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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 09/19/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Regarding the arguments with respect to claim 1 Applicant narrowly reads the claim. First of all claim does not require any specific mounting. Existence of the mounting brackets or rails cannot be excludes due to word comprising and broadness of the claim. Second of all position of the lidar and way of mounting to the roof it is just very obvious matter of the mechanical engineering.
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) 1, 9 and claims bellow are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over D1 US 20210100156 A1 in view of D2 US 20200064483 A1.
Regarding claim 1 D1 teaches
1. A vehicle sensor mounting structure comprising:
a vehicle; and(1)
a long-range light detection(101,102) and ranging (LiDAR) device mounted on a forward outer peripheral edge portion of a roof of the vehicle(fig. 11 [0130]),
the long-range LiDAR device having a detection range expanding diagonally downward as viewed from the roof, the detection range including a part of a front of the vehicle(fig. 11), the long-range LiDAR device being configured to detect an object within the detection range,(fig. 11) and
but does not teach
the long-range LiDAR device having a lower limit of detection distance that is not less than 10 cm and not more than 1 m.
9. (New) The vehicle sensor mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a microbus-like or a van-like vehicle.
D2 teaches the long-range LiDAR device having any desired a lower limit of detection distance[0079]
9. (New) The vehicle sensor mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a microbus-like or a van-like vehicle.[0074]
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art at the time of filing to modify teachings by D1 with teaching by D2 in order to detect person right in front of vehicle or perform calibration.
2. The vehicle sensor mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein a mounting height of the long-range LiDAR device is not less than 1.8 m.(Fig. 11 design choice)
3. The vehicle sensor mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein a detection angle of the long-range LiDAR device is less than 1800.(fig. 12)
4.(fig. 10, 11 )
5. (fig 10, fig. 11)
6. The vehicle sensor mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the object includes a pedestrian, a bicycle, or a motorcycle, in close proximity of the vehicle.([0111])
7. The vehicle sensor mounting structure according to claim 2, wherein the mounting height is a height from a road surface to a photoreceptor or a center point of the long-range LiDAR device.(fig. 11)
8. The vehicle sensor mounting structure according to claim 2, wherein:
the long-range LiDAR device is mounted on the vehicle via a bracket; and[0118]
the mounting height that is a height from a road surface to a photoreceptor or a center point of the long-range LiDAR device mounted on the vehicle via the bracket is not less than 1.8 m.(fig. 11 design choice)
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/HOVHANNES BAGHDASARYAN/Examiner, Art Unit 3645