DETAILED ACTION
This action is in response to the initial filing filed on April 1, 2024 Claims 1-20 havebeen examined in this application.
Information Disclosure Statement
The Information Disclosure Statement (IDS) filed on 4/1/2024 and 7/24/2025 have been acknowledged.
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 § 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 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Taylor (US 2004/0220722 A1) in view of Park et al, (KR 2011/0022874 A).
Regarding Claim 1, Taylor teaches a system comprising [0028-0029]:
one or more processors configured to [0028-0029]:
receive, from an automatic direction finder [0030 for receive processor with a directional antenna to determine relative bearing, and 0033],
a first bearing estimate associated with a first orientation relative to a first radio source [0022-0024 for using transmitters A, B and C],
wherein the first bearing estimate is based on a first plurality of bearing measurements [0030 for interferometric antennas and using loop antennas],
and wherein a first portion of the first plurality of bearing measurements is based on a first signal from a first loop antenna [0030];
receive, from the automatic direction finder, a second bearing estimate associated with a second orientation relative to a second radio source [0020 for relative bearings, and 0033 for relative bearing to transmitter],
wherein the second bearing estimate is based on a second plurality of bearing measurements [0020, and 0024 for calculating relative bearing to different transmitters],
and determine a location based at least on the first bearing estimate and the second bearing estimate [0024 for iteratively solving navigation and positions for relative bearing, and 0033].
Taylor fails to explicitly teach and a second portion of the first plurality of bearing measurements is based on a second signal from a second loop antenna and wherein a first portion of the second plurality of bearing measurements is based on the first signal from the first loop antenna and a second portion of the second plurality of bearing measurements is based on the second signal from the second loop antenna.
Park has an apparatus and method for detecting a direction of a wideband signal (abstract) and teaches and a second portion of the first plurality of bearing measurements is based on a second signal from a second loop antenna [page 10, last 11 lines and page 12, second paragraph]
and wherein a first portion of the second plurality of bearing measurements is based on the first signal from the first loop antenna and a second portion of the second plurality of bearing measurements is based on the second signal from the second loop antenna [page 10, last 11 lines and page 12, second paragraph].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the bearing position techniques, as disclosed by Taylor, further including the loop antenna calculations as taught by Park for the purpose to reduce the amount of correction data stored (Park, page 10, lines 6-9).
Regarding Claim 11, Taylor teaches a non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to [0028-0029]:
receive, from an automatic direction finder [0030 for receive processor with a directional antenna to determine relative bearing, and 0033],
a first bearing estimate associated with a first orientation relative to a first radio source [0022-0024 for using transmitters A, B and C],
wherein the first bearing estimate is based on a first plurality of bearing measurements [0030 for interferometric antennas and using loop antennas],
and wherein a first portion of the first plurality of bearing measurements is generated by the one or more processors based on a first signal from a first loop antenna [0030];
receive, from the automatic direction finder, a second bearing estimate associated with a second orientation relative to a second radio source [0020 for relative bearings, and 0033 for relative bearing to transmitter],
wherein the second bearing estimate is based on a second plurality of bearing measurements [0020, and 0024 for calculating relative bearing to different transmitters],,
and determine a location based at least on the first bearing estimate and the second bearing estimate [0024 for iteratively solving navigation and positions for relative bearing, and 0033].
Taylor fails to explicitly teach and a second portion of the first plurality of bearing measurements is generated by the one or more processors based on a second signal from a second loop antenna, and wherein a first portion of the second plurality of bearing measurements is generated by the one or more processors based on the first signal from the first loop antenna and a second portion of the second plurality of bearing measurements is generated by the one or more processors based on the second signal from the second loop antenna.
Park has an apparatus and a second portion of the first plurality of bearing measurements is generated by the one or more processors based on a second signal from a second loop antenna [page 10, last 11 lines and page 12, second paragraph],
and wherein a first portion of the second plurality of bearing measurements is generated by the one or more processors based on the first signal from the first loop antenna and a second portion of the second plurality of bearing measurements is generated by the one or more processors based on the second signal from the second loop antenna [page 10, last 11 lines and page 12, second paragraph].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the bearing position techniques, as disclosed by Taylor, further including the loop antenna calculations as taught by Park for the purpose to reduce the amount of correction data stored (Park, page 10, lines 6-9).
Regarding Claim 18, Taylor teaches a method comprising [0028-0029]:
receiving, from an automatic direction finder [0030 for receive processor with a directional antenna to determine relative bearing, and 0033],
a first bearing estimate associated with a first orientation relative to a first radio source [0022-0024 for using transmitters A, B and C],
the first bearing estimate based on a first plurality of bearing measurements [0030 for interferometric antennas and using loop antennas],
wherein a first portion of the first plurality of bearing measurements is generated by one or more processors based on a first signal from a first loop antenna [0030]
receiving, from the automatic direction finder, a second bearing estimate associated with a second orientation relative to a second radio source [0020 for relative bearings, and 0033 for relative bearing to transmitter],
the second bearing estimate based on a second plurality of bearing measurements [0020, and 0024 for calculating relative bearing to different transmitters],,
and determining a location based at least on the first bearing estimate and the second bearing estimate [0024 for iteratively solving navigation and positions for relative bearing, and 0033].
Taylor fails to explicitly teach and a second portion of the first plurality of bearing measurements is generated by the one or more processors based on a second signal from a second loop antenna wherein a first portion of the second plurality of bearing measurements is generated by the one or more processors based on the first signal from the first loop antenna and a second portion of the second plurality of bearing measurements is generated by the one or more processors based on the second signal from the second loop antenna.
Park has an apparatus and method for detecting a direction of a wideband signal (abstract) and teaches and a second portion of the first plurality of bearing measurements is generated by the one or more processors based on a second signal from a second loop antenna [page 10, last 11 lines and page 12, second paragraph]
wherein a first portion of the second plurality of bearing measurements is generated by the one or more processors based on the first signal from the first loop antenna and a second portion of the second plurality of bearing measurements is generated by the one or more processors based on the second signal from the second loop antenna [page 10, last 11 lines and page 12, second paragraph].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the bearing position techniques, as disclosed by Taylor, further including the loop antenna calculations as taught by Park for the purpose to reduce the amount of correction data stored (Park, page 10, lines 6-9).
Regarding Claim 2, Taylor teaches the one or more processors are configured to determine the location responsive to a signal indicating a failure associated with another positioning system [0006 for using RNAV, with 0027 for independent integrity verification].
Regarding Claim 3, Taylor teaches the one or more processors are configured to determine the location responsive to one or more controls of an aircraft [0028-0029 for pilot verification].
Regarding Claim 4, Taylor teaches the one or more processors are configured to determine the location based at least on a known location of the first radio source and a known location of the second radio source [0008-0009 for using know radio transmitters].
Regarding Claim 5 and 14, Taylor teaches the known location of the first radio source is a measure of a location of the first radio source relative to a center of the Earth [0022 for great circle navigation with 0029 for using longitude and latitudes].
Regarding Claim 6, Taylor teaches the one or more processors are configured to determine the location based on an iterative process [0024, 0043].
Regarding Claim 7, Taylor teaches the iterative process includes a process based at least on an initial location [0029-0031for takeoff (initial location) with 0043 for using estimated positions].
Regarding Claim 8 and 16, Taylor teaches the initial location comprises a last-known location, a starting location, an arbitrary location, or a combination thereof [0029-0031].
Regarding Claim 9 and 17, Taylor teaches at least one of the first radio source or the second radio source is a nondirectional beacon [0020 for using radio navigation transmitters (NDBs)].
Regarding Claim 10, Taylor teaches at least one of the first radio source or the second radio source is an amplitude modulation radio station [0020 for commercial radio and television also 0030 for pilot listening to commercial radio broadcasts (AM radio stations)].
Regarding Claim 12, Taylor teaches wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to determine the location responsive to a signal indicating a failure associated with another positioning system or one or more controls of an aircraft [0006 for using RNAV, with 0027 for independent integrity verification and 0028-0029 for pilot verification].
Regarding Claim 13, Taylor teaches wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to determine the location based at least on a known location of the first radio source and a known location of the second radio source [0008-0009 for using know radio transmitters with 0022 for great circle navigation with 0029 for using longitude and latitudes].
Regarding Claim 15, Taylor teaches the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to determine the location based on an iterative process [0024, 0033],
wherein the iterative process includes a process based at least on an initial location [0029-0031for takeoff (initial location) with 0043 for using estimated positions].
Regarding Claim 19, Taylor teaches determining the location comprises determining the location based at least on a known location of the first radio source and a known location of the second radio source [0008-0009 for using know radio transmitters],
and wherein the known location of the first radio source is a measure of a location of the first radio source relative to a center of the Earth [0022 for great circle navigation with 0029 for using longitude and latitudes].
Regarding Claim 20, Taylor teaches said determining the location comprises determining the location based on an iterative process; the iterative process includes a process based at least on an initial location [0024, 0033];
and the initial location comprises a last-known location, a starting location, an arbitrary location, or some combination thereof [0029-0031for takeoff (initial location) with 0043 for using estimated positions].
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Florida International University (1999) has a method for radio navigation is the automatic direction finder or non-directional beacon.
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/SAMARINA MAKHDOOM/
Examiner, Art Unit 3648