM is operating in the low power mode, and the control system is configured to switch the SATCOM from the high power mode to the low power mode (abstract, paragraphs [0031]-[0033] [0071] and [0109]-[0115] figures 1 an 8 “FIG. 1 illustrates an example satellite communications system 100 in which an antenna system 150”…”The antenna system 150 is mounted on aircraft 102. In the illustrated embodiment, the aircraft 102 is an airplane. Alternatively, the antenna system 150 can be mounted to other types of aircraft, such as a helicopter, drone, etc.” … “The antenna system 150 includes an antenna selection system (not shown) to control communication of one or more signals with the target satellite 110 via a primary antenna 152 and a secondary antenna 154, using the techniques described herein” … “In addition to switching between the primary antenna 152 and the secondary antenna 154, the antenna selection system 200 can also change the transmission parameters of the return uplink signal 116 to avoid excessive interference when needed. For example, the antenna selection system 200 can change one or more of transmitted power level of the return uplink signal 116, spreading the return uplink signal 116 over a larger bandwidth, or any other technique for reducing the power spectral density in the direction of the non-target satellite 120.” … “If the determination is made at step 804 that the amount of interference with the non-target satellite reaches the threshold, the process continues to step 806. At step 806, communication of the signal is switched from the primary antenna to a secondary antenna on the aircraft to reduce interference. The secondary antenna can for example be the secondary antenna 154 discussed above”).
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Diamond doesn’t disclose when a distance between the vehicle and at least one other vehicle is or is predicted to be less than or equal to a threshold value. Gao discloses when a distance between the vehicle and at least one other vehicle is or is predicted to be less than or equal to a threshold value (abstract, section I “Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) in satellite communication (SATCOM) system can bring high spectral efficiency and massive connectivity” … “Precoding vectors and transmit power optimization with imperfect channel state information (CSI) are derived to achieve successful NOMA transmission and files download cost minimization
in each group.” “dis(ui, uj) represents the distance between user ui and user uj ;” … “hmik, dmik are channel gain, distance between user ui and user uk in group m, respectively” … “Therefore, distance threshold is defined as dth, i.e., dmik≤ dth, ∀i, k ∈ Um.”)
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Diamond and Gao are analogous art because they are from the same field of communications. Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to incorporate in the technique disclosed by Diamond the inter vehicle distance disclosed by Gao. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been transmit power optimization (Gao abstract). See also KSR. In the KSR case, the Court stated that in certain circumstances what is obvious to try is also obvious, such as where "there is a design need or market pressure to solve a problem, and there are a finite number of identified, predictable solutions, a person of ordinary skill has good reason to pursue the known options within his or her technical grasp. If this leads to the anticipated success, it is likely the product not of innovation but of ordinary skill and common sense." Regarding hindsight, the Court found that "[r]igid preventive rules that deny fact finders recourse to common sense . . . are neither necessary under our case law nor consistent with it." The Court stated that "familiar items may have obvious uses beyond their primary purposes," analogizing an obvious invention to the fitting together of pieces to a puzzle. The Court in this regard further stated that the person of ordinary skill is also a person of ordinary creativity, and not "an automaton."
See also Applicant Admitted Prior Art (AAPA) (page 1 paragraph [0003]-[0004] of the present application “Vehicles, such as aircraft, are often equipped with an antenna to transmit and receive data and communication signals. However, when the vehicle is in close proximity to another vehicle, the radio frequency radiation emitted by the antenna may interfere with certain systems of the other vehicles, such as navigation systems.”) It is just common sense that if two vehicles are close creating interference, to reduce the transmission power will reduce the interference. Also, because the vehicles are close to each other, high power is not needed, it is a waste of energy and increased the interference with other devices. To reduce the transmission power is one of a finite number of possibilities to reduce interference, in fact will be the first and more straight forward solution, the person of ordinary skill is also a person of ordinary creativity, and not "an automaton." (see also KSR above).
Regarding claim 11, Diamond discloses a satellite communication system (SATCOM) comprising an antenna configured to emit RF signals configured to operate in a plurality of modes comprising a low power mode and a high power mode, a strength of the RF signals emitted by the antenna is greater when the SATCOM is operating in the high power mode than when the SATCOM is operating in the low power mode, and a control system that is configured to switch the SATCOM from the high power mode to the low power mode (abstract, paragraphs [0031]-[0033] [0071] and [0109]-[0115] figures 1 an 8 “FIG. 1 illustrates an example satellite communications system 100 in which an antenna system 150”…”The antenna system 150 is mounted on aircraft 102. In the illustrated embodiment, the aircraft 102 is an airplane. Alternatively, the antenna system 150 can be mounted to other types of aircraft, such as a helicopter, drone, etc.” … “The antenna system 150 includes an antenna selection system (not shown) to control communication of one or more signals with the target satellite 110 via a primary antenna 152 and a secondary antenna 154, using the techniques described herein” … “In addition to switching between the primary antenna 152 and the secondary antenna 154, the antenna selection system 200 can also change the transmission parameters of the return uplink signal 116 to avoid excessive interference when needed. For example, the antenna selection system 200 can change one or more of transmitted power level of the return uplink signal 116, spreading the return uplink signal 116 over a larger bandwidth, or any other technique for reducing the power spectral density in the direction of the non-target satellite 120.” … “If the determination is made at step 804 that the amount of interference with the non-target satellite reaches the threshold, the process continues to step 806. At step 806, communication of the signal is switched from the primary antenna to a secondary antenna on the aircraft to reduce interference. The secondary antenna can for example be the secondary antenna 154 discussed above”). Diamond doesn’t disclose when a distance between the vehicle and at least one other vehicle is or is predicted to be less than or equal to a threshold value. Gao discloses when a distance between the vehicle and at least one other vehicle is or is predicted to be less than or equal to a threshold value (abstract, section I “Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) in satellite communication (SATCOM) system can bring high spectral efficiency and massive connectivity” … “Precoding vectors and transmit power optimization with imperfect channel state information (CSI) are derived to achieve successful NOMA transmission and files download cost minimization in each group.” “dis(ui, uj) represents the distance between user ui and user uj ;” … “hmik, dmik are channel gain, distance between user ui and user uk in group m, respectively” … “Therefore, distance threshold is defined as dth, i.e., dmik≤ dth, ∀i, k ∈ Um.”) Diamond and Gao are analogous art because they are from the same field of communications. Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to incorporate in the technique disclosed by Diamond the inter vehicle distance disclosed by Gao. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been transmit power optimization (Gao abstract). See also KSR above.
Regarding claim 13, Diamond discloses switching the SATCOM from a high power mode to a low power mode in response to a threshold value (abstract, paragraphs [0031]-[0033] [0071] and [0109]-[0115] figures 1 an 8 “FIG. 1 illustrates an example satellite communications system 100 in which an antenna system 150”…”The antenna system 150 is mounted on aircraft 102. In the illustrated embodiment, the aircraft 102 is an airplane. Alternatively, the antenna system 150 can be mounted to other types of aircraft, such as a helicopter, drone, etc.” … “The antenna system 150 includes an antenna selection system (not shown) to control communication of one or more signals with the target satellite 110 via a primary antenna 152 and a secondary antenna 154, using the techniques described herein” … “In addition to switching between the primary antenna 152 and the secondary antenna 154, the antenna selection system 200 can also change the transmission parameters of the return uplink signal 116 to avoid excessive interference when needed. For example, the antenna selection system 200 can change one or more of transmitted power level of the return uplink signal 116, spreading the return uplink signal 116 over a larger bandwidth, or any other technique for reducing the power spectral density in the direction of the non-target satellite 120.” … “If the determination is made at step 804 that the amount of interference with the non-target satellite reaches the threshold, the process continues to step 806. At step 806, communication of the signal is switched from the primary antenna to a secondary antenna on the aircraft to reduce interference. The secondary antenna can for example be the secondary antenna 154 discussed above”). Diamond doesn’t disclose determining or receiving vehicle position data, determining or receiving traffic data, determining a distance or predicting a future distance between the vehicle and at least one other vehicle based at least in part on the vehicle position data and the traffic data and determining that the distance is less than or equal to a threshold value. Gao discloses determining or receiving vehicle position data, determining or receiving traffic data, determining a distance or predicting a future distance between the vehicle and at least one other vehicle based at least in part on the vehicle position data and the traffic data and determining that the distance is less than or equal to a threshold value (abstract, section I “Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) in satellite communication (SATCOM) system can bring high spectral efficiency and massive connectivity” … “Precoding vectors and transmit power optimization with imperfect channel state information (CSI) are derived to achieve successful NOMA transmission and files download cost minimization in each group.” “dis(ui, uj) represents the distance between user ui and user uj ;” … “hmik, dmik are channel gain, distance between user ui and user uk in group m, respectively” … “Therefore, distance threshold is defined as dth, i.e., dmik≤ dth, ∀i, k ∈ Um.”) Diamond and Gao are analogous art because they are from the same field of communications. Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to incorporate in the technique disclosed by Diamond the inter vehicle distance disclosed by Gao. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been transmit power optimization (Gao abstract). See also KSR above.
Regarding claim 2, Diamond and Gao disclose claim 1, Gao also discloses that the vehicle is on the ground (see figure 1) and the distance between the vehicle and the at least one other vehicle is or is predicted to be less than or equal to the threshold value (abstract, section I “Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) in satellite communication (SATCOM) system can bring high spectral efficiency and massive connectivity” … “Precoding vectors and transmit power optimization with imperfect channel state information (CSI) are derived to achieve successful NOMA transmission and files download cost minimization in each group.” “dis(ui, uj) represents the distance between user ui and user uj ;” … “hmik, dmik are channel gain, distance between user ui and user uk in group m, respectively” … “Therefore, distance threshold is defined as dth, i.e., dmik≤ dth, ∀i, k ∈ Um.”)
Regarding claim 3, Diamond and Gao disclose claim 1, Diamond also discloses the control system is configured to switch the SATCOM from the low power mode to the high power mode (abstract, paragraphs [0031]-[0033] [0071] and [0109]-[0115] figures 1 and 8.) Gao also discloses when one or more distance(s) between the vehicle and all other vehicles within a vicinity of the vehicle is or is predicted to be greater than the threshold value (abstract, section I “Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) in satellite communication (SATCOM) system can bring high spectral efficiency and massive connectivity” … “Precoding vectors and transmit power optimization with imperfect channel state information (CSI) are derived to achieve successful NOMA transmission and files download cost minimization in each group.” “dis(ui, uj) represents the distance between user ui and user uj ;” … “hmik, dmik are channel gain, distance between user ui and user uk in group m, respectively” … “Therefore, distance threshold is defined as dth, i.e., dmik≤ dth, ∀i, k ∈ Um.”)
Regarding claim 4, Diamond and Gao disclose claim 1, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to incorporate an input/output (I/O) system to output an indication of a current operating mode of the SATCOM (see Diamond figures 6 and 8). See i.e. Jensen (US 10049508 B2) figures 2-6 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025. Fuchs (US 20220123570 A1 figures 7-8, 12-14, 16-19, 21-31, and 49-61 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025. Figure 52 shown to enable or not features. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been to see an indication of the operating mode, See KSR above “the person of ordinary skill is also a person of ordinary creativity, and not "an automaton”.)
Regarding claim 5, Diamond and Gao disclose claim 1, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to allow input of a desired operating mode of the SATCOM (see Diamond figures 6 and 8). See i.e. Jensen (US 10049508 B2) figures 2-6 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025. Fuchs (US 20220123570 A1 figures 7-8, 12-14, 16-19, 21-31, and 49-61 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025. Figure 52 shown to enable or not features. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been to reduce complexity of the switching, See KSR above “the person of ordinary skill is also a person of ordinary creativity, and not "an automaton”)
Regarding claim 6, Diamond and Gao disclose claim 1, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to allow a user to select between the auto mode and the override mode of the control system (see Diamond figures 6 and 8). See i.e. Jensen (US 10049508 B2) figures 2-6 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025. Fuchs (US 20220123570 A1 figures 7-8, 12-14, 16-19, 21-31, and 49-61 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025. Figure 52 shown to enable or not features. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been to select the operating mode, See KSR above “the person of ordinary skill is also a person of ordinary creativity, and not "an automaton”).
Regarding claim 7, Diamond and Gao disclose claim 6, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to allow the user to select between the high-power mode and the low power mode and indicate of the user's selection between the high-power mode and the low power mode (see Diamond figures 6 and 8). See i.e. Jensen (US 10049508 B2) figures 2-6 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025. Fuchs (US 20220123570 A1 figures 7-8, 12-14, 16-19, 21-31, and 49-61 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025. Figure 52 shown to enable or not features. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been to select the operating mode, See KSR above “the person of ordinary skill is also a person of ordinary creativity, and not "an automaton”).
Regarding claim 8, Diamond and Gao disclose claim 1, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide an alert indication when the SATCOM is operating in the high-power mode and the distance between the vehicle and at least one other vehicle is or is predicted to be less than or equal to the threshold value (see Diamond figures 6 and 8). See i.e. Jensen (US 10049508 B2) figures 2-6 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025. Fuchs (US 20220123570 A1 figures 7-8, 12-14, 16-19, 21-31, and 49-61 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025. Figure 52 shown to enable or not features. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been to select the operating mode, See KSR above “the person of ordinary skill is also a person of ordinary creativity, and not "an automaton”). See i.e. Jensen (US 10049508 B2) figures 2-6 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025.
Regarding claim 9, Diamond and Gao disclose claim 1, Diamond also discloses a modem that is in electrical communication with the antenna, wherein the modem is configured to adjust the strength of the RF signals emitted by the antenna based on an operating mode of the SATCOM (figure 2 block 230)
Regarding claim 10, Diamond and Gao disclose claim 1, Gao also discloses determine the threshold value at least in part on at least one RF property of the RF signals emitted by the antenna (page 840 left column dth=D, dth=D/2).
Regarding claim 12, Diamond and Gao disclose claim 11, Gao also discloses switch the SATCOM from the high-power mode to the low power mode when the aircraft switches from being not on the ground to being on the ground (see figure 1).
Regarding claim 14, Diamond and Gao disclose claim 1, Diamond also discloses switching the SATCOM from the low power mode to the high-power mode in response to determining that a value is greater than the threshold value (figure 8 paragraph [0072]).
Regarding claim 15, Diamond and Gao disclose claim 13, Gao also discloses that the vehicle is on the ground (see figure 1). Gao also discloses the distance between the vehicle and the at least one other vehicle is or is predicted to be less than or equal to the threshold value (abstract, section I “Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) in satellite communication (SATCOM) system can bring high spectral efficiency and massive connectivity” … “Precoding vectors and transmit power optimization with imperfect channel state information (CSI) are derived to achieve successful NOMA transmission and files download cost minimization in each group.” “dis(ui, uj) represents the distance between user ui and user uj ;” … “hmik, dmik are channel gain, distance between user ui and user uk in group m, respectively” … “Therefore, distance threshold is defined as dth, i.e., dmik≤ dth, ∀i, k ∈ Um.”)
Regarding claim 16, Diamond and Gao disclose claim 13, Diamond also discloses the control system is configured to switch the SATCOM from the low power mode to the high power mode (abstract, paragraphs [0031]-[0033] [0071] and [0109]-[0115] figures 1 and 8). Gao also discloses when one or more distance(s) between the vehicle and all other vehicles within a vicinity of the vehicle is or is predicted to be greater than the threshold value (abstract, section I “Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) in satellite communication (SATCOM) system can bring high spectral efficiency and massive connectivity” … “Precoding vectors and transmit power optimization with imperfect channel state information (CSI) are derived to achieve successful NOMA transmission and files download cost minimization in each group.” “dis(ui, uj) represents the distance between user ui and user uj ;” … “hmik, dmik are channel gain, distance between user ui and user uk in group m, respectively” … “Therefore, distance threshold is defined as dth, i.e., dmik≤ dth, ∀i, k ∈ Um.”)
Regarding claim 17, Diamond and Gao disclose claim 13, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to incorporate an input/output (I/O) system to output an indication of a current operating mode of the SATCOM (see Diamond figures 6 and 8), See i.e. Jensen (US 10049508 B2) figures 2-6 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025. Fuchs (US 20220123570 A1 figures 7-8, 12-14, 16-19, 21-31, and 49-61 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025. Figure 52 shown to enable or not features. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been to see an indication of the operating mode, See KSR above “the person of ordinary skill is also a person of ordinary creativity, and not "an automaton”) See i.e. Jensen (US 10049508 B2) figures 2-6 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025.
Regarding claim 18, Diamond and Gao disclose claim 13, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to allow input of a desired operating mode of the SATCOM (see Diamond figures 6 and 8). See i.e. Jensen (US 10049508 B2) figures 2-6 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025. Fuchs (US 20220123570 A1 figures 7-8, 12-14, 16-19, 21-31, and 49-61 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025. Figure 52 shown to enable or not features. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been to reduce complexity of the switching, See KSR above “the person of ordinary skill is also a person of ordinary creativity, and not "an automaton”)
Regarding claim 19, Diamond and Gao disclose claim 18, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to allow the user to select between the high-power mode and the low power mode and indicate of the user's selection between the high-power mode and the low power mode (see Diamond figures 6 and 8). See i.e. Jensen (US 10049508 B2) figures 2-6 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025. Fuchs (US 20220123570 A1 figures 7-8, 12-14, 16-19, 21-31, and 49-61 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025. Figure 52 shown to enable or not features. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been to select the operating mode, See KSR above “the person of ordinary skill is also a person of ordinary creativity, and not "an automaton”).
Regarding claim 20, Diamond and Gao disclose claim 10, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide an alert indication when the SATCOM is operating in the high-power mode and the distance between the vehicle and at least one other vehicle is or is predicted to be less than or equal to the threshold value (see Diamond figures 6 and 8). See i.e. Jensen (US 10049508 B2) figures 2-6 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025. Fuchs (US 20220123570 A1 figures 7-8, 12-14, 16-19, 21-31, and 49-61 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025. Figure 52 shown to enable or not features. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been to select the operating mode, See KSR above “the person of ordinary skill is also a person of ordinary creativity, and not "an automaton”).
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brandao (US 20200389193 A1) in view of Gao (“Files Delivery and Share Optimization in LEO Satellite-Terrestrial Integrated Networks: A NOMA Based Coalition Formation Game Approach” IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology Year: 2022).
Regarding claim 1, Brandao discloses a satellite communication system (SATCOM) comprising the antenna that emits RF signals, the SATCOM is configured to operate in a plurality of modes comprising a low power mode and a high power mode, a strength of the RF signals emitted by the antenna is greater when the SATCOM is operating in the high power mode than when the SATCOM is operating in the low power mode, and the control system is configured to switch the SATCOM from the high power mode to the low power mode (abstract, paragraphs [0016], [0060]-[0065] figure 4 “In some examples, a system includes a transceiver configured to transmit a first surveillance message at a first power level at or below a first maximum power level. The system also includes processing circuitry coupled to the transceiver; the processing circuitry configured to determine that a threshold condition exists. The processing circuitry is also configured to determine a second maximum power level in response to determining that the threshold condition exists, where the second maximum power level is lower than the first maximum power level. The transceiver is configured to transmit, in response to the processing circuitry determining that the threshold condition exists, a second surveillance message at a second power level, wherein the second power level is at or below the second maximum power level.” … “Although vehicles 100, 160, and 170 are depicted in FIG. 1 as airplanes, vehicles 100, 160, and 170 can be any other vehicle or non-vehicle mobile object. In some examples, vehicles 100, 160, and 170 may be an aircraft other than an airplane, such as a helicopter or a weather balloon. Vehicles 100, 160, and 170 may be space vehicles such as satellites or spaceships.”).
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Brandao doesn’t disclose when a distance between the vehicle and at least one other vehicle is or is predicted to be less than or equal to a threshold value. Gao discloses when a distance between the vehicle and at least one other vehicle is or is predicted to be less than or equal to a threshold value (abstract, section I “Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) in satellite communication (SATCOM) system can bring high spectral efficiency and massive connectivity” … “Precoding vectors and transmit power optimization with imperfect channel state information (CSI) are derived to achieve successful NOMA transmission and files download cost minimization
in each group.” “dis(ui, uj) represents the distance between user ui and user uj ;” … “hmik, dmik are channel gain, distance between user ui and user uk in group m, respectively” … “Therefore, distance threshold is defined as dth, i.e., dmik≤ dth, ∀i, k ∈ Um.”) Brandao and Gao are analogous art because they are from the same field of communications. Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to incorporate in the technique disclosed by Brandao the inter vehicle distance disclosed by Gao. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been transmit power optimization (Gao abstract). See also KSR. In the KSR case, the Court stated that in certain circumstances what is obvious to try is also obvious, such as where "there is a design need or market pressure to solve a problem, and there are a finite number of identified, predictable solutions, a person of ordinary skill has good reason to pursue the known options within his or her technical grasp. If this leads to the anticipated success, it is likely the product not of innovation but of ordinary skill and common sense." Regarding hindsight, the Court found that "[r]igid preventive rules that deny fact finders recourse to common sense . . . are neither necessary under our case law nor consistent with it." The Court stated that "familiar items may have obvious uses beyond their primary purposes," analogizing an obvious invention to the fitting together of pieces to a puzzle. The Court in this regard further stated that the person of ordinary skill is also a person of ordinary creativity, and not "an automaton."
See also Applicant Admitted Prior Art (AAPA) (page 1 paragraph [0003]-[0004] of the present application “Vehicles, such as aircraft, are often equipped with an antenna to transmit and receive data and communication signals. However, when the vehicle is in close proximity to another vehicle, the radio frequency radiation emitted by the antenna may interfere with certain systems of the other vehicles, such as navigation systems.”) It is just common sense that if two vehicles are close creating interference, to reduce the transmission power will reduce the interference. Also, because the vehicles are close to each other, high power is not needed, it is a waste of energy and increased the interference with other devices. To reduce the transmission power is one of a finite number of possibilities to reduce interference, in fact will be the first and more straight forward solution, the person of ordinary skill is also a person of ordinary creativity, and not "an automaton." (see also KSR above).
Regarding claim 11, Brandao discloses a satellite communication system (SATCOM) comprising an antenna configured to emit RF signals configured to operate in a plurality of modes comprising a low power mode and a high power mode, a strength of the RF signals emitted by the antenna is greater when the SATCOM is operating in the high power mode than when the SATCOM is operating in the low power mode, and a control system that is configured to switch the SATCOM from the high power mode to the low power mode (abstract, paragraphs [0016], [0060]-[0065] figure 4 “In some examples, a system includes a transceiver configured to transmit a first surveillance message at a first power level at or below a first maximum power level. The system also includes processing circuitry coupled to the transceiver; the processing circuitry configured to determine that a threshold condition exists. The processing circuitry is also configured to determine a second maximum power level in response to determining that the threshold condition exists, where the second maximum power level is lower than the first maximum power level. The transceiver is configured to transmit, in response to the processing circuitry determining that the threshold condition exists, a second surveillance message at a second power level, wherein the second power level is at or below the second maximum power level.” … “Although vehicles 100, 160, and 170 are depicted in FIG. 1 as airplanes, vehicles 100, 160, and 170 can be any other vehicle or non-vehicle mobile object. In some examples, vehicles 100, 160, and 170 may be an aircraft other than an airplane, such as a helicopter or a weather balloon. Vehicles 100, 160, and 170 may be space vehicles such as satellites or spaceships.”) Brandao doesn’t disclose when a distance between the vehicle and at least one other vehicle is or is predicted to be less than or equal to a threshold value. Gao discloses when a distance between the vehicle and at least one other vehicle is or is predicted to be less than or equal to a threshold value (abstract, section I “Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) in satellite communication (SATCOM) system can bring high spectral efficiency and massive connectivity” … “Precoding vectors and transmit power optimization with imperfect channel state information (CSI) are derived to achieve successful NOMA transmission and files download cost minimization in each group.” “dis(ui, uj) represents the distance between user ui and user uj ;” … “hmik, dmik are channel gain, distance between user ui and user uk in group m, respectively” … “Therefore, distance threshold is defined as dth, i.e., dmik≤ dth, ∀i, k ∈ Um.”) Brandao and Gao are analogous art because they are from the same field of communications. Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to incorporate in the technique disclosed by Brandao the inter vehicle distance disclosed by Gao. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been transmit power optimization (Gao abstract). See also KSR above.
Regarding claim 13, Brandao discloses switching the SATCOM from a high power mode to a low power mode in response to a threshold value (abstract, paragraphs [0016], [0060]-[0065] figure 4 “In some examples, a system includes a transceiver configured to transmit a first surveillance message at a first power level at or below a first maximum power level. The system also includes processing circuitry coupled to the transceiver; the processing circuitry configured to determine that a threshold condition exists. The processing circuitry is also configured to determine a second maximum power level in response to determining that the threshold condition exists, where the second maximum power level is lower than the first maximum power level. The transceiver is configured to transmit, in response to the processing circuitry determining that the threshold condition exists, a second surveillance message at a second power level, wherein the second power level is at or below the second maximum power level.” … “Although vehicles 100, 160, and 170 are depicted in FIG. 1 as airplanes, vehicles 100, 160, and 170 can be any other vehicle or non-vehicle mobile object. In some examples, vehicles 100, 160, and 170 may be an aircraft other than an airplane, such as a helicopter or a weather balloon. Vehicles 100, 160, and 170 may be space vehicles such as satellites or spaceships.”). Brandao doesn’t disclose determining or receiving vehicle position data, determining or receiving traffic data, determining a distance or predicting a future distance between the vehicle and at least one other vehicle based at least in part on the vehicle position data and the traffic data and determining that the distance is less than or equal to a threshold value. Gao discloses determining or receiving vehicle position data, determining or receiving traffic data, determining a distance or predicting a future distance between the vehicle and at least one other vehicle based at least in part on the vehicle position data and the traffic data and determining that the distance is less than or equal to a threshold value (abstract, section I “Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) in satellite communication (SATCOM) system can bring high spectral efficiency and massive connectivity” … “Precoding vectors and transmit power optimization with imperfect channel state information (CSI) are derived to achieve successful NOMA transmission and files download cost minimization in each group.” “dis(ui, uj) represents the distance between user ui and user uj ;” … “hmik, dmik are channel gain, distance between user ui and user uk in group m, respectively” … “Therefore, distance threshold is defined as dth, i.e., dmik≤ dth, ∀i, k ∈ Um.”) Brandao and Gao are analogous art because they are from the same field of communications. Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to incorporate in the technique disclosed by Brandao the inter vehicle distance disclosed by Gao. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been transmit power optimization (Gao abstract). See also KSR above.
Regarding claim 2, Brandao and Gao disclose claim 1, Gao also discloses that the vehicle is on the ground (see figure 1) and the distance between the vehicle and the at least one other vehicle is or is predicted to be less than or equal to the threshold value (abstract, section I “Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) in satellite communication (SATCOM) system can bring high spectral efficiency and massive connectivity” … “Precoding vectors and transmit power optimization with imperfect channel state information (CSI) are derived to achieve successful NOMA transmission and files download cost minimization in each group.” “dis(ui, uj) represents the distance between user ui and user uj ;” … “hmik, dmik are channel gain, distance between user ui and user uk in group m, respectively” … “Therefore, distance threshold is defined as dth, i.e., dmik≤ dth, ∀i, k ∈ Um.”)
Regarding claim 3, Brandao and Gao disclose claim 1, Brandao also discloses the control system is configured to switch the SATCOM from the low power mode to the high power mode (abstract, paragraphs [0016], [0060]-[0065] figure 4 “In some examples, a system includes a transceiver configured to transmit a first surveillance message at a first power level at or below a first maximum power level. The system also includes processing circuitry coupled to the transceiver; the processing circuitry configured to determine that a threshold condition exists. The processing circuitry is also configured to determine a second maximum power level in response to determining that the threshold condition exists, where the second maximum power level is lower than the first maximum power level. The transceiver is configured to transmit, in response to the processing circuitry determining that the threshold condition exists, a second surveillance message at a second power level, wherein the second power level is at or below the second maximum power level.” … “Although vehicles 100, 160, and 170 are depicted in FIG. 1 as airplanes, vehicles 100, 160, and 170 can be any other vehicle or non-vehicle mobile object. In some examples, vehicles 100, 160, and 170 may be an aircraft other than an airplane, such as a helicopter or a weather balloon. Vehicles 100, 160, and 170 may be space vehicles such as satellites or spaceships.”). Gao also discloses when one or more distance(s) between the vehicle and all other vehicles within a vicinity of the vehicle is or is predicted to be greater than the threshold value (abstract, section I “Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) in satellite communication (SATCOM) system can bring high spectral efficiency and massive connectivity” … “Precoding vectors and transmit power optimization with imperfect channel state information (CSI) are derived to achieve successful NOMA transmission and files download cost minimization in each group.” “dis(ui, uj) represents the distance between user ui and user uj ;” … “hmik, dmik are channel gain, distance between user ui and user uk in group m, respectively” … “Therefore, distance threshold is defined as dth, i.e., dmik≤ dth, ∀i, k ∈ Um.”)
Regarding claim 4, Brandao and Gao disclose claim 1, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to incorporate an input/output (I/O) system to output an indication of a current operating mode of the SATCOM See i.e. Jensen (US 10049508 B2) figures 2-6 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025. Fuchs (US 20220123570 A1 figures 7-8, 12-14, 16-19, 21-31, and 49-61 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025. Figure 52 shown to enable or not features. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been to see an indication of the operating mode, See KSR above “the person of ordinary skill is also a person of ordinary creativity, and not "an automaton”.)
Regarding claim 5, Brandao and Gao disclose claim 1, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to allow input of a desired operating mode of the SATCOM See i.e. Jensen (US 10049508 B2) figures 2-6 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025. Fuchs (US 20220123570 A1 figures 7-8, 12-14, 16-19, 21-31, and 49-61 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025. Figure 52 shown to enable or not features. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been to reduce complexity of the switching, See KSR above “the person of ordinary skill is also a person of ordinary creativity, and not "an automaton”)
Regarding claim 6, Brandao and Gao disclose claim 1, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to allow a user to select between the auto mode and the override mode of the control system See i.e. Jensen (US 10049508 B2) figures 2-6 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025. Fuchs (US 20220123570 A1 figures 7-8, 12-14, 16-19, 21-31, and 49-61 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025. Figure 52 shown to enable or not features. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been to select the operating mode, See KSR above “the person of ordinary skill is also a person of ordinary creativity, and not "an automaton”).
Regarding claim 7, Brandao and Gao disclose claim 6, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to allow the user to select between the high-power mode and the low power mode and indicate of the user's selection between the high-power mode and the low power mode See i.e. Jensen (US 10049508 B2) figures 2-6 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025. Fuchs (US 20220123570 A1 figures 7-8, 12-14, 16-19, 21-31, and 49-61 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025. Figure 52 shown to enable or not features. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been to select the operating mode, See KSR above “the person of ordinary skill is also a person of ordinary creativity, and not "an automaton”).
Regarding claim 8, Brandao and Gao disclose claim 1, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide an alert indication when the SATCOM is operating in the high-power mode and the distance between the vehicle and at least one other vehicle is or is predicted to be less than or equal to the threshold value. See i.e. Jensen (US 10049508 B2) figures 2-6 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025. Fuchs (US 20220123570 A1 figures 7-8, 12-14, 16-19, 21-31, and 49-61 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025. Figure 52 shown to enable or not features. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been to select the operating mode, See KSR above “the person of ordinary skill is also a person of ordinary creativity, and not "an automaton”).
Regarding claim 9, Brandao and Gao disclose claim 1, Brandao also discloses a modem that is in electrical communication with the antenna, wherein the modem is configured to adjust the strength of the RF signals emitted by the antenna based on an operating mode of the SATCOM (figure 3 block 310).
Regarding claim 10, Brandao and Gao disclose claim 1, Gao also discloses determine the threshold value at least in part on at least one RF property of the RF signals emitted by the antenna (page 840 left column dth=D, dth=D/2).
Regarding claim 12, Brandao and Gao disclose claim 11, Gao also discloses switch the SATCOM from the high-power mode to the low power mode when the aircraft switches from being not on the ground to being on the ground (see figure 1).
Regarding claim 14, Brandao and Gao disclose claim 1, Brandao also discloses switching the SATCOM from the low power mode to the high power mode in response to determining that a value is greater than the threshold value ((abstract, paragraphs [0016], [0060]-[0065] figure 4 “In some examples, a system includes a transceiver configured to transmit a first surveillance message at a first power level at or below a first maximum power level. The system also includes processing circuitry coupled to the transceiver; the processing circuitry configured to determine that a threshold condition exists. The processing circuitry is also configured to determine a second maximum power level in response to determining that the threshold condition exists, where the second maximum power level is lower than the first maximum power level. The transceiver is configured to transmit, in response to the processing circuitry determining that the threshold condition exists, a second surveillance message at a second power level, wherein the second power level is at or below the second maximum power level.” … “Although vehicles 100, 160, and 170 are depicted in FIG. 1 as airplanes, vehicles 100, 160, and 170 can be any other vehicle or non-vehicle mobile object. In some examples, vehicles 100, 160, and 170 may be an aircraft other than an airplane, such as a helicopter or a weather balloon. Vehicles 100, 160, and 170 may be space vehicles such as satellites or spaceships.”).
Regarding claim 15, Brandao and Gao disclose claim 13, Gao also discloses that the vehicle is on the ground (see figure 1) and the distance between the vehicle and the at least one other vehicle is or is predicted to be less than or equal to the threshold value (abstract, section I “Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) in satellite communication (SATCOM) system can bring high spectral efficiency and massive connectivity” … “Precoding vectors and transmit power optimization with imperfect channel state information (CSI) are derived to achieve successful NOMA transmission and files download cost minimization in each group.” “dis(ui, uj) represents the distance between user ui and user uj ;” … “hmik, dmik are channel gain, distance between user ui and user uk in group m, respectively” … “Therefore, distance threshold is defined as dth, i.e., dmik≤ dth, ∀i, k ∈ Um.”)
Regarding claim 16, Brandao and Gao disclose claim 13, Brandao also discloses the control system is configured to switch the SATCOM from the low power mode to the high power mode (abstract, paragraphs [0016], [0060]-[0065] figure 4 “In some examples, a system includes a transceiver configured to transmit a first surveillance message at a first power level at or below a first maximum power level. The system also includes processing circuitry coupled to the transceiver; the processing circuitry configured to determine that a threshold condition exists. The processing circuitry is also configured to determine a second maximum power level in response to determining that the threshold condition exists, where the second maximum power level is lower than the first maximum power level. The transceiver is configured to transmit, in response to the processing circuitry determining that the threshold condition exists, a second surveillance message at a second power level, wherein the second power level is at or below the second maximum power level.” … “Although vehicles 100, 160, and 170 are depicted in FIG. 1 as airplanes, vehicles 100, 160, and 170 can be any other vehicle or non-vehicle mobile object. In some examples, vehicles 100, 160, and 170 may be an aircraft other than an airplane, such as a helicopter or a weather balloon. Vehicles 100, 160, and 170 may be space vehicles such as satellites or spaceships.”). Gao also discloses when one or more distance(s) between the vehicle and all other vehicles within a vicinity of the vehicle is or is predicted to be greater than the threshold value (abstract, section I “Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) in satellite communication (SATCOM) system can bring high spectral efficiency and massive connectivity” … “Precoding vectors and transmit power optimization with imperfect channel state information (CSI) are derived to achieve successful NOMA transmission and files download cost minimization in each group.” “dis(ui, uj) represents the distance between user ui and user uj ;” … “hmik, dmik are channel gain, distance between user ui and user uk in group m, respectively” … “Therefore, distance threshold is defined as dth, i.e., dmik≤ dth, ∀i, k ∈ Um.”)
Regarding claim 17, Brandao and Gao disclose claim 13, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to incorporate an input/output (I/O) system to output an indication of a current operating mode of the SATCOM See i.e. Jensen (US 10049508 B2) figures 2-6 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025. Fuchs (US 20220123570 A1 figures 7-8, 12-14, 16-19, 21-31, and 49-61 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been to see an indication of the operating mode, See KSR above “the person of ordinary skill is also a person of ordinary creativity, and not "an automaton”) See i.e. Jensen (US 10049508 B2) figures 2-6 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025.
Regarding claim 18, Brandao and Gao disclose claim 13, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to allow input of a desired operating mode of the SATCOM. See i.e. Jensen (US 10049508 B2) figures 2-6 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025. Fuchs (US 20220123570 A1 figures 7-8, 12-14, 16-19, 21-31, and 49-61 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been to reduce complexity of the switching, See KSR above “the person of ordinary skill is also a person of ordinary creativity, and not "an automaton”)
Regarding claim 19, Brandao and Gao disclose claim 18, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to allow the user to select between the high-power mode and the low power mode and indicate of the user's selection between the high-power mode and the low power mode. See i.e. Jensen (US 10049508 B2) figures 2-6 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025. Fuchs (US 20220123570 A1 figures 7-8, 12-14, 16-19, 21-31, and 49-61 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been to select the operating mode, See KSR above “the person of ordinary skill is also a person of ordinary creativity, and not "an automaton”).
Regarding claim 20, Brandao and Gao disclose claim 10, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to provide an alert indication when the SATCOM is operating in the high-power mode and the distance between the vehicle and at least one other vehicle is or is predicted to be less than or equal to the threshold value. See i.e. Jensen (US 10049508 B2) figures 2-6 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025. Fuchs (US 20220123570 A1 figures 7-8, 12-14, 16-19, 21-31, and 49-61 included in the IDS filed on 01/14/2025. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been to select the operating mode, See KSR above “the person of ordinary skill is also a person of ordinary creativity, and not "an automaton”).
Double Patenting
The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the conflicting claims are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on nonstatutory double patenting provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with the examined application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. See MPEP § 717.02 for applications subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA as explained in MPEP § 2159. See MPEP § 2146 et seq. for applications not subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b).
The filing of a terminal disclaimer by itself is not a complete reply to a nonstatutory double patenting (NSDP) rejection. A complete reply requires that the terminal disclaimer be accompanied by a reply requesting reconsideration of the prior Office action. Even where the NSDP rejection is provisional the reply must be complete. See MPEP § 804, subsection I.B.1. For a reply to a non-final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.111(a). For a reply to final Office action, see 37 CFR 1.113(c). A request for reconsideration while not provided for in 37 CFR 1.113(c) may be filed after final for consideration. See MPEP §§ 706.07(e) and 714.13.
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Claims 1, 3 and 10 are provisionally rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-20 of copending Application No. 18/618305 (reference application). Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because claims 1, 3 and 10 of the present application are obvious over claims 1-20 of copending Application No. 18/618305 (reference application) because they are a combination of different limitations of claims 1-20 of copending Application No. 18/618305 (reference application) with a finite number of identified, predictable solutions. See KSR. In the KSR case, the Court stated that in certain circumstances what is obvious to try is also obvious, such as where "there is a design need or market pressure to solve a problem, and there are a finite number of identified, predictable solutions, a person of ordinary skill has good reason to pursue the known options within his or her technical grasp. If this leads to the anticipated success, it is likely the product not of innovation but of ordinary skill and common sense." Regarding hindsight, the Court found that "[r]igid preventive rules that deny fact finders recourse to common sense . . . are neither necessary under our case law nor consistent with it." The Court stated that "familiar items may have obvious uses beyond their primary purposes," analogizing an obvious invention to the fitting together of pieces to a puzzle. The Court in this regard further stated that the person of ordinary skill is also a person of ordinary creativity, and not "an automaton."
This is a provisional nonstatutory double patenting rejection because the patentably indistinct claims have not in fact been patented.
Present Application
Copending Application No. 18/618305
1. A control system for controlling an antenna of a vehicle, the control system comprising:
a satellite communication system (SATCOM) comprising the antenna, wherein the antenna emits RF signals, and wherein:
the SATCOM is configured to operate in a plurality of modes, wherein the plurality of modes comprises a low power mode and a high-power mode, a strength of the RF signals emitted by the antenna is greater when the SATCOM is operating in the high-power mode than when the SATCOM is operating in the low power mode, and
the control system is configured to switch the SATCOM from the high-power mode to the low power mode when a distance between the vehicle and at least one other vehicle is or is predicted to be less than or equal to
a threshold value
6. A control system for a vehicle, the control system configured to provide an alert indication, the control system comprising:
a satellite communication system (SATCOM) comprising an antenna, wherein:
the SATCOM is configured to operate in a plurality of modes, wherein at least one of the plurality of modes is an on mode, and
the control system is configured to provide at least one alert indication when (i) the SATCOM is operating in the on mode and (ii) a distance between the vehicle and at least one other vehicle is or is predicted to be less than or equal to a threshold value, wherein the on mode is a high-power mode, and wherein the control system is configured to operate in an auto mode, wherein when the control system is operating in the auto mode,
the control system is configured to switch the SATCOM from the high-power mode to a low power mode when the distance between the vehicle and at
least one other vehicle is or is predicted to be less than or equal to the threshold value
3. The control system of claim 1, wherein
the control system is configured to switch the SATCOM from the low power mode to the high-power mode when one or more distance(s) between the vehicle and all other vehicles within a vicinity of the vehicle is or is predicted to be greater than the threshold value
6..
the control system is configured to switch the SATCOM from the high-power mode to a low power mode when the distance between the vehicle and at least one other vehicle is or is predicted to be less than or equal to the threshold value
10. The control system of claim 1, wherein the control system is configured to determine the threshold value at least in part on at least one RF property of the RF signals emitted by the antenna
8. The control system of claim 1, wherein the control system is configured to determine the threshold value at least in part on at least one RF property of
RF signals emitted by the antenna.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Cawse (US 20250173278 A1) discloses intelligent Bluetooth beacon I/O expansion system.
Bekanich (US 10163328 B2) discloses SATCOM distressed aircraft tracking system.
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/JUAN A TORRES/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2634