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
Currently claims 1-2 and 4-9 are pending, claim 3 has been cancelled, and claims 1 and 8 have been amended.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(d):
(d) REFERENCE IN DEPENDENT FORMS.—Subject to subsection (e), a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, fourth paragraph:
Subject to the following paragraph [i.e., the fifth paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112], a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(d) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, 4th paragraph, as being of improper dependent form for failing to further limit the subject matter of the claim upon which it depends, or for failing to include all the limitations of the claim upon which it depends. The limitations of claim 4 are in claim 1, from which it depends. Applicant may cancel the claim(s), amend the claim(s) to place the claim(s) in proper dependent form, rewrite the claim(s) in independent form, or present a sufficient showing that the dependent claim(s) complies with the statutory requirements.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 1-2 and 4-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tani (U.S. 2018/0201231) in view of Rice (U.S. 2018/0015907), Agrotus (U.S. 2019/0275990), and Robertson (U.S. 2021/0109345).
With respect to claims 1 and 9, Tani discloses a vehicle sensor cleaning (figure 2, paragraph 0006) and a control method of a vehicle sensor cleaning apparatus, the apparatus comprising:
a liquid sprayer (50) configured to spray washer fluid on at least one sensor (30) arranged in a vehicle (paragraph 0020);
an air sprayer (40) configured to spray air on the at least one sensor (figure 2);
a liquid controller (15) configured to control washer fluid spraying of the liquid sprayer (paragraph 0022); and
an air controller (14) configured to control air spraying of the air sprayer (paragraph 0021),
the air sprayer comprises:
configured to compress and store air in an air tank (paragraph 0025 discloses a tank that stores compressed air); and
an air distributor configured to distribute compressed air from the air tank to at least one nozzle spraying air on a surface of the at least one sensor (paragraph 0025, being the line from the tank to the pump to the injection nozzle).
the liquid sprayer comprises;
a washer pump (paragraph 0026) configured to output washer fluid stored in a washer fluid tank (paragraph 0026); and
a liquid distributor configured to distribute the washer fluid to at least one nozzle spraying the washer fluid on a surface of the at least one sensor (paragraph 0026, bringing the liquid from the tank and pump to the nozzle).
With respect to claim 8, Tani discloses a control method of a vehicle sensor cleaning apparatus, the method comprising:
receiving a cleaning request from a vehicle controller (paragraph 0018, from controller 11);
spraying washer fluid on at least one sensor according to the cleaning request (paragraphs 0052 and 0057); and
spraying air on the at least one sensor according to the cleaning request (paragraph 0049).
Tani discloses the compressed air, but not having a compressor which is configured to compress the air which is then stored in the air tank. Tani disclose the air controller and a vehicle speed sensor (130) and the liquid controller, but fails to disclose the air controller is configured to:
control intensity of air sprayed onto the sensor using the compressed air stored in the air tank based on a vehicle speed; and
control spraying intensity of the air according to rainfall amounts based on predefined information regarding rainfall amounts and air spraying intensity,
the liquid controller is configured to:
control spraying intensity of the washer fluid based on the vehicle speed; and
control spraying intensity of the washer fluid according to rainfall amounts based on predefined information regarding rainfall amounts and washer fluid spraying intensity.
Rice, paragraph 0026, discloses using an air compressor to take in outside air, compress t, and store it. Such that the cleaning system does not have to have replaceable tanks but can generate its own onboard compressed air.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the compressor as disclosed by Rice in their air cleaning system of a vehicle sensor into the system of Tani, allowing the system to refill their own air tank without the need of replacing or changing out air tanks, further noting such air compression can be done during use of the vehicle, allowing for further recharge of the air tank during the vehicles operation (and not requiring to stop to refill compressed air if the tanks run out).
Agrotus discloses, paragraph 0044, utilizing a vehicle speed to change the pressure (higher or lower) of the compressed air as doing so may reduce compressor run time and required heating periods thus reducing energy consumption.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the vehicle speed with the applied air pressure as disclosed by Agrotus into the system of Tano, as dosing so would reduce the compressor run time at different speeds and thus reduce energy consumption. Furthermore, it would be obvious to apply the same logic to the washing system, that vehicle speeds could require different spraying from the liquid as well, and thus reducing the need to run the pump as much and further save energy.
Robertson, paragraphs 0047-0048, discloses that the precipitation sensor 215 can be utilized to actuate an air nozzle and suppress actuation of a fluid spray.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the precipitation sensor with the air and fluid spray onto the camera as disclosed by Robertson into the system of Tani, allowing the system to utilize the generate data of a presence of rain or not to determine if air or fluid should be applied (and thus the intensity being that there is or is not applied fluid), saving fluid from being applied to the sensor as rain is already applied and applying compressed air as needed to keep the sensor clean.
With respect to claim 2, Tani discloses a washer fluid spraying direction (figure 2, direction of 50 towards 30) of the liquid sprayer and an air spraying direction (direction of 40) of the air sprayer are different from each other (as seen in figure 2).
With respect to claim 4, Tani discloses the liquid sprayer comprises:
a washer pump (paragraph 0026) configured to output washer fluid stored in a washer fluid tank (paragraph 0026); and
a liquid distributor configured to distribute the washer fluid to at least one nozzle spraying the washer fluid on a surface of the at least one sensor (paragraph 0026, bringing the liquid from the tank and pump to the nozzle).
With respect to claim 5, Tani discloses the liquid controller and the air controller operate alternately (paragraphs 0057, 0049, ad 0052; disclosing that step S103 can be liquid, S105 is air, and S107 is liquid again; see figure 4).
With respect to claim 6, Tani discloses wherein, when the air controller receives information about a sensor to be cleaned from a vehicle controller (0049), air spraying is held until information regarding finishing of the washer fluid spraying on the sensor to be cleaned is received from the liquid controller (paragraph 0057, and figure 4, as the fluid spraying is step 103, and is held till step 104 happens and then proceeds so step 104, the blower step).
With respect to claim 7, Tani discloses the liquid controller receives information about the sensor to be cleaned from a vehicle controller (paragraph 0057), the liquid sprayer is controlled to spray the washer fluid when the air spraying of the air controller is not performed (as seen in paragraph 0057, as the spraying of liquid is done without that of air; paragraph 0052 also discloses liquid only spraying).
With respect to claim 9, Tani discloses repeating the spraying of the washer fluid and the spraying of air a certain number of times (paragraph 0072, as it is repeated until the foreign substance is no longer detected, or detected under a set percentage).
Response to Arguments/Amendments
The Amendment filed (11/21/2025) has been entered. Currently claims 1-2 and 4-9 are pending, claim 3 has been cancelled, and claims 1 and 8 have been amended. Applicants amendments to the claims have overcome each and every rejection previously set forth in the Office Action dated (08/21/2025). Applicant’s arguments, see Applicants Arguments, filed 11/21/2025, with respect to the previous rejection have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of the above rejection, as two references (one for vehicle speed and one for rain) have been applied. It is noted that the primary reference had vehicle speed sensors and included mentions of rainfall, but did not directly tie such information into the control of the airflow or fluid flow to the sensors.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOSEPH A GREENLUND whose telephone number is (571)272-0397. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-5pm EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Arthur Hall can be reached at 571-270-1814. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JOSEPH A GREENLUND/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3752