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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-5, 7-10 and 12-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang (US 2021/0245735 A1) in view of Tominaga et al. (US 2020/0070818 A1) and Lee (US 9229453 B1).
As to claims 1/16/20, Wang discloses an automated parking apparatus, comprising: at least one processor (Fig. 2); and a memory coupled to the at least one processor and storing programming instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform following operations: determining, in a parking domain based on a road traffic status in the parking domain, an initial location of a target vehicle, and a location of a target parking space of the target vehicle, an initial driving path from the initial location to the target parking space (para. 0020-0024); and sending, to the target vehicle, the initial driving path indicating the target vehicle to drive from the initial location to the target parking space (para. 0060), wherein determining a bypass path based on an obstacle area in which the obstacle is located in response to it is detected that there is an obstacle on the initial driving path, wherein the bypass path does not overlap the obstacle area (para. 0013); and sending, to the target vehicle, the bypass path indicating the target vehicle to bypass the obstacle (para. 0013, 0075, new navigation path); and controlling the target vehicle to bypass the obstacle based on the bypass path (para. 0013). Wang does not explicitly disclose determining, by a processor, an initial area occupied by the obstacle, wherein determining the initial area comprises at least one of: determining, as the initial area, a rectangular area enclosed by sequentially connecting a first locating point, a second locating point, a third locating point, and a fourth locating point, wherein the first locating point and the second locating point are based on a first detection box corresponding to the obstacle, and the third locating point and the fourth locating point are based on a second detection box corresponding to the obstacle; or determining, as the initial area, an area enclosed by sequentially connecting the first locating point, the second locating point, a fifth locating point, and a sixth locating point, wherein the fifth location point and the sixth locating point are computed from the first locating point and the second locating point; if it is detected that there is an obstacle on the initial driving path: determining, by a processor, an obstacle area based on an initial area occupied by the obstacle and located within the obstacle area, wherein a distance between a target boundary of the obstacle area and a target boundary of the initial area is greater than or equal to a safe distance threshold, and wherein the obstacle area is obtained by extending the target boundary of the initial area based on the safe distance threshold and is located on a side that is of the target boundary of the obstacle area and that is away from the target boundary of the initial area.
However, Tominaga teaches determining, by a processor, an initial area occupied by the obstacle, wherein determining the initial area comprises at least one of: determining, as the initial area, a rectangular area enclosed by sequentially connecting a first locating point, a second locating point, a third locating point, and a fourth locating point, wherein the first locating point and the second locating point are based on a first detection box corresponding to the obstacle, and the third locating point and the fourth locating point are based on a second detection box corresponding to the obstacle; or determining, as the initial area, an area enclosed by sequentially connecting the first locating point, the second locating point, a fifth locating point, and a sixth locating point, wherein the fifth location point and the sixth locating point are computed from the first locating point and the second locating point (Fig. 7, and para. 0097, initial area with 4 locating points – rectangle PFL, PFR, PRL, PRR, and obstacle area - rectangle QFL, QFR, QRL, QRR).
Lee teaches initial area (area of the bike 102) and obstacle area (oval 106), and it is inherent that the distance between the bike and boundary 106 is greater than or equal to a safe distance threshold. The boundary of oval 106 is extended by a safe distance threshold from the bike 102. The bypass path does not overlap the obstacle area and is located on a side that is of the target boundary of the obstacle area and that is away from the target boundary of the initial area (bypass path 104 is on a side of obstacle area 106); and is located on a side that is of the target boundary of the obstacle area and that is away from the target boundary of the initial area (Fig. 4). Therefore, given the teaching of Tominaga and Lee, it would have been obvious to a person with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing of the claimed invention to modify the method/apparatus of Wang by incorporating the feature of determining initial area, obstacle area and bypass path based on obstacle area, as taught by Tominaga and Lee, to avoid collision between the vehicle and the obstacle.
As to claims 2 and 17, Wang does not explicitly disclose the determining the bypass path based on the obstacle area in which the obstacle is located comprises: separately determining a start point, an end point, and at least one intermediate point of the bypass path based on the obstacle area, wherein both the start point and the end point are located on the initial driving path, and both a shortest distance between the start point and the obstacle area and a shortest distance between the end point and the obstacle area are greater than or equal to a first distance threshold; and each intermediate point is located outside the initial driving path, a shortest distance between each intermediate point and the obstacle area is greater than or equal to a second distance threshold, and a shortest distance between each intermediate point and an edge of a road on which the obstacle is located is greater than or equal to a third distance threshold. However, Lee teaches the determining the bypass path based on the obstacle area in which the obstacle is located comprises: separately determining a start point, an end point, and at least one intermediate point of the bypass path based on the obstacle area, wherein both the start point and the end point are located on the initial driving path, and both a shortest distance between the start point and the obstacle area and a shortest distance between the end point and the obstacle area are greater than or equal to a first distance threshold; and each intermediate point is located outside the initial driving path, a shortest distance between each intermediate point and the obstacle area is greater than or equal to a second distance threshold, and a shortest distance between each intermediate point and an edge of a road on which the obstacle is located is greater than or equal to a third distance threshold (Fig. 3-4, the bypass path is always has a shortest distance between the bypass path and the obstacle area greater than some thresholds). Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing of the claimed invention to modify the method/apparatus of Wang by incorporating the feature of bypass path, as taught by Lee, to avoid collision between the vehicle and the obstacle.
As to claims 3 and 18, Lee further teaches wherein the at least one intermediate point comprises a first intermediate point and a second intermediate point; a connection line between the first intermediate point and a first vertex of the obstacle area is parallel to a width direction of the road, and a connection line between the second intermediate point and a second vertex of the obstacle area is parallel to the width direction of the road; and the first vertex is a vertex that is closest to the start point and that is in the obstacle area, and the second vertex is a vertex that is closest to the end point and that is in the obstacle area (Fig. 3-4).
As to claims 4 and 19, Lee further teaches wherein the determining the bypass path based on the obstacle area in which the obstacle is located further comprises: performing a filtering processing on a track formed by sequentially connecting the start point, the at least one intermediate point, and the end point, to obtain the bypass path (Fig. 3-4, Col. 11-12).
As to claim 5, Lee further teaches wherein the second distance threshold is greater than or equal to W/2, and the third distance threshold is greater than or equal to (W/2+d), W is a width of the target vehicle, and d is a safe distance threshold (Fig. 3-4).
As to claim 7, Lee further teaches wherein a shortest distance between the initial area and a first edge of the road is greater than a shortest distance between the initial area and a second edge of the road; and the bypass path is located between the target boundary of the obstacle area and the first edge (Fig. 3-4).
As to claim 8, Wang further teaches wherein a plurality of visual sensors are disposed in the parking domain; and the determining the initial area occupied by the obstacle on the road comprises: determining, based on an image comprising the obstacle and that is captured by the at least one visual sensor, the initial area occupied by the obstacle on the road (para. 0021, 0044).
As to claim 9, Wang further teaches wherein the determining, based on the image comprising the obstacle and captured by the at least one visual sensor, the initial area occupied by the obstacle on the road comprises: obtaining a first image comprising the obstacle and captured by a first visual sensor, and a second image comprising the obstacle and captured by a second visual sensor, wherein the first visual sensor and the second visual sensor are arranged in an extension direction of the road, and are separately located on two sides of the obstacle; determining, based on the first image, a first detection box comprising the obstacle, and determining, based on the second image, a second detection box comprising the obstacle; and determining, based on coordinates of the first detection box in a pixel coordinate system, coordinates of the second detection box in the pixel coordinate system, and a conversion relationship between the pixel coordinate system and a world coordinate system, the initial area occupied by the obstacle on the road (para. 0044, 0047, 0061).
As to claim 10, the use of detection box (Tominaga – Fig. 7) and vertex to determine bypass path is well-known.
As to claim 12, Lee further teaches wherein the sending, to the target vehicle, the bypass path comprises: sending, to the target vehicle, the bypass path before a distance between the target vehicle and the start point of the bypass path is less than a fifth distance threshold (Fig. 3-4).
As to claim 13, Wang further discloses wherein before the determining the initial driving path, the method further comprises: determining the target parking space based on a parking space occupation status in the parking domain (para. 0020).
As to claim 14, Wang further discloses wherein the method further comprises: sending the bypass path to a mobile terminal associated with the target vehicle (para. 0004, 0054).
As to claim 15, the use of first/second communication links for redundancy to prevent communication failure is well known.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 11 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 101, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Ce Li Li whose telephone number is (571)270-5564. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 10AM-7PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Peter D Nolan can be reached at 571-270-7016. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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CE LI . LI
Examiner
Art Unit 3661
/PETER D NOLAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3661