DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Response to Arguments
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 (a):
Applicant's arguments filed 9/17/2025 have been fully considered and are persuasive.
Independent claims 1, 8 and 15 amendment with the first virtual beacon having disappeared from view of the autonomous vehicle, wherein metadata comprising a distance and angle of the second virtual beacon to the first virtual beacon is inserted into a data structure and retracing in reverse, by the autonomous vehicle, a previous path of the journey of the autonomous vehicle, by using the first virtual beacon and the second virtual beacon and the metadata, wherein the first virtual beacon and the second virtual beacon were placed in the previous path of the journey of the autonomous vehicle overcomes the rejection for failing to comply with the written description requirement. The rejection of claims 1-20 has been withdrawn.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101:
Applicant's arguments filed 9/17/2025 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Independent claims 1, 8 and 15 amendment retracing in reverse, by the autonomous vehicle, a previous path of the journey of the autonomous vehicle, by using the first virtual beacon and the second virtual beacon and the metadata, wherein the first virtual beacon and the second virtual beacon were placed in the previous path of the journey of the autonomous vehicle overcomes the rejection by adding practical application to the abstract idea. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn for claims 1-20. However, upon further consideration, a new ground of rejection is made in view of claims 15-20.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103:
Applicant’s arguments filed 9/17/1025 with respect to claims 1-20 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Amendment to independent claims 1, 8 and 15 overcomes the rejection (i.e. retracing in reverse, by the autonomous vehicle, a previous path of the journey of the autonomous vehicle, by using the first virtual beacon and the second virtual beacon and the metadata, wherein the first virtual beacon and the second virtual beacon were placed in the previous path of the journey of the autonomous vehicle). The rejection of claims 1-20 has been withdrawn.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 9/24/2026 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 15-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to a non-statutory subject matter.
Claim 15 as recited does not fall within at least one of the four categories of patent eligible subject matter because computer-readable medium is considered computer readable transmission media defined as signal per se and is not within one of the four statutory categories.
Regarding Prong I of the Step 2A analysis in the 2019 PEG, the claims are to be analyzed
to determine whether they recite subject matter that falls within one of the follow groups of abstract ideas: a) mathematical concepts, b) certain methods of organizing human activity, and/or c) mental processes.
Claim 15 does not recite subject matter that falls within one of the following groups of abstract ideas: a) mathematical concepts, b) certain methods of organizing human activity, and/or c) mental processes.
Regarding Prong II of the Step 2A analysis in the 2019 PEG, the claims are to be analyzed to determine whether the claim, as a whole, integrates the abstract into a practical application. As noted in the 2019 PEG, it must be determined whether any additional elements in the claim beyond the abstract idea integrate the exception into a practical application in a manner that imposes a meaningful limit on the judicial exception. It appears from applicant’s disclosure that the claim could be amended to fall within a statutory category and would qualify as eligible (e.g. non-transitory computer readable storage medium) as defined in applicant’s disclosure [0051].
Claims 16-20 are rejected based on dependence on claim 15.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-14 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: Independent claims 1 and 8 are allowable over the prior art of record for their specific recitations of elements involving a method and system for autonomous vehicle navigation in the absence of network connectivity via anchor points, i.e. placing a first virtual beacon; placing a second virtual beacon, in response to determining that an image resolution associated with the first virtual beacon has fallen below a predetermined threshold with the first virtual beacon having disappeared from view of the autonomous vehicle, wherein metadata comprising a distance and angle of the second virtual beacon to the first virtual beacon is inserted into a data structure and retracing in reverse, by the autonomous vehicle, a previous path of the journey of the autonomous vehicle, by using the first virtual beacon and the second virtual beacon and the metadata, wherein the first virtual beacon and the second virtual beacon were placed in the previous path of the journey of the autonomous vehicle; among other limitations.
Additionally, a combination of the prior art of record of Laws et al. (US 20240217529 A1; hereafter Laws), Ren et al. (US 20220300681 A1; hereafter Ren) and Parks et al. (US 20190370564 A1; hereafter Parks) does not explicitly teach the claimed invention as recited in independent claims 1 and 8. Laws does not explicitly teach extending a navigation ability during a journey of the autonomous vehicle in an event of a loss of connectivity during navigation by retracing in reverse, by the autonomous vehicle, a previous path of the journey of the autonomous vehicle, by using the first virtual beacon and the second virtual beacon and the metadata, wherein the first virtual beacon and the second virtual beacon were placed in the previous path of the journey of the autonomous vehicle. The addition of Ren and Parks fails to cure the deficiencies of Laws.
It would not be obvious to modify the invention of Laws to include the teachings of Ren and Parks with a reasonable expectation of success to have the features of the claimed invention because it would significantly change the design and functionality of the invention.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment
of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such
submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
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/TOYA PETTIEGREW/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3662