DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed 10/29/2025 is being entered. Claims 1, 7, 16, 19, and 20 are amended. Claim 2, 6, 9 are canceled. Claim 21-23 are new. Claims 1, 3-5, 7, 8, and 10-23 are pending, and rejected as detailed below.
Response to Arguments
Claim Rejections Under 35 U.S.C.§ 112(a), (b)
Applicant’s arguments, see page 8, filed 10/29/2025, with respect to claims 1, 19, and 20 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The 35 U.S.C. 112(a) claim rejections of 1, 19, and 20 have been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments, see page 8, filed 10/29/2025, with respect to claims 1, 19, and 20 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The 35 U.S.C. 112(b) claim rejections of 1, 19, and 20 have been withdrawn.
Claim Rejections Under 35 U.S. C.§103
Applicant respectfully argues that Deharde discloses that the temperature and humidity inside the cabin may be "monitored and adapted" for the well-being of the one or more passengers, Deharde fails to teach or suggest that his cabin temperature may be determined based on both the ambient conditions inside the cabin and the ambient conditions outside the cabin. Moreover, none of the remaining references cures Deharde's and Pihlsgard's deficiencies.
Applicant’s arguments, as amended herein, with respect to the rejections of claims 1, 19 and 20 under 35 U.S.C. §103 have been fully considered and are not persuasive as previously applied reference Deharde (WO 2023036415 A1) teaches that the sensor data collected from the inside or the cabin and the outside of the cabin. In particular, claims 1, 19, and 20 are addressed in the instant office action with respect to both the ambient conditions inside the cabin and the ambient conditions outside the cabin.
Furthermore, Applicant respectfully argues that neither Deharde nor Pihlsgard, taken either singly or in combination, teaches or suggests displaying, on a display of the vehicle, an occupancy alert based on the presence of the animal in the vehicle, as recited by Claims 1, 19, and 20. Deharde and Pihlsgard are silent with respect to this feature. Moreover, none of the remaining references cures Deharde's and Pihlsgard's deficiencies.
Applicant’s arguments, as amended herein, with respect to the rejections of claims 1, 19 and 20 under 35 U.S.C. §103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made under 35 U.S.C. §103 in view of the combination of references Deharde, Pihlsgard, and Ferreira. In particular, claims 1, 19, and 20 are addressed in the instant office action with respect to displaying an occupancy alert.
Accordingly, Applicant argues that Claims 1, 19, and 20 are allowable over the cited references, at least for the reasons discussed above. Furthermore, Claims 3-5, 7, 8, 10-18, and 21, depending from Claim 1, Claim 22, depending from Claim 19, and Claim 23, depending from Claim 20, are also allowable, at least for the reasons discussed above.
Applicant’s arguments, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) Claims 3-5, 7, 8, 10-18, and 21, depending from Claim 1, Claim 22, depending from Claim 19, and Claim 23, depending from Claim 20 as allegedly being unpatentable over Deharde's and Pihlsgard's deficiencies have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection for dependent claims 3-5, 7, 8, 10-18, and 21-23 are made in view of the combination of reference Deharde, Pihlsgard, and Ferreira of the corresponding independent claim. In particular, claims 3-5, 7, 8, 10-18, and 21-23 are addressed in the instant office action.
Examiner note:
The following limitation displaying, on the display, a pet-mode user interface comprising information indicating an environment in the particular climate zone that is occupied by the animal in claim 1 is rejected based on the combination of Deharde, PIHLSGÅRD, and Ferreira within the instant office action.
However, the limitation displaying, on the display, a pet-mode user interface comprising information indicating an environment in the particular climate zone that is occupied by the animal in claim 1 can also be rejected based on the combination of Deharde, PIHLSGÅRD, Ferreira, and Pierce. More specifically, Pierce teaches displaying, on the display, a pet-mode user interface comprising information indicating an environment in the particular climate zone that is occupied by the animal (Pierce, col. 12, lines 57-62; “The display 8 may be a graphic user interface with a display screen for viewing and accessing menu settings of the system while inside the vehicle. Here, the operator can adjust, customize, and set the temperature threshold, the occupant threshold, the notification settings, and other commands and actions of the system.”) which is similar to the rejection of claim 2 of the previous office action.
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.
Claim is 1, 10-15, and 18-23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Deharde (WO 2023036415 A1), and further in view of PIHLSGÅRD (20220388370 A1), and Ferreira (US 20200130702 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Deharde teaches (Currently amended) A method for a pet mode for a vehicle (Deharde, page 1 para. 2; “The present invention relates to a method, an apparatus, and a computer program for adapting an environment in a cabin of a parked vehicle, more particularly but not exclusively, to a concept for monitoring a well-being of a passenger, e.g. a child or a pet, in a parked vehicle.”), the method comprising:
detecting, by a control module of the vehicle (Deharde, page 7 para. 3 and FIG. 3; “The control module 24 is further configured to monitor the cabin of the vehicle 200 for one or more passengers and to determine a parameter indicative for the well-being of the one or more passengers.”) and based on at least one of information captured by an interior sensor (Deharde, page 7 para. 2 and FIG. 1; “The method 10 comprises monitoring 12 the cabin of the vehicle for one or more passengers. Such monitoring 12 may include analyzing sensor data, such as from motion sensors, audio sensors/microphones, visual sensors/cameras, etc.”) and a presence of an animal in the vehicle (Deharde, page 7 para. 2 and FIG. 1; “The method 10 comprises monitoring 12 the cabin of the vehicle for one or more passengers. Such monitoring 12 may include analyzing sensor data, such as from motion sensors, audio sensors/microphones, visual sensors/cameras, etc.”), wherein the interior sensor is configured to detect at least one of weight, motion, and sound (Deharde, page 7 para. 2 and FIG. 1; “The method 10 comprises monitoring 12 the cabin of the vehicle for one or more passengers. Such monitoring 12 may include analyzing sensor data, such as from motion sensors, audio sensors/microphones, visual sensors/cameras, etc.”), and wherein an interior of the vehicle comprises a plurality of (Deharde, page 10 para. 5 and FIG. 4; “The system may be always on, or self-activated when a driver leaves the car but passengers are still in the side or back seat. / Page 9, para. 3; In further embodiments a humidity regulation may be carried out as part of the adapting 16. Additionally or alternatively, goods may be monitored and kept cool in the trunk.”, wherein the truck is considered as a separate as one of the climate zone)”);
(Deharde, page 7, para. 4 - page 8, para. 1; “In embodiments the one or more interfaces 22 may correspond to any means for obtaining, receiving, transmitting or providing analog or digital signals or information, e.g. any connector, contact, pin, register, input port, output port, conductor, lane, etc. which allows providing or obtaining a signal or information. An interface 22 may be wireless or wireline and it may be configured to communicate, i.e. transmit or receive signals, information with further internal or external components. ”),
detecting, by the control module (Deharde, page 7 para. 3 and FIG. 2; “The control module 24 is further configured to monitor the cabin of the vehicle 200 for one or more passengers and to determine a parameter indicative for the well-being of the one or more passengers.”) and based on at least one of the information captured by the interior sensor (Deharde, page 7 para. 2 and FIG. 1; “The method 10 further comprises determining 14 a parameter indicative for the well-being of the one or more passengers. Such a parameter can, for example, be derived from motions of a passenger, from noises or sounds from a passenger, but also from the environment, e.g. temperature, humidity, vibrations, external noises and sounds, etc.”, wherein the temperature and the humidity can be seen as components of climate) that the animal occupies a particular climate zone (Deharde, page 11 para. 4; “Fig. 3 illustrates the use of visual projections in an embodiment. Fig. 3 shows the inside of a cabin 300, in which a child 310 is seated on the right seat.”);
determining, by the control module and based on one or more ambient conditions inside the vehicle and one or more ambient conditions outside the vehicle (Deharde, page 3 para. 5; “Moreover, sensor data from inside or outside the cabin may be used to determine a parameter indicative of the well-being of a passenger.”), a specified temperature to be maintained (Deharde, page 11 para. 3; “In some embodiments the system will monitor the environment of the car or vehicle 200 and will regulate the temperature and humidity to an optimal level for a child or pet.”) by a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system (Deharde, page 9 para. 1; “The regulating may comprise operating a heating or air-conditioning (AC) system of the vehicle 200.”);
modifying, by the control module (Deharde, page 7 para. 3 and FIG. 2; “The control module 14 is further configured to adapt the environment of the cabin based on the parameter.”), a setting of the HVAC system to maintain the specified temperature (Deharde, page 7 para. 2 and FIG. 1; “The method 10 further comprises adapting 16 the environment of the cabin based on the parameter. Such adaptation can comprise a variety of settings or actions as will be laid out in further details subsequently. Some examples are, temperature changes, humidity changes, ventilation or ventilation changes, changes on the entertainment system, changes of the visual or sound environment, noise cancellation, opening or closing of windows, compartments or glove box, granting access to food or beverages, etc.”) in the particular climate zone that is occupied by the animal (Deharde, page 11 para. 4; “Fig. 3 illustrates the use of visual projections in an embodiment. Fig. 3 shows the inside of a cabin 300, in which a child 310 is seated on the right seat.”); and
displaying, on the display, a pet-mode user interface comprising information indicating an environment in the particular climate zone that is occupied by the animal.
Deharde does not explicitly teach about signals received from an animal collar
Even though Deharde teach about a plurality of climate zones ( side seat, back seat, and trunk), Deharde does not explicitly teach about a plurality of separately-controlled climate zones.
Even though Deharde teach about an interface, Deharde does not explicitly teach about displaying, on a display of the vehicle, an occupancy alert based on the presence of the animal in the vehicle;
displaying, on the display, a pet-mode user interface comprising information indicating an environment in the particular climate zone that is occupied by the animal.
PIHLSGÅRD, in the same field of endeavor (PIHLSGÅRD, at least one para. 0002; “The present disclosure relates to the field of climate regulation within vehicles.”) teaches a plurality of separately-controlled climate zones (PIHLSGÅRD, at least one para. 0097; “The vehicle may e.g. be divided into climate zones. There may e.g. be one zone for each vehicle seat. This may enable each passenger within the vehicle to set or experience an individualized climate in his or her zone which may not affect or bleed into another zone. This may e.g. be achieved by seat heaters and fans associated with each seat in addition or as an alternative to a centralized climate system.”)
signals received from an animal collar
displaying, on a display of the vehicle, an occupancy alert based on the presence of the animal in the vehicle;
displaying, on the display, a pet-mode user interface comprising information indicating an environment in the particular climate zone that is occupied by the animal.
Deharde and PIHLSGÅRD are both considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both of them are in the same field of vehicle occupant detection and modifying the vehicular HVAC system to accommodate the occupant as the claimed invention. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to have modified the climate zones of Deharde into separately-controlled climate zones of PIHLSGÅRD. One of the ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification so that the system can decide how quickly vehicle heats up/cool down based on the location of the occupant and offset factors such as winter clothing (PIHLSGÅRD; 0097) and the system can also adjust according to the passenger type (PIHLSGÅRD; 0070).
The combination of Deharde and PIHLSGÅRD does not teach signals received from an animal collar
displaying, on a display of the vehicle, an occupancy alert based on the presence of the animal in the vehicle;
displaying, on the display, a pet-mode user interface comprising information indicating an environment in the particular climate zone that is occupied by the animal.
Ferreira, in the same field of endeavor (Ferreira, at least one para. 0001; “The present disclosure relates generally to automobiles and more specifically to a system and method for creating a pet-friendly automotive environment.”) teaches signals received from an animal collar (Ferreira, at least one para. 0031; “Additionally, or alternatively, an RFID sensor 508 can be placed within the vehicle 120 and communicably coupled to the vehicle control manager computer 150. The RFID sensor 508 can be used to sense the absence of the pet 106 having an RFID tag 510 attached to its collar”)
displaying, on a display of the vehicle, an occupancy alert based on the presence of the animal in the vehicle (Ferreira, at least one para. 0043; “As was mentioned, instead of automatically turning pet mode off and resetting the operations, in another example embodiment, an informational message to the driver stating that it appears that the pet 106 is no longer in the vehicle 120 can be outputted to the vehicle display 180 and/or the user mobile device 103. Along with the informational message, the driver can be prompted to turn off pet mode (e.g., via the user mobile device 103, the key fob 105, and/or the vehicle display 180. In some situations, the driver may not want to turn pet mode off even though the pet is no longer in the vehicle, such as when the pet has only temporarily left the vehicle.”);
displaying, on the display, a pet-mode user interface comprising information indicating an environment in the particular climate zone that is occupied by the animal (Ferreira, at least one para. 0024 and Fig. 4 as shown below; “Referring to FIG. 4, an example user interface 180 for user selection of features to be activated to create the pet-friendly automotive conditions, according to an example embodiment, is illustrated. In one example, the user interface 180 can be incorporated into an existing user settings menu system, and displayed to the driver in the console area on a vehicle display 180, for example. The vehicle display 180 can include an input mechanism (e.g., a mouse, toggle switch, or touch screen) for receiving user input and allowing the user 101 to adjust, add, or delete certain actions to be completed when placing the vehicle in pet mode.”).
PNG
media_image1.png
350
377
media_image1.png
Greyscale
The combination of Deharde, PIHLSGÅRD, and Ferreira are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because all of them are in the same field of vehicle occupant detection and modifying the vehicular HVAC system to accommodate the occupant as the claimed invention. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to have modified the detection of animal in Deharde with the teaching of Ferreira. One of the ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to determine whether the animal is with the vehicle in case the animal is not detected from other sensors (Ferreira, at least one para. 0030) or animal has return to the vehicle after temporarily break (Ferreira, at least one para. 0043).
Regarding claim 10, Deharde teaches (Original) The method of claim 1, further comprising: detecting, by the control module and based on the information captured by the interior sensor, a state of agitation of the animal, wherein the information comprises movement or sound information (Deharde, page 11 para. 2; “In some embodiments the parameter is indicative whether the one more passenger is upset or agitated. For example, crying, yelling, or barking may be determined from sound recorded inside the cabin.”).
Regarding claim 11, Deharde teaches (Original) The method of claim 10, further comprising: identifying, by the control module and based on matching sounds from the information to a voice print associated with each animal, an individual state of agitation for each animal occupying the vehicle (Deharde, page 9 para. 4; “The parameter may be indicative on whether the one or more passengers are hungry or thirsty in some embodiments. Such a desire may be determined from analyzing voice or sounds and behavior of the passenger.”, wherein the analyzing of the voice can be seen as the associated voice print of the animal and the animal being hungry or thirsty can be seen as the state of agitation).
Regarding claim 12, Deharde teaches (Original) The method of claim 10, further comprising: playing, by the control module, prerecorded audio or video to reduce the state of agitation (Deharde, page 11 para. 2; “The adapting 16 may then comprise adapting an acoustic environment of the cabin of the vehicle 200. The adapting of the acoustic environment of the vehicle 200 comprises cancelling noise and/or generating a calming sound environment.”) when the state of agitation (Deharde, page 3 para. 5; “Moreover, sensor data from inside or outside the cabin may be used to determine a parameter indicative of the well-being of a passenger.”, in other words sensor data allows the control module to determine the state of agitation of the animal) is greater than a specified agitation threshold (Deharde, page 10 para. 5; “The system monitors if the environment (temperature, humidity, noise is in the normal range)”, wherein the normal range of noise teaches the specified agitation threshold).
Regarding claim 13, Deharde teaches (Original) The method of claim 10, further comprising: sending, by the control module, a notification to a user (Deharde, page 10 para. 6; “if the environment becomes unfavorable then the car notifies the driver, the driver will then need to respond on the car app that he is aware of the conditions and is on the way to the car.”) when the state of agitation (Deharde, page 3 para. 5; “Moreover, sensor data from inside or outside the cabin may be used to determine a parameter indicative of the well-being of a passenger.”, in other words sensor data allows the control module to determine the state of agitation of the animal) is greater than a specified agitation threshold (Deharde, page 10 para. 5; “The system monitors if the environment (temperature, humidity, noise is in the normal range)”, wherein the normal range of noise teaches the specified agitation threshold).
Regarding claim 14, Deharde teaches (Previously presented) The method of claim 10, further comprising: receiving, by the control module, mobile audio or video captured by a mobile device (Deharde, page 9 para. 1; “The method 20 may further comprise communicating information on a cabin status and/or a status of the one or more passengers to a registered user of the vehicle 200. This may be implemented by means mobile communication through a mobile communication system. Such communication may also be used to let a user decide on whether opening a window or switching on the AC is preferred. For example, such communication may allow a user to establish a voice connection to the cabin and talk to a child or a pet. Such communication may allow a user to monitor the cabin using audio and visual monitoring (by pictures or video).”); and
sending, by the control module, vehicle audio or video captured by the interior sensor (Deharde, page 3 para. 5; “Moreover, sensor data from inside or outside the cabin may be used to determine a parameter indicative of the well-being of a passenger.”) to the mobile device (Deharde, page 10 para. 5; “The system monitors if the environment (temperature, humidity, noise is in the normal range), and optionally sends the data over the internet to the driver phone (to the car app).”), wherein the mobile audio or video and the vehicle audio or video facilitates communication between a person and the animal (Deharde, page 9 para. 1; “For example, such communication may allow a user to establish a voice connection to the cabin and talk to a child or a pet”).
Regarding claim 15, Deharde teaches (Previously presented) The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: receiving, by the control module, mobile audio or video captured by a mobile device (Deharde, page 9 para. 1; “The method 20 may further comprise communicating information on a cabin status and/or a status of the one or more passengers to a registered user of the vehicle 200. This may be implemented by means mobile communication through a mobile communication system. Such communication may also be used to let a user decide on whether opening a window or switching on the AC is preferred. For example, such communication may allow a user to establish a voice connection to the cabin and talk to a child or a pet. Such communication may allow a user to monitor the cabin using audio and visual monitoring (by pictures or video).”);
and sending, by the control module, vehicle audio or video captured by an exterior sensor (Deharde, page 3 para. 5; “Moreover, sensor data from inside or outside the cabin may be used to determine a parameter indicative of the well-being of a passenger.”) to the mobile device, wherein the mobile audio or video and the vehicle audio or video facilitates communication between a person and a third party (Deharde, page 10 para. 5; “The system monitors if the environment (temperature, humidity, noise is in the normal range), and optionally sends the data over the internet to the driver phone (to the car app)., wherein the driver is recognized as the person and the car app is recognized as the third party”).
Regarding claim 18, Deharde teaches (Original) The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: generating, by the control module and a speaker, a noise cancelling sound (Deharde, page 11 para. 2; “The adapting 16 may then comprise adapting an acoustic environment of the cabin of the vehicle 200. The adapting of the acoustic environment of the vehicle 200 comprises cancelling noise and/or generating a calming sound environment. For example, noise cancellation may be carried out by means of speakers installed inside the cabin.”); or
playing, by the control module, animal entertainment to calm the animal (Deharde, page 11 para. 2; “For example, noise cancellation may be carried out by means of speakers installed inside the cabin. Such noise cancellation may be used to cancel disturbing or loud noises from outside the vehicle. In addition music can be played or white noise is generated for calming.”), wherein the animal entertainment is displayed on a display or generated on a speaker, and wherein the display comprises a center information display (Deharde, page 11 para. 2; “For example, noise cancellation may be carried out by means of speakers installed inside the cabin.”, furthermore, central information display is a standard vehicular apparatus).
Regarding claim 19, Deharde teaches (Currently amended) A system for a vehicle, comprising:
a display (Deharde, page 7, para. 4 - page 8, para. 1; “In embodiments the one or more interfaces 22 may correspond to any means for obtaining, receiving, transmitting or providing analog or digital signals or information, e.g. any connector, contact, pin, register, input port, output port, conductor, lane, etc. which allows providing or obtaining a signal or information. An interface 22 may be wireless or wireline and it may be configured to communicate, i.e. transmit or receive signals, information with further internal or external components. ”);
an interior sensor configured to detect at least one of weight, motion, and sound (Deharde, page 7 para. 2 and FIG. 1; “The method 10 comprises monitoring 12 the cabin of the vehicle for one or more passengers. Such monitoring 12 may include analyzing sensor data, such as from motion sensors, audio sensors/microphones, visual sensors/cameras, etc.”);
a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system (Deharde, page 8 para. 5-page 9 para. 1; “In principle, the adapting 16 may comprise regulating the temperature inside the cabin of the vehicle 200. The regulating may comprise operating a heating or air-conditioning (AC) system of the vehicle 200.”) comprising a plurality of (Deharde, page 10 para. 5 and FIG. 4; “The system may be always on, or self-activated when a driver leaves the car but passengers are still in the side or back seat.”, wherein the side or back seat are considered as the climate zones) and (Deharde, page 9, para. 3; “In further embodiments a humidity regulation may be carried out as part of the adapting 16. Additionally or alternatively, goods may be monitored and kept cool in the trunk.”, wherein the trunk is considered as one of the one of the climate zone); and
a control module (Deharde, page 7 para. 3; “The apparatus 20 further comprises a control module 24, which configured to control the one or more interfaces 22 and which is coupled to the one or more interfaces 22.”), comprising:
one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media including instructions (Deharde, page 5 para. 3; “A further embodiment is a computer readable storage medium storing instructions which,”); and
one or more processors coupled to the one or more storage media, the one or more processors configured to execute (Deharde, page 5 para. 3; “when executed by a computer, processor, or programmable hardware component, cause the computer to implement one of the methods described herein.”) the instructions to:
detect, based on at least one of information captured by the interior sensor (Deharde, page 7 para. 2 and FIG. 1; “The method 10 comprises monitoring 12 the cabin of the vehicle for one or more passengers. Such monitoring 12 may include analyzing sensor data, such as from motion sensors, audio sensors/microphones, visual sensors/cameras, etc.”) a presence of an animal in the vehicle (Deharde, page 7 para. 2 and FIG. 1; “The method 10 comprises monitoring 12 the cabin of the vehicle for one or more passengers. Such monitoring 12 may include analyzing sensor data, such as from motion sensors, audio sensors/microphones, visual sensors/cameras, etc.”);
(Deharde, page 7, para. 4 - page 8, para. 1; “In embodiments the one or more interfaces 22 may correspond to any means for obtaining, receiving, transmitting or providing analog or digital signals or information, e.g. any connector, contact, pin, register, input port, output port, conductor, lane, etc. which allows providing or obtaining a signal or information. An interface 22 may be wireless or wireline and it may be configured to communicate, i.e. transmit or receive signals, information with further internal or external components. ”),
detect, based on at least one of the information captured by the interior sensor (Deharde, page 7 para. 2 and FIG. 1; “The method 10 further comprises determining 14 a parameter indicative for the well-being of the one or more passengers. Such a parameter can, for example, be derived from motions of a passenger, from noises or sounds from a passenger, but also from the environment, e.g. temperature, humidity, vibrations, external noises and sounds, etc.”, wherein the temperature and the humidity can be seen as components of climate) that the animal occupies a particular climate zone (Deharde, page 11 para. 4; “Fig. 3 illustrates the use of visual projections in an embodiment. Fig. 3 shows the inside of a cabin 300, in which a child 310 is seated on the right seat.”);
determine, based on one or more ambient conditions inside the vehicle and one or more ambient conditions outside the vehicle (Deharde, page 3 para. 5; “Moreover, sensor data from inside or outside the cabin may be used to determine a parameter indicative of the well-being of a passenger.”), a specified temperature to be maintained (Deharde, page 11 para. 3; “In some embodiments the system will monitor the environment of the car or vehicle 200 and will regulate the temperature and humidity to an optimal level for a child or pet.”) by the HVAC system (Deharde, page 9 para. 1; “The regulating may comprise operating a heating or air-conditioning (AC) system of the vehicle 200.”);
modify a setting of the HVAC system to maintain the specified temperature (Deharde, page 7 para. 2 and FIG. 1; “The method 10 further comprises adapting 16 the environment of the cabin based on the parameter. Such adaptation can comprise a variety of settings or actions as will be laid out in further details subsequently. Some examples are, temperature changes, humidity changes, ventilation or ventilation changes, changes on the entertainment system, changes of the visual or sound environment, noise cancellation, opening or closing of windows, compartments or glove box, granting access to food or beverages, etc.”) in the particular climate zone that is occupied by the animal (Deharde, page 11 para. 4; “Fig. 3 illustrates the use of visual projections in an embodiment. Fig. 3 shows the inside of a cabin 300, in which a child 310 is seated on the right seat.”); and
display, on the display, a pet-mode user interface comprising information indicating an environment in the particular climate zone that is occupied by the animal.
Deharde does not explicitly teach about signals received from an animal collar
Even though Deharde teach about a plurality of climate zones ( side seat, back seat, and trunk), Deharde does not explicitly teach about a plurality of separately-controlled climate zones.
Even though Deharde teach about an interface, Deharde does not explicitly teach about display, on a display of the vehicle, an occupancy alert based on the presence of the animal in the vehicle;
display, on the display, a pet-mode user interface comprising information indicating an environment in the particular climate zone that is occupied by the animal.
PIHLSGÅRD, in the same field of endeavor (PIHLSGÅRD, at least one para. 0002; “The present disclosure relates to the field of climate regulation within vehicles.”) teaches a plurality of separately-controlled climate zones (PIHLSGÅRD, at least one para. 0097; “The vehicle may e.g. be divided into climate zones. There may e.g. be one zone for each vehicle seat. This may enable each passenger within the vehicle to set or experience an individualized climate in his or her zone which may not affect or bleed into another zone. This may e.g. be achieved by seat heaters and fans associated with each seat in addition or as an alternative to a centralized climate system.”)
signals received from an animal collar
display, on a display of the vehicle, an occupancy alert based on the presence of the animal in the vehicle;
display, on the display, a pet-mode user interface comprising information indicating an environment in the particular climate zone that is occupied by the animal.
Deharde and PIHLSGÅRD are both considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both of them are in the same field of vehicle occupant detection and modifying the vehicular HVAC system to accommodate the occupant as the claimed invention. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to have modified the climate zones of Deharde into separately-controlled climate zones of PIHLSGÅRD. One of the ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification so that the system can decide how quickly vehicle heats up/cool down based on the location of the occupant and offset factors such as winter clothing (PIHLSGÅRD; 0097) and the system can also adjust according to the passenger type (PIHLSGÅRD; 0070).
The combination of Deharde and PIHLSGÅRD does not teach signals received from an animal collar
display, on a display of the vehicle, an occupancy alert based on the presence of the animal in the vehicle;
display, on the display, a pet-mode user interface comprising information indicating an environment in the particular climate zone that is occupied by the animal.
Ferreira, in the same field of endeavor (Ferreira, at least one para. 0001; “The present disclosure relates generally to automobiles and more specifically to a system and method for creating a pet-friendly automotive environment.”) teaches signals received from an animal collar (Ferreira, at least one para. 0031; “Additionally, or alternatively, an RFID sensor 508 can be placed within the vehicle 120 and communicably coupled to the vehicle control manager computer 150. The RFID sensor 508 can be used to sense the absence of the pet 106 having an RFID tag 510 attached to its collar”)
display, on a display of the vehicle, an occupancy alert based on the presence of the animal in the vehicle (Ferreira, at least one para. 0043; “As was mentioned, instead of automatically turning pet mode off and resetting the operations, in another example embodiment, an informational message to the driver stating that it appears that the pet 106 is no longer in the vehicle 120 can be outputted to the vehicle display 180 and/or the user mobile device 103. Along with the informational message, the driver can be prompted to turn off pet mode (e.g., via the user mobile device 103, the key fob 105, and/or the vehicle display 180. In some situations, the driver may not want to turn pet mode off even though the pet is no longer in the vehicle, such as when the pet has only temporarily left the vehicle.”);
display, on the display, a pet-mode user interface comprising information indicating an environment in the particular climate zone that is occupied by the animal (Ferreira, at least one para. 0024 and Fig. 4 as shown below; “Referring to FIG. 4, an example user interface 180 for user selection of features to be activated to create the pet-friendly automotive conditions, according to an example embodiment, is illustrated. In one example, the user interface 180 can be incorporated into an existing user settings menu system, and displayed to the driver in the console area on a vehicle display 180, for example. The vehicle display 180 can include an input mechanism (e.g., a mouse, toggle switch, or touch screen) for receiving user input and allowing the user 101 to adjust, add, or delete certain actions to be completed when placing the vehicle in pet mode.”).
PNG
media_image1.png
350
377
media_image1.png
Greyscale
The combination of Deharde, PIHLSGÅRD, and Ferreira are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because all of them are in the same field of vehicle occupant detection and modifying the vehicular HVAC system to accommodate the occupant as the claimed invention. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to have modified the detection of animal in Deharde with the teaching of Ferreira. One of the ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to determine whether the animal is with the vehicle in case the animal is not detected from other sensors (Ferreira, at least one para. 0030) or animal has return to the vehicle after temporarily break (Ferreira, at least one para. 0043).
Regarding claim 20, Deharde teaches (Currently amended) A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a control module of a vehicle (Deharde, page 8 para. 2 and FIG. 2; “n embodiments the control module 24 may be implemented using one or more processing units, one or more processing devices, any means for processing, such as a processor, a computer or a programmable hardware component being operable with accordingly adapted software.”), cause the one or more processors to:
detect, by a control module of the vehicle (Deharde, page 7 para. 3 and FIG. 3; “The control module 24 is further configured to monitor the cabin of the vehicle 200 for one or more passengers and to determine a parameter indicative for the well-being of the one or more passengers.”) and based on at least one of information captured by an interior sensor (Deharde, page 7 para. 2 and FIG. 1; “The method 10 comprises monitoring 12 the cabin of the vehicle for one or more passengers. Such monitoring 12 may include analyzing sensor data, such as from motion sensors, audio sensors/microphones, visual sensors/cameras, etc.”) and a presence of an animal in the vehicle (Deharde, page 7 para. 2 and FIG. 1; “The method 10 comprises monitoring 12 the cabin of the vehicle for one or more passengers. Such monitoring 12 may include analyzing sensor data, such as from motion sensors, audio sensors/microphones, visual sensors/cameras, etc.”) , wherein the interior sensor is configured to detect at least one of weight, motion, and sound (Deharde, page 7 para. 2 and FIG. 1; “The method 10 comprises monitoring 12 the cabin of the vehicle for one or more passengers. Such monitoring 12 may include analyzing sensor data, such as from motion sensors, audio sensors/microphones, visual sensors/cameras, etc.”), and wherein an interior of the vehicle comprises a plurality of (Deharde, page 10 para. 5 and FIG. 4; “The system may be always on, or self-activated when a driver leaves the car but passengers are still in the side or back seat. / Page 9, para. 3; In further embodiments a humidity regulation may be carried out as part of the adapting 16. Additionally or alternatively, goods may be monitored and kept cool in the trunk.”, wherein the truck is considered as a separate as one of the climate zone)”);
(Deharde, page 7, para. 4 - page 8, para. 1; “In embodiments the one or more interfaces 22 may correspond to any means for obtaining, receiving, transmitting or providing analog or digital signals or information, e.g. any connector, contact, pin, register, input port, output port, conductor, lane, etc. which allows providing or obtaining a signal or information. An interface 22 may be wireless or wireline and it may be configured to communicate, i.e. transmit or receive signals, information with further internal or external components. ”),
detect, by the control module (Deharde, page 7 para. 3 and FIG. 2; “The control module 24 is further configured to monitor the cabin of the vehicle 200 for one or more passengers and to determine a parameter indicative for the well-being of the one or more passengers.”) and based on at least one of the information captured by the interior sensor (Deharde, page 7 para. 2 and FIG. 1; “The method 10 further comprises determining 14 a parameter indicative for the well-being of the one or more passengers. Such a parameter can, for example, be derived from motions of a passenger, from noises or sounds from a passenger, but also from the environment, e.g. temperature, humidity, vibrations, external noises and sounds, etc.”, wherein the temperature and the humidity can be seen as components of climate) that the animal occupies a particular climate zone (Deharde, page 11 para. 4; “Fig. 3 illustrates the use of visual projections in an embodiment. Fig. 3 shows the inside of a cabin 300, in which a child 310 is seated on the right seat.”);
determining, by the control module and based on one or more ambient conditions inside the vehicle and one or more ambient conditions outside the vehicle (Deharde, page 3 para. 5; “Moreover, sensor data from inside or outside the cabin may be used to determine a parameter indicative of the well-being of a passenger.”), a specified temperature to be maintained (Deharde, page 11 para. 3; “In some embodiments the system will monitor the environment of the car or vehicle 200 and will regulate the temperature and humidity to an optimal level for a child or pet.”) by a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system (Deharde, page 9 para. 1; “The regulating may comprise operating a heating or air-conditioning (AC) system of the vehicle 200.”);
modify, by the control module (Deharde, page 7 para. 3 and FIG. 2; “The control module 14 is further configured to adapt the environment of the cabin based on the parameter.”), a setting of the HVAC system to maintain the specified temperature (Deharde, page 7 para. 2 and FIG. 1; “The method 10 further comprises adapting 16 the environment of the cabin based on the parameter. Such adaptation can comprise a variety of settings or actions as will be laid out in further details subsequently. Some examples are, temperature changes, humidity changes, ventilation or ventilation changes, changes on the entertainment system, changes of the visual or sound environment, noise cancellation, opening or closing of windows, compartments or glove box, granting access to food or beverages, etc.”) in the particular climate zone that is occupied by the animal (Deharde, page 11 para. 4; “Fig. 3 illustrates the use of visual projections in an embodiment. Fig. 3 shows the inside of a cabin 300, in which a child 310 is seated on the right seat.”); and
display, on the display, a pet-mode user interface comprising information indicating an environment in the particular climate zone that is occupied by the animal.
Deharde does not explicitly teach about signals received from an animal collar
Even though Deharde teach about a plurality of climate zones ( side seat, back seat, and trunk), Deharde does not explicitly teach about a plurality of separately-controlled climate zones.
Even though Deharde teach about an interface, Deharde does not explicitly teach about display, on a display of the vehicle, an occupancy alert based on the presence of the animal in the vehicle;
display, on the display, a pet-mode user interface comprising information indicating an environment in the particular climate zone that is occupied by the animal.
PIHLSGÅRD, in the same field of endeavor (PIHLSGÅRD, at least one para. 0002; “The present disclosure relates to the field of climate regulation within vehicles.”) teaches a plurality of separately-controlled climate zones (PIHLSGÅRD, at least one para. 0097; “The vehicle may e.g. be divided into climate zones. There may e.g. be one zone for each vehicle seat. This may enable each passenger within the vehicle to set or experience an individualized climate in his or her zone which may not affect or bleed into another zone. This may e.g. be achieved by seat heaters and fans associated with each seat in addition or as an alternative to a centralized climate system.”)
signals received from an animal collar
display, on a display of the vehicle, an occupancy alert based on the presence of the animal in the vehicle;
display, on the display, a pet-mode user interface comprising information indicating an environment in the particular climate zone that is occupied by the animal.
Deharde and PIHLSGÅRD are both considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both of them are in the same field of vehicle occupant detection and modifying the vehicular HVAC system to accommodate the occupant as the claimed invention. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to have modified the climate zones of Deharde into separately-controlled climate zones of PIHLSGÅRD. One of the ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification so that the system can decide how quickly vehicle heats up/cool down based on the location of the occupant and offset factors such as winter clothing (PIHLSGÅRD; 0097) and the system can also adjust according to the passenger type (PIHLSGÅRD; 0070).
The combination of Deharde and PIHLSGÅRD does not teach signals received from an animal collar
display, on a display of the vehicle, an occupancy alert based on the presence of the animal in the vehicle;
display, on the display, a pet-mode user interface comprising information indicating an environment in the particular climate zone that is occupied by the animal.
Ferreira, in the same field of endeavor (Ferreira, at least one para. 0001; “The present disclosure relates generally to automobiles and more specifically to a system and method for creating a pet-friendly automotive environment.”) teaches signals received from an animal collar (Ferreira, at least one para. 0031; “Additionally, or alternatively, an RFID sensor 508 can be placed within the vehicle 120 and communicably coupled to the vehicle control manager computer 150. The RFID sensor 508 can be used to sense the absence of the pet 106 having an RFID tag 510 attached to its collar”)
display, on a display of the vehicle, an occupancy alert based on the presence of the animal in the vehicle (Ferreira, at least one para. 0043; “As was mentioned, instead of automatically turning pet mode off and resetting the operations, in another example embodiment, an informational message to the driver stating that it appears that the pet 106 is no longer in the vehicle 120 can be outputted to the vehicle display 180 and/or the user mobile device 103. Along with the informational message, the driver can be prompted to turn off pet mode (e.g., via the user mobile device 103, the key fob 105, and/or the vehicle display 180. In some situations, the driver may not want to turn pet mode off even though the pet is no longer in the vehicle, such as when the pet has only temporarily left the vehicle.”);
display, on the display, a pet-mode user interface comprising information indicating an environment in the particular climate zone that is occupied by the animal (Ferreira, at least one para. 0024 and Fig. 4 as shown below; “Referring to FIG. 4, an example user interface 180 for user selection of features to be activated to create the pet-friendly automotive conditions, according to an example embodiment, is illustrated. In one example, the user interface 180 can be incorporated into an existing user settings menu system, and displayed to the driver in the console area on a vehicle display 180, for example. The vehicle display 180 can include an input mechanism (e.g., a mouse, toggle switch, or touch screen) for receiving user input and allowing the user 101 to adjust, add, or delete certain actions to be completed when placing the vehicle in pet mode.”).
PNG
media_image1.png
350
377
media_image1.png
Greyscale
The combination of Deharde, PIHLSGÅRD, and Ferreira are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because all of them are in the same field of vehicle occupant detection and modifying the vehicular HVAC system to accommodate the occupant as the claimed invention. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to have modified the detection of animal in Deharde with the teaching of Ferreira. One of the ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to determine whether the animal is with the vehicle in case the animal is not detected from other sensors (Ferreira, at least one para. 0030) or animal has return to the vehicle after temporarily break (Ferreira, at least one para. 0043).
Regarding claim 21, Deharde teaches (New) The method of claim 1, wherein the ambient conditions comprise at least one of a temperature, a humidity, and an amount of direct sunshine (Deharde, page 7 para. 2; “The method 10 further comprises determining 14 a parameter indicative for the well-being of the one or more passengers. Such a parameter can, for example, be derived from motions of a passenger, from noises or sounds from a passenger, but also from the environment, e.g. temperature, humidity, vibrations, external noises and sounds, etc. The method 10 further comprises adapting 16 the environment of the cabin based on the parameter.”).
Regarding claim 22, Deharde teaches (New) The system of claim 19, wherein the ambient conditions comprise at least one of a temperature, a humidity, and an amount of direct sunshine (Deharde, page 7 para. 2; “The method 10 further comprises determining 14 a parameter indicative for the well-being of the one or more passengers. Such a parameter can, for example, be derived from motions of a passenger, from noises or sounds from a passenger, but also from the environment, e.g. temperature, humidity, vibrations, external noises and sounds, etc. The method 10 further comprises adapting 16 the environment of the cabin based on the parameter.”).
Regarding claim 23, Deharde teaches (New) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the ambient conditions comprise at least one of a temperature, a humidity, and an amount of direct sunshine (Deharde, page 7 para. 2; “The method 10 further comprises determining 14 a parameter indicative for the well-being of the one or more passengers. Such a parameter can, for example, be derived from motions of a passenger, from noises or sounds from a passenger, but also from the environment, e.g. temperature, humidity, vibrations, external noises and sounds, etc. The method 10 further comprises adapting 16 the environment of the cabin based on the parameter.”).
Claim(s) 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Deharde (WO 2023036415 A1), PIHLSGÅRD (20220388370 A1), and Ferreira (US 20200130702 A1), and further in view of Dearth (US 20180281560 A1).
Regarding claim 3, Deharde teaches (Original) The method of claim 1, wherein the method (Deharde, page 1 para. 2; “The present invention relates to a method, an apparatus, and a computer program for adapting an environment in a cabin of a parked vehicle, more particularly but not exclusively, to a concept for monitoring a well-being of a passenger, e.g. a child or a pet, in a parked vehicle.”) further comprises:
However, Deharde does not explicitly teach about detecting, by the control module, a selected gear of the vehicle;
detecting, by the control module, a state-of-charge of the vehicle; and
enabling, by the control module and based on the selected gear being park and the state-of- charge being greater than a charge threshold, activation of the pet mode.
Dearth, in the same field of endeavor (Dearth, at least one para. 0004; “A method may include receiving seat sensor data or occupant detection data indicative of at least one vehicle occupant, receiving a vehicle engine status, and instructing at least one ventilating/cooling component to purge the vehicle cabin air in response to the vehicle status indicating that the vehicle has been inactive for a threshold amount of time.”) teaches detecting, by the control module, a selected gear of the vehicle (Dearth, at least one para. 0046 and FIG. 3; “At block 325, the controller 204 may determine whether the vehicle state indicates whether the vehicle engine has been off (i.e., inactive) for more than a threshold time.”, wherein the engine has been off refers to a park vehicle which indicate that the vehicle is in the park gear);
detecting, by the control module, a state-of-charge of the vehicle (Dearth, at least one para. 0048 and FIG. 3; “At block 350, the controller 204 determines whether the state of charge is above a threshold stated of charge such as 20%”); and
enabling, by the control module and based on the selected gear being park and the state-of- charge being greater than a charge threshold, activation of the pet mode (Dearth, at least one para. 0048 and FIG. 3; “the process 300 proceeds to block 335 where the controller 204 instructs the components 202 to perform the purge.”, wherein the purge is referring to a cooling process of a vehicle cabin).
Deharde, PIHLSGÅRD, and Dearth are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both of them are in the same field of vehicle occupant detection and modifying the vehicular HVAC system to accommodate the occupant as the claimed invention. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to have modified the operating condition of Deharde with the teaching of Dearth. One of the ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification so that battery has sufficient power to facilitate the necessary operations of the climate controller (Dearth, at least one para. 0040).
Claim(s) 4-5 and 7-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Deharde (WO 2023036415 A1), PIHLSGÅRD (20220388370 A1), and Ferreira (US 20200130702 A1), and further in view of Yilmaz (US 20230196899 A1).
Regarding claim 4, Deharde teaches (Original) The method of claim 1, wherein the method (Deharde, page 1 para. 2; “The present invention relates to a method, an apparatus, and a computer program for adapting an environment in a cabin of a parked vehicle, more particularly but not exclusively, to a concept for monitoring a well-being of a passenger, e.g. a child or a pet, in a parked vehicle.”) further comprises:
However, Deharde does not explicitly teach about disabling, by the control module, an alarm, wherein the alarm is triggered based on the information captured by interior sensor.
Yilmaz, in the same field of endeavor (Yilmaz, at least one para. 0001; “The invention relates to vehicle sensors generally and, more particularly, to a method and/or apparatus for implementing in-cabin temperature monitoring for child presence detection applications.”) teaches disabling, by the control module, an alarm (Yilmaz, at least one para. 0027; “the radar units 100a-100n may prevent and/or disable the alert 80 in response to detection of the person 70 alone.”), wherein the alarm is triggered based on the information captured by interior sensor (Yilmaz, at least one para. 0020; “an alert/alarm may be generated in response to an increase (or decrease) in temperature detected.”).
Deharde, PIHLSGÅRD, and Yilmaz are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both of them are in the same field of vehicle occupant detection and modifying the vehicular HVAC system to accommodate the occupant as the claimed invention. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to have modified the teaching of Deharde with the teaching of Yilmaz. One of the ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to prevent excessive battery drain (Yilmaz, at least one para. 0051).
Regarding claim 5, Deharde teaches (Previously presented) The method of claim 1, wherein the method (Deharde, page 1 para. 2; “The present invention relates to a method, an apparatus, and a computer program for adapting an environment in a cabin of a parked vehicle, more particularly but not exclusively, to a concept for monitoring a well-being of a passenger, e.g. a child or a pet, in a parked vehicle.”) further comprises:
However, Deharde does not explicitly teach about disabling, by the control module of the vehicle, over-the-air updates when the pet mode is active.
Yilmaz, in the same field of endeavor (Yilmaz, at least one para. 0001; “The invention relates to vehicle sensors generally and, more particularly, to a method and/or apparatus for implementing in-cabin temperature monitoring for child presence detection applications.”) teaches disabling, by the control module of the vehicle, over-the-air updates when the pet mode is active (Yilmaz, at least one para. 0044; “The powered off devices 102 may comprise blocks (or circuits) 110a-110n and/or blocks (or circuits) 112a-112n”) and (Yilmaz, at least one para. 0047; “The ECUs 112a-112n may be powered off (e.g., control features that are considered unnecessary while the vehicle 60 is powered down).” In other words, when the pet mode is activated and the vehicle is powered down, ECUs 112a-112n related to control features are powered down thus preventing the over-the-air updates to those specific ECUs).
Deharde, PIHLSGÅRD, and Yilmaz are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both of them are in the same field of vehicle occupant detection and modifying the vehicular HVAC system to accommodate the occupant as the claimed invention. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to have modified the teaching of Deharde with the teaching of Yilmaz to disable updates to some of the ECUs. One of the ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to prevent excessive battery drain (Yilmaz, at least one para. 0051).
Regarding claim 7, Deharde teaches (Currently amended) The method of claim 1, wherein determining the specified temperature (Deharde, page 4 para. 2; “The adapting may comprise regulating the temperature inside the cabin of the vehicle. For example, an owner may define a temperature range in which the cabin temperature should be. Thereby, user specific configurations or settings are enabled.”) is further based on vital signs of the animal, wherein the vital signs include a heart rate and a respiratory rate.
However, Deharde does not explicitly teach about is further based on vital signs of the animal, wherein the vital signs include a heart rate and a respiratory rate.
Yilmaz, in the same field of endeavor (Yilmaz, at least one para. 0001; “The invention relates to vehicle sensors generally and, more particularly, to a method and/or apparatus for implementing in-cabin temperature monitoring for child presence detection applications.”) teaches is further based on vital signs of the animal (Yilmaz, at least one para. 0038; “One of the characteristics detected by the radar units 100a-100n may comprise a heartbeat rate.”), wherein the vital signs include a heart rate and a respiratory rate (Yilmaz, at least one para. 0039; “One of the characteristics detected by the radar units 100a-100n may comprise a breathing rate.”).
Deharde, PIHLSGÅRD, and Yilmaz are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both of them are in the same field of vehicle occupant detection and modifying the vehicular HVAC system to accommodate the occupant as the claimed invention. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to have modified the teaching of Deharde with the teaching of Yilmaz to further analyze the heartbeat rate and the breathing rate. One of the ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to determine the age range/ location of the people with the vehicle (Yilmaz, at least one para. 0054) so that worsening conditions related to heartbeat rate and breathing rate can be measured during the temperature changes (Yilmaz, at least one para. 0062).
Regarding claim 8, Deharde teaches (Previously Presented) The method of claim 1, wherein the method (Deharde, page 1 para. 2; “The present invention relates to a method, an apparatus, and a computer program for adapting an environment in a cabin of a parked vehicle, more particularly but not exclusively, to a concept for monitoring a well-being of a passenger, e.g. a child or a pet, in a parked vehicle.”) further comprises:
However, Deharde does not explicitly teach about displaying, by the control module, a pet-mode status on a mobile device, wherein the pet- mode status comprises a pet-mode activation state, the specified temperature of the HVAC system, a current temperature of the interior of the vehicle, or vital signs of the animal.
Yilmaz, in the same field of endeavor (Yilmaz, at least one para. 0001; “The invention relates to vehicle sensors generally and, more particularly, to a method and/or apparatus for implementing in-cabin temperature monitoring for child presence detection applications.”) teaches displaying, by the control module, a pet-mode status on a mobile device, wherein the pet- mode status comprises a pet-mode activation state, the specified temperature of the HVAC system (Yilmaz, at least one para. 0066; “A first (e.g., lowest) urgency level may be determined when the person (e.g., 70c) is a child left alone in the vehicle 60 and the ambient temperature measurement is a comfortable temperature (e.g., between the upper threshold temperature and the lower threshold temperature and the temperature is decreasing or increasing at a low rate)”, wherein the upper and lower thresholds are the specified temperature), a current temperature of the interior of the vehicle (Yilmaz, at least one para. 0066; “A first (e.g., lowest) urgency level may be determined when the person (e.g., 70c) is a child left alone in the vehicle 60 and the ambient temperature measurement is a comfortable temperature (e.g., between the upper threshold temperature and the lower threshold temperature and the temperature is decreasing or increasing at a low rate)”, wherein the ambient temperature is the current temperature), or vital signs of the animal (Yilmaz, at least one para. 0038; “One of the characteristics detected by the radar units 100a-100n may comprise a heartbeat rate.”).
Deharde, PIHLSGÅRD, and Yilmaz are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both of them are in the same field of vehicle occupant detection and modifying the vehicular HVAC system to accommodate the occupant as the claimed invention. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to have modified the teaching of Deharde with the teaching of Yilmaz to further analyze the heartbeat rate and the breathing rate. One of the ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to determine the age range/ location of the people with the vehicle (Yilmaz, at least one para. 0054) so that worsening conditions related to heartbeat rate and breathing rate can be measured with respect to the ambient temperature (Yilmaz, at least one para. 0062).
Claim(s) 16-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Deharde (WO 2023036415 A1), PIHLSGÅRD (20220388370 A1), and Ferreira (US 20200130702 A1), and further in view of Srivastava (US 20220153227 A1).
Regarding claim 16, Deharde teaches (Currently amended) The method of claim 1, wherein the method (Deharde, page 1 para. 2; “The present invention relates to a method, an apparatus, and a computer program for adapting an environment in a cabin of a parked vehicle, more particularly but not exclusively, to a concept for monitoring a well-being of a passenger, e.g. a child or a pet, in a parked vehicle.”) further comprises:
However, Deharde does not explicitly teach about detecting, by the control module, a third party being proximate to the vehicle;
inferring, by the control module, the third party being concerned about the animal;
sending, by the control module, a notification to a user;
receiving, by the control module, a signal from a mobile device; and
playing, by the control module and based on the signal being received, audio or video, wherein the audio or video informs a third party regarding safety of the animal, and wherein the audio or video comprises prerecorded audio or video or live audio or video from the mobile device.
Srivastava, in the same field of endeavor (Srivastava, at least one para. 0003; “An aspect of the present disclosure includes an apparatus including control circuitry configured to obtain data associated with a vehicle that is parked, determine, based on the data, a status of the vehicle associated with relatively high cabin temperature or an unattended occupant in the vehicle, and open a vehicle window via a window actuator to cool the vehicle cabin.”) teaches detecting, by the control module (Srivastava, at least one para. 0025; “In some examples, during cabin venting, the controller 104 of FIG. 1A can utilize the sensor(s) 108 to detect a certain event in the environment”), a third party being proximate to the vehicle (Srivastava, at least one para. 0025; “such as an object of interest (e.g., any of an animal or critter, a person not authorized to use the vehicle 102, and the like) approaching the vehicle 102.”);
inferring, by the control module, the third party being concerned about the animal (Srivastava, at least one para. 0146; “if the object of interest 212 is near or proximate to the first side of the vehicle 102, the data analyzer 154 may determine to adjust (e.g., close) one or more open windows corresponding to the first side of the vehicle 102” In other words, an individual trying to check or communicate with a vehicle occupant through the window can be seen as "being concerned about the occupant");
sending, by the control module, a notification to a user (Srivastava, at least one para. 0059; “In response to the data analyzer 154 detecting the initial status of interest. Further, the alert generator 156 of FIG. 1B is communicatively coupled to the communicator 152 via the communication link(s) 168. After generating a user alert, the alert generator 156 can store the user alert in the second database 160 and/or provide the user alert directly to the communicator 152 so that the user alert can be transmitted to the primary user device 110.”);
receiving, by the control module, a signal from a mobile device (Srivastava, at least one para. 0084; “first display 500 provides for user inputs with respect to information or data associated with responding to the first alert 502. For example, the user of the primary user device 110 can submit a confirmation to the application 118 by providing one or more inputs such as via typing, talking, touching (e.g., using a screen responsive to touch) and/or other input methods. In some examples, the user can submit or provide the confirmation via a selection input such as, for example, selecting an accept button 508. Such a confirmation enables the application 118 to carry out control strategies disclosed herein associated with venting and/or cooling the vehicle cabin 210.”); and
playing, by the control module and based on the signal being received, audio or video, wherein the audio or video informs a third party regarding safety of the animal, and wherein the audio or video comprises prerecorded audio or video or live audio or video from the mobile device.
Deharde, PIHLSGÅRD, and Srivastava are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both of them are in the same field of vehicle occupant detection and modifying the vehicular HVAC system to accommodate the occupant as the claimed invention. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to have modified the teaching of Deharde with the teaching of Srivastava to detect and interact with a third party. One of the ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification so that the primary user can interact with the third party to facilitate decisions about the cabin temperature (Srivastava, at least one para. 0035).
However, Srivastava does not explicitly teach about playing, by the control module and based on the signal being received, audio or video, wherein the audio or video informs a third party regarding safety of the animal, and wherein the audio or video comprises prerecorded audio or video or live audio or video from the mobile device.
Ferreira, in the same field of endeavor (Ferreira, at least one para. 0001; “The present disclosure relates generally to automobiles and more specifically to a system and method for creating a pet-friendly automotive environment.”) teaches playing, by the control module and based on the signal being received (Ferreira, at least one para. 0016; “In addition, the key fob 105 can include a “pet mode” selector for manual activation by a user 101. When the pet mode selector 108 is pressed (or otherwise selected) by a user 101, a coded wireless signal is sent to the vehicle control manger computer 150. Responsive to receipt of the coded wireless signal, the vehicle control manger computer 150 instructs a selected group of the systems within the automotive vehicle 120 to operate in a specified manner so as to create a comfortable environment for a pet 106 within the vehicle 120”), audio or video, wherein the audio or video informs a third party regarding safety of the animal, and wherein the audio or video comprises prerecorded audio or video or live audio or video from the mobile device (Ferreira, at least one para. 0016; “adjusting the type of audio/video being played (e.g., radio station, compact disc, digitally stored music, DVD, digitally stored video and/or the level of the audio output through the vehicles entertainment system in at least a portion of the vehicle 120”, wherein the digitally stored video with the level of the audio can be seen as prerecorded video and audio. For example; the user can transmit a prerecorded audio/video file through the display screen and the sound system of the vehicle, wherein the prerecorded message informs the third party that the air conditioning is turned on and the animal is safe within the cabin).
The combination of Deharde, PIHLSGÅRD, Srivastava, and Ferreira is considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both of them are in the same field of vehicle occupant detection and modifying the vehicular HVAC system to accommodate the occupant as the claimed invention. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to have modified the teaching of Deharde with the teaching of Ferreira. One of the ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification so that the user can wirelessly communicate with the third party to inform the safety features of the animal within the vehicle cabin.
Regarding claim 17, Deharde teaches (Original) The method of claim 1, wherein the method (Deharde, page 1 para. 2; “The present invention relates to a method, an apparatus, and a computer program for adapting an environment in a cabin of a parked vehicle, more particularly but not exclusively, to a concept for monitoring a well-being of a passenger, e.g. a child or a pet, in a parked vehicle.”) further comprises:
dispensing, by the control module and based on the third party performing the specified action, an animal treat (Deharde, page 11 para. 5 - page 12, para. 1; A pet feeder 410 is installed on the left seat via a seat attachment 420. The pet feeder is powered via power chord 430. The car offers a wireless fidelity (WiFi) connection 440. Pets may be left unattended in the car, and the pet may become agitated. Automatically feeding it may help.”).
However, Deharde does not explicitly teach about detecting, by the control module, a third party being proximate to the vehicle;
prompting, by the control module, the third party to perform a specified action; and
Srivastava, in the same field of endeavor (Srivastava, at least one para. 0003; “An aspect of the present disclosure includes an apparatus including control circuitry configured to obtain data associated with a vehicle that is parked, determine, based on the data, a status of the vehicle associated with relatively high cabin temperature or an unattended occupant in the vehicle, and open a vehicle window via a window actuator to cool the vehicle cabin.”) teaches detecting, by the control module (Srivastava, at least one para. 0025; “In some examples, during cabin venting, the controller 104 of FIG. 1A can utilize the sensor(s) 108 to detect a certain event in the environment”), a third party being proximate to the vehicle (Srivastava, at least one para. 0025; “such as an object of interest (e.g., any of an animal or critter, a person not authorized to use the vehicle 102, and the like) approaching the vehicle 102.”);
Deharde, PIHLSGÅRD, and Srivastava are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both of them are in the same field of vehicle occupant detection and modifying the vehicular HVAC system to accommodate the occupant as the claimed invention. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to have modified the teaching of Deharde with the teaching of Srivastava to detect and interact with a third party. One of the ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification so that the primary user can interact with the third party to facilitate decisions about the cabin temperature (Srivastava, at least one para. 0035).
However, Srivastava does not explicitly teach about prompting, by the control module, the third party to perform a specified action; and
Ferreira, in the same field of endeavor (Ferreira, at least one para. 0001; “The present disclosure relates generally to automobiles and more specifically to a system and method for creating a pet-friendly automotive environment.”) prompting, by the control module, the third party to perform a specified action (Ferreira, at least one para. 0016; “adjusting the type of audio/video being played (e.g., radio station, compact disc, digitally stored music, DVD, digitally stored video and/or the level of the audio output through the vehicles entertainment system in at least a portion of the vehicle 120”, wherein the digitally stored video with the level of the audio can be seen as prerecorded video and audio. For example; the user can transmit a prerecorded audio/video file through the display screen and the sound system of the vehicle, wherein the prerecorded message informs the third party to wave both hands); and
The combination of Deharde, PIHLSGÅRD, Ferreira, and Srivastava is considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both of them are in the same field of vehicle occupant detection and modifying the vehicular HVAC system to accommodate the occupant as the claimed invention. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filling date of the claimed invention, to have modified the teaching of Deharde with the teaching of Ferreira. One of the ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification so that the specified action can be transmitted to the third party to dispense an animal treat.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to UPUL P CHANDRASIRI whose telephone number is (703)756-5823. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8.30 am to 5pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Christian Chace can be reached at 571-272-4190. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/U.P.C./Examiner, Art Unit 3665 /CHRISTIAN CHACE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3665