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 § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 10 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. The claim(s) does/do not fall within at least one of the four categories of patent eligible subject matter because a computer program, which is software, is non-statutory subject matter. The Examiner recommends stating “a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a computer program…”.
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.
Claim(s) 1-6 and 8-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Streckert et al. U.S. PGPub 2018/0170550 (hereinafter “Streckert”).
Regarding claim 1, Streckert discloses an aircraft seat control unit for an aircraft seat (e.g. Fig. 1-2, #18), having a function circuit unit (e.g. Fig. 3, #38), which comprises at least one function circuit for controlling the aircraft seat, and having a communication circuit unit (e.g. Fig. 3, #48) which comprises at least one communication circuit and is configured for communication with at least one external control unit (e.g. Fig. 1-3, #40), wherein the communication circuit unit is realized separately from the function circuit unit, at least with respect to software technology, and the function circuit unit is configured to monitor the communication circuit unit (e.g. ¶31-41 and 49-50; Fig. 1-3).
Regarding claim 2, Streckert discloses the aircraft seat control unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the function circuit unit is configured to monitor a communication interface between the function circuit unit and the communication circuit unit (e.g. ¶31-41 and 49-50; Fig. 1-3).
Regarding claim 3, Streckert discloses the aircraft seat control unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the function circuit unit, in the event of a detected manipulation of the communication circuit unit or of the communication interface (i.e. emergency event), is configured to at least partially switch off the communication circuit unit and/or to suppress a data exchange (via termination of communication modules) between the communication circuit unit and the function circuit unit via the communication interface (e.g. ¶49).
Regarding claim 4, Streckert discloses the aircraft seat control unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication circuit unit is implemented as a board which is realized separately from the function circuit unit and is directly connected to the function circuit unit via a bus (e.g. Fig. 1-3).
Regarding claim 5, Steckert discloses the aircraft seat control unit in claim 1, wherein the communication circuit unit comprises at least one transmitter and/or receiver module, which is configured for wireless communication and/or for wire-bound communication (e.g. ¶31-41 and 49-50; Fig. 1-3).
Regarding claim 6, Steckert discloses the aircraft seat control unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication circuit unit and the function circuit unit are accommodated in a common housing (e.g. Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 8, Steckert discloses a method for operating an aircraft seat control unit having an operating program, which runs on a function circuit unit, for controlling the aircraft seat, and having an operating program which runs on a communication circuit unit and is configured for external communication, wherein the operating program which runs on the function circuit unit has a monitoring function which monitors the operating program, which runs on the communication circuit unit, and/or monitors communication between the function circuit unit and the communication circuit unit (e.g. ¶31-41 and 49-50; Fig. 1-3).
Regarding claim 9, Steckert discloses the method for operating an aircraft seat control unit as claimed in claim 8, wherein the operating program which runs on the function circuit unit is configured, in the event of a detected error or a detected manipulation, to terminate the operating program which runs on the communication circuit unit or to terminate communication (via disabling communication modules) between the function circuit unit and the communication circuit unit (e.g. ¶49).
Regarding claim 10, Steckert discloses a computer program comprising commands which, upon the execution of the program by a computer, make said computer execute method as claimed in claim 8 (e.g. ¶31-41 and 49-50; Fig. 1-3).
Regarding claim 11, Steckert discloses a computer program comprising commands which, upon the execution of the program by a computer, make said computer execute the method as claimed in claim 9 (e.g. ¶31-41 and 49-50; Fig. 1-3).
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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) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Steckert as applied to the claims above, and further in view of Pham et al. U.S. Patent 10,494,096 (hereinafter “Pham”).
Regarding claim 7, Steckert does not disclose an aircraft seat control unit wherein an operating program which runs on the communication circuit unit is realized as an untrustworthy operating program and is in particular certified according to DAL E.
Pham discloses an aircraft control system wherein an aircraft seat control unit wherein an operating program which runs on the communication circuit unit is realized as an untrustworthy operating program and is in particular certified according to DAL E (e.g. col. 7, lines 57-3).
At the time the invention was filed, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to check and certify an operating program of an aircraft subsystem. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do this in order identify an issue while ensuring the issue has a minor effect on safety or aircraft operation.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to modify Steckert with Pham to obtain the invention as specified in claim 7.
Relevant Prior Art
Carles et al. U.S. PGPub 2016/0304207 discloses an aircraft seat control unit for an aircraft seat, having a function circuit unit, which comprises at least one function circuit for controlling the aircraft seat, and having a communication circuit unit which comprises at least one communication circuit and is configured for communication with at least one external control unit, wherein the communication circuit unit is realized separately from the function circuit unit, at least with respect to software technology, and the function circuit unit is configured to monitor the communication circuit unit (e.g. ¶14, 17-24, 75 and 77; Fig. 1a and 4).
McMillan et al. U.S. PGPub 2020/0339266 discloses an aircraft seat control unit for an aircraft seat, having a function circuit unit, which comprises at least one function circuit for controlling the aircraft seat, and having a communication circuit unit which comprises at least one communication circuit and is configured for communication with at least one external control unit, wherein the communication circuit unit is realized separately from the function circuit unit, at least with respect to software technology, and the function circuit unit is configured to monitor the communication circuit unit (e.g. ¶31-35 and 48-52; Fig. 1 and 4).
Philipp DE-102011118754-A1 discloses an aircraft seat control unit for an aircraft seat, having a function circuit unit, which comprises at least one function circuit for controlling the aircraft seat, and having a communication circuit unit which comprises at least one communication circuit and is configured for communication with at least one external control unit, wherein the communication circuit unit is realized separately from the function circuit unit, at least with respect to software technology, and the function circuit unit is configured to monitor the communication circuit unit (e.g. pg. 3-4 of the provided English Translation).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHARLES R KASENGE whose telephone number is (571)272-3743. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 7:30am to 4pm EST.
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CKSeptember 18, 2026
/CHARLES R KASENGE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2116
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