DETAILED ACTION
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: Steering assist with consideration of lateral acceleration.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 9-26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. The claims require many devices: a steering control-quantity calculation device, a steering control-quantity limit-value calculation device, a limitation determination device, a steering control-quantity limiting device. The specification does not show support for this many devices (which are a physical structure). Instead the specification assigns these calculation tasks to one device the steering unit 1a. These are not stand alone devices by subsets of the same device.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 9-11, 21-26 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Kataoka (U.S. Pub. No. 2018/0134290).
Regarding claim 9, Kataoka discloses a motor vehicle steering system which assists steering operations so that a motor vehicle runs to follow up along a target running road-route line, the motor vehicle steering system, comprising:
a steering control-quantity calculation device (¶46) for calculating a steering control quantity to move the motor vehicle closer to the target running road-route line;
a lateral acceleration detector (40 includes lateral acceleration ¶48) for detecting a lateral acceleration of the motor vehicle;
a steering control-quantity limit-value calculation device for calculating a steering control-quantity limit-value on a basis of a lateral acceleration detected by the lateral acceleration detector in such a manner that a lateral acceleration of the motor vehicle is limited to a lateral acceleration limit-value (¶58);
a limitation determination device for determining effectiveness of steering control- quantity's limitation or ineffectiveness thereof at least on a basis of said lateral acceleration (according to ¶58 this would effectively limit the formula values generated and so is deemed effective based on principles of mathematics); and
a steering control-quantity limiting device for limiting a steering control quantity on a basis of said steering control-quantity limit-value, when the limitation determination device determines that steering control-quantity's limitation is effective (¶58 eq 1 is used to determine steering which is effectively changed due to the consideration of lateral acceleration).
Regarding claim 10 which depends from claim 9, Kataoka discloses wherein the limitation determination device determines effectiveness of steering control-quantity's limitation or ineffectiveness thereof at least on a basis of said lateral acceleration and on that of said steering control-quantity limit-value (this is not stating how the effectiveness is judged only what is considered in addition which the formulas above do consider these values).
Regarding claim 11 which depends from claim 9, Kataoka discloses wherein the steering control-quantity limit-value calculation device defines, as a steering control-quantity limit-value, a steering control quantity at a time point when said lateral acceleration reaches at said lateral acceleration limit-value (the lateral acceleration is used to determine steering correction perpetually and so would also do so when limit values are reached. ¶67 discloses limit values on the lateral acceleration).
Regarding claim 21, 22, 23 which depends from claim 9, 10, and 11 respectively, Kataoka discloses further comprising: a steering-wheel turn actuator for activating a steering-wheel turn tire-wheel of the motor vehicle to undergo turn directions, wherein said steering control quantity is driving torque of the steering-wheel turn actuator (¶45 discloses a assist motor 21), and a steering control-quantity limit-value where the steering control-quantity limit-value calculation device calculates is a driving torque limit-value, and wherein the steering control-quantity limiting device limits the driving torque of the steering- wheel turn actuator to the driving torque limit-value (¶67 discloses the limit values).
Regarding claim 24, 25, 26 which depends from claim 9, 10 and 11 respectively, Kataoka discloses further comprising: a steering angle detector for detecting a steering angle of a steering-wheel turn tire-wheel of the motor vehicle (claim 1 makes clear the association with the steering angle and the orientation of the vehicle); a steering-wheel turn actuator for activating a steering-wheel turn tire-wheel of the motor vehicle to undergo turn directions (¶20 discloses how the desired angles are achieved through steering); and a steering angle controller in which said steering control quantity is a target steering angle of the motor vehicle, and by which the steering-wheel turn actuator is driven so that the steering angle follows up the target steering angle, wherein a steering control-quantity limit-value where the steering control-quantity limit-value calculation device calculates is a target steering angle limit-value, and wherein the steering control-quantity limiting device limits the target steering angle to the target steering angle limit-value (¶50 discloses determining orientation of the vechicle and desired orientation).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 12-20 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form after overcoming the 112a rejection and including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: They require a difference between actual and maximum acceleration to be amplified so as to determine limit values.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Please review when considering a response to this office action.
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GONZALO LAGUARDA
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3747 email: gonzalo.laguarda@uspto.gov
/GONZALO LAGUARDA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3747
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