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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Shimoyama et al., hereinafter Shimoyama, US Publication No. 2011/0035721.
Regarding Claim 1, Shimoyama teaches a failure diagnosis assisting device to assist with diagnosis of a failure of a target apparatus (Shimoyama paragraphs [0003], [0016] and [0026], see wiring display system for use in determining causes of failure), the failure diagnosis assisting device comprising:
a display to display a circuit diagram illustrating electric connection between components of the target apparatus (Shimoyama paragraphs [0011], [0027] and [0032], see display unit that displays a wiring diagram);
a storage storing circuit diagram information including information to display the circuit diagram and design information included in the information to display the circuit diagram (Shimoyama paragraphs [0011], [0027]-[0032], see storage device storing an electronic manual including a wiring diagram, the wiring diagram including wiring diagrams for various large systems and their associated design information);
an operation receiver to receive an operation of selecting a connection terminal of a connector or a component of the target apparatus on the circuit diagram displayed by the display (Shimoyama paragraphs [0011], [0032]-[0035], wherein a user may select the large systems or the components of the large systems in the wiring diagram); and
a display controller configured or programmed to read from the circuit diagram information in the storage an item of the design information which item is on the selected component or the selected connection terminal and cause the display to display a diagnosis assisting diagram indicative of information corresponding to the item of the design information (Shimoyama paragraphs [0035]-[0037], wherein the display unit displays a diagnosis diagram in the wiring diagram, including highlighting wires directly connected to the selected component or to gray out components and wiring that are not selected to aid in diagnosis).
Regarding Claim 2, Shimoyama further teaches wherein the design information is associated with an element ID assigned to each component and connection terminal (Shimoyama paragraphs [0032]-[0035], wherein the plurality of components or large systems, e.g. Engine, Fuel, Emissions, ABC, etc… are named as such on the display and associated with respective wiring diagrams and their respective design information); and
the display controller is configured or programmed to read from the circuit diagram information an item of the design information which item corresponds to the element ID (Shimoyama paragraphs [0032]-[0037], wherein displaying the wiring diagrams reads in respective information on the selected large systems and components).
Regarding Claim 3, Shimoyama further teaches wherein the design information includes parts arrangement diagram information on a parts arrangement diagram indicating for each component an arrangement of the component and another component proximate to the component (Shimoyama paragraphs [0032]-[0038], wherein the arrangement of the components of each large system and their relation to each other is stored in the electric manual in the form of wiring diagrams); and
the display controller is configured or programmed to, in response to a component being selected, cause the display to switch from the circuit diagram to the parts arrangement diagram corresponding to the selected component based on the parts arrangement diagram information (Shimoyama paragraph [0034], wherein the wiring diagram of the selected large system is displayed).
Regarding Claim 4, Shimoyama further teaches wherein the design information includes connector information on a pin arrangement diagram for each connector as the component (Shimoyama paragraph [0036], wherein information on wires directedly connected to the pins of each component is included in the design information); and
the display controller is configured or programmed to, in response to a connection terminal being selected, cause the display to display together with the circuit diagram the pin arrangement diagram for a connector corresponding to the selected connection terminal based on the connector information (Shimoyama paragraphs [0035]-[0036], wherein when the component is selected, the wires directly connected to the pins of said selected component are highlighted).
Regarding Claim 5, Shimoyama further teaches wherein the display controller is configured or programmed to cause the display to highlight the selected connection terminal on the pin arrangement diagram (Shimoyama paragraph [0036], wherein the wires directly connected to the pins of the selected component are highlighted).
Regarding Claim 6, Shimoyama further teaches wherein the display controller is configured or programmed to cause the display to color the selected connection terminal to highlight the selected connection terminal (Shimoyama paragraph [0036], wherein highlighting includes coloring the wires, e.g. using red for edges).
Regarding Claim 7, Shimoyama further teaches wherein the failure diagnosis assisting device allows changing a color to add to the selected connection terminal (Shimoyama paragraph [0036], wherein the color of the wire may be changed to highlight it).
Regarding Claim 8, Shimoyama further teaches wherein the design information includes maintenance procedure information on a maintenance procedure for each component to inspect a failure of the component (Shimoyama paragraphs [0003] and [0019], wherein failure diagnosis follows a procedure, e.g. tracing wires); and
the display controller is configured or programmed to, in response to a component being selected, cause the display to display together with the circuit diagram, or switch from the circuit diagram to, a maintenance procedure manual indicative of a maintenance procedure corresponding to the selected component based on the maintenance procedure information (Shimoyama paragraphs [0016]-[0017], wherein the electric manual program displays highlights to aid in the failure diagnosis procedure).
Regarding Claim 9, Shimoyama further teaches wherein the design information includes, for each wire as the component, wiring information on a color for the wire (Shimoyama paragraph [0034], wherein the color of each wire is provided); and
the display controller is configured or programmed to, in response to a wire being selected as the component, add the color corresponding to the selected wire to the selected wire on the circuit diagram based on the wiring information for display of the diagnosis assisting diagram (Shimoyama paragraph [0034], wherein the color of each wire is displayed in the wiring diagram).
Regarding Claim 10, Shimoyama further teaches wherein the display controller is configured or programmed to, in response to a predetermined operation being performed, color all wires on the circuit diagram based on the wiring information (Shimoyama paragraphs [0034]-[0037], wherein based on the selected mode, the wires are colored differently).
Regarding Claim 11, Shimoyama further teaches wherein the color for the wire is a color of a jacket of the wire provided for the target apparatus (Shimoyama paragraph [0034], wherein the assigned color is the actual color of the wire in a vehicle).
Regarding Claim 12, Shimoyama further teaches wherein the color for the wire is predetermined in accordance with a function of the wire (Shimoyama paragraph [0034], wherein the colors of the wires are based on their functions).
Conclusion
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/ERIC D LEE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2851