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
This office action is in regards to application # 19/250,347 that was filed on 06/26/2025. Claims 1-9 are currently pending and are under examination.
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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Beck eta l. (US 2021/0253240).
Regarding Claim 1, Beck discloses a flying apparatus (Fig. 1-3) comprising: an airframe (airframe of 16, Fig. 5); one or more rotors (34, 30, Fig. 2-3’ 14; 16, Fig. 1) attached to the airframe; and an engine (12, Fig. 1; 104, Fig. 7) to supply a driving force to rotate at least one of the one or more rotors (para. [0007], ‘…The power generation system is configured to generate power for propulsion of the UAV and charge the one or more batteries…’; para. [0026]); wherein at least one of the one or more rotors overlaps the engine when viewed in an up-down direction (Fig. 1-3, see rotor 14 overlapping the engine 12 in Fig. 2).
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) 2-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Beck eta l. (US 2021/0253240).
Regarding Claim 2, Beck discloses a flying apparatus (Fig. 1-3) wherein the airframe includes a main body assembly and an arm extending from the main body assembly (Fig. 3); the one or more rotors include a main rotor (14, Fig. 2-3) attached to the main body assembly and a sub-rotor (34, Fig. 2-3) attached to the arm; and the main rotor (Fig. 2) and the sub-rotor overlap the engine when viewed in the up-down direction.
Beck discloses the claimed invention except sub-rotor overlap the engine when viewed in the up-down direction. It would have been an obvious matter of design choice to make the sub-rotor overlap the engine when viewed in the up-down direction, since applicant has not disclosed that making the sub-rotor overlap the engine when viewed in the up-down direction solves any stated problem or is for any particular purpose and it appears that the invention would perform equally as well with the configuration of sub-rotor relative to the engine disclosed in Beck when viewed in the up-down direction.
Regarding Claim 3, broadly interpreted modified Beck discloses a flying apparatus (Fig. 1-3) comprising: a position detector to measure a position of the airframe (‘GPS global positioning satellite receiver’, para. [0038]) ; wherein the main body assembly includes a framed main body with the engine (12, Fig. 1-3; 104, Fig. 7) mounted thereon or therein (Fig. 2-3); the position detector is provided at a top section of the framed main body (GPS global positioning satellite receiver’, para. [0038], i.e. is inherently on the top of a body frame to communicate with the above earth satellite)); and the engine is provided at an upper section of the framed main body below the position detector (Fig. 4B at least while the UAV is being lifted via 14, para. [0042])).
Regarding Claim 4, broadly interpreted modified Beck discloses a flying apparatus (Fig. 1-3) further comprising: a motor (36, Fig. 6) to supply a driving force to rotate at least one of the one or more rotors (34, Fig. 6); and a battery to store electric power to be supplied to the motor (102. Fig. 7; para. [0026[, ‘…During operation, combustion engine 104 is configured to drive alternator 100, which in turn charges batteries…’); wherein the battery is provided at a middle section of the framed main body (102 on top of engine 104, Fig. 7; Fig. 1-3).
Regarding Claim 5, broadly interpreted modified Beck discloses a flying apparatus (Fig. 1-3) further comprising: a fuel tank (200, Fig. 2-3) to store fuel to be supplied to the engine (12, Fig. 2); wherein the fuel tank is provided at a lower section of the framed main body (below top frame 16 of Fig. 5).
Regarding Claim 6, broadly interpreted modified Beck discloses a flying apparatus (Fig. 1-3) further comprising: a controller configured or programmed to control driving of the engine and driving of the motor (para. [0038], ‘…the flight computer (also known as a flight controller) manages the speed (i.e., revolutions per minute) of micro-propeller 34, which is coupled to, and driven by, an electric motor 36 (see FIG. 6),…’) with different payload components on the middle section of the framed main body (e.g., 26 etc., Fig. 3).
Modified Beck discloses the claimed invention except for the controller is provided at the middle section of the framed main body. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to provide/locate the controller at the middle section of the framed main body, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70.
Regarding Claim 7, broadly interpreted modified Beck discloses a flying apparatus (Fig. 1-3) wherein at least a portion of the fuel tank is peripherally enclosed with a casing (para. [0046], ‘…ducted fan 20 may be double-walled. In an embodiment, the interior of ducted fan 20 serves as a fuel supply tank 200 for combustion engine 104…’).
Claim(s) 7-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over modified Beck eta l. (US 2021/0253240) in further view of Won ( KR20170116531A)(submitted on IDS dated 06/26/2025).
Regarding Claim 7, broadly interpreted modified Beck do not explicitly disclose, but Won teaches a flying apparatus (Fig. 1) wherein at least a portion of the fuel tank (121) is peripherally enclosed with a casing (central body 111, Fig.1).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the fuel tank of the flying apparatus disclosed in modified Beck with the fuel tank peripherally enclosed with a casing as taught in Won with a reasonable expectation of success because it allows to further insulates the fuel tank from the vibration and thermal loads of the engine.
Regarding Claim 8, broadly interpreted modified Beck disclose a fuel tank including a lower portion with distinctive shape and the casing surrounds the lower portion of the fuel tank (Won, Fig. 1). It would have been an obvious matter of design choice to make the different portions of the fuel tank includes a lower portion to have a form of a truncated cone with a diameter decreasing downward of whatever form or shape was desired or expedient. A change in form or shape is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art, absent any showing of unexpected results. In re Dailey et al., 149 USPQ 47.
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over modified Beck eta l. (US 2021/0253240) in further view of Kawazu ( WO2022071104))(submitted on IDS dated 06/26/2025).
Regarding Claim 2, broadly interpreted modified Beck discloses a flying apparatus (Fig. 1-3), but silent to disclose a flying apparatus wherein the casing includes a fuse box to contain a fuse. However, Kawazu discloses a flying apparatus includes a Fusebox (91, Fig. 3) to contain a fuse (91c, Fig. 3)
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the casing of the flying apparatus disclosed in modified Beck with the Fusebox to contain a fuse as taught in Kawazu with a reasonable expectation of success because it provides enhanced safely, reduce risk of explosion by providing immediate localized circuit interruptions near the fuel tank.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Simon et al. (US 2018/0029703) discloses an aerodyne including a supporting structure, to which are connected: at least one supporting axial blower, attached to the supporting structure; at least one main engine driving the supporting blower; at least three attitude blowers controlling roll and pitch, each attitude blower having an electrical motor and being attached, respectively, to one of the elongate arms that are distributed in a laterally, outwardly projecting manner around the supporting structure, to which each arm is connected by an inner end portion, the axis of rotation of each attitude blower being attached relative to the supporting structure, and all the attitude blowers being located outside the space centrally occupied by the supporting blower; at least one battery for supplying power to the electrical motors of the attitude blowers; a landing gear attached under the supporting structure; and a nacelle for holding the battery and a payload.
Hauer et al. (US 2017/0247107) a flying apparatus (Fig. 1-3) comprising: an airframe (airframe 16, Fig. 5); one or more rotors (Fig. 7) attached to the airframe; and an engine (540, Fig. 5) to supply a driving force to rotate at least one of the one or more rotors ; wherein at least one of the one or more rotors overlaps the engine when viewed in an up-down direction (Fig. 7-8).
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Assres H. Woldemaryam
Primary Examiner (Aeronautics and Astronautics)
Art Unit 3642
/ASSRES H WOLDEMARYAM/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3642