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 .
This office action is in response to applicant’s arguments/remarks and amendments filed on 08/01/2025. Claim 1 has been amended. Claim 2 has been cancelled. Claims 3-6 have been newly added. Accordingly, claims 1, and 3-6 are currently pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 1, and 3-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. With respect to claims 1 and 6, the applicant claims “in response to determining that the target reach point is outside the forward viewing angle, the processor is further configured to: set a position where the target route and an outer edge of the forward viewing angle overlap as a target point”; said limitation is not supported in the specification. In Paragraph 0028 of the specification, the applicant discloses that “if the target point is outside the front viewing angle, the target reach point calculation unit 13 reduces the look ahead distance below a predetermined distance, and calculates (sets) the point at the time when the target point is outside the front viewing angle as the target point”. Furthermore, Paragraph 0043, Fig.5 and Fig.6, discloses that “when the target point of the vehicle 100 is outside the front viewing angle while the target reach point calculation unit 13 is searching for the target point, for example, a case is explained in which the vehicle 100 travels on a curved road. In this case, target reach point calculation unit 13 calculates the target reach point including target point P2 within a predetermined distance or a predetermined angle from the self-position of vehicle 100 by setting the look ahead distance D2 to be smaller than the predetermined distance, and corrected target point P3 which is located outside the front viewing angle and which can be tracked from the target point P2, based on the look ahead distance, and the nearest neighbor point”. Paragraph 0047 discloses that “If the target point falls outside the front viewing angle of the vehicle during the search for the target point candidate, the target reach point calculation unit 13 calculates the point at that time as the target point”. However, none of these Paragraphs discloses that ““in response to determining that the target reach point is outside the forward viewing angle, the processor is further configured to: set a position where the target route and an outer edge of the forward viewing angle overlap as a target point”.
Claims 3-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as being dependent on rejected independent claim 1 and for failing to cure the deficiencies listed above.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1 and 3-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
With respect to claims 1 and 6, the applicant claims “set a position where the target route and an outer edge of the forward viewing angle overlap as a target point”. It is not clear to the examiner how to determine or calculate the point where the target route and an outer edge of the forward viewing angle overlap. The outer edge of the forward viewing angle is not a physical element with know coordinates or a value that can be calculated, therefore, it is not clear to the examiner what parameters to use in order to calculate said target point. The metes and bounds of the claimed limitation are vague and ill-defined rendering the claim indefinite. According to the examiner’s best knowledge, the claim limitation will be treated as “calculating or setting a target reach point including a target point within a predetermined distance or a predetermined angle from the self-position of vehicle by setting the look ahead distance to be smaller than a predetermined distance, and a corrected target point which is located outside the front viewing angle and which can be tracked from the target point, based on the look ahead distance, and the nearest neighbor point”.
Claims 2-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being dependent on rejected independent claim 1 and for failing to cure the deficiencies listed above.
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 RAMI KHATIB whose telephone number is (571)270-1165. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9:00am-5:30pm.
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/RAMI KHATIB/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3669