DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Response to Amendment
The Amendment filed on 7/15/2026 has been entered. Claims 1-4, 6, 8-19 and 21-23 remain pending in the application.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments on pages 11-12 with respect to claims 1, 9 and 16 have been considered but are moot upon a further consideration and a new ground of rejection made under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mahamuni (US PGPub 2014/0126348) in view of Chiang (US PGPub 2014/0187236).
Applicant's arguments filed on 7/15/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
In response to applicant’s argument on page 12 that Mahamuni (US PGPub 2014/0126348) fails to teach the limitation of claims 1, 9 and 16, especially the limitation of “…wherein detecting the faulty condition of the RSU comprises determining a cause of the faulty condition of the RSU from among a plurality of candidate causes of RSU malfunction …”, the examiner cannot concur with the applicant because of the reasons described below.
Applicant argues that Detecting a single specific event (such as a disconnected backhaul link) is not the same as determining a cause of a fault from among a plurality of candidate causes of malfunction. Nor does the Office identify any disclosure in Mahamuni that the message 315 referenced throughout the rejection (see, e.g., Office action, pages 4 and 5) indicates a determined cause of the stationary router's condition; the cited passages describe only that the stationary router has a message 315 to send to the destination and that the router sends the message to a traveling mobile device 320, to cause the message to be (hopefully) sent toward the destination, without describing the content of the message as indicating any cause of a fault (imminent argument on page 12).
On the contrary to the applicant’s arguments, Mahamuni teaches that the techniques herein allow for a field router with a disconnected backhaul link to compose and transmit a message to a destination, illustratively through vehicular transport. the destination that the disconnected FAR 300 is attempting to send a message to may be a control center or a network management station. For instance, the message may be a critical message, such as a door open alarm, detection of an attempt to tamper, notification of the failed backhaul link, etc. (Mahamuni, see paragraphs 0032-0033). Therefore, Mahamuni can determines a cause of the faulty condition of the RSU (e.g., the failed backhaul link) among a plurality of candidate causes of RSU malfunction (e.g., a door open, detection of an attempt to tamper, the failed backhaul link, etc.)).
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 1-4, 6, 8-19 and 21-23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mahamuni (US PGPub 2014/0126348) in view of Chiang (US PGPub 2014/0187236).
Regarding claims 1 and 16, Mahamuni teaches a method (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0013, a local stationary router may detect a disconnected backhaul link and may send a message (e.g., a critical message) to a first traveling mobile device, causing the message to be sent toward a destination via a remote stationary router) comprising:
monitoring operating conditions of a roadside unit (RSU) by the RSU (Mahamuni, see paragraphs 0016-0017, Smart object networks, such as sensor networks, in particular, are a specific type of network having spatially distributed autonomous devices such as sensors, actuators, etc., that cooperatively monitor physical or environmental conditions at different locations. smart object networks are considered field area networks (FANs) … the objects in such networks may be stationary or mobile. As an example of a FAN involving both mobile and stationary devices, FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an example simplified computer network 100);
detecting, by the RSU, a faulty condition of the RSU in an intelligent transportation system (ITS) (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0040, a stationary router 300 detects a disconnected backhaul link 305 to a destination 310), wherein the ITS serves radio communication between the RSU and an on-board unit (OBU) mounted on a vehicle (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0027, a plurality of vehicles ( mobile devices 320 and 505, such as cars, trucks, etc.) may be in proximity to one another, while traveling at different speeds and directions), wherein detecting the faulty condition of the RSU comprises determining a cause of the faulty condition of the RSU from among a plurality of candidate causes of RSU malfunction (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0033, the message may be a critical message, such as a door open alarm, detection of an attempt to tamper, notification of the failed backhaul link, etc. Therefore, Mahamuni can determines a cause of the faulty condition of the RSU (e.g., the failed backhaul link) among a plurality of candidate causes of RSU malfunction (e.g., a door open, detection of an attempt to tamper, the failed backhaul link, etc.)); and
generating, by the RSU, in response to the detection of the faulty condition of the RSU, a predetermined distress transmission for broadcast over a wireless interface of the RSU (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0040, In order to reach the destination, in step 715, the stationary router sends the message to a traveling mobile device 320, to cause the message to be (hopefully) sent toward the destination), wherein the predetermined distress transmission indicates the determined cause of the faulty condition of the RSU (Mahamuni, see paragraphs 0032-0033, the techniques herein allow for a field router with a disconnected backhaul link to compose and transmit a message to a destination. The message may be a critical message, such as a door open alarm, detection of an attempt to tamper, notification of the failed backhaul link, etc).
Mahamuni teaches the above yet fails to teach wherein monitoring operating conditions of the RSU includes monitoring an operational state of an application executed by the RSU.
Then Chiang teaches wherein monitoring operating conditions of the RSU includes monitoring an operational state of an application executed by the RSU (Chiang, see paragraphs 0017 and 0028, the cell may detect the failure of the backhaul network. For example, a watchdog timer at the cell, such as a software- or hardware-implemented watchdog timer, may detect the failure of the backhaul network. Failure of the watchdog timer to detect activity by the expiration of the predetermined interval may indicate a failure in the backhaul network).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Mahamuni with quick recovery of RF sessions after backhaul link failure of Chiang, because doing so would make Mahamuni more efficient in providing an effective way of buffering communications from the mobile devices in a way that minimizes or eliminates the chances of termination of communication sessions (Chiang, see paragraph 0015).
Regarding claim 2, Mahamuni in view of Chiang teaches wherein the faulty condition of the RSU includes a connection between the RSU and an operation center over a wired interface to a backhaul network being down (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0040, a stationary router 300 detects a disconnected backhaul link 305 to a destination 310).
Regarding claim 3, Mahamuni in view of Chiang teaches further comprising:
broadcasting the predetermined distress transmission over the wireless interface using power from an internal power cell of the RSU (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0040, In order to reach the destination, in step 715, the stationary router sends the message to a traveling mobile device 320, to cause the message to be (hopefully) sent toward the destination).
Regarding claim 4, Mahamuni in view of Chiang teaches wherein the faulty condition of the RSU includes a radio interface of the RSU being down (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0040, a stationary router 300 detects a disconnected backhaul link 305 to a destination 310), the method further comprising broadcasting the predetermined distress transmission over the wireless interface using power from a main power source of the RSU (Mahamuni, see paragraphs 0032-0033, the techniques herein allow for a field router with a disconnected backhaul link to compose and transmit a message to a destination. The message may be a critical message, such as a door open alarm, detection of an attempt to tamper, notification of the failed backhaul link, etc).
Regarding claim 6, Mahamuni in view of Chiang teaches wherein the wireless interface is operable to transmit wireless access in vehicular environments (WAVE) service advertisement (WSA) messages (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0026, One of the outcomes has been a new type of wireless access called Wireless Access for Vehicular Environment (WAVE) dedicated to vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-roadside communications), wherein the RSU is a virtual RSU and wherein the predetermined distress transmission includes at least one of: a unique RSU identifier (ID); a three-dimensional (3D) location; and an intersection ID (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0033, the messages sent toward the destination may include identifiers indicating which FAR sent the message toward the destination).
Regarding claim 8, Mahamuni in view of Chiang teaches further comprising:
detecting that the faulty condition of the RSU has ended (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0041, a timer may be set such that it may be determined whether the acknowledgment is received by expiration of the timer); and
halting a broadcasting of the predetermined distress transmission based on the detection that the faulty condition of the RSU has ended (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0041, the disconnected FAR may cease sending additional copies of the message to other traveling mobile devices).
Regarding claim 9, Mahamuni teaches an apparatus of a roadside unit (RSU) (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0027-0028, one or more RSUs represented as FARs (Field Area Routers)), comprising:
a wireless interface for sending transmissions to on board units (OBUs) mounted on vehicles (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0017, Each of the devices may be interconnected by various methods of communication (links), such as wired links or shared media (e.g., wireless links, etc.) where certain mobile devices may be in communication with a particular FAR based on distance, signal strength, current operational status, location, etc);
one or more processors (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0027-0028, one or more RSUs); and
a non-transitory memory having executable instructions that (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0027-0028, one or more RSUs), when executed, cause the one or more processors to:
monitor operating conditions of the RSU (Mahamuni, see paragraphs 0016-0017, Smart object networks, such as sensor networks, in particular, are a specific type of network having spatially distributed autonomous devices such as sensors, actuators, etc., that cooperatively monitor physical or environmental conditions at different locations. smart object networks are considered field area networks (FANs) … the objects in such networks may be stationary or mobile. As an example of a FAN involving both mobile and stationary devices, FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an example simplified computer network 100);
detect a faulty condition of the RSU (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0040, a stationary router 300 detects a disconnected backhaul link 305 to a destination 310);
generate, in response to the detection of the faulty condition of the RSU (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0040, the stationary router has a message 315 to send to the destination), a predetermined distress transmission, wherein the predetermined distress transmission includes one or more of a unique RSU identifier (ID), a three-dimensional (3D) location, and an intersection ID (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0033, the messages sent toward the destination may include identifiers indicating which FAR sent the message toward the destination); and
broadcast the predetermined distress transmission over the wireless interface (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0040, In order to reach the destination, in step 715, the stationary router sends the message to a traveling mobile device 320, to cause the message to be (hopefully) sent toward the destination).
Mahamuni teaches the above yet fails to teach wherein monitoring the operating conditions of the RSU comprises monitoring an operational state of an application executed by the RSU.
Then Chiang teaches wherein monitoring the operating conditions of the RSU comprises monitoring an operational state of an application executed by the RSU (Chiang, see paragraphs 0017 and 0028, the cell may detect the failure of the backhaul network. For example, a watchdog timer at the cell, such as a software- or hardware-implemented watchdog timer, may detect the failure of the backhaul network. Failure of the watchdog timer to detect activity by the expiration of the predetermined interval may indicate a failure in the backhaul network).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Mahamuni with quick recovery of RF sessions after backhaul link failure of Chiang, because doing so would make Mahamuni more efficient in providing an effective way of buffering communications from the mobile devices in a way that minimizes or eliminates the chances of termination of communication sessions (Chiang, see paragraph 0015).
Regarding claim 10, Mahamuni in view of Chiang teaches wherein the faulty condition of the RSU includes a connection between the RSU and an operation center over a wired interface to a backhaul network being down (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0040, a stationary router 300 detects a disconnected backhaul link 305 to a destination 310); and wherein an internal power cell of the RSU provides power for the broadcasting of the predetermined distress transmission over the wireless interface (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0019, The device may comprise one or more network interfaces 210 (e.g., wired, wireless, etc.), at least one processor 220, and a memory 240 interconnected by a system bus 250, as well as a power supply 260 (e.g., battery, plug-in, etc.)).
Regarding claim 11, Mahamuni in view of Chiang teaches further comprising: wherein the faulty condition of the RSU includes a radio interface of the RSU being down (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0040, a stationary router 300 detects a disconnected backhaul link 305 to a destination 310); and wherein a main power source of the RSU provides power for the broadcasting of the predetermined distress transmission over the wireless interface (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0019, The device may comprise one or more network interfaces 210 (e.g., wired, wireless, etc.), at least one processor 220, and a memory 240 interconnected by a system bus 250, as well as a power supply 260 (e.g., battery, plug-in, etc.)).
Regarding claim 12, Mahamuni in view of Chiang teaches wherein the radio interface is a first radio interface,
wherein the first radio interface is compliant with at least one of: a wireless access in vehicular environments (WAVE) service advertisement (WSA) protocol, a traveler information messages (TIM) protocol, and a regional wireless communication standard (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0026, One of the outcomes has been a new type of wireless access called Wireless Access for Vehicular Environment (WAVE) dedicated to vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-roadside communications); and
wherein a second radio interface of the RSU is compliant with at least one of: a signal phase and timing (SPaT) message protocol, and a protocol for messages corresponding with map data to convey geographic road information (MAP messages) (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0026, One of the outcomes has been a new type of wireless access called Wireless Access for Vehicular Environment (WAVE) dedicated to vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-roadside communications).
Regarding claim 13, Mahamuni in view of Chiang teaches wherein the wireless interface is compliant with at least one of: a dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) protocol, a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) protocol, a Wi-Fi DSRC protocol, a 4G cellular-V2X protocol, and a Fifth Generation broadband cellular network (5G) protocol (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0026, One of the outcomes has been a new type of wireless access called Wireless Access for Vehicular Environment (WAVE) dedicated to vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-roadside communications).
Regarding claim 14, Mahamuni in view of Chiang teaches wherein a coverage range of a protocol of the wireless interface is substantially the same as a coverage range of the RSU (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0026, One of the outcomes has been a new type of wireless access called Wireless Access for Vehicular Environment (WAVE) dedicated to vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-roadside communications).
Regarding claim 15, Mahamuni in view of Chiang teaches the executable instructions, when executed, further cause the one or more processors to:
halt broadcasting of the predetermined distress transmission based on a detection that the RSU has returned to a normal operational state (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0041, the disconnected FAR may cease sending additional copies of the message to other traveling mobile devices).
Regarding claim 17, Mahamuni in view of Chiang teaches wherein the faulty condition of the RSU includes a connection between the RSU and an operation center over a wired interface to a backhaul network being down (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0040, a stationary router 300 detects a disconnected backhaul link 305 to a destination 310); and wherein the broadcasting of the predetermined distress transmission over the wireless interface uses power from an internal power cell of the RSU (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0019, The device may comprise one or more network interfaces 210 (e.g., wired, wireless, etc.), at least one processor 220, and a memory 240 interconnected by a system bus 250, as well as a power supply 260 (e.g., battery, plug-in, etc.)).
Regarding claim 18, Mahamuni in view of Chiang teaches wherein the faulty condition of the RSU includes a radio interface of the RSU being down (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0040, a stationary router 300 detects a disconnected backhaul link 305 to a destination 310); and wherein the broadcasting of the predetermined distress transmission over the wireless interface uses power from a main power source of the RSU (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0019, The device may comprise one or more network interfaces 210 (e.g., wired, wireless, etc.), at least one processor 220, and a memory 240 interconnected by a system bus 250, as well as a power supply 260 (e.g., battery, plug-in, etc.)).
Regarding claim 19, Mahamuni in view of Chiang teaches wherein the RSU is a first RSU (Mahamuni, see figure 1, FAR 300); and wherein the second executable instructions, when executed, further cause the one or more second processors to: re-send the predetermined distress transmission to a second RSU (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0042, the local stationary router forwards the message to the intended destination 310 over its connected backhaul link 405), wherein the OBU is a first OBU; and wherein the second RSU comprises one or more third processors, and a third non-transitory memory having third executable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more third processors to: re-send the predetermined distress transmission to a second OBU (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0040, In order to reach the destination, in step 715, the stationary router sends the message to a traveling mobile device 320, to cause the message to be (hopefully) sent toward the destination).
Regarding claim 21, 22 and 23, Mahamuni in view of Chiang teaches wherein monitoring the operating conditions of the RSU further comprises monitoring operational states of a first radio interface and a second radio interface of the RSU (Mahamuni, see paragraphs 0016-0017, Smart object networks, such as sensor networks, in particular, are a specific type of network having spatially distributed autonomous devices such as sensors, actuators, etc., that cooperatively monitor physical or environmental conditions at different locations. smart object networks are considered field area networks (FANs) … the objects in such networks may be stationary or mobile. As an example of a FAN involving both mobile and stationary devices, FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an example simplified computer network 100);
wherein detecting the faulty condition of the RSU further comprises determining, based on the monitored operational states of the first radio interface and the second radio interface, that the RSU is one of partially operational and fully faulty (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0028, the FAR would be unable to transmit messages over the backhaul link), wherein the RSU is partially operational when the first radio interface is operational and the second radio interface is non-operational, and wherein the RSU is fully faulty when the first radio interface is at least one of non-operational, non-transmitting, and has a non-operational antenna (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0033, the message may be a critical message, such as a door open alarm, detection of an attempt to tamper, notification of the failed backhaul link, etc. Therefore, Mahamuni can determines a cause of the faulty condition of the RSU (e.g., the failed backhaul link) among a plurality of candidate causes of RSU malfunction (e.g., a door open, detection of an attempt to tamper, the failed backhaul link, etc.));
wherein the predetermined distress transmission further indicates whether the RSU is partially operational or fully faulty (Mahamuni, see paragraph 0040, In order to reach the destination, in step 715, the stationary router sends the message to a traveling mobile device 320, to cause the message to be (hopefully) sent toward the destination); and
further comprising broadcasting the predetermined distress transmission using the first radio interface when the RSU is partially operational (Mahamuni, see paragraphs 0032-0033, the techniques herein allow for a field router with a disconnected backhaul link to compose and transmit a message to a destination. The message may be a critical message, such as a door open alarm, detection of an attempt to tamper, notification of the failed backhaul link, etc).
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 CHONG G KIM whose telephone number is (571)270-0619. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri @ 9am - 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, Nicholas R. Taylor can be reached at 571-272-3889. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CHONG G KIM/Examiner, Art Unit 2443
/NICHOLAS R TAYLOR/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2443
