DETAILED ACTION
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 1, 3-4 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Li et al (US 2019/0260122 A1) in view of the publication of WO 2017/022178 A1 and the publication of JP 2020-172262 A [all cited by applicant].
Li et al teach an unmanned aerial vehicle 602, comprising: an antenna 401 for communicating with a piloting apparatus 601 that pilots the unmanned aerial vehicle; an acquisition unit that acquires a position of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the acquisition unit acquiring a flight starting position of the unmanned aerial vehicle and/or a position of the piloting apparatus (paras 29-32, 52, 59-60); a direction determination unit that uses calculation to determine, on the basis of a present position and the flight starting position of the unmanned aerial vehicle or a position of the piloting apparatus where the positions were acquired by the acquisition unit, a direction of the flight starting position or a position of the piloting apparatus from the present position (figs 6-7, paras 52-53, 59-60); and an antenna control device that controls an orientation of the antenna, the antenna control device changing an orientation of the antenna to the direction which was determined by the direction determination unit (see step 702, figs 6-7, paras 52-53, 59-60); a storage unit 303; an adaptive antenna having an array antenna in which a plurality of antenna elements is arranged and a control circuit which controls the array antenna, wherein the array antenna is the antenna, and the control circuit is the antenna control device (fig 4, paras 42-46).
Li et al had been discussed but fail to expressly teach the storage unit that stores the flight starting position, but storing the flight starting position in an unmanned aerial vehicle is a well-known feature as disclosed by the publication of WO 2017/022178 A1. It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skilled in the art to provide Li et al with the storage unit that stores the flight starting position for the purpose of storing information upon review as needed.
Li et al had been discussed but also fail to expressly teach the acquisition unit acquires the flight starting position, and after the unmanned aerial vehicle has started flight, further acquires a position of the piloting apparatus from the piloting apparatus, the storage unit further stores a position of the piloting apparatus, the direction determination unit uses calculation to determine, on the basis of a position of the piloting apparatus and a present position of the unmanned aerial vehicle, a direction of a position of the piloting apparatus from this present position. The publication of JP 2020-172262 A teaches the acquisition unit acquires the flight starting position, and after the unmanned aerial vehicle has started flight, further acquires a position of the piloting apparatus from the piloting apparatus, the storage unit further stores a position of the piloting apparatus (paras 41-42, 62). It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skilled in the art to provide Li et al with the acquisition unit acquires the flight starting position, and after the unmanned aerial vehicle has started flight, further acquires a position of the piloting apparatus from the piloting apparatus, the storage unit further stores a position of the piloting apparatus, the direction determination unit uses calculation to determine, on the basis of a position of the piloting apparatus and a present position of the unmanned aerial vehicle, a direction of a position of the piloting apparatus from this present position for the purpose of storing information upon review as needed.
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Li et al (US 2019/0260122 A1) in view of the publication of WO 2017/022178 A1 and the publication of JP 2020-172262 A and further in view of the publication of JP 2020-164683 A [all cited by applicant].
Li et al (US 2019/0260122 A1) in view of the publication of WO 2017/022178 A1 and the publication of JP 2020-172262 A had been discussed but fail to teach the antenna control device is a rotating base which is provided with the antenna. However, the publication of JP 2020-164683 A teaches the antenna control device is a rotating base which is provided with the antenna (abstract, the control device 210 controls the gimbal/rotating base 110, paras 39-40). It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skilled in the art to provide Li et al with the antenna control device is a rotating base which is provided with the antenna for the purpose of changing the orientation of the antenna.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Li et al (US 2019/0260122 A1) in view of the publication of WO 2017/022178 A1 and the publication of JP 2020-172262 A and further in view of the publication of JP 2021-191674 A [all cited by applicant].
Li et al (US 2019/0260122 A1) in view of the publication of WO 2017/022178 A1 and the publication of JP 2020-172262 A had been discussed but fail to teach the acquisition unit acquires a position of the piloting apparatus at the time of flight start, the position being received from the piloting apparatus, as the flight starting position. However, the publication of JP 2021-191674 A teaches the acquisition unit acquires a position of the piloting apparatus at the time of flight start, the position being received from the piloting apparatus, as the flight starting position (paras 35-36). It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skilled in the art to provide Li et al with the acquisition unit acquires a position of the piloting apparatus at the time of flight start, the position being received from the piloting apparatus, as the flight starting position for the purpose of determining a specific position of a flight starting position.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The patents to Yi, Struhsaker, Surcouf, Tazume, Tsugawa, Yamada and Sasaki are cited as of interested and illustrated a similar structure to an unmanned aerial vehicle.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THO GIA PHAN whose telephone number is (571)272-1826. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F (8-430).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Dimary Lopez can be reached on (571) 270-7893. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/THO G PHAN/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845
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