DETAILED ACTION
This is a response to applicant’s submissions filed on 6/5/2026. Claims 1-10 and 13 are pending.
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 Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 10-16, filed 6/5/2026, with respect to the rejection of claims 1-10 and 13 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Objections
Claims 1, 3, 5 and 7-10 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In claims 1 and 9-10, lines 7-9, the meaning of the phrase “acquires vehicle outside images included in moving images captured by a camera that captures moving images outside the vehicle” is unclear because it is redundantly verbose, and the term “moving images” is not proper idiomatic English. The Examiner suggests the phrase should read “acquires vehicle outside images from a camera that captures a region outside of the vehicle”.
In claim 1, line 18, “generates a first approach mode data” should read “generates first approach mode data”. This appears to be a typographical error.
In claim 1, lines 22-23, “included in a second approach mode data” should read “included in second approach mode data”. This appears to be a typographical error.
In claims 1 and 8, lines 29-30 and 25-26, respectively, the sequencing recited in the phrase “after performing the second authentication and before performing the first authentication” is confusing because in proper idiomatic English, the first authentication would occur before the second authentication. Although paragraph 34 discloses a first authentication unit for face authentication, and a second authentication unit for approach mode authentication, the specification does not disclose that the first authentication unit performs the first authentication, nor that the second authentication unit performs the second authentication, therefore, it would be acceptable and consistent with proper idiomatic English to call the approach mode authentication the first authentication, and the facial authentication the second authentication in the claims.
In claim 1, line 43, “a face data” should read “face data”. This appears to be a typographical error.
In claim 3, lines 2-7, “the second processor … transmits, to the first processor, second door control contents information … the second door control contents information is recorded in memory in advance” should read “the second processor … transmits, to the first processor, second door control contents information … wherein the second door control contents information is recorded in memory in advance”. This appears to be a typographical error.
In claim 5, lines 2-3, “wherein the predetermined motion is a gesture to the vehicle, the second processor transmits” should read “wherein the predetermined motion is a gesture to the vehicle, and the second processor transmits”. This appears to be a typographical error.
In claim 7, lines 5-7, “transmits … fourth door control contents information … the fourth door control contents information is recorded in memory”, should read “transmits … fourth door control contents information … wherein the fourth door control contents information is recorded in memory”. This appears to be a typographical error.
In claim 7, line 8, “by the get-off person, detected” should read “by the get-off person detected”. This appears to be a typographical error.
In claim 8, lines 3-5, the meaning of the phrase “acquiring vehicle outside images included in moving images captured by a camera that captures moving images outside the vehicle” is unclear because it is redundantly verbose, and the term “moving images” is not proper idiomatic English. The Examiner suggests the phrase should read “acquiring vehicle outside images from a camera that captures a region outside of the vehicle”.
In claim 8, line 15, “generating a first approach mode data” should read “generating first approach mode data”. This appears to be a typographical error.
In claim 8, lines 19-20, “included in a second approach mode data” should read “included in second approach mode data”. This appears to be a typographical error.
In claim 8, line 40, “a face data” should read “face data”. This appears to be a typographical error.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-10 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 1, lines 16-17, the limitation “generates, from each frame of the … images, build models”, renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear how many build models are generated from each image frame. Paragraphs 36 and 41 disclose generating the build model for each image, therefore, for the purposes of examination, it will be assumed that one build model is generated for each frame.
Regarding claim 1, line 17, the limitation “simulate a figure of a person” renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear if the simulated figure is of the vehicle outside person detected in line 9. Paragraph 29 discloses the build model is a model simulating a figure of a person by indicating the position of a head, the positions of shoulders, the positions of elbows, the position of a waist, the positions of knees, and the positions of ankles by dots and connecting the individual dots by lines. Paragraph 41 further discloses generating the build model of the vehicle outside person detected in each vehicle outside image. Therefore, for the purposes of examination, it will be assumed that the build models simulate a figure of the vehicle outside person.
Regarding claim 1, lines 18-20, the limitation “generates a first approach mode data for which a plurality of build models each generated from each frame of the vehicle outside images are time-sequentially lined up” renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear if the plurality of build models are the same build models generated in lines 16-17. For the purposes of examination, it will be assumed that the claim is directed to generating a single plurality of build models of the detected vehicle outside person.
Regarding claim 1, lines 25-27, the limitation “when the second approach mode data whose concordance rate with the first approach mode data is at a predetermined concordance rate or higher is stored in the memory” renders the claim indefinite because is unclear which of the following parameters are stored in the memory: the second approach mode data, the concordance rate of the second approach mode data with the first approach mode data, or the predetermined concordance rate. The second approach mode data is stored in the memory in advance, therefore, the authentication cannot occur simultaneously with its storage, therefore, for the purposes of examination, it will be assumed that an indication of a concordance rate meeting or exceeding a minimum concordance rate is stored in the memory.
Regarding claim 2, line 2, the limitation “the second processor generates a build model” renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear if it is one of the build models generated by the second processor in claim 1, lines 16-17. For the purposes of examination, it will be assumed that the claims are directed to the same plurality of build models.
Regarding claim 2, lines 4-6, the limitation “generates the first approach mode data … and authenticates the second approach mode data” renders the claim indefinite because it appears to repeat the steps of generating the first approach mode data and authenticating based on the second approach mode data that are recited in claim 1, lines 18-27, therefore, it is unclear if claim 2 recites additional steps. For the purposes of examination, it will be assumed that claim 2 is drawn to the same steps of claim 1.
Regarding claim 2, lines 7, the limitation “a predetermined concordance rate” renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear if it is the same predetermined concordance rate recited in claim 1, lines 26-27. For the purposes of examination, it will be assumed that both claims are directed to the same predetermined concordance rate.
Regarding claim 8, lines 13-14, the limitation “generating, from each frame of the … images, build models”, renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear how many build models are generated from each image frame. Paragraphs 36 and 41 disclose generating the build model for each image, therefore, for the purposes of examination, it will be assumed that one build model is generated for each frame.
Regarding claim 8, line 14, the limitation “simulate a figure of a person” renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear if the simulated figure is of the vehicle outside person detected in line 6. Paragraph 29 discloses the build model is a model simulating a figure of a person by indicating the position of a head, the positions of shoulders, the positions of elbows, the position of a waist, the positions of knees, and the positions of ankles by dots and connecting the individual dots by lines. Paragraph 41 further discloses generating the build model of the vehicle outside person detected in each vehicle outside image. Therefore, for the purposes of examination, it will be assumed that the build models simulate a figure of the vehicle outside person.
Regarding claim 8, lines 15-17, the limitation “generating a first approach mode data for which a plurality of build models each generated from each frame of the vehicle outside images are time-sequentially lined up” renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear if the plurality of build models are the same build models generated in lines 13-14. For the purposes of examination, it will be assumed that the claim is directed to generating a single plurality of build models of the detected vehicle outside person.
Regarding claim 8, lines 22-24, the limitation “when the second approach mode data whose concordance rate with the first approach mode data is at a predetermined concordance rate or higher is stored in the memory” renders the claim indefinite because is unclear which of the following parameters are stored in the memory: the second approach mode data, the concordance rate of the second approach mode data with the first approach mode data, or the predetermined concordance rate. The second approach mode data is stored in the memory in advance, therefore, the authentication cannot occur simultaneously with its storage, therefore, for the purposes of examination, it will be assumed that an indication of a concordance rate meeting or exceeding a minimum concordance rate is stored in the memory.
Regarding claim 8, line 29, the limitation “a predetermined motion is detected” renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear if it is the same predetermined motion of the vehicle outside person detected in line 8. For the purposes of examination, it will be assumed that the claim is directed to detecting the predetermined motion of the person outside the vehicle one time.
Regarding claim 9, lines 12-13, the limitation “detects a gesture … of the vehicle outside person detected before the vehicle outside person is authenticated” renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear if the limitation is directed to detecting the gesture of the vehicle outside person before they are authenticated, or detecting the gesture of the vehicle outside person, who was detected before they were authenticated. Although the person must be detected before they are authenticated, Applicant appears to argue, on page 15, that the gesture is detected before the person is authenticated. Therefore, for the purposes of examination, it will be assumed that the gesture of the vehicle outside person is detected before they are authenticated.
Regarding claim 9, lines 29-31, the limitation “the first mode includes one of unlocking all doors or unlocking only certain doors, the second mode includes one of unlocking all doors or unlocking only certain doors” renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear how the modes are different if they can both unlock the same doors. Paragraphs 91 and 35 similarly disclose performing the door opening control in a first or second mode that can be made different, according to whether or not the non-registered user is present with the registered user, without specifying any other differences. For the purposes of examination, it will be assumed that the modes refer to any instructions following a determination of whether at least one registered user are detected, or a registered user and a non-registered user.
Regarding claim 10, lines 11-12, the limitation “detects gestures … of the vehicle outside persons detected before the vehicle outside person is authenticated” renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear if the limitation is directed to detecting the gestures of the vehicle outside persons before the vehicle outside person is authenticated, or detecting the gestures of the vehicle outside persons, who were detected before the vehicle outside person was authenticated. Although the people must be detected before they are authenticated, Applicant appears to argue, on page 16, that the gestures are detected before the person is authenticated. Therefore, for the purposes of examination, it will be assumed that the gestures of the vehicle outside persons are detected before the vehicle outside person is authenticated.
Regarding claim 10, lines 11-12, the limitation “detects gestures, to the vehicle, of the vehicle outside person detected” renders the claim indefinite because detecting a plurality of vehicle outside persons lacks sufficient antecedent basis in the claim, therefore, it is unclear if how the vehicle outside person are detected, and if they include the vehicle outside person detected in line 9. For the purposes of examination, it will be assumed that the claim is directed to detecting more than one person outside the vehicle based on the acquired image.
Regarding claim 10, lines 13-14, the limitation “based on a predetermined part of the vehicle outside persons” renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear if the authentication is based on one part of one person in the group of people outside the vehicle, one part on each of the people in the group, or simply a subset of the group of people outside the vehicle. For the purposes of examination, it will be assumed that each person outside the vehicle is authenticated based on a predetermined part of their body (e.g., their face).
Claims 2-7 and 13 are rejected as being dependent on a rejected claim and for failing to cure the deficiencies listed above.
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.
Claim(s) 1-2 and 7-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Row et al. (KR 2021/0035585), hereinafter Row, in view of Sozaburo (JP 2003-138817) and Hasedzic et al. (GB 2579539), hereinafter Hasedzic.
Regarding claims 1-2 and 8, as best understood, Row discloses a control system which is a vehicle control system, comprising: a zone A-ECU including a first processor for performing opening and closing control of a door of a vehicle (Row; para. 34: The door opening/closing unit (420) performs the operation of opening or closing the vehicle door according to the control signal of the control unit (410).; para. 37: The control unit (410) of the embodiment with reference to FIG. 5 further includes a driver recognition unit (510), a motion recognition unit (520), and a door control unit (530) compared to FIG. 1, and these components can also be implemented as a program, stored in memory, and executed by a processor.); and an entry ECU including a second processor and a memory (Row; para. 33: control unit (410) includes all the functions and operations of the control unit (130); para. 24: control unit (130) may be part of the electronic control unit (ECU) of the vehicle … control unit (130) includes memory and a processor), wherein the second processor acquires vehicle outside images included in moving images captured by a camera that captures moving images outside the vehicle (Row; para. 35: The control unit (410) can recognize the driver's motion in the preprocessed image after performing preprocessing to remove the color of the stop lamp (110) from the real-time image captured by the camera (120).; para. 32: the real-time image … is an external image of the vehicle), detects a vehicle outside person present outside the vehicle (Row; para. 38: driver recognition unit (510) can recognize the driver's approach through a proximity sensor), and performs authentication as to whether or not the vehicle outside person is a registered user by two-factor authentication of a first authentication and a second authentication (Row; para. 38: When a driver is recognized, the driver recognition unit (510) activates the image receiving unit (220) and the preprocessing unit (230), and can perform driver authentication by recognizing a face from the image preprocessed in the preprocessing unit (230) and comparing it with the face of a previously registered driver.), the second processor after performing the second authentication, extracts a characteristic of a motion of the vehicle outside person authenticated by the second authentication, from the vehicle outside images, and determines that a predetermined motion is detected when a motion content recognized from the characteristic of the motion extracted is a motion content recorded in the memory in advance (Row; para. 39: The motion recognition unit (520) performs motion recognition on the preprocessed image when the driver recognition unit (510) succeeds in driver authentication … For example, in the case of a motion to open the trunk, the driver takes a motion of raising their hand, and in the case of a motion to close the trunk, the driver takes a motion of lowering their hand, and the motion recognition unit (520) transmits the motion recognition result regarding this to the door control unit (530). The motion recognition unit (520) can recognize a motion indicating a specific door in the preprocessed image and can transmit the motion recognition result regarding this, along with the motion recognition result regarding the opening/closing of the door, to the door control unit (530).), extracts, from at least one of the vehicle outside images, an image of a part of a face of the vehicle outside person for whom the predetermined motion is detected, performs the first authentication of authenticating whether or not the vehicle outside person for whom the predetermined motion is detected is the registered user by comparing the image of the part of the face extracted and a face data of the registered user recorded in the memory in advance (Row; para. 38: When a driver is recognized, the driver recognition unit (510) activates the image receiving unit (220) and the preprocessing unit (230), and can perform driver authentication by recognizing a face from the image preprocessed in the preprocessing unit (230) and comparing it with the face of a previously registered driver.), when the first authentication is completed and the vehicle outside person for whom the predetermined motion is detected is authenticated as the registered user by the first authentication, transmits, to the first processor, first door control contents information indicating control contents related to opening the door of the vehicle (Row; para. 39: The motion recognition unit (520) performs motion recognition on the preprocessed image when the driver recognition unit (510) succeeds in driver authentication. The motion recognition unit (520) transmits the motion recognition result to the door control unit (530).), the first door control contents information is recorded, in the memory in advance, in association with the predetermined motion detected (Row; para. 39: For example, in the case of a motion to open the trunk, the driver takes a motion of raising their hand, and in the case of a motion to close the trunk, the driver takes a motion of lowering their hand, and the motion recognition unit (520) transmits the motion recognition result regarding this to the door control unit (530). The motion recognition unit (520) can recognize a motion indicating a specific door in the preprocessed image and can transmit the motion recognition result regarding this, along with the motion recognition result regarding the opening/closing of the door, to the door control unit (530).), and the first processor performs the opening and closing control of the door of the vehicle based on the first door control contents information received (Row; para. 43: In the case of a motion regarding the opening of a door, at step S607, the vehicle stop lamp device opens the door. At this time, the vehicle stop lamp device opens the corresponding door when the driver makes a motion indicating a specific door.).
Although Row discloses capturing an exterior image of a vehicle with a rear camera (Row; para. 23), and recognizing a driver's approach through a proximity sensor (Row; para. 40), Row does not disclose a specific type of proximity sensor. Therefore, Row does not explicitly disclose the person present outside the vehicle is detected based on the vehicle outside images acquired; and in the two-factor authentication, the second processor generates, from each frame of the vehicle outside images, build models of the vehicle outside person detected which simulate a figure of a person, generates a first approach mode data for which a plurality of build models each generated from each frame of the vehicle outside images are time-sequentially lined up, compares time-sequential changes of the build models included in the first approach mode data and time-sequential changes of the build models included in a second approach mode data stored in the memory in advance, and performs the second authentication of authenticating that the vehicle outside person detected is the registered user when the second approach mode data whose concordance rate with the first approach mode data is at a predetermined concordance rate or higher is stored in the memory.
Hasedzic, in the same field of endeavor (vehicle access controls), discloses a person present outside a vehicle is detected based on vehicle outside images acquired (Hasedzic; p. 10, ll. 4-7: The rear image capture device 6 is located immediately behind the front image capture device 7, along a longitudinal axis of the vehicle 10, and is oriented to capture two-dimensional scan data in the form of still or moving images (e.g. as a video feed) relating to a user approaching the vehicle 10 from the rear); and in a two-factor authentication (Hasedzic; p. 11, ll. 31-33: Upon receipt of the correspondence signal 51, the processing module 14 is configured to send a first authorisation signal 33 to a control module 15.; p. 14, ll. 11-15: in the event that there is correspondence between one or more of the assigned body landmarks in the captured still or moving images with the user identifiers of the stored still or moving images of the authorised user, a second authorisation signal 33 is output from the processing module 14 to the control module 15), a processor generates, from each frame of the vehicle outside images, build models of the vehicle outside person detected which simulate a figure of a person (Hasedzic; p. 13, ll. 8-16: processing module 14 further processes the collated scan data 61, 71 in order to identify and determine the presence of a user within the or each image contained in the data and to perform body landmark recognition to identify body (including facial) landmarks on the images of the user. Each body landmark is a virtual point that represents a specific, predefined body part such as the major joints belonging to virtual skeletal approximations of the anthropometric form of a potential user, and so by identifying a set of body landmarks the size, position and movement of the user can be determined), generates a first approach mode data for which a plurality of build models each generated from each frame of the vehicle outside images are time-sequentially lined up, compares time-sequential changes of the build models included in the first approach mode data and time-sequential changes of the build models included in a second approach mode data stored in a memory in advance (Hasedzic; p. 13, l. 33 to p. 14, l. 5: Once body landmarks have been identified within the image or series of images forming the scan data 61, 71, the processing module 14 communicates with the memory 12 to identify an authenticated user by comparing the body landmarks defined in the scan data with stored user identifiers that represent body landmarks of a preregistered user. In an example embodiment, the user identifiers are stored on the memory 12 in the form of still and/or moving images of body landmarks associated with a respective user.), and performs a second authentication of authenticating that the vehicle outside person detected is the registered user when the second approach mode data whose concordance rate with the first approach mode data is at a predetermined concordance rate or higher is stored in the memory (Hasedzic; p. 14, ll. 11-15: in the event that there is correspondence between one or more of the assigned body landmarks in the captured still or moving images with the user identifiers of the stored still or moving images of the authorised user, a second authorisation signal 33 is output from the processing module 14 to the control module 15).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, with a reasonable expectation of success, to have modified the recognition of the driver's approach through the proximity sensor of Row to use one or more external cameras to match a kinematic skeletal representation of an approaching person to a stored gait pattern, as disclosed by Hasedzic, with the motivation of tracking the pose and any movement of the user when the user it at a significant distance from the vehicle thereby providing a long period of time for the system to analyze the behavior of the approaching user to determine their intent so an action can be initiated before they arrive to the vehicle (Hasedzic; p. 3, ll. 10-15) where they could simply open the vehicle door manually (Hasedzic; p. 2, ll. 18-21).
Row, as modified, does not explicitly disclose the characteristic of the motion of the vehicle outside person is extracted before performing the first authentication, and the image of the part of the face of the vehicle outside person is extracted after determining that the predetermined motion is detected.
Sozaburo, in the same field of endeavor (vehicle access controls), discloses a characteristic of a motion of a vehicle outside person is extracted (Sozaburo; para. 73: If it is determined that someone is approaching the driver's side door 5 (S20: YES), the person sensor 50 is activated (S30) to determine whether the person has reached for the door handle 7 in an attempt to open the door 5 (S40).) before performing a facial authentication, and an image of a part of a face of the vehicle outside person is extracted after determining that the predetermined motion is detected (Sozaburo; para. 73: If it is determined that the subject has reached for the doorknob 7 (S40: YES), the camera module 10 is activated to take a picture with the miniature camera 11 (S50). Next, the images captured by this miniature camera 11 are analyzed to extract the iris data of the subject (S60).).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, with a reasonable expectation of success, to have performed the motion recognition before the face recognition of Row, as modified, as disclosed by Sozaburo, with the motivation of ensuring that the facial recognition is performed when the approaching person is at an appropriate position relative to the vehicle thereby ensuring their identifying features can be reliably acquired while suppressing the power consumption of the system (Sozaburo; paras. 56-57).
Regarding claim 7, as best understood, Row, as modified, discloses the second processor detects a person outside the vehicle based on the vehicle outside images, detects a predetermined motion of the person, and transmits, to the first processor, fourth door control contents information indicating control contents related to closing the door of the vehicle, the fourth door control contents information is recorded in the memory in advance in association with the predetermined motion, by the person, detected (Row; para. 39: The motion recognition unit (520) performs motion recognition on the preprocessed image when the driver recognition unit (510) succeeds in driver authentication … For example, in the case of a motion to open the trunk, the driver takes a motion of raising their hand, and in the case of a motion to close the trunk, the driver takes a motion of lowering their hand, and the motion recognition unit (520) transmits the motion recognition result regarding this to the door control unit (530). The motion recognition unit (520) can recognize a motion indicating a specific door in the preprocessed image and can transmit the motion recognition result regarding this, along with the motion recognition result regarding the opening/closing of the door, to the door control unit (530).).
Row, as modified, does not explicitly disclose detecting the person is a get-off person who has gotten off the vehicle based on the vehicle outside images.
Hasedzic discloses detecting a person is a get-off person who has gotten off a vehicle based on vehicle outside images (Hasedzic; p. 19, ll. 18-28: image capture devices 6, 7 begin recording scan data 61, 71 after one or more users vacate the vehicle 10. In this respect, the door access controller 100 may initially determine whether a user is vacating the vehicle 10 by detecting that a door 1 has been opened. Subsequently, analysis of scan data 61, 71 captured by the image capture devices 6, 7 may identify the user and their intent to leave the vehicle 10, again using the body landmarking based techniques already described. If analysis of the scan data 61, 71 reveals that the user is moving away from the vehicle 10, the door access controller 100 closes the door previously opened by the user).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, with a reasonable expectation of success, to have modified the monitoring for the door closing motion by the control unit of Row, as modified, to be performed after detecting a person has left the vehicle, as disclosed by Hasedzic, to yield the predictable result of avoiding inadvertently causing the vehicle’s door to collide with the person exiting the vehicle.
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Row in view of Sozaburo and Hasedzic as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Nagata et al. (US 10,850,709), hereinafter Nagata.
Regarding claim 3, as best understood, Row, as modified, discloses a plurality of door control contents information are recorded in the memory in advance (Row; para. 39: For example, in the case of a motion to open the trunk, the driver takes a motion of raising their hand, and in the case of a motion to close the trunk, the driver takes a motion of lowering their hand, and the motion recognition unit (520) transmits the motion recognition result regarding this to the door control unit (530). The motion recognition unit (520) can recognize a motion indicating a specific door in the preprocessed image and can transmit the motion recognition result regarding this, along with the motion recognition result regarding the opening/closing of the door, to the door control unit (530).).
Row, as modified, does not explicitly disclose the second processor, when a plurality of vehicle outside persons including a non-registered user who is not the registered user and the registered user are detected, transmits, to the first processor, second door control contents information indicating control contents related to opening and closing of the door of the vehicle when the non-registered user is with the registered user, the second door control contents information is recorded in the memory in advance.
Nagata, in the same field of endeavor (vehicle access controls), discloses when a plurality of vehicle outside persons including a non-registered user and a registered user are detected (Nagata; col. 8, ll. 14-20: one or more of a variety of sensors can be used to detect approaching individuals. At operation 214, images of the approaching individuals may be collected, and the system can use facial recognition or other image-analysis-based recognition techniques to determine whether the system recognizes one or more of the approaching individuals), transmitting door control information related to opening and closing of a door of a vehicle when the non-registered user is with the registered user (Nagata; col. 8, ll. 43-47: Where the system does not recognize all of the approaching individuals, the system can perform further analysis on the approaching group to determine whether it should unlock the vehicle and, if so, to what extent it should unlock the vehicle.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, with a reasonable expectation of success, to have modified the control unit of Row, as modified, to transmit instructions to selectively open one or more doors when authorized and unauthorized people are detected approaching the vehicle, as disclosed by Nagata, to yield the predictable result of automatically opening the door for each passenger.
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Row in view of Sozaburo, Hasedzic and Nagata as applied to claim 3 above, and further in view of Ding et al. (CN 112389458), hereinafter Ding.
Regarding claim 4, as best understood, Row, as modified, discloses the second processor transmitting, to the first processor, the first door control contents information based on the predetermined motion of the vehicle outside person authenticated as the registered user by the two-factor authentication (Row; para. 39: The motion recognition unit (520) performs motion recognition on the preprocessed image when the driver recognition unit (510) succeeds in driver authentication … For example, in the case of a motion to open the trunk, the driver takes a motion of raising their hand, and in the case of a motion to close the trunk, the driver takes a motion of lowering their hand, and the motion recognition unit (520) transmits the motion recognition result regarding this to the door control unit (530). The motion recognition unit (520) can recognize a motion indicating a specific door in the preprocessed image and can transmit the motion recognition result regarding this, along with the motion recognition result regarding the opening/closing of the door, to the door control unit (530).).
Row, as modified, does not explicitly disclose when a predetermined motion of the non-registered user is detected after transmitting the first door control contents information, transmits, to the first processor, third door control contents information in association with the predetermined motion of the non-registered user, that indicates control contents related to opening and closing of the door of the vehicle, and that indicates control contents in case the predetermined motion is a motion by the non-registered user.
Ding, in the same field of endeavor (automotive controls), discloses when a predetermined motion of a non-registered user is detected (Ding; para. 70: the driver or passenger can interact with the holographic interaction system 400 using specific air gesture commands) transmitting door control information in association with the predetermined motion of the passenger, that indicates control contents related to opening and closing of the door of the vehicle, and that indicates control contents in case the predetermined motion is a motion by the passenger (Ding; para. 71: Occupants can manually operate, for example, a model car door in the interactive area. When an occupant's hand approaches the model car door, the position sensing device 4012 of the figurative interactive device 401 detects the occupant's movement. When the occupant's finger approaches or enters the operable area, the position sensor 4012 feeds the operation command obtained from the holographic projection model 4010 to the holographic projector 4011, and the holographic projector 4011 sends it to the controller 402. After receiving the instruction, the controller 402 controls the door by driving the actuator 404 of the vehicle 100—for example, closing the door.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, with a reasonable expectation of success, to have modified, after the unregistered user has entered the vehicle, the control unit of Row, as modified, to close their door in response to their gesture, as disclosed by Ding, to yield the predictable result of preparing the vehicle for travel.
Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Row in view of Sozaburo and Hasedzic as applied to claim 2 above, and further in view of Salter et al. (US 2023/0061499), hereinafter Salter.
Regarding claim 5, as best understood, Row, as modified, discloses the predetermined motion is a gesture to the vehicle (Row; para. 39: The motion recognition unit (520) performs motion recognition on the preprocessed image when the driver recognition unit (510) succeeds in driver authentication … For example, in the case of a motion to open the trunk, the driver takes a motion of raising their hand, and in the case of a motion to close the trunk, the driver takes a motion of lowering their hand, and the motion recognition unit (520) transmits the motion recognition result regarding this to the door control unit (530). The motion recognition unit (520) can recognize a motion indicating a specific door in the preprocessed image and can transmit the motion recognition result regarding this, along with the motion recognition result regarding the opening/closing of the door, to the door control unit (530).).
Row, as modified, does not explicitly disclose the second processor transmits, to the first processor, door opening control inhibition information indicating control contents for inhibiting execution of the door opening and closing control of the door of the vehicle, when the gesture detected is the gesture of covering a face with a hand.
Salter, in the same field of endeavor (vehicle access/security systems), discloses transmitting door opening control inhibition information indicating control contents for inhibiting execution of door opening and closing control of a door of a vehicle, when a gesture detected is a gesture of covering a face with a hand (Salter 1; para. 86, ll. 1-15: the individual 125 may indicate to the vehicle entry authorization system 116 that he/she does not intend to enter the vehicle 115. The indication may be provided in various forms such as, for example, by a spoken command (“No!”, for example), a gesture (a head shake or a wave of a hand); the gesture of waving a hand in front of the face would be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art to correspond to an indication of “no” in Japan, see ‘Japanese Gestures and Body Language You Need to Know’ https://www.japanesepod101.com/blog/2019/08/16/japanese-body-gestures/).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, with a reasonable expectation of success, to have modified the control unit of Row, as modified, to inhibit door control in response to a “no” gesture, as disclosed by Salter, with the motivation of avoiding inadvertently unlocking or opening the doors of the vehicle when a driver does not intend to enter the vehicle thereby increasing convenience and security (Salter; para. 1, ll. 8-11).
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Row in view of Sozaburo and Hasedzic as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Van Wiemeersch et al. (US 2023/0174018), hereinafter Van Wiemeersch.
Regarding claim 6, as best understood, Row, as modified, discloses the second processor transmits, to the first processor, the first door control contents information in association with the predetermined motion of the registered user (Row; para. 39: The motion recognition unit (520) performs motion recognition on the preprocessed image when the driver recognition unit (510) succeeds in driver authentication … For example, in the case of a motion to open the trunk, the driver takes a motion of raising their hand, and in the case of a motion to close the trunk, the driver takes a motion of lowering their hand, and the motion recognition unit (520) transmits the motion recognition result regarding this to the door control unit (530). The motion recognition unit (520) can recognize a motion indicating a specific door in the preprocessed image and can transmit the motion recognition result regarding this, along with the motion recognition result regarding the opening/closing of the door, to the door control unit (530).) located at a position close to a driver's seat of the vehicle (Sozaburo; para. 69: human sensor 50 is installed near the door handle 7 of the driver's side door 5, and can detect whether or not a person's hand enters a predetermined spatial area near the door handle 7, thereby detecting the intention to open or close the door).
Row, as modified, does not explicitly disclose the registered user is at a position closest to a driver's seat of the vehicle when detecting a plurality of registered users including the registered user and a predetermined motion by each of the plurality of registered users.
Van Wiemeersch, in the same field of endeavor (vehicle access controls), discloses opening a door when a registered user is at a position closest to a driver's seat of a vehicle (Van Wiemeersch; fig. 2B: authorized user 60 enters door detection zone 52A) when detecting a plurality of registered users including the registered user and a predetermined motion by each of the plurality of registered users (Van Wiemeersch; para. 60: If authorized faces are detected within a door detection zone, routine 100 proceeds to step 130 to open the door closure for the authorized user using a face recognition or recognition gait signature for the user at the corresponding door detection boundary zone).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, with a reasonable expectation of success, to have modified, in response to a gesture of an authorized user near the driver’s door, controlling opening the driver’s door in the authentication ECU of Sugita 1, as modified, to open the driver’s door for the closest registered user when other registered users are detected, as disclosed by Van Wiemeersch, to yield the predictable result of allowing the driver to enter the vehicle.
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Row in view of Sozaburo, Nagata and Sugita (US 2017/0267211).
Regarding claim 9, as best understood, Row discloses a control system which is a vehicle control system, comprising: a zone A-ECU including a first processor for performing opening and closing control of a door of a vehicle (Row; para. 34: The door opening/closing unit (420) performs the operation of opening or closing the vehicle door according to the control signal of the control unit (410).; para. 37: The control unit (410) of the embodiment with reference to FIG. 5 further includes a driver recognition unit (510), a motion recognition unit (520), and a door control unit (530) compared to FIG. 1, and these components can also be implemented as a program, stored in memory, and executed by a processor.); and an entry ECU including a second processor and a memory (Row; para. 33: control unit (410) includes all the functions and operations of the control unit (130); para. 24: control unit (130) may be part of the electronic control unit (ECU) of the vehicle … control unit (130) includes memory and a processor), wherein the second processor acquires vehicle outside images included in moving images captured by a camera that captures moving images outside the vehicle (Row; para. 35: The control unit (410) can recognize the driver's motion in the preprocessed image after performing preprocessing to remove the color of the stop lamp (110) from the real-time image captured by the camera (120).; para. 32: the real-time image … is an external image of the vehicle), wherein the second processor acquires vehicle outside images included in moving images captured by a camera that captures moving images outside the vehicle (Row; para. 35: The control unit (410) can recognize the driver's motion in the preprocessed image after performing preprocessing to remove the color of the stop lamp (110) from the real-time image captured by the camera (120).; para. 32: the real-time image … is an external image of the vehicle), detects a vehicle outside person present outside the vehicle based on the vehicle outside images acquired (Row; para. 38: driver recognition unit (510) can recognize the driver's approach through a proximity sensor), detects a gesture, to the vehicle, of the vehicle outside person (Row; para. 39: The motion recognition unit (520) performs motion recognition on the preprocessed image when the driver recognition unit (510) succeeds in driver authentication … For example, in the case of a motion to open the trunk, the driver takes a motion of raising their hand, and in the case of a motion to close the trunk, the driver takes a motion of lowering their hand, and the motion recognition unit (520) transmits the motion recognition result regarding this to the door control unit (530). The motion recognition unit (520) can recognize a motion indicating a specific door in the preprocessed image and can transmit the motion recognition result regarding this, along with the motion recognition result regarding the opening/closing of the door, to the door control unit (530).), and authenticates, based on the predetermined part of the vehicle outside person detected, whether or not the vehicle outside person detected is a registered user who is a user of the vehicle registered in advance (Row; para. 38: When a driver is recognized, the driver recognition unit (510) activates the image receiving unit (220) and the preprocessing unit (230), and can perform driver authentication by recognizing a face from the image preprocessed in the preprocessing unit (230) and comparing it with the face of a previously registered driver.), the first processor when the gesture detected by the second processor is the gesture of the vehicle outside person authenticated as the registered user, performs a door opening control in a first mode based on the gesture detected (Row; para. 39: The motion recognition unit (520) performs motion recognition on the preprocessed image when the driver recognition unit (510) succeeds in driver authentication. The motion recognition unit (520) transmits the motion recognition result to the door control unit (530).), wherein the first mode includes one of unlocking all doors or unlocking only certain doors (Row; para. 43: In the case of a motion regarding the opening of a door, at step S607, the vehicle stop lamp device opens the door. At this time, the vehicle stop lamp device opens the corresponding door when the driver makes a motion indicating a specific door.).
Row does not explicitly disclose the gesture of the vehicle outside person is detected before the vehicle outside person is authenticated.
Sozaburo discloses a gesture of a vehicle outside person is detected (Sozaburo; para. 73: If it is determined that someone is approaching the driver's side door 5 (S20: YES), the person sensor 50 is activated (S30) to determine whether the person has reached for the door handle 7 in an attempt to open the door 5 (S40).) before the vehicle outside person is authentication (Sozaburo; para. 73: If it is determined that the subject has reached for the doorknob 7 (S40: YES), the camera module 10 is activated to take a picture with the miniature camera 11 (S50). Next, the images captured by this miniature camera 11 are analyzed to extract the iris data of the subject (S60).).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, with a reasonable expectation of success, to have performed the gesture recognition before the face recognition of Row, as disclosed by Sozaburo, with the motivation of ensuring that the facial recognition is performed when the approaching person is at an appropriate position relative to the vehicle thereby ensuring their identifying features can be reliably acquired while suppressing the power consumption of the system (Sozaburo; paras. 56-57).
Row, as modified, does not explicitly disclose when the second processor detects a plurality of vehicle outside users including a non-registered user who is a user of the vehicle not registered as the registered user and the registered user, performs the door opening control in a second mode different from when only the registered user is detected, and when the gesture of the non-registered user is detected after performing the door opening control based on the gesture of the vehicle outside person authenticated as the registered user, performs a door opening control based on the gesture of the non-registered user, wherein the second mode includes one of unlocking all doors or unlocking only certain doors.
Nagata discloses when a processor detects a plurality of vehicle outside users including a non-registered user who is a user of a vehicle not registered as a registered user and a registered user, performs door opening control in a mode different from when only the registered user is detected (Nagata; col. 8, ll. 43-47: Where the system does not recognize all of the approaching individuals, the system can perform further analysis on the approaching group to determine whether it should unlock the vehicle and, if so, to what extent it should unlock the vehicle.), wherein the second mode includes one of unlocking all doors (Nagata; col. 4, ll. 36-45: image analysis might be used to evaluate the interaction between approaching individuals to determine whether accommodation should be made for otherwise unrecognized individuals. For example, the vehicle may detect a known operator approaching the vehicle with 3 other adults. The adults may be talking and chatting with one another in a collegial manner. (As opposed to ignoring one another) in which case, the vehicle may interpret that these 4 adults are about to get into the vehicle together and that all 4 doors should be unlocked and opened) or unlocking only certain doors.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, with a reasonable expectation of success, to have modified the control unit of Row, as modified, to transmit door control signals for one or more doors, in response to authenticating, based on exterior camera images, both the motion (e.g., a gesture) and face of one or more approaching people, as disclosed by Nagata, and to have further modified the door opening and closing control of the control unit of Row, as modified, to be performed in response to receiving the door control signals, as further disclosed by Nagata, with the motivation of providing enhanced security for vehicles and their operators (Nagata; col. 1, ll. 36-38).
Row, as modified, does not explicitly disclose when the gesture of the non-registered user is detected after performing the door opening control based on the gesture of the vehicle outside person authenticated as the registered user, performing a door opening control based on the gesture of the non-registered user.
Sugita, in the same field of endeavor (vehicle entry systems), discloses when a gesture of a passenger (Sugita; para. 35: a person other than the operator (who carries the portable device 11), such as a passenger, performs a passenger's door unlock operation; para. 84: a passenger's door unlock operation is detected using the touch sensor or the mechanical switch) is detected after performing door opening control based on a gesture of a driver (Sugita; para. 35: the timer unit 45 measures time when a person other than the operator (who carries the portable device 11), such as a passenger, performs a passenger's door unlock operation. After the timer unit 45 starts measuring time, in response to detection of a driver's door unlock operation performed by the operator (when the driver's door unlock sensor 31a detects a driver's door unlock operation and it is determined that communication with the portable device 11 has been established), the smart control unit 33 transmits the result of time measurement performed by the timer unit 45 to the centralized control unit), performing a door opening control based on a gesture of the passenger (Sugita; para. 43: when the result of time measurement performed by the timer unit 45 is within a certain period of time (when a driver's door unlock operation is performed while measuring a certain period of time), the centralized control unit 39 unlocks all the door locks; para. 80: the operator performs a driver's door unlock operation to unlock the door, and the driver's door is actually opened. At this time point, the passengers' doors may be unlocked. In this case, the time point at which the driver's door is opened may be within a certain period of time, or, like the above-described embodiment, a driver's door unlock operation may be within the certain period of time).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, with a reasonable expectation of success, to have modified the control unit of Row, as modified, to open a passenger’s door, in response to a passenger’s gesture, after the driver’s door is opened, as disclosed by Sugita, with the motivation of alleviating the operation load on the operator thereby reducing the waiting time until the driver's door and the passengers' doors are unlocked (Sugita; para. 14).
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Row in view of Sozaburo, Van Wiemeersch and Hsieh (US 9,079,749).
Regarding claim 10, as best understood, Row discloses a control system which is a vehicle control system, comprising: a zone A-ECU including a first processor for performing opening and closing control of a door of a vehicle (Row; para. 34: The door opening/closing unit (420) performs the operation of opening or closing the vehicle door according to the control signal of the control unit (410).; para. 37: The control unit (410) of the embodiment with reference to FIG. 5 further includes a driver recognition unit (510), a motion recognition unit (520), and a door control unit (530) compared to FIG. 1, and these components can also be implemented as a program, stored in memory, and executed by a processor.); and an entry ECU including a second processor and a memory (Row; para. 33: control unit (410) includes all the functions and operations of the control unit (130); para. 24: control unit (130) may be part of the electronic control unit (ECU) of the vehicle … control unit (130) includes memory and a processor), wherein the second processor acquires vehicle outside images included in moving images captured by a camera that captures moving images outside the vehicle (Row; para. 35: The control unit (410) can recognize the driver's motion in the preprocessed image after performing preprocessing to remove the color of the stop lamp (110) from the real-time image captured by the camera (120).; para. 32: the real-time image … is an external image of the vehicle), wherein the second processor acquires vehicle outside images captured by a camera that captures moving images outside the vehicle (Row; para. 35: The control unit (410) can recognize the driver's motion in the preprocessed image after performing preprocessing to remove the color of the stop lamp (110) from the real-time image captured by the camera (120).; para. 32: the real-time image … is an external image of the vehicle), detects a vehicle outside person present outside the vehicle based on the vehicle outside images acquired (Row; para. 38: driver recognition unit (510) can recognize the driver's approach through a proximity sensor), detects gestures, to the vehicle, of the vehicle outside person (Row; para. 39: The motion recognition unit (520) performs motion recognition on the preprocessed image when the driver recognition unit (510) succeeds in driver authentication … For example, in the case of a motion to open the trunk, the driver takes a motion of raising their hand, and in the case of a motion to close the trunk, the driver takes a motion of lowering their hand, and the motion recognition unit (520) transmits the motion recognition result regarding this to the door control unit (530). The motion recognition unit (520) can recognize a motion indicating a specific door in the preprocessed image and can transmit the motion recognition result regarding this, along with the motion recognition result regarding the opening/closing of the door, to the door control unit (530).), and authenticates, based on a predetermined part of the vehicle outside person detected, whether or not the vehicle outside person detected is a registered user who is a user of the vehicle registered in advance (Row; para. 38: When a driver is recognized, the driver recognition unit (510) activates the image receiving unit (220) and the preprocessing unit (230), and can perform driver authentication by recognizing a face from the image preprocessed in the preprocessing unit (230) and comparing it with the face of a previously registered driver.), the first processor when the second processor detects the registered user and the gestures made by the registered user, performs the door opening control based on the gesture of the registered user (Row; para. 39: The motion recognition unit (520) performs motion recognition on the preprocessed image when the driver recognition unit (510) succeeds in driver authentication. The motion recognition unit (520) transmits the motion recognition result to the door control unit (530).; para. 43: In the case of a motion regarding the opening of a door, at step S607, the vehicle stop lamp device opens the door. At this time, the vehicle stop lamp device opens the corresponding door when the driver makes a motion indicating a specific door.).
Row does not explicitly disclose the gestures of the vehicle outside person are detected before the vehicle outside person is authenticated.
Sozaburo discloses a gesture of a vehicle outside person is detected (Sozaburo; para. 73: If it is determined that someone is approaching the driver's side door 5 (S20: YES), the person sensor 50 is activated (S30) to determine whether the person has reached for the door handle 7 in an attempt to open the door 5 (S40).) before the vehicle outside person is authentication (Sozaburo; para. 73: If it is determined that the subject has reached for the doorknob 7 (S40: YES), the camera module 10 is activated to take a picture with the miniature camera 11 (S50). Next, the images captured by this miniature camera 11 are analyzed to extract the iris data of the subject (S60).).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, with a reasonable expectation of success, to have performed the gesture recognition before the face recognition of Row, as disclosed by Sozaburo, with the motivation of ensuring that the facial recognition is performed when the approaching person is at an appropriate position relative to the vehicle thereby ensuring their identifying features can be reliably acquired while suppressing the power consumption of the system (Sozaburo; paras. 56-57).
Row, as modified, does not explicitly disclose the detected gestures are of vehicle outside persons; the second processor authenticates, based on a predetermined part of the vehicle outside persons detected, whether or not the vehicle outside persons detected are registered users who are a user of the vehicle registered in advance; and the first processor performs the door opening control based on the gesture of the registered user located at a position closest to a driver's seat of the vehicle.
Van Wiemeersch discloses a processor (Van Wiemeersch; fig. 4: microprocessor 82) detects gestures, to a vehicle, of vehicle outside persons (Van Wiemeersch; para. 60: if more than one person is captured in the images within the approach detection zone, routine 100 proceeds to decision step 122 for use case B scenario to process multiple faces and mobile devices via the approach detection zone … If the user is still within the approach detection zone, routine 100 proceeds to step 116 to determine if the authorized mobile device has been within the approach detection zone for the time period of greater than 30 seconds and, if so, proceeds to step 118 to enter the approach detection zone welcome mode and the door detection zone expires and at step 120 where the closure only occurs with a manual actuation, before ending at step 190.; para. 59: step 120 where the closure will only power open on a manual handle grab or the closure panel switch press touch, or other activations such as a touch button on a phone, a smart device, a gesture in front of the door, etc.); and authenticates, based on a predetermined part of the vehicle outside persons detected, whether or not the vehicle outside persons detected are registered users who are a user of the vehicle registered in advance (Van Wiemeersch; para. 60: At decision step 124, routine 100 determines if the face or faces of one or more authorized users is viewable by the imaging cameras. If the face or faces are viewable, routine 100 proceeds to step 126 to track the facial characteristics of the potential authorized users, and then to decision step 128 to determine if the detected faces of the potential authorized users are located within a door detection zone. If authorized faces are detected within a door detection zone, routine 100 proceeds to step 130 to open the door closure for the authorized user using a face recognition or recognition gait signature for the user at the corresponding door detection boundary zone before ending at step 190.), and performs door opening control based on the gesture of the registered user located at a position closest to a driver's seat of the vehicle (Van Wiemeersch; fig. 2B: authorized user 60 enters door detection zone 52A).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, with a reasonable expectation of success, to have modified the control unit of Row, as modified, to transmit door control signals for one or more doors, in response to authenticating, based on exterior camera images, one or more approaching users, as disclosed by Van Wiemeersch, and to have further modified the door opening and closing control of the door opening/closing unit of Row, as modified, to be performed in response to receiving the door control signals, as further disclosed by Van Wiemeersch, to yield the predictable result of allowing one or more passengers to enter the vehicle.
Row, as modified, does not explicitly disclose the second processor detects the plurality of registered users and the plurality of gestures made by the plurality of registered users substantially simultaneously.
Hsieh, in a reasonably pertinent field of endeavor (node transportation system vehicle controls), discloses a processor detects a plurality of users and a plurality of gestures made by the plurality of users substantially simultaneously (Hsieh; col. 4, ll. 39-40: FIG. 18 shows a first user and a second user inputting two gesture directions simultaneously.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, with a reasonable expectation of success, to have modified the control unit of Row, as modified, to respond to simultaneous user gestures, as disclosed by Hsieh, to yield the predictable result of opening a door for more than one person accessing the vehicle at the same time.
Claim(s) 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Row in view of Sozaburo and Hasedzic as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Park (US 2023/0184024).
Regarding claim 13, as best understood, Row, as modified, discloses the vehicle includes a high-mount stop lamp, which is an auxiliary lamp installed at the rear of the vehicle (Row; para. 22).
Row, as modified, does not explicitly disclose when the second authentication using the first approach mode data is completed successfully by the second processor, the first processor activates the lamp or a display on the vehicle to light to notify the approach mode authentication is completed successfully.
Park discloses when authentication is completed successfully by a processor, the processor activates a lamp or a display on a vehicle to light to notify the approach mode authentication is completed successfully (Park; para. 90: controller 140 may notify that the user authentication is successful using the light emission of the lamp 151; para. 123: controller 140 may request the additional [i.e., after completing the user authentication based on the built-in cam] user authentication using the light emission of the lamp 151).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, with a reasonable expectation of success, to have modified the door opening/closing unit of Row, as modified, to flash the stop lamp in response to completing each authentication, as disclosed by Park, to yield the predictable result of notifying the approaching people of the vehicle’s status.
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 JOSEPH THOMPSON whose telephone number is (571)272-3660. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Thurs 9:00AM-3:00PM ET.
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/Joseph Thompson/Examiner, Art Unit 3665
/DONALD J WALLACE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3665
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