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 .
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicants’ submission filed on 3/17/2026 has been entered.
Status of Claims
Claims 1-20 were previously pending. Claims 1, 3, 11, 13, 17, and 19-20 have been amended. Claims 2, 12, and 18 have been cancelled. No claims have been newly added. Accordingly, claims 1, 3-11, 13-17, and 19-20 are currently pending and have been examined in this application.
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.
Claims 1, 3-11, 13-17, and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Patnaik (US 2021/0181737 A1) [disclosed by applicant on IDS filed 04/08/2025] in view of Raje (US 2022/0326703 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Patnaik discloses:
A vehicle comprising: (Patnaik - vehicle -> Fig. 1A-1C, Par. 23-28)
a camera configured to capture a plurality of images of a tire; (Patnaik - camera capturing plurality of images of a tire -> Par. 27, Par. 46, Par. 51, Par. 68, Par. 74)
a memory storing instructions; (Patnaik - memory -> Par. 30-34)
one or more processors configured to access the memory and execute the instructions to: (Patnaik - processors -> Par. 30-34)
receive a first tire image of the plurality of images; (Patnaik - observed tire shape over time compared to baseline in order to determine type of irregularity -> Fig. 5A-5B, Par. 8-9, Par. 56-59, Par. 68)
receive a second tire image of the plurality of images, wherein the second tire image is captured subsequent to the first tire image; (Patnaik - observed tire shape over time compared to baseline in order to determine type of irregularity -> Fig. 5A-5B, Par. 8-9, Par. 56-59, Par. 68)
compare the first and second tire images; (Patnaik - observed tire shape over time compared to baseline in order to determine type of irregularity -> Fig. 5A-5B, Par. 8-9, Par. 56-59, Par. 68)
detect a change in a shape of the tire from the comparison of the first and second tire images; (Patnaik - observed tire shape over time compared to baseline in order to determine type of irregularity -> Fig. 5A-5B, Par. 8-9, Par. 56-59, Par. 68)
detect a change in compression of one or more other tires; (Patnaik - observed tire shape over time compared to baseline in order to determine type of irregularity -> Fig. 5A-5B (tire with abnormal compression 502), Par. 8-9, Par. 56-59, Par. 68)
input the detected change in the shape of the tire and the detected change in compression of the one or more other tires into a trained machine learning model; (Patnaik – trained machine learning model -> Par. 7-8, Par. 56, Par. 72-74)
and control operation of the vehicle based on the type of tired-related irregularity. (Patnaik - control operation -> Par. 25, Par. 33, Par. 35-36)
Patnaik does not appear to explicitly disclose receive, as output from the trained machine learning model, a classification of a type of tire-related irregularity, from a plurality of types of tire-related irregularities, being experienced by the tire.
Raje teaches input the detected change in the shape of the tire and the detected change in compression of the one or more other tires into a trained machine learning model; (Raje – input various information from sensors or from a database storing inspection data related to a tire -> Par. 58)
receive, as output from the trained machine learning model, a classification of a type of tire-related irregularity, from a plurality of types of tire-related irregularities, being experienced by the tire. (Raje – the tire maintenance category can include at least one of worn out category, impact damage category, or durability category… the output prediction can correspond to a maintenance category -> Par. 8, Par. 43, Par. 60)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to have incorporated the teachings of Raje into the invention of Patnaik with a reasonable expectation of success in order to improve inventory management of the tires, the longevity of the tires, operation efficiency, budgetary decisions influenced by tire maintenance, reducing operating costs associated with damage to the tire due to overutilization, and improve the operability of the vehicles by reducing downtime to replace a damaged tire (Raje – Par. 4).
Regarding claim 3, Patnaik discloses:
The vehicle of claim 2, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to train the machine learning model with recorded images of the plurality of types of tire-related irregularities that includes the type of tire-related irregularity. (Patnaik - images used to train model -> Fig. 5A-5B, Par. 8-9, Par. 56-59, Par. 62-68, Par. 74)
Regarding claim 4, Patnaik discloses:
The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine the type of tire-related irregularity based on additional sensor input. (Patnaik - additional sensor input used for irregularity determination -> Fig. 5A-5B, Par. 8-9, Par. 56-59, Par. 62-68, Par. 74)
Regarding claim 5, Patnaik discloses:
The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to detect the change in compression of the one or more other tires based on sensor input from a tire-pressure monitoring system (TPMS). (Patnaik - observed tire shape over time compared to baseline in order to determine type of irregularity -> Fig. 5A-5B (tire with abnormal compression 502), Par. 8-9, Par. 56-59, Par. 68; TPMS data used -> Fig. 5A-5B, Par. 8-9, Par. 56-59, Par. 62-68, Par. 74)
Regarding claim 6, Patnaik discloses:
The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is at least one of an autonomous or semiautonomous vehicle. (Patnaik - autonomous vehicle -> Fig. 1A-1C, Par. 23-29)
Regarding claim 7, Patnaik discloses:
The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine whether the type of tire-related irregularity is one of a plurality of designated types of tire irregularities to communicate to a mission control center. (Patnaik - system (i.e. mission control center) may be onboard or remote -> Fig. 5A-5B, Par. 8-9, Par. 56-59, Par. 62-68, Par. 74; type of tire-related irregularity from a plurality -> Par. 24, Par. 63, claim 10)
Regarding claim 8, Patnaik discloses:
The vehicle of claim 7, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to upload the first and second tire images to the mission control center. (Patnaik - system (i.e. mission control center) may be onboard or remote -> Fig. 5A-5B, Par. 8-9, Par. 56-59, Par. 62-68, Par. 74)
Regarding claim 9, Patnaik discloses:
The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to upload the first and second tire images to a mission control center. (Patnaik - system (i.e. mission control center) may be onboard or remote -> Fig. 5A-5B, Par. 8-9, Par. 56-59, Par. 62-68, Par. 74)
Regarding claim 10, Patnaik discloses:
The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine a rate of the change in the shape of the tire. (Patnaik - change in tire parameter may be calculated within designated timeframe (i.e. rate of change) -> Fig. 5A-5B, Par. 8-9, Par. 56-59, Par. 62-68, Par. 74)
Regarding claims 11, 13-17, and 19-20, all the limitations have been analyzed in view of claims 1 and 3-9, and it has been determined that claims 11, 13-17, and 19-20 do not teach or define any new limitations beyond those previously recited in claims 1 and 3-9; therefore, claims 11, 13-17, and 19-20 are also rejected over the same rationale as claims 1 and 3-9.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see page 6 filed 2/27/2026, with respect to the rejections of claims 1-20 under 35 U.S.C. 102 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 Raje.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NAVID MEHDIZADEH whose telephone number is (571)272-7691. The examiner can normally be reached on 8:30 AM-5:00 PM.
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/NAVID Z. MEHDIZADEH/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3669
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