DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application is being examined under the pre-AIA first to invent provisions.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of SPECIES I in the reply filed on 08/08/2025 is acknowledged. Applicant elected claims 12,15,26,29-20,31-37,41-43. Claims 33-34,43 are also related to non-elected species and therefore withdrawn from consideration.
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.
(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) 12,15, 26,29-32,35-37,40-42 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by US 20180122245 A1 (Penilla).
Claim 12 and 35 (mutatis mutandis). Penilla teaches a method of searching a positioning point in a target space by means of a ranging apparatus, the method comprising:
acquiring, by the ranging apparatus, a predetermined rule which indicates a relative position between the positioning point and a reference point (see figure 3 and note current location and destination location. Para 83-87 note vehicle position data 162 which can include data of moving objects relative to local sensors.);
and searching, by the ranging apparatus, the positioning point in the target space according to the predetermined rule and the reference point (Abstract note The on-board computer stops said vehicle upon detecting that the vehicle has arrived at a destination location for parking of said vehicle. See figure 3 and note the destination has to be searched inherently. Para 15 note determining if the vehicle is proximate the self-park location. Para 81 The parking slots in garage 100 can be monitored with sensors to identify which parking spots are available.);
determining, by the ranging apparatus, whether the ranging apparatus is at the positioning point in the target space (Abstract note The on-board computer stops said vehicle upon detecting that the vehicle has arrived at a destination location for parking of said vehicle.);
and outputting, by the ranging apparatus, a prompt signal when the ranging apparatus determines that the ranging apparatus is at the positioning point (para 96 note notification to the user ).
Claim15 and 36 (mutatis mutandis). Penilla teaches the method of claim 12, wherein the predetermined rule is stored in a memory of the ranging apparatus or received by the ranging apparatus through its communication module (para 21).
Claim26 and 37 (mutatis mutandis). Penilla teaches the method of claim 12, further comprising: acquiring, by the ranging apparatus, a first size parameter of the target space on a first dimension (see figure 3-5 and note location A, and sensor locations, coordinates and gps data) ;
and determining, by the ranging apparatus, the reference point based on at least one of the first size parameter of the target space on the first dimension or the predetermined rule (para 87-92 see figure 3 note destination).
Claim 29 and 40 (mutatis mutandis). Penilla teaches the method of claim 12, wherein the predetermined rule indicates a first relative position between the reference point and a first positioning point and a second relative position between the reference point and a second positioning point (see figure 3-6 note X and Y para 93), and the method further comprises: searching, by the ranging apparatus, the first positioning point and the second positioning point in the target space according to the predetermined rule and the reference point (see figure 4 and note sensor locations and coordinates); and outputting, by the ranging apparatus, the prompt signal when the ranging apparatus determines that the ranging apparatus is at the first positioning point or the second positioning point (see figure 3-6 note destination and para 96 note notification to the user) .
Claim 30. Penilla teaches the method of claim 29, wherein the first positioning point and the second positioning point are on a first dimension of the target space (see figure 3 note S1 and S3 are on X axis).
Claim 31 and 41. Penilla teaches the method of claim 12, wherein: the positioning point and the reference point are on a first dimension of the target space (see figure 3 and note destination and sensors); and the first dimension includes a linear direction and an arc direction, and the relative position between the positioning point and the reference point is represented by a linear distance and an angle (see figure 15 and note when vehicle b is parked in spot, it includes a linear direction and an arc direction. Para 116-119).
Claim 32 and 42. Penilla teaches the method of claim 12, wherein outputting, by the ranging apparatus, the prompt signal includes at least one of outputting, by the ranging apparatus, an optical prompt through a display; outputting, by the ranging apparatus, an acoustic prompt through a speaker; or outputting, by the ranging apparatus, the prompt signal to a prompt device connected to the ranging apparatus (para 126,96 ).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SANJIDA NASER whose telephone number is (571)272-5233. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5 EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Isam Alsomiri can be reached at (571)272-6970. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SANJIDA NASER/Examiner, Art Unit 3645
/ISAM A ALSOMIRI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3645