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 § 103
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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, 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.
1. Claims 1-2, 4-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Randall et al (USPN 2026/0084807) in view of May (USPN 2022/0181059).
Regarding claims 1, 2, 6, Randall discloses a magnetic field propulsion unit (100, see figure 3, par. 0072) configured to generate a drive force (see par. 0074) when being arranged in an external magnetic field (such as an earth magnetic field), comprising:
a support structure (a housing 350, see par. 0072 and figure 3);
a magnetic field generating device (352) attached to the support structure and configured to generate a first magnetic field;
an energy supply unit (a power supply 112, see par. 0053); and
a control unit (a controller 310, and details of the controller 310 shown in figure 11 including a controller 1102, see par. 0104),
wherein the energy supply unit (112) is configured to provide the magnetic field generating device (352) with electrical energy (from the power supply 112),
wherein the control unit (1102) is configured to control the energy supply unit (112) so that the energy supply unit supplies energy to the magnetic field generating device (352) (the energy, that supplied to the magnetic field generating device 352, by controlling a driver 1142) (e.g. see par 0107),
wherein the control unit (1102) is configured to supply varying current to the magnetic field generating device (by increasing the current, the duty cycle of the driver 1142, see par. 0107) and wherein the magnetic field generating device (352) has a central axis (see par. 0007) and is arranged in the external magnetic field (the vertical takeoff and landing platform 100, shown in figure 1, is arranged in the earth magnetic field).
Randall does not explicitly disclose the central axis of the magnetic field generating device as claimed.
May discloses a magnetic field generating device (30, see figure 1) comprises a central axis, wherein the magnetic field generating device is arranged in an external magnetic field (earth magnetic field lines 10) such that the central axis is inclined with respect to magnetic field lines of the external magnetic field at an angle different from 0, 90, 180, and 270 degree (see par. 0017, 0070),
wherein the central axis is inclined with respect to magnetic field lines of the external magnetic field (10) at an angle between 30 and 60, 120 and 150 (see par. 0017), 210 and 240, or 300 to 330.
It 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 to have modified the central axis of the magnetic field generating device being inclined at angle as disclosed by May in order to prevent a stator of a motor from being wear and tear.
Regarding claim 4, Randall discloses wherein the current supplied to the magnetic field generating device (352) is a unipolar current (PWM current pulses) and wherein the current supplied to the magnetic field generating device is a pulsed current (see par. 0107).
Regarding claim 5, Randall discloses wherein the magnetic field generating device (352) is a coil (see par. 0072) having multiple windings the coils of the magnetic field generating device 352 includes inherently windings).
Regarding claim 7, Randall discloses wherein the magnetic field generating device (352) is firmly attached to the support structure (350).
Allowable Subject Matter
2. Claims 3, 8-15 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
3. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANNY NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-2054. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00AM-4:30PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Monica Lewis can be reached at 571-271-1838. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DANNY NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838
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