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 .
This action is in response to an application filed on 10/25/2024.
Claims 1-25 are pending for examination.
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, 2,14-16 and 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a) (1) as being anticipated by Hanlon et al. (US 2008/0156939 A1 and Hanlon hereinafter).
As to Claim 1 and 23, Hanlon in its teachings as shown in Fig.1-8 disclose a method and a control unit (212) in an active inceptor (210-1) configurable to generate force feedback (via a motor 318-1) in a linked active inceptor system (see [0029]), the control unit/method comprising:
a first connection (a first connection 316 to motor control unit 212 and motor 318-1) configured to, responsive to an operation being performed, drive a motor (318-1), thereby causing the motor to generate an associated force feedback at the active inceptor (…in response to the feedback force supplied from the motor 318, supplies haptic feedback…see [0029]); and
a second connection (a second connection 316 to motor control unit 212 and motor 318-2) configured to, responsive to the operation being performed, drive a remote motor (318-2) in a remote active inceptor (210-2), thereby causing the remote motor to generate the associated feedback at the remote active inceptor (…in response to the feedback force supplied from the motor 318, supplies haptic feedback…see [0029]).
As to Claim 2, Hanlon disclose the control unit according to claim 1, wherein the active inceptor and the remote active inceptor are single axis active inceptors (see [0029] – [0030]).
As to Claim 14, Hanlon disclose the control unit according to claim 1, wherein the control unit receives a first plurality of sensor data associated with the active inceptor (308-1) and a second plurality of sensor data (308-2) associated with the remote active inceptor (see [0028]).
As to Claim 15, Hanlon disclose the control unit according to claim 1, further comprising: a first redundant processor channel; and a second redundant processor channel (Fig.3 shows two separate damping mechanisms 326 and also [0031]).
As to Claim 16, Hanlon disclose a system comprising the control unit according to claim 1, and further comprising a DC voltage source to controllably drive the motor and the remote motor independently (not shown but implicitly a DC voltage or battery is used in an aircraft 100).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hanlon in view of Huynh et al. (US 2018/0362147 A1 and Huynh hereinafter).
As to Claim 3, Hanlon disclose: a system (see Fig.1-8) comprising: the control unit (212) according to claim 1; the active inceptor (210-1); the remote active inceptor (210-2); however, it doesn’t explicitly disclose:
a bus connection between the active inceptor and the remote active inceptor
Nonethless, Huynh in his teachings as shown in Fig.1-9 disclose a first inceptor 340 and a second inceptor 342 and a bus connection (ASM-100) between the active and the remote inceptor (see [0055])
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the instant application to include a bus connection between the inceptors as thought by Huynh within the teachings of Hanlon to enable synchronized, shared control and feedback in order to improve coordination and safety.
Claims 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hanlon in view of Huynh and in further view of Auerbach et al. (US 11,196,585 B1 and Auerbach hereinafter).
As to Claim 13, Hanlon in view of Huynh disclose the system according to claim 3, however, it doesn’t explicitly disclose:
the bus connection is a Control Area Network Bus connection
Nonethless, Auerbach in its teachings as shown in Fig.1-7 disclose a plurality of physical CAN bus units 104 communicatively connected to an aircraft may include flight controller(s), battery terminals, gyroscope, accelerometer, proportional-integral-derivative controller, and the like, which may communicate directly with one another and to operating flight control devices, virtual machines, and other computing devices (see Col.3, Line 43-49)
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the instant application for the bus connection to be a Control Area Network Bus connection as thought by Auerbach within the teachings of Hanlon and Huynh for reliable, low-cost, real-time communication between devices over a shared two-wire link, often in environments where noise and reliability are critical.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 20-22 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
As to Claim 20: In view of the limitations the closest prior art including the prior works of the assignee/inventor does not explicitly describe or reasonably suggest or render obvious in combination with all the given limitations a linked active inceptor system comprising: a first active inceptor; a second active inceptor;
a first connection of the first active inceptor being connected to a second motor of the second active inceptor; a second connection of the second active inceptor being connected to a first motor of the first active inceptor; a bus connection of the first active inceptor being connected to a bus connection of the second active inceptor; and
a discrete link connecting the first active inceptor and the second active inceptor as claimed by the applicant. In the examiner’s opinion, the claims are now deemed to be directed to a non-obvious improvement over control unit in an active inceptor.
Claims 4-12, 17-19 and 24-25 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 claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GABRIEL T AGARED whose telephone number is (571)270-1981. The examiner can normally be reached 8-5 (Mon- Thur).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Eduardo Colon-Santana can be reached at (571) 272-2060. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/GABRIEL AGARED/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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