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 .
Claims 1-20 are presented for examination.
Claims 1-20 are rejected.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 8-10, filed 05/12/2025, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1, 12-13, and 17-18 under 35 U.S.C. § 102 and 35 USC § 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 Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn.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 in view of Camacho (US 20180108254 A1).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1-4, 11-14, and 17 are rejected under § 103 as being unpatentable over Mills (US 20180319402 A1), in view of Camacho (US 20180108254 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Mills discloses a system for determining whether hands-free driving operation should be activated, the system implemented in conjunction with a vehicle, the system comprising:
a control unit configured to: retrieve historical data associated with hands-free operation of the vehicle [0025] “a vehicle processor (e.g., data processor 102 shown in FIG. 1) can select which driver assistance feature to activate based on data collected by the ADAS or other ECU, such as, for example, road quality data and how long the vehicle operator is operating the vehicle hands free (e.g., not touching the steering wheel) , as well as driver preferences information stored in a vehicle memory [i.e., historical data] (e.g., data storage device 104 shown in FIG. 1).”
receive, from the vehicle, current vehicle data [0020] “various forms of data, collected in real-time by one or more components of the vehicle, [] For example, the data can include location data obtained by a vehicle navigation system (e.g., Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates) for a current geographical location of the vehicle, map data obtained by the vehicle navigation system for an area surrounding the vehicle.”
and notify the driver of the vehicle that the hands-free operation is recommended [0021] “using a program module or software instructions (such as, e.g., driver assistance module 126 shown in FIG. 1), to automatically activate an automated driver assistance feature upon satisfaction of preset driving conditions and after completion of a countdown. The countdown can be initiated after the vehicle operator is notified of the impending activation via a message presented on a user interface of the vehicle (such as, e.g., instrument panel 128 shown in FIG. 1). The message may be presented on the user interface as a prompt offering the vehicle operator with a first user-selectable option for stopping the automatic activation of the automated driver assistance feature, and a second user-selectable option for immediately activating the automated driver assistance feature.”
Mills does not appear to teach the full claim limitation regarding “generate, based upon the historical data, an operational map, where the operational map indicates routes where hands-free operation of the vehicle has been historically activated”, and “determine, based upon the operational map and the current vehicle data, that hands-free operation is recommended”
However, Camacho teaches equivalent teachings wherein generate, based upon the historical data, an operational map, where the operational map indicates routes where hands-free operation of the vehicle has been historically activated [0011] “information relating to the activation/deactivation of a semi-autonomous driving system or interventions by the driver may be used” Camacho expressly discloses collecting and using “history or usage” information tied to semi-autonomous super cruise use, including logged intervention events. That is “historical data associated with hands-free operation” once it is stored/logged for later determination. [0012] “Information collected by the vehicle(s) may be provided to a remote facility, e.g., a central office or backoffice facility, which may establish a database or map of routes in a given area or region where use of a semi-autonomous driving system may be permitted. Information may be collected from vehicles in real-time, i.e., as the vehicle(s) traverses the route(s) in question. Information may be analyzed by the central office in real-time, or on a periodic basis. The information may be provided to vehicles collectively in the area, e.g., by way of a central database or map.” [0034] “Some information collected by the vehicle(s) 12 may relate to a history or usage associated with a semi-autonomous driving mode of each vehicle(s) 12. For example, interactions of the driver of a vehicle 12 with the cruise control system 100 may provide an indication that use of a super cruise mode is not appropriate, unsafe, or otherwise not desirable. A road or route may initially be considered eligible for use of a super cruise function, but upon driving the route in a super cruise mode in vehicle 12, the driver may intervene to cease the super cruise function.” [0037] “Proceeding to block 215, an eligibility of one or more vehicle routes for use in a semi-autonomous driving mode of the vehicles, e.g., a super cruise mode, may be determined. For example, remote facility 80 may analyze the route information received from one or more vehicles 12 in block 210 to determine whether changes to the compatibility of the route(s) with a super cruising mode of the vehicles would be appropriate.” [0039] “At block 220, the eligibility of the vehicle route(s) may be communicated to one or more vehicles 12. For example, remote facility 80 may prevent vehicles 12 from activating a super cruise mode where it has been determined that a road should at least temporarily not be eligible for use of a super cruise mode.” Camacho’s stored route usage, activation, deactivation, and intervention records are “historical data associated with hands-free operation” (hands-free/super-cruise use history) that can be retrieved by a control unit.
determine, based upon the operational map and the current vehicle data, that hands-free operation is recommended [0012] “Information collected by the vehicle(s) may be provided to a remote facility, e.g., a central office or backoffice facility, which may establish a database or map of routes in a given area or region where use of a semi-autonomous driving system may be permitted. Information may be collected from vehicles in real-time, i.e., as the vehicle(s) traverses the route(s) in question. Information may be analyzed by the central office in real-time, or on a periodic basis. The information may be provided to vehicles collectively in the area, e.g., by way of a central database or map.” [0037] “Proceeding to block 215, an eligibility of one or more vehicle routes for use in a semi-autonomous driving mode of the vehicles, e.g., a super cruise mode, may be determined. For example, remote facility 80 may analyze the route information received from one or more vehicles 12 in block 210 to determine whether changes to the compatibility of the route(s) with a super cruising mode of the vehicles would be appropriate.” [0039] At block 220, the eligibility of the vehicle route(s) may be communicated to one or more vehicles 12. For example, remote facility 80 may prevent vehicles 12 from activating a super cruise mode where it has been determined that a road should at least temporarily not be eligible for use of a super cruise mode.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Mills to implement Mills’s current real-time vehicle data (e.g., GPS location/map context) and Camacho’s route eligibility map (operational map) to determine whether the vehicle is on or approaching an eligible route and therefore whether a hands-free/driver-assist mode is recommended/available.
A person that is skilled in the art would have been motivated to combine Mills and Camacho to improve overall system safety [0003] “Semi-autonomous driving systems, referred to in some cases as a “super cruise” system, are typically adapted for use primarily on highways and other roads where travel at a generally consistent and/or elevated speed is safely possible. Accordingly, a semi-autonomous driving system typically is not appropriate for all routes or roads. Semi-autonomous systems therefore may rely upon maps or route data to determine whether a semi-autonomous driving system such as a super cruise system may be used while traversing a particular route. However, such systems are relatively recently developed, and therefore road data can be inaccurate. Moreover, road and vehicle conditions change in real-time, and may affect the degree to which a semi-autonomous system may be safely used on a particular route.”
Regarding Claim 2, Mills discloses the system in accordance with Claim 1, wherein the control unit is further configured to automatically activate the hands-free driving operation when the hands-free operation is recommended [0021] “using a program module or software instructions (such as, e.g., driver assistance module 126 shown in FIG. 1), to automatically activate an automated driver assistance feature upon satisfaction of preset driving conditions and after completion of a countdown. The countdown can be initiated after the vehicle operator is notified of the impending activation via a message presented on a user interface of the vehicle (such as, e.g., instrument panel 128 shown in FIG. 1). The message may be presented on the user interface as a prompt offering the vehicle operator with a first user-selectable option for stopping the automatic activation of the automated driver assistance feature, and a second user-selectable option for immediately activating the automated driver assistance feature.”
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Mills and Camacho to make the system wherein the control unit is further configured to automatically activate the hands-free driving operation when the hands-free operation is recommended.
Regarding Claim 3, Mills discloses the system in accordance with Claim 1, wherein the vehicle further includes at least one of a transceiver, an accelerometer, a speedometer, a display visible by a person seated in the driver’s seat of the vehicle, and at least one haptic device [0036] “the instrument panel 128 (also referred to as a “dashboard” or “cluster”) includes a control panel [i.e., haptic device] positioned in front of the driver's seat for housing instrumentation and controls for operation of the vehicle 100, including, for example, a steering wheel, various gauges (e.g., speedometer, odometer, fuel gauge, etc.), and various vehicle indicators, such as, for example, a selected position of a gear selector, seat belt warnings, low fuel, low tire pressure, etc. [0041] “The wireless communication module 134 may also include a mobile communication unit (not shown) for wirelessly communicating over a cellular network (e.g., GSM, GPRS, LTE, 3G, 4G, CDMA, etc.), an 802.11 network (e.g., WiFi), a WiMax network, and/or a satellite network. In some cases, the wireless communication module 134 includes a dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) transceiver.”
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Mills and Camacho to make the system wherein the vehicle further includes at least one of a transceiver, an accelerometer, a speedometer, a display visible by a person seated in the driver’s seat of the vehicle, and at least one haptic device.
Regarding Claim 4, Mills discloses the system in accordance with Claim 3, wherein the vehicle further includes a location sensor and at least one vehicle proximity sensor and wherein the current vehicle data includes at least location data received from the location sensor, vehicle proximity data received from the vehicle, and vehicle operational speed data received from at least one of the accelerometer and the speedometer [0020] “the data can include location data obtained by a vehicle navigation system (e.g., Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates) for a current geographical location of the vehicle” [0032] The vehicle sensors 108 [i.e., proximity sensor] can include various sensors for detecting objects (e.g., other vehicles or large obstacles) adjacent to or near the vehicle, within a path of the vehicle, and/or moving towards the vehicle. For example, the vehicle sensors 108 can use radar, laser, infrared, and/or ultrasound technology for detecting the range, speed, and azimuth of a target object, and/or a distance between the vehicle and an object within the vehicle path.” [0033] “the vehicle sensors 108 can also include dynamic sensors or any other type of sensor for detecting, monitoring, and/or measuring a current movement of the vehicle. For example, the dynamic vehicle sensors 108 can include wheel speed sensors, lateral acceleration sensors, longitudinal acceleration sensors, steering wheel sensors, steering angle sensors, and yaw rate sensors.”
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Mills and Camacho to make the system wherein the vehicle further includes a location sensor and at least one vehicle proximity sensor and wherein the current vehicle data includes at least location data received from the location sensor, vehicle proximity data received from the vehicle, and vehicle operational speed data received from at least one of the accelerometer and the speedometer.
Regarding Claim 11, Mills discloses the system in accordance with Claim 3, wherein the control unit is further configured to: some display, on the display of the vehicle, … and a current status of the availability of a hands-free driving operation mode [0037] “the instrument panel 128 may also include one or more input devices 132 for activating or deactivating the automated driver assistance feature, such as, for example, a “Set” or “Resume” button for activating the feature, a “Cancel” for deactivating the feature, and an “Off” button for turning off or disabling the feature.”
Mills does not appear to teach the full claim limitation regarding “display, on the display of the vehicle, the operational map”
However, Camacho teaches equivalent teachings wherein display, on the display of the vehicle, the operational map [0012] “Information collected by the vehicle(s) may be provided to a remote facility, e.g., a central office or backoffice facility, which may establish a database or map of routes in a given area or region where use of a semi-autonomous driving system may be permitted. Information may be collected from vehicles in real-time, i.e., as the vehicle(s) traverses the route(s) in question. Information may be analyzed by the central office in real-time, or on a periodic basis. The information may be provided to vehicles collectively in the area, e.g., by way of a central database or map.” [0039] “At block 220, the eligibility of the vehicle route(s) may be communicated to one or more vehicles 12. For example, remote facility 80 may prevent vehicles 12 from activating a super cruise mode where it has been determined that a road should at least temporarily not be eligible for use of a super cruise mode.” [0020] “GPS module 40 receives radio signals from a constellation 60 of GPS satellites. From these signals, the module 40 can determine vehicle position that is used for providing navigation and other position-related services to the vehicle driver. Navigation information can be presented on the display 38 (or other display within the vehicle) or can be presented verbally such as is done when supplying turn-by-turn navigation. The navigation services can be provided using a dedicated in-vehicle navigation module (which can be part of GPS module 40), or some or all navigation services can be done via telematics unit 30, wherein the position information is sent to a remote location for purposes of providing the vehicle with navigation maps, map annotations (points of interest, restaurants, etc.), route calculations, and the like.”
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Mills and Camacho to make the system wherein the control unit is further configured to: display, on the display of the vehicle, the operational map and a current status of the availability of a hands-free driving operation mode.
A person that is skilled in the art would have been motivated to combine Mills and Camacho to improve overall system safety [0003] “Semi-autonomous driving systems, referred to in some cases as a “super cruise” system, are typically adapted for use primarily on highways and other roads where travel at a generally consistent and/or elevated speed is safely possible. Accordingly, a semi-autonomous driving system typically is not appropriate for all routes or roads. Semi-autonomous systems therefore may rely upon maps or route data to determine whether a semi-autonomous driving system such as a super cruise system may be used while traversing a particular route. However, such systems are relatively recently developed, and therefore road data can be inaccurate. Moreover, road and vehicle conditions change in real-time, and may affect the degree to which a semi-autonomous system may be safely used on a particular route.”
Regarding Claim 12, The claim recites a vehicle of the parallel limitations in claims 1-5, respectively for the reasons discussed above. Therefore, claim 12 is rejected using the same rational reasoning.
Regarding Claim 13, The claim recites a vehicle of the parallel limitations in claim 2, respectively for the reasons discussed above. Therefore, claim 13 is rejected using the same rational reasoning.
Regarding Claim 14, The claim recites a vehicle of the parallel limitations in claim 4, respectively for the reasons discussed above. Therefore, claim 14 is rejected using the same rational reasoning.
Regarding Claim 17, The claim recites a method of the parallel limitations in claim 1, respectively for the reasons discussed above. Therefore, claim 17 is rejected using the same rational reasoning.
Claims 5-10, 15-16, 18, and 19-20 are rejected under § 103 as being unpatentable over Mills (US 20180319402 A1), in view of Frazzoli (US 20190064801 A1).
Regarding Claim 5, Mills discloses the system in accordance with Claim 4, wherein the control unit is further configured to receive …. and traffic data based upon the location data of the vehicle [0049] “The advanced driving assistance system (ADAS) 114 can be an ECU for monitoring the vehicle environment, traffic conditions, and other surroundings and when needed, implementing various driving assistance features that automate, adapt, or enhance select vehicle systems.” [0073] “The method 300 includes step 302, where the processor obtains road quality data from one or more ECUs, such as, for example, the vehicle camera system, the vehicle navigation system, and/or the advanced driver assistance system (ADAS). The road quality data can include lane markings information, road curvature information, and other information related to a condition of the road.”
Mills does not teach the claim limitation regarding “receive weather data.”
However, Frazzoli teaches equivalent teachings wherein the control unit is further configured to receive weather data [0085] “One or more data sources 142 for providing historical, or real-time, or predictive information, or a combination of any two or more of them about the environment 190, including, for example, maps, driving performance, traffic congestion updates or weather conditions. Such data may be stored on a data storage unit 142 or memory 144 on the AV 100, or may be transmitted to the AV 100 via a communications channel from a remote database 134 or a combination of them.”
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Mills to include the features of Frazzoli to have the system receive weather data.
A person that is skilled in the art would have been motivated to combine Mills and Frazzoli to improve safety by switching from manual mode to automated mode [0023] “the method may comprise causing the vehicle to switch to another driving mode if the occupant who is manually driving the vehicle is unable to manually drive the vehicle safely.”
Regarding Claim 6, Mills discloses the system in accordance with Claim 5, wherein the control unit is further configured to: retrieve predetermined operating criteria rules to enable the hands-free operation of the vehicle [0021] “using a program module or software instructions (such as, e.g., driver assistance module 126 shown in FIG. 1), to automatically activate an automated driver assistance feature upon satisfaction of preset driving conditions [i.e., retrieve predetermined operating criteria] and after completion of a countdown”, wherein the predetermined rules include at least one of …….. where operating the vehicle in a hands-free driving operation mode is recommended [0073] “The method 300 includes step 302, where the processor obtains road quality data from one or more ECUs, such as, for example, the vehicle camera system, the vehicle navigation system, and/or the advanced driver assistance system (ADAS). The road quality data can include lane markings information, road curvature information, and other information related to a condition of the road.”, vehicle operating speeds where operating the vehicle in the hands-free driving operation mode is recommended, and vehicle proximities that are acceptable to operate the vehicle in the hands-free driving operation mode [0065] “the automated feature activated at step 220 includes a driver assistance feature for controlling longitudinal movement of the vehicle based on vehicle surroundings data obtained from at least one ECU of the vehicle. For example, the automated feature may be an Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) feature that is configured to accelerate or decelerate the vehicle in order to keep the vehicle at a selected speed and a predetermined distance away from any vehicle in the lane ahead. In such cases, activating the automated feature at step 220 includes setting the vehicle speed to the selected speed. In some cases, the selected speed is a value automatically selected by the vehicle system based on a speed limit associated with the highway. In such cases, the highway speed limit information may be obtained from the navigation system or a remote server via a telematics control unit (e.g., TCU 115) of the vehicle system. In other cases, the vehicle speed may be a preselected value entered by the user, stored in a vehicle memory, and retrieved by the processor upon activation of the automated feature.”
Mills does not teach the claim limitation regarding “weather data as a part of predetermined rules for the hands-free operation.”
However, Frazzoli teaches equivalent teachings wherein the control unit is further configured to weather data as a part of predetermined rules for the hands-free operation [0085] “One or more data sources 142 for providing historical, or real-time, or predictive information, or a combination of any two or more of them about the environment 190, including, for example, maps, driving performance, traffic congestion updates or weather conditions. Such data may be stored on a data storage unit 142 or memory 144 on the AV 100, or may be transmitted to the AV 100 via a communications channel from a remote database 134 or a combination of them.”
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Mills to include the features of Frazzoli to have the system receive weather data as a part of predetermined rules for the hands-free operation.
A person that is skilled in the art would have been motivated to combine Mills and Frazzoli to improve safety by switching from manual mode to automated mode [0023] “the method may comprise causing the vehicle to switch to another driving mode if the occupant who is manually driving the vehicle is unable to manually drive the vehicle safely.”
Regarding Claim 7, Mills discloses the system in accordance with Claim 6, wherein the control unit is further configured to: compare the current vehicle data to the operational map and the predetermined operating criteria rules; determine, based upon the comparison, that the hands-free driving operation mode for the vehicle is available; and activate the hands-free operation of the vehicle [0020] “various forms of data, collected in real-time by one or more components of the vehicle, [] For example, the data can include location data obtained by a vehicle navigation system (e.g., Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates) for a current geographical location of the vehicle, map data obtained by the vehicle navigation system for an area surrounding the vehicle.” [0025] “a vehicle processor (e.g., data processor 102 shown in FIG. 1) can select which driver assistance feature to activate based on data collected by the ADAS or other ECU, such as, for example, road quality data and how long the vehicle operator is operating the vehicle hands free (e.g., not touching the steering wheel), as well as driver preferences information stored in a vehicle memory [i.e., historical data] (e.g., data storage device 104 shown in FIG. 1).” The system generates operational map [i.e., which driver assistance feature to activate based on data collected by the ADAS or other ECU] based on historical data when the vehicle was driven in a hands-free mode. [0065] "The automated feature activated at step 220 includes a driver assistance feature for controlling longitudinal movement of the vehicle based on vehicle surroundings data obtained from at least one ECU of the vehicle. For example, the automated feature may be an Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) feature that is configured to accelerate or decelerate the vehicle in order to keep the vehicle at a selected speed and a predetermined distance away from any vehicle in the lane ahead." Mills [0065] states that speed limits and vehicle proximities are predefined operating criteria, and these are used to compare against real-time vehicle data to determine if hands-free driving should be activated.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Mills to include the features of Frazzoli to have the system wherein the control unit is further configured to: compare the current vehicle data to the operational map and the predetermined operating criteria rules; determine, based upon the comparison, that the hands-free driving operation mode for the vehicle is available; and activate the hands-free operation of the vehicle.
Regarding Claim 8, Mills discloses the system in accordance with Claim 7, wherein the control unit is further configured to: notify the driver that the hands-free operation is activated by providing feedback to the driver through at least one of the displays and the at least one haptic device [0021] “using a program module or software instructions (such as, e.g., driver assistance module 126 shown in FIG. 1), to automatically activate an automated driver assistance feature upon satisfaction of preset driving conditions and after completion of a countdown. The countdown can be initiated after the vehicle operator is notified of the impending activation via a message presented on a user interface of the vehicle (such as, e.g., instrument panel 128 shown in FIG. 1). The message may be presented on the user interface as a prompt offering the vehicle operator with a first user-selectable option for stopping the automatic activation of the automated driver assistance feature, and a second user-selectable option for immediately activating the automated driver assistance feature.” [0036] “the instrument panel 128 (also referred to as a “dashboard” or “cluster”) includes a control panel [i.e., haptic device] positioned in front of the driver's seat for housing instrumentation and controls for operation of the vehicle 100, including, for example, a steering wheel, various gauges (e.g., speedometer, odometer, fuel gauge, etc.)”
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Mills to include the features of Frazzoli to have the system wherein the control unit is further configured to: notify the driver that the hands-free operation is activated by providing feedback to the driver through at least one of the displays and the at least one haptic device.
Regarding Claim 9, Mills discloses the system in accordance with Claim 6, wherein the control unit is further configured to: continuously monitor the current vehicle data by comparing the current vehicle data to the operational map and the predetermined operating criteria rules; and based upon the comparison, deactivate the hands-free operation of the vehicle [0020] “various forms of data, collected in real-time by one or more components of the vehicle [i.e., continuously monitor the current vehicle data], to determine when a vehicle is entering or exiting a highway (e.g., travelling on an on-ramp or an off-ramp) and when the vehicle has changed lanes on the highway. For example, the data can include location data obtained by a vehicle navigation system (e.g., Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates) for a current geographical location of the vehicle, map data obtained by the vehicle navigation system for an area surrounding the vehicle, and/or real-time image data obtained by a vehicle camera system (e.g., captured images or video) as the vehicle travels on or towards the highway. Determinations made based on this data may be used to automatically activate or deactivate an automated driver assistance feature” The system monitor and collects real-time data continuously since the data related to the vehicle is happening when driving on the freeway and when the car is changing lanes including entering and exiting the freeway to activate or deactivate the automated driver assistance system.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Mills to include the features of Frazzoli to have the system wherein the control unit is further configured to: continuously monitor the current vehicle data by comparing the current vehicle data to the operational map and the predetermined operating criteria rules; and based upon the comparison, deactivate the hands-free operation of the vehicle.
Regarding Claim 10, Mills discloses the system in accordance with Claim 9, wherein the control unit is further configured to: notify the driver that the hands-free operation is deactivated through at least one of the displays and the at least one haptic device [0036] “the instrument panel 128 (also referred to as a “dashboard” or “cluster”) includes a control panel [i.e., haptic device] positioned in front of the driver's seat for housing instrumentation and controls for operation of the vehicle 100, including, for example, a steering wheel, various gauges (e.g., speedometer, odometer, fuel gauge, etc.), and various vehicle indicators, such as, for example, a selected position of a gear selector, seat belt warnings, low fuel, low tire pressure, etc. [0037] “the instrument panel 128 may also include one or more input devices 132 for activating or deactivating the automated driver assistance feature, such as, for example, a “Set” or “Resume” button for activating the feature, a “Cancel” for deactivating the feature, and an “Off” button for turning off or disabling the feature.”
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Mills to include the features of Frazzoli to have the system wherein the control unit is further configured to: notify the driver that the hands-free operation is deactivated through at least one of the displays and the at least one haptic device.
Regarding Claim 15, The claim recites a vehicle of the parallel limitations in claim 6, respectively for the reasons discussed above. Therefore, claim 15 is rejected using the same rational reasoning.
Regarding Claim 16, The claim recites a vehicle of the parallel limitations in claim 7, respectively for the reasons discussed above. Therefore, claim 16 is rejected using the same rational reasoning.
Regarding Claim 18, The claim recites a method of the parallel limitations in claim 5, respectively for the reasons discussed above. Therefore, claim 18 is rejected using the same rational reasoning.
Regarding Claim 19, The claim recites a method of the parallel limitations in claim 6, respectively for the reasons discussed above. Therefore, claim 19 is rejected using the same rational reasoning.
Regarding Claim 20, The claim recites a method of the parallel limitations in claim 7, respectively for the reasons discussed above. Therefore, claim 20 is rejected using the same rational reasoning.
Conclusion
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 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 HUSSAM ALZATEEMEH whose telephone number is (703)756-1013. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00-5:00 M-F.
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/HUSSAM ALDEEN ALZATEEMEH/Examiner, Art Unit 3662
/ANISS CHAD/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3662
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