DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. 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
2. This office action is in response to application number 18/422,694 filed on 01/25/2024, in
which the amendments and arguments filed on 05/14/2026.
Claims 1-7, 12- 17, and 19 has been amended.
No claims have been added.
No claims have been cancelled.
Claims 1-20 are currently pending and have been examined.
Information Disclosure Statement
3. The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 07/05/2024 has been received and considered.
Response to Amendment
4. Applicant' s amendments to the Claims have overcome each and every objection previously set forth in the Non-Final Office Action mailed 12/03/2025. Applicants arguments, see page 13-15 filed on 05/14/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-20 under 35 USC 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. A new ground for rejection is made under 35 USC 103 as necessitated by amendment over Minter (DE 102018218428 A1) in view of Sakaguchi (JP H10116024 A) further in view of Farabet (US 20190303759 A1) further in view of Wickman (US 11257390 B2) and further in view of Rihn (CN 110389660 A).
Drawings
5. The drawings are objected to because the Drawings pages only display fig, 2 and not the other figures in the application. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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.
6. Claim(s) 1, 8, 11-12, and 17-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Minter (DE 102018218428 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Minter discloses One or more processors comprising one or more processing units to: (Minter Page 6, Paragraph 3: “It should be understood that the proposed method and associated devices can be implemented in various forms of hardware, software, firmware, special processors, or a combination thereof.”) receive simulation data that at least partially represents one or more portions of an interior of a virtual ego-machine that is a virtual representation of a real-world ego-machine, wherein the one or more portions of the interior of the virtual ego-machine include one or more virtual display devices simulating one or more real-world display devices; (Minter Page 3, Paragraph 2: “In one variant, the proposed method for operating a vehicle as a driving simulator consists in using the control elements of the vehicle to control a virtual vehicle during a simulated trip displayed on at least one display device.”) (Minter Page 4, Paragraph 4: “Show it: 1 a representation of the cockpit of a vehicle that can be used as a driving simulator to entertain a vehicle occupant during autonomous driving; and 2nd a block diagram of the extended infotainment system of the vehicle, which is equipped as a driving simulator.”) (Minter Page 4, Paragraph 7: “In the cockpit is a display unit of an infotainment system with reference numbers 30th highlighted. It is a touch sensitive screen 30th , which is installed in the center console.”) receive display data generated by a hardware component of the real-world ego- machine based at least on the simulation data; and cause display, in the virtual representation at the one or more virtual display devices of the virtual ego-machine, of a representation of the display data generated by the hardware component of the real-world ego- machine. (Minter Page 5, Paragraph 6: “The OLED displays 30 ' receive the image data and video data from the computing device 40 via corresponding data lines 70 . The computing device 40 is therefore a powerful computing device that is equipped with a graphics unit to be able to calculate the images / videos for the driving simulation.”) (Minter Page 4, Paragraph 1: “VR or AR glasses corresponding to “virtual reality” or “augmented reality glasses” could be used as further variants. In another variant, holographic visualizations in the vehicle interior can also be used to show 3D animations for the simulated journey.”) (Minter Page 6, Paragraph 1: “Since the visual impression is particularly great in the driving simulation, the touch-sensitive display unit is used in addition to or instead of displaying the simulated trip 30th output of the images and videos via the further display units 30 ' performed. The view through the windshield corresponds better to the real driving experience. Correspondingly, pictures and videos can also be output on corresponding display units on the side windows, both in the front area of the vehicle interior and in the rear.”) (Note: Hardware component = computing device)
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Regarding claim 8, Minter discloses The one or more processors of claim 1, wherein the hardware component includes In-Vehicle Infotainment hardware (II), and wherein the one or more virtual display devices simulate a real-world infotainment device of the real-world ego-machine. (Minter Page 4, Paragraph 4: “1 a representation of the cockpit of a vehicle that can be used as a driving simulator to entertain a vehicle occupant during autonomous driving; and 2nd a block diagram of the extended infotainment system of the vehicle, which is equipped as a driving simulator.”)
Regarding claim 11, Minter discloses The one or more processors of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors is comprised in at least one of: a control system for an autonomous or semi-autonomous machine; (Minter Page 2, Paragraph 3: “With autonomously driving vehicles, the driver no longer has to pay attention to the traffic, so he can do other tasks or activities while driving autonomously.”) a perception system for an autonomous or semi-autonomous machine; a system for performing simulation operations; a system for performing digital twin operations; a system for performing light transport simulation; a system for performing collaborative content creation for 3D assets; a system for performing deep learning operations; a system for performing real-time streaming; a system for generating or presenting one or more of augmented reality content, virtual reality content, or mixed reality content; a system implemented using an edge device; a system implemented using a robot; a system for performing conversational AI operations; a system for generating synthetic data; a system for generating synthetic data using AI; a system incorporating one or more virtual machines (VMs);a system implemented at least partially in a data center; or a system implemented at least partially using cloud computing resources.
Regarding claim 12, Minter discloses A system comprising one or more processing units to: (Minter Page 6, Paragraph 3: “It should be understood that the proposed method and associated devices can be implemented in various forms of hardware, software, firmware, special processors, or a combination thereof.”) receive simulation data representing at least one of, one or more portions of an interior of a virtual ego-machine, one or more portions external to the virtual ego-machine, or a user input associated with one or more virtual display devices, wherein the virtual ego-machine includes the one or more virtual display devices; (Minter Page 3, Paragraph 2: “In one variant, the proposed method for operating a vehicle as a driving simulator consists in using the control elements of the vehicle to control a virtual vehicle during a simulated trip displayed on at least one display device.”) (Minter Page 4, Paragraph 4: “Show it: 1 a representation of the cockpit of a vehicle that can be used as a driving simulator to entertain a vehicle occupant during autonomous driving; and 2nd a block diagram of the extended infotainment system of the vehicle, which is equipped as a driving simulator.”) (Minter Page 4, Paragraph 7: “In the cockpit is a display unit of an infotainment system with reference numbers 30th highlighted. It is a touch sensitive screen 30th , which is installed in the center console.”) transmit the simulation data to one or more network devices to generate, via real ego- machine hardware, response data derived from one or more values mapped from the simulation data; and based at least in part on receiving the response data, cause the one or more virtual display devices of the virtual ego-machine to present a representation of the response data. (Minter Page 5, Paragraph 6: “The OLED displays 30 ' receive the image data and video data from the computing device 40 via corresponding data lines 70 . The computing device 40 is therefore a powerful computing device that is equipped with a graphics unit to be able to calculate the images / videos for the driving simulation.”) (Minter Page 4, Paragraph 1: “VR or AR glasses corresponding to “virtual reality” or “augmented reality glasses” could be used as further variants. In another variant, holographic visualizations in the vehicle interior can also be used to show 3D animations for the simulated journey.”) (Minter Page 6, Paragraph 1: “Since the visual impression is particularly great in the driving simulation, the touch-sensitive display unit is used in addition to or instead of displaying the simulated trip 30th output of the images and videos via the further display units 30 ' performed. The view through the windshield corresponds better to the real driving experience. Correspondingly, pictures and videos can also be output on corresponding display units on the side windows, both in the front area of the vehicle interior and in the rear.”) (Note: Hardware component = computing device)
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Regarding claim 17, Minter discloses The system of claim 12, wherein the real ego-machine hardware component includes at least one of, an In-Vehicle Infotainment hardware (II) and a cockpit Electric Control Unit (ECU). (Minter Page 4, Paragraph 4: “1 a representation of the cockpit of a vehicle that can be used as a driving simulator to entertain a vehicle occupant during autonomous driving; and 2nd a block diagram of the extended infotainment system of the vehicle, which is equipped as a driving simulator.”)
Regarding claim 18, Minter discloses The system of claim 12, wherein the system is comprised in at least one of: a control system for an autonomous or semi-autonomous machine; (Minter Page 2, Paragraph 3: “With autonomously driving vehicles, the driver no longer has to pay attention to the traffic, so he can do other tasks or activities while driving autonomously.”) a perception system for an autonomous or semi-autonomous machine; a system for performing simulation operations; a system for performing digital twin operations ;a system for performing light transport simulation; a system for performing collaborative content creation for 3D assets; a system for performing deep learning operations; a system for performing real-time streaming; a system for generating or presenting one or more of augmented reality content, virtual reality content, or mixed reality content; a system implemented using an edge device; a system implemented using a robot; a system for performing conversational AI operations; a system for generating synthetic data; a system for generating synthetic data using AI; a system incorporating one or more virtual machines (VMs);a system implemented at least partially in a data center; or a system implemented at least partially using cloud computing resources.
Regarding claim 19, Minter discloses A method comprising: receiving simulation data representing at least one of: one or more portions within a virtual ego-machine, one or more portions external to the virtual ego-machine, or a user input associated with one or more virtual display devices; (Minter Page 3, Paragraph 2: “In one variant, the proposed method for operating a vehicle as a driving simulator consists in using the control elements of the vehicle to control a virtual vehicle during a simulated trip displayed on at least one display device.”) (Minter Page 4, Paragraph 4: “Show it: 1 a representation of the cockpit of a vehicle that can be used as a driving simulator to entertain a vehicle occupant during autonomous driving; and 2nd a block diagram of the extended infotainment system of the vehicle, which is equipped as a driving simulator.”) (Minter Page 4, Paragraph 7: “In the cockpit is a display unit of an infotainment system with reference numbers 30th highlighted. It is a touch sensitive screen 30th , which is installed in the center console.”) transmitting the simulation data to one or more network devices to generate, via a real ego-machine hardware, response data representing the simulation data, wherein the real ego-machine hardware is capable of controlling one or more functions of one or more real-world devices of a real-world ego-machine; and based at least in part on receiving the response data via the real ego-machine hardware that is capable of controlling the one or more functions of the one or more real-world devices of the real-world ego-machine, causing display of a representation of the response data representing one or more portions of an interior of a virtual ego-machine. (Minter Page 5, Paragraph 6: “The OLED displays 30 ' receive the image data and video data from the computing device 40 via corresponding data lines 70 . The computing device 40 is therefore a powerful computing device that is equipped with a graphics unit to be able to calculate the images / videos for the driving simulation.”) (Minter Page 4, Paragraph 1: “VR or AR glasses corresponding to “virtual reality” or “augmented reality glasses” could be used as further variants. In another variant, holographic visualizations in the vehicle interior can also be used to show 3D animations for the simulated journey.”) (Minter Page 6, Paragraph 1: “Since the visual impression is particularly great in the driving simulation, the touch-sensitive display unit is used in addition to or instead of displaying the simulated trip 30th output of the images and videos via the further display units 30 ' performed. The view through the windshield corresponds better to the real driving experience. Correspondingly, pictures and videos can also be output on corresponding display units on the side windows, both in the front area of the vehicle interior and in the rear.”) (Note: Hardware component = computing device)
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Regarding claim 20, Minter discloses The method of claim 19, wherein the method is performed by at least one of: a control system for an autonomous or semi-autonomous machine; (Minter Page 2, Paragraph 3: “With autonomously driving vehicles, the driver no longer has to pay attention to the traffic, so he can do other tasks or activities while driving autonomously.”) a perception system for an autonomous or semi-autonomous machine; a system for performing simulation operations; a system for performing digital twin operations; a system for performing light transport simulation; a system for performing collaborative content creation for 3D assets; a system for performing deep learning operations; a system for performing real-time streaming; a system for generating or presenting one or more of augmented reality content, virtual reality content, or mixed reality content; a system implemented using an edge device; a system implemented using a robot; a system for performing conversational AI operations; a system for generating synthetic data; a system for generating synthetic data using AI; a system incorporating one or more virtual machines (VMs); a system implemented at least partially in a data center; or a system implemented at least partially using cloud computing resources.
7. Claim(s) 2-3, 7, and 13-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Minter (DE 102018218428 A1) in view of Sakaguchi (JP H10116024 A).
Regarding claim 2, Minter discloses claim 1, accordingly, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated above.
Minter does not disclose The one or more processors of claim 1, wherein the simulation data includes a representation of a simulated natural lighting characteristic corresponding to a simulated source of illumination external to the virtual ego-machine, and wherein the display, at the one or more virtual display devices of the virtual ego-machine, of the representation of the display data, is based at least on the representation of the simulated natural lighting characteristic.
However, Sakaguchi The one or more processors of claim 1, wherein the simulation data includes a representation of a simulated natural lighting characteristic corresponding to a simulated source of illumination external to the virtual ego-machine, and wherein the display, at the one or more virtual display devices of the virtual ego-machine, of the representation of the display data, is based at least on the representation of the simulated natural lighting characteristic. (Sakaguchi Page 2, Paragraph 0005: “In the driving simulation device described in this publication, a driver sits on a stationary simulation vehicle and learns a driving sensation by watching a moving image of a road surface or a scene displayed on a screen in front of the vehicle. Since the brightness range that the image can achieve is narrower than the brightness range of the actual driving environment, a light source device that provides equivalent light curtain luminance is provided so that the same visual adaptability as the actual driving environment is obtained.”) (Sakaguchi Page 2, Paragraph 0006: “As described above, when the driver has a high degree of adaptation such as when driving during the daytime in summer, the equivalent light curtain luminance is given from the outside so that the same degree of adaptation can be obtained in the driving simulator.”) (Sakaguchi Page 4, Paragraph 0018: “For this reason, for example, when the driver of the vehicle adjusts to the high-luminance scenery ahead and looks at the indicator in the passenger compartment, the display of the indicator is initially dark and difficult to see. It is possible to recognize from the simulation image that the display on the display gradually becomes brighter and easier to see as the display gradually adapts to the brightness.”) (Sakaguchi Page 4, Paragraph 0018: “For this reason, for example, when driving a car in fine weather, entering or exiting a tunnel, or when receiving the headlights of an oncoming vehicle during night driving, the brightness of the visual field environment changes suddenly. In this case, it is possible to simulate how the outside scene recognized by the driver, the inside of the vehicle, and the display screen of the display device change with time.”) (Sakaguchi Page 9, Paragraph 0040: “It is possible to simulate how the appearance of the scenery outside the vehicle, the road display, and the indicator inside the vehicle interior change.”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Minter to include The one or more processors of claim 1, wherein the simulation data includes a representation of a simulated natural lighting characteristic corresponding to a simulated source of illumination external to the virtual ego-machine, and wherein the display, at the one or more virtual display devices of the virtual ego-machine, of the representation of the display data, is based at least on the representation of the simulated natural lighting characteristic taught by Sakaguchi. This would have been for the benefit to provide a primitive image prepared for a visual environment that uses an observation point and a sensitivity characteristic prescribing a relation between the lightness an observer feels by his vision and the luminance of an object to be recognized is memorized for each degree of adaptation. Thus in order to solve the problem of displaying a simulated image in a visual environment that uses positional relation of an observation point in the visual environment. [Sakaguchi Page 1, Paragraph 0001]
Regarding claim 3, Minter discloses claim 1, accordingly, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated above.
Minter does not disclose The one or more processors of claim 1, wherein the simulation data includes a representation of a simulated lighting characteristic corresponding to a simulated illumination source within the interior of the virtual ego-machine, and wherein the display, at the one or more virtual display devices of the virtual ego- machine, of the representation of the display data is based at least on the representation of the simulated lighting characteristic corresponding to the simulated illumination source within the interior of the virtual ego-machine.
However, Sakaguchi does teach The one or more processors of claim 1, wherein the simulation data includes a representation of a simulated lighting characteristic corresponding to a simulated illumination source within the interior of the virtual ego-machine, and wherein the display, at the one or more virtual display devices of the virtual ego- machine, of the representation of the display data is based at least on the representation of the simulated lighting characteristic corresponding to the simulated illumination source within the interior of the virtual ego-machine. (Sakaguchi Page 2, Paragraph 0005: “In the driving simulation device described in this publication, a driver sits on a stationary simulation vehicle and learns a driving sensation by watching a moving image of a road surface or a scene displayed on a screen in front of the vehicle. Since the brightness range that the image can achieve is narrower than the brightness range of the actual driving environment, a light source device that provides equivalent light curtain luminance is provided so that the same visual adaptability as the actual driving environment is obtained.”) (Sakaguchi Page 2, Paragraph 0006: “As described above, when the driver has a high degree of adaptation such as when driving during the daytime in summer, the equivalent light curtain luminance is given from the outside so that the same degree of adaptation can be obtained in the driving simulator.”) (Sakaguchi Page 4, Paragraph 0018: “For this reason, for example, when the driver of the vehicle adjusts to the high-luminance scenery ahead and looks at the indicator in the passenger compartment, the display of the indicator is initially dark and difficult to see. It is possible to recognize from the simulation image that the display on the display gradually becomes brighter and easier to see as the display gradually adapts to the brightness.”) (Sakaguchi Page 4, Paragraph 0018: “For this reason, for example, when driving a car in fine weather, entering or exiting a tunnel, or when receiving the headlights of an oncoming vehicle during night driving, the brightness of the visual field environment changes suddenly. In this case, it is possible to simulate how the outside scene recognized by the driver, the inside of the vehicle, and the display screen of the display device change with time.”) (Sakaguchi Page 9, Paragraph 0040: “It is possible to simulate how the appearance of the scenery outside the vehicle, the road display, and the indicator inside the vehicle interior change.”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Minter to include The one or more processors of claim 1, wherein the simulation data includes a representation of a simulated lighting characteristic corresponding to a simulated illumination source within the interior of the virtual ego-machine, and wherein the display, at the one or more virtual display devices of the virtual ego- machine, of the representation of the display data is based at least on the representation of the simulated lighting characteristic corresponding to the simulated illumination source within the interior of the virtual ego-machine taught by Sakaguchi. This would have been for the benefit to provide a primitive image prepared for a visual environment that uses an observation point and a sensitivity characteristic prescribing a relation between the lightness an observer feels by his vision and the luminance of an object to be recognized is memorized for each degree of adaptation. Thus in order to solve the problem of displaying a simulated image in a visual environment that uses positional relation of an observation point in the visual environment. [Sakaguchi Page 1, Paragraph 0001]
Regarding claim 7, Minter discloses claim 1, accordingly, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated above,
Minter does not disclose The one or more processors of claim 1, wherein the one or more processing units are further to: modify or control, at the one or more virtual display devices of the virtual ego-machine, at least one of, a size, a location, a resolution, screen reflectivity, or a brightness level of the representation of the display data in the virtual representation of the real-world ego-machine based on at least one of, a display capability of the hardware component, a representation of a simulated natural lighting characteristic outside of the virtual ego-machine, a user input at the one or more virtual display devices, or a representation of a simulated lighting characteristic corresponding to a simulated illumination source within the interior of the virtual ego-machine.
However, Sakaguchi teaches The one or more processors of claim 1, wherein the one or more processing units are further to: modify or control, at the one or more virtual display devices of the virtual ego-machine, at least one of, a size, a location, a resolution, screen reflectivity, or a brightness level of the representation of the display data in the virtual representation of the real-world ego-machine based on at least one of, a display capability of the hardware component, a representation of a simulated natural lighting characteristic outside of the virtual ego-machine, a user input at the one or more virtual display devices, or a representation of a simulated lighting characteristic corresponding to a simulated illumination source within the interior of the virtual ego-machine. (Sakaguchi Page 2, Paragraph 0005: “In the driving simulation device described in this publication, a driver sits on a stationary simulation vehicle and learns a driving sensation by watching a moving image of a road surface or a scene displayed on a screen in front of the vehicle. Since the brightness range that the image can achieve is narrower than the brightness range of the actual driving environment, a light source device that provides equivalent light curtain luminance is provided so that the same visual adaptability as the actual driving environment is obtained.”) (Sakaguchi Page 2, Paragraph 0006: “As described above, when the driver has a high degree of adaptation such as when driving during the daytime in summer, the equivalent light curtain luminance is given from the outside so that the same degree of adaptation can be obtained in the driving simulator.”) (Sakaguchi Page 4, Paragraph 0018: “For this reason, for example, when the driver of the vehicle adjusts to the high-luminance scenery ahead and looks at the indicator in the passenger compartment, the display of the indicator is initially dark and difficult to see. It is possible to recognize from the simulation image that the display on the display gradually becomes brighter and easier to see as the display gradually adapts to the brightness.”) (Sakaguchi Page 4, Paragraph 0018: “For this reason, for example, when driving a car in fine weather, entering or exiting a tunnel, or when receiving the headlights of an oncoming vehicle during night driving, the brightness of the visual field environment changes suddenly. In this case, it is possible to simulate how the outside scene recognized by the driver, the inside of the vehicle, and the display screen of the display device change with time.”) (Sakaguchi Page 9, Paragraph 0040: “It is possible to simulate how the appearance of the scenery outside the vehicle, the road display, and the indicator inside the vehicle interior change.”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Minter to include The one or more processors of claim 1, wherein the one or more processing units are further to: modify or control, at the one or more virtual display devices of the virtual ego-machine, at least one of, a size, a location, a resolution, screen reflectivity, or a brightness level of the representation of the display data in the virtual representation of the real-world ego-machine based on at least one of, a display capability of the hardware component, a representation of a simulated natural lighting characteristic outside of the virtual ego-machine, a user input at the one or more virtual display devices, or a representation of a simulated lighting characteristic corresponding to a simulated illumination source within the interior of the virtual ego-machine taught by Sakaguchi. This would have been for the benefit to provide a primitive image prepared for a visual environment that uses an observation point and a sensitivity characteristic prescribing a relation between the lightness an observer feels by his vision and the luminance of an object to be recognized is memorized for each degree of adaptation. Thus, in order to solve the problem of displaying a simulated image in a visual environment that uses positional relation of an observation point in the visual environment. [Sakaguchi Page 1, Paragraph 0001]
Regarding claim 13, Minter discloses claim 12, accordingly, the rejection of claim 12 is incorporated above.
Minter does not disclose The system of claim 12, wherein the simulation data includes a representation of a simulated natural lighting characteristic outside of the virtual ego-machine, and wherein a display, at the one or more virtual display devices of the virtual ego-machine, of the representation of the response data, is based at least on the representation of the simulated natural lighting characteristic.
However, Sakaguchi The system of claim 12, wherein the simulation data includes a representation of a simulated natural lighting characteristic outside of the virtual ego-machine, and wherein a display, at the one or more virtual display devices of the virtual ego-machine, of the representation of the response data, is based at least on the representation of the simulated natural lighting characteristic. (Sakaguchi Page 2, Paragraph 0005: “In the driving simulation device described in this publication, a driver sits on a stationary simulation vehicle and learns a driving sensation by watching a moving image of a road surface or a scene displayed on a screen in front of the vehicle. Since the brightness range that the image can achieve is narrower than the brightness range of the actual driving environment, a light source device that provides equivalent light curtain luminance is provided so that the same visual adaptability as the actual driving environment is obtained.”) (Sakaguchi Page 2, Paragraph 0006: “As described above, when the driver has a high degree of adaptation such as when driving during the daytime in summer, the equivalent light curtain luminance is given from the outside so that the same degree of adaptation can be obtained in the driving simulator.”) (Sakaguchi Page 4, Paragraph 0018: “For this reason, for example, when the driver of the vehicle adjusts to the high-luminance scenery ahead and looks at the indicator in the passenger compartment, the display of the indicator is initially dark and difficult to see. It is possible to recognize from the simulation image that the display on the display gradually becomes brighter and easier to see as the display gradually adapts to the brightness.”) (Sakaguchi Page 4, Paragraph 0018: “For this reason, for example, when driving a car in fine weather, entering or exiting a tunnel, or when receiving the headlights of an oncoming vehicle during night driving, the brightness of the visual field environment changes suddenly. In this case, it is possible to simulate how the outside scene recognized by the driver, the inside of the vehicle, and the display screen of the display device change with time.”) (Sakaguchi Page 9, Paragraph 0040: “It is possible to simulate how the appearance of the scenery outside the vehicle, the road display, and the indicator inside the vehicle interior change.”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Minter to include The system of claim 12, wherein the simulation data includes a representation of a simulated natural lighting characteristic outside of the virtual ego-machine, and wherein a display, at the one or more virtual display devices of the virtual ego-machine, of the representation of the response data, is based at least on the representation of the simulated natural lighting characteristic taught by Sakaguchi. This would have been for the benefit to provide a primitive image prepared for a visual environment that uses an observation point and a sensitivity characteristic prescribing a relation between the lightness an observer feels by his vision and the luminance of an object to be recognized is memorized for each degree of adaptation. Thus, in order to solve the problem of displaying a simulated image in a visual environment that uses positional relation of an observation point in the visual environment. [Sakaguchi Page 1, Paragraph 0001]
Regarding claim 14, Minter discloses claim 12, accordingly, the rejection of claim 12 is incorporated above.
Minter does not disclose The system of claim 12, wherein the simulation data includes a representation of a lighting characteristic simulated lighting characteristic corresponding to a simulated illumination source within the interior of the virtual ego-machine, and wherein a display, at the one or more virtual display devices of the virtual ego-machine, of the representation of the response data, is based at least on the representation of the simulated lighting characteristic corresponding to the simulated illumination source within the interior of the virtual ego-machine.
However, Sakaguchi does teach The system of claim 12, wherein the simulation data includes a representation of a lighting characteristic simulated lighting characteristic corresponding to a simulated illumination source within the interior of the virtual ego-machine, and wherein a display, at the one or more virtual display devices of the virtual ego-machine, of the representation of the response data, is based at least on the representation of the simulated lighting characteristic corresponding to the simulated illumination source within the interior of the virtual ego-machine. (Sakaguchi Page 2, Paragraph 0005: “In the driving simulation device described in this publication, a driver sits on a stationary simulation vehicle and learns a driving sensation by watching a moving image of a road surface or a scene displayed on a screen in front of the vehicle. Since the brightness range that the image can achieve is narrower than the brightness range of the actual driving environment, a light source device that provides equivalent light curtain luminance is provided so that the same visual adaptability as the actual driving environment is obtained.”) (Sakaguchi Page 2, Paragraph 0006: “As described above, when the driver has a high degree of adaptation such as when driving during the daytime in summer, the equivalent light curtain luminance is given from the outside so that the same degree of adaptation can be obtained in the driving simulator.”) (Sakaguchi Page 4, Paragraph 0018: “For this reason, for example, when the driver of the vehicle adjusts to the high-luminance scenery ahead and looks at the indicator in the passenger compartment, the display of the indicator is initially dark and difficult to see. It is possible to recognize from the simulation image that the display on the display gradually becomes brighter and easier to see as the display gradually adapts to the brightness.”) (Sakaguchi Page 4, Paragraph 0018: “For this reason, for example, when driving a car in fine weather, entering or exiting a tunnel, or when receiving the headlights of an oncoming vehicle during night driving, the brightness of the visual field environment changes suddenly. In this case, it is possible to simulate how the outside scene recognized by the driver, the inside of the vehicle, and the display screen of the display device change with time.”) (Sakaguchi Page 9, Paragraph 0040: “It is possible to simulate how the appearance of the scenery outside the vehicle, the road display, and the indicator inside the vehicle interior change.”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Minter to include The system of claim 12, wherein the simulation data includes a representation of a lighting characteristic simulated lighting characteristic corresponding to a simulated illumination source within the interior of the virtual ego-machine, and wherein a display, at the one or more virtual display devices of the virtual ego-machine, of the representation of the response data, is based at least on the representation of the simulated lighting characteristic corresponding to the simulated illumination source within the interior of the virtual ego-machine taught by Sakaguchi. This would have been for the benefit to provide a primitive image prepared for a visual environment that uses an observation point and a sensitivity characteristic prescribing a relation between the lightness an observer feels by his vision and the luminance of an object to be recognized is memorized for each degree of adaptation. Thus, in order to solve the problem of displaying a simulated image in a visual environment that uses positional relation of an observation point in the visual environment. [Sakaguchi Page 1, Paragraph 0001]
8. Claim(s) 4, 6, and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Minter (DE 102018218428 A1) in view of (US 20190303759 A1) to Farabet et al. (hereinafter Farabet).
Regarding claim 4, Minter discloses claim 1, accordingly, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated above.
Minter does not disclose The one or more processors of claim 1, wherein the simulation data includes a representation of a scene configuration outside of the virtual ego-machine, and wherein the one or more processing units are further to: predict, based on the representation of the scene configuration, virtual sensor data representative of the one or more portions outside of the virtual ego-machine; and trigger the hardware component to generate real-world video data based at least on processing the virtual sensor data, and wherein the display, at the one or more virtual display devices of the virtual ego-machine, of the representation of the display data includes the real-world video data based at least on the prediction of the virtual sensor data.
However, Farabet does teach The one or more processors of claim 1, wherein the simulation data includes a representation of a scene configuration outside of the virtual ego-machine, and wherein the one or more processing units are further to: (Farabet Paragraph 0031: “For example, one or more autonomous vehicle (AV) perception DNNs may be trained and/or tested, where the AV perception DNNs may be used for detecting lanes and boundaries on driving surfaces, for detecting drivable free-space, for detecting traffic poles or signs, for detecting traffic lights, for detecting objects in the environment (e.g., vehicles, pedestrians, animals, inanimate objects, etc.), for detecting wait conditions and intersections, and/or the like>”) (Farabet Paragraph 0033: “In some examples, as described herein, the re-simulation system 100 may overlap with simulation system(s) 400A, 400B, 400C, and/or 400D in that at least some of the testing, training, verification, and/or validation may be performed within a simulated environment.”) (Farabet Paragraph 0245: “The disclosure may be described in the general context of computer code or machine-useable instructions, including computer-executable instructions such as program modules, being executed by a computer or other machine, such as a personal data assistant or other handheld device.”) predict, based on the representation of the scene configuration, virtual sensor data representative of the one or more portions outside of the virtual ego-machine; (Farabet Paragraph 0044: “For example, a pre-trained DNN may be used to compute a score for each new frame selected where the score may represent a confidence in the prediction of the DNN.”) (Farabet Paragraph 0122: “The method 1000, at block B1010, includes computing an output by the trained machine learning model. For example, the trained DNN may compute one or more outputs using the virtual sensor data. As described herein, the virtual sensor data may be encoded prior to use by the trained DNN.”) (Farabet Paragraph 0123: “The method 1000, at block B1020, includes controlling a virtual object within a simulated environment based at least in part on the output. For example, the virtual object (e.g., virtual vehicle) may be controlled within the simulated environment based at least in part on the output.”) and trigger the hardware component to generate real-world video data based at least on processing the virtual sensor data, and wherein the display, at the one or more virtual display devices of the virtual ego-machine, of the representation of the display data includes the real-world video data based at least on the prediction of the virtual sensor data. (Farabet Paragraph 0129: “The controller(s) 1136 may include one or more onboard (e.g., integrated) computing devices (e.g., supercomputers) that process sensor signals, and output operation commands (e.g., signals representing commands) to enable autonomous driving and/or to assist a human driver in driving the vehicle 102. The controller(s) 1136 may include a first controller 1136 for autonomous driving functions, a second controller 1136 for functional safety functions, a third controller 1136 for artificial intelligence functionality (e.g., computer vision), a fourth controller 1136 for infotainment functionality,”) (Farabet Paragraph 0222: “The infotainment SoC 1130 may further be used to provide information (e.g., visual and/or audible) to a user(s) of the vehicle, such as information from the ADAS system 1138, autonomous driving information such as planned vehicle maneuvers, trajectories, surrounding environment information (e.g., intersection information, vehicle information, road information, etc.)”) (Farabet Paragraph 0227: “The training data may be generated by the vehicles, and/or may be generated in a simulation (e.g., using a game engine). In some examples, the training data is tagged (e.g., where the neural network benefits from supervised learning) and/or undergoes other pre-processing, while in other examples the training data is not tagged and/or pre-processed (e.g., where the neural network does not require supervised learning). Once the machine learning models are trained, the machine learning models may be used by the vehicles (e.g., transmitted to the vehicles over the network(s) 1190, and/or the machine learning models may be used by the server(s) 1178 to remotely monitor the vehicles.”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Minter to include The one or more processors of claim 1, wherein the simulation data includes a representation of a scene configuration outside of the virtual ego-machine, and wherein the one or more processing units are further to: predict, based on the representation of the scene configuration, virtual sensor data representative of the one or more portions outside of the virtual ego-machine; and trigger the hardware component to generate real-world video data based at least on processing the virtual sensor data, and wherein the display, at the one or more virtual display devices of the virtual ego-machine, of the representation of the display data includes the real-world video data based at least on the prediction of the virtual sensor data taught by Farabet. This would have been for the benefit to provide Systems and methods are disclosed for training, testing, and/or verifying one or more features of a real-world system—such as a software stack for use in autonomous vehicles and/or robots. Thus, in order to give a solution to competing interests that make generating a sound, safe, accurate, and reliable for autonomous driving system are increasingly difficult. [Farabet Paragraph 0004 and Paragraph 0005]
Regarding claim 6, Minter discloses claim 1, accordingly, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated above.
Minter does not disclose The one or more processors of claim 1, wherein the one or more processing units are further to: receive a user input made at a video game controller; and in response to the receiving of the user input made at the video game controller, trigger the hardware component to cause the display, at the one or more virtual display devices, of a video game feed that includes the representation of the display data.
However, Farabet does teach The one or more processors of claim 1, wherein the one or more processing units are further to: receive a user input made at a video game controller; and in response to the receiving of the user input made at the video game controller, trigger the hardware component to cause the display, at the one or more virtual display devices, of a video game feed that includes the representation of the display data. (Farabet Paragraph 0129: “The controller(s) 1136 may include one or more onboard (e.g., integrated) computing devices (e.g., supercomputers) that process sensor signals, and output operation commands (e.g., signals representing commands) to enable autonomous driving”) (Farabet Paragraph 0145: “The controller(s) 1136 may be coupled to any of the various other components and systems of the vehicle 102, and may be used for control of the vehicle 102, artificial intelligence of the vehicle 102, infotainment for the vehicle 102, and/or the like.”) (Farabet Paragraph 0232: “FIG. 12 is a block diagram of an example computing device 1200 suitable for use in implementing some embodiments of the present disclosure.”) (Farabet Paragraph 0233: “In other words, the computing device of FIG. 12 is merely illustrative. Distinction is not made between such categories as “workstation,” “server,” “laptop,” “desktop,” “tablet,” “client device,” “mobile device,” “hand-held device,” “game console,”) (Farabet Paragraph 0242: “The I/O ports 1212 may enable the computing device 1200 to be logically coupled to other devices including the I/O components 1214, the presentation component(s) 1218, and/or other components, some of which may be built in to (e.g., integrated in) the computing device 1200. Illustrative I/O components 1214 include a microphone, mouse, keyboard, joystick, game pad, game controller, satellite dish, scanner, printer, wireless device, etc.”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Minter to include The one or more processors of claim 1, wherein the one or more processing units are further to: receive a user input made at a video game controller; and in response to the receiving of the user input made at the video game controller, trigger the hardware component to cause the display, at the one or more virtual display devices, of a video game feed that includes the representation of the display data taught by Farabet. This would have been for the benefit to provide Systems and methods are disclosed for training, testing, and/or verifying one or more features of a real-world system—such as a software stack for use in autonomous vehicles and/or robots. Thus, in order to give a solution to competing interests that make generating a sound, safe, accurate, and reliable for autonomous driving system are increasingly difficult. [Farabet Paragraph 0004 and Paragraph 0005]
Regarding claim 15, Minter discloses claim 12, accordingly, the rejection of claim 12 is incorporated above.
Minter does not disclose The system of claim 12, wherein the simulation data includes a representation of a scene configuration outside of the virtual ego-machine, and wherein the one or more processing units are further to: predict, based on the representation of the scene configuration, virtual sensor data representative of the one or more portions external to the virtual ego-machine; and trigger the real ego-machine hardware to generate real-world video data based at least on processing the virtual sensor data, and wherein a display, at the one or more virtual display devices of the virtual ego-machine, of the representation of the response data includes the real-world video data based at least on the prediction of the virtual sensor data.
However, Farabet does teach The system of claim 12, wherein the simulation data includes a representation of a scene configuration outside of the virtual ego-machine, and wherein the one or more processing units are further to: (Farabet Paragraph 0031: “For example, one or more autonomous vehicle (AV) perception DNNs may be trained and/or tested, where the AV perception DNNs may be used for detecting lanes and boundaries on driving surfaces, for detecting drivable free-space, for detecting traffic poles or signs, for detecting traffic lights, for detecting objects in the environment (e.g., vehicles, pedestrians, animals, inanimate objects, etc.), for detecting wait conditions and intersections, and/or the like>”) (Farabet Paragraph 0033: “In some examples, as described herein, the re-simulation system 100 may overlap with simulation system(s) 400A, 400B, 400C, and/or 400D in that at least some of the testing, training, verification, and/or validation may be performed within a simulated environment.”) (Farabet Paragraph 0245: “The disclosure may be described in the general context of computer code or machine-useable instructions, including computer-executable instructions such as program modules, being executed by a computer or other machine, such as a personal data assistant or other handheld device.”) predict, based on the representation of the scene configuration, virtual sensor data representative of the one or more portions external to the virtual ego-machine; (Farabet Paragraph 0044: “For example, a pre-trained DNN may be used to compute a score for each new frame selected where the score may represent a confidence in the prediction of the DNN.”) (Farabet Paragraph 0122: “The method 1000, at block B1010, includes computing an output by the trained machine learning model. For example, the trained DNN may compute one or more outputs using the virtual sensor data. As described herein, the virtual sensor data may be encoded prior to use by the trained DNN.”) (Farabet Paragraph 0123: “The method 1000, at block B1020, includes controlling a virtual object within a simulated environment based at least in part on the output. For example, the virtual object (e.g., virtual vehicle) may be controlled within the simulated environment based at least in part on the output.”) and trigger the real ego-machine hardware to generate real-world video data based at least on processing the virtual sensor data, and wherein a display, at the one or more virtual display devices of the virtual ego-machine, of the representation of the response data includes the real-world video data based at least on the prediction of the virtual sensor data. (Farabet Paragraph 0129: “The controller(s) 1136 may include one or more onboard (e.g., integrated) computing devices (e.g., supercomputers) that process sensor signals, and output operation commands (e.g., signals representing commands) to enable autonomous driving and/or to assist a human driver in driving the vehicle 102. The controller(s) 1136 may include a first controller 1136 for autonomous driving functions, a second controller 1136 for functional safety functions, a third controller 1136 for artificial intelligence functionality (e.g., computer vision), a fourth controller 1136 for infotainment functionality,”) (Farabet Paragraph 0222: “The infotainment SoC 1130 may further be used to provide information (e.g., visual and/or audible) to a user(s) of the vehicle, such as information from the ADAS system 1138, autonomous driving information such as planned vehicle maneuvers, trajectories, surrounding environment information (e.g., intersection information, vehicle information, road information, etc.)”) (Farabet Paragraph 0227: “The training data may be generated by the vehicles, and/or may be generated in a simulation (e.g., using a game engine). In some examples, the training data is tagged (e.g., where the neural network benefits from supervised learning) and/or undergoes other pre-processing, while in other examples the training data is not tagged and/or pre-processed (e.g., where the neural network does not require supervised learning). Once the machine learning models are trained, the machine learning models may be used by the vehicles (e.g., transmitted to the vehicles over the network(s) 1190, and/or the machine learning models may be used by the server(s) 1178 to remotely monitor the vehicles.”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Minter to include The system of claim 12, wherein the simulation data includes a representation of a scene configuration outside of the virtual ego-machine, and wherein the one or more processing units are further to: predict, based on the representation of the scene configuration, virtual sensor data representative of the one or more portions external to the virtual ego-machine; and trigger the real ego-machine hardware to generate real-world video data based at least on processing the virtual sensor data, and wherein a display, at the one or more virtual display devices of the virtual ego-machine, of the representation of the response data includes the real-world video data based at least on the prediction of the virtual sensor data taught by Farabet. This would have been for the benefit to provide Systems and methods are disclosed for training, testing, and/or verifying one or more features of a real-world system—such as a software stack for use in autonomous vehicles and/or robots. Thus, in order to give a solution to competing interests that make generating a sound, safe, accurate, and reliable for autonomous driving system are increasingly difficult. [Farabet Paragraph 0004 and Paragraph 0005]
9. Claim(s) 5, 10, and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Minter (DE 102018218428 A1) in view of (US 11257390 B2) to Wickman et al. (hereinafter Wickman).
Regarding claim 5, Minter discloses claim 1, accordingly, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated above.
Minter does not disclose The one or more processors of claim 1, wherein the one or more processing units are further to: receive user input made at the one or more virtual display devices that simulate one or more real-world display devices; and in response to the receiving of the user input, trigger the hardware component to cause the display, at the one or more virtual display devices, of the representation of the display data based at least on the receiving of user input and interpreting the user input as a touch input.
However, Wickman does teach The one or more processors of claim 1, wherein the one or more processing units are further to: receive user input made at the one or more virtual display devices that simulate one or more real-world display devices; and in response to the receiving of the user input, trigger the hardware component to cause the display, at the one or more virtual display devices, of the representation of the display data based at least on the receiving of user input and interpreting the user input as a touch input. (Wickman Column 10, line number 45-48: “That is, user interaction with the simulated vehicle functionality feature, which feature for instance is represented by selectable options available on a simulated vehicle display,”) (Wickman Column 10, line number 55-Column 11, line number 1: “Thereby, presence of a user, e.g. the HMD-wearing occupant, and/or e.g. a finger of said user/occupant, may be sensed in or at the position in the vehicle representing the location of the simulated vehicle functionality feature, whereby the virtual representation of the simulated vehicle functionality feature subsequently may be updated in accordance with said presence, and/or in accordance with the geographical position and/or the nature of said presence. User interaction may be detected in any arbitrary manner known in the art, e.g. by means of one or more user interaction sensors and/or a user interaction determining system, for instance comprising touch sensor(s), camera(s) and/or position detection sensor(s) worn by the user e.g. on his/her hand and/or finger.”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Minter to include The one or more processors of claim 1, wherein the one or more processing units are further to: receive user input made at the one or more virtual display devices that simulate one or more real-world display devices; and in response to the receiving of the user input, trigger the hardware component to cause the display, at the one or more virtual display devices, of the representation of the display data based at least on the receiving of user input and interpreting the user input as a touch input taught by Wickman. This would have been for the benefit to provide an improved and/or alternative approach supporting evaluation of virtual vehicle designs and/or concepts. [Wickman Column 1, line number 50-52]
Regarding claim 10, Minter discloses claim 1, accordingly, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated above.
Minter does not disclose The one or more processors of claim 1, wherein the simulation data is further representative of at least one of, a user interface design tool for the one or more real-world display devices of the real-world ego-machine or an ego-machine design tool for designing one or more portions of an interior portion of the real-world ego-machine.
However, Wickman does teach The one or more processors of claim 1, wherein the simulation data is further representative of at least one of, a user interface design tool for the one or more real-world display devices of the real-world ego-machine or an ego-machine design tool for designing one or more portions of an interior portion of the real-world ego-machine. (Wickman Column 6, line number 9-13: “According to an example, “representation” may further refer to “graphical model”, “computer-aided design, CAD, geometrics and/or design surface model, DSM, geometrics” and/or “result from computer-aided engineering, CAE”) (Wickman Column 7, line number 10-16: “Thereby, a virtual vehicle interior portion—e.g. a simulated dashboard—and/or a virtual vehicle exterior portion—e.g. a simulated hood—may be evaluated in the road-driven vehicle, such as e.g. new and/or updated design, colour, material and/or user interface thereof and/or e.g. geometrics for instance CAD and/or DSM geometrics thereof.”) (Wickman Column 7, line number 30-31: “a virtual representation of the simulated vehicle functionality feature”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Minter to include The one or more processors of claim 1, wherein the simulation data is further representative of at least one of, a user interface design tool for the one or more real-world display devices of the real-world ego-machine or an ego-machine design tool for designing one or more portions of an interior portion of the real-world ego-machine taught by Wickman. This would have been for the benefit to provide an improved and/or alternative approach supporting evaluation of virtual vehicle designs and/or concepts. [Wickman Column 1, line number 50-52]
Regarding claim 16, Minter discloses claim 12, accordingly, the rejection of claim 12 is incorporated above.
Minter does not disclose The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more processing units are further to: receive user input made at the one or more virtual display devices that simulate one or more real-world display devices; and in response to the receiving of the user input, trigger the real ego-machine hardware to cause display, at the one or more virtual display devices, of the representation of the response data based at least on the receiving of user input and interpreting the user input as a touch input.
However, Wickman does teach The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more processing units are further to: receive user input made at the one or more virtual display devices that simulate one or more real-world display devices; and in response to the receiving of the user input, trigger the real ego-machine hardware to cause display, at the one or more virtual display devices, of the representation of the response data based at least on the receiving of user input and interpreting the user input as a touch input. (Wickman Column 10, line number 45-48: “That is, user interaction with the simulated vehicle functionality feature, which feature for instance is represented by selectable options available on a simulated vehicle display,”) (Wickman Column 10, line number 55-Column 11, line number 1: “Thereby, presence of a user, e.g. the HMD-wearing occupant, and/or e.g. a finger of said user/occupant, may be sensed in or at the position in the vehicle representing the location of the simulated vehicle functionality feature, whereby the virtual representation of the simulated vehicle functionality feature subsequently may be updated in accordance with said presence, and/or in accordance with the geographical position and/or the nature of said presence. User interaction may be detected in any arbitrary manner known in the art, e.g. by means of one or more user interaction sensors and/or a user interaction determining system, for instance comprising touch sensor(s), camera(s) and/or position detection sensor(s) worn by the user e.g. on his/her hand and/or finger.”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Minter to include The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more processing units are further to: receive user input made at the one or more virtual display devices that simulate one or more real-world display devices; and in response to the receiving of the user input, trigger the real ego-machine hardware to cause display, at the one or more virtual display devices, of the representation of the response data based at least on the receiving of user input and interpreting the user input as a touch input taught by Wickman. This would have been for the benefit to provide an improved and/or alternative approach supporting evaluation of virtual vehicle designs and/or concepts. [Wickman Column 1, line number 50-52]
10. Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Minter (DE 102018218428 A1) in view of Rihn (CN 110389660 A).
Regarding claim 9, Minter discloses claim 1, accordingly, the rejection of claim 1 is incorporated above.
Minter does not disclose The one or more processors of claim 1, wherein the simulation data is accessible via one or more augmented or virtual reality devices associated with one or more teams of designers or developers.
However, Rihn does teach The one or more processors of claim 1, wherein the simulation data is accessible via one or more augmented or virtual reality devices associated with one or more teams of designers or developers. (Rihn paragraph 0044: “multi-user shared based on embodiment of a haptic system of the virtual and augmented reality can receives all kinds of input. For example, one or more of the viewer, content by the user such as artist, author or designer may interaction with the VR or AR environment.”) (Note: A team of designers can be 1 person)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Minter to include The one or more processors of claim 1, wherein the simulation data is accessible via one or more augmented or virtual reality devices associated with one or more teams of designers or developers taught by Rihn. This would have been for the benefit to provide a method for multi-user shared based on virtual and augmented reality method includes determining position of the haptic object, determining at least one observer relative to the visual angle of the object, based at least in part on the position and viewing angle to determine the haptic effect is output, and output a haptic effect. This is in order to allow the system and method of sharing experience in a virtual or augmented reality environment when the interaction between the user may be finite. [Rihn Page 2, Paragraph 2 and Paragraph 3]
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.
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/K.J.H./Junior Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3664
/SHARDUL D PATEL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3664
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