Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Response to Amendment
This action is responsive to amendments/remarks received 01/20/2026. Claims 1, 8 and 15 amended. Claims 1-20 remain pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1-2, 4-9, 11-16 and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KIM (US Patent No. 20200005642 A1), in view of Jiang (CN Patent No. 114783170 A).
In re claim 1, Kim teaches A method comprising:
identifying, by a vehicle coordinator implemented by a computing system, an emergency situation and a corresponding emergency site (Para [0301]: “The server selects an appropriate emergency vehicle 1310 according to a distance to the destination 1320 at which emergency has occurred, traffic information, emergency type and scale, and the like on the basis of the received response message and searches for a route to the destination on the basis of the positional information of the selected emergency vehicle 1310 (S1430).”);
identifying, by the vehicle coordinator, a first vehicle and a first vehicle information (Para [0300]: “When the emergency vehicle 1310 which has received an emergency vehicle request message is available, the emergency vehicle 1310 transmits a response message to the server (S1420). The response message includes positional information of the emergency vehicle 1310.”);
identifying, by the vehicle coordinator, a second vehicle and a second vehicle information (Paras [0303]-[0304]: “A vehicle determines movement capability thereof on the basis of the movement capability information request message (S1450).” “The vehicle transmits movement capability information thereof to the server (S1460).”);
generating, by the vehicle coordinator, a mobility path of the first vehicle based on the first vehicle information and the second vehicle information (Paras [0305]-[0306]: “The server sets a state of the searched route on the basis of the received movement capability information and calculates an optimal route corresponding to a shortest estimated arrival time or a shortest distance among routes in an available state (S1470).” “The server transmits the information on the calculated optimal route to the emergency vehicle 1310 (S1480).”), comprising:
upon determining that a first location of the second vehicle overlaps with an emergency location, transmitting, by the vehicle coordinator, commands to move the second vehicle to a second location (Paras [0307]-[0308]: “The emergency vehicle 1310 which has received the optimal route information moves to the destination 1320 and can transmit a movement request message for moving a first vehicle parked on the optimal route through the server. Alternatively, the emergency vehicle can directly transmit the movement request message through a V2X message (S1490).” “The first vehicle can move to a parking lot connected to the corresponding route upon reception of the movement request message (S1495).”).
Kim fails to teach determining a priority level associated with the emergency situation, and
adjusting the mobility path based on the determined priority level; and
[commands to move the second vehicle to a second location] based on the adjusted mobility path.
However, Jiang teaches determining a priority level associated with the emergency situation, and
adjusting the mobility path based on the determined priority level (Description, Specific Implementation Examples, para [0008]: “Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, in the step (5), each following vehicle through road safety information judging whether there is potential safety hazard around the vehicle, if there is no potential safety hazard, then executing formation control instruction; if there is potential safety hazard, then giving priority emergency response measures, after eliminating the potential safety hazard, executing the formation control instruction. at the same time, each following vehicle through road traffic information judges whether the vehicle needs self-adaptive adjusting travel path and speed, if so, executing self-adaptive adjusting control instruction, if not need, executing formation control instruction. wherein the priority level of the adaptive adjustment control instruction is lower than the priority level of the emergency response measures, and is higher than the priority level of the formation control instruction, so the design can ensure the stability of the formation control, safety and adaptability.”); and
[commands to move the second vehicle to a second location] based on the adjusted mobility path (Description, Specific Implementation Examples, para [0008]: “…wherein the priority level of the adaptive adjustment control instruction is lower than the priority level of the emergency response measures, and is higher than the priority level of the formation control instruction, so the design can ensure the stability of the formation control, safety and adaptability.”).
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 kim to incorporate the teachings of Jiang to provide determining a priority level associated with the emergency situation, and adjusting the mobility path based on the determined priority level; and [commands to move the second vehicle to a second location] based on the adjusted mobility path with the METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MOVING A PARKED VEHICLE FOR AN EMERGENCY VEHICLE IN AUTONOMOUS DRIVING SYSTEM of Kim. Doing so enables ensuring the stability of the formation control, safety and adaptability, as recognized by Jiang (Description, Specific Implementation Examples, para [0008]).
System claim 8 and computer-readable storage medium claim 15 are rejected for the same reasons as method claim 1 for having similar limitations and being similar in scope; examiner notes claim 8 and 15’s processor and memory are taught in para [0344] of Kim: “Referring to FIG. 19, a server X200 according to a proposed embodiment may be an MEC server or a cloud server and may include a communication module X210, a processor X220 and a memory X230.”.
In re claim 2, Kim and Jiang teach all of the limitations of claim 1 where Kim further teaches wherein the first vehicle comprises an emergency response vehicle (Para [0300]: “When the emergency vehicle 1310 which has received an emergency vehicle request message is available, the emergency vehicle 1310 transmits a response message to the server (S1420).”), and wherein the first vehicle information comprises information about at least one of: an autonomous capability, a location, a size, a weight, or physical dimensions of the first vehicle (Para [0300]: “The response message includes positional information of the emergency vehicle 1310.”).
System claim 9 and computer-readable storage medium claim 16 are rejected for the same reasons as method claim 2 for having similar limitations and being similar in scope.
In re claim 4, Kim and Jiang teach all of the limitations of claim 1 where Kim further teaches wherein the second vehicle comprises an autonomous vehicle (Para [0286]: “In the present disclosure, when an emergency has occurred, a server receives… autonomous vehicles stopped in areas around the location of occurrence of the emergency...”), and wherein the second vehicle information comprises information about at least one of: an autonomous capability, a location, a make and model, a size, a weight, or physical dimensions of the second vehicle (Para [0286]: “In the present disclosure, when an emergency has occurred, a server receives… autonomous vehicles stopped in areas around the location of occurrence of the emergency and on a route of dispatch of the emergency vehicle receive the emergency vehicle dispatch information. It is possible to park autonomous vehicles in a block a predetermined distance or longer from a route through which the emergency vehicle enters using autonomous driving and notify vehicle owners of each step in real time, and the emergency vehicle can rapidly enter the spot of the emergency.”).
System claim 11 and computer-readable storage medium claim 18 are rejected for the same reasons as method claim 4 for having similar limitations and being similar in scope.
In re claim 5, Kim and Jiang teach all of the limitations of claim 1 where Kim further teaches wherein the mobility path is a pathway from the first vehicle to at least one of: the emergency site, a buffer zone of the emergency site, or a point of interest of the emergency situation, and wherein the mobility path is unimpeded by another vehicle (Para [0286]: “In the present disclosure, when an emergency has occurred, a server receives emergency vehicle dispatch information and information on the location of occurrence of the emergency, and autonomous vehicles stopped in areas around the location of occurrence of the emergency and on a route of dispatch of the emergency vehicle receive the emergency vehicle dispatch information. It is possible to park autonomous vehicles in a block a predetermined distance or longer from a route through which the emergency vehicle enters using autonomous driving and notify vehicle owners of each step in real time, and the emergency vehicle can rapidly enter the spot of the emergency.”).
System claim 12 and computer-readable storage medium claim 19 are rejected for the same reasons as method claim 5 for having similar limitations and being similar in scope.
In re claim 6, Kim and Jiang teach all of the limitations of claim 1 where Kim further teaches wherein the emergency location comprises at least one of: the emergency site, a buffer zone of the emergency site, or the mobility path (Para [0286]: “In the present disclosure, when an emergency has occurred, a server receives emergency vehicle dispatch information and information on the location of occurrence of the emergency, and autonomous vehicles stopped in areas around the location of occurrence of the emergency and on a route of dispatch of the emergency vehicle receive the emergency vehicle dispatch information. It is possible to park autonomous vehicles in a block a predetermined distance or longer from a route through which the emergency vehicle enters using autonomous driving and notify vehicle owners of each step in real time, and the emergency vehicle can rapidly enter the spot of the emergency.”).
System claim 13 and computer-readable storage medium claim 20 are rejected for the same reasons as method claim 6 for having similar limitations and being similar in scope.
In re claim 7, Kim and Jiang teach all of the limitations of claim 1 where Kim further teaches wherein the second location comprises an orbital route or an available parking spot away from the emergency site or a buffer zone of the emergency site (Para [0286]: “In the present disclosure, when an emergency has occurred, a server receives emergency vehicle dispatch information and information on the location of occurrence of the emergency, and autonomous vehicles stopped in areas around the location of occurrence of the emergency and on a route of dispatch of the emergency vehicle receive the emergency vehicle dispatch information. It is possible to park autonomous vehicles in a block a predetermined distance or longer from a route through which the emergency vehicle enters using autonomous driving and notify vehicle owners of each step in real time, and the emergency vehicle can rapidly enter the spot of the emergency.”).
System claim 14 is rejected for the same reasons as method claim 7 for having similar limitations and being similar in scope.
Claims 3, 10 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KIM (US Patent No. 20200005642 A1), in view of Jiang (CN Patent No. 114783170 A) and further in view of Yaldo (US Patent No. 10431082 B2).
In re claim 3, Kim and Jiang teach all of the limitations of claim 1 stated above but fails to teach wherein the first vehicle and the first vehicle data are identified based on at least one of: a signal received from a government alert system, or an analysis of images and audio of the first vehicle captured by the second vehicle.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Yaldo teaches wherein the first vehicle and the first vehicle data are identified based on at least one of: a signal received from a government alert system, or an analysis of images and audio of the first vehicle captured by the second vehicle (Cols 5-6, lines 61-67 and 1-6: “In various embodiments, one or more instructions of the controller 34 are embodied in the emergency vehicle detection system 100 and, when executed by the processor 44, receive image data from the sensing devices 31-31j such as the camera devices, process the image data to detect the presence of an emergency vehicle, process data from the sensing device 31l (microphone) and/or the sensing device 31k (radar sensor) to determine a control strategy, and selectively control the vehicle based on the determined control strategy. In various embodiments, the instructions, when executed by the processor 44 control the vehicle 10 to navigate to the side of the road or other location out of the way of the emergency vehicle.”).
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 the combination of kim and Jiang to further incorporate the teachings of Yaldo to provide wherein the first vehicle and the first vehicle data are identified based on at least one of: a signal received from a government alert system, or an analysis of images and audio of the first vehicle captured by the second vehicle with the METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MOVING A PARKED VEHICLE FOR AN EMERGENCY VEHICLE IN AUTONOMOUS DRIVING SYSTEM of Kim as modified by Jiang. Doing so enables determining a control strategy, and selectively controlling the vehicle based on the determined control strategy to navigate to the side of the road or other location out of the way of the emergency vehicle, as recognized by Yaldo (Cols 5-6, lines 61-67 and 1-6).
System claim 10 and computer-readable storage medium claim 17 are rejected for the same reasons as method claim 3 for having similar limitations and being similar in scope.
Response to Arguments
Applicant arguments filed 01/20/2026 with respect to the independent claims have been fully considered but are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection as necessitated by amendment.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 20220157165 A1 teaches audio alerts of emergency response vehicles may be detected and classified using audio captured by microphones of an autonomous or semi-autonomous machine in order to identify travel directions, locations, and/or types of emergency response vehicles in the environment. For example, a plurality of microphone arrays may be disposed on an autonomous or semi-autonomous machine and used to generate audio signals corresponding to sounds in the environment. These audio signals may be processed to determine a location and/or direction of travel of an emergency response vehicle (e.g., using triangulation). Additionally, to identify siren types—and thus emergency response vehicle types corresponding thereto—the audio signals may be used to generate representations of a frequency spectrum that may be processed using a deep neural network (DNN) that outputs probabilities of alert types being represented by the audio data. The locations, direction of travel, and/or siren type may allow an ego-vehicle or ego-machine to identify an emergency response vehicle and to make planning and/or control decisions in response.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES EDWARD MUNION whose telephone number is (571)270-0437. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:30-5:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Steven Lim can be reached at 571-270-1210. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JAMES E MUNION/Examiner, Art Unit 2688 02/11/2026
/STEVEN LIM/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2688