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 Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1, 13, and 20 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 Objections
Claims 2, 6, 10, 14, and 18 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 2, line 2, “the occupant” should read “an occupant”.
In claim 6, line 2, “the occupant” should read “an occupant”.
In claim 10, line 2, “the occupant” should read “an occupant”.
In claim 14, line 2, “the occupant” should read “an occupant”.
In claim 18, line 2, “the occupant” should read “an occupant”.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 1-4, 6, and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Frimpong (U.S. Patent No. 10845693; hereinafter Frimpong), in view of Suthar et al. (U.S. Publication No. 2021/0086778; hereinafter Suthar) and further in view of Marti (U.S. Publication No. 2015/0203023; hereinafter Marti).
Regarding claim 1, Frimpong teaches a computer-implemented method, comprising: monitoring contextual information of a vehicle during operation thereof (Frimpong: Col. 7, lines 34-37; i.e., at step 210, the data acquisition interface 1042 receives data corresponding to the vehicle 102, the data being received for the plurality of attributes);
determining, based on the contextual information, that a condition is met to project, by a vehicle-based projection system mounted to the vehicle, a laser-based projection indicative of a contextual condition associated with the vehicle (Frimpong: Col. 7, lines 38-40; i.e., at step 220, the control unit 1044 determines the one or more of a previous, a current and a future state of the vehicle 102 from the data; Col. 6, lines 37-39; i.e., the hologram 1050 displays … “TURNIN RIGHT IN 50 m” (future state), of the vehicle 102; the system determines a projection condition is met, such as an upcoming turn; Col. 3, lines 33-35; i.e., the term “hologram” refers to an image reproduced from a pattern of interference produced by a split coherent beam of radiation (such as a laser))
and in response to the determination that the condition is met, projecting the laser-based projection indicative of the contextual condition (Frimpong: Col. 7, lines 40-43; i.e., at step 230, the projector unit 1046 displays the one or more of the previous, the current and the future state of the vehicle 102, in form of a hologram 1050 projected through the exterior of the vehicle 102).
Frimpong does not teach monitoring the contextual information including monitoring a physiology of a driver of the vehicle, the contextual information including information indicative of an adverse health condition occurring with the driver of the vehicle; determining, based on the contextual information using artificial intelligence, that a condition is met to project, by a vehicle-based projection system mounted to the vehicle, a projection indicative of a contextual condition associated with the vehicle related to the adverse health condition occurring with the driver of the vehicle; and in response to the determination that the condition is met, projecting the projection indicative of the contextual condition related to the adverse health condition occurring with the driver of the vehicle, the projection notifying persons outside the vehicle to seek help for the driver.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Suthar teaches monitoring the contextual information including monitoring a physiology of a driver of the vehicle, the contextual information including information indicative of an adverse health condition occurring with the driver of the vehicle (Suthar: Par. 37; i.e., the in-vehicle emergency associated with the any of the occupants 110 and 112 may be one of a medical emergency; Par. 48; i.e., the context of the detected in-vehicle emergency may be determined based on one or more parameters including … medical factors associated with the occupants 110 and 112; Par. 57; i.e., the application server 106 may determine … the medical factors ... based on analysis and processing of the sensor data); determining, based on the contextual information using artificial intelligence, that a condition is met to project, by a vehicle-based projection system mounted to the vehicle, a projection indicative of a contextual condition associated with the vehicle related to the adverse health condition occurring with the driver of the vehicle (Suthar: Par. 69; i.e., the machine learning engine 206 may … be configured to perform one or more operations for analyzing the sensor data and other information associated with the historical in-vehicle emergencies; Par. 132; i.e., in-vehicle emergency is detected based on the sensor data); and in response to the determination that the condition is met, projecting the projection indicative of the contextual condition related to the adverse health condition occurring with the driver of the vehicle, the projection notifying persons outside the vehicle to seek help for the driver (Suthar: Par. 61; i.e., the application server 106 may be further configured to displaying via the external vehicular display of the vehicle 102 textual and graphical content indicating the in-vehicle emergency; Par. 92; i.e., the external vehicular display … displays the emergency message to alert the passer-by individuals; Par. 112; i.e., responses may include … displaying textual and graphical content (for example, an emergency message such as “NEED HELP”) on the external vehicular display).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the method of Frimpong to have further incorporated monitoring the contextual information including monitoring a physiology of a driver of the vehicle, the contextual information including information indicative of an adverse health condition occurring with the driver of the vehicle; determining, based on the contextual information using artificial intelligence, that a condition is met to project, by a vehicle-based projection system mounted to the vehicle, a projection indicative of a contextual condition associated with the vehicle related to the adverse health condition occurring with the driver of the vehicle; and in response to the determination that the condition is met, projecting the projection indicative of the contextual condition related to the adverse health condition occurring with the driver of the vehicle, the projection notifying persons outside the vehicle to seek help for the driver, as taught by Suthar. Doing so would allow passer-by individuals to reach the driver and provide assistance (Suthar: Par. 113; i.e., with such effective and efficient way of communication, the various entities (such as the drivers 606a-606c, the passer-by individuals 608a-608f, or the response teams) may reach the incident location to help the occupant).
Frimpong further does not explicitly teach projecting on a roadway adjacent to the vehicle.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Marti teaches projecting on a roadway adjacent to the vehicle (Marti: Par. 22; i.e., Roadway projection system 100 projects images onto that roadway and/or surfaces along the roadway).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the method of Frimpong to have further incorporated projecting on a roadway adjacent to the vehicle, as taught by Marti. Doing so would allow other vehicles to view the projection and avoid collisions (Marti: Par. 70; i.e., roadway projection system 100 operates as part of a vehicle-to-vehicle driving system 700 to avoid collisions with other vehicles).
Regarding claim 2, Frimpong in view of Suthar and Marti teaches the method according to claim 1. Frimpong further teaches wherein the contextual information includes input received directly from the occupant of the vehicle (Frimpong: Col. 6, lines 46-48; i.e., the microphone 1048 is configured to receive a voice input from the driver and transmit the voice input to the control unit 1044; Col. 6, lines 58-60; i.e., the microphone 1048 may also be configured to receive the custom message, such as “THANK YOU”, for inclusion in the hologram 1050 by the projector unit 1046).
Regarding claim 3, Frimpong in view of Suthar and Marti teaches the method according to claim 2. Frimpong further teaches wherein the projection is manually defined by the occupant (Frimpong: Col. 6, lines 58-60; i.e., the microphone 1048 may also be configured to receive the custom message, such as “THANK YOU”, for inclusion in the hologram 1050 by the projector unit 1046).
Regarding claim 4, Frimpong in view of Suthar and Marti teaches the method according to claim 3. Frimpong further teaches wherein the projection includes text input by the occupant (Frimpong: Col. 6, lines 58-60; i.e., the microphone 1048 may also be configured to receive the custom message, such as “THANK YOU”, for inclusion in the hologram 1050 by the projector unit 1046).
Regarding claim 6, Frimpong in view of Suthar and Marti teaches the method according to claim 1. Frimpong further teaches wherein monitoring the contextual information includes monitoring a voice of the occupant of the vehicle, wherein determining that the condition is met includes performing voice recognition on the voice of the occupant, and determining that a result of the voice recognition meets the condition, wherein the projection is indicative of the result of the voice recognition (Frimpong: Col. 6, lines 46-48; i.e., the microphone 1048 is configured to receive a voice input from the driver and transmit the voice input to the control unit 1044; Col. 6, lines 58-60; i.e., the microphone 1048 may also be configured to receive the custom message, such as “THANK YOU”, for inclusion in the hologram 1050 by the projector unit 1046).
Regarding claim 7, Frimpong in view of Suthar and Marti teaches the method according to claim 1. Marti further teaches wherein monitoring the contextual information includes monitoring driving behavior of the vehicle (Marti: Par. 42; i.e., roadway projection system 100 may project any of the images discussed thus far in response to detecting implicit behaviors of driver 130), wherein the projection includes an indication of a boundary around the vehicle calculated based on the monitored driving behavior (Marti: Par. 52; i.e., if roadway projection system 100 determines that vehicle 100 has come to a complete stop due to heavy traffic, roadway projection system 100 could contract bounding zone 341. In general, roadway projection system 100 may dynamically determine the shape and size of bounding zone 341 based on operating conditions associated with vehicle 110).
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Frimpong in view of Suthar and Marti and further in view of Hakki et al. (U.S. Publication No. 2019/0329708; hereinafter Hakki).
Regarding claim 9, Frimpong in view of Suthar and Marti teaches the method according to claim 1. Frimpong further teaches wherein contextual information includes vehicle speed (Frimpong: Col. 6, lines 36-38; i.e., as can be seen from FIG. 1B, the hologram 1050 displays a current speed “52 mph”).
Frimpong does not explicitly teach wherein the contextual information includes a weather condition, wherein the projection includes an indication of an estimated distance for the vehicle to stop upon application of brakes thereof.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Hakki teaches wherein the contextual information includes a weather condition (Hakki: Par. 79; i.e., the on-board computer 12 communicates with various input devices or sensors to obtain information regarding … road conditions/weather), wherein the projection includes an indication of an estimated distance for the vehicle to stop upon application of brakes thereof (Hakki: Par. 66; i.e., the processor then controls the one or more projectors 60 to project an image or outline on the pavement… For example, if based upon the stored data, the stopping distance of the index vehicle 5 at 60 miles per hour is 80 feet on dry pavement, and then the front safety zone 210 will be projected on the road, occupying approximately 80 feet in front of the index vehicle).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the method of Frimpong, Suthar, and Marti to have further incorporated wherein the contextual information includes a weather condition, wherein the projection includes an indication of an estimated distance for the vehicle to stop upon application of brakes thereof, as taught by Hakki. Doing so would aid surrounding vehicles in identifying safe paths and speeds to avoid collisions (Hakki: Par. 23; i.e., The flat image or holographic image will be an aid to all vehicles indicative of safe paths and speeds).
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Frimpong in view of Suthar and Marti and further in view of Miyahara et al. (U.S. Publication No. 2020/0058222; hereinafter Miyahara).
Regarding claim 10, Frimpong in view of Suthar and Marti teaches the method according to claim 1, but does not explicitly teach outputting, to the occupant of the vehicle, a content item to project, wherein determining that a condition is met to project includes receiving a selection of the content item from the occupant, wherein the selected content item is projected.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Miyahara teaches outputting, to the occupant of the vehicle, a content item to project, wherein determining that a condition is met to project includes receiving a selection of the content item from the occupant (Miyahara: Par. 67; i.e., the driver inputs his/her intention by selecting any input message from a list of input messages displayed on the screen), wherein the selected content item is projected (Miyahara: Par. 70; i.e., in step S109, the road projection controller 5 controls the road projector 21 to project the notification message converted by the message converting unit 4 onto at least part of a road located around the object).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the method of Frimpong, Suthar, and Marti to have further incorporated outputting, to the occupant of the vehicle, a content item to project, wherein determining that a condition is met to project includes receiving a selection of the content item from the occupant, wherein the selected content item is projected, as taught by Miyahara. Doing so would allow the system to project simplified messages (Miyahara: Par. 69; i.e., the message converting unit 4 converts the concept of the input message into a notification message that is easy for the child to understand, such as a symbol indicating “AFTER YOU”).
Claims 11 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Frimpong in view of Suthar and Marti and further in view of Yan (U.S. Patent No. 9994147; hereinafter Yan).
Regarding claim 11, Frimpong in view of Suthar and Marti teaches the method according to claim 1, but does not teach wherein monitoring the contextual information includes detecting a location of a second vehicle in relation to the vehicle, wherein the condition includes the vehicles being closer than a minimum safe distance between the vehicles, and wherein the projection includes an indication of the minimum safe distance from the vehicle.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Yan teaches wherein monitoring the contextual information includes detecting a location of a second vehicle in relation to the vehicle (Yan: Col. 2, lines 10-13; i.e., The proximity sensors 22 can be any suitable sensors configured for measuring distance between the vehicle 10 and surrounding vehicles, such as a following vehicle 120), wherein the condition includes the vehicles being closer than a minimum safe distance between the vehicles (Yan: Col. 4, lines 11-16; i.e., the threshold safety distance Z can be any suitable distance, such as any suitable predetermined distance, whereby when the actual distance X is less than the threshold safety distance Z the control module 40 instructs the projector 50 to project the projected image 70A, or any other suitable image), and wherein the projection includes an indication of the minimum safe distance from the vehicle (Yan: Col. 5, lines 47-53; i.e., the lead vehicle 10 projects projected image 70A, which is a virtual, three-dimensional, image of a rear of the lead vehicle 10 projected above the road surface. The projected image 70A results in the driver of the following vehicle 110 seeing perceived distance Y between the vehicles 10 and 110, which is less than actual distance X).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the method of Frimpong, Suthar, and Marti to have further incorporated wherein monitoring the contextual information includes detecting a location of a second vehicle in relation to the vehicle, wherein the condition includes the vehicles being closer than a minimum safe distance between the vehicles, and wherein the projection includes an indication of the minimum safe distance from the vehicle, as taught by Yan. Doing so would result in trailing vehicles stopping a safe distance away from the vehicle (Yan: Col. 5, lines 53-55; i.e., Therefore, the driver of the following vehicle 110 will likely stop a safe distance from the vehicle 10).
Regarding claim 12, Frimpong in view of Suthar and Marti teaches the method according to claim 1, but does not explicitly teach wherein monitoring the contextual information includes detecting a weather condition surrounding the vehicle, wherein the condition includes the weather condition matching a predefined condition.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Yan teaches wherein monitoring the contextual information includes detecting a weather condition surrounding the vehicle (Yan: Col. 2, lines 26-29; i.e., the road condition sensor 26 can be a sensor configured to sense when tires of the vehicle 10 slip, thereby indicating that the vehicle 10 is traveling across a slick surface, such as a snow covered road, a wet road), wherein the condition includes the weather condition matching a predefined condition (Yan: Col. 4, lines 36-39; i.e., when the road condition sensor 26 determines that the road conditions are slippery or otherwise poor, thus resulting in increased stopping distances).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the method of Frimpong, Suthar, and Marti to have further incorporated wherein monitoring the contextual information includes detecting a weather condition surrounding the vehicle, wherein the condition includes the weather condition matching a predefined condition, as taught by Yan. Doing so would allow the system to adjust the threshold safety distance based on the weather condition (Yan: Col. 4, lines 33-37; i.e., the control module 40 can also increase the threshold safety distance Z, as well as the distance that the projected image 70A is projected from the lead vehicle).
Marti further teaches wherein the projection includes an indication of a boundary around the vehicle (Marti: Par. 50; i.e., roadway projection system 100 projects a bounding zone 341 that surrounds vehicle 110. Bounding zone 341 represents a protected territory around vehicle 110 that driver 130 wishes to prevent other vehicles from entering).
Claims 13 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Frimpong in view of Marti.
Regarding claim 13, Frimpong teaches a computer program product for creating a contextually appropriate projection adjacent a vehicle, the computer program product comprising: one or more computer readable storage media, and program instructions collectively stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, the program instructions comprising (Frimpong: Col. 8, lines 35-37; i.e., the methods described herein may be implemented by a series of computer executable instructions residing on a suitable computer readable medium):
program instructions to monitor contextual information of a vehicle during operation thereof (Frimpong: Col. 7, lines 34-37; i.e., at step 210, the data acquisition interface 1042 receives data corresponding to the vehicle 102, the data being received for the plurality of attributes),
program instructions to determine that a condition is met to project, by a vehicle-based projection system mounted to the vehicle, a laser-based projection indicative of a contextual condition associated with the vehicle (Frimpong: Col. 7, lines 38-40; i.e., at step 220, the control unit 1044 determines the one or more of a previous, a current and a future state of the vehicle 102 from the data; Col. 6, lines 37-39; i.e., the hologram 1050 displays "TURNIN RIGHT IN 50 m" (future state), of the vehicle 102; the system determines a projection condition is met, such as an upcoming turn; Col. 3, lines 33-35; i.e., the term “hologram” refers to an image reproduced from a pattern of interference produced by a split coherent beam of radiation (such as a laser))
and program instructions to project the laser-based projection indicative of the contextual condition in response to the determination that the condition is met (Frimpong: Col. 7, lines 40-43; i.e., at step 230, the projector unit 1046 displays the one or more of the previous, the current and the future state of the vehicle 102, in form of a hologram 1050 projected through the exterior of the vehicle 102).
Frimpong does not explicitly teach the contextual information including monitoring driving behavior of the vehicle; determine that a condition is met to project, by a vehicle-based projection system mounted to the vehicle, a laser-based projection indicative of a contextual condition associated with the vehicle related to the driving behavior of the vehicle, wherein the projection includes an indication of a boundary around the vehicle calculated based on the monitored driving behavior; and project the laser-based projection indicative of the contextual condition related to the driving behavior of the vehicle on a roadway adjacent to the vehicle in response to the determination that the condition is met, the projection notifying persons outside the vehicle of the monitored driving behavior.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Marti teaches the contextual information including monitoring driving behavior of the vehicle (Marti: Par. 42; i.e., roadway projection system 100 may be configured to detect a wide variety of behaviors associated with driver); determine that a condition is met to project, by a vehicle-based projection system mounted to the vehicle, a laser-based projection indicative of a contextual condition associated with the vehicle related to the driving behavior of the vehicle, wherein the projection includes an indication of a boundary around the vehicle calculated based on the monitored driving behavior (Marti: Par. 52; i.e., roadway projection system 100 may generate bounding zone 341 with a shape and size that reflects the current state of traffic in which vehicle 100 travels… if roadway projection system 100 determines that vehicle 100 has come to a complete stop due to heavy traffic, roadway projection system 100 could contract bounding zone 341. In general, roadway projection system 100 may dynamically determine the shape and size of bounding zone 341 based on operating conditions associated with vehicle 110); and project the laser-based projection indicative of the contextual condition related to the driving behavior of the vehicle on a roadway adjacent to the vehicle in response to the determination that the condition is met, the projection notifying persons outside the vehicle of the monitored driving behavior (Marti: Par. 94; i.e., the roadway projection system is capable of projecting images that are visible by other drivers and other autonomous vehicles, thereby indicating intentions of the driver to those other vehicles).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the computer program product of Frimpong to have further incorporated the contextual information including monitoring driving behavior of the vehicle; determine that a condition is met to project, by a vehicle-based projection system mounted to the vehicle, a laser-based projection indicative of a contextual condition associated with the vehicle related to the driving behavior of the vehicle, wherein the projection includes an indication of a boundary around the vehicle calculated based on the monitored driving behavior; and project the laser-based projection indicative of the contextual condition related to the driving behavior of the vehicle on a roadway adjacent to the vehicle in response to the determination that the condition is met, the projection notifying persons outside the vehicle of the monitored driving behavior, as taught by Frimpong. Doing so would allow other vehicles to identify the projected boundary and avoid collisions (Marti: Par. 70; i.e., roadway projection system 100 operates as part of a vehicle-to-vehicle driving system 700 to avoid collisions with other vehicles).
Regarding claim 14, Frimpong in view of Marti teaches the computer program product according to claim 13. Frimpong further teaches wherein the contextual information includes input received directly from the occupant of the vehicle (Frimpong: Col. 6, lines 46-48; i.e., the microphone 1048 is configured to receive a voice input from the driver and transmit the voice input to the control unit 1044; Col. 6, lines 58-60; i.e., the microphone 1048 may also be configured to receive the custom message, such as “THANK YOU”, for inclusion in the hologram 1050 by the projector unit 1046).
Claim 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Frimpong in view of Marti and further in view of Hakki.
Regarding claim 17, Frimpong in view of Marti teaches the computer program product according to claim 13. Frimpong further teaches wherein contextual information includes vehicle speed (Frimpong: Col. 6, lines 36-38; i.e., as can be seen from FIG. 1B, the hologram 1050 displays a current speed “52 mph”).
Frimpong does not explicitly teach wherein the contextual information includes a weather condition, wherein the projection includes an indication of an estimated distance for the vehicle to stop upon application of brakes thereof.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Hakki teaches wherein the contextual information includes a weather condition (Hakki: Par. 79; i.e., the on-board computer 12 communicates with various input devices or sensors to obtain information regarding … road conditions/weather), wherein the projection includes an indication of an estimated distance for the vehicle to stop upon application of brakes thereof (Hakki: Par. 66; i.e., the processor then controls the one or more projectors 60 to project an image or outline on the pavement… For example, if based upon the stored data, the stopping distance of the index vehicle 5 at 60 miles per hour is 80 feet on dry pavement, and then the front safety zone 210 will be projected on the road, occupying approximately 80 feet in front of the index vehicle).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the computer program product of Frimpong and Marti to have further incorporated wherein the contextual information includes a weather condition, wherein the projection includes an indication of an estimated distance for the vehicle to stop upon application of brakes thereof, as taught by Hakki. Doing so would aid surrounding vehicles in identifying safe paths and speeds to avoid collisions (Hakki: Par. 23; i.e., The flat image or holographic image will be an aid to all vehicles indicative of safe paths and speeds).
Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Frimpong in view of Marti and further in view of Miyahara.
Regarding claim 18, Frimpong in view of Marti teaches the computer program product according to claim 13, but does not explicitly teach output, to the occupant of the vehicle, a content item to project, wherein determining that a condition is met to project includes receiving a selection of the content item from the occupant, wherein the selected content item is projected.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Miyahara teaches output, to the occupant of the vehicle, a content item to project, wherein determining that a condition is met to project includes receiving a selection of the content item from the occupant (Miyahara: Par. 67; i.e., the driver inputs his/her intention by selecting any input message from a list of input messages displayed on the screen), wherein the selected content item is projected (Miyahara: Par. 70; i.e., in step S109, the road projection controller 5 controls the road projector 21 to project the notification message converted by the message converting unit 4 onto at least part of a road located around the object).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the computer program product of Frimpong and Marti to have further incorporated output, to the occupant of the vehicle, a content item to project, wherein determining that a condition is met to project includes receiving a selection of the content item from the occupant, wherein the selected content item is projected, as taught by Miyahara. Doing so would allow the system to project simplified messages (Miyahara: Par. 69; i.e., the message converting unit 4 converts the concept of the input message into a notification message that is easy for the child to understand, such as a symbol indicating “AFTER YOU”).
Claim 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Frimpong in view of Marti and further in view of Yan.
Regarding claim 19, Frimpong in view of Marti teaches the computer program product according to claim 13, but does not teach wherein monitoring the contextual information includes detecting a location of a second vehicle in relation to the vehicle, wherein the condition includes the vehicles being closer than a minimum safe distance between the vehicles, and wherein the projection includes an indication of the minimum safe distance from the vehicle.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Yan teaches wherein monitoring the contextual information includes detecting a location of a second vehicle in relation to the vehicle (Yan: Col. 2, lines 10-13; i.e., The proximity sensors 22 can be any suitable sensors configured for measuring distance between the vehicle 10 and surrounding vehicles, such as a following vehicle 120), wherein the condition includes the vehicles being closer than a minimum safe distance between the vehicles (Yan: Col. 4, lines 11-16; i.e., the threshold safety distance Z can be any suitable distance, such as any suitable predetermined distance, whereby when the actual distance X is less than the threshold safety distance Z the control module 40 instructs the projector 50 to project the projected image 70A, or any other suitable image), and wherein the projection includes an indication of the minimum safe distance from the vehicle (Yan: Col. 5, lines 47-53; i.e., the lead vehicle 10 projects projected image 70A, which is a virtual, three-dimensional, image of a rear of the lead vehicle 10 projected above the road surface. The projected image 70A results in the driver of the following vehicle 110 seeing perceived distance Y between the vehicles 10 and 110, which is less than actual distance X).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the computer program product of Frimpong and Marti to have further incorporated wherein monitoring the contextual information includes detecting a location of a second vehicle in relation to the vehicle, wherein the condition includes the vehicles being closer than a minimum safe distance between the vehicles, and wherein the projection includes an indication of the minimum safe distance from the vehicle, as taught by Yan. Doing so would result in trailing vehicles stopping a safe distance away from the vehicle (Yan: Col. 5, lines 53-55; i.e., Therefore, the driver of the following vehicle 110 will likely stop a safe distance from the vehicle 10).
Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Frimpong in view of De Mola (U.S. Publication No. 2023/0303031; hereinafter De Mola), and further in view of Chang et al. (U.S. Publication No. 2020/0372735; hereinafter Chang).
Regarding claim 20, Frimpong teaches a vehicle, comprising: a computer; one or more projectors (Frimpong: Col. 4, lines 24-35; i.e., a vehicle 102 with a vehicle information device 104 installed… the vehicle information device 104 is envisaged to include … a control unit 1044 and a projector unit 1046);
one or more monitoring devices (Frimpong: Col. 4, lines 44-45; i.e., the data acquisition interface 1042 is configured to receive data corresponding to the vehicle);
and logic integrated with the computer, executable by the computer, or integrated with and executable by the computer, the logic being configured to (Frimpong: Col. 4, lines 4-6; i.e., a vehicle that collects data pertaining to the vehicle and uses internal logic to determine previous, present and future state of the vehicle):
monitor contextual information of the vehicle during operation thereof (Frimpong: Col. 7, lines 34-37; i.e., at step 210, the data acquisition interface 1042 receives data corresponding to the vehicle 102, the data being received for the plurality of attributes);
determine that a condition is met to project, by one or more of the projectors, a laser-based projection indicative of a contextual condition associated with the vehicle (Frimpong: Col. 7, lines 38-40; i.e., at step 220, the control unit 1044 determines the one or more of a previous, a current and a future state of the vehicle 102 from the data; Col. 6, lines 37-39; i.e., the hologram 1050 displays … “TURNIN RIGHT IN 50 m” (future state), of the vehicle 102; the system determines a projection condition is met, such as an upcoming turn; Col. 3, lines 33-35; i.e., the term “hologram” refers to an image reproduced from a pattern of interference produced by a split coherent beam of radiation (such as a laser));
and in response to the determination that the condition is met, project the laser-based projection indicative of the contextual condition (Frimpong: Col. 7, lines 40-43; i.e., at step 230, the projector unit 1046 displays the one or more of the previous, the current and the future state of the vehicle 102, in form of a hologram 1050 projected through the exterior of the vehicle 102).
Frimpong does not explicitly teach determine that a condition is met to project, by one or more of the projectors, a projection on a roadway near the vehicle indicative of a contextual condition associated with the vehicle, the condition including the determination that the vehicle is stolen; and in response to the determination that the condition is met, project the laser-based projection indicative of the contextual condition, the laser-based projection indicating notifying people in an area surrounding the vehicle about the theft of the vehicle.
However, in the same field of endeavor, De Mola teaches determine that a condition is met to project, by one or more of the projectors, a projection on a roadway near the vehicle indicative of a contextual condition associated with the vehicle, the condition including the determination that the vehicle is stolen; and in response to the determination that the condition is met, project the laser-based projection indicative of the contextual condition, the laser-based projection indicating notifying people in an area surrounding the vehicle about the theft of the vehicle (De Mola: Par. 22; i.e., a vehicle security device 116 supervises the security of the vehicle with different event sensors 118 that monitor the vehicle integrity and detect all attempts of a theft; Par. 28; i.e., In case of theft, the optional locator lights on the vehicle's side may project the information “stolen car” on the road surface).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the vehicle of Frimpong to have further incorporated determine that a condition is met to project, by one or more of the projectors, a projection on a roadway near the vehicle indicative of a contextual condition associated with the vehicle, the condition including the determination that the vehicle is stolen; and in response to the determination that the condition is met, project the laser-based projection indicative of the contextual condition, the laser-based projection indicating notifying people in an area surrounding the vehicle about the theft of the vehicle, as taught by De Mola. Doing so would notify nearby witnesses that the vehicle is stolen and could encourage the witnesses to notify authorities (De Mola: Par. 20; i.e., notifies to the surrounding environment that a theft is being attempted, while the stolen vehicle is moving, which could help to create more awareness of the on-going crime and could motivate witnesses to act to notify police or take other measures to foil the theft).
Additionally, Frimpong does not explicitly teach at least some of the contextual information being received from a steering wheel-mounted physiology sensor if the vehicle is stolen.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Chang teaches at least some of the contextual information being received from a steering wheel-mounted physiology sensor if the vehicle is stolen (Chang: Par. 24; i.e., If the smart phone 100 is stolen by a car thief and the car thief tries to use the smart phone 100 to open/start the vehicle 150, the detection module also detects and senses the physiological features of the car thief to generate PPG measurement signals of the car thief; Par. 38; i.e., the detection module 105 can be configured on the steering wheel… the person may hand on the steering wheel to drive the vehicle 150, and the detection module 105 and processing circuit 110 can be used to re-determine or reconfirm the identification of such person).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the vehicle of Frimpong to have further incorporated at least some of the contextual information being received from a steering wheel-mounted physiology sensor if the vehicle is stolen, as taught by Chang. Doing so would allow the system to transmit a message indicating the vehicle is stolen (Chang: Par. 40; i.e., the processing circuit 110 can start auto-dialing to call an emergency number and/or transmit a GNSS location message with a help message to the other persons).
Conclusion
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/BRANDON Z WILLIS/Examiner, Art Unit 3665
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