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 .
DETAILED ACTION
1. This communication is a first office action, non-final rejection on the merits. Claims 1-20, as originally filed, are currently pending and have been considered below.
Priority
2. Applicant's claim for domestic priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) is acknowledged.
The application is filed on 06/27/2025 but claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application number 61/767035 filed on 02/20/2013.
The later-filed application must be an application for a patent for an invention which is also disclosed in the prior application (the parent or original nonprovisional application or provisional application). The disclosure of the invention in the parent application and in the later-filed application must be sufficient to comply with the requirements of 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, except for the best mode requirement. See Transco Products, Inc. v. Performance Contracting, Inc., 38 F.3d 551, 32 USPQ2d 1077 (Fed. Cir. 1994).
The disclosure of the prior-filed application, continuation of US continuation-in-part 18084589 filed on 20221220 and US Application 15884107 filed on 2018/01/30 and US continuation 14757923 filed on 2015/12/28 and US continuation-in-part 17334722 filed on 2021/05/29 and US continuation-in-part 16841399 filed on 2020/04/06 and US continuation-in-part 16242666 filed on 2019/01/08 and US continuation-in-part 14166056 filed on 2014/01/28 fails to provide adequate support or enablement in the manner provided by 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, first paragraph for one or more claims of this application.
Information Disclosure Statement
3. The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 01/27/2025 has been considered. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Form PTO-1449 is signed and attached hereto.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
4. In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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 of this title, 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.
5. The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) 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.
6. Claims 8-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over DANIELSSON (WO 2013055265 A1) (hereinafter DANIELSSON ) in view of Smith (US 20080088508 A1) (hereinafter Smith).
Regarding claim 8, DANIELSSON discloses an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) launch pad (Abstract, system and method for automatic launch and landing UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles)) comprising:
a device housing coupled to an elevated portion of a first pole structure such that the device housing is elevated above ground level (Fig. 2, ground station 220, lunch pad base 223, arm 221, controllable arm 222 ),
the device housing is physically coupled to the first pole structure (page 8, lines 28-29, The controllable arm 222 for capturing in-flight UAVs is in one example adapted to capture a UAV), and
the device housing including a landing platform sized to accommodate the UAV thereon (para 9, lines 5-7, arm is controllable for UAV to caught by arm),
a charging port that receives electrical power via the power bus (page 9, lines 22, charging batteries of UAV, page 14, lines 25-26, charging batteries carried by UAV),
a device that attaches the UAV to the launch pad while the UAV is docketed on the landing platform and electrically connected with the charging port (page 8, lines 15-29, Fig. 2, launching UAVs and for capturing, robot arm 222, grabbing device 224, base 223, pneumatic or electrical way actuated), and
sensor data collected by the UAV during flight, or upload instructions to the UAV (page 14, lines 10-14, data collected by the UAV during flight downloaded at the storage position comprises sensor data collected by onboard sensors and/or rout data related to the route performed by UAV).
DANIELSSON specifically fails to disclose receives electrical power a power bus that runs up the first pole structure,
a device housing processor that is configured to communicate with a UAV processor to receive information from the UAV regarding at least one of flight data collected by the UAV during flight.
In analogous art, Smith discloses receives electrical power a power bus that runs up the first pole structure (para 85, sensor data is sent to central server 250 using a variety of communications media, including either of fiber, telephone line, or satellite communications 200, para 62, systems share the same mast, power, communications, and infrastructure for ease of deployment.),
a device housing processor that is configured to communicate with a UAV processor to receive information from the UAV regarding at least one of flight data collected by the UAV during flight (para 58, processing unit using signals between reference signals and target signals, system detection signal processing for applications. Input signals include a target signal and a reference signal, reference signal being received on a direct path from a controlled or uncontrolled transmitter, para 60, detecting and extracting target information using a series of samples and data for series of samples, para 71, data sources is used to provide comprehensive surveillance and a data used for air traffic control, para 85, sensor data is sent to server 250 using a variety of communications media, including either of fiber, telephone line, wireless, or satellite communications 200).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify teaching of system and method for automatic launching and landing UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), wherein a ground station is adapted for automatic UAV launching and landing disclosed by DANIELSSON to track and identify, in real time, various aircraft and objects including Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAVs) as taught by Smith to use system for continuously detecting and extracting target information using a series of samples within a passive coherent location system and to extract target information to central processing system for comparison with a database of predetermined target type characteristics. [Smith, para 060].
Regarding claim 9, DANIELSSON discloses the UAV launch pad of claim 8, further comprising a data port that is configured to exchange data with the UAV via secured wired communication (Abstract, n-flight UAV based on data communicated between the UAV and the ground station by means of said means for communication, page 10, lines 18-21, Fig 4, system 450 comprises a UAV measurement system 451 arranged to measure data associated to a UAV; a launch and landing control system; a communication unit 453, data measured: yaw, pitch, roll and speed if UAV).
Regarding claim 10, DANIELSSON discloses the UAV launch pad of claim 8, further comprising the first pole structure, wherein the first pole structure is one of a set of pole structures separated from one another in an area patrolled by the UAV (page 8, lines 16-20, Fig 2, a ground station 220 comprises an arrangement 221 for launching UAVs and for capturing in-flight UAVs. The arrangement 221 for launching UAVs and for capturing in-flight UAVs comprises in one example a unit with at least one controllable arm 222 adapted for launching UAVs and for capturing in-flight UAV).
Regarding claim 11, DANIELSSON discloses the UAV launch pad of claim 9, further comprising the UAV, wherein the UAV is configured to determine at which of the launch pad or another launch pad hosted by another pole structure of the set of pole structures the UAV will recharge (page 9, lines 9-15, Fig 3, UAVs comprise means for performing transferring of data from the UAV to the ground station, transferring mission data from the ground station to the UAV; uploading software or other data to the UAV; charging batteries on the UA).
Regarding claim 12, DANIELSSON discloses the UAV launch pad of claim 8, further comprising the UAV, wherein the UAV having a power port that is configured to receive power from the charging port, and a data port that is configured to exchange data with the device housing processor (page 14, lines 24-32, transferring mission data from the ground station to the UAV; uploading software or other data to the UAV; system testing the UAV; filling of fuel to the UAV; charging batteries on the UAV, page 2, lines 6-7, control unit is arranged to control the at least one arm to move a UAV).
Regarding claim 13, DANIELSSON discloses the UAV launch pad of claim 8, wherein the device housing is detachably attachable to the first pole structure (claim 5 and page 3, lines 21-22, controllable arm comprises means for detachably fixating the UAV to the arm).
Regarding claim 14, DANIELSSON discloses the UAV launch pad of claim 12, wherein the UAV includes a camera (page 10, lines 20-21, UAV measurement system comprises for example cameras, laser IR, radar, ultrasonic equipment, etc.).
Allowable Subject Matter
7. Claims 1-7 and 15-20 are allowed.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Mirza Alam whose telephone number is (469) 295-9286. The examiner can be reached on Monday-Thursday 7:30AM-6:00PM (EST).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Steven Lim can be reached on 571-270-1210. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MIRZA F ALAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2688
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