DETAILED ACTION
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 01/22/2026 has been entered.
Claims 1, 3-7, 11-13, 16-19 and 21-27 are currently pending and examined below. Claims 1, 3-7, 11-13, 16-19 and 21-24 have been amended. Claims 25-27 have been added.
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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 08/28/2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement has been considered by the examiner.
Response to Amendment
Applicant’s arguments, see page 9, filed 01/22/2026, with respect to claim 12 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The claim objection of claim 12 has been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments, see page 9, filed 01/22/2026, with respect to claims 1-7, 11-13 and 15-24 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The claim rejections under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) of claims 1-7, 11-13 and 15-24 have been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 9-11, filed 01/22/2026, with respect to claims 1-7, 11-13 and 15-24 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. The claim rejections under 35 U.S.C. 103 of claims 1-7, 11-13 and 15-24 have not been withdrawn.
Matsunaga describes a system that monitors multiple vehicles in parallel. The display device is configured to change the display (e.g., enlarge, highlight) of a "predetermined vehicle" when an autonomous driving determination means identifies an inability to continue autonomous driving.
Imai discloses the remote control display device, showing the predetermined vehicle (e.g., via video feed) on a remote operator screen for taking corrective action when the autonomous system cannot proceed.
Therefore, the combined teachings, show a system where the monitoring display enlarges a specific vehicle's view, and the remote control display showcases that vehicle upon a condition of autonomous driving inability, reading on the current claims.
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 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.
Claims 1, 3-7, 11-13, 16-19 and 21-27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Matsunaga et al. (US 20220011771 A1; hereinafter Matsunaga) in view of Imai et al. (US 20210094567 A1; hereinafter Imai).
Regarding claim 1, Matsunaga discloses:
An apparatus (Fig. 2 – remote driving apparatus 200) comprising:
at least one memory (Fig. 2 – memory 202) storing instructions; and
at least one processor (Fig. 2 – processor 201) configured to execute the instructions ([0038] controls operation of the remote driving apparatus 200) to:
acquire data indicating a state of each of a plurality of vehicles which are able to perform autonomous driving ([0045] “The sensor group 401 includes, for example, detection units 41 to 43 that detect a situation outside the vehicle and sensors that measure the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1”);
create, based on the data, a monitor screen (see Fig. 3: main region 311 and sub region 312) showing the state of each of the plurality of the vehicles in parallel (see Fig. 3: sub region 312, [0059] “information regarding the monitoring target vehicle is displayed in each sub region 312”);
display the monitor screen on a first display device (Fig. 3: display device 310) for monitoring the plurality of the vehicles (see Fig. 3: sub region 312, [0059] “information regarding the monitoring target vehicle is displayed in each sub region 312”);
in response to a determination that one vehicle among the plurality of the vehicles is not able to perform autonomous driving ([0060] “In a case where the difficulty level of the automated traveling control of the monitoring target vehicle is higher than a threshold”), update the monitor screen showing the state of the one vehicle in a more emphasized manner than states of the other vehicles (see Fig. 3: main region 311 and sub region 312, [0059] “information regarding the monitoring target vehicle is displayed in each sub region 312”, [0060] “In a case where the difficulty level of the automated traveling control of the monitoring target vehicle is higher than a threshold..the display control device 402 may switch the monitoring target vehicle to the control target vehicle and display the control target vehicle in the main region 311 in the operation display mode”);
display the updated monitor screen on the first display device for monitoring the plurality of the vehicles ([0060] “the display control device 402 may switch the monitoring target vehicle to the control target vehicle and display the control target vehicle in the main region 311 in the operation display mode”).
Matsunaga does not specifically disclose:
in response to a determination that one vehicle among the plurality of the vehicles is not able to perform autonomous driving, create a remote control screen based on the data indicating the state of the one vehicle;
display the remote control screen on a second display device for controlling the one vehicle.
However, Imai discloses:
in response to a determination that one vehicle among the plurality of the vehicles is not able to perform autonomous driving ([0019] “When any of the autonomous vehicles 30 requires assistance, the remote monitoring apparatus 10 sends data pertaining to the autonomous vehicle 30 to one of the operator terminals 40”), create a remote control screen based on the data indicating the state of the one vehicle ([0069] “While watching the real-time images and the past images, the operator determines the situation in which the autonomous vehicle 30 is currently placed and provides instructions to the autonomous vehicle 30 according to the determined situation”);
display the remote control screen on a second display device (see Fig. 1: operator terminal 40) for controlling the one vehicle ([0069] “While watching the real-time images and the past images, the operator determines the situation in which the autonomous vehicle 30 is currently placed and provides instructions to the autonomous vehicle 30 according to the determined situation”).
Matsunaga and Imai are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of remote control. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Matsunaga’s remote monitoring on a plurality of vehicles to further incorporate Imai’s remote monitoring and control for the advantage of delivering remote monitoring and control separately in separate screens which results in safe and efficient remote control.
Regarding claim 3, Matsunaga discloses:
wherein the at least one processor is configured to update the monitor screen showing the size of an indication of the state of the one vehicle larger than the size of an indication of the state of each of the other vehicles (see Fig. 3: main region 311 and sub region 312, [0059] “information regarding the monitoring target vehicle is displayed in each sub region 312”, [0060] “In a case where the difficulty level of the automated traveling control of the monitoring target vehicle is higher than a threshold..the display control device 402 may switch the monitoring target vehicle to the control target vehicle and display the control target vehicle in the main region 311 in the operation display mode”).
Regarding claim 4, Matsunaga discloses:
wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine, based on the data, whether or not the one vehicle among the plurality of the vehicles is not able to perform autonomous driving ([0060] “In a case where the difficulty level of the automated traveling control of the monitoring target vehicle is higher than a threshold”).
Regarding claim 5, Matsunaga discloses:
wherein the data includes video data captured by a camera in a vehicle among the plurality of the vehicles in a direction external to the vehicle (see sub region 312 in Fig. 12 or main region 311 in Fig. 13).
Regarding claim 6, Matsunaga does not specifically disclose:
wherein the at least one processor is configured to create the remote control screen including processed video data obtained by processing the video data captured by the camera.
However, Imai discloses:
wherein the at least one processor is configured to create the remote control screen including processed video data obtained by processing the video data captured by the camera ([0069] “While watching the real-time images and the past images, the operator determines the situation in which the autonomous vehicle 30 is currently placed and provides instructions to the autonomous vehicle 30 according to the determined situation”, [0043] “The ambient environment monitoring unit 33 is configured to monitor the state of the ambient environment of the autonomous vehicle 30”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Matsunaga’s remote monitoring on a plurality of vehicles to further incorporate Imai’s remote monitoring and control for the advantage of delivering remote monitoring and control separately in separate screens which results in safe and efficient remote control.
Regarding claim 7, Matsunaga discloses:
wherein the video data includes video data captured by the camera in a direction in which the vehicle travels (see sub region 312 in Fig. 12 or main region 311 in Fig. 13).
Regarding claim 11, Matsunaga discloses:
wherein the at least one processor is configured to update the monitor screen showing the size of the video data of the one vehicle larger than the size of the video data of the other vehicles (see Fig. 3: main region 311 and sub region 312, [0059] “information regarding the monitoring target vehicle is displayed in each sub region 312”, [0060] “In a case where the difficulty level of the automated traveling control of the monitoring target vehicle is higher than a threshold..the display control device 402 may switch the monitoring target vehicle to the control target vehicle and display the control target vehicle in the main region 311 in the operation display mode”).
Regarding claim 12, Matsunaga discloses:
A system (Fig. 7) comprising:
an acquisition device (Fig. 7: sensor group 401);
a determination device (Fig. 7: display control device 402); and
a remote apparatus (Fig. 7: remote driving device 200),
wherein the acquisition device comprises:
a sensor (Fig. 1: detection units 42/43) configured to acquire sensor data indicating information about a state of a vehicle ([0045] “The sensor group 401 includes, for example, detection units 41 to 43 that detect a situation outside the vehicle and sensors that measure the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1”); and
a camera (Fig. 1 – detection units 41) configured to acquire video data captured by the vehicle in a direction external to the vehicle ([0027] “The detection unit 41 is a camera that captures an image of the front of the vehicle 1”),
wherein the determination device comprises:
at least one first memory ([0074] a memory) storing instructions; and
at least one first processor ([0074] a processor of the display control device 402) configured to execute the instructions ([0074] “control method may be executed by a processor of the display control device 402”) to:
acquire the sensor data and the video data from the acquisition device ([0046] “The display control device 402 acquires the above-described data from the sensor group 401”);
determine, based on the sensor data, whether or not the vehicle is able to perform autonomous driving ([0046] “acquires the difficulty level of the automated traveling control of the vehicle 1 based on the data”); and
transmit, to the remote apparatus, a result of the determination as to whether or not the vehicle is able to perform autonomous driving ([0057] “the display control device 402 supplies a display command for causing the display device 310 to perform display according to the difficulty level to the display device 310 of the remote driving device 200”),
wherein the remote apparatus comprises:
at least one second memory (Fig. 2: memory 202) storing instructions ([0038] “memory 202 stores programs, temporary data, and the like used for the operation of the remote driving device 200”); and
at least one second processor (Fig. 2: processor 201) configured to execute the instructions ([0038] “processor 201 controls the overall operation of the remote driving device 200”) to:
acquire the result of the determination from the determination device ([0057] “the display control device 402 supplies a display command for causing the display device 310 to perform display according to the difficulty level to the display device 310 of the remote driving device 200”);
create, based on the sensor data or the video data from each of a plurality of vehicles, a monitor screen (see Fig. 3: main region 311 and sub region 312) showing the state of each of the plurality of the vehicles in parallel (see Fig. 3: sub region 312, [0059] “information regarding the monitoring target vehicle is displayed in each sub region 312”);
display the monitor screen on a first display device (Fig. 3: display device 310) for monitoring the plurality of the vehicles (see Fig. 3: sub region 312, [0059] “information regarding the monitoring target vehicle is displayed in each sub region 312”);
in response to a determination that one vehicle among the plurality of the vehicles is not able to perform autonomous driving ([0060] “In a case where the difficulty level of the automated traveling control of the monitoring target vehicle is higher than a threshold”), update the monitor screen showing the state of the one vehicle in a more emphasized manner than states of the other vehicles (see Fig. 3: main region 311 and sub region 312, [0059] “information regarding the monitoring target vehicle is displayed in each sub region 312”, [0060] “In a case where the difficulty level of the automated traveling control of the monitoring target vehicle is higher than a threshold..the display control device 402 may switch the monitoring target vehicle to the control target vehicle and display the control target vehicle in the main region 311 in the operation display mode”);
display the updated monitor screen on the first display device for monitoring the plurality of the vehicles ([0060] “the display control device 402 may switch the monitoring target vehicle to the control target vehicle and display the control target vehicle in the main region 311 in the operation display mode”).
Matsunaga does not specifically disclose:
in response to a determination that one vehicle among the plurality of the vehicles is not able to perform autonomous driving, create a remote control screen based on the sensor data or the video data from the one vehicle;
display the remote control screen on a second display device for controlling the one vehicle.
However, Imai discloses:
in response to a determination that one vehicle among the plurality of the vehicles is not able to perform autonomous driving ([0019] “When any of the autonomous vehicles 30 requires assistance, the remote monitoring apparatus 10 sends data pertaining to the autonomous vehicle 30 to one of the operator terminals 40”), create a remote control screen based on the sensor data or the video data from the one vehicle ([0069] “While watching the real-time images and the past images, the operator determines the situation in which the autonomous vehicle 30 is currently placed and provides instructions to the autonomous vehicle 30 according to the determined situation”);
display the remote control screen on a second display device (see Fig. 1: operator terminal 40) for controlling the one vehicle ([0069] “While watching the real-time images and the past images, the operator determines the situation in which the autonomous vehicle 30 is currently placed and provides instructions to the autonomous vehicle 30 according to the determined situation”).
Matsunaga and Imai are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of remote control. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Matsunaga’s remote monitoring on a plurality of vehicles to further incorporate Imai’s remote monitoring and control for the advantage of delivering remote monitoring and control separately in separate screens which results in safe and efficient remote control.
Regarding claim 13, Matsunaga discloses:
A method comprising:
acquiring data indicating a state of each of a plurality of vehicles which are able to perform autonomous driving ([0045] “The sensor group 401 includes, for example, detection units 41 to 43 that detect a situation outside the vehicle and sensors that measure the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1”);
creating, based on the data, a monitor screen (see Fig. 3: main region 311 and sub region 312) showing the state of each of the plurality of the vehicles in parallel (see Fig. 3: sub region 312, [0059] “information regarding the monitoring target vehicle is displayed in each sub region 312”);
displaying, the monitor screen on a first display device (Fig. 3: display device 310) for monitoring the plurality of the vehicles (see Fig. 3: sub region 312, [0059] “information regarding the monitoring target vehicle is displayed in each sub region 312”);
in response to a determination that one vehicle among the plurality of the vehicles is not able to perform autonomous driving ([0060] “In a case where the difficulty level of the automated traveling control of the monitoring target vehicle is higher than a threshold”), update the monitor screen showing the state of the one vehicle in a more emphasized manner than states of the other vehicles (see Fig. 3: main region 311 and sub region 312, [0059] “information regarding the monitoring target vehicle is displayed in each sub region 312”, [0060] “In a case where the difficulty level of the automated traveling control of the monitoring target vehicle is higher than a threshold..the display control device 402 may switch the monitoring target vehicle to the control target vehicle and display the control target vehicle in the main region 311 in the operation display mode”);
display the updated monitor screen on the first display device for monitoring the plurality of the vehicles ([0060] “the display control device 402 may switch the monitoring target vehicle to the control target vehicle and display the control target vehicle in the main region 311 in the operation display mode”).
Matsunaga does not specifically disclose:
in response to a determination that one vehicle among the plurality of the vehicles is not able to perform autonomous driving, create a remote control screen based on the data indicating the state of the one vehicle;
display the remote control screen on a second display device for controlling the one vehicle.
However, Imai discloses:
in response to a determination that one vehicle among the plurality of the vehicles is not able to perform autonomous driving ([0019] “When any of the autonomous vehicles 30 requires assistance, the remote monitoring apparatus 10 sends data pertaining to the autonomous vehicle 30 to one of the operator terminals 40”), create a remote control screen based on the data indicating the state of the one vehicle ([0069] “While watching the real-time images and the past images, the operator determines the situation in which the autonomous vehicle 30 is currently placed and provides instructions to the autonomous vehicle 30 according to the determined situation”);
display the remote control screen on a second display device (see Fig. 1: operator terminal 40) for controlling the one vehicle ([0069] “While watching the real-time images and the past images, the operator determines the situation in which the autonomous vehicle 30 is currently placed and provides instructions to the autonomous vehicle 30 according to the determined situation”).
Matsunaga and Imai are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of remote control. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Matsunaga’s remote monitoring on a plurality of vehicles to further incorporate Imai’s remote monitoring and control for the advantage of delivering remote monitoring and control separately in separate screens which results in safe and efficient remote control.
Regarding claim 16, Matsunaga discloses:
wherein the at least one second processor is configured to update the monitor screen showing the size of an indication of the state of the one vehicle larger than the size of an indication of the state of each of the other vehicles (see Fig. 3: main region 311 and sub region 312, [0059] “information regarding the monitoring target vehicle is displayed in each sub region 312”, [0060] “In a case where the difficulty level of the automated traveling control of the monitoring target vehicle is higher than a threshold..the display control device 402 may switch the monitoring target vehicle to the control target vehicle and display the control target vehicle in the main region 311 in the operation display mode”).
Regarding claim 17, Matsunaga does not specifically disclose:
wherein the at least one second processor is configured to create the remote control screen including processed video data obtained by processing the video data captured by the camera in a vehicle among the plurality of the vehicles in a direction external to the vehicle.
However, Imai discloses:
wherein the at least one second processor is configured to create the remote control screen including processed video data obtained by processing the video data captured by the camera in a vehicle among the plurality of the vehicles in a direction external to the vehicle ([0069] “While watching the real-time images and the past images, the operator determines the situation in which the autonomous vehicle 30 is currently placed and provides instructions to the autonomous vehicle 30 according to the determined situation”, [0043] “The ambient environment monitoring unit 33 is configured to monitor the state of the ambient environment of the autonomous vehicle 30”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Matsunaga’s remote monitoring on a plurality of vehicles to further incorporate Imai’s remote monitoring and control for the advantage of delivering remote monitoring and control separately in separate screens which results in safe and efficient remote control.
Regarding claim 18, Matsunaga discloses:
wherein the video data includes video data captured by the camera in a direction in which the vehicle travels (see sub region 312 in Fig. 12 or main region 311 in Fig. 13).
Regarding claim 19, Matsunaga discloses:
wherein the at least one second processor is configured to update the monitor screen showing the size of the video data of the one vehicle than larger than the size of the video data of the other vehicles (see Fig. 3: main region 311 and sub region 312, [0059] “information regarding the monitoring target vehicle is displayed in each sub region 312”, [0060] “In a case where the difficulty level of the automated traveling control of the monitoring target vehicle is higher than a threshold..the display control device 402 may switch the monitoring target vehicle to the control target vehicle and display the control target vehicle in the main region 311 in the operation display mode”).
Regarding claim 21, Matsunaga discloses:
updating the monitor screen showing the size of an indication of the state of the one vehicle larger than the size of an indication of the state of each of the other vehicles (see Fig. 3: main region 311 and sub region 312, [0059] “information regarding the monitoring target vehicle is displayed in each sub region 312”, [0060] “In a case where the difficulty level of the automated traveling control of the monitoring target vehicle is higher than a threshold..the display control device 402 may switch the monitoring target vehicle to the control target vehicle and display the control target vehicle in the main region 311 in the operation display mode”).
Regarding claim 22, Matsunaga discloses:
wherein the data includes video data captured by a camera in a vehicle among the plurality of the vehicles in a direction external to the vehicle (see sub region 312 in Fig. 12 or main region 311 in Fig. 13).
Regarding claim 23, Matsunaga does not specifically disclose:
creating the remote control screen including processed video data obtained by processing the video data captured by the camera.
However, Imai discloses:
creating the remote control screen including processed video data obtained by processing the video data captured by the camera ([0069] “While watching the real-time images and the past images, the operator determines the situation in which the autonomous vehicle 30 is currently placed and provides instructions to the autonomous vehicle 30 according to the determined situation”, [0043] “The ambient environment monitoring unit 33 is configured to monitor the state of the ambient environment of the autonomous vehicle 30”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Matsunaga’s remote monitoring on a plurality of vehicles to further incorporate Imai’s remote monitoring and control for the advantage of delivering remote monitoring and control separately in separate screens which results in safe and efficient remote control.
Regarding claim 24, Matsunaga discloses:
updating the monitor screen showing the size of the video data of the one vehicle than larger than the size of the video data of the other vehicles (see Fig. 3: main region 311 and sub region 312, [0059] “information regarding the monitoring target vehicle is displayed in each sub region 312”, [0060] “In a case where the difficulty level of the automated traveling control of the monitoring target vehicle is higher than a threshold..the display control device 402 may switch the monitoring target vehicle to the control target vehicle and display the control target vehicle in the main region 311 in the operation display mode”).
Regarding claim 25, Matsunaga discloses:
wherein the determination as to whether or not the one vehicle is able to perform autonomous driving is made by using Artificial Intelligence placed in the one vehicle ([0025] vehicle 1 performs automated driving function, meaning it’s an autonomous vehicle utilizing AI in its decision making, Fig. 7, [0060] when the difficulty level of the automated traveling exceeds a threshold, display control device 402 in the vehicle switches the display of remote driving device 200 to focus on the control target vehicle 1 as its decision making).
Regarding claim 26, Matsunaga discloses:
wherein the determination device is placed in the vehicle (Fig. 7: display control device 402 in vehicle 1).
Regarding claim 27, Matsunaga discloses:
wherein the determination as to whether or not the one vehicle is able to perform autonomous driving is made by using Artificial Intelligence placed in the one vehicle ([0025] vehicle 1 performs automated driving function, meaning it’s an autonomous vehicle utilizing AI in its decision making, Fig. 7, [0060] when the difficulty level of the automated traveling exceeds a threshold, display control device 402 in the vehicle switches the display of remote driving device 200 to focus on the control target vehicle 1 as its decision making).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PAYSUN WU whose telephone number is (571)272-1528. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8AM-5PM.
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, Hunter Lonsberry can be reached on (571)272-7298. 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.
/PAYSUN WU/Examiner, Art Unit 3665
/DONALD J WALLACE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3665
Prosecution Insights