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 .
This action is in response to filing field on 12/12/2023.
Claims 1-20 are currently pending.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 07/09/2025 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 § 102
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.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 102 which forms the basis for the rejections set forth in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in a public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-2, 5, 7-9 and 11-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Mehrnia (US. Pat. No. 11579631).
Regarding claim 1, Mehrnia discloses A system, comprising: a memory that stores computer executable components (Mehrnia, see at least [column 1, lines 56-60] “a signal receiver for receiving the data transmitted from the leader vehicle; one or more sensors configured to detect at least one maneuverability condition of the respective follower vehicle; a random-access”); and
a processor that executes the computer executable components stored in the memory, wherein the computer executable components comprise: a communication component that, using a defined vehicle communication protocol, receives leading vehicle telemetry data applicable to a leading vehicle, wherein the leading vehicle is ahead of a trailing vehicle (Mehrnia, see at least Figs. 1-4 and [column 3, lines 17-33] “a leader-configured motor vehicle. In some embodiments, leader-configured motor vehicles share information with following vehicles to form driving groups wherein following vehicles rely on shared information to make automatic driving decisions. In some embodiments, leader motor vehicles broadcast signals 101 including at least the leader vehicle's destination, a planned route that the leader vehicle will take, and a unique identifier. Signals may be broadcast via an omni-directional antenna 102, for example. In some embodiments, follower-configured vehicles receive and analyze the signal to determine whether they would benefit from joining the driving group. In some embodiments, if a follower vehicle shares the same destination as the leader vehicle, or a common route or partial route, the processor of the follower vehicle determines that the follower vehicle should join the driving group led by the leader vehicle.”); and
an autonomous driving component that, based on the leading vehicle telemetry data, autonomously controls movement of the trailing vehicle to follow the leading vehicle while maintaining a threshold distance between the trailing vehicle and leading vehicle (Mehrnia, see at least Figs. 1-4 and [column 3, lines 38-55] “the follower vehicle 203 positioned behind a leader vehicle 200. Additional follower vehicles may be positioned one behind another in a line behind the vehicle 203. In some embodiments, signals 201 from a rear-oriented antenna 202 of the leader vehicle 200 are received by a receiver 204 positioned on the follower vehicle. In some embodiments, the follower vehicle is provided with a distance measuring sensor 205 electrically coupled with a processor of the follower vehicle that measures the distance to the vehicle ahead of the local vehicle. A predetermined range of distances may be defined to maintain an ideal distance from the vehicle ahead of the local vehicle. If the distance to the vehicle ahead of the local vehicle is too great, the local vehicle may be caused to accelerate at a predetermined rate until the distance is acceptable. If the distance to the vehicle ahead of the local vehicle is too small, the local vehicle may be caused to decelerate at a predetermined rate until the distance is acceptable.”).
Regarding claim 2, Mehrnia discloses the system of claim 1, wherein the autonomous driving component autonomously controls the movement of the trailing vehicle in response to a defined activation criterion being determined to be satisfied (Mehrnia, see at least [column 1, line 60]-[column 2, line 2] “a vehicle maneuver controller for operating or moving the respective follower vehicle; a distance measuring sensor to measure distance from the respective follower vehicle to another vehicle; a processor for processing a vehicle maneuvering software application having a software instruction or code for controlling a movement or an operation of the respective follower vehicle in communication with at least the signal receiver, the sensor, the random-access memory, the vehicle maneuver controller, and the distance measuring sensor”).
Regarding claim 5, Mehrnia discloses the system of claim 1, wherein the autonomous driving component delays the movement of the trailing vehicle by a defined amount of time (Mehrnia, see at least [column 4, lines 5-20] “upon receipt of a leader vehicle's velocity, a follower vehicle may be caused to match that velocity by automatically accelerating or decelerating. In some embodiments, the increase in velocity of a follower vehicle to match a leader vehicle's velocity may be limited, causing the follower vehicle, in some instances, to extend the amount of time it takes to reach the same velocity as the leader vehicle. In some embodiments, receipt of a steering position of the leader vehicle causes the follower vehicle to match the steering position of the leader vehicle after a calculated delay time. The delay time may be calculated by dividing the distance from the follower vehicle to the leader vehicle by the velocity of the leader vehicle. After the delay time, the follower vehicle adjusts its steering position to match that of the leader vehicle.”).
Regarding claim 7, Mehrnia discloses the system of claim 1, wherein autonomously controlling movement of the trailing vehicle to follow the leading vehicle comprises mimicking acceleration and braking of the leading vehicle (Mehrnia, see at least Figs. 1-3 and [column 1, lines 49-67 ] “a leader vehicle leading one or more follower vehicles, including: the leader vehicle, configured to transmit, with a signal emitter, at least real-time movement data including at least a position, a heading, and a linear and angular speed of the leader vehicle to the one or more follower vehicles; and, the one or more follower vehicles, each configured to receive data transmitted by the leader vehicle, and including: a signal receiver for receiving the data transmitted from the leader vehicle; one or more sensors configured to detect at least one maneuverability condition of the respective follower vehicle; a random-access memory; a vehicle maneuver controller for operating or moving the respective follower vehicle; a distance measuring sensor to measure distance from the respective follower vehicle to another vehicle; a processor for processing a vehicle maneuvering software application having a software instruction or code for controlling a movement or an operation of the respective follower vehicle in communication with at least the signal receiver, the sensor, the random-access memory, the vehicle maneuver controller, and the distance measuring sensor, the processor configured to: determine a route for navigating the local follower vehicle from an initial location; determine a preferred range of distances from the vehicle in front of the respective follower vehicle that the respective follower vehicle should stay within; determine a set of active maneuvering instructions for the respective follower vehicle based on at least a portion of the data received from the guiding vehicle; determine a lag in control commands; and, execute the set of active maneuvering instructions in the respective follower vehicle.” Also see [column 4, lines 5-20] “upon receipt of a leader vehicle's velocity, a follower vehicle may be caused to match that velocity by automatically accelerating or decelerating. In some embodiments, the increase in velocity of a follower vehicle to match a leader vehicle's velocity may be limited, causing the follower vehicle, in some instances, to extend the amount of time it takes to reach the same velocity as the leader vehicle. In some embodiments, receipt of a steering position of the leader vehicle causes the follower vehicle to match the steering position of the leader vehicle after a calculated delay time. The delay time may be calculated by dividing the distance from the follower vehicle to the leader vehicle by the velocity of the leader vehicle. After the delay time, the follower vehicle adjusts its steering position to match that of the leader vehicle.”).
Regarding claim 8, Mehrnia discloses the system of claim 1, wherein the leading vehicle is a first leading vehicle, wherein a second leading vehicle is ahead of the first leading vehicle, and wherein the autonomous driving component further autonomously controls the movement of the trailing vehicle to follow the first leading vehicle based on second leading vehicle telemetry data received from the second leading vehicle (Mehrnia, see at least Fig.3 and [column 4, lines 26-37] “a leader vehicle 301 followed by a first follower vehicle 303, then a second follower vehicle 306. In such cases, follower vehicles relay and transmit signals 307 to other follower vehicles through rear-oriented antennas 308. Follower vehicles receive data from other follower vehicles in the same way that data may be received from a leader vehicle: through a receiver 309. In a like manner, follower vehicles may use distance measuring sensors 310 to determine their distance to another follower vehicle, the processor using this information in the same way as previously to maintain an appropriate distance from the vehicle ahead of the local vehicle.”).
Regarding claim 9, Mehrnia discloses the system of claim 1, wherein the communication component transmits trailing vehicle telemetry data applicable to the trailing vehicle to an adjacent vehicle traveling in a lane adjacent to a lane applicable to the trailing vehicle (Mehrnia, see at least Fig. 1 and [column 3, lines 18-33] “leader-configured motor vehicles share information with following vehicles to form driving groups wherein following vehicles rely on shared information to make automatic driving decisions. In some embodiments, leader motor vehicles broadcast signals 101 including at least the leader vehicle's destination, a planned route that the leader vehicle will take, and a unique identifier. Signals may be broadcast via an omni-directional antenna 102, for example. In some embodiments, follower-configured vehicles receive and analyze the signal to determine whether they would benefit from joining the driving group. In some embodiments, if a follower vehicle shares the same destination as the leader vehicle, or a common route or partial route, the processor of the follower vehicle determines that the follower vehicle should join the driving group led by the leader vehicle”).
Regarding claim 11, Mehrnia discloses the system of claim 1, wherein autonomously controlling the movement of the trailing vehicle to follow the leading vehicle comprises autonomously controlling the movement of the trailing vehicle to follow the leading vehicle while preventing a threshold acceleration or deceleration of the trailing vehicle (Mehrnia, see at least Figs. 2-3 and [column 3, lines 38-56] “vehicle 203 positioned behind a leader vehicle 200. Additional follower vehicles may be positioned one behind another in a line behind the vehicle 203. In some embodiments, signals 201 from a rear-oriented antenna 202 of the leader vehicle 200 are received by a receiver 204 positioned on the follower vehicle. In some embodiments, the follower vehicle is provided with a distance measuring sensor 205 electrically coupled with a processor of the follower vehicle that measures the distance to the vehicle ahead of the local vehicle. A predetermined range of distances may be defined to maintain an ideal distance from the vehicle ahead of the local vehicle. If the distance to the vehicle ahead of the local vehicle is too great, the local vehicle may be caused to accelerate at a predetermined rate until the distance is acceptable. If the distance to the vehicle ahead of the local vehicle is too small, the local vehicle may be caused to decelerate at a predetermined rate until the distance is acceptable.”).
Regarding claim 12, Mehrnia discloses the system of claim 1, wherein autonomously controlling the movement of the trailing vehicle to follow the leading vehicle comprises autonomously controlling the movement of the trailing vehicle to follow the leading vehicle while preventing a threshold jerk of the trailing vehicle (Mehrnia, see at least [column 3, lines 44-56] “the follower vehicle is provided with a distance measuring sensor 205 electrically coupled with a processor of the follower vehicle that measures the distance to the vehicle ahead of the local vehicle. A predetermined range of distances may be defined to maintain an ideal distance from the vehicle ahead of the local vehicle. If the distance to the vehicle ahead of the local vehicle is too great, the local vehicle may be caused to accelerate at a predetermined rate until the distance is acceptable. If the distance to the vehicle ahead of the local vehicle is too small, the local vehicle may be caused to decelerate at a predetermined rate until the distance is acceptable.”).
Regarding claim 13, the claim is directed toward a computer-readable storage medium that stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the acts performed by the autonomous vehicle of claim 1. The cited portions of Mehrnia used in the rejection of claim 1, show where the acts are performed using one or more processors, thus requiring the computer-readable storage medium of claim 13. Therefore, claim 13 is rejected under the same rationale used in the rejection of claim 1.
Regarding claim 14, Mehrnia discloses the non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein autonomously controlling movement of the trailing vehicle to follow the leading vehicle comprises mimicking acceleration and braking of the leading vehicle (Mehrnia, see at least Figs. 1-3 and [column 1, lines 49-67 ] “a leader vehicle leading one or more follower vehicles, including: the leader vehicle, configured to transmit, with a signal emitter, at least real-time movement data including at least a position, a heading, and a linear and angular speed of the leader vehicle to the one or more follower vehicles; and, the one or more follower vehicles, each configured to receive data transmitted by the leader vehicle, and including: a signal receiver for receiving the data transmitted from the leader vehicle; one or more sensors configured to detect at least one maneuverability condition of the respective follower vehicle; a random-access memory; a vehicle maneuver controller for operating or moving the respective follower vehicle; a distance measuring sensor to measure distance from the respective follower vehicle to another vehicle; a processor for processing a vehicle maneuvering software application having a software instruction or code for controlling a movement or an operation of the respective follower vehicle in communication with at least the signal receiver, the sensor, the random-access memory, the vehicle maneuver controller, and the distance measuring sensor, the processor configured to: determine a route for navigating the local follower vehicle from an initial location; determine a preferred range of distances from the vehicle in front of the respective follower vehicle that the respective follower vehicle should stay within; determine a set of active maneuvering instructions for the respective follower vehicle based on at least a portion of the data received from the guiding vehicle; determine a lag in control commands; and, execute the set of active maneuvering instructions in the respective follower vehicle.” Also see [column 4, lines 5-20] “upon receipt of a leader vehicle's velocity, a follower vehicle may be caused to match that velocity by automatically accelerating or decelerating. In some embodiments, the increase in velocity of a follower vehicle to match a leader vehicle's velocity may be limited, causing the follower vehicle, in some instances, to extend the amount of time it takes to reach the same velocity as the leader vehicle. In some embodiments, receipt of a steering position of the leader vehicle causes the follower vehicle to match the steering position of the leader vehicle after a calculated delay time. The delay time may be calculated by dividing the distance from the follower vehicle to the leader vehicle by the velocity of the leader vehicle. After the delay time, the follower vehicle adjusts its steering position to match that of the leader vehicle.”).
Regarding claim 15, Mehrnia discloses the non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the leading vehicle is a first leading vehicle, wherein a second leading vehicle is ahead of the first leading vehicle, and wherein the operations further comprise: autonomously controlling the movement of the trailing vehicle to follow the first leading vehicle based on second leading vehicle telemetry data received from the second leading vehicle (Mehrnia, see at least Fig.3 and [column 4, lines 26-37] “a leader vehicle 301 followed by a first follower vehicle 303, then a second follower vehicle 306. In such cases, follower vehicles relay and transmit signals 307 to other follower vehicles through rear-oriented antennas 308. Follower vehicles receive data from other follower vehicles in the same way that data may be received from a leader vehicle: through a receiver 309. In a like manner, follower vehicles may use distance measuring sensors 310 to determine their distance to another follower vehicle, the processor using this information in the same way as previously to maintain an appropriate distance from the vehicle ahead of the local vehicle.”).
Regarding claim 16, Mehrnia discloses the non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein autonomously controlling the movement of the trailing vehicle to follow the leading vehicle comprises autonomously controlling the movement of the trailing vehicle to follow the leading vehicle while preventing a threshold acceleration or deceleration of the trailing vehicle (Mehrnia, see at least Figs. 2-3 and [column 3, lines 38-56] “vehicle 203 positioned behind a leader vehicle 200. Additional follower vehicles may be positioned one behind another in a line behind the vehicle 203. In some embodiments, signals 201 from a rear-oriented antenna 202 of the leader vehicle 200 are received by a receiver 204 positioned on the follower vehicle. In some embodiments, the follower vehicle is provided with a distance measuring sensor 205 electrically coupled with a processor of the follower vehicle that measures the distance to the vehicle ahead of the local vehicle. A predetermined range of distances may be defined to maintain an ideal distance from the vehicle ahead of the local vehicle. If the distance to the vehicle ahead of the local vehicle is too great, the local vehicle may be caused to accelerate at a predetermined rate until the distance is acceptable. If the distance to the vehicle ahead of the local vehicle is too small, the local vehicle may be caused to decelerate at a predetermined rate until the distance is acceptable.”).
Regarding claim 17, Mehrnia discloses the non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein autonomously controlling the movement of the trailing vehicle to follow the leading vehicle comprises autonomously controlling the movement of the trailing vehicle to follow the leading vehicle while preventing a threshold jerk of the trailing vehicle (Mehrnia, see at least [column 3, lines 44-56] “the follower vehicle is provided with a distance measuring sensor 205 electrically coupled with a processor of the follower vehicle that measures the distance to the vehicle ahead of the local vehicle. A predetermined range of distances may be defined to maintain an ideal distance from the vehicle ahead of the local vehicle. If the distance to the vehicle ahead of the local vehicle is too great, the local vehicle may be caused to accelerate at a predetermined rate until the distance is acceptable. If the distance to the vehicle ahead of the local vehicle is too small, the local vehicle may be caused to decelerate at a predetermined rate until the distance is acceptable.”).
Regarding claim 18, the claim is directed towards a method for autonomous traffic navigation optimization for platoon vehicles that recites similar limitations performed by the system for autonomous traffic navigation optimization for platoon vehicles of claim 18. The cited portions Mehrnia used in the rejection of claim 1 teach the same method limitations of claim 18. Therefore, claim 18 is rejected under the same rationales used in the rejections of claim 1 as outlined above.
Regarding claim 19, Mehrnia discloses the method of claim 18, wherein the leading vehicle telemetry data comprises acceleration data applicable to the leading vehicle (Mehrnia, see at least [column 3 , lines 41-56 ] “signals 201 from a rear-oriented antenna 202 of the leader vehicle 200 are received by a receiver 204 positioned on the follower vehicle. In some embodiments, the follower vehicle is provided with a distance measuring sensor 205 electrically coupled with a processor of the follower vehicle that measures the distance to the vehicle ahead of the local vehicle. A predetermined range of distances may be defined to maintain an ideal distance from the vehicle ahead of the local vehicle. If the distance to the vehicle ahead of the local vehicle is too great, the local vehicle may be caused to accelerate at a predetermined rate until the distance is acceptable. If the distance to the vehicle ahead of the local vehicle is too small, the local vehicle may be caused to decelerate at a predetermined rate until the distance is acceptable.” Also see [column 3, line 57]-[column 4, line 17]).
Regarding claim 20, Mehrnia discloses the method of claim 18, wherein the leading vehicle telemetry data comprises braking data applicable to the leading vehicle (Mehrnia, see at least [column 3, lines 41-56 ] “signals 201 from a rear-oriented antenna 202 of the leader vehicle 200 are received by a receiver 204 positioned on the follower vehicle. In some embodiments, the follower vehicle is provided with a distance measuring sensor 205 electrically coupled with a processor of the follower vehicle that measures the distance to the vehicle ahead of the local vehicle. A predetermined range of distances may be defined to maintain an ideal distance from the vehicle ahead of the local vehicle. If the distance to the vehicle ahead of the local vehicle is too great, the local vehicle may be caused to accelerate at a predetermined rate until the distance is acceptable. If the distance to the vehicle ahead of the local vehicle is too small, the local vehicle may be caused to decelerate at a predetermined rate until the distance is acceptable.” Also see [column 3, line 57]-[column 4, line 17]).
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 non-obviousness.
Claims 3-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mehrnia (US. Pat. No. 11579631) in view of Oshida (US. Pub. No. 20160071418).
Regarding claim 3, Mehrnia doesn’t explicitly discloses the system of claim 2, wherein the defined activation criterion comprises an input from a user of the trailing vehicle via a user interface of the trailing vehicle.
However, Oshida does disclose wherein the defined activation criterion comprises an input from a user of the trailing vehicle via a user interface of the trailing vehicle (Oshida, see at least [0051] “The interface component 170 may include a display portion and an input portion. The interface component 170 may receive one or more user inputs from one or more users, which may include passengers, drivers, occupants, operators, etc. of a vehicle via the input portion. The input portion of the interface component 170 may enable a user, such as a driver or occupant, to interact with or provide input, such as user input, gestures, clicks, points, selections, voice commands, etc. to a system 100 for vehicle operation assistance.” Also see [0076] “the communication component 160 may transmit heart rate information obtained from the monitoring component 110, steering input information (e.g., indicative of driver input) received from the operation component 120, images or media of objects captured by the sensor component 130 or image capture unit of the sensor component 130, location information (e.g., lane level information) associated with respective objects, location history from the navigation component 140, communication logs between the vehicle and one or more other vehicles, one or more emergency response actions determined by the assist component 180, etc. In this way, the communication component 160 may enable the help center 192 to keep ‘tabs’ on the vehicle, track the status of the vehicle (e.g., location, destination, vehicle parameters, such as velocity, engine temperature, etc.), track the status of occupants of the vehicle, provide further assistance, or provide oversight when other vehicles are engaged with the vehicle, such as when a leader vehicle is ‘wirelessly towing’ the vehicle (e.g., as a follower vehicle).”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings as in Mehrnia with the teachings of Oshida. The motivation for doing so would have been to send inputs from users interface in the follower to the leader vehicle to adjust maneuver instruction of the leading vehicle, see Oshida [0051-0075].
Regarding claim 4, Mehrnia doesn’t explicitly discloses the system of claim 2, wherein the defined activation criterion comprises satisfaction of a defined traffic congestion criterion.
However, Oshida does disclose the system of claim 2, wherein the defined activation criterion comprises satisfaction of a defined traffic congestion criterion (Oshida, see at least [0023] “Examples of operation assistance may include providing an automatic lane change operating action, providing an object notification or displaying an image or media of an object, etc. In this way, the operation assistance may facilitate mitigation of traffic congestion frequently caused by objects in the roadway.” Also see [0049] “the help center 192 may provide or transmit data or changes to a route, destination, operating actions, etc. to the leader vehicle or the follower vehicle based on route information, such as a flooded road segment, traffic patterns, accidents, etc.” further see [0061] “The assist component 180 may determine one or more emergency response actions based on availability of emergency response vehicles, health conditions of a driver of a vehicle, a status of a vehicle, traffic conditions, weather, etc.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings as in Mehrnia with the teachings of Oshida. The motivation for doing so would have been to monitor the traffic congestion and assisting in enhancing the maneuvering instructions of the leading vehicle of the platoon, see Oshida [0023].
Claim 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over WANG (CN. No. 119514093) in view of Kim (US. Pub. No. 20190179339).
Regarding claim 6, Mehrnia doesn’t explicitly discloses the system of claim 1, wherein the autonomous driving component autonomously stops controlling the movement of the trailing vehicle in response to a defined deactivation criterion being determined to be satisfied.
However, Kim does disclose the system of claim 1, wherein the autonomous driving component autonomously stops controlling the movement of the trailing vehicle in response to a defined deactivation criterion being determined to be satisfied (Kim, see at least [0053] “The display 230 may be configured to output a user interface associated with platooning. The display 230 may output an indication for providing a notification of, for example, braking, a lane change, deactivation (i.e., release) of platooning, a dangerous situation (e.g., a collision), and the like.” Also see [0091] “the following vehicle FV may output an indication indicating a lane change and the deactivation of the platooning. In operation 428, the leading vehicle LV may avoid a collision by traveling to a target lane, and the following vehicle FV may avoid a collision by traveling to a lane opposite to the leading vehicle LV.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the teachings as in Mehrnia with the teachings of Kim. The motivation for doing so would have been to cause the processor to deactivate the autonomous platooning when the vehicle switches from the desired lanes or path of the leading vehicle, see Kim [0018-0020].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 10 is/are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in dependent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANWAR MOHAMED whose telephone number is (571) 272-3562. The examiner can normally be reached during the hours, 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM.
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/ANWAR MOHAMED/Examiner, Art Unit 3661
/PETER D NOLAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3661