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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 01/07/2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 01/07/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
ETSI EN 302-637-2 v1.4.1 teaches the periodic updating of the inter-transmission time due to changes in UE mobility at section 4.3. The claims remain unpatentable.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Independent Claims
Claim(s) 1, 12, 22, 32 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang (US-20150327028) in view of Tseng (US-20200107236), ETSI EN 302-637-2 v1.4.1 Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS); Vehicular Communications; Basic Set of Applications; Part 2: Specification of Cooperative Awareness Basic Service (2019-01).
As to claim 1, 12, 22, 32: Zhang teaches a method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: … ; determining, based at least in part on the set of traffic conditions ([0018, 20, 27]) V2V message transmission rate based on vehicle / inter-vehicle conditions; adjusting V2V message transmission rate based on radio channel load and congestion level parameters), an inter-transmission time value for a series of transmissions to be performed by the UE (abstract, [0031, 44] frequency of safety messages based on speed and distance between 2 vehicles); adjusting the inter-transmission time value based at least in part on a motion state associated with the UE (abstract, [0031, 44] direction used to calculate transmission rate)) … and performing the series of transmissions in accordance with the adjusted inter-transmission time value (abstract, [0031, 44]).
Zhang may not explicitly teach receiving, from a network entity, a configuration that is associated with a set of traffic conditions. However, Tseng teaches receiving, from a network entity, a configuration that is associated with a set of traffic conditions (fig.12, [0156] BS configures measurement configuration to the UE to report the SL channel quality).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to implement configuration associated with traffic, taught by Tseng, into the V2V system, taught by Zhang, in order to implement a well-known feature of a pre-defined protocol and to enable the VUE to measure channel quality. In addition, it would have been obvious to combine Zhang and Tseng in a known manner to obtain predictable results as the combination would not change the essence, quiddity, or functionality of the prior art references.
Zhang may not explicitly teach wherein the motion state relates to at least one of: a direction associated with a turn performed by a vehicle associated with the UE, or a rotational speed of the vehicle associated with the UE, and wherein the adjusting comprises periodically updating the inter-transmission time value responsive to a change in the motion state of the UE by at least a threshold amount. However, ETSI teaches wherein the motion state relates to at least one of: a direction associated with a turn performed by a vehicle associated with the UE, or a rotational speed of the vehicle associated with the UE (In detail the CAM generation trigger conditions shall be as follows: 1) The time elapsed since the last CAM generation is equal to or greater than T_GenCam_Dcc, as applicable, and one of the following ITS-S dynamics related conditions is given: - the absolute difference between the current heading of the originating ITS-S and the heading included in the CAM previously transmitted by the originating ITS-S exceeds 4°), and wherein the adjusting comprises periodically updating the inter-transmission time value responsive to a change in the motion state of the UE by at least a threshold amount (section 4.3 CAMs are generated periodically with a frequency controlled by the CA basic service in the originating ITS-S. The generation frequency is determined taking into account the change of own ITS-Ss status, e.g. change of position or speed as well as the radio channel load; section 6.1.3 In detail the CAM generation trigger conditions shall be as follows: 1) The time elapsed since the last CAM generation is equal to or greater than T_GenCam_Dcc, as applicable, and one of the following ITS-S dynamics related conditions is given:- the absolute difference between the current heading of the originating ITS-S and the heading included in the CAM previously transmitted by the originating ITS-S exceeds 4°; - the distance between the current position of the originating ITS-S and the position included in the CAM previously transmitted by the originating ITS-S exceeds 4 m; - the absolute difference between the current speed of the originating ITS-S).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to implement beacon frequency based on direction heading, taught by ETSI, into the safety messages, taught by Zhang, in order to implement a well-known feature of a pre-defined protocol and ensure greater safety during a maneuver associated with elevated risk. In addition, it would have been obvious to combine Zhang and ETSI in a known manner to obtain predictable results as the combination would not change the essence, quiddity, or functionality of the prior art references.
Dependent Claims
Claim(s) 2, 3, 13, 14, 23, 24, 33, 34 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang (US-20150327028), Tseng (US-20200107236), ETSI EN 302-637-2 v1.4.1 in view of Freda (WO-2017027355-A1).
As to claim 2, 13, 23, 33: Zhang teaches the method of claim 1, 12, 22, 32.
Zhang may not explicitly teach wherein determining the inter-transmission time value is based at least in part on a state of a channel associated with the UE. However, Freda teaches wherein determining the inter-transmission time value is based at least in part on a state of a channel associated with the UE ([0188] According to embodiments, a UE may be configured to, upon detecting a high collision situation, autonomously reduce a transmission rate in order to avoid congestion and/or interference, and the transmission rate reduction may be applied to only certain types of traffic, e.g., periodic traffic).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to implement adjust time interval based on channel state, taught by Freda, into the V2V communication, taught by Zhang, in order to implement a well-known feature of a pre-defined protocol and to avoid congestion. In addition it would have been obvious to combine Zhang and Freda in a known manner to obtain predictable results as the combination would not change the essence, quiddity, or functionality of the prior art references.
As to claim 3, 14, 24, 34: Zhang teaches the method of claim 2, 13, 23, 33.
Zhang may not explicitly teach wherein the state of the channel relates to at least one of: a vehicle density threshold, transmissions by one or more other UEs, or a transmitter density. However, Freda teaches wherein the state of the channel relates to at least one of: a vehicle density threshold, transmissions by one or more other UEs, or a transmitter density ([0188] [00188] According to embodiments, a UE may be configured to, upon detecting a high collision situation, autonomously reduce a transmission rate in order to avoid congestion and/or interference, and the transmission rate reduction may be applied to only certain types of traffic, e.g., periodic traffic).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to implement adjust time interval based on channel state, taught by Freda, into the V2V communication, taught by Zhang, in order to implement a well-known feature of a pre-defined protocol and to avoid congestion. In addition it would have been obvious to combine Zhang and Freda in a known manner to obtain predictable results as the combination would not change the essence, quiddity, or functionality of the prior art references.
Claim(s) 4, 5, 6, 10, 15, 16, 17, 25, 26, 27 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang (US-20150327028) in view of Tseng (US-20200107236), ETSI EN 302-637-2 v1.4.1.
As to claim 4, 15, 25: Zhang teaches the method of claim 1, 12, 22, wherein the motion state relates to at least one of: a speed associated with the UE, or an acceleration associated with the UE ([0031, 0085]).
As to claim 5, 16, 26: Zhang teaches the method of claim 1, 12, 22, wherein the inter-transmission time value is adjusted to a shorter time value when the motion state indicates a relatively higher speed associated with the UE ([0031, 85]: two vehicles getting closer to each other at a higher speed, they will need to receive safety messages from each other at a higher frequency than when they are moving slower toward each other or when they are moving farther apart from each other), and wherein the inter-transmission time value is adjusted to a longer time value when the motion state indicates a relatively lower speed associated with the UE ([0031, 85]).
As to claim 6, 17, 27: Zhang teaches the method of claim 1, 12, 22, wherein the inter-transmission time value is adjusted to a shorter time value when the motion state indicates a relatively higher acceleration associated with the UE ([0031, 85]: two vehicles getting closer to each other at a higher speed, they will need to receive safety messages from each other at a higher frequency than when they are moving slower toward each other or when they are moving farther apart from each other), and wherein the inter-transmission time value is adjusted to a longer time value when the motion state indicates a relatively lower acceleration associated with the UE ([0031, 85]).
As to claim 10: Zhang teaches the method of claim 1, wherein one or more parameters used to adjust the inter-transmission time value are configured for the UE by a network or are configured on an on-board unit of the UE ([0040] This implies that even if all vehicles accelerate to their best abilities starting from time t1, vehicle v's minimum inter-vehicle distance will still be larger than the smallest safe distance after time t2. Therefore, the message transmission interval TI can be set by the system 100 herein to be TI=(t2−t1)).
Claim(s) 7, 18, 28 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang (US-20150327028), Tseng (US-20200107236), ETSI EN 302-637-2 v1.4.1 in view of You (KR-20180011989-A).
As to claim 7, 18, 28: Zhang teaches the method of claim 1, 12, 22, wherein the inter-transmission time value is adjusted to a shorter time value when the motion state indicates a relatively higher … associated with the UE, and wherein the inter-transmission time value is adjusted to a longer time value when the motion state indicates a relatively lower … associated with the UE ([0031, 85]: two vehicles getting closer to each other at a higher speed, they will need to receive safety messages from each other at a higher frequency than when they are moving slower toward each other or when they are moving farther apart from each other).
Zhang may not explicitly teach rate of rotation … rate of rotation. However, You teaches rate of rotation … rate of rotation (The rider sensor 120 transmits the velocity information including the output yaw rate and the point data collected by reflection to the controller 130).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to implement yaw or turn rate as velocity information, taught by You, into the adjusting time interval based on velocity, taught by Zhang, in order to implement a well-known feature of a pre-defined protocol and to configure safety messaging. In addition it would have been obvious to combine Zhang and You in a known manner to obtain predictable results as the combination would not change the essence, quiddity, or functionality of the prior art references.
Claim(s) 8, 11, 19, 21, 29, 31, 35 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang (US-20150327028), Tseng (US-20200107236), ETSI EN 302-637-2 v1.4.1 in view of Jeng (US-20170166113).
As to claim 8, 19, 29: Zhang teaches the method of claim 1, 12, 22, wherein adjusting the inter-transmission time value based at least in part on the motion state associated with the UE further comprises: adjusting the inter-transmission time ([0031, 0085]).
Although Zhang teaches adjusting time interval based on speed Zhang may not explicitly teach a threshold. However, Jeng teaches based at least in part on one or more threshold speed values ([0051, 54] determine if vehicle speed crosses threshold).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to implement determining speed threshold, taught by Zhang, into the time interval adjustment, taught by Zhang, in order to implement a well-known feature of a pre-defined protocol and to have an objective measure of velocity to act upon. In addition, it would have been obvious to combine Zhang and Jeng in a known manner to obtain predictable results as the combination would not change the essence, quiddity, or functionality of the prior art references.
As to claim 11, 21, 31, 35: Zhang teaches the method of claim 1, 12, 22, 32, wherein adjusting the inter-transmission time value based at least in part on the motion state associated with the UE further comprises: adjusting the inter-transmission time value to equal an elapsed time since a previous transmission, of the series of transmissions, based at least in part on the motion state satisfying a … ([0031, 0085]).
Zhang may not explicitly teach threshold. However, Jeng teaches threshold ([0051, 54] determine if vehicle speed crosses threshold).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to implement determining speed threshold, taught by Zhang, into the time interval adjustment, taught by Zhang, in order to implement a well-known feature of a pre-defined protocol and to have an objective measure of velocity to act upon. In addition, it would have been obvious to combine Zhang and Jeng in a known manner to obtain predictable results as the combination would not change the essence, quiddity, or functionality of the prior art references.
Moreover, it is generally considered to be within the ordinary skill in the art to adjust, vary, select or optimize the numerical parameters or values of any system absent a showing of criticality in a particular recited value. The burden of showing criticality is on Applicant. In re Mason, 87 F.2d 370, 32 USPQ 242 (CCPA 1937); Marconi Wireless Telegraph Co. v. U.S., 320 U.S. 1, 57 USPQ 471 (1943); In re Schneider, 148 F.2d 108, 65 USPQ 129 (CCPA 1945); In re Aller, 220 F.2d 454, 105 USPQ 233 (CCPA 1955); In re Saether, 492 F.2d 849, 181 USPQ 36 (CCPA 1974); In re Antonie, 559 F.2d 618, 195 USPQ 6 (CCPA 1977); In re Boesch, 617 F.2d 272, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980). Since Zhang discloses adjusting the transmit time interval, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to any value, including equal to an elapsed time since a previous transmission, absent a showing of criticality by Applicant.
Claim(s) 9, 20, 30 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang (US-20150327028), Tseng (US-20200107236), ETSI EN 302-637-2 v1.4.1 in view of Konno (JP-2006232076-A).
As to claim 9, 20, 30. The method of claim 1, 12, 22, wherein adjusting the inter-transmission time value based at least in part on the motion state associated with the UE further comprises: adjusting the inter-transmission time based at least in part on a direction associated with a … performed by a vehicle associated with the UE ([0031, 85]: two vehicles getting closer to each other at a higher speed, they will need to receive safety messages from each other at a higher frequency than when they are moving slower toward each other or when they are moving farther apart from each other).
Although Zhang already teaches adjusting a transmit time interval in response to parameters, Zhang may not explicitly teach direction associated with a turn. However, Konno teaches direction associated with a turn (In other words, the transmission interval T becomes smaller as the vehicle turns faster and suddenly in either direction).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to implement adjusting a transmit interval in response to turning, taught by Konno, into the time-interval adjustment in response to parameters, taught by Zhang, in order to implement a well-known feature of a pre-defined protocol and to enable safety message parameter adjustment. In addition it would have been obvious to combine Zhang and Konno in a known manner to obtain predictable results as the combination would not change the essence, quiddity, or functionality of the prior art references.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANDREW CHUNG SUK OH whose telephone number is (571)270-5273. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 12p-8p.
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/ANDREW C OH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2466