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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 1/8/2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
This Office Action is in response to the RCE filed on 1/8/2026. Claims 1 is amended. Claims 1, 3-8, 10-12, and 14 are currently pending.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 3-8, 10-12, and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 20210365986 A1 hereinafter Brown.
Regarding claim 1, Brown discloses A method performed by a vehicle system for enabling service offering content data to be provided to an interface device associated with a vehicle, the method comprising: (In one embodiment, a method for providing information to a user of a vehicle is disclosed. The method includes, in part, sending, from a device built into the vehicle, a first set of data to a server, the first set of data corresponding to measurements performed by one or more sensors, receiving a first set of elements from the server in response to the first set of data, presenting one or more elements from the first set of elements to the user on a display in the vehicle Paragraph [0012])
obtaining service offering data, wherein the service offering data comprises service offering content data (At 404, the server selects one or more output elements from a second set of data in accordance with the first set of data. In one embodiment, the second set of data corresponds to one or more advertisement elements. Paragraph [0038]) Examiner notes that content data is described as data that is displayed on a display or provided as audio information through a speaker in paragraph [0039]) This corresponds to the advertisement elements described in paragraph [0038] of Brown. and service offering correlation data; (The information regarding the car rental company is selected according to the analysis done by the server based on location sensor data indicating that the vehicle is nearing an airport. Lower portion 620 of the graphic display screen may further include one or more interactive options, such as input button 630 to find the closest car return location. The user may press the input button 630 to request more information. According to one embodiment, the displayed output elements may be dynamically updated periodically or continuously by the server in real time according to recent sensor information and/or latest user preferences as described below Paragraph [0044]) Examiner notes that service offering correlation data is described as data that is correlated with or associated with the service offering content data. The service offering correlation data may comprise data indication the location of the service offer and the business it applies to as seen in paragraph [0040], this is identical to the additional information and location finding of Brown paragraph [0044].
obtaining vehicle event data from the vehicle, (The one or more sensors in real-time sense primary information about the environment in the local vicinity, line-of-sight, and/or hearing distance adjacent to the vehicle and/or the user. Primary information may refer to the information that can be directly sensed from the local environment in real-time. The one or more sensors sense primary information, hereinafter also referred to as an “environmental signal,” such as location information (e.g., GPS or cellular system location), altimeter elevation, device acceleration, motion, audio, video, biometric information about driver and/or passengers of the vehicle (e.g., heart rate, breathing rate, retina scan, etc.), ambient light, near-field communication, wireless network status, infrared, ultrasonic, gyroscopic, orientation, vehicle status, air-bag status and/or any other parameters. Paragraph [0029])
wherein the vehicle event data comprises vehicle mode data, driver time information, and vehicle location; (In general, any number of sensors may provide data to the server. For example, the location information (e.g., GPS), heading, direction, speed of the vehicle and other information corresponding to the user or the vehicle may be received from the vehicle's built-in GPS system, the GPS system in the user's mobile phone and/or any other devices, such as the user's wearable device that has its own internal GPS sensors. Paragraph [0050])
comparing at least a part of the vehicle event data (In general, any number of sensors may provide data to the server. For example, the location information (e.g., GPS), heading, direction, speed of the vehicle and other information corresponding to the user or the vehicle may be received from the vehicle's built-in GPS system, the GPS system in the user's mobile phone and/or any other devices, such as the user's wearable device that has its own internal GPS sensors. Paragraph [0050])
with at least a part of the service offering correlation data; (At 402, the server receives a first set of data corresponding to measurements performed by one or more sensors. The server may receive the first set of data from a multitude of sources, such as the in-vehicle device, a mobile device or any other type of devices. At 404, the server selects one or more output elements from a second set of data in accordance with the first set of data. In one embodiment, the second set of data corresponds to one or more advertisement elements. The server may rank the second set of data based on the first set of data and any other data available to the server to identify the advertisement elements that are relevant to the user of the vehicle. Paragraph [0038])
Examiner notes in this instance that vehicle event data is data corresponding to the motion of the vehicle or the driver time information as disclosed in paragraph [0019] of the current disclosure. This information is obtained by the sensors of Brown as disclosed in paragraph [0050] and would be considered the first set of data as discussed in paragraph [0038]. Examiner also notes that service offering correlation data may comprise metadata, data indication the location of the service and offer, and the business it applies to as disclosed in paragraph [0040] of the current disclosure. This information is disclosed in Brown in paragraph [0038] which mentions the second set of data which is data that corresponds to one or more of the advertised elements. Thus, when Brown compares the first data and the second data it is comparing vehicle event data (first set of data in Brown) with service offering correlation data (second set of data in Brown).
when a result of the comparing fulfills a criterion, determining a time for providing at least a part of the service offering content data to an interface device associated with a user of the vehicle, wherein the criterion is associated with current vehicle mode, previous vehicle mode, current driver driving time, time of day, and vehicle position; and (At 406, the server sends the one or more output elements to the in-vehicle device to be presented to a user of the vehicle. In one example, the one or more output elements are advertisement information corresponding to one or more advertising entities. Paragraph [0038], In one embodiment, the ranked order is associated with the user's interests and/or location in addition to the advertiser's location. As location of the vehicle and/or mobile device changes, the output elements presented to the user may be updated. In one embodiment, the output elements may be streamed continuously, periodically, at predetermined times, or at user or advertiser request. Paragraph [0056])
controlling the interface device to provide at least a part of the service offering content data at the time determined based on the result of the fulfillment of the criterion. (At 406, the server sends the one or more output elements to the in-vehicle device to be presented to a user of the vehicle. In one example, the one or more output elements are advertisement information corresponding to one or more advertising entities. Paragraph [0038], In one embodiment, the ranked order is associated with the user's interests and/or location in addition to the advertiser's location. As location of the vehicle and/or mobile device changes, the output elements presented to the user may be updated. In one embodiment, the output elements may be streamed continuously, periodically, at predetermined times, or at user or advertiser request. Paragraph [0056])
Regarding claim 3, Brown discloses the method as recited in claim 1. Brown additionally discloses determining how to provide at least a part of the service offering content data to the interface device. (In this example, an upper portion 610 of the vehicle display 220 shows information such as a vehicle climate control display supplied by the vehicle. In addition, a lower portion 620 of the display shows the same or derived advertisement information (e.g., advertisement about Hertz car rental company, whether in its original form or modified to fit the format of the graphic display screen and/or input devices). Paragraph [0043], The Bayesian classifier uses probabilistic statistical techniques to minimize the probability of misclassification by using training data to learn over time how to classify the incoming real-time events data and advertiser information correctly. In one embodiment, the categorization of the multitude of incoming real-time events data and advertiser information is used to create a multitude of information display types, such as sports scores, local information such as movie times, local merchant sales information, and the like. In one embodiment, the multitude of information display types may be presented to the user in either different locations within a display, or are rotated/presented to the user over time, e.g., audio streamed in user interest ranking order. Paragraph [0060])
Regarding claim 4, Brown discloses the method as recited in claim 1. Brown additionally discloses wherein the interface device is a display and wherein controlling the interface device to provide the service offering content data comprises displaying the service offering content data on the display; or (User output devices 740 include all possible types of devices and mechanisms for outputting information from computer 720. These may include a display (e.g., monitor or graphical user interface 710), non-visual displays such as audio output devices, etc. Paragraph [0089])
wherein the interface device is an audio device and wherein controlling the interface device to provide the service offering content data comprises providing the service offering content data through the audio device. (User output devices 740 include all possible types of devices and mechanisms for outputting information from computer 720. These may include a display (e.g., monitor or graphical user interface 710), non-visual displays such as audio output devices, etc. Paragraph [0089])
Regarding claim 5, Brown discloses the method as recited in claim 1. Brown additionally discloses determining which part of the service offering content data that should be provided to the interface device; and (The received sensor data and the classified real-time events data and advertiser information are used to select relevant advertisement or data. In one embodiment, the information may be ranked by a weighted sum approach, Eigen-vector approach, or any other approach and/or algorithm. Paragraph [0062])
initiating provisioning of the determined part of the service offering content data on the interface device at the determined time. (As location of the vehicle and/or mobile device changes, the output elements presented to the user may be updated. In one embodiment, the output elements may be streamed continuously, periodically, at predetermined times, or at user or advertiser request. Paragraph [0056])
Regarding claim 6, Brown discloses the method as recited in claim 1. Brown additionally discloses wherein the time for providing the service offering content data is the same as when the result of the comparing fulfills the criterion; or
wherein the time for providing the service offering content data is after the result of the comparing fulfills the criterion. (In one embodiment, the ranked order is associated with the user's interests and/or location in addition to the advertiser's location. As location of the vehicle and/or mobile device changes, the output elements presented to the user may be updated. In one embodiment, the output elements may be streamed continuously, periodically, at predetermined times, or at user or advertiser request. Paragraph [0056], In one embodiment, a portion of the output elements may be continuously updated in real-time. In another embodiment, a portion of the output elements may be updated at a predetermined time when the server determines the output elements should be updated due to a change in one of the multitude of information inputs. In one embodiment, the output elements may be updated periodically. In one embodiment, the ranking of the output elements may be updated dynamically at predetermined times when the server determines a new ranking order is appropriate due to changes in one of the multitude of information inputs. Paragraph [0059])
Regarding claim 7, Brown discloses the method as recited in claim 1. Brown additionally discloses when the service offering content data has been provided to the interface device, providing, to a service offering system, status information of the provisioning of the determined part of the service offering content data. (At 306, the in-vehicle device receives at least one input corresponding to at least one selected element among the one or more elements that were presented to the user. For example, the user may press a button on the steering wheel, on the dashboard, or on the second device to enter his selection. In general, the at least one input may be received from an input device built-in the vehicle, or from an input device associated with the second device. For example, the user may press a button on his mobile phone (or watch) to enter his selection. Paragraph [0036], In one embodiment, the server may also receive some information corresponding to interest of the user of the vehicle. In general, the server may receive this information from any sources without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, the server receives user interest information from the in-vehicle device. In another embodiment, the server receives the user interest information from a mobile device. In another embodiment, the server may retrieve the user interest information from a database. Paragraph [0039])
Regarding claim 8, Brown discloses the method as recited in claim 7. Brown additionally discloses monitoring user interactions via the interface device and in response to the provided service offering content data; (In one embodiment, the user may provide active feedback via the mobile device. Active feedback may include explicit user feedback, e.g., thumbs-up or thumbs-down, and/or selecting an option among presented interactive options. Active feedback may further include implicit user feedback based for example on the user purchasing an advertised product or service. An example of implicit user feedback may be when a user buys the product or service or visits a vendor or service venue. User feedback may be stored in a user interest database. User interest data may further include historical information, which may be heavily weighted to prefer recent data Paragraph [0078]) and wherein the status information comprises information associated with the monitored user interactions. (In one embodiment, the server may also receive some information corresponding to interest of the user of the vehicle. In general, the server may receive this information from any sources without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, the server receives user interest information from the in-vehicle device. In another embodiment, the server receives the user interest information from a mobile device. In another embodiment, the server may retrieve the user interest information from a database. Paragraph [0039])
Regarding claim 10, Brown discloses the method as recited in claim 1. Brown additionally discloses wherein the interface device is mounted onboard the vehicle or is comprised in a handheld device arranged to be used by a user of the vehicle. (In one embodiment, the advertisement information may be displayed on a screen built into a dashboard of a vehicle. In another embodiment, the advertisement information may be displayed on a screen of a mobile device associated with the user of the vehicle. Paragraph [0025])
Regarding claim 11, Brown discloses a vehicle system (FIG. 3 shows exemplary operations that may be performed by an in-vehicle device for providing advertisement information, according to one embodiment of the present invention. Paragraph [0035]) for enabling service offering content data to be provided to an interface device associated with a vehicle (At 304, the in-vehicle device receives a first set of elements from the server in response to the first set of data. In one example, the first set of elements may include advertisement information to be presented to the user of the vehicle. At 304, the in-vehicle device presents one or more elements from the first set of elements to the user on a display in the vehicle. In one embodiment, the display is built-in the vehicle. In another embodiment, the in-vehicle device synchronizes a portion of the in-vehicle device with a display of a second device (e.g., a mobile device being associated with the user, and being transported in the vehicle). The in-vehicle device may send the first set of elements to the second device to be presented to the user. Paragraph [0035]), the vehicle system being arranged to perform a method according to claim 1.
Regarding claim 12, Brown discloses a vehicle comprising a vehicle system of claim 11. (FIG. 1 shows an exemplary communication system including a device disposed or built-in a vehicle, a mobile device, and a server, according to one embodiment of the present invention. Paragraph [0005])
Regarding claim 14, Brown discloses a non-transitory computer readable medium carrying a computer program comprising program code for performing the steps of claim 1 when said program code is run on a computer. (Various embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in the form of logic in software or hardware or a combination of both. The logic may be stored in a computer readable or machine-readable non-transitory storage medium as a set of instructions adapted to direct a processor of a computer system to perform a set of steps disclosed in embodiments of the present invention. Paragraph [0098])
Response to Arguments
Applicants’ arguments filed 8/5/2025 have been fully considered.
Applicants’ argument with regards to the claim 1 amendment “The claims are amended to recite….. Therefor the withdrawal of this rejection is respectfully requested” (pages 6-9) filed on 1/8/2026 have been fully considered but are not persuasive.
Applicant argues that Brown does not disclose determining a time for providing service
offering content data based on fulfillment of a criterion, and instead merely ranks content for relevance. However, Brown expressly discloses determining when output elements are provided including streaming content continuously, periodically, or at a predetermined time. Additionally, Brown further discloses updating output elements at a predetermined time when the server determines that output should be updated due to a change in evaluated information inputs. Further, the claimed criterion associated with current vehicle mode, previous vehicle mode, driver driving time, time of day, and vehicle position corresponds to the contextual vehicle and user data evaluated by Brown. Including location, speed, direction, vehicle status, and other real time sensor inputs used to control output behavior. Brown’s classification and ranking logic governs not only content selection but also presentation scheduling, including when content is provided to the interface device. Accordingly, Brown teaches controlling the interface device to provide the service offering content data at the time determined based on fulfillment of the evaluated criterion as claimed.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure. US 20140012638 A1 discloses a system and method for advertising to drivers based on location.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Joshua J Penko whose telephone number is (571)272-2604. The examiner can normally be reached Monday thru Friday 8-5 ET.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Hitesh Patel can be reached at 571-270-5442. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/J.J.P./ Examiner, Art Unit 3667
/Hitesh Patel/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3667
1/26/26