DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
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.
Claim(s) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more (See 2019 Update: Eligibility Guidance).
Independent Claim(s) 1 recites
determine an estimate of a remaining lifetime of the LIDAR module as a function of individual aging data representative of individual aging events for each component of the plurality of components of the LIDAR module
[Mathematical Concepts – mathematical relationships; mathematical formulas or equations or mathematical calculation] and/or [Mental Processes - concepts performed in the human mind (including an observation, evaluation, judgement, opinion)].
In combination with Independent Claim(s) 1, Claim(s) 2-20 recite(s)
provide a message indicative of the estimated remaining lifetime of the LIDAR module and/or a message indicative of the estimated remaining lifetime of the LIDAR module falling below a predefined threshold.
the remaining lifetime of the LIDAR module comprises
a remaining lifetime of the plurality of components of the LIDAR module,
and
the message indicative of the estimated remaining lifetime of the LIDAR module comprises
an estimate of the remaining lifetime of at least one component of the plurality of components.
at least one component of the one or more components has one or more aging mechanisms associated therewith,
and
the respective individual aging data associated for the at least one component are representative of the aging events related to at least one of the one or more aging mechanisms associated with that component.
estimate a remaining lifetime of the at least one component by estimating a respective partial remaining lifetime defined by each aging mechanism associated with that component,
and
selecting as remaining lifetime of the component the shortest partial remaining lifetime among the partial remaining lifetimes defined by the aging mechanisms associated with that component.
the estimated remaining lifetime of a component of the plurality of components comprises at least one of:
a first estimated remaining lifetime in case the component is operated under factory defined operating conditions;
a second estimated remaining lifetime in case the component is operated under user-defined operating conditions;
and/or
a third estimated remaining lifetime in case the component is operated under operating conditions as described by the individual aging data associated with the component.
estimate as remaining lifetime of the component the shortest remaining lifetime of the first remaining lifetime, the second remaining lifetime, and the third remaining lifetime.
estimate the remaining lifetime of the LIDAR module by estimating for each component of a subset of the plurality of components remaining lifetime of that component as a function of the individual aging data representative of individual aging events associated with that component,
and
selecting as remaining lifetime of the LIDAR module the remaining lifetime of the component having the shortest remaining lifetime among the components of the subset of components.
portions associated therewith for storing the aging data associated with that component.
portion associated with a component is related to a respective aging mechanism of the one or more aging mechanisms associated with that component.
portion associated with a component comprises
a plurality of sub-portions,
each sub-portion being associated with a respective range of a value of a parameter associated with that component.
a plurality of sub-portions,
each sub-portion being associated with a respective aging mechanism of the one or more aging mechanisms associated with the component,
each sub-portion comprises
a counter value,
receive an indication that an aging event associated with an aging mechanism of the component has occurred and to decrease the counter value of the respective sub-portion,
and
estimate the remaining lifetime of the component as a function of the counter values of the sub-portions associated with the component.
for at least one aging mechanism, at least one component has a plurality of portions associated therewith for storing the aging data associated with that aging mechanism.
receive an indication that an aging event associated with a component of the one or more components occurred,
and
record the aging event in a sub-portion associated with that component as a function of the parameter value at which the aging event occurred.
assign a second set of one or more memory portions to the component in response to a trigger event.
each sub-portion is associated with a respective threshold value for the parameter associated with the component.
receive an indication that an aging event associated with a component occurred,
and
record the aging event in a sub-portion associated with that component based on the parameter value at which the aging event occurred.
a probability of an aging event occurring at a parameter value in a first range associated with the first sub-portion is greater than a probability of an aging event occurring at a parameter value in a second range associated with the second sub-portion.
a parameter associated with a component includes two or more of:
a temperature of the component, a voltage provided at the component, a current provided at the component, an optical power passing through the component, and/or an acceleration experienced by the component
[Mathematical Concepts – mathematical relationships; mathematical formulas or equations or mathematical calculation] and/or [Mental Processes - concepts performed in the human mind (including an observation, evaluation, judgement, opinion)].
This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application. Limitations that are not indicative of integration into a practical application:
Adding the words “apply it” (or an equivalent) with the judicial exception, or mere instructions to implement an abstract idea on a computer, or merely uses a computer as a tool to perform an abstract idea (see MPEP § 2106.05(f)) (i.e. A module comprising: a plurality of components; and one or more processors configured to:; the module further comprises a memory, and each component of the plurality of components has one or more memory portions associated therewith for storing the aging data associated with that component; each memory portion associated with a component is related to a respective aging mechanism of the one or more aging mechanisms associated with that component; each memory portion associated with a component comprises a plurality of sub-portions, each sub-portion being associated with a respective range of a value of a parameter associated with that component; at least one memory portion includes a first sub-portion having a first memory size and a second sub-portion having a second memory size, the first memory size being greater than the second memory size);
Adding insignificant extra-solution activity to the judicial exception (see MPEP § 2106.05(g)) (i.e. generic data acquisition/storage/output); or
Generally linking the use of the judicial exception to a particular technological environment or field of use (MPEP § 2106.05(h)) (i.e. A LIDAR module comprising: a plurality of components; and one or more processors; the LIDAR module further comprises a memory, and each component of the plurality of components has one or more memory portions associated therewith for storing the aging data associated with that component).
The claim(s) does/do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception because looking at the additional elements as an ordered combination adds nothing that is not already present when looking at the elements taken individually. There is no indication that the combination of elements improves the functioning of a computer or improves any other technology. The additional elements simply append well-understood, routine, conventional activities previously known to the industry, specified at a high level of generality, to the judicial exception, e.g., a claim to an abstract idea requiring no more than a generic computer to perform generic computer functions that are well-understood, routine and conventional activities previously known to the industry, as discussed in Alice Corp., 134 S. Ct. at 2359-60, 110 USPQ2d at 1984 (see MPEP § 2106.05(d)) (i.e. See Alice Corp. and cited references for evidence of additional elements (i.e., generic computer structure)).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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. 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.
Claim(s) 1-5, 9-11, 13-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over SZASZ ET AL. (US 20200019152 A1) (hereinafter “SZASZ”) in view of STRASSER ET AL. (Strasser, Andreas, et al. "Enabling Live State-of-Health Monitoring for a Safety-Critical Automotive LiDAR System." 2020 IEEE Sensors Applications Symposium (SAS). IEEE, 2020.) (hereinafter “STRASSER”).
With respect to Claim(s) 1, SZASZ teaches ‘An apparatus for prediction of the residual lifetime of an electrical system includes: an input unit; a processing unit; and an output unit. The input unit provides at least one sensor data from at least one sensor to the processing unit, the at least one the sensor data including a measurement of at least one physical parameter of at least one component of an electrical system. Each sensor data is associated with a corresponding sensor and relates to a measurement of one physical parameter of a corresponding component of the electrical system. Each sensor data extends over a plurality of time windows and is assigned to a certain data class, such that sensor data at a particular time window has a value that falls into one of the data classes. For each sensor data the processing unit assigns the sensor data at each time window into a corresponding measurement window’ and the BRI of:
A module
comprising:
a plurality of components (See, e.g., ¶ ABSTRACT; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 1-4);
and
one or more processors (See, e.g., ¶ ABSTRACT; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 1-4)
configured to:
determine an estimate of a remaining lifetime of the module as a function of individual aging data representative of individual aging events for each component of the plurality of components of the module (See, e.g., ¶ ABSTRACT; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 1-4).
However, SZASZ is lacking the explicit language of:
LIDAR.
STRASSER teaches ‘Enabling Live State-of-Health Monitoring for a Safety-Critical Automotive LiDAR System’ and the BRI of:
LIDAR (See, e.g., Section(s) ABSTRACT, II, III; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 3, 6).
It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art, at the time before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify SZASZ to include LIDAR.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to modify SZASZ because it would be beneficial to improve state-of-health monitoring for a safety-critical automotive LiDAR system. Further, it would be obvious to combine prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results, simply substitute one known element for another to obtain predictable results, use known techniques to improve similar devices in the same way, and/or apply a known technique to a known device ready for improvement to yield predictable results.
With respect to Claim(s) 2, SZASZ, STRASSER teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s).
STRASSER teaches the BRI of:
LIDAR.
SZASZ further teaches the BRI of:
provide a message indicative of the estimated remaining lifetime of the module and/or a message indicative of the estimated remaining lifetime of the module falling below a predefined threshold (See, e.g., ¶ ABSTRACT; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 1-4).
With respect to Claim(s) 3, SZASZ, STRASSER teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s).
STRASSER teaches the BRI of:
LIDAR.
SZASZ further teaches the BRI of:
the remaining lifetime of the module comprises a remaining lifetime of the plurality of components of the module (See, e.g., ¶ ABSTRACT; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 1-4),
and
the message indicative of the estimated remaining lifetime of the module comprises an estimate of the remaining lifetime of at least one component of the plurality of components (See, e.g., ¶ ABSTRACT; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 1-4).
With respect to Claim(s) 4, SZASZ, STRASSER teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s).
SZASZ further teaches the BRI of:
at least one component of the one or more components has one or more aging mechanisms associated therewith (See, e.g., ¶ ABSTRACT; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 1-4),
and
the respective individual aging data associated for the at least one component are representative of the aging events related to at least one of the one or more aging mechanisms associated with that component (See, e.g., ¶ ABSTRACT; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 1-4).
With respect to Claim(s) 5, SZASZ, STRASSER teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s).
SZASZ further teaches the BRI of:
estimate a remaining lifetime of the at least one component by estimating a respective partial remaining lifetime defined by each aging mechanism associated with that component (See, e.g., ¶ ABSTRACT; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 1-4),
and
selecting as remaining lifetime of the component the shortest partial remaining lifetime among the partial remaining lifetimes defined by the aging mechanisms associated with that component (See, e.g., ¶ ABSTRACT; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 1-4).
With respect to Claim(s) 9, SZASZ, STRASSER teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s).
STRASSER further teaches the BRI of:
a memory (See, e.g., Section(s) ABSTRACT, II, III; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 3, 6),
and
each component of the plurality of components has one or more memory portions associated therewith for storing the aging data associated with that component (See, e.g., Section(s) ABSTRACT, II, III; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 3, 6).
It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art, at the time before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify SZASZ to include a memory, and each component of the plurality of components has one or more memory portions associated therewith for storing the aging data associated with that component.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to modify SZASZ because it would be beneficial to improve state-of-health monitoring for a safety-critical automotive LiDAR system. Further, it would be obvious to combine prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results, simply substitute one known element for another to obtain predictable results, use known techniques to improve similar devices in the same way, and/or apply a known technique to a known device ready for improvement to yield predictable results.
With respect to Claim(s) 10, SZASZ, STRASSER teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s).
STRASSER further teaches the BRI of:
each memory portion associated with a component is related to a respective aging mechanism of the one or more aging mechanisms associated with that component (See, e.g., Section(s) ABSTRACT, II, III; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 3, 6).
It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art, at the time before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify SZASZ to include each memory portion associated with a component is related to a respective aging mechanism of the one or more aging mechanisms associated with that component.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to modify SZASZ because it would be beneficial to improve state-of-health monitoring for a safety-critical automotive LiDAR system. Further, it would be obvious to combine prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results, simply substitute one known element for another to obtain predictable results, use known techniques to improve similar devices in the same way, and/or apply a known technique to a known device ready for improvement to yield predictable results.
With respect to Claim(s) 11, SZASZ, STRASSER teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s).
STRASSER further teaches the BRI of:
each memory portion associated with a component comprises a plurality of sub-portions, each sub-portion being associated with a respective range of a value of a parameter associated with that component (See, e.g., Section(s) ABSTRACT, II, III; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 3, 6).
It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art, at the time before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify SZASZ to include each memory portion associated with a component comprises a plurality of sub-portions, each sub-portion being associated with a respective range of a value of a parameter associated with that component.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to modify SZASZ because it would be beneficial to improve state-of-health monitoring for a safety-critical automotive LiDAR system. Further, it would be obvious to combine prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results, simply substitute one known element for another to obtain predictable results, use known techniques to improve similar devices in the same way, and/or apply a known technique to a known device ready for improvement to yield predictable results.
With respect to Claim(s) 13, SZASZ, STRASSER teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s).
STRASSER further teaches the BRI of:
for at least one aging mechanism, at least one component has a plurality of memory portions associated therewith for storing the aging data associated with that aging mechanism (See, e.g., Section(s) ABSTRACT, II, III; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 3, 6).
It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art, at the time before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify SZASZ to include for at least one aging mechanism, at least one component has a plurality of memory portions associated therewith for storing the aging data associated with that aging mechanism.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to modify SZASZ because it would be beneficial to improve state-of-health monitoring for a safety-critical automotive LiDAR system. Further, it would be obvious to combine prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results, simply substitute one known element for another to obtain predictable results, use known techniques to improve similar devices in the same way, and/or apply a known technique to a known device ready for improvement to yield predictable results.
With respect to Claim(s) 14, SZASZ, STRASSER teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s).
STRASSER further teaches the BRI of:
receive an indication that an aging event associated with a component of the one or more components occurred, and record the aging event in a sub-portion associated with that component as a function of the parameter value at which the aging event occurred (See, e.g., Section(s) ABSTRACT, II, III; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 3, 6).
It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art, at the time before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify SZASZ to include receive an indication that an aging event associated with a component of the one or more components occurred, and record the aging event in a sub-portion associated with that component as a function of the parameter value at which the aging event occurred.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to modify SZASZ because it would be beneficial to improve state-of-health monitoring for a safety-critical automotive LiDAR system. Further, it would be obvious to combine prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results, simply substitute one known element for another to obtain predictable results, use known techniques to improve similar devices in the same way, and/or apply a known technique to a known device ready for improvement to yield predictable results.
With respect to Claim(s) 15, SZASZ, STRASSER teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s).
STRASSER further teaches the BRI of:
the one or more memory portions associated with a component form a first set of memory portions, and assign a second set of one or more memory portions to the component in response to a trigger event (See, e.g., Section(s) ABSTRACT, II, III; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 3, 6).
It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art, at the time before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify SZASZ to include the one or more memory portions associated with a component form a first set of memory portions, and assign a second set of one or more memory portions to the component in response to a trigger event.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to modify SZASZ because it would be beneficial to improve state-of-health monitoring for a safety-critical automotive LiDAR system. Further, it would be obvious to combine prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results, simply substitute one known element for another to obtain predictable results, use known techniques to improve similar devices in the same way, and/or apply a known technique to a known device ready for improvement to yield predictable results.
With respect to Claim(s) 16, SZASZ, STRASSER teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s).
SZASZ further teaches the BRI of:
each sub-portion is associated with a respective threshold value for the parameter associated with the component (See, e.g., ¶ ABSTRACT; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 1-4).
With respect to Claim(s) 17, SZASZ, STRASSER teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s).
SZASZ further teaches the BRI of:
receive an indication that an aging event associated with a component occurred, and record the aging event in a sub-portion associated with that component based on the parameter value at which the aging event occurred (See, e.g., ¶ ABSTRACT; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 1-4).
With respect to Claim(s) 18, SZASZ, STRASSER teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s).
STRASSER further teaches the BRI of:
at least one memory portion includes a first sub-portion having a first memory size and a second sub-portion having a second memory size, the first memory size being greater than the second memory size (See, e.g., Section(s) ABSTRACT, II, III; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 3, 6).
It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art, at the time before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify SZASZ to include at least one memory portion includes a first sub-portion having a first memory size and a second sub-portion having a second memory size, the first memory size being greater than the second memory size.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to modify SZASZ because it would be beneficial to improve state-of-health monitoring for a safety-critical automotive LiDAR system. Further, it would be obvious to combine prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results, simply substitute one known element for another to obtain predictable results, use known techniques to improve similar devices in the same way, and/or apply a known technique to a known device ready for improvement to yield predictable results.
With respect to Claim(s) 19, SZASZ, STRASSER teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s).
SZASZ further teaches the BRI of:
a probability of an aging event occurring at a parameter value in a first range associated with the first sub-portion is greater than a probability of an aging event occurring at a parameter value in a second range associated with the second sub-portion (See, e.g., ¶ ABSTRACT; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 1-4).
With respect to Claim(s) 20, SZASZ, STRASSER teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s).
SZASZ further teaches the BRI of:
a parameter associated with a component includes two or more of:
a temperature of the component, a voltage provided at the component, a current provided at the component, an optical power passing through the component, and/or an acceleration experienced by the component (See, e.g., ¶ ABSTRACT; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 1-4).
Claim(s) 6-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the cited reference(s) of the parent claim(s) in view of LU ET AL. (CN 107894571 A) (hereinafter “LU”).
With respect to Claim(s) 6, SZASZ, STRASSER teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s).
However, SZASZ is lacking the explicit language of:
the estimated remaining lifetime of a component of the plurality of components comprises at least one of: a first estimated remaining lifetime in case the component is operated under factory defined operating conditions; a second estimated remaining lifetime in case the component is operated under user-defined operating conditions; and/or a third estimated remaining lifetime in case the component is operated under operating conditions as described by the individual aging data associated with the component.
LU teaches ‘on-vehicle battery group life estimation method’ and the BRI of:
the estimated remaining lifetime of a component of the plurality of components comprises at least one of: a first estimated remaining lifetime in case the component is operated under factory defined operating conditions; a second estimated remaining lifetime in case the component is operated under user-defined operating conditions; and/or a third estimated remaining lifetime in case the component is operated under operating conditions as described by the individual aging data associated with the component (See attached translation, e.g., Page(s) 1-9).
It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art, at the time before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify SZASZ to include the estimated remaining lifetime of a component of the plurality of components comprises at least one of: a first estimated remaining lifetime in case the component is operated under factory defined operating conditions; a second estimated remaining lifetime in case the component is operated under user-defined operating conditions; and/or a third estimated remaining lifetime in case the component is operated under operating conditions as described by the individual aging data associated with the component.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to modify SZASZ because it would be beneficial to improve estimation of component. Further, it would be obvious to combine prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results, simply substitute one known element for another to obtain predictable results, use known techniques to improve similar devices in the same way, and/or apply a known technique to a known device ready for improvement to yield predictable results.
With respect to Claim(s) 7, SZASZ, STRASSER, LU teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s).
LU further teaches the BRI of:
estimate as remaining lifetime of the component the shortest remaining lifetime of the first remaining lifetime, the second remaining lifetime, and the third remaining lifetime (See attached translation, e.g., Page(s) 1-9).
It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art, at the time before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify SZASZ to include estimate as remaining lifetime of the component the shortest remaining lifetime of the first remaining lifetime, the second remaining lifetime, and the third remaining lifetime.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to modify SZASZ because it would be beneficial to improve estimation of component. Further, it would be obvious to combine prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results, simply substitute one known element for another to obtain predictable results, use known techniques to improve similar devices in the same way, and/or apply a known technique to a known device ready for improvement to yield predictable results.
With respect to Claim(s) 8, SZASZ, STRASSER teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s).
STRASSER teaches the BRI of:
LIDAR.
SZASZ further teaches the BRI of:
estimate the remaining lifetime of the module by estimating for each component of a subset of the plurality of components remaining lifetime of that component as a function of the individual aging data representative of individual aging events associated with that component (See, e.g., ¶ ABSTRACT; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 1-4).
However, SZASZ is lacking the explicit language of:
selecting as remaining lifetime of the module the remaining lifetime of the component having the shortest remaining lifetime among the components of the subset of components.
LU teaches ‘on-vehicle battery group life estimation method’ and the BRI of:
selecting as remaining lifetime of the module the remaining lifetime of the component having the shortest remaining lifetime among the components of the subset of components (See attached translation, e.g., Page(s) 1-9).
It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art, at the time before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify SZASZ to include selecting as remaining lifetime of the module the remaining lifetime of the component having the shortest remaining lifetime among the components of the subset of components.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to modify SZASZ because it would be beneficial to improve estimation of component. Further, it would be obvious to combine prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results, simply substitute one known element for another to obtain predictable results, use known techniques to improve similar devices in the same way, and/or apply a known technique to a known device ready for improvement to yield predictable results.
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the cited reference(s) of the parent claim(s) in view of SALZIGER ET AL. (US 20160231381 A1) (hereinafter “SALZIGER”).
With respect to Claim(s) 12, SZASZ, STRASSER teaches the BRI of the parent claim(s).
STRASSER further teaches the BRI of:
at least one component has associated therewith a single memory portion, the memory portion comprises a plurality of sub-portions, each sub-portion being associated with a respective aging mechanism of the one or more aging mechanisms associated with the component (See, e.g., Section(s) ABSTRACT, II, III; See also, e.g., Fig(s). 3, 6).
It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art, at the time before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify SZASZ to include at least one component has associated therewith a single memory portion, the memory portion comprises a plurality of sub-portions, each sub-portion being associated with a respective aging mechanism of the one or more aging mechanisms associated with the component.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to modify SZASZ because it would be beneficial to improve state-of-health monitoring for a safety-critical automotive LiDAR system. Further, it would be obvious to combine prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results, simply substitute one known element for another to obtain predictable results, use known techniques to improve similar devices in the same way, and/or apply a known technique to a known device ready for improvement to yield predictable results.
However, SZASZ is lacking the explicit language of:
each sub-portion comprises
a counter value, receive an indication that an aging event associated with an aging mechanism of the component has occurred and to decrease the counter value of the respective sub-portion, and estimate the remaining lifetime of the component as a function of the counter values of the sub-portions associated with the component.
SALZIGER teaches ‘a method for determining the aging of an electronic interrupter element which is configured to open and close a power circuit. The method according to the disclosure comprises the following steps: a) initializing an aging counter NWear, b) determining the amount I of a current which flows through the electronic interrupter element upon opening the power circuit, c) determining a current-dependent aging value Nwear (I) from the amount I of the current, d) refreshing the aging counter NWear using the current-dependent aging value Nwear (I). The disclosure further relates to a computer program and to an apparatus for determining the aging of an electronic interrupter element and to a battery management system which are in particular configured to carry out the method’ and the BRI of:
a counter value, receive an indication that an aging event associated with an aging mechanism of the component has occurred and to decrease the counter value of the respective sub-portion, and estimate the remaining lifetime of the component as a function of the counter values of the sub-portions associated with the component (See, e.g., ¶ ABSTRACT).
It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art, at the time before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify SZASZ to include each sub-portion comprises a counter value, receive an indication that an aging event associated with an aging mechanism of the component has occurred and to decrease the counter value of the respective sub-portion, and estimate the remaining lifetime of the component as a function of the counter values of the sub-portions associated with the component.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to modify SZASZ because it would be beneficial to determine aging of an electronic element. Further, it would be obvious to combine prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results, simply substitute one known element for another to obtain predictable results, use known techniques to improve similar devices in the same way, and/or apply a known technique to a known device ready for improvement to yield predictable results.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RAYMOND NIMOX whose telephone number is (469)295-9226. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Thu 10am-8pm CT.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, ANDREW SCHECHTER can be reached at (571) 272-2302. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
RAYMOND NIMOX
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2857
/RAYMOND L NIMOX/Primary Examiner, Art Unit
Prosecution Insights