DETAILED ACTION
This action is in response to Amendment filed on 5/12/26. This action is made final.
Claims 1-6, 13-20 are withdrawn from consideration due to un-elected Species. Claims 7-12 are elected for examination. Claim 7 is independent claim.
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA
Notice as to Grounds of Rejection and Pre-AIA or AIA Status
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 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.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of 7-12 in the reply filed on 05/12/26 is acknowledged.
Claims 1-6, 13-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 05/12/26.
The restriction is hereby made FINAL.
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 of this title, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 7-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ha et al (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2023/0302906 A1 hereinafter Ha) in view of Lee et al (US Patent Application Publication 2020/0241824 A1 hereinafter Lee).
With regard to claim 7, Ha teaches a cockpit display screen display method, comprising:
displaying, by a cockpit display screen <para 0033>, a first interface in response to a vehicle being switched to a manual driving state <driving state can be determined see fig 5 para 0078>, wherein the first interface comprises an icon of a first application <see fig 8 item 835, displaying icons for applications para 0112>,
Ha does not appear to explicitly disclose wherein only pixels in a display area of the first interface are lighted, and pixels in other areas of the cockpit display screen are not lighted.
In the same field of endeavor, Lee teaches wherein only pixels in a display area of the first interface are lighted, and pixels in other areas of the cockpit display screen are not lighted <active zones are illuminated and non-active zones are illuminated at the appropriate level or not illuminated para 0075-0077, fig 3B>.
Accordingly, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of Ha, Lee before him/her before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the teachings of Ha to include the teachings of Lee, in order to adjust limitations as appropriate for different displays in a cockpit. One would have been motivated to make such a combination because it enhances focusing on the appropriate contextual display as a need identified and solved by Lee (see Background).
With regard to claim 8, this claim depends upon claim 7, which is rejected above.
In the same field of endeavor, Ha teaches the method further comprising:
displaying, by the cockpit display screen, a second interface in response to the vehicle being switched to a self-driving <see fig 5 user interface changes based upon driving context para 0007-0008>, fig 8 item 800>, wherein the second interface comprises a first card corresponding to the first application <fig 8 item 131, 833, 800 show card interface corresponding to an application>, and
an area of the second interface is greater than a display area of the first interface <fig 8 item 800 shown greater than the first display fig 8 item 131 shows interface greater that item 835 >,
In addition, Lee teaches
wherein only pixels in a display area of the second interface are lighted <see fig 3B para 0075-0077.
With regard to claim 9, this claim depends upon claim 8, which is rejected above. In addition, Ha teaches wherein the first card further comprises a control function used by a user to interact with the first application <user can interact with the application fig 8 item 810 para 0109>.
With regard to claim 10, this claim depends upon claim 8, which is rejected above. In addition, Ha teaches the method further comprising:
in response to a display status switching operation input from a user and the
vehicle being in the self-driving state or a parking state, displaying, a display interface specified by the user, wherein the display interface specified by the user is the first interface or the second interface <first display or second display can be used in response to user input para 0109-0112>.
With regard to claim 11, this claim depends upon claim 8, which is rejected above. In addition, Ha teaches the method further comprising:
in response to a user operation of running a first application and to the first application <application interface is adjusted depending upon the vehicle is in parking state or in autopilot state para 0078, 0086>.
With regard to claim 12, this claim depends upon claim 8, which is rejected above. In addition, Ha teaches wherein in response to the vehicle being in the self-driving state or in a parking state, the method further comprises:
displaying, by the cockpit display screen, a third interface, and wherein a display area of the third interface is greater than a display area of the second interface <fig 9 shows application showing in different display areas and different size para 0114-0119>.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed on May 12, 2026 have been fully considered but are moot in view of the new grounds of rejection.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANIL K BHARGAVA whose telephone number is (571)270-3278. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:30 am - 5:00 pm.
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/ANIL K BHARGAVA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2172
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