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 .
Examiner’s Note
Examiner has cited particular paragraphs/columns and line numbers or figures in the references as applied to the claims below for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings in the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested from the applicant, in preparing the responses, to fully consider the references in entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention, as well as the context of the passage as taught by the prior art or disclosed by the examiner. Applicant is reminded that the Examiner is entitled to give the broadest reasonable interpretation to the language of the claims. Furthermore, the Examiner is not limited to Applicants’ definition which is not specifically set forth in the claims.
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 1/8/2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed 1/8/2026 has been entered. Claims 8, 10, 13-15, 17, 19-21, 23, and 28 remain pending in the application. Claim 30-38 have been added.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments filed 1/8/2026, with respect to the rejection under U.S.C. 103, have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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.
Claims 8, 10, 15, 17, 21, 23, 28, 32, 35, and 38 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Koda (US 20180113460), herein after referred to as Koda, in view of Nister (US 20190243371), herein after referred to as Nister.
Regarding Claim 8, Koda discloses:
at least one processor and at least one memory coupled to the at least one processors coupled to the at least one processors and storing instructions for execution by the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to (see at least [0087] “ a computer which executes the program according to the present invention.”)
obtain traveling information of a target vehicle including the autonomous driving apparatus, (see at least [0043] “The sensor unit 13 is configured of an internal sensors which detect the state of the vehicle and an external sensors for recognizing the peripheral environment of the vehicle.”)
wherein the traveling information of the target vehicle includes a planned driving road section of the target vehicle from a start location to a destination location; (see at least [Fig. 7] [0078] “there is illustrated a recommended route determined at step S105 including the roads L1, L2, L3 and L4. FIG. 7 also illustrates the automation level Lv per road at which the vehicle can perform the function α of the autonomous driving function Fc.”)
send the obtained traveling information of the target vehicle to a cloud server (see at least [0085] “ The server device 2 receives the sensor information 23 and the autonomous driving compatibility information 24 from the driving assistance device 1.”)
the cloud server communicates with a plurality of autonomous vehicles, and the plurality of autonomous vehicles include the target vehicle; (see at least [Fig. 1] [0032] “the autonomous driving system includes driving assistance devices 1 each of which moves together with a vehicle and a server device 2 which communicates with each of the driving assistance devices 1 via a network 9.”)
receive, from the cloud server, … information of a first road section on which the target vehicle travels, (see at least [0039] “In response to a request from the driving assistance device 1, the server device 2 extracts from the distribution map DB 21 the map data D1 corresponding to an area where the requesting driving assistance device 1 exists to thereby send the data to the driving assistance device 1.”)
wherein the first road section is any road section in the traveling information, (see at least [0085] “with respect to each road section of the candidate routes, the server device 2 determines a set of the autonomous driving function Fc and the automation level Lv which can be performed on a road section 0074”)
obtain a first autonomous driving policy for the target vehicle traveling on the first road section based on the … information of the first road section and vehicle attribute information of the target vehicle, (see at least [0074] “By referring to the autonomous driving determination table Tj based on the sensor information 23 on the sensor unit 13 and the road element information Ie on a predetermined road section, the driving assistance device 1 determines a set of the autonomous driving function Fc and the automation level Lv that can be performed in the predetermined road section.”)
wherein the vehicle attribute information of the target vehicle comprises at least one of an autonomous driving capability of the target vehicle, sensor distribution information of the target vehicle, or a driving status of a driver in the target vehicle; (see at least [0093] “ At the time of determining the possibility of performing an autonomous driving function Fc, the autonomous driving function determination unit 55 of the driving assistance device 1 determines a set of the feasible autonomous driving function Fc and its automation level Lv based on the capability information included in the sensor information 23 on each component of the sensor unit 13.”)
and perform autonomous driving on the target vehicle to the destination location according to the first autonomous driving policy. (see at least [0069] “the recommended route determination unit 56 selects, as a recommended route, the candidate route that includes road sections corresponding to the largest number of feasible autonomous driving functions Fc or the highest automation level Lv of the autonomous driving function Fc to be performed. Thereafter, on the basis of user input, the driving assistance device 1 sets the recommended route as a guidance route to the destination and starts autonomous driving based on the guidance route”)
Koda does not explicitly disclose:
layer information
and the layer information is obtained from an autonomous-driving-policy- layer;
In the same field of endeavor, Nister discloses:
layer information.; and the layer information is obtained from an autonomous-driving-policy- layer (see at least [0062] “planning component(s) 124 (e.g., associated with a planning layer of an autonomous driving software stack or architecture), control component(s) 126 (e.g., associated with a control layer of the autonomous driving software stack), obstacle avoidance component(s) 128 (e.g., associated with an obstacle or collision avoidance layer of the autonomous driving software stack, and/or actuation component(s) 130 (e.g., associated with an actuation layer of the autonomous driving software stack).”)
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the autonomous driving field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Koda to use layer information in which the layer information is obtained from an autonomous-driving-policy- layer, as taught by Nister to allow for different control regimes in safety actions versus normal operation [0056].
Regarding Claim 10, modified Koda discloses the limitations of Claim 8, and Koda further discloses:
wherein the first autonomous driving policy includes an autonomous driving level, an instruction for instructing the target vehicle to accelerate, decelerate, proceed, stop, or start, or an instruction for instructing a speed, an acceleration, a movement direction, or a location of the target vehicle. (see at least [0045] “Additionally, by recognizing the feasible automation level Lv of each autonomous driving function Fc in the road section where the vehicle is traveling, the control unit 15 also performs a processing (referred to as “autonomous driving processing”) to perform autonomous driving in accordance with the recognized feasible automation level Lv.”)
Regarding Claim 15, Koda discloses:
computer-executable instructions that are stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium and that, when executed by at least one processor cause an autonomous driving apparatus to: (see at least [0087] “ a computer which executes the program according to the present invention.”)
obtain traveling information of a target vehicle including the autonomous driving apparatus, (see at least [0043] “The sensor unit 13 is configured of an internal sensors which detect the state of the vehicle and an external sensors for recognizing the peripheral environment of the vehicle.”)
wherein the traveling information of the target vehicle includes a planned driving road section of the target vehicle from a start location to a destination location; (see at least [Fig. 7] [0078] “there is illustrated a recommended route determined at step S105 including the roads L1, L2, L3 and L4. FIG. 7 also illustrates the automation level Lv per road at which the vehicle can perform the function α of the autonomous driving function Fc.”)
send the obtained traveling information of the target vehicle to a cloud server (see at least [0085] “ The server device 2 receives the sensor information 23 and the autonomous driving compatibility information 24 from the driving assistance device 1.”)
the cloud server communicates with a plurality of autonomous vehicles, and the plurality of autonomous vehicles include the target vehicle; (see at least [Fig. 1] [0032] “the autonomous driving system includes driving assistance devices 1 each of which moves together with a vehicle and a server device 2 which communicates with each of the driving assistance devices 1 via a network 9.”)
receive, from the cloud server, … information of a first road section on which the target vehicle travels, (see at least [0039] “In response to a request from the driving assistance device 1, the server device 2 extracts from the distribution map DB 21 the map data D1 corresponding to an area where the requesting driving assistance device 1 exists to thereby send the data to the driving assistance device 1.”)
wherein the first road section is any road section in the traveling information, (see at least [0085] “with respect to each road section of the candidate routes, the server device 2 determines a set of the autonomous driving function Fc and the automation level Lv which can be performed on a road section 0074”)
obtain a first autonomous driving policy for the target vehicle traveling on the first road section based on the … information of the first road section and vehicle attribute information of the target vehicle, (see at least [0074] “By referring to the autonomous driving determination table Tj based on the sensor information 23 on the sensor unit 13 and the road element information Ie on a predetermined road section, the driving assistance device 1 determines a set of the autonomous driving function Fc and the automation level Lv that can be performed in the predetermined road section.”)
wherein the vehicle attribute information of the target vehicle comprises at least one of an autonomous driving capability of the target vehicle, sensor distribution information of the target vehicle, or a driving status of a driver in the target vehicle; (see at least [0093] “ At the time of determining the possibility of performing an autonomous driving function Fc, the autonomous driving function determination unit 55 of the driving assistance device 1 determines a set of the feasible autonomous driving function Fc and its automation level Lv based on the capability information included in the sensor information 23 on each component of the sensor unit 13.”)
and perform autonomous driving on the target vehicle to the destination location according to the first autonomous driving policy. (see at least [0069] “the recommended route determination unit 56 selects, as a recommended route, the candidate route that includes road sections corresponding to the largest number of feasible autonomous driving functions Fc or the highest automation level Lv of the autonomous driving function Fc to be performed. Thereafter, on the basis of user input, the driving assistance device 1 sets the recommended route as a guidance route to the destination and starts autonomous driving based on the guidance route”)
Koda does not explicitly disclose:
layer information
and the layer information is obtained from an autonomous-driving-policy- layer;
In the same field of endeavor, Nister discloses:
layer information.; and the layer information is obtained from an autonomous-driving-policy- layer (see at least [0062] “planning component(s) 124 (e.g., associated with a planning layer of an autonomous driving software stack or architecture), control component(s) 126 (e.g., associated with a control layer of the autonomous driving software stack), obstacle avoidance component(s) 128 (e.g., associated with an obstacle or collision avoidance layer of the autonomous driving software stack, and/or actuation component(s) 130 (e.g., associated with an actuation layer of the autonomous driving software stack).”)
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the autonomous driving field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Koda to use layer information in which the layer information is obtained from an autonomous-driving-policy- layer, as taught by Nister to allow for different control regimes in safety actions versus normal operation [0056].
Regarding Claim 17, modified Koda discloses the limitations of Claim 15, and Koda further discloses:
wherein the first autonomous driving policy includes an autonomous driving level, an instruction for instructing the target vehicle to accelerate, decelerate, proceed, stop, or start, or an instruction for instructing a speed, an acceleration, a movement direction, or a location of the target vehicle. (see at least [0045] “Additionally, by recognizing the feasible automation level Lv of each autonomous driving function Fc in the road section where the vehicle is traveling, the control unit 15 also performs a processing (referred to as “autonomous driving processing”) to perform autonomous driving in accordance with the recognized feasible automation level Lv.”)
Regarding Claim 21, Koda discloses:
obtaining traveling information of a target vehicle including the autonomous driving apparatus, (see at least [0043] “The sensor unit 13 is configured of an internal sensors which detect the state of the vehicle and an external sensors for recognizing the peripheral environment of the vehicle.”)
wherein the traveling information of the target vehicle includes a planned driving road section of the target vehicle from a start location to a destination location; (see at least [Fig. 7] [0078] “there is illustrated a recommended route determined at step S105 including the roads L1, L2, L3 and L4. FIG. 7 also illustrates the automation level Lv per road at which the vehicle can perform the function α of the autonomous driving function Fc.”)
sending the obtained traveling information of the target vehicle to a cloud server (see at least [0085] “ The server device 2 receives the sensor information 23 and the autonomous driving compatibility information 24 from the driving assistance device 1.”)
the cloud server communicates with a plurality of autonomous vehicles, and the plurality of autonomous vehicles include the target vehicle; (see at least [Fig. 1] [0032] “the autonomous driving system includes driving assistance devices 1 each of which moves together with a vehicle and a server device 2 which communicates with each of the driving assistance devices 1 via a network 9.”)
receiving, from the cloud server, … information of a first road section on which the target vehicle travels, (see at least [0039] “In response to a request from the driving assistance device 1, the server device 2 extracts from the distribution map DB 21 the map data D1 corresponding to an area where the requesting driving assistance device 1 exists to thereby send the data to the driving assistance device 1.”)
wherein the first road section is any road section in the traveling information, (see at least [0085] “with respect to each road section of the candidate routes, the server device 2 determines a set of the autonomous driving function Fc and the automation level Lv which can be performed on a road section 0074”)
obtaining a first autonomous driving policy for the target vehicle traveling on the first road section based on the … information of the first road section and vehicle attribute information of the target vehicle, (see at least [0074] “By referring to the autonomous driving determination table Tj based on the sensor information 23 on the sensor unit 13 and the road element information Ie on a predetermined road section, the driving assistance device 1 determines a set of the autonomous driving function Fc and the automation level Lv that can be performed in the predetermined road section.”)
wherein the vehicle attribute information of the target vehicle comprises at least one of an autonomous driving capability of the target vehicle, sensor distribution information of the target vehicle, or a driving status of a driver in the target vehicle; (see at least [0093] “ At the time of determining the possibility of performing an autonomous driving function Fc, the autonomous driving function determination unit 55 of the driving assistance device 1 determines a set of the feasible autonomous driving function Fc and its automation level Lv based on the capability information included in the sensor information 23 on each component of the sensor unit 13.”)
and performing autonomous driving on the target vehicle to the destination location according to the first autonomous driving policy. (see at least [0069] “the recommended route determination unit 56 selects, as a recommended route, the candidate route that includes road sections corresponding to the largest number of feasible autonomous driving functions Fc or the highest automation level Lv of the autonomous driving function Fc to be performed. Thereafter, on the basis of user input, the driving assistance device 1 sets the recommended route as a guidance route to the destination and starts autonomous driving based on the guidance route”)
Koda does not explicitly disclose:
layer information
and the layer information is obtained from an autonomous-driving-policy- layer;
In the same field of endeavor, Nister discloses:
layer information.; and the layer information is obtained from an autonomous-driving-policy- layer (see at least [0062] “planning component(s) 124 (e.g., associated with a planning layer of an autonomous driving software stack or architecture), control component(s) 126 (e.g., associated with a control layer of the autonomous driving software stack), obstacle avoidance component(s) 128 (e.g., associated with an obstacle or collision avoidance layer of the autonomous driving software stack, and/or actuation component(s) 130 (e.g., associated with an actuation layer of the autonomous driving software stack).”)
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the autonomous driving field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Koda to use layer information in which the layer information is obtained from an autonomous-driving-policy- layer, as taught by Nister to allow for different control regimes in safety actions versus normal operation [0056].
Regarding Claim 23, modified Koda discloses the limitations of Claim 21, and Koda further discloses:
wherein the first autonomous driving policy includes an autonomous driving level, an instruction for instructing the target vehicle to accelerate, decelerate, proceed, stop, or start, or an instruction for instructing a speed, an acceleration, a movement direction, or a location of the target vehicle. (see at least [0045] “Additionally, by recognizing the feasible automation level Lv of each autonomous driving function Fc in the road section where the vehicle is traveling, the control unit 15 also performs a processing (referred to as “autonomous driving processing”) to perform autonomous driving in accordance with the recognized feasible automation level Lv.”)
Regarding Claim 28, modified Koda discloses the limitations of Claim 8, and Koda further discloses:
wherein the vehicle attribute information of the target vehicle comprises sensor distribution information of the target vehicle. (see at least [0061] “Additionally, the autonomous driving function determination unit 55 recognizes, from the sensor information 23, that the sensor unit 13 includes the camera 31 and the LIDAR 32 and that the vehicle is equipped with sensors needed to perform the function α at the first and second levels and the function β at the first level.”)
Regarding Claim 32, modified Koda discloses the limitations of Claim 8, and Koda further discloses:
wherein the vehicle attribute information of the target vehicle comprises the driving status of the driver in the target vehicle. (see at least [0050] “the autonomous driving function determination unit 55 accepts information on a driving ability of a person (or a driver) riding on the vehicle through the input unit 14”)
Regarding Claim 35, modified Koda discloses the limitations of Claim 15, and Koda further discloses:
wherein the vehicle attribute information of the target vehicle comprises the driving status of the driver in the target vehicle. (see at least [0050] “the autonomous driving function determination unit 55 accepts information on a driving ability of a person (or a driver) riding on the vehicle through the input unit 14”)
Regarding Claim 38, modified Koda discloses the limitations of Claim 21, and Koda further discloses:
wherein the vehicle attribute information of the target vehicle comprises the driving status of the driver in the target vehicle. (see at least [0050] “the autonomous driving function determination unit 55 accepts information on a driving ability of a person (or a driver) riding on the vehicle through the input unit 14”)
Claims 13 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Koda (US 20180113460), herein after referred to as Koda, in view of Nister (US 20190243371), herein after referred to as Nister and Yalla (US 20170278402), herein after referred to as Yalla.
Regarding Claim 13, modified Koda discloses the limitations of Claim 8, but Koda does not explicitly disclose:
wherein the layer information of the first road section comprises at least one of static layer information of the first road section or dynamic layer information of the first road section,
the static layer information of the first road section is used to indicate infrastructure information of the first road section,
and the dynamic layer information of the first road section is used to indicate dynamic traffic information of the first road section.
In the same field of endeavor, Yalla discloses
wherein the layer information of the first road section comprises at least one of static layer information of the first road section or dynamic layer information of the first road section, (see at least [Fig. 3B, item 352 (dynamic data) and items 354 (static data)])
the static layer information of the first road section is used to indicate infrastructure information of the first road section, (see at least [0050] “ For example, the map data may include information describing one or more lanes associated with a particular road. More specifically, the map data may describe the direction of travel of a road, the number of lanes on that road, exits and entrances to that road, whether one or more lanes have special status (e.g., are carpool lanes),”)
and the dynamic layer information of the first road section is used to indicate dynamic traffic information of the first road section. (see at least [0082] “ the scene-level context detector 712 may identify the scene-level context of the road segment as traffic congestion with a low ease-of-drive metric”)
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the vehicle data field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Koda to incorporate a static layer comprising infrastructure information and a dynamic layer containing traffic information, as taught by Yalla to generate a complete road scene [0004].
Regarding Claim 19, modified Koda discloses the limitations of Claim 15, but Koda does not explicitly disclose:
wherein the layer information of the first road section comprises at least one of static layer information of the first road section or dynamic layer information of the first road section,
the static layer information of the first road section is used to indicate infrastructure information of the first road section,
and the dynamic layer information of the first road section is used to indicate dynamic traffic information of the first road section.
In the same field of endeavor, Yalla discloses:
wherein the layer information of the first road section comprises at least one of static layer information of the first road section or dynamic layer information of the first road section, (see at least [Fig. 3B, item 352 (dynamic data) and items 354 (static data)])
the static layer information of the first road section is used to indicate infrastructure information of the first road section, (see at least [0050] “ For example, the map data may include information describing one or more lanes associated with a particular road. More specifically, the map data may describe the direction of travel of a road, the number of lanes on that road, exits and entrances to that road, whether one or more lanes have special status (e.g., are carpool lanes),”)
and the dynamic layer information of the first road section is used to indicate dynamic traffic information of the first road section. (see at least [0082] “ the scene-level context detector 712 may identify the scene-level context of the road segment as traffic congestion with a low ease-of-drive metric”)
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the vehicle data field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Koda to incorporate a static layer comprising infrastructure information and a dynamic layer containing traffic information, as taught by Yalla to generate a complete road scene [0004].
Claims 14 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Koda (US 20180113460), herein after referred to as Koda, in view of Nister (US 20190243371), herein after referred to as Nister and Yang (US 20200117203), herein after referred to as Yang.
Regarding Claim 14, modified Koda discloses the limitations of Claim 8, but Koda does not explicitly disclose:
obtain a second autonomous driving policy for the target vehicle traveling on the first road section
wherein the second autonomous driving policy is determined based on sensor data obtained by the target vehicle;
and determine a similarity between the first autonomous driving policy and the second autonomous driving policy is less than a first threshold.
In the same field of endeavor, Yang discloses:
obtain a second autonomous driving policy for the target vehicle traveling on the first road section (see at least [0090] “ it is identified that there is a child on a sidewalk, the vehicle needs to be controlled to decelerate. If there is a railing between the sidewalk and the road, the vehicle can drive normally and does not need to decelerate and the like.”)
wherein the second autonomous driving policy is determined based on sensor data obtained by the target vehicle; (see at least [0092] “the difference from the foregoing control of the vehicle according to the risky road segment is that the vehicle determines whether it is in a risky state and needs to be controlled, according to a scene perceived in real time.”)
and send, to the target vehicle, prompt information for adopting the first autonomous driving policy, (see at least [0074] “ driving speeds corresponding to the different risk levels may be set, and it is possible that, according to whether the current driving speed of the vehicle exceeds the driving speed corresponding to the risk level corresponding to the first risky road segment”)
when a similarity between the first autonomous driving policy and the second autonomous driving policy is less than a first threshold. (see at least [0074] “ the driving speed corresponding to the risk level corresponding to the first risky road segment is 30 km/h, and the current driving speed is 60 km/h, then it is necessary to control the vehicle to decelerate to below 30 km/h, to pass the first risky road segment slowly.”)
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the autonomous vehicle field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Koda to obtain a second autonomous driving policy for the target vehicle traveling on the first road section wherein the second autonomous driving policy is determined based on sensor data obtained by the target vehicle, and use this policy when the difference between the two is greater than a threshold, as taught by Yang to control a vehicle based identified risky objects [0088].
Regarding Claim 20, modified Koda discloses the limitations of Claim 15, but Koda does not explicitly disclose:
obtain a second autonomous driving policy for the target vehicle traveling on the first road section
wherein the second autonomous driving policy is determined based on sensor data obtained by the target vehicle;
and determine a similarity between the first autonomous driving policy and the second autonomous driving policy is less than a first threshold.
In the same field of endeavor, Yang discloses:
obtain a second autonomous driving policy for the target vehicle traveling on the first road section (see at least [0090] “ it is identified that there is a child on a sidewalk, the vehicle needs to be controlled to decelerate. If there is a railing between the sidewalk and the road, the vehicle can drive normally and does not need to decelerate and the like.”)
wherein the second autonomous driving policy is determined based on sensor data obtained by the target vehicle; (see at least [0092] “the difference from the foregoing control of the vehicle according to the risky road segment is that the vehicle determines whether it is in a risky state and needs to be controlled, according to a scene perceived in real time.”)
and send, to the target vehicle, prompt information for adopting the first autonomous driving policy, (see at least [0074] “ driving speeds corresponding to the different risk levels may be set, and it is possible that, according to whether the current driving speed of the vehicle exceeds the driving speed corresponding to the risk level corresponding to the first risky road segment”)
when a similarity between the first autonomous driving policy and the second autonomous driving policy is less than a first threshold. (see at least [0074] “ the driving speed corresponding to the risk level corresponding to the first risky road segment is 30 km/h, and the current driving speed is 60 km/h, then it is necessary to control the vehicle to decelerate to below 30 km/h, to pass the first risky road segment slowly.”)
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the autonomous vehicle field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Koda to obtain a second autonomous driving policy for the target vehicle traveling on the first road section wherein the second autonomous driving policy is determined based on sensor data obtained by the target vehicle, and use this policy when the difference between the two is greater than a threshold, as taught by Yang to control a vehicle based identified risky objects [0088].
Claims 30, 33, and 36 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Koda (US 20180113460), herein after referred to as Koda, in view of Nister (US 20190243371), herein after referred to as Nister and Long (US 20180259966), herein after referred to as Long.
Regarding Claim 30, modified Koda discloses the limitations of Claim 8, but Koda does not explicitly disclose:
wherein the autonomous-driving-policy- layer comprises a static layer information of a road and a dynamic layer information.
In the same field of endeavor, Long discloses:
wherein the autonomous-driving-policy- layer comprises a static layer information of a road and a dynamic layer information. (see at least [0043] “The map data may include a subset of data representing a static layer of various environments and static objects therein, and also may include a dynamic layer of dynamic objects detect by sensors (e.g., in real-time), whereby the static and dynamic layers may be used in combination to identify safe zones and provide navigation routes or paths to identify safe zones.”)
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the vehicle control field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Koda to include information such that the autonomous-driving-policy- layer comprises a static layer information of a road and a dynamic layer information, as taught by Long to combine map data with dynamic sensor data [0043].
Regarding Claim 33, modified Koda discloses the limitations of Claim 15, but Koda does not explicitly disclose:
wherein the autonomous-driving-policy- layer comprises a static layer information of a road and a dynamic layer information.
In the same field of endeavor, Long discloses:
wherein the autonomous-driving-policy- layer comprises a static layer information of a road and a dynamic layer information. (see at least [0043] “The map data may include a subset of data representing a static layer of various environments and static objects therein, and also may include a dynamic layer of dynamic objects detect by sensors (e.g., in real-time), whereby the static and dynamic layers may be used in combination to identify safe zones and provide navigation routes or paths to identify safe zones.”)
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the vehicle control field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Koda to include information such that the autonomous-driving-policy- layer comprises a static layer information of a road and a dynamic layer information, as taught by Long to combine map data with dynamic sensor data [0043].
Regarding Claim 36, modified Koda discloses the limitations of Claim 21, but Koda does not explicitly disclose:
wherein the autonomous-driving-policy- layer comprises a static layer information of a road and a dynamic layer information.
In the same field of endeavor, Long discloses:
wherein the autonomous-driving-policy- layer comprises a static layer information of a road and a dynamic layer information. (see at least [0043] “The map data may include a subset of data representing a static layer of various environments and static objects therein, and also may include a dynamic layer of dynamic objects detect by sensors (e.g., in real-time), whereby the static and dynamic layers may be used in combination to identify safe zones and provide navigation routes or paths to identify safe zones.”)
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the vehicle control field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Koda to include information such that the autonomous-driving-policy- layer comprises a static layer information of a road and a dynamic layer information, as taught by Long to combine map data with dynamic sensor data [0043].
Claims 31, 34, and 37 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Koda (US 20180113460), herein after referred to as Koda, in view of Nister (US 20190243371), herein after referred to as Nister and Kentley-Klay (US 20190387060 ), herein after referred to as Kentley-Klay.
Regarding Claim 31, modified Koda discloses the limitations of Claim 8, but Koda does not explicitly disclose:
wherein the planned driving road section is a continuous vector line that has a direction.
In the same field of endeavor, Kentley-Klay discloses:
wherein the planned driving road section is a continuous vector line that has a direction. (see at least [Fig. 10, Item 1012])
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the vehicle control field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Koda to include that the planned driving road section is a continuous vector line that has a direction, as taught by Kentley-Klay to provide information on a display [0043].
Regarding Claim 34, modified Koda discloses the limitations of Claim 15, but Koda does not explicitly disclose:
wherein the planned driving road section is a continuous vector line that has a direction.
In the same field of endeavor, Kentley-Klay discloses:
wherein the planned driving road section is a continuous vector line that has a direction. (see at least [Fig. 10, Item 1012])
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the vehicle control field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Koda to include that the planned driving road section is a continuous vector line that has a direction, as taught by Kentley-Klay to provide information on a display [0043].
Regarding Claim 37, modified Koda discloses the limitations of Claim 21, but Koda does not explicitly disclose:
wherein the planned driving road section is a continuous vector line that has a direction.
In the same field of endeavor, Kentley-Klay discloses:
wherein the planned driving road section is a continuous vector line that has a direction. (see at least [Fig. 10, Item 1012])
The above pieces of prior art are considered analogous as they both represent inventions in the vehicle control field. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the teachings of Koda to include that the planned driving road section is a continuous vector line that has a direction, as taught by Kentley-Klay to provide information on a display [0043].
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JACOB D UNDERBAKKE whose telephone number is (571)272-6657. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00-5:00.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jelani Smith can be reached at 571-270-3969. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/JACOB DANIEL UNDERBAKKE/Examiner, Art Unit 3662
/MAHMOUD S ISMAIL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3662