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 .
Status of Claims
This Office Action is in response to the application filed on July 18, 2024 and the claims filed on July 18, 2024 which include amendments to the claims. Claims 1-6, 10, and 12 are presently pending and are presented for examination.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDSs) were submitted on July 18, 2024 and August 7, 2025. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Priority
Priority to PCT/JP2022/010465 dated March 10, 2022 is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to 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 the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-6, 10, and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Pub. No. 2007/0246610 (hereinafter, “Rath”).
Regarding claim 1, Rath discloses A communication terminal installed in a mobile body capable of switching between at least two or more driving modes including a first driving mode and a second driving mode, the first driving mode being a mode for operating based on an operation command received via wireless communication from a predetermined management system, the second driving mode being different from the first driving mode (see at least [0005] and [0016]; the first driving mode which is a remote control mode and the second driving mode with is an autonomous mode. The mobile body is the UAV), the communication terminal comprising:
a memory (see at least [0014]); and
at least one processor coupled to the memory (see at least [0014]) the at least one processor performing operations to:
change a communication configuration with the predetermined management system based on whether the driving mode is the first driving mode (see at least [0016]; the first mode used RF communications while the second mode communicates internally within the UAV).
Regarding claim 2, Rath discloses all of the limitations of claim 1. Additionally, Rath discloses wherein the at least one processor further performs operation to:
in the first driving mode, transmit an image photographed by a camera installed in the mobile body to the predetermined management system, and wherein the operation command is created based on the image (see at least [0027] and [0047]; telemetry packets which include sensor data, including image data, are sent to the ground station for remote control when in the first driving mode and commands based on the data are sent back to the UAV).
Regarding claim 3, Rath discloses all of the limitations of claim 1. Additionally, Rath discloses wherein the second driving mode is a driving mode performing either autonomous driving for operating without receiving the operation command from the predetermined management system or manual driving by a crew (see at least [0016]; the second driving mode may be an autonomous driving mode which does not receive commands from the remote control system).
Regarding claim 4, Rath discloses all of the limitations of claim 1. Additionally, Rath discloses wherein the at least one processor further performs operation to:
in a case of the first driving mode, change a communication configuration to a communication configuration with less delay than a communication configuration in a case of the second driving mode (see at least [0016]; the RF communications are changed to communications with less delay in a first driving mode than a second driving mode, because the RF communications are not sent or received when in the second driving mode and are continually sent and received when in the first driving mode).
Regarding claim 5, Rath discloses all of the limitations of claim 1. Additionally, Rath discloses wherein the at least one processor further performs operation to:
in a case of the first driving mode, change changes a communication configuration to a communication configuration in which a priority of communication becomes higher than a communication configuration in a case of the second driving mode (see at least [0016]; RF communication becomes a priority in the first driving mode and is not a priority in the second driving mode).
Regarding claim 6, Rath discloses all of the limitations of claim 1. Additionally, Rath discloses wherein the at least one processor further performs operation to:
in a case of the first driving mode, change a communication configuration to a communication configuration in which a redundancy of a line becomes higher than a communication configuration in a case of the second driving mode (see at least [0016]; redundancy of the RF communication signals increases in the first mode as there are no redundancies or RF signals in the second mode).
Regarding claim 10, Rath discloses all of the limitations of claim 1. Additionally, Rath discloses A communication configuration change method comprising:
checking whether a driving mode of a mobile body capable of switching between at least two or more driving modes is a first driving mode, the two or more driving modes including the first driving mode and a second driving mode, the first driving mode for operating based on an operation command received via wireless communication from a predetermined management system, the second driving mode being different from the first driving mode (see at least [0005] and [0016]; the first driving mode which is a remote control mode and the second driving mode with is an autonomous mode. The mobile body is the UAV); and
changing a communication configuration with the predetermined management system based on the check result (see at least [0016]; the first mode used RF communications while the second mode communicates internally within the UAV).
Regarding claim 12, Rath discloses all of the limitations of claim 1. Additionally, Rath discloses A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a process, the process comprising:
checking whether a driving mode of a mobile body capable of switching between at least two or more driving modes is a first driving mode, the two or more driving modes including the first driving mode and a second driving mode, the first driving mode for operating based on an operation command from a predetermined management system, the second driving mode being different from the first driving mode (see at least [0005] and [0016]; the first driving mode which is a remote control mode and the second driving mode with is an autonomous mode. The mobile body is the UAV); and
changing a communication configuration with the predetermined management system based on the check result (see at least [0016]; the first mode used RF communications while the second mode communicates internally within the UAV).
Additional Relevant Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure and may be found on the accompanying PTO-892 Notice of References Cited:
U.S. Pub. No. 2017/0008335 which relates to communication differences corresponding to different vehicle modes of operation.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TIFFANY P YOUNG whose telephone number is (313)446-6575. The examiner can normally be reached M-R 6:30 AM- 4:30 PM.
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TIFFANY YOUNG
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3666
/TIFFANY P YOUNG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3665
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