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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
2. The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 8/14/2025, 11/05/2024, and 01/02/2024 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
3. The drawings were received on 01/02/2024. These drawings are considered by examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Claims 1-2, 6, 8-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Willis et al (US 10,999,419), hereinafter “Willis“, in view of Lizuka et al (US 2019/0251736), hereinafter “Lizuka“.
Regarding claim 1, Willis teaches an in-vehicle communication device (Fig. 2) comprising:
a communication section (Fig. 2 shows In-vehicle Computing System 109) that wirelessly communicates with a first zone control node disposed in a first zone among a plurality of divided zones in a vehicle and transmits first data to a reception device via the first zone control node (Fig. 2-3, col. 5, line 56 to col. 6, line 39); and
Willis does not explicitly teach a control section that adds, to the first data, synthesis information to be used in a case where the reception device combines the first data and another piece of data.
Lizuka, in the same field of endeavor, teaches a control section that adds, to the first data, synthesis information to be used in a case where the reception device combines the first data and another piece of data (pars [0022] [0068-0069] teach the process of combining, analyzing, and integrating information from multiple sources).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide the above teaching of Willis to Lizuka, in order to provide performing maximum intensity projection for the generated synthetic volume data is generated, in which enhance the synthetic volume image convenience of the user (as suggested by Lizuka in paragraph [0085]).
Regarding claim 2, the combination of Willis and Lizuka teach the in-vehicle communication device according to claim 1, Willis does not clearly teach wherein the communication section transmits the first data of a maximum transmission amount in one transmission opportunity in a case where an access right is acquired.
Lizuka, in the same field of endeavor, teaches wherein the communication section transmits the first data of a maximum transmission amount in one transmission opportunity in a case where an access right is acquired (pars [0097-0098], claim 16).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide the above teaching of Willis to Lizuka, in order to provide performing maximum intensity projection for the generated synthetic volume data is generated, in which enhance the synthetic volume image convenience of the user (as suggested by Lizuka in paragraph [0085]).
Regarding claim 6, the combination of Willis and Lizuka teach the in-vehicle communication device according to claim 1, Willis does not clearly teach wherein the synthesis information includes at least one of information indicating that an access control delay has occurred or information indicating a delay amount caused by the access control delay.
Lizuka, in the same field of endeavor, teaches wherein the synthesis information includes at least one of information indicating that an access control delay has occurred or information indicating a delay amount caused by the access control delay ([0045] [0068-0069] teach the process of combining, analyzing, and integrating information from multiple sources).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide the above teaching of Willis to Lizuka, in order to provide performing maximum intensity projection for the generated synthetic volume data is generated, in which enhance the synthetic volume image convenience of the user (as suggested by Lizuka in paragraph [0085]).
Regarding claim 8, Willis teaches an in-vehicle communication system (Fig. 2) comprising
a transmission device and a reception device belonging to any one of a plurality of divided zones in a vehicle (Fig. 2 shows In-vehicle Computing System 109),
wherein the transmission device includes: a communication section that performs wireless communication with a first zone control node arranged in the zone to which the transmission device belongs and transmits first data to the reception device via the first zone control node (Fig. 2-3, col. 5, line 56 to col. 6, line 39); and
Willis does not explicitly teach a control section that adds, to the first data, synthesis information to be used in a case where the reception device combines the first data and another piece of data, and the reception device includes: a communication section that performs wireless communication with a second zone control node arranged in the zone to which the reception device belongs and receives the first data from the transmission device via the second zone control node; and a control section that combines the first data and the other piece of data using the synthesis information.
Lizuka, in the same field of endeavor, teaches a control section that adds, to the first data, synthesis information to be used in a case where the reception device combines the first data and another piece of data (pars [0022] [0068-0069]), and the reception device includes: a communication section that performs wireless communication with a second zone control node arranged in the zone to which the reception device belongs and receives the first data from the transmission device via the second zone control node (pars [0022] [0068-0069]); and a control section that combines the first data and the other piece of data using the synthesis information (pars [0022] [0068-0069] teach the process of combining, analyzing, and integrating information from multiple sources).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide the above teaching of Willis to Lizuka, in order to provide performing maximum intensity projection for the generated synthetic volume data is generated, in which enhance the synthetic volume image convenience of the user (as suggested by Lizuka in paragraph [0085]).
Regarding claim 9, Willis teaches a communication method comprising:
wirelessly communicating with a first zone control node disposed in a first zone among a plurality of divided zones in a vehicle and transmitting first data to a reception device via the first zone control node (Fig. 2-3, col. 5, line 56 to col. 6, line 39); and
Willis does not explicitly teach adding, to the first data, synthesis information to be used in a case where the reception device combines the first data and another piece of data.
Lizuka, in the same field of endeavor, teaches adding, to the first data, synthesis information to be used in a case where the reception device combines the first data and another piece of data (pars [0022] [0068-0069] teach the process of combining, analyzing, and integrating information from multiple sources).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide the above teaching of Willis to Lizuka, in order to provide performing maximum intensity projection for the generated synthetic volume data is generated, in which enhance the synthetic volume image convenience of the user (as suggested by Lizuka in paragraph [0085]).
Allowable Subject Matter
7. Claims 3-5, 7 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
As to claim 3, the prior art of record fails to disclose the in-vehicle communication device according to wherein the communication section transmits the first data via a second zone control node disposed in a second zone different from the first zone to which the in-vehicle communication device belongs, and the second zone control node can wirelessly communicate with the communication section as specified in the claim.
As to claim 7, the prior art of record fails to disclose the in-vehicle communication device according to The in-vehicle communication device according to wherein the first data is data collected in the first zone, and the synthesis information includes at least one of information indicating that the first data is combined with the other piece of data collected in a second zone different from the first zone or information indicating output timing of composite data obtained by combining the first data and the other piece of data as specified in the claim.
Conclusion
8. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL T VU whose telephone number is (571)272-8131. The examiner can normally be reached on 8:00AM to 6:00PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Charles Appiah can be reached on (571-272-7904. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MICHAEL T VU/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2641
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