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 § 102
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 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Raucher (US Pub No. 2021/0283439).
Regarding claim 1, Raucher teaches method for detecting and/or locating a forest fire with a forest fire detection station (See abstract), comprising the steps:
-receiving information (See abstract, Fig. 4, and [0080]-[0081] teach the fire dispatch system receives a location for a potential wildfire and dispatches a UAV to the location of the potential wildfire.)
-decoupling a forest fire detection unit from a forest fire detection station (See abstract, Fig. 4, [0080]-[0081], and [0090] teach dispatching a UAV from a home base station which can be the fire dispatch center)
-starting the forest fire detection process to detect and/or locate the forest fire (See abstract, Fig. 4, and [0082] teaches fire detection through an image comparison from images taken by dispatched UAV).
Regarding claim 2, Raucher teaches the information is forwarded from the forest fire detection unit to the forest fire detection station and/or from the forest fire detection station to the forest fire detection unit (See [0064], [0076], and [0082]).
Regarding claim 3, Raucher teaches the information comprises position information (See [0030] and [0037]).
Regarding claim 4, Raucher teaches the position information comprises the position of a detected forest fire or the position of the sensors detecting the forest fire (See [0030] and [0037]).
Regarding claim 5, Raucher teaches positioning of a forest fire detection unit (See [0030] and [0037]).
Regarding claim 6, Raucher teaches acquiring sensor data of a sensor of the forest fire detection unit (See [0082]).
Regarding claim 7, Raucher teaches locating the position of the forest fire (See [0030] and [0037]).
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 8 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Raucher as applied to claims above, and further in view of Doshay (US pat No. 6,364,026).
Regarding claim 8, Raucher does not explicitly teach fighting the forest fire with an extinguishing agent.
Doshay teaches fighting the forest fire with an extinguishing agent (See Col. 4, lines 61-62 and Col. 4 line 62 to Col. 5 line 2).
One of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed would have been motivated to modify Raucher to include Doshay’s teachings for “a fire fighting system that is constantly vigilant, constantly available, able to apply fire suppression almost immediately after a fire is detected, easy to maintain and low in cost” (Col. 2 lines 18-24). Therefore, the invention as a whole would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made.
Regarding claim 9, Raucher does not explicitly teach the extinguishing agent is ejected from the forest fire detection unit.
Doshay teaches the extinguishing agent is ejected from the forest fire detection unit (See Col. 4, lines 61-62 and Col. 4 line 62 to Col. 5 line 2).
Regarding claim 10, Raucher teaches locating the position of the forest fire (See [0090]-[0091]).
Claims 11-27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Raucher as applied to claims above, and further in view of Pilskalns (US Pub No. 2017/0050749).
Regarding claim 11, Raucher does not explicitly teach the forest fire detection unit couples to the forest fire detection station after returning to the forest fire detection station.
Pilskalns teaches the forest fire detection unit couples to the forest fire detection station after returning to the forest fire detection station (See abstract, Fig. 9 and [0055]-[0056]).
One of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed would have been motivated to modify Raucher’s system to include Piskaln’s teachings for an effective “automated landing, charging and takeoff system” ([0001]). Therefore, the invention as a whole would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made.
Regarding claim 12, Raucher does not explicitly teach the connection of the forest fire detection unit to the forest fire detection station.
Pilskalns teaches the connection of the forest fire detection unit to the forest fire detection station (See abstract, Fig. 9 and [0055]-[0056]).
Regarding claim 13, Raucher does not explicitly teach a connection of the forest fire detection unit to a power supply.
Pilskalns teaches a connection of the forest fire detection unit to a power supply (See abstract, Fig. 9 and [0055]-[0056]).
Regarding claim 14, Raucher does not explicitly teach the forest fire detection unit is refueled with energy.
Pilskalns teaches the forest fire detection unit is refueled with energy (See abstract, Fig. 9 and [0055]-[0056]).
Regarding claim 15, Raucher does not explicitly teach the connection of the forest fire detection unit to the forest fire detection station comprises a connection of the forest fire detection unit to a reservoir of extinguishing agent.
Doshay teaches a connection of the forest fire detection unit to a reservoir of extinguishing agent (See Col. 5, lines 5-7 and Col. 2 lines 48-50).
Regarding claim 16, Raucher does not explicitly teach the forest fire detection unit is loaded with extinguishing agent.
Doshay teaches the forest fire detection unit is loaded with extinguishing agent (See Col. 5, lines 5-7 and Col. 2 lines 48-50).
Regarding claim 17, Raucher does not teach the decoupling includes the disconnection of a connection to the energy (power) supply.
Pilskalns teaches the decoupling includes the disconnection of a connection to the energy (power) supply (See abstract, Fig. 9 and [0055]-[0056]).
Regarding claim 18, Raucher teaches forest fire detection station having a receiving device (See [0052] teaches wireless communication between the base station and the UAV and [0013] teaches receiving a notification of a potential wildfire from a call). Raucher does not explicitly teach an energy source or a holder for a forest fire detection unit.
Pilskalns teaches energy source and a holder for a forest fire detection unit (See abstract, Fig. 9 and [0055]-[0056]).
Regarding claim 19, Raucher teaches forest fire detection station having a receiver (See [0052] teaches wireless communication between the base station and the UAV and [0013] teaches receiving a notification of a potential wildfire from a caller).
Regarding claim 20, Raucher teaches a movable forest fire detection unit (See abstract and [0078]).
Regarding claim 21, Raucher does not explicitly teach an extinguishing agent reservoir for the forest fire detection unit.
Doshay teaches an extinguishing agent reservoir for the forest fire detection unit (See Col. 4, lines 61-62 and Col. 4 line 62 to Col. 5 line 2).
Regarding claim 22, Raucher does not teach the forest fire detection station or the forest fire detection unit comprises a power connection and/or an energy conversion device.
Piskalns teaches forest fire detection unit comprises a power connection (See abstract, Fig. 9 and [0055]-[0056]).
Regarding claim 23, Raucher teaches the forest fire detection unit comprises an energy storage (See [0029]).
Regarding claim 24, Raucher does not teach the forest fire detection station comprises weather protection for the forest fire detection unit.
Pilskalns teaches the forest fire detection station comprises weather protection for the forest fire detection unit (See [0049]).
Regarding claim 25, Raucher does not teach a holder for the forest fire detection unit.
Pilskalns teaches a holder for the forest fire detection unit (See Fig. 2 and abstract).
Regarding claim 26, Raucher teaches the forest fire detection unit comprises a control unit (See [0028]).
Regarding claim 27, Raucher teaches the forest fire detection unit comprises a communication unit (See [0028]).
Conclusion
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/THOMAS S MCCORMACK/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2686