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 Objections
Applicant is advised that should claim 5 be found allowable, claim 18 will be objected to under 37 CFR 1.75 as being a substantial duplicate thereof. When two claims in an application are duplicates or else are so close in content that they both cover the same thing, despite a slight difference in wording, it is proper after allowing one claim to object to the other as being a substantial duplicate of the allowed claim. See MPEP § 608.01(m).
Claim 18 presently depends from claim 4; it is possible it may have been intended to depend from claim 15 instead, though antecedent basis for “the article carried by a passenger” should then be included, such as in the manner of claim 12.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 4, 6-9, 13-15 and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and (a)(2) as being anticipated by US 7,878,586 B2 to Kneller et al.
Regarding claim 1:
Kneller teaches a control system for aircraft passenger preference settings (c. 3, ℓ. 62–c. 4, ℓ. 25, c. 6, ℓ. 17-31: smart cabin control module 10, which includes user profile control module 44 and user control module 46), comprising:
a processor in communication with a memory and a database (c. 8, ℓ. 1-15: “user profile control module 44 includes a user profile module 69 and a preference data store 71”; c. 3, ℓ. 46-52: the term “module” in Kneller refers to a processor and memory),
wherein the database comprises passenger preference information (user preference data 67; see c. 7, ℓ. 66–c. 8, ℓ. 15; see also c. 8, ℓ. 20-24: “preference data store 71 stores electronic data associated with the passenger’s preferences for the smart cabin control module 10); and
one or more radio-frequency identification (RFID) readers in communication with the processor, the RFID readers operable to detect and read an RFID tag carried by a passenger and to provide information associated with the RFID tag to the processor (c. 7, ℓ. 44-48: “user ID data 63 may be received by […] a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag coupled to the passenger”; c. 8, ℓ. 12-15: “user profile module 69 queries the preference data store 71 for user preference data 67 that corresponds with the passenger identified in the user ID data 63”; it is considered that one having ordinary skill in the art would understand that receiving data from an RFID tag involves an RFID reader),
wherein the processor is operable to control one or more aircraft systems and adjust the aircraft systems’ settings to the passenger’s preferences (c. 8, ℓ. 43–c. 9, ℓ. 44: using user profile data 66, which includes preferences for the operation of the smart cabin control module 10, user control module 46 outputs expected activity data 70 to smart control module 48, which sends signals to aircraft systems including the footrest, seat back, tray table and reading light; c. 9, ℓ. 51-61: seat control module 92 outputs signals to adjust the seat, such as lowering the footrest or recline the seat back, based on expected activity data 70; similarly, expected activity data 70 is used to adjust settings of the tray table, c. 9, ℓ. 62-67, and reading light, c. 10, ℓ. 1-5).
Regarding claim 8:
Kneller teaches a control system for aircraft passenger preference settings (c. 3, ℓ. 62–c. 4, ℓ. 25, c. 6, ℓ. 17-31: smart cabin control module 10, which includes user profile control module 44 and user control module 46), comprising:
a processor in communication with a memory and a database (c. 8, ℓ. 1-15: “user profile control module 44 includes a user profile module 69 and a preference data store 71”; c. 3, ℓ. 46-52: the term “module” in Kneller refers to a processor and memory),
wherein the database comprises passenger preference information (user preference data 67; see c. 7, ℓ. 66–c. 8, ℓ. 15; see also c. 8, ℓ. 20-24: “preference data store 71 stores electronic data associated with the passenger’s preferences for the smart cabin control module 10) and
wherein the memory comprises instructions, that when executed by the processor (c. 3, ℓ. 46-52), cause the control system to:
communicate with one or more wireless identification readers operable to detect and communicate with a wireless identification device carried by a passenger, (c. 7, ℓ. 44-48: “user ID data 63 may be received by […] a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag coupled to the passenger”);
retrieve preference information associated with the passenger from the database (c. 8, ℓ. 12-15: “user profile module 69 queries the preference data store 71 for user preference data 67 that corresponds with the passenger identified in the user ID data 63”); and
communicate with one or more aircraft systems to adjust the settings of those systems in accordance with the passenger’s preferences (c. 8, ℓ. 43–c. 9, ℓ. 44: using user profile data 66, which includes preferences for the operation of the smart cabin control module 10, user control module 46 outputs expected activity data 70 to smart control module 48, which sends signals to aircraft systems including the footrest, seat back, tray table and reading light; c. 9, ℓ. 51-61: seat control module 92 outputs signals to adjust the seat, such as lowering the footrest or recline the seat back, based on expected activity data 70; similarly, expected activity data 70 is used to adjust settings of the tray table, c. 9, ℓ. 62-67, and reading light, c. 10, ℓ. 1-5).
Regarding claim 15:
Kneller teaches a control system for aircraft passenger preference settings (c. 3, ℓ. 62–c. 4, ℓ. 25, c. 6, ℓ. 17-31: smart cabin control module 10, which includes user profile control module 44 and user control module 46), comprising:
a processor in communication with a memory and a database (c. 8, ℓ. 1-15: “user profile control module 44 includes a user profile module 69 and a preference data store 71”; c. 3, ℓ. 46-52: the term “module” in Kneller refers to a processor and memory),
wherein the database comprises passenger preference information (user preference data 67; see c. 7, ℓ. 66–c. 8, ℓ. 15; see also c. 8, ℓ. 20-24: “preference data store 71 stores electronic data associated with the passenger’s preferences for the smart cabin control module 10); and
a plurality of radio-frequency identification (RFID) readers in communication with the processor, the RFID readers operable to detect and read an RFID tag carried by a passenger and to provide information associated with the RFID tag to the processor (c. 7, ℓ. 44-48: “user ID data 63 may be received by […] a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag coupled to the passenger”; c. 8, ℓ. 12-15: “user profile module 69 queries the preference data store 71 for user preference data 67 that corresponds with the passenger identified in the user ID data 63”); and
wherein the processor is operable retrieve information associated with the RFID tag to control one or more aircraft systems to adjust the aircraft systems’ settings to the passenger’s preferences (c. 8, ℓ. 43–c. 9, ℓ. 44: using user profile data 66, which includes preferences for the operation of the smart cabin control module 10, user control module 46 outputs expected activity data 70 to smart control module 48, which sends signals to aircraft systems including the footrest, seat back, tray table and reading light; c. 9, ℓ. 51-61: seat control module 92 outputs signals to adjust the seat, such as lowering the footrest or recline the seat back, based on expected activity data 70; similarly, expected activity data 70 is used to adjust settings of the tray table, c. 9, ℓ. 62-67, and reading light, c. 10, ℓ. 1-5).
Regarding claim 4:
Kneller teaches the control system of claim 1, wherein the one or more RFID readers are operable to detect an RFID tag carried by a passenger or within an article carried by a passenger (c. 7, ℓ. 44-48).
Regarding claims 6, 13 and 19:
Kneller teaches the control system of claims 1, 8 and 15, wherein the identified passenger preferences include aircraft system preferred settings, seating preferences, meal preferences, drink preferences, welcome messages, information for aircraft crewmembers, or combinations thereof (Kneller c. 7, ℓ. 48-65: “user preference data 67 comprises data that defines the passenger's preferences for the operation of the smart cabin control module 10” including seating preferences).
Regarding claims 7 and 14:
Kneller teaches the control system of claims 6 and 13, wherein passenger preferences may be displayed on seat mounted displays, bulkhead mounted displays, air crew accessible displays or printers, or combinations thereof (c. 4, ℓ. 26-39: “the crew area 20 may include a control panel 28 in communication with and responsive to the controller 18. The control panel 28 may enable the crew to interface with the smart cabin control module 10. Thus, the control panel 28 may include at least one user input device and display means” — As control panel 28 is in communication with controller 18 and control module 10, it is considered that passenger preferences are capable of being displayed on the air crew accessible display of control panel 28).
Regarding claim 9:
Kneller teaches the control system of claim 8, wherein the wireless identification readers comprise RFID readers (c. 7, ℓ. 44-48: “user ID data 63 may be received by […] a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag coupled to the passenger”).
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) 5, 12 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and (a)(2) as anticipated by or, in the alternative, under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over US 7,878,586 B2 to Kneller et al.
Regarding claims 5, 12 and 18:
Kneller teaches the control system of claims 1, 4 and 8. Kneller does not specifically disclose an RFID tag or wireless identification device within an identification card, a wallet, a case, a suitcase, a travel bag, a phone, a phone case, or combinations thereof. However, the location of the RFID tag or wireless identification device is not positively recited. It is considered that a device which can receive data from an RFID tag coupled to the passenger is also operable to receive data from at least an RFID tag within an identification card or phone.
In the interest of compact prosecution, the examiner takes official notice that RFID readers are known in the art which are operable to detect and read RFID tags embedded within articles including identification cards, wallets, cases, suitcases, travel bags, phones and phone cases. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have configured the control system of Kneller to have RFID readers operable to detect and read an RFID tag or wireless identification device within an identification card, a wallet, a case, a suitcase, a travel bag, a phone, a phone case, or combinations thereof, to facilitate use of the system without requiring passengers to retrieve the tag from a wallet, case, or bag.
Claim(s) 2-3, 10-11 and 16-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 7,878,586 B2 to Kneller et al. in view of US 7,124,426 B1 to Tsuria et al.
Regarding claims 2-3, 10-11 and 16-17:
Kneller teaches the control system of claims 1, 8 and 15. Kneller does not specifically disclose RFID readers are attached to or embedded within an aircraft bulkhead to detect a passenger-carried RFID tag as the passenger enters the aircraft, or embedded in one or more aircraft seatbacks positioned adjacent an aircraft aisleway to detect a passenger-carried RFID tag as a passenger moves along the aisleway within the aircraft.
Tsuria teaches a control system for aircraft passenger preference settings comprising personalization apparatuses each adapted to receive a removable personalization element, such as a smart card, electronically encoded key or other kind of encoded medium (c. 13, ℓ. 50-61), and receive passenger preference information (c. 15, ℓ. 1-45). Each personalization apparatus may be installed in a seat back or bulkhead (c. 12, ℓ. 57-62).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have configured the control system of Kneller such that one or more RFID readers are attached to or embedded within aircraft bulkheads and seatbacks, including seatbacks positioned adjacent aisleways, using the teachings of Tsuria, for the purpose of enabling the control system to receive passenger preferences while the passenger is seated.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 11203433 B2 to Dowty et al., US 2008/0121757 A1 to Pozzi et al., FR 3 149 864 A1 to Tremollieres et al. and WO 2012/162381 A1 to Thakar et al. teach aircraft passenger preference settings control systems.
US 11,981,438 B2 to Klein et al. discloses a system using RFIDs for retrieving flight deck preferences. US 6,964,370 B1 to Hagale et al. teaches a smart chair using RFIDs to retrieve seat settings and a settings database storing settings profiles for seats including airplane seats (c. 9, ℓ. 6-14).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Richard Green whose telephone number is (571)270-5380. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday, 11:00 to 7:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kimberly Berona can be reached at (571) 272-6909. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Richard Green/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3647
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