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 § 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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
Claim(s) 1-13 and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Williamson et al (US 20190248510 A1) in view of Smith et al (US 20230312133 A1).
For claim 1, Williamson discloses a vertiport system Fig. 1 comprising:
a first area left side where winch 16 is located;
a second area separate from the first area right side where aircraft is shown; and
a transfer portion winches and cables configured to transfer an aircraft between the first area and the second area,
wherein:
the transfer portion comprises:
a front transfer apparatus having a front cable 17 detachably connectable to a front portion of the aircraft front landing gear; Para 0023: “load on the helicopter landing gear”; and
a rear transfer apparatus having a rear cable detachably connectable to a rear portion of the aircraft wires 13 and 15 attached to each main gear.
Williamson fails to disclose that at least one of the first area or the second area includes a rotatable circular platform, so that the at least one of the first area or the second area is rotatable.
However, Smith teaches an aircraft transport system in which a first area or second area to which an aircraft is transported include a rotatable circular platform Fig. 2: inner rotatable portion 1003 for each of 1002a-d.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the invention disclosed by Williamson by having a rotatable platform be present at the first or second area as disclosed by Smith. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to allow for aircraft that need to be charged on the ground to be aligned for this purpose – Para 0027: “to facilitate alignment between the charger and the charge port on the aircraft” – and also to align the doors with a loading/unloading direction – Para 0023: “the aircraft will also be in the desired orientation for loading and unloading”. Smith also states that “any combination of suitable translation and/or rotation systems may be used” (Para 0035)” – for example, the cable system of Williamson.
For claim 2, Williamson as modified discloses the vertiport system of claim 1, wherein:
the front cable is configured to be detachably connected to a nose landing gear member of the aircraft Fig. 1; and
the rear cable is configured to be detachably connected to a main landing gear member of the aircraft Fig. 1.
For claim 3, Williamson as modified discloses the vertiport system of claim 1, wherein:
the rear transfer apparatus comprises a first rear transfer apparatus winch 12 and a second rear transfer apparatus winch 14 respectively connected to two main landing gear members disposed in the aircraft Fig. 1; and
the rear cable comprises a first rear cable 13 disposed in the first rear transfer apparatus and a second rear cable 15 disposed in the second rear transfer apparatus.
For claim 4, Williamson as modified discloses the vertiport system of claim 3, wherein
the front transfer apparatus further comprises a front motor to which the front cable is connected Para 0004: “a plurality of winches each associated with a corresponding one of a plurality of electromotors”, the front motor being configured to provide a predetermined degree of tension force to the front cable Para 0004: “rendering winches to maintain the predetermined tension”.
For claim 5, Williamson as modified discloses the vertiport system of claim 4, wherein:
the first rear transfer apparatus further comprises a first rear motor to which the first rear cable is connected Para 0004: “a plurality of winches each associated with a corresponding one of a plurality of electromotors”, the first rear motor being configured to provide a predetermined degree of tension force to the first rear cable Para 0004: “rendering winches to maintain the predetermined tension”; and
the second rear transfer apparatus further comprises a second rear motor to which the second rear cable is connected Para 0004: “a plurality of winches each associated with a corresponding one of a plurality of electromotors”, the second rear motor being configured to provide a predetermined degree of tension force to the second rear cable Para 0004: “rendering winches to maintain the predetermined tension”.
For claim 6, Williamson as modified discloses the vertiport system of claim 5, wherein the transfer portion is configured to generate a predetermined degree of tension force or traction force in the front cable, the first rear cable, or the second rear cable by driving the front motor, the first rear motor, or the second rear motor, respectively, in a state in which the front cable, the first rear cable, or the second rear cable is connected to the aircraft Para 0035: “the three wires 13, 15, 17 are automatically tensioned”.
For claim 7, Williamson as modified discloses the vertiport system of claim 5, wherein:
the front transfer apparatus is disposed in the first area Fig. 1: left side; and
the first rear transfer apparatus and the second rear transfer apparatus are disposed in the second area Fig. 1: right side.
For claim 8, Williamson as modified discloses the vertiport system of claim 7, wherein the aircraft is configured to be transferred between the first area and the second area by driving the front motor, the first rear motor, and the second rear motor in a state in which the front cable, the first rear cable, and the second rear cable are connected to the front motor, the first rear motor, and the second rear motor, respectively Para 0035: “The control lever is then placed in the required direction of helicopter movement”.
For claim 9, Williamson as modified discloses the vertiport system of claim 5, further comprising a motor controller Fig. 5: PLC 80 configured to control the front motor, the first rear motor, and the second rear motor, wherein the motor controller is configured to move the aircraft in a rectilinear direction by collaboratively controlling the front motor, the first rear motor, and the second rear motor configured for rectilinear movement based on the command given for straight line movement; Para 0035: “required direction of helicopter movement i.e. towards the landing area thereby causing the two aft winches 12, 14 to haul with the hangar winch 16 providing back tension”.
For claim 10, Williamson as modified discloses the vertiport system of claim 9, wherein the motor controller is configured to:
detect tension force information of the front cable, the first rear cable, and the second rear cable Fig. 4: S08 – Detect load on aircraft; Para 0049: “Load on the aircraft may be determined by summing the actual line load vectors of the winches”; and
control the front motor, the first rear motor, and the second rear motor based on the tension force information Fig. 4: S14.
For claim 11, Williamson as modified discloses the vertiport system of claim 10, wherein each of the front motor, the first rear motor, and the second rear motor comprises:
a sensor configured to measure the tension force information Fig. 4: S08 – Detect load on aircraft; Para 0049: “Load on the aircraft may be determined by summing the actual line load vectors of the winches”; and
a communication module configured to transmit the tension force information to the motor controller Fig. 5: PLC 80; Para 0021.
For claim 12, Williamson as modified discloses the vertiport system of claim 9, wherein the rectilinear direction is a direction parallel to an imaginary straight line connecting a center of the first area and a center of the second area to each other Fig. 1: along wire 17.
For claim 13, Williamson as modified discloses the vertiport system of claim 1, wherein:
the first area is a transfer area from which the aircraft is to be transferred to another area or a facility intended use – aircraft may be transferred from the first area; and the second area is a takeoff and landing area from which the aircraft takes off and on which the aircraft lands intended use – aircraft may take-off/land from second area.
For claim 15, Williamson as modified discloses the vertiport system of claim 1, further comprising a control center Fig. 1: control console 30 configured to:
control takeoff, landing, stopping, or transfer of the aircraft Para 0018; and
provide control information Para 0018: “graphical user interface”.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See PTO-892.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to COLIN N M ZOHOORI whose telephone number is (571)272-7996. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, JOSHUA J MICHENER can be reached at (571)272-1467. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/COLIN ZOHOORI/Examiner, Art Unit 3642
/MICHAEL H WANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3642