DETAILED ACTION
Claims 1-11 are currently pending and have been examined in this application.
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
This action is made FINAL in response to the “amendment” and “remarks” filed 02/25/2026.
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.
Claim(s) 1-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Horihata (US20230120095) (Effective filing date Jun 23, 2020 by virtue of Foreign Priority) in view of Golov (US20190287319) further in view of Kojo (US20210256847).
Claim 1:
Horihata explicitly teaches:
A map storage device for storing frequently travelled routes, comprising: at least one vehicle sensor that generates sensor information based on an external environment of a vehicle;
(Horihata) – “there is provided a vehicle device for transmitting information on a point of an obstacle existing on a road to a predetermined server. The vehicle device includes: an obstacle point information acquisition unit that is configured to acquire, by communicating with the server, information on an obstacle registration point where the obstacle is determined to exists; a vehicle behavior detection unit that is configured to detect a behavior of at least one of a subject vehicle and another vehicle based on at least one of an input signal from a vehicle state sensor for detecting a physical state amount indicative of the behavior of the subject vehicle, an input signal from a surrounding monitoring sensor, and data received via inter-vehicle communication; and a report processing unit that is configured to transmit vehicle behavior data indicative of the behavior of at least one of the subject vehicle and the other vehicle to the server when the subject vehicle passes through a point within a predetermined distance from the obstacle registration point.” (Para 0040)
“The obstacle information acquired by the map acquisition unit F2 is temporarily stored in the memory M1 realized by using the RAM 52. The obstacle information stored in the memory M1 may be deleted when the vehicle passes through the point indicated by the data or when a prescribed time elapses. For convenience, the obstacle information acquired from the map server 2 will also be referred to as on-map obstacle information. A point where the obstacle exists, which is indicated by the on-map obstacle information, will also be referred to as an obstacle registration point or simply an obstacle point.” (Para 0080)
a volatile memory
(Horihata) – “The obstacle information acquired by the map acquisition unit F2 is temporarily stored in the memory M1 realized by using the RAM 52. The obstacle information stored in the memory M1 may be deleted when the vehicle passes through the point indicated by the data or when a prescribed time elapses. For convenience, the obstacle information acquired from the map server 2 will also be referred to as on-map obstacle information. A point where the obstacle exists, which is indicated by the on-map obstacle information, will also be referred to as an obstacle registration point or simply an obstacle point.” (Para 0080)
a non-volatile memory volatile memory
(Horihata) – “Each in-vehicle system 1 uploads a communication packet (hereinafter, referred to as an obstacle point report) indicating information related to an obstacle point notified from the map server 2, to the map server 2. The information related to the obstacle point is information used as a determination criterion for the map server 2 to determine an existence state of the obstacle on the road.” (Para 0045)
“The locator 14 is a device that generates highly accurate position information of the subject vehicle through complex positioning for combining multiple information. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the locator 14 is realized by using a GNSS receiver 141, an inertial sensor 142, a map storage unit 143, and a position calculation unit 144.” (Para 0060)
“The map storage unit 143 is a non-volatile memory that stores high accuracy map data. The high accuracy map data here corresponds to map data indicating a road structure, and a position coordinate regarding the feature installed along the road with accuracy that can be used for autonomous driving.” (Para 0062)
“For example, the map cooperation device 50 can download latest high accuracy map data from the map server 2, and can update the map data stored in the map storage unit 143 in cooperation with the V2X in-vehicle device 15.” (Para 0065)
“The map cooperation device 50 is a device that acquires map data including the obstacle information from the map server 2 and uploads information on the obstacle detected by the subject vehicle to the map server 2.” (Para 0071)
“The obstacle information acquired by the map acquisition unit F2 is temporarily stored in the memory M1 realized by using the RAM 52. The obstacle information stored in the memory M1 may be deleted when the vehicle passes through the point indicated by the data or when a prescribed time elapses. For convenience, the obstacle information acquired from the map server 2 will also be referred to as on-map obstacle information. A point where the obstacle exists, which is indicated by the on-map obstacle information, will also be referred to as an obstacle registration point or simply an obstacle point.” (Para 0080)
“In Step S103, the vehicle behavior when the vehicle travels within a predetermined report target distance before and after the obstacle registration point is acquired, and the process proceeds to Step S104. In Step S104, time-series data of the vehicle behavior acquired in Step S103 and a data set including transmission source information and report target point information are generated as an obstacle point report. The report target point information is information indicating whether the obstacle point report relates to any point. For example, position coordinates of the obstacle registration point are set in the report target point information.” (Para 0094)
“In Step S206, a data set including data indicating the vehicle behavior acquired in Step S203 and the current status data generated in Step S205 is generated as the obstacle point report, and is uploaded to the map server 2.” (Para 0110)
Examiner Note: Per BRI, both the Map Server and the Map Storage Unit of Horihata meet the above limitations of map data storage unit.
wherein the map storage device is configured to: generate the map data representing a route traveled by the vehicle based on the sensor information received from the at least one vehicle sensor;
(Horihata) – “That is, as the functional blocks, the map cooperation device 50 includes a subject vehicle position acquisition unit F1, a map acquisition unit F2, a subject vehicle behavior acquisition unit F3, a detection object information acquisition unit F4, a report data generation unit F5, and a notification processing unit F6.” (Para 0076)
“The subject vehicle behavior acquisition unit F3 acquires data indicating the behavior of the subject vehicle from the vehicle state sensor 13. For example, the traveling speed, the yaw rate, lateral acceleration, or vertical acceleration is acquired. The subject vehicle behavior acquisition unit F3 acquires information indicating whether the vehicle travels across the lane boundary, from the front camera 11, and an offset amount in which the traveling position is offset to the right or to the left from a center of the lane. Here, the vertical acceleration corresponds to acceleration in the front-rear direction, and the lateral acceleration corresponds to acceleration in the left-right direction. The subject vehicle behavior acquisition unit F3 corresponds to the vehicle behavior detection unit.” (Para 0081)
“Various data sequentially acquired by the subject vehicle position acquisition unit F1, the subject vehicle behavior acquisition unit F3, and the detection object information acquisition unit F4 are stored in a memory such as the RAM 52, and are used for the reference by the map acquisition unit F2 and the report data generation unit F5.” (Para 0084)
“That is, as the functional blocks, the map cooperation device 50 includes a subject vehicle position acquisition unit F1, a map acquisition unit F2, a subject vehicle behavior acquisition unit F3, a detection object information acquisition unit F4, a report data generation unit F5, and a notification processing unit F6.” (Para 0076)
“The subject vehicle behavior acquisition unit F3 acquires data indicating the behavior of the subject vehicle from the vehicle state sensor 13. For example, the traveling speed, the yaw rate, lateral acceleration, or vertical acceleration is acquired. The subject vehicle behavior acquisition unit F3 acquires information indicating whether the vehicle travels across the lane boundary, from the front camera 11, and an offset amount in which the traveling position is offset to the right or to the left from a center of the lane. Here, the vertical acceleration corresponds to acceleration in the front-rear direction, and the lateral acceleration corresponds to acceleration in the left-right direction. The subject vehicle behavior acquisition unit F3 corresponds to the vehicle behavior detection unit.” (Para 0081)
“In Step S103, the vehicle behavior when the vehicle travels within a predetermined report target distance before and after the obstacle registration point is acquired, and the process proceeds to Step S104. In Step S104, time-series data of the vehicle behavior acquired in Step S103 and a data set including transmission source information and report target point information are generated as an obstacle point report. The report target point information is information indicating whether the obstacle point report relates to any point. For example, position coordinates of the obstacle registration point are set in the report target point information.” (Para 0094)
“In Step S206, a data set including data indicating the vehicle behavior acquired in Step S203 and the current status data generated in Step S205 is generated as the obstacle point report, and is uploaded to the map server 2.” (Para 0110)
[detect completion of a parking operation of the vehicle based on detecting a sequence of behavior history events identified from behavior history information collected about a behavior of the vehicle; and in response to detecting completion of the parking operation], store, in the non- volatile memory, the map data temporarily stored in the volatile memory
(Horihata) – “That is, as the functional blocks, the map cooperation device 50 includes a subject vehicle position acquisition unit F1, a map acquisition unit F2, a subject vehicle behavior acquisition unit F3, a detection object information acquisition unit F4, a report data generation unit F5, and a notification processing unit F6.” (Para 0076)
“The subject vehicle behavior acquisition unit F3 acquires data indicating the behavior of the subject vehicle from the vehicle state sensor 13. For example, the traveling speed, the yaw rate, lateral acceleration, or vertical acceleration is acquired. The subject vehicle behavior acquisition unit F3 acquires information indicating whether the vehicle travels across the lane boundary, from the front camera 11, and an offset amount in which the traveling position is offset to the right or to the left from a center of the lane. Here, the vertical acceleration corresponds to acceleration in the front-rear direction, and the lateral acceleration corresponds to acceleration in the left-right direction. The subject vehicle behavior acquisition unit F3 corresponds to the vehicle behavior detection unit.” (Para 0081)
“In Step S103, the vehicle behavior when the vehicle travels within a predetermined report target distance before and after the obstacle registration point is acquired, and the process proceeds to Step S104. In Step S104, time-series data of the vehicle behavior acquired in Step S103 and a data set including transmission source information and report target point information are generated as an obstacle point report. The report target point information is information indicating whether the obstacle point report relates to any point. For example, position coordinates of the obstacle registration point are set in the report target point information.” (Para 0094)
“In Step S206, a data set including data indicating the vehicle behavior acquired in Step S203 and the current status data generated in Step S205 is generated as the obstacle point report, and is uploaded to the map server 2.” (Para 0110)
Horihata does not explicitly teach:
cyclically store the map data in the volatile memory detect completion of a parking operation of the vehicle based on detecting a sequence of behavior history events identified from behavior history information collected about a behavior of the vehicle; and in response to detecting completion of the parking operation
Golov, in the same field of endeavor of vehicle data storage, teaches:
cyclically store the map data in the volatile memory
(Golov) – “The received vehicle sensor data 202 is initially held in a first cyclic buffer 206, as raw vehicle data. In one embodiment, the first cyclic buffer comprises a volatile memory. In one embodiment, the volatile memory of the first cyclic buffer may be implemented as dynamic RAM (DRAM) which requires continual power in order to refresh or maintain the data in the memory.” (Para 0013)
“In response to an event occurring, such as collision, or near collision, involving the ADV, buffering of the vehicle sensor data is suspended, at least temporarily. Both first cyclic buffer 206 and second cyclic buffer 208 flush their respective contents into NV storage 214. In one embodiment, the event generates a signal to be sent to the cyclic buffers, causing the data to be flushed into the NVM storage.” (Para 0018)
Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the obstacle information management device of Horihata with the data recorder of Golov. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make these modifications, with a reasonable expectation of success, for the purpose of “providing a solution for recording the vehicle sensor data in the event of a power loss.” (Golov Para 0008).
Horihata does not explicitly teach:
detect completion of a parking operation of the vehicle based on detecting a sequence of behavior history events identified from behavior history information collected about a behavior of the vehicle; and in response to detecting completion of the parking operation
Kojo, in the same field of endeavor of vehicle navigation, teaches:
detect completion of a parking operation of the vehicle based on detecting a sequence of behavior history events identified from behavior history information collected about a behavior of the vehicle; and in response to detecting completion of the parking operation
(Kojo) – “The stop determination unit 32 can be configured to determine that the vehicle 2 is stopped using the vehicle speed, or gearshift information of the vehicle 2 can be acquired to determine that the vehicle is stopped using the fact that the gearshift has been set in the P range (parking range). The stop determination unit 32 can also acquire information about the parking brake of the vehicle 2 to determine that the vehicle is stopped when the parking brake is been engaged.” (Para 0044)
“As described in detail above, in accordance with the boarding position calculation method, boarding position calculation device, and boarding position calculation system according to the present embodiment, vehicle information including the position information of the vehicle is acquired, a stop position of a vehicle is recognized based on the vehicle information, a determination is made about whether the stop position is suitable for boarding based on a stop time of the vehicle or occurrence of a boarding event of the vehicle at the stop position, and when the stop position is determined to be suitable for boarding, the stop position is stored as a boarding position in the vehicle dispatch service.” (Para 0098)
Examiner Note: Per BRI, behavior history may correspond with any vehicle behavior which has already happened. This includes at least “gearshift information… to determine that the vehicle is stopped using the fact that the gearshift has been set in the P range (parking range)”.
Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the obstacle information management device of Horihata with the calculation system of Kojo. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make these modifications, with a reasonable expectation of success, so that “a location suitable for boarding can be calculated at a low cost” (Kojo Para 0007).
Claim 2:
Horihata in combination with the references relied upon in claim 1 teach those respective limitations. Horihata further teaches:
wherein when a vehicle speed of the vehicle [becomes equal to or lower than a threshold value], the map storage device starts to store the behavior history information.
(Horihata) – “The vehicle state sensor 13 is a sensor that detects a physical state amount related to traveling control of the subject vehicle. For example, the vehicle state sensor 13 includes an inertial sensor such as a three-axis gyro sensor and a three-axis acceleration sensor. The three-axis acceleration sensor is a sensor that detects acceleration acting on the subject vehicle in the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions. The gyro sensor detects a rotation angular velocity around a detection axis, and the three-axis gyro sensor has three detection axes orthogonal to each other. The vehicle state sensor 13 can also include a shift position sensor, a steering angle sensor, and a vehicle speed sensor. The shift position sensor is a sensor that detects a position of a shift lever. The steering angle sensor is a sensor that detects a rotation angle of a steering wheel (so-called steering angle). The vehicle speed sensor is a sensor that detects a traveling speed of the subject vehicle.” (Para 0058)
“In Step S103, the vehicle behavior when the vehicle travels within a predetermined report target distance before and after the obstacle registration point is acquired, and the process proceeds to Step S104. In Step S104, time-series data of the vehicle behavior acquired in Step S103 and a data set including transmission source information and report target point information are generated as an obstacle point report. The report target point information is information indicating whether the obstacle point report relates to any point. For example, position coordinates of the obstacle registration point are set in the report target point information.” (Para 0094)
“In Step S206, a data set including data indicating the vehicle behavior acquired in Step S203 and the current status data generated in Step S205 is generated as the obstacle point report, and is uploaded to the map server 2.” (Para 0110)
Horihata does not explicitly teach:
becomes equal to or lower than a threshold value
Kojo, in the same field of endeavor of vehicle navigation, teaches:
becomes equal to or lower than a threshold value
(Kojo) – “The stop determination unit 32 determines whether the vehicle 2 has stopped based on information about the speed of the vehicle 2 transmitted from the vehicle speed sensor 11. For example, it is determined that the vehicle 2 has stopped when the vehicle speed is 0 km/h. The stop determination unit 32 transmits, as stop information, information about whether the vehicle 2 has stopped to the suitability determination unit 38.” (Para 0043)
Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the obstacle information management device of Horihata with the calculation system of Kojo. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make these modifications, with a reasonable expectation of success, so that “a location suitable for boarding can be calculated at a low cost” (Kojo Para 0007).
Claim 3:
Horihata in combination with the references relied upon in claim 1 teach those respective limitations. Horihata further teaches:
wherein the map storage device is configured to determine, based on an operation of a shift lever of the vehicle, whether or not the vehicle is performing a predetermined action.
(Horihata) – “The vehicle state sensor 13 is a sensor that detects a physical state amount related to traveling control of the subject vehicle. For example, the vehicle state sensor 13 includes an inertial sensor such as a three-axis gyro sensor and a three-axis acceleration sensor. The three-axis acceleration sensor is a sensor that detects acceleration acting on the subject vehicle in the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions. The gyro sensor detects a rotation angular velocity around a detection axis, and the three-axis gyro sensor has three detection axes orthogonal to each other. The vehicle state sensor 13 can also include a shift position sensor, a steering angle sensor, and a vehicle speed sensor. The shift position sensor is a sensor that detects a position of a shift lever. The steering angle sensor is a sensor that detects a rotation angle of a steering wheel (so-called steering angle). The vehicle speed sensor is a sensor that detects a traveling speed of the subject vehicle.” (Para 0058)
“In Step S103, the vehicle behavior when the vehicle travels within a predetermined report target distance before and after the obstacle registration point is acquired, and the process proceeds to Step S104. In Step S104, time-series data of the vehicle behavior acquired in Step S103 and a data set including transmission source information and report target point information are generated as an obstacle point report. The report target point information is information indicating whether the obstacle point report relates to any point. For example, position coordinates of the obstacle registration point are set in the report target point information.” (Para 0094)
“The data indicating the vehicle behavior can include a steering angle, a shift position, an operation state of a direction indicator, a lighting state of a hazard flasher, whether the vehicle has crossed the lane boundary, whether a lane change is performed, and an offset amount from the lane center.” (Para 0096)
Claim 4:
Horihata in combination with the references relied upon in claim 3 teach those respective limitations. Horihata further teaches:
wherein themap storage device is configured to determine, based on the vehicle speed and a steering amount of a steering wheel, whether or not the vehicle is performing a predetermined action.
(Horihata) – “The vehicle state sensor 13 is a sensor that detects a physical state amount related to traveling control of the subject vehicle. For example, the vehicle state sensor 13 includes an inertial sensor such as a three-axis gyro sensor and a three-axis acceleration sensor. The three-axis acceleration sensor is a sensor that detects acceleration acting on the subject vehicle in the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions. The gyro sensor detects a rotation angular velocity around a detection axis, and the three-axis gyro sensor has three detection axes orthogonal to each other. The vehicle state sensor 13 can also include a shift position sensor, a steering angle sensor, and a vehicle speed sensor. The shift position sensor is a sensor that detects a position of a shift lever. The steering angle sensor is a sensor that detects a rotation angle of a steering wheel (so-called steering angle). The vehicle speed sensor is a sensor that detects a traveling speed of the subject vehicle.” (Para 0058)
“In Step S103, the vehicle behavior when the vehicle travels within a predetermined report target distance before and after the obstacle registration point is acquired, and the process proceeds to Step S104. In Step S104, time-series data of the vehicle behavior acquired in Step S103 and a data set including transmission source information and report target point information are generated as an obstacle point report. The report target point information is information indicating whether the obstacle point report relates to any point. For example, position coordinates of the obstacle registration point are set in the report target point information.” (Para 0094)
“For example, as the data indicating the vehicle behavior, vehicle position coordinates, a traveling direction, a traveling speed, vertical acceleration, lateral acceleration, and a yaw rate at each time point when the vehicle passes through the vicinity of the obstacle registration point can be adopted.…The data indicating the vehicle behavior can include a steering angle, a shift position, an operation state of a direction indicator, a lighting state of a hazard flasher, whether the vehicle has crossed the lane boundary, whether a lane change is performed, and an offset amount from the lane center.” (Para 0096)
Claim 5:
Horihata in combination with the references relied upon in claim 4 teach those respective limitations. Horihata further teaches:
wherein the map storage device is configured to determine, [based on operation information of a parking brake of the vehicle], whether or not the vehicle is performing a predetermined action.
(Horihata) – “The vehicle state sensor 13 is a sensor that detects a physical state amount related to traveling control of the subject vehicle. For example, the vehicle state sensor 13 includes an inertial sensor such as a three-axis gyro sensor and a three-axis acceleration sensor. The three-axis acceleration sensor is a sensor that detects acceleration acting on the subject vehicle in the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions. The gyro sensor detects a rotation angular velocity around a detection axis, and the three-axis gyro sensor has three detection axes orthogonal to each other. The vehicle state sensor 13 can also include a shift position sensor, a steering angle sensor, and a vehicle speed sensor. The shift position sensor is a sensor that detects a position of a shift lever. The steering angle sensor is a sensor that detects a rotation angle of a steering wheel (so-called steering angle). The vehicle speed sensor is a sensor that detects a traveling speed of the subject vehicle.” (Para 0058)
“In Step S103, the vehicle behavior when the vehicle travels within a predetermined report target distance before and after the obstacle registration point is acquired, and the process proceeds to Step S104. In Step S104, time-series data of the vehicle behavior acquired in Step S103 and a data set including transmission source information and report target point information are generated as an obstacle point report. The report target point information is information indicating whether the obstacle point report relates to any point. For example, position coordinates of the obstacle registration point are set in the report target point information.” (Para 0094)
“For example, as the data indicating the vehicle behavior, vehicle position coordinates, a traveling direction, a traveling speed, vertical acceleration, lateral acceleration, and a yaw rate at each time point when the vehicle passes through the vicinity of the obstacle registration point can be adopted.…The data indicating the vehicle behavior can include a steering angle, a shift position, an operation state of a direction indicator, a lighting state of a hazard flasher, whether the vehicle has crossed the lane boundary, whether a lane change is performed, and an offset amount from the lane center.” (Para 0096)
Horihata does not explicitly teach:
based on operation information of a parking brake of the vehicle
Kojo, in the same field of endeavor of vehicle navigation, teaches:
based on operation information of a parking brake of the vehicle
(Kojo) – “The stop determination unit 32 can be configured to determine that the vehicle 2 is stopped using the vehicle speed, or gearshift information of the vehicle 2 can be acquired to determine that the vehicle is stopped using the fact that the gearshift has been set in the P range (parking range). The stop determination unit 32 can also acquire information about the parking brake of the vehicle 2 to determine that the vehicle is stopped when the parking brake is been engaged.” (Para 0044)
Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the obstacle information management device of Horihata with the calculation system of Kojo. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make these modifications, with a reasonable expectation of success, so that “a location suitable for boarding can be calculated at a low cost” (Kojo Para 0007).
Claim 6:
Horihata in combination with the references relied upon in claim 1 teach those respective limitations. Horihata further teaches:
wherein the map storage device is further configured to: receive external information that is surrounding information of the vehicle, and
(Horihata) – “there is provided a vehicle device for transmitting information on a point of an obstacle existing on a road to a predetermined server. The vehicle device includes: an obstacle point information acquisition unit that is configured to acquire, by communicating with the server, information on an obstacle registration point where the obstacle is determined to exists; a vehicle behavior detection unit that is configured to detect a behavior of at least one of a subject vehicle and another vehicle based on at least one of an input signal from a vehicle state sensor for detecting a physical state amount indicative of the behavior of the subject vehicle, an input signal from a surrounding monitoring sensor, and data received via inter-vehicle communication; and a report processing unit that is configured to transmit vehicle behavior data indicative of the behavior of at least one of the subject vehicle and the other vehicle to the server when the subject vehicle passes through a point within a predetermined distance from the obstacle registration point.” (Para 0040)
“The driver-assistance ECU 60 is an ECU that assists a driving operation of the driver’s seat occupant, based on the detection results of the surrounding monitoring sensors such as the front camera 11 and the millimeter wave radar 12 or the map information acquired by the map cooperation device 50. For example, the driver-assistance ECU 60 presents driver-assistance information such as an obstacle notification image indicating the position of the obstacle. The driver-assistance ECU 60 controls traveling actuators which are traveling actuators, based on the detection result of the surrounding monitoring sensor and the map information acquired by the map cooperation device 50, thereby performing a part or all of the driving operation, on behalf of the driver’s seat occupant.” (Para 0073)
“The subject vehicle behavior acquisition unit F3 acquires data indicating the behavior of the subject vehicle from the vehicle state sensor 13. For example, the traveling speed, the yaw rate, lateral acceleration, or vertical acceleration is acquired. The subject vehicle behavior acquisition unit F3 acquires information indicating whether the vehicle travels across the lane boundary, from the front camera 11, and an offset amount in which the traveling position is offset to the right or to the left from a center of the lane. Here, the vertical acceleration corresponds to acceleration in the front-rear direction, and the lateral acceleration corresponds to acceleration in the left-right direction. The subject vehicle behavior acquisition unit F3 corresponds to the vehicle behavior detection unit.” (Para 0081)
non-volatile memory volatile memory
(Horihata) – “That is, as the functional blocks, the map cooperation device 50 includes a subject vehicle position acquisition unit F1, a map acquisition unit F2, a subject vehicle behavior acquisition unit F3, a detection object information acquisition unit F4, a report data generation unit F5, and a notification processing unit F6.” (Para 0076)
“The subject vehicle behavior acquisition unit F3 acquires data indicating the behavior of the subject vehicle from the vehicle state sensor 13. For example, the traveling speed, the yaw rate, lateral acceleration, or vertical acceleration is acquired. The subject vehicle behavior acquisition unit F3 acquires information indicating whether the vehicle travels across the lane boundary, from the front camera 11, and an offset amount in which the traveling position is offset to the right or to the left from a center of the lane. Here, the vertical acceleration corresponds to acceleration in the front-rear direction, and the lateral acceleration corresponds to acceleration in the left-right direction. The subject vehicle behavior acquisition unit F3 corresponds to the vehicle behavior detection unit.” (Para 0081)
“In Step S103, the vehicle behavior when the vehicle travels within a predetermined report target distance before and after the obstacle registration point is acquired, and the process proceeds to Step S104. In Step S104, time-series data of the vehicle behavior acquired in Step S103 and a data set including transmission source information and report target point information are generated as an obstacle point report. The report target point information is information indicating whether the obstacle point report relates to any point. For example, position coordinates of the obstacle registration point are set in the report target point information.” (Para 0094)
“In Step S206, a data set including data indicating the vehicle behavior acquired in Step S203 and the current status data generated in Step S205 is generated as the obstacle point report, and is uploaded to the map server 2.” (Para 0110)
Claim 7:
Horihata in combination with the references relied upon in claim 6 teach those respective limitations. Horihata further teaches:
wherein the map storage device receives that is acquired [when the vehicle is stopped] as part of the external information.
(Horihata) – “That is, as the functional blocks, the map cooperation device 50 includes a subject vehicle position acquisition unit F1, a map acquisition unit F2, a subject vehicle behavior acquisition unit F3, a detection object information acquisition unit F4, a report data generation unit F5, and a notification processing unit F6.” (Para 0076)
“The subject vehicle behavior acquisition unit F3 acquires data indicating the behavior of the subject vehicle from the vehicle state sensor 13. For example, the traveling speed, the yaw rate, lateral acceleration, or vertical acceleration is acquired. The subject vehicle behavior acquisition unit F3 acquires information indicating whether the vehicle travels across the lane boundary, from the front camera 11, and an offset amount in which the traveling position is offset to the right or to the left from a center of the lane. Here, the vertical acceleration corresponds to acceleration in the front-rear direction, and the lateral acceleration corresponds to acceleration in the left-right direction. The subject vehicle behavior acquisition unit F3 corresponds to the vehicle behavior detection unit.” (Para 0081)
“In Step S103, the vehicle behavior when the vehicle travels within a predetermined report target distance before and after the obstacle registration point is acquired, and the process proceeds to Step S104. In Step S104, time-series data of the vehicle behavior acquired in Step S103 and a data set including transmission source information and report target point information are generated as an obstacle point report. The report target point information is information indicating whether the obstacle point report relates to any point. For example, position coordinates of the obstacle registration point are set in the report target point information.” (Para 0094)
“In Step S206, a data set including data indicating the vehicle behavior acquired in Step S203 and the current status data generated in Step S205 is generated as the obstacle point report, and is uploaded to the map server 2.” (Para 0110)
Horihata does not explicitly teach:
when the vehicle is stopped
Kojo, in the same field of endeavor of vehicle navigation, teaches:
when the vehicle is stopped
(Kojo) – “The acquisition unit 10 is composed of, e.g., a vehicle speed sensor 11, a position sensor 12, and a vehicle state sensor 13. The present configuration is an example, but any configuration is possible as long as the sensor configuration allows the vehicle information (stop information indicating whether the vehicle is stopped, position information indicating the stop position of the vehicle, a boarding event, and the like) of the vehicle 2 to be calculated or detected. For example, the acquisition unit 10 can include an occupant-sensing sensor (sensing unit) that senses boarding by an occupant.” (Para 0021)
“The stop determination unit 32 can be configured to determine that the vehicle 2 is stopped using the vehicle speed, or gearshift information of the vehicle 2 can be acquired to determine that the vehicle is stopped using the fact that the gearshift has been set in the P range (parking range). The stop determination unit 32 can also acquire information about the parking brake of the vehicle 2 to determine that the vehicle is stopped when the parking brake is been engaged.” (Para 0044)
“When the position sensor 12 is a GPS/INS device, the position information inputted from the position sensor 12 can be the position information of the vehicle 2. Also, when the position sensor 12 is an omnidirectional distance sensor, so-called map matching is carried out to calculate the relative position of the vehicle 2 with respect to a target around the vehicle 2 based on the map database 20.” (Para 0047)
Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the obstacle information management device of Horihata with the calculation system of Kojo. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make these modifications, with a reasonable expectation of success, so that “a location suitable for boarding can be calculated at a low cost” (Kojo Para 0007).
Claim 8:
Horihata in combination with the references relied upon in claim 6 teach those respective limitations. Horihata further teaches:
wherein the external information is related to a driving lane on a road surface where the vehicle is traveling and a road surface indication.
(Horihata) – “In addition to the above-described information, the vehicle condition report may include a traveling direction of the subject vehicle, a traveling lane ID, a traveling speed, acceleration, and a yaw rate. The traveling lane ID indicates whether the subject vehicle travels on any number lane from a left end or right end roadside. Furthermore, the vehicle condition report may include information such as a lighting state of a direction indicator and whether the vehicle travels across a lane boundary.” (Para 0044)
“The front camera 11 detects a predetermined detection target object, and specifies a relative position of the detection object with respect to the subject vehicle. For example, the detection target object includes a pedestrian, other vehicles, a feature as a landmark, roadside, and a road surface mark…The road surface mark indicates a paint drawn on a road surface for traffic control and traffic regulation. For example, the road surface mark includes a lane mark indicating a lane boundary, a pedestrian crossing, a stop line, a zebra zone, a safety zone, and a regulation arrow. The lane mark includes those realized by a road tack such as a chatter bar and Botts’ Dots, in addition to a paint formed in a dashed line shape or in a continuous line shape by using a yellow or white paint. The lane mark is also called a lane mark or lane marker.” (Para 0052)
Claim 9:
Horihata in combination with the references relied upon in claim 1 teach those respective limitations. Horihata further teaches:
further comprising a Global Positioning System (GPS) device that acquires earth coordinate information of the vehicle, wherein the map storage device is configured to store the earth coordinate information.
(Horihata) – “The GNSS receiver 141 is a device that sequentially detects current positions of the GNSS receiver 141 by receiving navigation signals transmitted from positioning satellites forming a global navigation satellite system (GNSS). For example, when the GNSS receiver 141 receives the navigation signals from four or more positioning satellites, the GNSS receiver 141 outputs positioning results every 100 milliseconds. As the GNSS, the GPS, the GLONASS, the Galileo, the IRNSS, the QZSS, or the Beidou can be adopted.” (Para 0061)
“The locator 14 may be configured to be capable of perform a localization process. The localization process indicates a process for specifying a detailed position of the subject vehicle by collating the coordinates of the landmark specified based on the image captured by the front camera 11 with the coordinates of the landmark registered in the high accuracy map data.” (Para 0064)
“The obstacle detection position can be expressed in any optional absolute coordinate system such as World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS84). The obstacle detection position can be calculated by combining current position coordinates of the subject vehicle and relative position information of the obstacle with respect to the subject vehicle detected by the surrounding monitoring sensor.” (Para 0082)
“The vehicle behavior data included in the obstacle point report is data indicating whether the vehicle traveling on the lane on which the obstacle exists performs a movement to avoid the obstacle (that is, the avoidance action). For example, as the data indicating the vehicle behavior, vehicle position coordinates, a traveling direction, a traveling speed, vertical acceleration, lateral acceleration, and a yaw rate at each time point when the vehicle passes through the vicinity of the obstacle registration point can be adopted.” (Para 0096)
“Various data sequentially acquired by the subject vehicle position acquisition unit F1, the subject vehicle behavior acquisition unit F3, and the detection object information acquisition unit F4 are stored in a memory such as the RAM 52, and are used for the reference by the map acquisition unit F2 and the report data generation unit F5.” (Para 0084)
Claim 10:
Horihata in combination with the references relied upon in claim 1 teach those respective limitations. Horihata further teaches:
wherein the at least one vehicle sensor includes at least one of an in-vehicle camera, Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensor, or Sound Navigation and Ranging (SONAR) sensor.
(Horihata) – “As a device for detecting the obstacle, in addition to the camera and the millimeter wave radar, LiDAR or sonar may be used.” (Para 0215)
Claim 11:
Horihata in combination with the references relied upon in claim 1 teach those respective limitations. Horihata further teaches:
wherein the behavior history information includes information associated with at least one of a steering wheel, a brake, or a shift lever.
(Horihata) – “The vehicle state sensor 13 is a sensor that detects a physical state amount related to traveling control of the subject vehicle. For example, the vehicle state sensor 13 includes an inertial sensor such as a three-axis gyro sensor and a three-axis acceleration sensor. The three-axis acceleration sensor is a sensor that detects acceleration acting on the subject vehicle in the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions. The gyro sensor detects a rotation angular velocity around a detection axis, and the three-axis gyro sensor has three detection axes orthogonal to each other. The vehicle state sensor 13 can also include a shift position sensor, a steering angle sensor, and a vehicle speed sensor. The shift position sensor is a sensor that detects a position of a shift lever. The steering angle sensor is a sensor that detects a rotation angle of a steering wheel (so-called steering angle). The vehicle speed sensor is a sensor that detects a traveling speed of the subject vehicle.” (Para 0058)
“That is, as the functional blocks, the map cooperation device 50 includes a subject vehicle position acquisition unit F1, a map acquisition unit F2, a subject vehicle behavior acquisition unit F3, a detection object information acquisition unit F4, a report data generation unit F5, and a notification processing unit F6.” (Para 0076)
“The subject vehicle behavior acquisition unit F3 acquires data indicating the behavior of the subject vehicle from the vehicle state sensor 13. For example, the traveling speed, the yaw rate, lateral acceleration, or vertical acceleration is acquired. The subject vehicle behavior acquisition unit F3 acquires information indicating whether the vehicle travels across the lane boundary, from the front camera 11, and an offset amount in which the traveling position is offset to the right or to the left from a center of the lane. Here, the vertical acceleration corresponds to acceleration in the front-rear direction, and the lateral acceleration corresponds to acceleration in the left-right direction. The subject vehicle behavior acquisition unit F3 corresponds to the vehicle behavior detection unit.” (Para 0081)
“In Step S103, the vehicle behavior when the vehicle travels within a predetermined report target distance before and after the obstacle registration point is acquired, and the process proceeds to Step S104. In Step S104, time-series data of the vehicle behavior acquired in Step S103 and a data set including transmission source information and report target point information are generated as an obstacle point report. The report target point information is information indicating whether the obstacle point report relates to any point. For example, position coordinates of the obstacle registration point are set in the report target point information.” (Para 0094)
“In Step S206, a data set including data indicating the vehicle behavior acquired in Step S203 and the current status data generated in Step S205 is generated as the obstacle point report, and is uploaded to the map server 2.” (Para 0110)
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments with respect to the 35 U.S.C. 103 rejections mailed 12/29/2025 have been fully considered but are not convincing. Rejection rationale has been updated to reflect amendment.
Specifically, Applicant argues:
“ At pages 8-9, the Office Action also cites para. [0110] of Horihata, which describes "a data set including data indicating the vehicle behavior... is uploaded to the map server 2." However, the cited portions of Horihata merely describe collecting and uploading vehicle behavior data. Horihata fails to teach or suggest detecting "completion of a parking operation," as recited in amended claim 1.
Furthermore, Horihata fails to teach or suggest uploading map data to a non-volatile
memory "in response to detecting completion of the parking operation," as recited in amended claim 1. For example, while Horihata describes generating and uploading data sets "when the vehicle travels within a predetermined report target distance before and after the obstacle registration point" to generate "an obstacle point report" at para. [0094], Applicant respectfully emphasizes that detecting an obstacle registration point is not analogous to detecting completion of a parking operation.
Horihata therefore also does not teach or suggest "in response to detecting completion of the parking operation, store, in the non-volatile memory, the map data," as recited in amended claim 1.
The Office Action also cites Kojo in reference to these limitations of claim 1. However, Kojo fails to resolve the deficiencies of Horihata. For example, at page 10, the Office Action cites para. [0044] of Kojo. Yet, para. [0044] of Kojo merely describes that "[t]he stop determination unit 32 can be configured to determine that the vehicle 2 is stopped using the vehicle speed, or gearshift information of the vehicle 2."
Identifying that a vehicle is merely stopped is not analogous to detecting "completion of a parking operation," as recited in amended claim 1. Kojo merely describes determining when the vehicle has stopped moving. For example, Kojo describes determining "that the vehicle is stopped when the parking brake is been engaged" [sic]. See para. [0044]. Kojo fails to teach or
suggest detecting completion of a parking operation based on "detecting a sequence of behavior history events," as recited in amended claim 1.
As exemplary non-limiting embodiments, FIG. 3 and FIG. 6 both display flowcharts for detecting sequences of behavior history events. As described in the Specification in reference to FIG. 3, "[w]hen all the determinations in steps S101 to S106 described above are determined to be positive, the vehicle behavior determination unit 103 determines that the vehicle has completed parking at the target parking position, and instructs the map generation unit 100 to transfer the map stored in the map data temporary storage unit 101 to the map data storage unit 102." See para. [0039]. Kojo fails to teach or suggest "detect completion of a parking operation of the vehicle based on detecting a sequence of behavior history events identified from behavior history information," as recited in amended claim 1 and illustrated by these exemplary non- limiting embodiments.
Furthermore, Kojo merely uses the determination that the vehicle has stopped to identify "a location suitable for boarding." See Kojo, para [0007]. Kojo therefore also fails to teach or suggest "in response to detecting completion of the parking operation, store, in the non-volatile memory, the map data," as recited in amended claim 1.
As a result, the references do not teach at least one element of claim 1, as amended.
Accordingly, claim 1 is allowable. Claims 2-12 are believed to overcome this rejection by virtue of their dependency on claim 1. Therefore, Applicant respectfully requests that claims 1-12 be allowed for at least the reasons stated above, and additionally for the further patentable features contained therein.”
However, Examiner respectfully disagrees. The limitation “a sequence of behavior history events identified from behavior history information collected about a behavior of the vehicle” is recited broadly. When interpreted per BRI, behavior history may correspond with any vehicle behavior which has already happened (i.e. historical). This includes at least “gearshift information… to determine that the vehicle is stopped using the fact that the gearshift has been set in the P range (parking range)” (Kojo 0044). The Applicant’s examples of Fig. 3 & 6 flowcharts are far narrower in scope than this generically claimed limitation. Furthermore, Kojo does teach storing information in a memory as a result of the stop determination (Kojo 0098). Accordingly, the combination of Horihata, Golov, and Kojo teach every claimed limitation as fully evidenced in the above rejection rationale.
As such, all outstanding claims remain rejected in view of the prior art.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Donnelly (US10528059) teaches the use of historic vehicle data and confirming a vehicle has parked.
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 DAVID RUBEN PEDERSEN whose telephone number is (571)272-9696. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th: 07:00 -16:00 Eastern.
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/DAVID RUBEN PEDERSEN/Examiner, Art Unit 3658
/Ramon A. Mercado/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3658
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