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 .
Status of Claims
This is the second Office Action on the merits. Claims 1-4, 6-10, 12, 14, and 16-20 are currently pending. Claims 1, 6, 7, 10, 12, and 18-19 are currently amended and Claims 5, 11, 13, and 15 are cancelled. This action is final.
Response to Amendment
The amendments filed on 06/22/2026 have been entered.
In view of the claims, Applicant’s amendments have been acknowledged.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Pages 9-14, filed 06/22/2026, with respect to Claims 1-4, 6-10, 12, 14, and 16-20 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The 35 USC 103 rejection of Claims 1-4, 6-10, 12, 14, and 16-20 has been withdrawn.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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 18-20 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.
Claim 18 recites the amended limitation “…verify the digital signature portion based on the ID code portion and a public key of the keyless-entry device; decrypt the ID code portion carried by the keyless-entry transmission using a private key of the vehicle…,” however claim 19 recites “…to verify the digital signature based on the decrypted ID code portion and a public key of the keyless-entry device…” Claim 18, as amended, requires the verification of the digital signature portion to happen before the decryption of the ID code portion. However, claim 19, which depends on claim 18, recites the opposite in which the verification of the digital signature portion is performed using the ID code after it has already been decrypted. These requirements are mutually exclusive. A person having ordinary skill in the art would not be able to ascertain with reasonable certainty when the verification is to occur relative to the decryption. Therefore, the claim is rendered indefinite. Claims 19-20 are rejected by dependency.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-4, 6-10, 12, 14, and 16-17 are allowed.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 ABIGAIL LEE ESPINOZA whose telephone number is (571)272-4889. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm ET.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Adam Mott can be reached at (571) 270-5376. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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ABIGAIL LEE ESPINOZA
Examiner
Art Unit 3657
/ADAM R MOTT/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3657
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