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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 10/18/2024, 1/29/2025, 4/22/2025, 6/12/2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Response to Amendment
The preliminary amendments to the claims and specification filed March 22nd, 2024, has been accepted and entered. Claims 1-9 are currently pending in the application.
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) 1-3 and 8-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Anderson, et al., hereinafter Anderson (U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 2020/0017023) in view of Kawano, et al., hereinafter (U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 2021/0318560).
Regarding Claim 1, Anderson teaches: A method for controlling variable transmittance glass (Anderson, Para. 0004, 0019, 0024 – a “method for controlling a vehicle interior light intensity mapping system” by “controlling a transmittance of the light transmissive panels”, i.e. “dimming windows”, via a “window control system”), the method comprising:
obtaining an elevation angle and a yaw angle of a light source (Anderson, Fig. 1 and Para. 0021 – obtaining an “approximate direction of origin of light 30 impinging on the vehicle”; Fig. 1 illustrates various lights 30 from a plurality of directions 32, or angles, and elevations);
obtaining location information of a target object (Anderson, Para. 0022, 0025 – “a navigation system” for obtaining a “position” of a vehicle, and “an occupancy sensor” to “identify the positions of occupants within the passenger compartment” of the vehicle);
obtaining a mapping area of the target object on the variable transmittance glass (Anderson, Fig. 1 and Para. 0004, 0019-0027 – determining “dimming zones 16”, or mapping areas, of the “dimming windows 14”, which are “light transmissive panels”, of the vehicle, where the dimming zones are determined to “align with one or more of the occupants” within the vehicle) based on the location information of the target object, and the elevation angle and the yaw angle of the light source (Anderson, Para. 0019-0027 – detect “light at a given location” via a “light sensors”, which obtain the “direction of origin of light”, or angle, and the “a light level”/“intensity”, and “identify various regions of the vehicle” to “control the transmittance of the light” through “dimming zones” of the “dimming windows” to “align with one or more of the occupants”); and
adjusting a transmittance of the mapping area of the target object on the variable transmittance glass (Anderson, Para. 0004, 0019-0026 – “controlling a transmittance of the light transmissive panels” by the “window control system” which is “operable to control the transmission of light passing through the dimming windows 14 in a plurality of regions in the vehicle 10”, where light enters through each of the windows/zones).
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Anderson, Annotated Fig. 1
While Anderson teaches obtaining an angle of a light source, Anderson does not explicitly teach obtaining an elevation angle and a yaw angle of a light source.
However, Kawano teaches obtaining an elevation angle (Kawano, Para. 0115, 0143-0144 – determining a “angle of incidence of the sunlight” including calculating “an elevation angle indicating height of the sun” on the basis of “reference plane of the vehicle”; where the sun is a light source) and a yaw angle of a light source (Kawano, Para. 0115, 0142-0144 – determining a “angle of incidence of the sunlight” including calculating “an azimuth of the sun” on the basis of “the front/rear direction of the vehicle”; where azimuth angle is related to yaw angle by a difference between a global coordinate system and a vehicle coordinate system).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the method of Anderson to include obtaining an elevation angle and a yaw angle of a light source, as taught by Kawano, in order to improve the accuracy when determining a mapping area on the variable transmittance glass by obtaining more specific angle information of a light source.
In regards to Claim 2, Anderson in view of Kawano teaches the method of Claim 1, and Anderson further teaches further comprising: obtaining orientation information of the light source relative to a target vehicle (Anderson, Fig. 1 and Para. 0021-0022 – obtaining an “approximate direction of origin of light 30 impinging on the vehicle”, including monitoring “external regions of the vehicle” to determine regions where light is impinging on the vehicle, and “estimate a direction of the sun relative” to “a heading direction 36 of the vehicle 10”; Fig. 1 illustrates various lights 30 from a plurality of directions 32, or angles).
In regards to Claim 3, Anderson in view of Kawano teaches the method of Claim 2, and Anderson in view of Kawano further teaches wherein the obtaining an elevation angle and a yaw angle of a light source (Anderson, Fig. 1 and Para. 0021-0022 – obtaining an “approximate direction of origin of light 30 impinging on the vehicle”, Fig. 1 illustrating a plurality of angles and elevations for the light direction; Kawano, Para. 0115, 0142-0144 – determining a “angle of incidence of the sunlight” including calculating “an elevation angle indicating height of the sun” and “an azimuth of the sun”) comprises:
obtaining the elevation angle and the yaw angle of the light source based on a first illuminance value and a second illuminance value (Anderson, Para. 0021, 0026, 0044-0045 – detecting “the relative light intensity or variations of light in the passenger compartment” based on signals from a plurality of “sensors 22”, such that the plurality of sensors detect at least a first and second “intensity”/illuminance value, corresponding to “regions of the vehicle” to determine “direction of the light” by the controller; Kawano, Para. 0115, 0142-0144 – determining a “angle of incidence” including calculating “an elevation angle indicating height of the sun” and “an azimuth of the sun”), wherein the first illuminance value is an illuminance value detected by a top illuminance sensor disposed on top of the target vehicle, and the second illuminance value comprises an illuminance value detected by an illuminance sensor disposed on the target vehicle and that corresponds to the orientation information (Anderson, Fig. 1 and Para. 0020-0021 – a “plurality of sensors 22” which identify “lighting conditions and “intensity of the light” including, as shown on Fig. 1, a sensor 22 disposed on top of the vehicle, and a sensor 22 disposed at the front of the vehicle, corresponding to the orientation of the vehicle; where the sensors 22 comprise “exterior light sensor[s]”).
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Anderson, Annotated Fig. 1
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the method of Anderson to include obtaining an elevation angle and a yaw angle of a light source, as taught by Kawano, in order to improve the accuracy when determining a mapping area on the variable transmittance glass by obtaining more specific angle information of a light source.
Regarding Claim 8, Anderson in view of Kawano teaches: An apparatus for controlling variable transmittance glass (Anderson, Para. 0004-0005, 0019-0020, 0024 – a “controller” for “controlling a vehicle interior light intensity mapping system” by “controlling a transmittance of the light transmissive panels”, i.e. “dimming windows”, via a “window control system”), comprising a processor and a memory (Anderson, Para. 0048 – the controller including “a processor” and “a memory”), wherein the memory stores instructions, and when the instructions stored in the memory are invoked by the processor (Anderson, Para. 0048 – the “processor” in communication with the “memory” storing “various instructions and routines configured to control the window control module 50 or modules in communication with the controller 90”), the instructions are used to perform the method according to claim 1 (See Claim 1).
Regarding Claim 9, Anderson in view of Kawano teaches: A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, comprising a program (Kawano, Para. 0297 – “a computer readable recording medium that stores such a computer program”, such as “a magnetic disk, an optical disc, a magneto-optical disc, a flash memory, or the like”), wherein when the program is run on a computer (Anderson, Para. 0048 – a “controller” including a “processor” comprising “one or more circuits” in communication with “a memory” configured to store “various instructions and routines”, or programs, “configured to control the window control module 50 or modules in communication with the controller 90”), the computer is enabled to perform the method according to claim 1 (See Claim 1).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the method of Anderson to include a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, comprising a program, as taught by Kawano, in order to provide a method of storing a program tangibly for long-term storage and archival.
Claim(s) 4-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Anderson in view of Kawano, and further in view of Ti, et al., hereinafter Ti (WIPO Patent Application Pub. No. 2014/195821).
In regards to Claim 4, Anderson in view of Kawano teaches the method of Claim 2, and Anderson in view of Kawano further teaches wherein the obtaining an elevation angle and a yaw angle of a light source (Anderson, Fig. 1 and Para. 0021-0022 – obtaining an “approximate direction of origin of light 30 impinging on the vehicle”, Fig. 1 illustrating a plurality of angles and elevations for the light direction; Kawano, Para. 0115, 0142-0144 – determining a “angle of incidence of the sunlight” including calculating “an elevation angle indicating height of the sun” and “an azimuth of the sun”) comprises:
obtaining a first elevation angle and a first yaw angle of the light source (Anderson, Fig. 1 and Para. 0020-0022 – obtaining an “approximate direction of origin of light” by “a plurality of sensors”, Fig. 1 illustrating angles and elevations for a plurality of light directions; Kawano, Para. 0115, 0142-0144 – determining a “angle of incidence of the sunlight” including calculating “an elevation angle” and “an azimuth”) based on an image captured by a camera and that comprises the light source and an intrinsic parameter of the camera (Anderson, Para. 0020, 0025 – wherein the “plurality of sensors” include “imager modules configured to detect the level and direction of the light”, where the imagers capture “image data”);
obtaining a second elevation angle and a second yaw angle of the light source based on a third illuminance value and a fourth illuminance value (Anderson, Para. 0021, 0026, 0044-0045 – detecting “the relative light intensity or variations of light in the passenger compartment” based on signals from a plurality of “sensors 22”, such that the plurality of sensors detect at least two “intensity”/illuminance values, corresponding to “regions of the vehicle” to determine “direction of the light” by the controller; Kawano, Para. 0115, 0142-0144 – determining a “angle of incidence” including calculating “an elevation angle indicating” and “an azimuth”), wherein the third illuminance value is an illuminance value detected by a top illuminance sensor disposed on top of the target vehicle, and the fourth illuminance value comprises an illuminance value detected by an illuminance sensor that is disposed on the target vehicle and corresponds to the orientation information (Anderson, Fig. 1 and Para. 0020-0021 – a “plurality of sensors 22” which identify “lighting conditions and “intensity of the light” including, as shown on Fig. 1, a sensor 22 disposed on top of the vehicle, and a sensor 22 disposed at the front of the vehicle, corresponding to the orientation of the vehicle; where the sensors 22 comprise “exterior light sensor[s]”);
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Anderson, Annotated Fig. 1
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the method of Anderson to include obtaining an elevation angle and a yaw angle of a light source, as taught by Kawano, in order to improve the accuracy when determining a mapping area on the variable transmittance glass by obtaining more specific angle information of a light source.
While Anderson in view of Kawano teaches obtaining the elevation angle and the yaw angle of the light source, Anderson in view of Kawano does not fully teach obtaining the elevation angle and the yaw angle of the light source based on the first elevation angle, the second elevation angle, the first yaw angle, and the second yaw angle.
However, Ti teaches obtaining the elevation angle and the yaw angle of the light source based on the first elevation angle, the second elevation angle, the first yaw angle, and the second yaw angle (Ti, Page 4 Lines 13-23 and Page 17 Lines 3-16 – a “camera system may comprise a 3D camera which comprises two cameras located at slightly different positions”, and determining a “difference of the angles of incidence of light rays originating from a specific light source at the two cameras is used to calculate the distance of the source of the light rays”, wherein the two cameras detect different “light intensities”, or third and fourth illuminance values, and both capture an “imaged object (and, thus, light sources)” to “estimate a distance to a light source from which light in at a specific angle of incidence is received”; wherein an angle of incidence determined in the “Cartesian coordinate system”, such that it comprises a yaw angle and elevation angle around the axes).
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Ti, Fig. 3
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified the method including the above limitations of Anderson in view of Kawano to teach obtaining the elevation angle and the yaw angle of the light source based on the first elevation angle, the second elevation angle, the first yaw angle, and the second yaw angle, as taught by Ti, in order to improve the accuracy when detecting the light source by utilizing a plurality of different sensors when determining the angles of the light source.
In regards to Claim 5, Anderson in view of Kawano and Ti teaches the method of Claim 4, and Anderson in view of Kawano and Ti further teaches wherein the obtaining the elevation angle and the yaw angle of the light source based on the first elevation angle, the second elevation angle, the first yaw angle, and the second yaw angle (Ti, Page 4 Lines 13-23 and Page 17 Lines 3-16 – a “camera system” comprising “two cameras located at slightly different positions” for determining a “difference of the angles of incidence of light rays originating from a specific light source at the two cameras” to determine a position of a light source; wherein an angle of incidence determined in the “Cartesian coordinate system”, such that it comprises a yaw angle and elevation angle around the axes) comprises:
on the basis of a difference between the first elevation angle and the second elevation angle and a difference between the first yaw angle and the second yaw angle, obtaining the elevation angle of the light source based on the first elevation angle and the second elevation angle, and obtaining the yaw angle of the light source based on the first yaw angle and the second yaw angle (Ti, Page 4 Lines 13-23 and Page 17 Lines 3-16 – a “camera system may comprise a 3D camera which comprises two cameras located at slightly different positions”, and determining a “difference of the angles of incidence of light rays originating from a specific light source at the two cameras is used to calculate the distance of the source of the light rays”, wherein the two cameras detect different “light intensities”, or third and fourth illuminance values, and both capture an “imaged object (and, thus, light sources)” to “estimate a distance to a light source from which light in at a specific angle of incidence is received”; wherein an angle of incidence determined in the “Cartesian coordinate system”, such that it comprises a yaw angle and elevation angle around the axes).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified the method including the above limitations of Anderson in view of Kawano to teach obtaining the elevation angle and the yaw angle of the light source based on the first elevation angle, the second elevation angle, the first yaw angle, and the second yaw angle, as taught by Ti, in order to improve the accuracy when detecting the light source by utilizing a plurality of different sensors when determining the angles of the light source.
In regards to Claim 6, Anderson in view of Kawano and Ti teaches the method of Claim 5, and Anderson further teaches wherein the obtaining orientation information of the light source relative to a target vehicle (Anderson, Fig. 1 and Para. 0021-0022 – obtaining an “approximate direction of origin of light 30 impinging on the vehicle”, including monitoring “external regions of the vehicle” to determine regions where light is impinging on the vehicle, and “estimate a direction of the sun relative” to “a heading direction 36 of the vehicle 10”; Fig. 1 illustrates various lights 30 from a plurality of directions 32, or angles) comprises:
obtaining the orientation information based on an illuminance value detected by an illuminance sensor disposed on the target vehicle (Anderson, Para. 0021-0024, 0037 – a “plurality of sensors” which obtain “an intensity” of a light impinging upon the vehicle and determine “a light intensity map” to “identify variations in the lighting intensity in each of the regions”; where “intensity” is “the illuminance of the glare source”).
In regards to Claim 7, Anderson in view of Kawano and Ti teaches the method of Claim 6, and Anderson in view of Kawano teaches obtaining a mapping area of the target object on the variable transmittance glass based on the location information of the target object, and the elevation angle and the yaw angle of the light source (Anderson, Para. 0019-0026 – detect “light at a given location” via a “light sensors” and positional information, to obtain the “direction of origin of light”, or angle, and the “a light level”/“intensity”, and “identify various regions of the vehicle” to “control the transmittance of the light” through “dimming zones” of the “dimming windows” to “align with one or more of the occupants”; Kawano, Para. 0115, 0142-0144 – determining a “angle of incidence of the sunlight” including calculating “an elevation angle indicating height of the sun” and “an azimuth of the sun”), but Anderson in view of Kawano does not teach comprises: obtaining a mapping area of the target object on a vertical plane based on the location information of the target object, and the elevation angle and the yaw angle of the light source, wherein the vertical plane indicates a plane perpendicular to a plane on which a chassis of the target vehicle is located and that passes through an upper edge of the variable transmittance glass; and obtaining the mapping area of the target object on the variable transmittance glass based on an included angle between the vertical plane and the variable transmittance glass and the mapping area of the target object on the vertical plane.
However, Ti teaches obtaining a mapping area of the target object on a vertical plane based on the location information of the target object, and the elevation angle and the yaw angle of the light source, wherein the vertical plane indicates a plane perpendicular to a plane on which a chassis of the target vehicle is located and that passes through an upper edge of the variable transmittance glass (Ti, Fig. 2B, Page 14 Line 33- Page 17 Line 2 – calculating “which position the light transmittance of the windshield is preferably reduced to reduce the perception of glare by the driver”, or the mapping area, where the angle of incidence of the light source is determined on a vertical plane perpendicular to an “x-y plane”, or chassis plane; see annotated Fig 2B which illustrates angles of incidence γ measured in reference to vertical planes corresponding to a camera Pc and the position of the driver Pe, or target object); and obtaining the mapping area of the target object on the variable transmittance glass based on an included angle between the vertical plane and the variable transmittance glass and the mapping area of the target object on the vertical plane (Ti, Fig. 2B, Page 14 Line 33- Page 17 Line 2, Page 19 Lines 11-24, and Page 20 Lines 14-26 – determining “which position the light transmittance of the windshield is preferably reduced to reduce the perception of glare by the driver”; where the “glare prevention system” determines a “glare intersect” location of the “dynamic light intensity filter” that is “arranged on the glass of the windshield” and the “the light beams or light rays that are perceived” by the driver based on “a difference between the camera location and the positions of the driver's eyes”; where as shown on annotated Fig. 2B, the angles of incidence γ of the light source on the camera at location Pc and on the driver at location Pe are determined in relation to a vertical plane and the difference between the two vertical planes is determined as ∆ce, where the process of Ti utilizes measurements on all three coordinate planes).
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Ti, Annotated Fig. 2B
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the method including the above limitations of Anderson in view of Kawano and Ti to further include obtaining a mapping area of the target object on a vertical plane based on the location information of the target object, and the elevation angle and the yaw angle of the light source, wherein the vertical plane indicates a plane perpendicular to a plane on which a chassis of the target vehicle is located and that passes through an upper edge of the variable transmittance glass; and obtaining the mapping area of the target object on the variable transmittance glass based on an included angle between the vertical plane and the variable transmittance glass and the mapping area of the target object on the vertical plane, as taught by Ti, in order to improve the accuracy when determining where the mapping area to be adjusted is located by utilizing known coordinate system planes.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Chu (U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 2019/0118624) teaches a light-dimmable glass, a controllable light shielding device, and a controllable light shielding method for a vehicle, including a light intensity detection unit configured to detect a light intensity of light passing through the light-dimmable glass.
Lota (U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 2018/0141414) teaches an automatic window tinting system for a vehicle for adjusting a light transmissivity state of a selectively transparent window based on light sensor signal indicative of the presence of light, where the light sensor measures angle, direction, intensity of a light.
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/H.L./Examiner, Art Unit 3665
/HUNTER B LONSBERRY/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3665