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 .
Notice to Applicant
The following is a Final Office action. In response to Examiner’s Non-Final Rejection of 02/20/2026, Applicant, on 05/15/2026, amended claims and added claim 23. Claims 1-2, 4-18, and 20-23 are pending in this application and have been rejected below.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the rejection to claims of 35 U.S.C. 103 have been considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to the current combination of references being used in the current rejection. In light of Applicants amendments and arguments the Examiner updated the search and provided new art to reject the claim limitations.
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 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.
Claims 1-2, 4-18, and 20-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. PGPub 20220245748 (hereinafter “Flossmor”) et al., in view of U.S. PGPub 20200130452 to (hereinafter “Rothwell”) et al., in further view of U.S. PGPub 20170004712 to (hereinafter “Yang”) et al.
As per claim 1, Flossmor teaches A method for sharing a vehicle, the method comprising:
receiving an authorization for sharing the vehicle; Flossmor 0044, 0060-0089: “ At block 412, a vehicle owner device 410 may register a vehicle owner and a vehicle on a vehicle sharing application, website, or mobile application (e.g., an application program s uch as vehicle sharing application 121 of FIG. 1). The vehicle owner device 410 may also indicate key social network information and/or local community affiliations to help with the matching analysis performed by the matching component 330. Additionally, at block 432, a vehicle user device 430 may register on a vehicle sharing application, website, or mobile application (e.g., vehicle sharing application 121 of FIG. 1) and list personal information (e.g., also referred to herein as user information) associated with the vehicle user. The vehicle user device may also indicate key social network information and/or local community affiliations to help with the matching analysis of the matching component 330.”
adding, by the processor and as part of the authorization, the vehicle to a list of a plurality of vehicles for sharing that is offered and subiected to determination of suitability for sharing;Flossmor 0037-0044: “a user device (e.g., of a user who wants to share a vehicle) may provide user information and vehicle request information to a vehicle sharing system. The vehicle request information may include search parameters such as location, available dates/times, vehicle make/model, mileage, condition, or features. A list of available vehicles may be presented to the user based on the user information and vehicle request information. In some aspects, to find one or more matching vehicles for vehicle sharing, the owner information, vehicle information, user information, and vehicle request information may be provided to a vehicle sharing system, as described in more detail herein. The vehicle sharing system may be part of a server, or part of any suitable computing device, such as the user computing device 204…The vehicle sharing system 300 may collect information from, and transmit information to, a user through various channels, such as via a user mobile computing device 310, or via a user computing device 308 (e.g., via one or more public or private networks). In some aspects, the vehicle sharing system 300 may receive a request from a user to share a vehicle and may store information related to the request in memory or in a database, such as database 123 of FIG. 1. For example, a consumer may use a web browser, or other application, executing on user computing device 308 to send the request to vehicle sharing system 300. In some aspects, the request may include information conveying an identity of the user, a type or class of vehicle wanted, a date for the vehicle sharing, a duration for the vehicle sharing, and one or more locations, such as a pickup location and a drop off location.”
obtaining, by the processor, vehicle data associated with the vehicle, including ingesting the vehicle data by implementing an artificial intelligence model that is configured to transform the ingested vehicle data into a set of vehicle sharing parameters, the vehicle data including data associated with a plurality of drive modes of the vehicle; Flossmor 0058-0073: “ The vehicle sharing system 300 may create a two-sided marketplace matching framework, including the development of potential use of local social networks and community affiliations in the peer-to-peer vehicle sharing marketplace. Additionally, the vehicle sharing system 300 may include a “trust creation framework” (e.g., as implemented by the matching component 330) including a machine-learning algorithm to analyze various ways consumers build trust and how the vehicle sharing system 300 can facilitate trust-building among vehicle owners and users and between the institution, vehicle owners, and users. The machine learning algorithm is discussed in more detail herein with respect to FIG. 4B… As shown in FIG. 4B, the matching algorithm 433 may determine a match of vehicle owners and vehicle users for vehicle sharing at a location based on various factors. The matching algorithm 433 may use machine learning to determine the best matching between vehicle owners and vehicle users. For example, the matching algorithm 433 may use machine learning algorithms, such as supervised learning and employ supervised algorithms, such as linear regression, random forest, nearest neighbor, decision trees, Support Vector Machines (SVM), and/or logistical regression, among others. In some other examples, the matching algorithm 433 may use unsupervised learning and employ unsupervised algorithms, such as k-means clustering and/or association rules. In still other examples, the matching algorithm 433 may use semi-supervised learning and/or reinforcement learning. The machine learning algorithm may be trained using historical matching results along with the associated factors and ratings provided by vehicle sharing users and owners. Once trained, the trained machine learning algorithm may be implemented as the matching algorithm 433…0077-0085: At block 560, the vehicle sharing system 300 may receive, from a telematics device (e.g., telematics device 140) on the shared vehicle, information for monitoring driving events that can or may lead to damage, such as high speed, high acceleration, hard braking, dangerous turns, etc. The in-vehicle telematics device 140, which may be configured to receive real-time vehicle data, may provide a driver or the vehicle owner with visual and/or audible in-vehicle information.”
obtaining external data obtained external to the vehicle; Flossmor 0025, 0045, 0037: “At block 220, a user device (e.g., of a user who wants to share a vehicle) may provide user information and vehicle request information to a vehicle sharing system. The vehicle request information may include search parameters such as location, available dates/times, vehicle make/model, mileage, condition, or features. A list of available vehicles may be presented to the user based on the user information and vehicle request information.”
determining whether the vehicle meets criteria indicative of demand for sharing based on the vehicle data and the external data; Flossmor 0025, 0045, 0051-0052: “The pattern recognition component 390 may then recommend users based upon availability and use patterns of the various pool of participants. For example, person A that uses a vehicle on weekends, but not during the week, may be matched with person B who uses a vehicle on a weekday, but not during the weekends. In this manner, a vehicle from only one person may be used to meet the demand of person B. Similarly, pattern recognition component 390 may also notify a user of potential vehicle sharing matches based on the user's mobility behaviors for vehicle sharing… the matching component 330 may match vehicle owners and users based on vehicle type. For example, if person A prefers a particular vehicle type that person B has for sharing, then person A and person B may be matched. Additionally, the matching component 330 may match vehicles owners and users based on the location of the vehicle and users.
and notifying, in response to the determination that the vehicle meets the criteria for sharing, a user to share the vehicle for monetization;Flossmor 0051-0053: “ The pattern recognition component 390 may then recommend users based upon availability and use patterns of the various pool of participants. For example, person A that uses a vehicle on weekends, but not during the week, may be matched with person B who uses a vehicle on a weekday, but not during the weekends. In this manner, a vehicle from only one person may be used to meet the demand of person B. Similarly, pattern recognition component 390 may also notify a user of potential vehicle sharing matches based on the user's mobility behaviors for vehicle sharing…0093: At block 650, the vehicle sharing system 300 displays the vehicle sharing match. The vehicle sharing system 300 may display the vehicle sharing match on a user interface of a computing device of the vehicle owner and/or the vehicle user. In some aspects, the vehicle sharing system 300 may display various vehicle sharing matches (e.g., potential vehicles for a user) in order of best match or best matching score… based on input from the pattern recognition component 390, the matching component 330 may match vehicle owners and users such that the mobility behavior of vehicle owners/users are paired with the inverse mobility behavior of users/vehicle owners. The data collection component 101 may retrieve a map of inventory of vehicles in real-time to assist with matching the vehicle owners and users. In some aspects, the vehicle sharing system 300 may notify a vehicle owner on how much the vehicle owner could earn by sharing his/her vehicle…0118: the vehicle sharing system determines (e.g., via a driver score analysis component 362) at least one driver score associated with at least one of the first vehicle user or the first vehicle owner, and determines (e.g., via a rate detection component 360) a vehicle sharing rate for sharing the first vehicle with the first vehicle user based on the at least one driver score, wherein the communication interface is further sending a notification of the vehicle sharing rate. In some aspects, the data collection component receives one or more ratings of at least one of the first vehicle owner or the first vehicle user associated with sharing the first vehicle, and stores the one or more ratings (e.g., in memory 113).”
Flossmor may not explicitly teach the following. However, Rothwell teaches:
the vehicle data including data associated with a plurality of drive modes of the vehicle …Rothwell 0058: “In the embodiment of FIG. 1 the transmission 124 may be set to one of a plurality of transmission operating modes, being a park mode, a reverse mode, a neutral mode, a drive mode or a sport mode, by means of a transmission mode selector dial 124S. The selector dial 124S provides an output signal to a powertrain controller 11 in response to which the powertrain controller 11 causes the transmission 124 to operate in accordance with the selected transmission mode…0072-0081: In the embodiment of FIG. 1 four driving modes are provided: an ‘on-highway’ driving mode suitable for driving on a relatively hard, smooth driving surface where a relatively high surface coefficient of friction exists between the driving surface and wheels of the vehicle; a ‘sand’ driving mode suitable for driving over sandy terrain, being terrain characterised at least in part by relatively high drag, relatively high deformability or compliance and relatively low surface coefficient of friction; a ‘grass, gravel or snow’ (GGS) driving mode suitable for driving over grass, gravel or snow, being relatively slippery surfaces (i.e. having a relatively low coefficient of friction between surface and wheel and, typically, lower drag than sand); a ‘rock crawl’ (RC) driving mode suitable for driving slowly over a rocky surface; and a ‘mud and ruts’ (MR) driving mode suitable for driving in muddy, rutted terrain.. the VCU 10 evaluates the various sensor inputs to determine the probability that each of the plurality of different TR modes (control modes or driving modes) for the vehicle subsystems is appropriate, with each control mode corresponding to a particular terrain type over which the vehicle is travelling (for example, mud and ruts, sand, grass/gravel/snow) as described above.”
detecting, by one or more sensors of the vehicle, a loss of traction to one or more wheels of the vehicle; Rothwell 0079-0089: “The sensors (not shown) on the vehicle 100 include, but are not limited to, sensors which provide continuous sensor outputs to the VCU 10, including wheel speed sensors, as mentioned previously, suspension articulation (i.e. corresponding to the amount by which each wheel is displaced in a substantial vertical plane from a reference datum), an ambient temperature sensor, an atmospheric pressure sensor, tyre pressure sensors, wheel articulation sensors, gyroscopic sensors to detect vehicular yaw, roll and pitch angle and rate, a vehicle speed sensor, a longitudinal acceleration sensor, an engine torque sensor (or engine torque estimator), a steering angle sensor, a steering wheel speed sensor, a gradient sensor (or gradient estimator), a lateral acceleration sensor which may be part of the SCS 14, a brake pedal position sensor, a brake pressure sensor, an accelerator pedal position sensor, longitudinal, lateral and vertical motion sensors, and water detection sensors forming part of a vehicle wading assistance system (not shown). In other embodiments, only a selection of the aforementioned sensors may be used…0100: At step S101 the vehicle 100 has become stuck attempting to ascend a hill having a deformable surface (such as sand or snow). The VCU 10 has determined that at least one wheel has lost traction and that at least one such wheel is at substantially full droop in the manner described above, i.e. by reference to vehicle reference speed, wheel speed and wheel droop.”
automatically implementing, by a vehicle controller of the vehicle and as part of the data associated with the plurality of drive modes of the vehicle, a selection of one drive mode of the plurality of drive modes in response to an event triggered by one or more sensor inputs of the vehicle, wherein the event includes the loss of traction to one or more wheels of the vehicle;Rothwell 0081-0082: “ the VCU 10 evaluates the various sensor inputs to determine the probability that each of the plurality of different TR modes (control modes or driving modes) for the vehicle subsystems is appropriate, with each control mode corresponding to a particular terrain type over which the vehicle is travelling (for example, mud and ruts, sand, grass/gravel/snow) as described above. ] If the user has selected operation of the vehicle in the automatic driving mode selection condition, the VCU 10 then selects the most appropriate one of the control modes and is configured automatically to control the subsystems according to the selected mode. This aspect of the invention is described in further detail in our co-pending patent applications GB2492748, GB2492655 and GB2499279, the contents of each of which is incorporated herein by reference as noted above…0112: At step S121 the VCU 10 selects the ‘4×4i’ mode in which the VCU 10 displays on the instrument cluster 100IC a diagram (schematic plan view) of the vehicle 100 and provides an indication of the one or more wheels that have lost traction and are therefore spinning when the accelerator pedal 161 is depressed sufficiently.”
operating, by the vehicle controller, the vehicle in accordance with the selected drive mode;Rothwell 0058: In the embodiment of FIG. 1 the transmission 124 may be set to one of a plurality of transmission operating modes, being a park mode, a reverse mode, a neutral mode, a drive mode or a sport mode, by means of a transmission mode selector dial 124S. The selector dial 124S provides an output signal to a powertrain controller 11 in response to which the powertrain controller 11 causes the transmission 124 to operate in accordance with the selected transmission mode…0082: If the user has selected operation of the vehicle in the automatic driving mode selection condition, the VCU 10 then selects the most appropriate one of the control modes and is configured automatically to control the subsystems according to the selected mode. This aspect of the invention is described in further detail in our co-pending patent applications GB2492748, GB2492655 and GB2499279, the contents of each of which is incorporated herein by reference as noted above.”
Flossmor and Rothwell are deemed to be analogous references as they are reasonably pertinent to each other and directed towards measuring, collecting, and analyzing information with a series of inputs to solve similar problems in the similar environments. Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Flossmor with the aforementioned teachings from Rothwell with a reasonable expectation of success, by adding steps that allow the utilize drive modes with the motivation to more efficiently and accurately organize and analyze data [Rothwell 0081].
Flossmor and Rothwell may not explicitly teach the following. However, Yang teaches:
and an automatically scheduled sharing of the vehicle at a certain location; and automatically scheduling the sharing of the vehicle, wherein the sharing of the vehicle is dependent on the certain location corresponding to a geographical region associated with the demand; Yang 0019-0025: “ For those electric vehicles 3 with their status being “authorization required”, the remote system management server 11 will, based on the coordinate information of the vehicle positions returned by the vehicle control systems of the electric vehicles 3, confirm the number of available electric vehicles 3 distributed in different regions; and the remote system management server 11 can, initiate a trans-regional electric vehicle renting promotion with area, time and quantitative restrictions, offering low-rate or free-of-charge renting privileges for those areas with a large number of available electric vehicles 3, and a notification message of the trans-regional electric vehicle renting promotion can be sent to the electric vehicle renting mobile application on the mobile devices 41 of all the system members; in this way, a large number of system member users will be attracted in a short time to rent the electric vehicles 3 for trans-regional usage, and the number of electric vehicles 3 among different regions can be adjusted and balanced in a short time, saving extra effort to allocate the number of electric vehicles 3… The invention enables the user to access the remote system management server 11 through the electric vehicle renting program installed on the mobile device 41 or the computer 42, to conduct data entry and related settings for the renting of the electric vehicles. Thus, the convenience and rate of usage of the electric vehicle renting can be greatly enhanced, offering a fast and convenient mass transportation method that features low establishment cost and easy maintenance and management. Meanwhile, it is capable of allocation and dispatching of electric vehicles among different regions with time and quantitative restrictions by offering users free-of-charge or low-rate renting privileges, so that, during a specific period, many users will be attracted to use the electric vehicle renting. As a result, electric vehicles can be allocated or dispatched among different regions without the need to assign or employ extra human resources, or the extra need to transport vehicles.”
Flossmor, Rothwell, and Yang are deemed to be analogous references as they are reasonably pertinent to each other and directed towards measuring, collecting, and analyzing information with a series of inputs to solve similar problems in the similar environments. Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Flossmor and Rothwell with the aforementioned teachings from Yang with a reasonable expectation of success, by adding steps that allow the utilize send/receive data the motivation to more efficiently and accurately communicate and analyze data [Yang 0006].
As per claim 2, Flossmor, Rothwell, and Yang teach all the limitations of claim 1.
In addition, Flossmor teaches:
determining a pattern of usage based on the vehicle data; and determining availability of the vehicle based on the pattern of usage, wherein the user is further notified, via the user interface, in response to the determination that the vehicle is available for sharing; Flossmor 0051: “ The pattern recognition component 390 may then recommend users based upon availability and use patterns of the various pool of participants. For example, person A that uses a vehicle on weekends, but not during the week, may be matched with person B who uses a vehicle on a weekday, but not during the weekends. In this manner, a vehicle from only one person may be used to meet the demand of person B. Similarly, pattern recognition component 390 may also notify a user of potential vehicle sharing matches based on the user's mobility behaviors for vehicle sharing…0093: At block 650, the vehicle sharing system 300 displays the vehicle sharing match. The vehicle sharing system 300 may display the vehicle sharing match on a user interface of a computing device of the vehicle owner and/or the vehicle user. In some aspects, the vehicle sharing system 300 may display various vehicle sharing matches (e.g., potential vehicles for a user) in order of best match or best matching score.”
As per claim 4, Flossmor, Rothwell, and Yang teach all the limitations of claim 1.
In addition, Flossmor teaches:
wherein the vehicle data includes one or more of a vehicle location, a vehicle downtime, a vehicle body type, a vehicle size, a vehicle fuel type, or a fuel efficiency of the vehicle; Flossmor 0033: “The in-vehicle device 140 may communicate with a data collection device or on-board diagnostics port of a vehicle to collect the driving data. In another exemplary aspect, the in-vehicle device 140 may acquire the driving data directly from the device, such as a smartphone, tablet computer, or vehicle navigation system via a built-in accelerometer and/or a Global Positioning System (GPS).”
As per claim 5, Flossmor, Rothwell, and Yang teach all the limitations of claim 1.
In addition, Flossmor teaches:
determining a degree of demand of the vehicle based on the external data, wherein the demand for sharing is determined based on the degree of demand of the vehicle; Flossmor 0025: “a vehicle sharing system may determine, based on historical vehicle supply data and based on historical vehicle demand data, that vehicle demand will exceed vehicle supply on a particular date and send a request to provide a vehicle for sharing on that date…0050: Additionally, rate detection component 360 may set the price and/or provide a recommendation to the vehicle owner, with the vehicle owner ultimately setting the final price. Depending on demand, rate detection component 360 may set the vehicle sharing price higher or lower. Additionally, rate detection component 360 may set the vehicle sharing price by using dynamic pricing based on demand.”
As per claim 6, Flossmor, Rothwell, and Yang teach all the limitations of claim 1.
In addition, Flossmor teaches:
wherein the external data is associated with a specific region at a specific time; Flossmor 0044-0045: “In some aspects, the request may include information conveying an identity of the user, a type or class of vehicle wanted, a date for the vehicle sharing, a duration for the vehicle sharing, and one or more locations, such as a pickup location and a drop off location. Upon receiving the request, vehicle sharing system 300 may determine whether a vehicle matching the type of vehicle requested is available for the date, duration, and/or location requested. For example, the vehicle sharing system 300 may determine that one or more vehicles matching the type requested are available and parked at the requested location. The one or more vehicles may be selected for being within a predefined distance of a location as determined or identified by longitude and latitude, zip code, physical address of a building or structure at a user requested location, or the like.”
As per claim 7, Flossmor, Rothwell, and Yang teach all the limitations of claim 1.
In addition, Flossmor teaches:
wherein the external data includes one or more of a season, weather, a fuel price, or an event; Flossmor 0037-0044: “At block 220, a user device (e.g., of a user who wants to share a vehicle) may provide user information and vehicle request information to a vehicle sharing system. The vehicle request information may include search parameters such as location, available dates/times, vehicle make/model, mileage, condition, or features... the vehicle sharing system 300 may receive a request from a user to share a vehicle and may store information related to the request in memory or in a database, such as database 123 of FIG. 1. For example, a consumer may use a web browser, or other application, executing on user computing device 308 to send the request to vehicle sharing system 300. In some aspects, the request may include information conveying an identity of the user, a type or class of vehicle wanted, a date for the vehicle sharing, a duration for the vehicle sharing, and one or more locations, such as a pickup location and a drop off location.” Note: Matching event with request.
As per claim 8, Flossmor, Rothwell, and Yang teach all the limitations of claim 1.
In addition, Flossmor teaches:
determining availability of the vehicle based on schedule information of the user, wherein the user is further notified, via the user interface, in response to the determination that the vehicle is available for sharing; Flossmor 0037-0045: “ The vehicle request information may include search parameters such as location, available dates/times, vehicle make/model, mileage, condition, or features. A list of available vehicles may be presented to the user based on the user information and vehicle request information. In some aspects, to find one or more matching vehicles for vehicle sharing, the owner information, vehicle information, user information, and vehicle request information may be provided to a vehicle sharing system, as described in more detail herein… Upon receiving the request, vehicle sharing system 300 may determine whether a vehicle matching the type of vehicle requested is available for the date, duration, and/or location requested. For example, the vehicle sharing system 300 may determine that one or more vehicles matching the type requested are available and parked at the requested location. The one or more vehicles may be selected for being within a predefined distance of a location as determined or identified by longitude and latitude, zip code, physical address of a building or structure at a user requested location, or the like. In some aspects, the vehicle sharing system 300 may flag one of these vehicles as reserved and may prevent the reserved vehicle from being rented by other users. In some aspects, the vehicle sharing system 300 may accept the user's request and store information related to the request in memory or in a database, such as database 123 of FIG. 1. In other aspects, the vehicle sharing system 300 may determine that a vehicle of the type requested is expected to be available on the date in the user's request…0093: At block 650, the vehicle sharing system 300 displays the vehicle sharing match. The vehicle sharing system 300 may display the vehicle sharing match on a user interface of a computing device of the vehicle owner and/or the vehicle user. In some aspects, the vehicle sharing system 300 may display various vehicle sharing matches (e.g., potential vehicles for a user) in order of best match or best matching score.”
As per claim 22, Flossmor, Rothwell, and Yang teach all the limitations of claim 1.
In addition, Rothwell teaches:
wherein the selected drive mode includes a two-wheel drive mode, a four-wheel drive mode, a towing mode, or a vehicle stability control mode; Rothwell 0058-0060: “FIG. 1 the transmission 124 may be set to one of a plurality of transmission operating modes, being a park mode, a reverse mode, a neutral mode, a drive mode or a sport mode, by means of a transmission mode selector dial 124S. The selector dial 124S provides an output signal to a powertrain controller 11 in response to which the powertrain controller 11 causes the transmission 124 to operate in accordance with the selected transmission mode. ..Embodiments of the invention are suitable for use with vehicles in which the transmission is arranged to drive only a pair of front wheels or only a pair of rear wheels (i.e. front wheel drive vehicles or rear wheel drive vehicles) or selectable two wheel drive/four wheel drive vehicles. In the embodiment of FIG. 1 the transmission 124 is releasably connectable to the auxiliary driveline portion 131 by means of a power transfer unit (PTU) 131P, allowing operation in a two wheel drive mode or a four wheel drive mode. It is to be understood that embodiments of the invention may be suitable for vehicles having more than four wheels or where only two wheels are driven, for example two wheels of a three wheeled vehicle or four wheeled vehicle or a vehicle with more than four wheels.
Claims 9-18 and 20 is directed to the system and CRM for performing the method of claims 1-2 and 4-8 above. Since Flossmor, Rothwell, and Yang teach the system and CRM, the same art and rationale apply.
As per claim 21, Flossmor and Rothwell teach all the limitations of claim 1.
Flossmor and Rothwell may not explicitly teach the following. However, Yang teaches:
providing, via a user interface, an electronic link to review, edit, and approve a scope of sharing the vehicle, the scope of sharing the vehicle including an area or a time duration for the vehicle to be shared; receiving, via the user interface, an edited scope or an approved scope of sharing the vehicle in response to providing the electronic link; and adjusting the monetization in accordance with the edited scope or the approved scope of sharing the vehicle; Yang 0006-0018: “ It is therefore one object of the invention to provide a regional electric vehicle sharing and management method comprising allowing a user to log in an electric vehicle renting mobile application of a mobile device by inputting an account number and a password; connecting to a remote system management server; confirming an electric vehicle to rent… the remote system management server accepts the electric vehicle renting request, and change the usage status of the electric vehicle from “authorization required” to “renting approved”, and the remote system management server connects a vehicle control system of the electric vehicle to open a compartment of the electric vehicle, activate a power drive of the electric vehicle, and unlock tires of the electric vehicle so that the user starts the electric vehicle; after arriving at a destination, causing the vehicle control system of the electric vehicle to connect and notify the remote system management server to complete an electric vehicle returning procedure; causing the remote system management server to connect to the electric vehicle renting mobile application of the mobile device to send a message to notify the user that the electric vehicle returning procedure is completed… A regional electric vehicle sharing and management method tied to the regional electric vehicle sharing and management system comprises user logging into the electric vehicle renting mobile application of the mobile device 41 by inputting account number and password, and connecting to the remote system management server 11, confirming the electric vehicle 3 to rent by using the mobile device 41 to scan the Quick Response Code (QR code) of the electric vehicle 3 or by inputting the serial number of the electric vehicle 3, and submit an electric vehicle renting request to the remote system management server 11; the remote system management server 11 confirming the member identity, using permission and credit data based on the account number and password entered by the user when logging into the system; specifically, if the credit data of the user does not contain any debt record or is not abnormal, and the usage status of the electric vehicle 3 is “authorization required”, the remote system management server 11 will accept the electric vehicle renting request, and change the usage status of the electric vehicle 3 from “authorization required” to “renting approved”; and the remote system management server 11 will connect the vehicle control system controlling the electric vehicle 3 to open the compartment of the electric vehicle 3, activate the power drive of the electric vehicle 3, and unlock the tires of the electric vehicle 3, so that the user can take the car key placed inside the compartment and start the electric vehicle 3 for a ride… it will connect the vehicle control system that controls the electric vehicle 3 to shut down the power drive controller of the electric vehicle 3 and lock the tire of the electric vehicle 3, and change the usage status of the electric vehicle 3 from “renting approved” to “authorization required”.
Flossmor, Rothwell, and Yang are deemed to be analogous references as they are reasonably pertinent to each other and directed towards measuring, collecting, and analyzing information with a series of inputs to solve similar problems in the similar environments. Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Flossmor and Rothwell with the aforementioned teachings from Yang with a reasonable expectation of success, by adding steps that allow the utilize send/receive data the motivation to more efficiently and accurately communicate and analyze data [Yang 0006].
Claim 23 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. PGPub 20220245748 (hereinafter “Flossmor”) et al., in view of U.S. PGPub 20200130452 to (hereinafter “Rothwell”) et al., in further view of U.S. PGPub 20170004712 to (hereinafter “Yang”) et al., and in further view of U.S. PGPub 20230079296 to (hereinafter “Kim”) et al.
As per claim 23, Flossmor, Rothwell, and Yang teach all the limitations of claim 5.
Flossmor, Rothwell, and Yang may not explicitly teach the following. However, Kim teaches:
wherein the vehicle is ranked and selected for sharing among the list of the plurality of vehicles based on the vehicle data, the external data, and the degree of demand of the vehicle, the vehicle data indicating that the vehicle is of a type of electric vehicle that is located in the geographical region and the external data indicating that the geographical region has a type of charging infrastructure availability that is based on the type of electric vehicle; Kim 0044-0045: “the server controller 350 may be configured to calculate the first recommendation score indicating suitability for recommendation of an eco-friendly vehicle based on the pre-stored vehicle use record of the customer. In addition, the server control unit 350 may be configured to calculate the second recommendation score indicating suitability for recommendation of an eco-friendly vehicle based on the vehicle use information received from the customer terminal 200. The server controller 350 may be configured to recommend an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or an internal combustion engine vehicle to the customer depending on the first recommendation score and the second recommendation score. In other words, as a result of the analysis of the first recommendation score, in response to determining that the past vehicle use pattern of the customer prefers the internal combustion engine vehicle, the server controller 350 may be configured to recommend the internal combustion engine vehicle by respecting tendency of the customer… The server controller 350 may be configured to recommend an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle to the customer depending on the first recommendation score and the second recommendation score…0054: In the case of the city area, since there is a high probability that an infrastructure for electric vehicles such as an electric charging station will be provided, and there is a high possibility that electric vehicles exist, a higher score may be given to the city item than the non-city item. For example, the server 300 may be configured to analyze an area in which the vehicle has been driven in the past, and classify the driving area as a city item or a non-city item based on a main area in which the vehicle has been driven during a driving period.”
Flossmor, Rothwell, Yang, and Kim are deemed to be analogous references as they are reasonably pertinent to each other and directed towards measuring, collecting, and analyzing information with a series of inputs to solve similar problems in the similar environments. Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Flossmor, Rothwell, and Yang with the aforementioned teachings from Kim with a reasonable expectation of success, by adding steps that allow the utilize ranking data the motivation to more efficiently and accurately communicate and select data [Kim 0044].
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Arboletti; Ariano. Automotive Industry High Performance Capability Assessment, .U.S. Patent 8781882 This disclosure concerns a system and method to identify the performance capability of an organization on a scale of representative capabilities. In particular, this disclosure relates to an efficient and cost effective way to assess the performance capability level of key assessment areas within the processes of an organization.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee 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 date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Arif Ullah, whose telephone number is (571) 270-0161. The examiner can normally be reached from Monday to Friday between 9 AM and 5:30 PM.
If any attempt to reach the examiner by telephone is unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Beth Boswell, can be reached at (571) 272-6737. The fax telephone numbers for this group are either (571) 273-8300 or (703) 872-9326 (for official communications including After Final communications labeled “Box AF”).
/Arif Ullah/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3625
Prosecution Insights