DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Status of Claims
This Office Action is in response to the reply filed on October 22, 2025. Claims 1-12 and 20 were previously withdrawn. Claims 13-19 are pending. Claim 13 is independent.
Response to Arguments
Applicants’ arguments have been fully considered. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground of rejection is made.
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 13-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent Publication No. 2021/0053515 to Dombrovskis.
Claims 13-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Dombrovskis.
With respect to independent claim 13, Dombrovskis discloses one or more processors (see paragraph [0120]: The electronic control unit 8 may comprise an electronic processor 70 such as a microprocessor, and data memory device 71, an input/output (I/O) port 72 and a communication port 73.) configured to: access a predefined social media account of a determine driver and obtain at least one of a plurality of pictures or text postings saved by the driver on the social media account (see paragraph [0116]: The system and method may include collecting personal information of the user from an online social media or social networking service.);
analyze the obtained pictures or text postings to determine at least one predicted driver preference (see paragraph [0116]: the options of the option list 18 may alternatively or in addition be adapted based on personal information of the user, such as the user's or user's kids' or wife's birthday or wedding day, favourite sport team, favourite colour, favourite music, etc. For example, if the electronic control unit for example determines that the user plans to travel on the day of his birthday or when the favourite sports team just has won a game, the question or options may be adapted to include “Celebration”, and should the user select/approve this proposal the electronic control unit would temporarily customise the operating characteristics of one or more vehicle features, such as for example special playlist and/or special graphical interface in the vehicle electronic displays.); and
automatically adjust at least one vehicle feature setting in a manner predefined for at least one determined preference (see paragraphs [0047] and [0049]: a radio station sending economic news may be automatically selected and the interior lighting may be set more moderate and less playful. Personal information of the user may be used for providing more relevant options to the user for temporarily customizing a vehicle feature. For example, if it is the birthday of the user, the electric control unit may ask the user to select “Celebration” or the like, and the graphical interface of the displays may be adjusted to show flags or similar celebrating features and/or a special playlist may be automatically selected.).
With respect to dependent claim14, Dombrovskis discloses wherein the predicted driver preference includes at least a color and wherein the adjustment includes adjusting a color of at least one of vehicle color-changeable interior or exterior lighting or vehicle display characteristics to include the color (see paragraphs [0057] and [0116]: switching off upon door closure, and a second customized predetermined logic algorithm for controlling the handle lighting may for example be switching on a fixed intensity coloured lighting upon vehicle unlocking and switching off upon door closure. Depending on the acquired personal information from the user the electric control unit will subsequently select one of said predetermined logic algorithms for controlling the handle lighting and thereby temporarily customizing the operating characteristic of the handle lighting. the options of the option list 18 may alternatively or in addition be adapted based on personal information of the user, such as the user's or user's kids' or wife's birthday or wedding day, favourite sport team, favourite colour, favourite music, etc.).
With respect to dependent claim 15, Dombrovskis discloses wherein the predicted driver preference includes at least a music style and wherein the adjustment includes adjusting at least one preset radio station to include a station determined to play the music style (see paragraph [0094] and [0116]: Some further examples of vehicle features whose operating characteristics may be temporarily customised by the system and method of the present disclosure are, with reference to FIG. 3 which shows a schematic illustration of the interior of the car 2, vehicle interior lighting with light source 20, graphical user interface on an instrument cluster electronic visual display 21 and central console electronic visual display 22, vehicle interior fragrance diffuser 23, vehicle seat heating system 25, vehicle steering wheel heating system 26, music play list (not showed), vehicle audio system 27 and vehicle horn 28. The options of the option list 18 may alternatively or in addition be adapted based on personal information of the user, such as the user's or user's kids' or wife's birthday or wedding day, favourite sport team, favourite colour, favourite music, etc.).
With respect to dependent claim 16, Dombrovskis discloses wherein the one or more processors are further configured to obtain at least one song identified by the driver on the social media account and to determine the music style based on the at least one song (see paragraphs [0116]: the options of the option list 18 may alternatively or in addition be adapted based on personal information of the user, such as the user's or user's kids' or wife's birthday or wedding day, favourite sport team, favourite colour, favourite music, etc.).
With respect to dependent claim 17, Dombrovskis discloses wherein the predicted driver preference includes at least a sports team and wherein the adjustment includes adjusting at least one preset radio station to include a station determined to cover the sports team (see paragraph [0116]: favourite sport team, favourite colour, favourite music, etc. The system and method may include collecting personal information of the user from an online social media or social networking service. For example, if the electronic control unit for example determines that the user plans to travel on the day of his birthday or when the favourite sports team just has won a game, the question or options may be adapted to include “Celebration”, and should the user select/approve this proposal the electronic control unit would temporarily customise the operating characteristics of one or more vehicle features, such as for example special playlist and/or special graphical interface in the vehicle electronic displays.).
With respect to dependent claim 18, Dombrovskis discloses wherein the adjustment further includes changing at least one of vehicle color-changeable interior or exterior lighting or a vehicle display characteristic to include one or more colors determined to be associated with the sports team (see paragraphs [0057], [0083, [0085] and [0087]]: a first customized predetermined logic algorithm for controlling the handle lighting may for example be switching on a gradually increasing and decreasing intensity with light upon vehicle unlocking and switching off upon door closure, and a second customized predetermined logic algorithm for controlling the handle lighting may for example be switching on a fixed intensity coloured lighting upon vehicle unlocking and switching off upon door closure. After having acquired personal information indicating the user's emotional state or the user's current need or the user's purpose of the next trip, the vehicle electronic control unit 8 may finally temporarily customize the operating characteristic of the vehicle external proximity lighting based on the acquired personal information, namely by selecting a predetermined logic algorithm for controlling the vehicle external proximity lighting that results in increased illumination of the proximity area of the car 2 by activation of the first and second light sources 3, 6. The temporary customized operating characteristic of the external proximity lighting does not remain customized more than maximal a single driving cycle. In fact, the temporarily customized operating characteristic of the external proximity lighting does not need to remain in a customized state for longer than until driving off with the car, e.g. normally merely a few minutes. After termination of the temporary customization the vehicle electronic control unit is configured to control the temporary customized operating characteristic of the external proximity lighting to return to an ordinary operating characteristic of the external proximity lighting.).
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 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dombrovskis in view of U.S. Patent Publication No. 2019/0124385 to Ogasawara.
With respect to dependent claim 19, Dombrovskis fails to disclose wherein the predicted driver preference includes at least a sports team and wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: determine that a game involving the sports team is ongoing while the driver is in the vehicle; determine at least one radio station covering the game; and automatically tune a radio of the vehicle to the at least one radio station.
Ogasawara discloses A team determiner section determining whether a team in the sports game is a team of interest to a user among a plurality of teams. A switcher section switching to the second broadcast to enable continued viewing or listening of the sports game when the relay broadcasting of the sports game via the first broadcast is ended, in response to that the team in the sports game is determined to be the team of interest to the user (See abstract). In place of performing such automatic tuning or selection, other configurations may be provided. Another configuration may be provided which displays a message indicating that the TV broadcast or the radio broadcast of the relay broadcasting of the professional baseball game of the professional baseball team of interest to the user has been started in the display unit 10. (See paragraph [0054]).
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the team of interest of Ogasawara that personalizes an infotainment of sports interested driver with the social media derived favorite sports team of Dombrovskis that also personalizes an infotainment of sports interested driver in order to automatically tune to broadcasts of that team’s game by using preference data from social media without user input.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DEMETRA R SMITH-STEWART whose telephone number is (571)270-3965. The examiner can normally be reached 10am - 6pm.
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/DEMETRA R SMITH-STEWART/Examiner, Art Unit 3661
/PETER D NOLAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3661