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 .
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 February 18, 2026, has been entered.
Status of Claims
This Office action is in response to the amendments filed on February 18, 2026. Claims 1-3, 5-10, 12-16, and 18-20 are currently pending, with Claims 1, 8, 14, and 19-20 being amended, Claims 4, 17, and 21 being canceled.
Response to Amendments
In response to Applicant’s amendments, filed November 25, 2025, the Examiner withdraws the previous 35 U.S.C. 112(b) rejections, and withdraws the previous 35 U.S.C. 103 rejections.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, filed February 18, 2026, with respect to the rejections of Claims 1-10 and 12-21 under Lee, in view of Dyer, Bostick, Kundu, Brandon, and Efland, have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new grounds of rejection of Claims 1-3, 6-10, 12-16, and 18-20 is made in view of Rasmusson, Dumov, Kundu, Murray, Leary, Efland, and Bostick.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
Claims 1, 8, and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. Claims 2-3, 5-7, 9-10, 12-13, 15-16, and 18-20 are rejected due to their dependencies on Claims 1, 8, and 14, respectively. The claims contain subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 8, and 14 recite “wherein the pair configuration allows ‘…’ the second vehicle to exclusively open second vehicle sidedoors on a second side opposite the first vehicle …”. The written description does not provide support for controlling a second vehicle, such that the second vehicle can exclusively open certain doors. The written description at Paragraphs [0065], [0135] only states that “the modeling engine 164 uses this corpus to predict and identify a pattern for occupant offboarding and onboarding and vehicle parking in such a way that a first vehicle’s stop doesn’t interfere … with a second vehicle …” and “the process 800 includes determining 810 a location of one or more second vehicles 302 proximate to the occupant offboarding station. ‘…’ subject to the one or more second vehicles location determinations 810, the process 800 includes determining 812 an occupant offboarding location … for the first vehicle (302/614) proximate to the occupant offboarding station …”. The written description only provides for determining the location of the second vehicle in order to determine a parking configuration for the first vehicle.
Claims 1, 8, and 14 recite “wherein the minimum space utilization is determined based on identifying seat locations of first occupants of the first vehicle that are adjacent to the first vehicle sidedoors and seat locations of second occupants of the second vehicle that are adjacent to the second vehicle sidedoors …”. The written description provides for determining seating capacity of a vehicle, and that the occupants may exit a vehicle opposite from where their seat resides, and the “vehicle movement and position engine facilitates one or more occupant-centric functions that include, without limitation, identifying which occupants need to exit/enter the vehicle 302 at the destination … the vehicle movement and position engine 156/256 facilitates occupant-centric functions that include identifying for each vehicle the occupants’ profiles and the present, or intended, occupants’ positions in the vehicle to identify if the occupants can offboard or onboard from one side of the vehicle 302 or the other side …” (see at least Paragraphs [0096], [0111] of the written description). The written description does not provide support for determining the space utilization based on the seating position/ arrangement of the occupants, but instead provides support for determining a location/ side of the vehicle for which the passenger can enter or exit the vehicle.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1, 7-8, 14, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Publication No. 2018/0136656 A1, to Rasmusson, et al (hereinafter referred to as Rasmusson; previously of record), in view of U.S. Patent Publication No. 2020/0010051 A1, to Dumov (hereinafter referred to as Dumov; newly of record), in view of U.S. Patent No. 9,919,704 B1, to Kundu, et al (hereinafter referred to as Kundu; previously of record), in view of U.S. Patent Publication No. 2021/0053556 A1, to Murray, et al (hereinafter referred to as Murray; newly of record), and further in view of U.S. Patent Publication No. 2020/0408531 A1, to Leary, et al (hereinafter referred to as Leary; previously of record).
As per Claim 1, Rasmusson discloses the features of a computer system for enhancing offboarding of occupants associated with autonomous vehicles through augmented reality (AR) (e.g. Paragraphs [0026], [0035]; where an autonomous vehicle may provide to a user device, a display of graphical representations of potential pick-up and drop-off locations; and where the user device may be an augmented/ virtual reality device) comprising:
one or more processing devices; one or more memory devices communicatively and operably coupled to the one or more processing devices (e.g. Paragraphs [0017], [0053], [0055]; where the user device may be a mobile computing device such as a smartphone, tablet computer, or laptop computer; and where a computer system may encompass a computing device, and may perform one or more functions using embedded software, and includes a processor, memory, and storage);
an autonomous vehicles collaboration manager communicatively and operably coupled to the one or more processing devices (e.g. Paragraphs [0029], [0032]; where a computing device associated with the autonomous vehicle may receive vehicle sensor data to enable the autonomous vehicle to identify other objects and road data, and display a real-time situational awareness view associated with the ride); and
one or more AR devices communicatively and operably coupled to the autonomous vehicles collaboration manager (e.g. Paragraphs [0026], [0035]; where an autonomous vehicle may provide to a user device, a display of graphical representations of potential pick-up and drop-off locations; and where the user device may be an augmented/ virtual reality device), the autonomous vehicles collaboration manager configured to:
provide AR-based guidance to a first occupant to onboard a first vehicle (e.g. Paragraphs [0022], [0026], [0035]-[0036], [0038]; where an autonomous vehicle may provide to a user device, a display of graphical representations of potential pick-up and drop-off locations; and where the user device may be an augmented/ virtual reality device; and where the user device and/or the autonomous vehicle user interface device may display a situational awareness view of a current environment of the autonomous vehicle, including providing pick-up or drop-off location instructions to the user), wherein ‘…’
identify that the first vehicle is approaching an occupant offboarding station (e.g. Paragraphs [0035]; where, as the autonomous vehicle approaches a destination, the graphical interface may include graphical representations of drop-off locations), wherein
the first vehicle is an autonomous vehicle (e.g. Paragraph [0035]; where the vehicle is an autonomous vehicle);
determine a location of one or more second vehicles adjacent to the occupant offboarding station (e.g. Paragraphs [0029], [0040]; Figures 4-5; where the autonomous vehicle may identify objects in the surrounding external environment, such as vehicles, and identify the location of each object in a threshold distance of the autonomous vehicle and a safe parking space);
identify a pattern for making autonomous vehicle stops in the occupant offboarding station such that a first autonomous vehicle stop of the first vehicle does not interfere with one or more second autonomous vehicle stops of the one or more second vehicles (e.g. Paragraphs [0029], [0033], [0041]-[0042]; Figures 4-5; where the vehicle access historical data relating to past pick-up or drop-off locations for one or more past users within a particular threshold distance of the origin or destination, and the autonomous vehicle may access user specific or aggregate historical data for use in a current ride; and where the system may update its display in real-time to reflect the environment of the vehicle; and where the autonomous vehicle may identify objects in the surrounding external environment, such as vehicles, and identify the location of each object in a threshold distance of the autonomous vehicle and a safe parking space);
determine, subject to the pattern and the location of the one or more second vehicles, an occupant offboarding location for the first vehicle adjacent to the occupant offboarding station (e.g. Paragraphs [0040]-[0042]; where the autonomous vehicle may navigate to the location, determine the location of each object within a threshold distance of the autonomous vehicle, and then determine the locations and sizes of the negative spaces to determine a space where the vehicle may safely and legally stop, and the autonomous vehicle may determine and record factors such as the size of the location, lighting, distance, and historical data); ‘…’ and
stop the first vehicle adjacent to the occupant offboarding location through providing vehicular AR-based guidance to the first vehicle to stop (e.g. Paragraphs [0035]-[0036], [0051]; Figures 4-5; where the route indicator may be removed from the graphical interface as the vehicle nears the destination, and the route indicator may stop in the middle of the street in front of the destination; and where the as the autonomous vehicle approaches a destination, the drop-off location may be displayed on the autonomous vehicle user interface device, and the autonomous vehicle may navigate to the drop-off location to drop-off the passenger).
Rasmusson fails to disclose every feature of the AR-based guidance monitors a real time location of the first occupant traveling toward the first vehicle, and wherein a corresponding door is unlocked and opened based on the real time location of the first occupant relative to the first vehicle; leverage optimization techniques to ensure a minimum space utilization for the first vehicle to offboard a maximum number of occupants.
However, Dumov, in a similar field of endeavor, teaches the features of the AR-based guidance monitors a real time location of the first occupant traveling toward the first vehicle, and wherein a corresponding door is unlocked and opened based on the real time location of the first occupant relative to the first vehicle.
Dumov teaches a method for identifying and authenticating passengers, where the passenger and the autonomous vehicle can maintain a real-time information sharing with each other such as the current location of each other and an estimated arrival time; and where the vehicle computer can authenticate a user and unlock vehicle doors if the captured facial features match those in the passenger list, the correct passcode is provided to the vehicle by the passenger, or the mobile device of the user is authenticated for entry by the vehicle (e.g. Paragraphs [0037], [0052]-[0053], [0064], [0091]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the Applicant’s invention, with a reasonable expectation for success, to modify method for presenting pick-up and drop-off locations in the autonomous vehicle of Rasmusson, with the feature of monitoring the real0time location of the user in the system of Dumov, in order to enable the mobile device to discover and detect the autonomous vehicle and enable the passenger to identify the correct vehicle (See at least Paragraphs [0006], [0091] of Dumov).
Kundu, in a similar field of endeavor, teaches the features of leverage optimization techniques to ensure a minimum space utilization for the first vehicle to offboard a maximum number of occupants.
Kundu teaches a method for parking a self-driving vehicle, where the self-driving car (SDC) system adjusts its autonomous parking module to ameliorate a road hazard, and reduce a risk of a vehicle occupant disembarking into a road hazard, such as other vehicles, fixed obstacles, traffic density, etc.; and the processor determines an optimal decision based on information regarding a person, vehicle, or degree of hazard, and based on the determination of multiple occupants in the vehicle, such that the cost function may optimize the process to allow each occupant to disembark while minimally interacting with the road hazard and the vehicle may position itself to offset the door from detected objects (e.g. Col. 7 lines 61-64; Col. 9 line 40 – Col. 10 line 12; Col. 11 lines 11-18).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the Applicant’s invention, with a reasonable expectation for success, to further modify the method for presenting pick-up and drop-off locations in the autonomous vehicle of Rasmusson, in view of Dumov, with the feature of optimizing parking spaces in the system of Bostick, in order to improve safety and reduce the risk of the vehicle being damaged (see at least Col. 7 lines 60-64 of Kundu).
Rasmusson further fails to disclose every feature of wherein the minimum space utilization is realized by stopping the first vehicle adjacent to a second vehicle in a pair configuration, wherein the pair configuration allows the first vehicle to exclusively open first vehicle sidedoors on a first side opposite the second vehicle and the second vehicle to exclusively open second vehicle sidedoors on a second side opposite the first vehicle, wherein the minimum space utilization is determined based on identifying seat locations of first occupants of the first vehicle that are adjacent to the first vehicle sidedoors and seat locations of second occupants of the second vehicle that are adjacent to the second vehicle sidedoors.
However, Murray, in a similar field of endeavor, teaches the features of wherein the minimum space utilization is realized by stopping the first vehicle adjacent to a second vehicle in a pair configuration, wherein the pair configuration allows the first vehicle to exclusively open first vehicle sidedoors on a first side opposite the second vehicle and the second vehicle to exclusively open second vehicle sidedoors on a second side opposite the first vehicle.
Murray teaches a method for obtaining information from a plurality of vehicles for conducting parking operations of a vehicle, where the autonomous vehicle may be parked next to another vehicle such that access to and/or opening of at least one door of a first vehicle is prevented by proximity to a second vehicle in the environment (e.g. Paragraph [0024]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the Applicant’s invention, with a reasonable expectation for success, to further modify the method for presenting pick-up and drop-off locations in the autonomous vehicle of Rasmusson, in view of Dumov, and Kundu, with the feature of parking next to another vehicle and opening certain doors in the system if Murray, in order to determine the optimal parking arrangement for vehicles (see at least Paragraph [0058] of Murray).
Leary, in a similar field of endeavor, further teaches the features of wherein the minimum space utilization is determined based on identifying seat locations of first occupants of the first vehicle that are adjacent to the first vehicle sidedoors and seat locations of second occupants of the second vehicle that are adjacent to the second vehicle sidedoors.
Leary teaches a method for providing riders of autonomous vehicles with augmented navigation information, where the vehicle can instruct the passenger on how and where to exit the vehicle based on safety factors, convenience, optimal location to exit the vehicle, and may instruct a user sitting in a rear left seat to use the rear right door to exit the vehicle to avoid incoming traffic or and/or place the passenger at an optimal location to reach the final destination in the shortest time and/or with the most ease (e.g. Paragraphs [0107]-[0108], [0132]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the Applicant’s invention, with a reasonable expectation for success, to further modify the method for presenting pick-up and drop-off locations in the autonomous vehicle of Rasmusson, in view of Dumov, Kundu, and Murray, with the feature of determining a location to offboard a passenger in the system of Leary, in order to provide the easiest/best access to the optimal egress location (see at least Paragraph [0102] of Leary).
As per Claim 8, Rasmusson discloses the features of a computer program product for enhancing offboarding of occupants associated with autonomous vehicles through augmented reality (AR) (e.g. Paragraphs [0026], [0035]; where an autonomous vehicle may provide to a user device, a display of graphical representations of potential pick-up and drop-off locations; and where the user device may be an augmented/ virtual reality device) comprising:
one or more computer readable storage media; and program instructions collectively stored on the one or more computer readable storage media (e.g. Paragraphs [0017], [0053], [0055]; where the user device may be a mobile computing device such as a smartphone, tablet computer, or laptop computer; and where a computer system may encompass a computing device, and may perform one or more functions using embedded software, and includes a processor, memory, and storage), the program instructions comprising: program instructions to
provide AR-based guidance to a first occupant to onboard a first vehicle (e.g. Paragraphs [0022], [0026], [0035]-[0036], [0038]; where an autonomous vehicle may provide to a user device, a display of graphical representations of potential pick-up and drop-off locations; and where the user device may be an augmented/ virtual reality device; and where the user device and/or the autonomous vehicle user interface device may display a situational awareness view of a current environment of the autonomous vehicle, including providing pick-up or drop-off location instructions to the user), wherein ‘…’ program instructions to
identify that the first vehicle is approaching an occupant offboarding station (e.g. Paragraphs [0035]; where, as the autonomous vehicle approaches a destination, the graphical interface may include graphical representations of drop-off locations), wherein
the first vehicle is an autonomous vehicle (e.g. Paragraph [0035]; where the vehicle is an autonomous vehicle); program instructions to
determine a location of one or more second vehicles adjacent to the occupant offboarding station (e.g. Paragraphs [0029], [0040]; Figures 4-5; where the autonomous vehicle may identify objects in the surrounding external environment, such as vehicles, and identify the location of each object in a threshold distance of the autonomous vehicle and a safe parking space); program instructions to
identify a pattern for making autonomous vehicle stops in the occupant offboarding station such that a first autonomous vehicle stop of the first vehicle does not interfere with one or more second autonomous vehicle stops of the one or more second vehicles (e.g. Paragraphs [0029], [0033], [0041]-[0042]; Figures 4-5; where the vehicle access historical data relating to past pick-up or drop-off locations for one or more past users within a particular threshold distance of the origin or destination, and the autonomous vehicle may access user specific or aggregate historical data for use in a current ride; and where the system may update its display in real-time to reflect the environment of the vehicle; and where the autonomous vehicle may identify objects in the surrounding external environment, such as vehicles, and identify the location of each object in a threshold distance of the autonomous vehicle and a safe parking space); program instructions to
determine, subject to the pattern and the location of the one or more second vehicles, an occupant offboarding location for the first vehicle adjacent to the occupant offboarding station (e.g. Paragraphs [0040]-[0042]; where the autonomous vehicle may navigate to the location, determine the location of each object within a threshold distance of the autonomous vehicle, and then determine the locations and sizes of the negative spaces to determine a space where the vehicle may safely and legally stop, and the autonomous vehicle may determine and record factors such as the size of the location, lighting, distance, and historical data); ‘…’ and program instructions to
stop the first vehicle adjacent to the occupant offboarding location through providing vehicular AR-based guidance to the first vehicle to stop (e.g. Paragraphs [0035]-[0036], [0051]; Figures 4-5; where the route indicator may be removed from the graphical interface as the vehicle nears the destination, and the route indicator may stop in the middle of the street in front of the destination; and where the as the autonomous vehicle approaches a destination, the drop-off location may be displayed on the autonomous vehicle user interface device, and the autonomous vehicle may navigate to the drop-off location to drop-off the passenger).
Rasmusson fails to disclose every feature of the AR-based guidance monitors a real time location of the first occupant traveling toward the first vehicle, and wherein a corresponding door is unlocked and opened based on the real time location of the first occupant relative to the first vehicle; leverage optimization techniques to ensure a minimum space utilization for the first vehicle to offboard a maximum number of occupants.
However, Dumov, in a similar field of endeavor, teaches the features of the AR-based guidance monitors a real time location of the first occupant traveling toward the first vehicle, and wherein a corresponding door is unlocked and opened based on the real time location of the first occupant relative to the first vehicle.
Dumov teaches a method for identifying and authenticating passengers, where the passenger and the autonomous vehicle can maintain a real-time information sharing with each other such as the current location of each other and an estimated arrival time; and where the vehicle computer can authenticate a user and unlock vehicle doors if the captured facial features match those in the passenger list, the correct passcode is provided to the vehicle by the passenger, or the mobile device of the user is authenticated for entry by the vehicle (e.g. Paragraphs [0037], [0052]-[0053], [0064], [0091]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the Applicant’s invention, with a reasonable expectation for success, to modify method for presenting pick-up and drop-off locations in the autonomous vehicle of Rasmusson, with the feature of monitoring the real0time location of the user in the system of Dumov, in order to enable the mobile device to discover and detect the autonomous vehicle and enable the passenger to identify the correct vehicle (See at least Paragraphs [0006], [0091] of Dumov).
Kundu, in a similar field of endeavor, teaches the features of leverage optimization techniques to ensure a minimum space utilization for the first vehicle to offboard a maximum number of occupants.
Kundu teaches a method for parking a self-driving vehicle, where the self-driving car (SDC) system adjusts its autonomous parking module to ameliorate a road hazard, and reduce a risk of a vehicle occupant disembarking into a road hazard, such as other vehicles, fixed obstacles, traffic density, etc.; and the processor determines an optimal decision based on information regarding a person, vehicle, or degree of hazard, and based on the determination of multiple occupants in the vehicle, such that the cost function may optimize the process to allow each occupant to disembark while minimally interacting with the road hazard and the vehicle may position itself to offset the door from detected objects (e.g. Col. 7 lines 61-64; Col. 9 line 40 – Col. 10 line 12; Col. 11 lines 11-18).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the Applicant’s invention, with a reasonable expectation for success, to further modify the method for presenting pick-up and drop-off locations in the autonomous vehicle of Rasmusson, in view of Dumov, with the feature of optimizing parking spaces in the system of Bostick, in order to improve safety and reduce the risk of the vehicle being damaged (see at least Col. 7 lines 60-64 of Kundu).
Rasmusson further fails to disclose every feature of wherein the minimum space utilization is realized by stopping the first vehicle adjacent to a second vehicle in a pair configuration, wherein the pair configuration allows the first vehicle to exclusively open first vehicle sidedoors on a first side opposite the second vehicle and the second vehicle to exclusively open second vehicle sidedoors on a second side opposite the first vehicle, wherein the minimum space utilization is determined based on identifying seat locations of first occupants of the first vehicle that are adjacent to the first vehicle sidedoors and seat locations of second occupants of the second vehicle that are adjacent to the second vehicle sidedoors.
However, Murray, in a similar field of endeavor, teaches the features of wherein the minimum space utilization is realized by stopping the first vehicle adjacent to a second vehicle in a pair configuration, wherein the pair configuration allows the first vehicle to exclusively open first vehicle sidedoors on a first side opposite the second vehicle and the second vehicle to exclusively open second vehicle sidedoors on a second side opposite the first vehicle.
Murray teaches a method for obtaining information from a plurality of vehicles for conducting parking operations of a vehicle, where the autonomous vehicle may be parked next to another vehicle such that access to and/or opening of at least one door of a first vehicle is prevented by proximity to a second vehicle in the environment (e.g. Paragraph [0024]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the Applicant’s invention, with a reasonable expectation for success, to further modify the method for presenting pick-up and drop-off locations in the autonomous vehicle of Rasmusson, in view of Dumov, and Kundu, with the feature of parking next to another vehicle and opening certain doors in the system if Murray, in order to determine the optimal parking arrangement for vehicles (see at least Paragraph [0058] of Murray).
Leary, in a similar field of endeavor, further teaches the features of wherein the minimum space utilization is determined based on identifying seat locations of first occupants of the first vehicle that are adjacent to the first vehicle sidedoors and seat locations of second occupants of the second vehicle that are adjacent to the second vehicle sidedoors.
Leary teaches a method for providing riders of autonomous vehicles with augmented navigation information, where the vehicle can instruct the passenger on how and where to exit the vehicle based on safety factors, convenience, optimal location to exit the vehicle, and may instruct a user sitting in a rear left seat to use the rear right door to exit the vehicle to avoid incoming traffic or and/or place the passenger at an optimal location to reach the final destination in the shortest time and/or with the most ease (e.g. Paragraphs [0107]-[0108], [0132]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the Applicant’s invention, with a reasonable expectation for success, to further modify the method for presenting pick-up and drop-off locations in the autonomous vehicle of Rasmusson, in view of Dumov, Kundu, and Murray, with the feature of determining a location to offboard a passenger in the system of Leary, in order to provide the easiest/best access to the optimal egress location (see at least Paragraph [0102] of Leary).
As per Claim 14, Rasmusson discloses the features of a computer-implemented method for enhancing offboarding of occupants associated with autonomous vehicles through augmented reality (AR) e.g. Paragraphs [0026], [0035]; where an autonomous vehicle may provide to a user device, a display of graphical representations of potential pick-up and drop-off locations; and where the user device may be an augmented/ virtual reality device) comprising:
providing AR-based guidance to a first occupant to onboard a first vehicle (e.g. Paragraphs [0022], [0026], [0035]-[0036], [0038]; where an autonomous vehicle may provide to a user device, a display of graphical representations of potential pick-up and drop-off locations; and where the user device may be an augmented/ virtual reality device; and where the user device and/or the autonomous vehicle user interface device may display a situational awareness view of a current environment of the autonomous vehicle, including providing pick-up or drop-off location instructions to the user), wherein ‘…’
identifying that the first vehicle is approaching an occupant offboarding station (e.g. Paragraphs [0035]; where, as the autonomous vehicle approaches a destination, the graphical interface may include graphical representations of drop-off locations), wherein
the first vehicle is an autonomous vehicle (e.g. Paragraph [0035]; where the vehicle is an autonomous vehicle);
determining a location of one or more second vehicles adjacent to the occupant offboarding station (e.g. Paragraphs [0029], [0040]; Figures 4-5; where the autonomous vehicle may identify objects in the surrounding external environment, such as vehicles, and identify the location of each object in a threshold distance of the autonomous vehicle and a safe parking space);
identifying a pattern for making autonomous vehicle stops in the occupant offboarding station such that a first autonomous vehicle stop of the first vehicle does not interfere with one or more second autonomous vehicle stops of the one or more second vehicles (e.g. Paragraphs [0029], [0033], [0041]-[0042]; Figures 4-5; where the vehicle access historical data relating to past pick-up or drop-off locations for one or more past users within a particular threshold distance of the origin or destination, and the autonomous vehicle may access user specific or aggregate historical data for use in a current ride; and where the system may update its display in real-time to reflect the environment of the vehicle; and where the autonomous vehicle may identify objects in the surrounding external environment, such as vehicles, and identify the location of each object in a threshold distance of the autonomous vehicle and a safe parking space);
determining, subject to the pattern and the location of the one or more second vehicles, an occupant offboarding location for the first vehicle adjacent to the occupant offboarding station (e.g. Paragraphs [0040]-[0042]; where the autonomous vehicle may navigate to the location, determine the location of each object within a threshold distance of the autonomous vehicle, and then determine the locations and sizes of the negative spaces to determine a space where the vehicle may safely and legally stop, and the autonomous vehicle may determine and record factors such as the size of the location, lighting, distance, and historical data); and ‘…’
stopping the first vehicle adjacent to the occupant offboarding location, comprising: providing vehicular AR-based guidance to the first vehicle to stop (e.g. Paragraphs [0035]-[0036], [0051]; Figures 4-5; where the route indicator may be removed from the graphical interface as the vehicle nears the destination, and the route indicator may stop in the middle of the street in front of the destination; and where the as the autonomous vehicle approaches a destination, the drop-off location may be displayed on the autonomous vehicle user interface device, and the autonomous vehicle may navigate to the drop-off location to drop-off the passenger).
Rasmusson fails to disclose every feature of the AR-based guidance monitors a real time location of the first occupant traveling toward the first vehicle, and wherein a corresponding door is unlocked and opened based on the real time location of the first occupant relative to the first vehicle; leverage optimization techniques to ensure a minimum space utilization for the first vehicle to offboard a maximum number of occupants.
However, Dumov, in a similar field of endeavor, teaches the features of the AR-based guidance monitors a real time location of the first occupant traveling toward the first vehicle, and wherein a corresponding door is unlocked and opened based on the real time location of the first occupant relative to the first vehicle.
Dumov teaches a method for identifying and authenticating passengers, where the passenger and the autonomous vehicle can maintain a real-time information sharing with each other such as the current location of each other and an estimated arrival time; and where the vehicle computer can authenticate a user and unlock vehicle doors if the captured facial features match those in the passenger list, the correct passcode is provided to the vehicle by the passenger, or the mobile device of the user is authenticated for entry by the vehicle (e.g. Paragraphs [0037], [0052]-[0053], [0064], [0091]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the Applicant’s invention, with a reasonable expectation for success, to modify method for presenting pick-up and drop-off locations in the autonomous vehicle of Rasmusson, with the feature of monitoring the real0time location of the user in the system of Dumov, in order to enable the mobile device to discover and detect the autonomous vehicle and enable the passenger to identify the correct vehicle (See at least Paragraphs [0006], [0091] of Dumov).
Kundu, in a similar field of endeavor, teaches the features of leverage optimization techniques to ensure a minimum space utilization for the first vehicle to offboard a maximum number of occupants.
Kundu teaches a method for parking a self-driving vehicle, where the self-driving car (SDC) system adjusts its autonomous parking module to ameliorate a road hazard, and reduce a risk of a vehicle occupant disembarking into a road hazard, such as other vehicles, fixed obstacles, traffic density, etc.; and the processor determines an optimal decision based on information regarding a person, vehicle, or degree of hazard, and based on the determination of multiple occupants in the vehicle, such that the cost function may optimize the process to allow each occupant to disembark while minimally interacting with the road hazard and the vehicle may position itself to offset the door from detected objects (e.g. Col. 7 lines 61-64; Col. 9 line 40 – Col. 10 line 12; Col. 11 lines 11-18).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the Applicant’s invention, with a reasonable expectation for success, to further modify the method for presenting pick-up and drop-off locations in the autonomous vehicle of Rasmusson, in view of Dumov, with the feature of optimizing parking spaces in the system of Bostick, in order to improve safety and reduce the risk of the vehicle being damaged (see at least Col. 7 lines 60-64 of Kundu).
Rasmusson further fails to disclose every feature of wherein the minimum space utilization is realized by stopping the first vehicle adjacent to a second vehicle in a pair configuration, wherein the pair configuration allows the first vehicle to exclusively open first vehicle sidedoors on a first side opposite the second vehicle and the second vehicle to exclusively open second vehicle sidedoors on a second side opposite the first vehicle, wherein the minimum space utilization is determined based on identifying seat locations of first occupants of the first vehicle that are adjacent to the first vehicle sidedoors and seat locations of second occupants of the second vehicle that are adjacent to the second vehicle sidedoors.
However, Murray, in a similar field of endeavor, teaches the features of wherein the minimum space utilization is realized by stopping the first vehicle adjacent to a second vehicle in a pair configuration, wherein the pair configuration allows the first vehicle to exclusively open first vehicle sidedoors on a first side opposite the second vehicle and the second vehicle to exclusively open second vehicle sidedoors on a second side opposite the first vehicle.
Murray teaches a method for obtaining information from a plurality of vehicles for conducting parking operations of a vehicle, where the autonomous vehicle may be parked next to another vehicle such that access to and/or opening of at least one door of a first vehicle is prevented by proximity to a second vehicle in the environment (e.g. Paragraph [0024]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the Applicant’s invention, with a reasonable expectation for success, to further modify the method for presenting pick-up and drop-off locations in the autonomous vehicle of Rasmusson, in view of Dumov, and Kundu, with the feature of parking next to another vehicle and opening certain doors in the system if Murray, in order to determine the optimal parking arrangement for vehicles (see at least Paragraph [0058] of Murray).
Leary, in a similar field of endeavor, further teaches the features of the minimum space utilization is determined based on identifying seat locations of first occupants of the first vehicle that are adjacent to the first vehicle sidedoors and seat locations of second occupants of the second vehicle that are adjacent to the second vehicle sidedoors.
Leary teaches a method for providing riders of autonomous vehicles with augmented navigation information, where the vehicle can instruct the passenger on how and where to exit the vehicle based on safety factors, convenience, optimal location to exit the vehicle, and may instruct a user sitting in a rear left seat to use the rear right door to exit the vehicle to avoid incoming traffic or and/or place the passenger at an optimal location to reach the final destination in the shortest time and/or with the most ease (e.g. Paragraphs [0107]-[0108], [0132]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the Applicant’s invention, with a reasonable expectation for success, to further modify the method for presenting pick-up and drop-off locations in the autonomous vehicle of Rasmusson, in view of Dumov, Kundu, and Murray, with the feature of determining a location to offboard a passenger in the system of Leary, in order to provide the easiest/best access to the optimal egress location (see at least Paragraph [0102] of Leary).
As per Claim 7, and similarly for Claim 20, Rasmusson, in view of Dumov, Kundu, Murray, and Leary, teaches the features of Claim 1 and 14, respectively, and Rasmusson further teaches the features of wherein the autonomous vehicles collaboration manager is further configured to: provide the vehicular AR-based guidance as virtual objects configured to guide the first vehicle to the occupant offboarding location (e.g. Figures 3-4; where an augmented display is provided to guide the vehicle to an offboarding location).
Claims 2-3, 5, 9-10, 12, 15-16, and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Rasmusson, in view of Dumov, Kundu, Murray, and Leary, as applied to Claims 1, 8 and 14, above, and further in view of U.S. Patent No. 11,137,263 B1, to Efland (hereinafter referred to as Efland; previously of record).
As per Claim 2, and similarly for Claims 9 and 15, Rasmusson, in view of Dumov, Kundu, Murray, and Leary, teaches the features of Claims 1, 8, and 14, respectively, but the combination of Rasmusson, in view of Dumov, Kundu, Murray, and Leary, fails to teach every feature of wherein the autonomous vehicles collaboration manager is further configured to: provide occupant AR-based guidance to one or more occupants of the first vehicle to offboard the first vehicle.
However, Efland, in a similar field of endeavor, teaches a system for providing virtual navigation guidance, where the user determines pick-up/drop-off locations, direction to the appropriate elevator, a path from the security area to a gate associated with a flight to be taken by the traveler; and the navigation system instructs the user how to board the train, or once the user us on the train, when the user should exit the train to arrive at the destination location; and the navigation guidance system can provide user instructions regarding the appropriate time to enter or exit and elevator, by providing an augmented reality overlay (e.g. Col. 7 lines 62-63; Col. 8 lines 9-13; Col. 9 lines 7-15).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the Applicant’s invention, with a reasonable expectation for success, to further modify the method for presenting pick-up and drop-off locations in the autonomous vehicle of Rasmusson, in view of Dumov, Kundu, Murray, and Leary, with the feature of providing guidance for a user to board a vehicle in the system of Efland, in order to guide a user to the correct location to board (see at least Col. 13 lines 50-64 of Efland).
As per Claim 3, and similarly for Claims 10 and 16, Rasmusson, in view of Dumov, Kundu, Murray, and Leary, teaches the features of Claims 2, 9, and 15, respectively, but Rasmusson fails to teach every feature of wherein the autonomous vehicles collaboration manager is further configured to: provide the occupant AR-based guidance as a first person view (FPV) through an AR device worn by the one or more occupants.
Leary teaches the features of wherein the autonomous vehicles collaboration manager is further configured to: provide the occupant AR-based guidance ‘…’ through an AR device worn by the one or more occupants.
Leary teaches a method for providing riders of autonomous vehicles with augmented navigation information, where the remote computing system can include a rideshare service configured to interact with ridesharing applications on a computing device, and the computing device can be a passenger or client computing device, which can be a tablet computer, a smartphone, a head-mounted display, a gaming system, a smart wearable item etc., and the vehicle may provide augmented reality (AR) experiences to the user through the user device in order to guide or assist the user in reaching the final destination (e.g. Paragraphs [0025], [0043]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the Applicant’s invention, with a reasonable expectation for success, to further modify the method for presenting pick-up and drop-off locations in the autonomous vehicle of Rasmusson, in view of Dumov, Kundu, and Murray, with the feature of providing AR-based guidance through a wearable device in the system of Leary, in order to provide instructions for guiding the user to the final destination (see at least Paragraph [0025] of Leary).
Efland further teaches the features of wherein the autonomous vehicles collaboration manager is further configured to: provide the occupant AR-based guidance as a first person view (FPV) through an AR device ‘…’.
Efland teaches a system for providing virtual navigation guidance, where an augmented reality interface generates augmented reality navigation guidance indicators, which are overlaid on the display, and comprise a first-person view augmented reality guidance to the user (e.g. Col. 1 lines 49-59).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the Applicant’s invention, with a reasonable expectation for success, to further modify the method for presenting pick-up and drop-off locations in the autonomous vehicle of Rasmusson, in view of Dumov, Kundu, Murray, and Leary, with the feature of providing first-person view guidance for a user to board a vehicle in the system of Efland, in order to provide specific, dynamic information to guide the user (see at least Col. 3 lines 10-16; Col. 9 lines 1-25 of Efland).
As per Claim 5, and similarly for Claims 12 and 18, Rasmusson, in view of Dumov, Kundu, Murray, and Leary, teaches the features of Claims 1, 8, and 14, respectively, but the combination of Rasmusson, in view of Dumov, Kundu, Murray, and Leary, fails to teach every features of wherein the autonomous vehicles collaboration manager is further configured to: provide the vehicular AR-based guidance as an overhead view display of the first vehicle.
Efland teaches a system for providing virtual navigation guidance, where the guidance information may be a first-person review, or may be a preview that shows a birds-eye view from above (e.g. Col. 10 lines 54-59).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the Applicant’s invention, with a reasonable expectation for success, to further modify the method for presenting pick-up and drop-off locations in the autonomous vehicle of Rasmusson, in view of Dumov, Kundu, Murray, and Leary, with the feature of providing first-person view guidance for a user to board a vehicle in the system of Efland, in order to provide specific, dynamic information to guide the user (see at least Col. 3 lines 10-16; Col. 9 lines 1-25 of Efland).
Claims 6, 13, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Rasmusson, in view of Dumov, Kundu, Murray, and Leary, as applied to Claims 1, 8, and 14, above, and further in view of U.S. Patent Publication No. 2017/0076603 A1, to Bostick, et al (hereinafter referred to as Bostick; previously of record), in view of U.S. Patent Publication No. 2023/0054771 A1, to Brandon, et al (hereinafter referred to as Brandon; previously of record).
As per Claim 6, and similarly for Claim 19, Rasmusson, in view of Dumov, Kundu, Murray, and Leary, teaches the features of Claims 1 and 14, respectively, and Lee further teaches the features of wherein the autonomous vehicles collaboration manager is further configured to: induce the first vehicle to collaborate with the one or more second vehicles by sharing vehicle dimensions, door dimensions, and a range of door opening angles, wherein at least a portion of the one or more second vehicles are autonomous vehicles.
However, Bostick, in a similar field of endeavor, teaches the features of induce the first vehicle to collaborate with the one or more second vehicles by sharing vehicle dimensions, door dimensions, and a range of door opening angles. Bostick teaches a method for determining a parking position of a vehicle, where the system can determine a risk factor for a vehicle, including the vehicle’s overall size, door size, door type, condition, distance to an adjacent vehicle, etc. and vehicle identification information of other vehicles ban be obtained, such as dimensions, door clearance, etc. (e.g. Paragraphs [0061]-[0062], [0074]; Figure 4).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the Applicant’s invention, with a reasonable expectation for success, to further modify the autonomous vehicle system of Lee, in view of Dyer, with the feature of determining vehicle dimensions in the system of Bostick, in order to determine risk levels when looking to park in an available space (See at least Paragraph [0062] Bostick).
Brandon further teaches the features of wherein at least a portion of the one or more second vehicles are autonomous vehicles. Brandon teaches an augmented reality system for an autonomous vehicle, where the sensor suite (102) onboard the vehicle (110) can be used to detect nearby autonomous vehicles (e.g. Paragraph [0030]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the Applicant’s invention, with a reasonable expectation for success, to further modify the autonomous vehicle system of Lee, in view of Dyer, Bostick, and Kundu, with the feature of detecting other autonomous vehicles in the system of Brandon, in order track the movement of the vehicles and communicate with other vehicles (See at least Paragraphs [0030] and [0062] of Brandon).
As per Claim 13, Rasmusson, in view of Dumov, Kundu, Murray, and Leary, teaches the features of Claim 8, and Rasmusson further teaches the features of ‘…’ wherein the autonomous vehicles collaboration manager is further configured to: provide the vehicular AR-based guidance as virtual objects configured to guide the first vehicle to the occupant offboarding location (e.g. Figures 3-4; where an augmented display is provided to guide the vehicle to an offboarding location).
The combination of Rasmusson, in view of Dumov, Kundu, Murray, and Leary, fails to teach every feature of program instructions to induce the first vehicle to collaborate with the one or more second vehicles by sharing vehicle dimensions, door dimensions, and a range of door opening angles, wherein at least a portion of the one or more second vehicles are autonomous vehicles.
However, Bostick, in a similar field of endeavor, teaches the features of program instructions to induce the first vehicle to collaborate with the one or more second vehicles by sharing vehicle dimensions, door dimensions, and a range of door opening angles.
Bostick teaches a method for determining a parking position of a vehicle, where the system can determine a risk factor for a vehicle, including the vehicle’s overall size, door size, door type, condition, distance to an adjacent vehicle, etc. and vehicle identification information of other vehicles ban be obtained, such as dimensions, door clearance, etc. (e.g. Paragraphs [0061]-[0062], [0074]; Figure 4).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the Applicant’s invention, with a reasonable expectation for success, to further modify the method for presenting pick-up and drop-off locations in the autonomous vehicle of Rasmusson, in view of Dumov, Kundu, Murray, and Leary, with the feature of determining vehicle dimensions in the system of Bostick, in order to determine risk levels when looking to park in an available space (See at least Paragraph [0062] Bostick).
Brandon further teaches the features of wherein at least a portion of the one or more second vehicles are autonomous vehicles. Brandon teaches an augmented reality system for an autonomous vehicle, where the sensor suite (102) onboard the vehicle (110) can be used to detect nearby autonomous vehicles (e.g. Paragraph [0030]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the Applicant’s invention, with a reasonable expectation for success, to further modify the method for presenting pick-up and drop-off locations in the autonomous vehicle of Rasmusson, in view of Dumov, Kundu, Murray, and Leary, with the feature of detecting other autonomous vehicles in the system of Brandon, in order track the movement of the vehicles and communicate with other vehicles (See at least Paragraphs [0030] and [0062] of Brandon).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Anderson, et al (U.S. 2018/0362082 A1), which teaches a method for conducting vehicle parking based on customizing egress requirements for passengers.
Taveira, et al (U.S. 2022/0221867 A1), which teaches a method for determining drop-off and pick-up locations for passengers of vehicles based on the presence of hazards near the parking location.
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/MERRITT LEVY/Examiner, Art Unit 3663
/ABBY J FLYNN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3663
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