IP Verse

Open Platform For Vehicle Restricted Region

Patent No. US11482121 (titled "Open Platform For Vehicle Restricted Region") was filed by Sz Dji Technology Co Ltd on Nov 10, 2021.

What is this patent about?

’121 is related to the field of managing restricted areas for ground vehicles , particularly concerning private property. The background involves the increasing use of autonomous or semi-autonomous ground vehicles and the need to respect property rights and safety concerns. Current systems lack a robust method for individuals to easily define and enforce restrictions on ground vehicle movement on or near their property.

The underlying idea behind ’121 is to create a system where property owners can define geofences around their property and specify how ground vehicles should respond when entering or nearing these zones. This involves authenticating the user defining the restriction, storing the restriction parameters, and then implementing response measures on the ground vehicle, such as forcing it to stop or change direction.

The claims of ’121 focus on a system comprising one or more processors that receive restriction region parameters from a user, authenticate the user's identity to ensure they are authorized to designate the region, store the parameters in a database, associate response measures with the region, and then implement these response measures to affect the operation of a ground vehicle when it is within or near the designated restriction region. The response measures include forcing the vehicle to change direction, stop, or providing an alert.

In practice, a homeowner could use a mobile app to draw a boundary around their property. The system would then verify the user's identity, perhaps through a password or biometric scan, and store the geofence. If a delivery robot or other ground vehicle approaches the property, the system could force it to reroute, stop at the property line, or send a notification to the vehicle's operator. The system could also allow for different response measures based on the type of vehicle or the time of day.

This approach differentiates itself from prior solutions by providing a user-friendly interface for defining restrictions and by incorporating an authentication step to prevent unauthorized restrictions. Unlike simple GPS-based no-go zones, ’121 allows for dynamic and customizable response measures tailored to the specific needs of the property owner and the type of ground vehicle involved. The system also leverages a database to store and manage these restrictions, enabling efficient enforcement across a fleet of ground vehicles.

How does this patent fit in bigger picture?

Technical landscape at the time

In the mid-2010s when ’121 was filed, systems commonly relied on centralized databases for managing geographic information, at a time when location-based services were typically implemented using GPS and cellular networks. At that time, the processing of location data and user authentication were non-trivial due to hardware and software constraints.

Novelty and Inventive Step

The claims were rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 as being directed to abstract ideas without significantly more. Claims were also rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) as being based on a disclosure that is not enabling. Claims were further rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over cited prior art. The prosecution record does NOT describe the technical reasoning or specific claim changes that led to allowance.

Claims

This patent contains 30 claims, with independent claims numbered 1, 18, 24, and 28. The independent claims are directed to systems for managing a restriction region for a ground vehicle, focusing on receiving parameters of the region, authenticating the user, storing the parameters, associating response measures, and implementing those measures. The dependent claims generally elaborate on and refine the specifics of the independent claims, adding details and features to the system.

Key Claim Terms New

Definitions of key terms used in the patent claims.

Term (Source)Support for SpecificationInterpretation
Designated restriction region
(Claim 1, Claim 18, Claim 24, Claim 28)		“In some instances, it may be desirable to provide a platform for managing flight restriction regions for aerial vehicles. Such platforms may provide centralized management for inputting, managing, and accessing flight restriction regions. For example, the platforms may provide an interface for various users to input flight restriction regions, may aggregate the inputs and approve or deny proposed flight restriction regions, may record or store the flight restriction regions, may display the flight restriction regions, may be downloaded and utilized by UAV operators (e.g., approve or deny a proposed flight path based on the flight restriction regions), or may be utilized in granting access to flight restriction regions (e.g., by temporarily lifting the restriction).”A region defined by parameters input by a user, for which specific response measures are associated and implemented to affect the operation of a ground vehicle.
Ground vehicle
(Claim 1, Claim 18, Claim 24, Claim 28)		“Any description herein of aerial vehicles, such as unmanned aerial vehicles, may apply to and be used for any movable object, such as any vehicle. Additionally, the systems, devices, and methods disclosed herein in the context of aerial motion (e.g., flight) may also be applied in the context of other types of motion, such as movement on the ground or on water, underwater motion, or motion in space.”A vehicle that travels on the ground, the operation of which is affected by response measures when it is within or near a designated restriction region.
Private property
(Claim 1, Claim 18)		“In some embodiments, the flight restriction region is a private residence. In some embodiments, the user is authorized to designate the private residence as a flight restriction region when the user is an owner of the private residence. In some embodiments, the user is authorized to designate the private residence as a flight restriction region when the user is a resident of the private residence.”A location associated with a designated restriction region, where the user must be authenticated to designate the restriction region.
Response measures
(Claim 1, Claim 18, Claim 24, Claim 28)		“In some embodiments, each of the plurality of categories are associated with a different corresponding flight response measure. In some embodiments, each of the plurality of categories are associated with a different corresponding three-dimensional space. In some embodiments, the flight restriction regions are associated with flight response measures.”Actions taken to affect the operation of a ground vehicle when it is within or near a designated restriction region, including changing direction, stopping, or providing an alert.
Travel path
(Claim 1, Claim 18, Claim 24, Claim 28)		“Thus, in one aspect, a method of collecting information regarding a plurality of flight restriction regions is provided. The method comprises: receiving, from a plurality of users via corresponding user input devices, input designating parameters of flight restriction regions, wherein the parameters include a location of the flight restriction regions; and determining, with aid of one or more processors, a three-dimensional space for each of the flight restriction regions, wherein the three-dimensional space depends on the parameters of the flight restriction regions.”The route or course along which the ground vehicle is moving.

Litigation Cases New

US Latest litigation cases involving this patent.

Case NumberFiling DateTitle
2:25-cv-01066Oct 24, 2025SZ DJI TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD. v. Irdeto B.V.
1:23-cv-00055Jan 17, 2023Sz Dji Technology Co. Ltd. V. Textron Specialized Vehicles Inc.

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US11482121

SZ DJI TECHNOLOGY CO LTD
Application Number
US17523859
Filing Date
Nov 10, 2021
Status
Granted
Expiry Date
Mar 31, 2035
External Links
Slate, USPTO, Google Patents