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 .
Status of Claims
This action is in reply to the patent application filed on July 31, 2025.
Claims 1-20 are currently pending and have been examined.
This action is made Non-FINAL.
The examiner would like to note that this application is being handled by examiner Christine Huynh.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on June 26, 2026 and August 5, 2026. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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) 1-4, 6-8, 10-13, 15, and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Anand et al. (US 11595932 B1), which was provided in the IDS sent on August 5, 2026.
Regarding claims 1-4, 6-8, 10-13, 15, and 19:
With respect to claims 1, 10, and 19, Anand teaches:
a plurality of beacons configured to couple to the plurality of ground support equipment; (“The system 10 also includes a plurality of IoT devices 45, such as devices 45a, 45b, 45c, 45d, that is configured to be attached to a plurality of ground equipment items 50, such as items 50a, 50b, 50c, and 50d.” (col 2, lines 46-49), “In some embodiments, the IoT devices 45 are beacons or “tags.”” (col 4, lines 27-28), “a beacon coupled to each mobile ground equipment item and configured to transmit ground equipment data relating to the ground equipment item to which it is coupled;” (col 20, lines 23-26)), where there are a plurality of beacons coupled to ground support equipment.
one or more processing circuits including one or more processors storing instructions, (“a plurality of instructions is stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium and are executed by one or more processors to cause the one or more processors to carry out or implement in whole or in part the above-described operation of each of the above-described example embodiments of the system, the method, and/or any combination thereof.” (col 19, lines 59-65)).
acquire signals from the plurality of beacons; (“associating an IoT device capable of providing ground equipment (“GE”) data to ground equipment items at step 110; tracking the location of the ground equipment using the GE data at step 115;” (col 5, lines 48-51), “In one embodiment and at the step 110, an IoT device is associated with a ground equipment item, with the IoT device configured to provide GE data to the system 10… Generally, each IoT device is configured to emit a location signal, which is GE data. In some embodiments and, for example, when the ground equipment item is a drivable piece of equipment, the IoT device may be configured to detect the speed of linear movement of the piece of equipment, the pitch of the piece of equipment (e.g., whether the equipment is “level”) to detect a potential flat tire or other maintenance issue, a temperature sensor to detect the ambient temperature of the equipment or an internal temperature of the equipment, etc.” (col 6, lines 9-32)), where the beacons can transmit and receive signals.
coordinate movement of the plurality of ground support equipment based on the signals and in accordance with an aircraft servicing plan; “In some embodiments, the GEM application 75 causes a signal to be sent to the equipment instructing the equipment to move itself to the location at which it is needed. For example, if the equipment is a motorized, drivable tug and the tug is equipped with self-driving or autonomous technology, then the GEM application 75 can instruct and/or control the movement of the tug so that the tug drives itself to the needed location.” (col 14, lines 4-11), “In some embodiments, the GEM application 75 tracks the locations at which equipment will be needed through a day, shift, or other period of time. The GEM application 75 can route a path for the equipment so that each gate or area that needs the equipment is notified of its path throughout the day.” (col 14, lines 28-33), which shows that movement of the ground support equipment can be coordinated using the beacons to transmit and receive instructions for the ground support equipment.
a ground support equipment configured to perform at least a portion of the aircraft servicing task, the ground support equipment including: a tractive element; a prime mover configured to drive the tractive element; (“In some embodiments, the ground equipment items 50 include items needed to complete a turn or turnaround of an aircraft. In some embodiments, the ground equipment item 50a is a wheelchair lift, a tug, a belt loader, a pushout tractor, a bag cart, a dolly, a unit load device, a cargo pallet, chocks, a bus, a container loader, a transporter, an aircraft tripod jack, aircraft service stairs, a refueler, a highspeed tractor, an Air Start Unit or start cart, catering vehicle(s), passenger boarding steps/stairs, de/anti-icing vehicles, a ground power unit (“GPU”), a PCA, or a lavatory (“LAV”) truck. Generally, the item 50a is mobile and often a resource shared among a plurality of gates in the terminal 60.” (col 4, lines 37-58)), where the possible equipment includes those for servicing aircrafts with a tractive element that are driven by a prime mover such as tractor type vehicles.
a first beacon; (“a beacon coupled to each mobile ground equipment item and configured to transmit ground equipment data relating to the ground equipment item to which it is coupled;” (col 20, lines 23-26)), which shows a beacon coupled to a ground support equipment.
With respect to claim 2, Anand, as shown in the rejection above, discloses the limitations of claim 1. Anand teaches coordinating aircraft serving tasks of a plurality of ground support equipment of claim 1. Anand further teaches:
wherein at least one of the one or more processing circuits is remote to the plurality of ground support equipment; (“In an example embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 2 with continuing reference to FIG. 1, the remote user device 15 includes the GUI 15a, a computer processor 15b and a computer readable medium 15c operably coupled thereto. Instructions accessible to, and executable by, the computer processor 15b are stored on the computer readable medium 15c.” (col 2, line 64 – col 3, line 3)), which show that the processing can be done remotely.
With respect to claim 3, Anand, as shown in the rejection above, discloses the limitations of claim 1. Anand teaches coordinating aircraft serving tasks of a plurality of ground support equipment of claim 1. Anand further teaches:
wherein at least one of the one or more processing circuits is included on each of the plurality of ground support equipment; (“In some embodiments, an IoT device of the plurality of IoT devices 45 repeatedly transmits a signal that other devices can receive and recognize. Generally, an IoT device of the plurality of IoT devices 45 includes a memory and a transmitter. In some embodiments, the memory stores data used to identify the ground equipment item to which the IoT device is coupled. In some embodiments, the transmitter is configured for wired or wireless communication with one or more other devices. In some embodiments, an IoT device of the plurality of IoT devices 45 includes or is capable of being coupled to one or more sensors and a processor.” (col 4, lines 4-14)), which shows that the beacons on the ground support equipment can be coupled to a processor.
With respect to claims 4 and 13, Anand, as shown in the rejection above, discloses the limitations of claims 1 and 10. Anand teaches coordinating aircraft serving tasks of a plurality of ground support equipment of claims 1 and 10. Anand further teaches:
wherein the plurality of ground support equipment includes at least one of a pushback tractor, a cargo loader, a dolly tractor, a dolly, a baggage tractor, a baggage loader, a stair truck, a de-icing truck, a fueling truck, a food delivery truck, or a boarding bridge; (“In some embodiments, the ground equipment items 50 include items needed to complete a turn or turnaround of an aircraft. In some embodiments, the ground equipment item 50a is a wheelchair lift, a tug, a belt loader, a pushout tractor, a bag cart, a dolly, a unit load device, a cargo pallet, chocks, a bus, a container loader, a transporter, an aircraft tripod jack, aircraft service stairs, a refueler, a highspeed tractor, an Air Start Unit or start cart, catering vehicle(s), passenger boarding steps/stairs, de/anti-icing vehicles, a ground power unit (“GPU”), a PCA, or a lavatory (“LAV”) truck. Generally, the item 50a is mobile and often a resource shared among a plurality of gates in the terminal 60.” (col 4, lines 37-58)), which shows the plurality of ground support equipment includes vehicles used for aircraft servicing tasks.
With respect to claims 6 and 15, Anand, as shown in the rejection above, discloses the limitations of claims 1 and 10. Anand teaches coordinating aircraft serving tasks of a plurality of ground support equipment of claims 1 and 10. Anand further teaches:
wherein the signals from the plurality of beacons include information relating to at least one of a location of the plurality of ground support equipment, an operational status of the plurality of ground support equipment, or an order of tasks in the aircraft servicing plan; (“In one embodiment and at the step 110, an IoT device is associated with a ground equipment item, with the IoT device configured to provide GE data to the system 10… Generally, each IoT device is configured to emit a location signal, which is GE data. In some embodiments and, for example, when the ground equipment item is a drivable piece of equipment, the IoT device may be configured to detect the speed of linear movement of the piece of equipment, the pitch of the piece of equipment (e.g., whether the equipment is “level”) to detect a potential flat tire or other maintenance issue, a temperature sensor to detect the ambient temperature of the equipment or an internal temperature of the equipment, etc.” (col 6, lines 9-32), “In some embodiments, the GEM application 75 tracks the locations at which equipment will be needed through a day, shift, or other period of time. The GEM application 75 can route a path for the equipment so that each gate or area that needs the equipment is notified of its path throughout the day.” (46)), where the signals from the equipment include information relating to the location of equipment, a state of equipment, and a timing of a task schedule of the equipment.
With respect to claim 7, Anand, as shown in the rejection above, discloses the limitations of claim 1. Anand teaches coordinating aircraft serving tasks of a plurality of ground support equipment of claim 1. Anand further teaches:
wherein at least one of the plurality of beacons is configured to transmit the signals using at least one of a visual signal or an audible signal, and wherein the one or more processing circuits are configured to acquire the at least one of the visual signal or the audible signal via at least one sensor of a plurality of sensors coupled to the plurality of ground support equipment; (“In some embodiments, an IoT device of the plurality of IoT devices 45 includes or is capable of being coupled to one or more sensors and a processor. The one or more sensors may include a level, a location sensor, a pitch sensor, a light intensity sensor, a pressure sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, and/or a speed sensor or sensor configured to detect the speed of linear movement of the ground equipment item to which the IoT device is coupled. In some embodiments, an IoT device of the plurality of IoT devices 45 includes an output device, such as a visual output such as a light or an audible output such as a speaker.” (col 4, lines 4-22)), where the beacons can transmit signals using visual or audible output. The visual or audible output can be sensed by sensors.
With respect to claim 8, Anand, as shown in the rejection above, discloses the limitations of claim 1. Anand teaches coordinating aircraft serving tasks of a plurality of ground support equipment of claim 1. Anand further teaches, wherein at least one of the one or more processing circuits is configured to:
receive, from an operator of at least one of the plurality of ground support equipment, an input including an indication of an operational status of the at least one of the plurality of ground support equipment; (“The remote user device 15 also includes an input device 15e and an output device 15f. In some embodiments, the input device 15e and the output device 15f are the GUI 15a. In some embodiments, the user provides inputs to the system 10 via a window that is displayed on the GUI 15a.” (col 3, lines 5-8), “For example, if a user indicates that the equipment is not functioning and thus is listed as not available for future borrowing, but the IoT device indicates that the equipment is being driven or otherwise moving within the terminal, then the GEM application 75 may request the user or another user to validate the reported equipment report and/or status of the equipment.” (col 13, lines 23-29)), where the operator can input information, including information that indicates the operational status of a ground support equipment, for example, to confirm that a ground support equipment is available, in use, or needs maintenance.
instruct, in response to receiving the input, at least one beacon of the plurality of beacons to transmit a signal providing the indication of the operational status of the at least one of the plurality of ground support equipment; (“In some embodiments and at the step 145, the GEM application 75 manages and tracks the borrowing of the ground equipment. Once the GEM application 75 receives an indication that the “check-out” button has been selected for one of the pieces of equipment displayed on the window 225, the GEM application 75 displays a “message transmitted” message 235 on the window 225, as illustrated in FIG. 11.” (col 9, lines 44-51)), which a signal, based on the operator input, can indicate the operational status of a ground support equipment.
With respect to claim 11, Anand, as shown in the rejection above, discloses the limitations of claim 10. Anand teaches coordinating aircraft serving tasks of a plurality of ground support equipment of claim 10. Anand further teaches:
wherein at least one of the one or more processing circuits is remote to the ground support equipment, and wherein the at least one of the one or more processing circuits is configured to receive the signals from the first beacon and the plurality of beacons; (“In an example embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 2 with continuing reference to FIG. 1, the remote user device 15 includes the GUI 15a, a computer processor 15b and a computer readable medium 15c operably coupled thereto. Instructions accessible to, and executable by, the computer processor 15b are stored on the computer readable medium 15c.” (col 2, line 64 – col 3, line 3), “In some embodiments, the IoT devices 45 emit an encrypted signal that is capable of being received and read by Blue-tooth equipped devices, such as a remote user device 15 and/or the gateways 55.” (col 4, lines 28-32)), which show that the remote processor can receive signals from the beacons.
With respect to claim 12, Anand, as shown in the rejection above, discloses the limitations of claim 10. Anand teaches coordinating aircraft serving tasks of a plurality of ground support equipment of claim 10. Anand further teaches:
wherein at least one of the one or more processing circuits is on the ground support equipment, wherein the first beacon is configured to communicate with the plurality of beacons, and wherein the one or more processing circuits are configured to receive the signals from the first beacon; (“In some embodiments, an IoT device of the plurality of IoT devices 45 repeatedly transmits a signal that other devices can receive and recognize. Generally, an IoT device of the plurality of IoT devices 45 includes a memory and a transmitter. In some embodiments, the memory stores data used to identify the ground equipment item to which the IoT device is coupled. In some embodiments, the transmitter is configured for wired or wireless communication with one or more other devices. In some embodiments, an IoT device of the plurality of IoT devices 45 includes or is capable of being coupled to one or more sensors and a processor.” (col 4, lines 4-14)), which shows that the beacons on the ground support equipment can be coupled to a processor, and transmit and receive signals.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 5, 9, 14, 16-18, and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Anand et al. (US 11595932 B1) in view of Schneider et al. (US 20240158100 A1).
Regarding claims 5, 9, 14, 16-18, and 20:
With respect to claims 5 and 14, Anand, as shown in the rejection above, discloses the limitations of claims 1 and 10. Anand teaches coordinating aircraft serving tasks of a plurality of ground support equipment of claims 1 and 10. Anand does not teach, but Schneider teaches:
wherein a beacon of the plurality of beacons is coupled to an aircraft, and wherein the aircraft servicing tasks relate to servicing of the aircraft; (“In general, wireless communication can take place between the ground service control center 110, the ground service unit/s 200 and the one or more aircraft 300. For instance, the entities of the aircraft servicing system 100 can be equipped with a respective wireless communication component 147, 247, 347.” [0065], FIG. 1), which shows a beacon coupled to an aircraft and is in communication with a ground service control center and unit for servicing the aircraft.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the instant application to have combined Anand’s coordinating aircraft serving tasks with Schneider’s aircraft beacon so (“all ground servicing activities at an airport may be coordinated in a better manner, as information about the servicing requirements can be received in a wireless fashion directly from the aircraft/s to be serviced.” [0008]).
With respect to claims 9, 16-18, and 20, Anand, as shown in the rejection above, discloses the limitations of claims 1, 10, and 19. Anand teaches coordinating aircraft serving tasks of a plurality of ground support equipment of claims 1, 10, and 19. Anand further teaches, wherein coordinating the movement of the plurality of ground support equipment includes at least one of:
causing one or more of the plurality of ground support equipment to embark on a respective path designated in the aircraft servicing plan; (“In some embodiments, the GEM application 75 causes a signal to be sent to the equipment instructing the equipment to move itself to the location at which it is needed. For example, if the equipment is a motorized, drivable tug and the tug is equipped with self-driving or autonomous technology, then the GEM application 75 can instruct and/or control the movement of the tug so that the tug drives itself to the needed location.” (col 14, lines 4-11), “In some embodiments, the GEM application 75 tracks the locations at which equipment will be needed through a day, shift, or other period of time. The GEM application 75 can route a path for the equipment so that each gate or area that needs the equipment is notified of its path throughout the day.” (col 14, lines 28-33), where the ground support equipment can move itself on a designated path for an aircraft servicing task.
causing one or more of the plurality of ground support equipment to move at a respective time specified in the aircraft servicing plan; (“In some embodiments, the GEM application 75 tracks the locations at which equipment will be needed through a day, shift, or other period of time. The GEM application 75 can route a path for the equipment so that each gate or area that needs the equipment is notified of its path throughout the day. For example, a piece of equipment may not be checked-out to gate A6, but the GEM application 75 provides a note to the user that the piece of equipment at gate A4 is reserved for use by the gate A6 at a certain time and then the piece of equipment will be sent to gate A9 for a period of time after it is needed at gate A6.” (col 14, lines 28-38)), where ground support equipment can be scheduled to move at a specific time of the day, shift, or period of time.
Anand does not teach, but Schneider teaches:
causing one or more of the plurality of ground support equipment to perform a respective task of the aircraft servicing tasks; (“All such moving tasks can be performed autonomously based on the transponder signal or the further locating techniques. This saves time and allows (semi-) automation of servicing of the aircraft.” [0016], “the ground service control center is capable of communicating with a plurality of aircraft, and can organize autonomous servicing of any aircraft in dependence on a parking position of the aircraft, respective service requirements (amount of water to be drained, amount of water to be filled, amount of waste to be removed, maximum allowed filling/rinsing pressure, regular time to perform each servicing task, etc.), availability of ground service units and the like. The ground service control center can be configured to decide autonomously, which tasks are to be performed at which aircraft.” [0052-0053]), where the ground support equipment performs an aircraft servicing task.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the instant application to have combined Anand’s coordinating aircraft serving tasks with Schneider’s ground servicing tasks because (“Currently, servicing of an aircraft, such as filling potable water into a corresponding aircraft tank and/or removing waste from a waste tank, is carried out manually by ground staff.” [0003]), so (“all ground servicing activities at an airport may be coordinated in a better manner, as information about the servicing requirements can be received in a wireless fashion directly from the aircraft/s to be serviced.” [0008]), in order to autonomously service an aircraft.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure.
Gerdes et al. (US 11726484 B1) is pertinent because (“After picking up the luggage, the ground support equipment 100 may be tasked to navigate from the belt conveyor to a particular aircraft 302 to deliver the luggage. To navigate to the aircraft 302, the ground support equipment 100 may perform a number of operations and may be required to avoid a number of obstacles. For example, the ground support equipment 100 can begin to navigate across the airport apron 102 and may detect potential pedestrians, aircraft, buildings, and other ground support equipment 100 along its path or route.” (70)) which pertains to ground support equipment moving itself on a designated path for an aircraft servicing task.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Christine N Huynh whose telephone number is (571)272-9980. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8 am - 4 pm.
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/CHRISTINE NGUYEN HUYNH/Examiner, Art Unit 3662
/ANISS CHAD/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3662
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