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 .
The current application relates to a Foreign Application Priority IN2024-11022275 filed on 03/22/2024.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments filed on 05/01/2026 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 1, 14 & 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ehrmantraut (20220028289) in view of Ortman (20220397915).
With regard to claim 1, Ehrmantraut discloses a computer-implemented method, comprising:
generating initial landing guidance for a vehicle respective to a landing site based on location data associated with the vehicle (an aircraft 30 includes a navigational computer 22 which generates a navigating landing based on received sensor data, see [0025]-[0027]+; continue guiding the aircraft towards to the landing site, see [0047]);
rendering a graphical user interface (GUI) comprising the initial landing guidance on a display of a computing device associated with controlling the vehicle (an HMI 1040 coupled to a processor 1032 of the aircraft system 1030 that allows a user to interact directly with. The HMI capable of accepting commands or input from the user and transmitting the entered input to the processor 1032, see [0058]-[0059], wherein the HMI is interprets as the GUI);
detecting infrared signals which indicating the infrared sites via receiver 20, see [0039]-[0041]+ and update the current aircraft location, see [0046]-[0047]+;
updating the rendering of the GUI based at least in part on the precise landing guidance, wherein the precise landing guidance instructs navigation of the vehicle to the landing site (The navigational computer continuously updated the aircraft’s location based on received the infrared beacons, see [0025]+. While the aircraft receiver 20 is searching for the infrared beacons signals, the navigational computer 22 determines and provides the updated heading to a pilot or control system that redirects the aircraft 12 based on the updated heading on HMI, see [0035]-[0036]+, [0055] & [0059]+).
Ehmantraut fails to teach detecting an ultra-wideband (UWB) signal from at least one of a plurality of UWB beacons located proximate to the landing site via communication between at least one UWB transceiver of the vehicle and the plurality of UWB beacons located proximate to the landing site; in response to detecting the UWB signal, generating precise landing guidance for the vehicle respective to the landing site based at least in part on the UWB communication between the UWB transceiver of the vehicle and the plurality of UWB beacons located proximate to the landing.
Ortman discloses a system for service drone landing zone (see the abstract). The system as shown in Fig.2 comprises a drone which includes a controller 112, a sensor platform 114 and a communication interface 116; a vehicle 108, a mobile device 106. The vehicle 108 and the mobile device 106 can be beacons which emit localizing signals such as UWB signals which received by the drone via a communication interface 116. The drone’s controller 112 receives the localizing signals (UWB signals) to calculate an approach vector for landing that guides the drone into a landing area, see [0036]-[0037]+.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Ehrmanfraut’s system by using the beacons which emits UWB signals to the drone as taught by Ortman for guiding the aircraft with more accuracy.
With regard to claims 14 & 20, Ehrmantraut an apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one non-transitory memory having computer-coded instructions stored thereon that, in execution with at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:
generate initial landing guidance for a vehicle respective to a landing site based on location data associated with the vehicle (an aircraft 30 includes a navigational computer 22 which generates a navigating landing based on received sensor data, see [0025]-[0027]+);
render a graphical user interface (GUI) comprising the initial landing guidance on a display of a computing device associated with controlling the vehicle (an HMI 1040 coupled to a processor 1032 of the aircraft system 1030 that allows a user to interact directly with. The HMI capable of accepting commands or input from the user and transmitting the entered input to the processor 1032, see [0058]-[0059], wherein the HMI is interprets as the GUI);
detecting infrared signals which indicating the infrared sites via receiver 20, see [0039]-[0041]+ and update the current aircraft location, see [0046]-[0047]+;
updating the rendering of the GUI based at least in part on the precise landing guidance, wherein the precise landing guidance instructs navigation of the vehicle to the landing site (The navigational computer continuously updated the aircraft’s location based on received the infrared beacons, see [0025]+. While the aircraft receiver 20 is searching for the infrared beacons signals, the navigational computer 22 determines and provides the updated heading to a pilot or control system that redirects the aircraft 12 based on the updated heading on HMI, see [0035]-[0036]+, [0055] & [0059]+).
Ehmantraut fails to teach detecting an ultra-wideband (UWB) signal from at least one of a plurality of UWB beacons located proximate to the landing site via communication between at least one UWB transceiver of the vehicle and the plurality of UWB beacons located proximate to the landing site; in response to detecting the UWB signal, generating precise landing guidance for the vehicle respective to the landing site based at least in part on the UWB communication between the UWB transceiver of the vehicle and the plurality of UWB beacons located proximate to the landing.
Ortman discloses a system for service drone landing zone (see the abstract). The system as shown in Fig.2 comprises a drone which includes a controller 112, a sensor platform 114 and a communication interface 116; a vehicle 108, a mobile device 106. The vehicle 108 and the mobile device 106 can be beacons which emit localizing signals such as UWB signals which received by the drone via a communication interface 116. The drone’s controller 112 receives the localizing signals (UWB signals) to calculate an approach vector for landing that guides the drone into a landing area, see [0036]-[0037]+.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Ehrmanfraut’s system by using the beacons which emits UWB signals to the drone as taught by Ortman for guiding the aircraft with more accuracy.
Claim(s) 2-4, 8-13 & 15-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ehrmantraut (20220028289) and Ortman (20220397915) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Goossen (20140018979).
With regarding claim 2, Ehrmantraut discloses the claimed subject matter but fails to teach that the GUI comprising the initial landing guidance comprises a mapping of an area comprising a current location of the vehicle based at least in part on the location data.
Goossen discloses a system for generating a graphical user interface including a 3D virtual containment space for flight of an UAV (see the abstract). The GUI presents the landing guidance comprising a map of an area including the aircraft current location, see [0065]-[0066]+.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Ehrmanfraut’s system by using the beacons which emits UWB signals to the drone as taught by Ortman, and further including a mapping area with the aircraft’s current location on the GUI for landing guidance as taught by Goossen for improving the aircraft’s operation.
With regarding claim 3, Goossen teaches that the method of claim 2, wherein: a rendering of the precise landing guidance on the GUI comprises a three-dimensional mapping of a second area comprising an updated current location of the vehicle, the landing site, and a plurality of structures (see [0004]-[0006]+).
With regard to claim 4, Ortman teaches that the method of claim 3, further comprising: generating the updated current location of the vehicle and the precise landing guidance based at least in part on: the UWB communication between the UWB transceiver of the vehicle and the plurality of UWB beacons; and additional location data associated with the vehicle (see [0036]-[0037]+).
With regard to claim 8, Ehrmantraut teaches that the method of claim 1, wherein: the location data comprises satellite-based location data (GPS systems are commonly used in aircraft, see [0003]+).
With regard to claims 9-10, Ehrmantraut teaches that the method of claim 1, wherein: the location data comprises compass data (the aircraft includes an inertial measurement unit 34 which enables to measure compass data, location data, see [0025]+).
With regard to claims 11-13, Goosen teaches that the wireless interface used to communicate information about the detected obstruction to the air traffic control system. Wherein the information includes size, location, shape, type, images, movement characteristics, etc. which meets the scope of the claims of the vehicle’s “passenger count”, “type” and “weight”, see [0003] & [0040]-[0045]+.
With regard to claims 15-16, Goossen teaches that the apparatus of claim 14, wherein: the precise landing guidance comprises a landing speed and a landing angle (see [0064]+ & [0133]+).
With regard to claims 17, Goossen teaches that the apparatus of claim 14, wherein: the initial landing guidance comprises a topographic map of an area comprising the landing site; and the precise landing guidance comprises a photogrammetry map of a subset of the area, wherein the subset of the area comprises the landing site (the 3D coverage map used to identify coverage gaps above the ground in the coverage area, see [0054]+).
With regard to claims 18, Goossen teaches that the apparatus of claim 17, wherein: the photogrammetry map further comprises light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data associated with the subset of the area (the UAV equipped with radar to provide radar data, see [0125]+).
With regard to claim 19, Ehrmantraut teaches that the apparatus of claim 14, wherein the instructions, in execution with the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to: generate the precise landing guidance further based at least in part on the location data, wherein: the location data comprises at least one of satellite-based location data, compass data, or inertial measurement data (the aircraft includes an inertial measurement unit 34 which enables to measure compass data, location data, see [0025]+).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-7 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claim.
Conclusion
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NGA X. NGUYEN
Examiner
Art Unit 3662
/NGA X NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3662
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