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 .
Status of Claims
Claims 1-7, & 9-20 of U.S. Application No. 18/596374 filed on 08/19/2026 have been examined.
Office Action is in response to the Applicant's amendments and remarks filed08/19/2026. Claims 1, 9, & 16 are presently amended, and Claim 8 is cancelled. Claims 1-7, & 9-20 are presently pending and are presented for examination.
Response to Arguments
In regards to the previous rejection under 35 U.S.C. § 101: the amendments to the claims overcome the previous rejection under 35 U.S.C. § 101. Therefore, the previous rejection under 35 U.S.C. § 101 is/are withdrawn.
In regards to the previous rejection under 35 U.S.C. § 103: Applicant argues that the prior art does not explicitly disclose the limitations “determine a control parameter including at least one of a slide movement amount of the front seat, a slide movement amount of the rear seat, a swivel direction of the front seat, or a combination thereof, based on first body information of the rear seat passenger and second body information of the user”. Applicant further argues on pages. 10-11 of the Remarks, “Applicants respectfully submit that Konrad fails to disclose or render obvious anything about determining a swivel direction of a seat based on first body information of a rear seat passenger and second body information of the user, in the manner recited in claim 1. For example, inasmuch as Konrad describes actuating the swivel actuator of the first seating assembly, Konrad fails to disclose or render obvious that such actuation is performed based on both first body information of a rear seat passenger and second body information of the user. Rather, as discussed above, Konrad merely describes actuating the swivel actuator of the first seating assembly about a vertical axis such that the first seating assembly is rotated in the counterclockwise direction toward the third seating assembly, merely to allow the occupant of the first seating assembly to more easily access a child or cargo on the third seating assembly. Accordingly, Applicants respectfully submit that at least because Konrad merely describes actuating the swivel actuator of a first seating assembly about a vertical axis such that the first seating assembly is rotated in the counterclockwise direction toward a third seating assembly to allow an occupant to have easier access to the third seating assembly, and because Konrad fails to disclose or render obvious anything about determining a swivel direction of a seat based on first body information of a rear seat passenger and second body information of the user, Konrad fails to disclose or render obvious at least instructions that, when executed by a controller, cause a seat control apparatus to " ... determine a control parameter including at least one of a slide movement amount of the front seat, a slide movement amount of the rear seat, a swivel direction of the front seat, or a combination thereof, based on first body information of the rear seat passenger and second body information of the user," and "control the front seat and the rear seat based on the control parameter ... ," as recited in claim 1.”. Examiner respectfully disagrees. Applicant is reminded claims must be given their broadest reasonable interpretation. As recited in the previous office action, Kondrad is utilized to disclose a seat control apparatus that is able to sense when a child is in need of the driver and is able to control the seat to shift to tend to the child. Kondrad discloses identifying the state of the rear seat passenger through gestures or trigger words sensed by the vehicle to start the process of shifting the seats (see at least Kondrad, para. [0099]). Further the vehicle knows that the user body information is in the driver seat/front seat that indicates the system is aware of the users body and if a child is in the rear seats through occupancy sensors (load sensors) (see at least Kondrad, para. [0087] & [0109]). Kondrad is able to tell if a user is in the first seating part and further is able to tell if there is a child in the rear seating portion and make a determination to swivel the seat to the rear seat passenger, which meets the requirements of the claim. The claim under broadest reasonable interpretation, once the body is detected, is body information, which Kondrad meets the requirements of detecting both the user and rear seat passenger body information. In view of the arguments above, the 103 rejection is maintained.
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.
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 nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1-7, & 9-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2022/0144141A1 (“Kondrad”), in view of US 2020/0207358A1 (“Katz”).
As per claim 1 Kondrad discloses
A seat control apparatus (see at least Kondrad, para. [0085]: For example, users that have access to one of the user interfaces 120 that are external to the vehicle 100 can be provided with the freedom to adjust the components of the vehicle 100 that are communicatively coupled to the controller 104 without necessarily currently occupying the vehicle 100, while allowing other users that do not have access to the user interfaces 120 that are external to the vehicle 100 to operate the user interface 120 that is on-board the vehicle 100 (e.g., users without a personal smartphone).), comprising:
a sensor part (see at least Kondrad, para. [0087]: For example, some of the sensors and/or data sources may include an imager 132, a rail sensor 136, an optical sensor, an infrared sensor, a force sensor (e.g., a load cell), and/or machine learning, as will be discussed in further detail herein.);
a driving part (see at least Kondrad, para. [0088]: In some examples, the track sensor 160 may be utilized as the authorization sensor 164. Actuators that may be provided on the seating assemblies 124 positioned in the first row 144 and the second row 148 may include, but are not limited to, a seatback actuator 168, a seat actuator 172, a lower leg support actuator 176, a swivel actuator 180, and/or a translation actuator 184.);
an output part (see at least Kondrad, para. [0126]: The transition from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement 400 may be initiated by the prompt 396 to transition from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement 400.);
a memory configured to store one or more instructions (see at least Kondrad, para. [0085]: The controller 104 includes a microprocessor108 and memory 112. The memory 112 stores programmed software routines 116 that are executable by the microprocessor 108 and utilized to process signals and inputs and to move or adjust components of the vehicle 100 (e.g., positions of various actuators, comfort settings for users, climate settings for users, and so on).); and
a controller operatively connected to the sensor part, the driving part, and the memory (see at least Kondrad, para. [0085]: The controller 104 includes a microprocessor108 and memory 112. The memory 112 stores programmed software routines 116 that are executable by the microprocessor 108 and utilized to process signals and inputs and to move or adjust components of the vehicle 100 (e.g., positions of various actuators, comfort settings for users, climate settings for users, and so on).),
wherein the instructions, when executed by the controller, cause the seat control apparatus to when it is identified by using the sensor part that a rear seat passenger is seated on a rear seat (see at least Kondrad, para. [0109]: the controller 104 may reference the occupancy sensor 156 of the first seating assembly 332 to determine whether the first seating assembly 332 is presently occupied. Of course, upon a determination by the controller 104 that the first seating assembly 332 is occupied, then the optional step 484A of actuating the seat 204 of the first seating assembly 332 toward the upwardly-stowed position may be omitted as such an adjustment is likely to be challenging while the first seating assembly 332 is occupied. In step 484B, the controller 104 activates the translation actuator 184 of the first seating assembly 332 to actuate the first seating assembly 332 along the rail system 316 in the vehicle-rearward direction.),
identify a state of the rear seat passenger (see at least Kondrad, para. [0099]: Transitioning to the child care arrangement may be accomplished by interaction with the user interface 120 by the occupant of the first seating assembly332. In some examples, the transition to the child care arrangement may be initiated by an occupant of the passenger compartment 140 uttering a trigger word, phrase, or gesture. The trigger word, phrase, or gesture may be preprogrammed into the controller 104 or customized by a user. For example, the trigger word, phrase, or gesture can include, but is not limited to, “help”, “mom”, “dad”, “I dropped”, “oh no”, “child care arrangement”, “slide back”, and so on. In general, the trigger word, phrase, or gesture may be a recognized, programmed, or saved signal that can be communicated verbally or visually.),
determine a control parameter including at least one of a slide movement amount of the front seat, a slide movement amount of the rear seat, a swivel direction of the front seat, or a combination thereof, based on first body information of the rear seat passenger and second body information of the user (see at least Kondrad, para. [0099]: Referring again to FIG. 9, in some examples, the swivel assembly 260 of the first seating assembly 332 may be actuated by the swivel actuator 180 of the first seating assembly 332 about the vertical axis 268 such that the first seating assembly 332 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction toward the third seating assembly 340. Such an actuation of the swivel assembly 260 of the first seating assembly 332 may further enable an occupant of the first seating assembly 332 to access an occupant of the third seating assembly 340 and/or cargo positioned rearward of the fourth seating assembly 344. As with the other exemplary arrangements depicted herein, the present depiction of the child care arrangement is intended to be exemplary in nature and not limiting. Accordingly, the childcare arrangement may be accomplished utilizing others of the seating assemblies 124 without departing from the concepts disclosed herein. Therefore, the child care arrangement may be defined as a vehicle-forward one of the seating assemblies 124 being actuated along the rail system 316 in a vehicle-rearward direction such that the vehicle-forward one of the seating assemblies 124 is positioned proximate to a vehicle-rearward one of the seating assemblies 124, with the vehicle-rearward one of the seating assemblies 124 having the seat 204 thereof optionally positioned in the upwardly-stowed position. ), and
provide the user with seat control information including the determined control parameter (see at least Kondrad, para. [0103]: In various examples, the prompt 356 may take the form of a request signal transmitted by the user interface 120 to the controller 104. As described above, the user interface 120 may be an on-board component of the vehicle 100 or a component that is external to the vehicle 100. Regardless of the positioning or arrangement of the user interface 120, the prompt 356may take the form of a request signal communicated to the controller 104 by the user interface 120.The request signals transmitted from the user interface 120 to the controller 104 may be actively chosen by the user (e.g., actively selecting a given arrangement of the passenger compartment 140)or may be passively selected by the user (e.g., selected based upon a number of occupants and/or an intended destination of the vehicle 100).) and
a predicted control result for the front seat and the rear seat by using the output part (see at least Kondrad, para. [0126]: The transition from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement 400 may be initiated by the prompt 396 to transition from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement400. Transitioning the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 from the child care arrangement to the child seat arrangement includes step 632 of actuating the first seating assembly332 in a vehicle-forward direction along the rail system 316.); and
control the front seat and the rear seat based on the control parameter by using the driving part when receiving an approval input corresponding to the seat control information from the user (see at least Kondrad, para. [0127]: Upon completion of the transition of the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 from the arrangement to the seat arrangement and/or the predetermined idle time 644 having elapsed, the user may be presented with decision point 648 where the user is prompted as to whether they would like to return to the arrangement. In the event that the user elects to not return to the arrangement, the process may exit at step 652 such that the user will not be prompted again to exit the seat arrangement…In such an example, the election of the user to return to the arrangement at decision point 648may be treated as a prompt 656 or request signal communicated to the controller 104. In returning to the arrangement from the seat arrangement, the second seating assembly 336 can be rotated counterclockwise by about ninety degrees (90°) such that the second seating assembly 336 is oriented in the forward-facing orientation at step 660. Additionally, in transitioning the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 back to the arrangement, step 664 actuates the seat 204of the second seating assembly 336 to the upwardly-stowed position. Finally, step 668 of actuating the first seating assembly 332 in a vehicle-rearward direction along the rail system 316 may complete the transition from the arrangement to the arrangement.).
However Kondrad does not explicitly disclose
identify whether a state of the rear seat passenger corresponds to a first specified state,
when the rear seat passenger seated on the rear seat is in the first specified state, identify whether a state of a user seated on a front seat corresponds to a second specified state indicative of carelessness of the user,
when the user is in the second specified state, determine a control parameter.
Katz teaches
wherein the instructions, when executed by the controller, cause the seat control apparatus to when it is identified by using the sensor part that a rear seat passenger is seated on a rear seat (see at least Katz, para. [0043]: Machine learning components can be used to detect one or more person, person recognition/age/gender, person ethnicity, person height, person weight, pregnancy state, posture, out-of-position (e.g. legs up, lying down, etc.), seat validity (availability of seatbelt), person skeleton posture, seat belt fitting, an object, animal presence in the vehicle, one or more objects in the vehicle, learning the vehicle interior, an anomaly, child/baby seat in the vehicle, number of persons in the vehicle, too many persons in a vehicle (e.g. 4 children in rear seat, while only 3 allowed), person sitting on other person's lap.),
identify whether a state of the rear seat passenger corresponds to a first specified state (see at least Katz, para. [0073]: By way of illustration, events taking place in the vehicle, the attention of a driver towards a passenger, passengers (e.g., children) asking for attention, events recently occurring in relation to device(s) of the driver/user (e.g., received SMS, voice, video message, etc. notifications) can indicate a possible change of attention of the driver (e.g., towards the device).),
when the rear seat passenger seated on the rear seat is in the first specified state, identify whether a state of a user seated on a front seat corresponds to a second specified state indicative of carelessness of the user (see at least Katz, para. [0074]: Accordingly, as described herein, the disclosed technologies can be configured to determine a required/suggested attention/ attentiveness level (e.g., via a neural network and/or utilizing one or more machine learning techniques), and an alert to be provided to the driver, and/or action(s) to be initiated (e.g., an autonomous driving system takes control of the vehicle). In certain implementations, such determinations or operations can be computed or initiated based on/in view of aspects such as: state(s) associated with the driver (e.g., driver attentiveness state, physiological state, emotional state, etc.),),
when the user is in the second specified state, determine a control parameter (see at least Katz, para. [0074]: Accordingly, as described herein, the disclosed technologies can be configured to determine a required/suggested attention/attentiveness level (e.g., via a neural network and/or utilizing one or more machine learning techniques), and an alert to be provided to the driver, and/or action(s) to be initiated (e.g., an autonomous driving system takes control of the vehicle). In certain implementations, such determinations or operations can be computed or initiated based on/in view of aspects such as: state(s) associated with the driver (e.g., driver attentiveness state, physiological state, emotional state, etc.),).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kondrad to incorporate the teaching of identify whether a state of the rear seat passenger corresponds to a first specified state, when the rear seat passenger seated on the rear seat is in the first specified state, identify whether a state of a user seated on a front seat corresponds to a second specified state indicative of carelessness of the user, when the user is in the second specified state, determine a control parameter of Katz, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to provide improvements to driver monitoring (see at least Katz, para. [0015-0016])
As per claim 2 Kondrad discloses
wherein the instructions, when executed by the controller, cause the seat control apparatus to: identify that the state of the rear seat passenger corresponds to the first specified state when it is identified that care is required for the rear seat passenger based on information on a feeling state of the rear seat passenger acquired by using the sensor part (see at least Kondrad, para. [0099]: Transitioning to the child care arrangement may be accomplished by interaction with the user interface 120 by the occupant of the first seating assembly332. In some examples, the transition to the child care arrangement may be initiated by an occupant of the passenger compartment 140 uttering a trigger word, phrase, or gesture. The trigger word, phrase, or gesture may be preprogrammed into the controller 104 or customized by a user. For example, the trigger word, phrase, or gesture can include, but is not limited to, “help”, “mom”, “dad”, “I dropped”, “oh no”, “child care arrangement”, “slide back”, and so on. In general, the trigger word, phrase, or gesture may be a recognized, programmed, or saved signal that can be communicated verbally or visually).
As per claim 3 Kondrad discloses
wherein the instructions, when executed by the controller, cause the seat control apparatus to: identify that the state of the rear seat passenger corresponds to the first specified state when it is identified that the rear seat passenger is a child of a specific age or less based on the first body information of the rear seat passenger acquired by using the sensor part (see at least Kondrad, para. [0161]: In some examples, the method 1472 includes processing the images collected of the prospective user and identifying the first user carrying the second user. In various examples, the method 1472 includes processing the images collected of the prospective user and identifying the first user holding a hand of the second user. In some examples, the step of processing the images collected of the prospective user can include estimating a height of the second user and inferring an age of the second user based upon the height by referencing a database…actuating the seat 204 of the second seating assembly 336 to the upwardly-stowed position, and actuating the second seating assembly 336 toward the forward extreme of the rail system 316.).
As per claim 4 Kondrad does not explicitly disclose
identify that the state of the user corresponds to the second specified state when it is identified that the user is in a carelessness state based on gaze information of the user acquired by using the sensor part.
Katz teaches
identify that the state of the user corresponds to the second specified state when it is identified that the user is in a carelessness state based on gaze information of the user acquired by using the sensor part (see at least Katz, para. [0072]: Additionally, in certain implementations the described technologies can utilize or account for various phenomena exhibited by the driver in determining the driver awareness (e.g., via a neural network and/or utilizing one or more machine learning techniques). For example, in certain implementations various physiological phenomena can be accounted for such as the motion of the head of the driver, the gaze of the eyes of the driver, feature(s) exhibited by the eyes or eyelids of the driver, the direction of the gaze of the driver (e.g., whether the driver is looking towards the road),whether the driver is bored or daydreaming, the posture of the driver, etc. para. [0074]: Accordingly, as described herein, the disclosed technologies can be configured to determine a required/suggested attention/ attentiveness level (e.g., via a neural network and/or utilizing one or more machine learning techniques), and an alert to be provided to the driver, and/or action(s) to be initiated (e.g., an autonomous driving system takes control of the vehicle). In certain implementations, such determinations or operations can be computed or initiated based on/in view of aspects such as: state(s) associated with the driver (e.g., driver attentiveness state, physiological state, emotional state, etc.),).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kondrad to incorporate the teaching of identify that the state of the user corresponds to the second specified state when it is identified that the user is in a carelessness state based on gaze information of the user acquired by using the sensor part of Katz, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to provide improvements to driver monitoring (see at least Katz, para. [0015-0016]).
As per claim 5 Kondrad does not explicitly disclose
acquire driving information on a driving environment of a host vehicle; and
determine the control parameter when it is identified that an autonomous driving control for the host vehicle is possible based on the driving information.
Katz teaches
acquire driving information on a driving environment of a host vehicle (see at least Katz, para. [0059]: Objects, such as may be referred to herein as ‘first object(s),’ ‘second object(s),’ etc., can include road signs, traffic lights, moving vehicles, stopped vehicles, stopped vehicles on the side of the road, vehicles approaching a cross section or square, humans or animals walking/standing on the sidewalk or on the road or crossing the road, bicycle riders, a vehicle whose door is opened, a car stopped on the side of the road, a human walking or running along the road, a human working or standing on the road and/or signing (e.g. police officer or traffic related worker), a vehicle stopping, redlights of vehicle in the field of view of the driver, objects next to or on the road, landmarks, buildings, advertisements, objects that signal to the driver (such as that the lane is closed, cones located on the road, blinking lights etc.)…In certain implementations, the described technologies can be deployed as a driver assistance system. Such a system can be configured to detect the awareness of a driver and can further initiate various action(s) using information associated with various environmental/driving conditions.); and
determine the control parameter when it is identified that an autonomous driving control for the host vehicle is possible based on the driving information (see at least Katz, para. [0060]: In certain implementations, the described technologies can be deployed as a driver assistance system. Such a system can be configured to detect the awareness of a driver and can further initiate various action(s) using information associated with various environmental/driving conditions. & para. [0074]: Accordingly, as described herein, the disclosed technologies can be configured to determine a required/suggested attention/attentiveness level (e.g., via a neural network and/or utilizing one or more machine learning techniques), and an alert to be provided to the driver, and/or action(s) to be initiated (e.g., an autonomous driving system takes control of the vehicle). In certain implementations, such determinations or operations can be computed or initiated based on/in para. [0110]: At operation 460, one or more action(s) can be initiated. In certain implementations, such actions can be initiated based on/in view of the state of the driver (e.g., as determined at 420) and/or the driver attentiveness threshold (e.g., as computed at 450). Actions can include changing parameters related to the vehicle or to the driving, such as: controlling a car's lights (e.g., turn on/off the bright headlights of the vehicle, turn on/off the warning lights or turn signal(s) of the vehicle, reduce/increase the speed of the vehicle).).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kondrad to incorporate the teaching of acquire driving information on a driving environment of a host vehicle; and determine the control parameter when it is identified that an autonomous driving control for the host vehicle is possible based on the driving information of Katz, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to provide improvements to driver monitoring (see at least Katz, para. [0015-0016]).
As per claim 6 Kondrad discloses
wherein the instructions, when executed by the controller, cause the seat control apparatus to: determine a first slide movement amount of the rear seat based on the first body information acquired by using the sensor part (see at least Kondrad, para. [0161]: In some examples, the method 1472 includes processing the images collected of the prospective user and identifying the first user carrying the second user. In various examples, the method 1472 includes processing the images collected of the prospective user and identifying the first user holding a hand of the second user. In some examples, the step of processing the images collected of the prospective user can include estimating a height of the second user and inferring an age of the second user based upon the height by referencing a database…actuating the seat 204 of the second seating assembly 336 to the upwardly-stowed position, and actuating the second seating assembly 336 toward the forward extreme of the rail system 316.); and
determine at least one of a second slide movement amount of the front seat, a movement amount of a steering wheel, or a combination thereof, based on the second body information stored in the memory (see at least Kondrad, para. [0161]: In some examples, the method 1472 includes processing the images collected of the prospective user and identifying the first user carrying the second user. In various examples, the method 1472 includes processing the images collected of the prospective user and identifying the first user holding a hand of the second user….In some examples, the method 1472 can include processing the images collected of the prospective user, identifying a cargo item in the possession of the prospective user, actuating the seat 204 of the first seating assembly 332 to the upwardly-stowed position, actuating the first seating assembly 332 toward the forward extreme of the rail system 316…).
As per claim 7 Kondrad discloses
wherein the instructions, when executed by the controller, cause the seat control apparatus to: identify information including at least one of a seating location, a seating posture, a seating direction, a volume of the rear seat passenger, or a combination thereof, based on the first body information; and determine the swivel direction of the front seat based on the identified information (see at least Kondrad, para. [0161]: In various examples, the database may be stored within the memory 112 of the controller 104. In some examples, the method1472 can include processing the images collected of the prospective user, identifying a cargo item in the possession of the prospective user, actuating the seat 204 of the first seating assembly 332 to the upwardly-stowed position, actuating the first seating assembly 332 toward the forward extreme of the rail system 316, actuating the seat 204 of the second seating assembly 336 to the upwardly-stowed position, and actuating the second seating assembly 336 toward the forward extreme of the rail system 316. In various examples, the cargo item in the possession of the prospective user is identified as one or more bags carried by the prospective user. In some examples, the method 1472 includes processing the images collected of the prospective user and identifying the prospective user as comprising a plurality of occupants. In various examples, the method 1472 includes actuating the seat 204 of the second seating assembly 336 to the upwardly-stowed position and actuating the second seating assembly 336 in the vehicle-forward direction along the rail system 316. In some examples, the method 1472 includes rotating the first seating assembly 332 about the vertical axis 268 thereof to place the first seating assembly 332 in the rearward-facing orientation.).
As per claim 9 Kondrad discloses
A seat control method (see at least Kondrad, para. [0148]: Referring to FIG. 37, a method 1220 of adjusting the passenger compartment 140 arrangement of the vehicle 100 includes step 1224 of receiving a request from the user interface 120 to transition an arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 of the vehicle 100 from the first arrangement 392to the second arrangement 400.), comprising:
identifying, by a controller, whether a state of a rear seat passenger corresponds to a first specified state when it is identified by using a sensor part that the rear seat passenger is seated on a rear seat (see at least Kondrad, para. [0099]: Transitioning to the child care arrangement may be accomplished by interaction with the user interface 120 by the occupant of the first seating assembly332. In some examples, the transition to the child care arrangement may be initiated by an occupant of the passenger compartment 140 uttering a trigger word, phrase, or gesture. The trigger word, phrase, or gesture may be preprogrammed into the controller 104 or customized by a user. For example, the trigger word, phrase, or gesture can include, but is not limited to, “help”, “mom”, “dad”, “I dropped”, “oh no”, “child care arrangement”, “slide back”, and so on. In general, the trigger word, phrase, or gesture may be a recognized, programmed, or saved signal that can be communicated verbally or visually. para. [0109]: the controller 104 may reference the occupancy sensor 156 of the first seating assembly 332 to determine whether the first seating assembly 332 is presently occupied. Of course, upon a determination by the controller 104 that the first seating assembly 332 is occupied, then the optional step 484A of actuating the seat 204 of the first seating assembly 332 toward the upwardly-stowed position may be omitted as such an adjustment is likely to be challenging while the first seating assembly 332 is occupied. In step 484B, the controller 104 activates the translation actuator 184 of the first seating assembly 332 to actuate the first seating assembly 332 along the rail system 316 in the vehicle-rearward direction.);
determining, by the controller, a control parameter including at least one of a slide movement amount of the front seat, a slide movement amount of the rear seat, a swivel direction of the front seat, or a combination thereof, based on first body information of the rear seat passenger and second body information of the user when the user is in the second specified state (see at least Kondrad, para. [0099]: Referring again to FIG. 9, in some examples, the swivel assembly 260 of the first seating assembly 332 may be actuated by the swivel actuator 180 of the first seating assembly 332 about the vertical axis 268 such that the first seating assembly 332 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction toward the third seating assembly 340. Such an actuation of the swivel assembly 260 of the first seating assembly 332 may further enable an occupant of the first seating assembly 332 to access an occupant of the third seating assembly 340 and/or cargo positioned rearward of the fourth seating assembly 344. As with the other exemplary arrangements depicted herein, the present depiction of the child care arrangement is intended to be exemplary in nature and not limiting. Accordingly, the childcare arrangement may be accomplished utilizing others of the seating assemblies 124 without departing from the concepts disclosed herein. Therefore, the child care arrangement may be defined as a vehicle-forward one of the seating assemblies 124 being actuated along the rail system 316 in a vehicle-rearward direction such that the vehicle-forward one of the seating assemblies 124 is positioned proximate to a vehicle-rearward one of the seating assemblies 124, with the vehicle-rearward one of the seating assemblies 124 having the seat 204 thereof optionally positioned in the upwardly-stowed position. ); and
providing, by the controller, the user with seat control information including the determined control parameter (see at least Kondrad, para. [0103]: In various examples, the prompt 356 may take the form of a request signal transmitted by the user interface 120 to the controller 104. As described above, the user interface 120 may be an on-board component of the vehicle 100 or a component that is external to the vehicle 100. Regardless of the positioning or arrangement of the user interface 120, the prompt 356may take the form of a request signal communicated to the controller 104 by the user interface 120.The request signals transmitted from the user interface 120 to the controller 104 may be actively chosen by the user (e.g., actively selecting a given arrangement of the passenger compartment 140)or may be passively selected by the user (e.g., selected based upon a number of occupants and/or an intended destination of the vehicle 100).) and
a predicted control result for the front seat and the rear seat by using an output part (see at least Kondrad, para. [0126]: The transition from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement 400 may be initiated by the prompt 396 to transition from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement400. Transitioning the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 from the child care arrangement to the child seat arrangement includes step 632 of actuating the first seating assembly332 in a vehicle-forward direction along the rail system 316.); and
controlling, by the controller, the front seat and the rear seat based on the control parameter by using the driving part when receiving an approval input corresponding to the seat control information from the user (see at least Kondrad, para. [0127]: Upon completion of the transition of the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 from the arrangement to the seat arrangement and/or the predetermined idle time 644 having elapsed, the user may be presented with decision point 648 where the user is prompted as to whether they would like to return to the arrangement. In the event that the user elects to not return to the arrangement, the process may exit at step 652 such that the user will not be prompted again to exit the seat arrangement…In such an example, the election of the user to return to the arrangement at decision point 648may be treated as a prompt 656 or request signal communicated to the controller 104. In returning to the arrangement from the seat arrangement, the second seating assembly 336 can be rotated counterclockwise by about ninety degrees (90°) such that the second seating assembly 336 is oriented in the forward-facing orientation at step 660. Additionally, in transitioning the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 back to the arrangement, step 664 actuates the seat 204of the second seating assembly 336 to the upwardly-stowed position. Finally, step 668 of actuating the first seating assembly 332 in a vehicle-rearward direction along the rail system 316 may complete the transition from the arrangement to the arrangement.).
However Kondrad does not explicitly disclose
identifying, by the controller, whether a state of a user seated on a front seat corresponds to a second specified state indicative of carelessness of the user when the rear seat passenger seated on the rear seat is in the first specified state;
determining, by the controller, a control parameter when the user is in the second specified state.
Katz teaches
identifying, by a controller, whether a state of a rear seat passenger corresponds to a first specified state when it is identified by using a sensor part that the rear seat passenger is seated on a rear seat (see at least Katz, para. [0073]: By way of illustration, events taking place in the vehicle, the attention of a driver towards a passenger, passengers (e.g., children) asking for attention, events recently occurring in relation to device(s) of the driver/user (e.g., received SMS, voice, video message, etc. notifications) can indicate a possible change of attention of the driver (e.g., towards the device).),
identifying, by the controller, whether a state of a user seated on a front seat corresponds to a second specified state indicative of carelessness of the user when the rear seat passenger seated on the rear seat is in the first specified state (see at least Katz, para. [0074]: Accordingly, as described herein, the disclosed technologies can be configured to determine a required/suggested attention/ attentiveness level (e.g., via a neural network and/or utilizing one or more machine learning techniques), and an alert to be provided to the driver, and/or action(s) to be initiated (e.g., an autonomous driving system takes control of the vehicle). In certain implementations, such determinations or operations can be computed or initiated based on/in view of aspects such as: state(s) associated with the driver (e.g., driver attentiveness state, physiological state, emotional state, etc.),);
determining, by the controller, a control parameter when the user is in the second specified state (see at least Katz, para. [0074]: Accordingly, as described herein, the disclosed technologies can be configured to determine a required/suggested attention/attentiveness level (e.g., via a neural network and/or utilizing one or more machine learning techniques), and an alert to be provided to the driver, and/or action(s) to be initiated (e.g., an autonomous driving system takes control of the vehicle). In certain implementations, such determinations or operations can be computed or initiated based on/in view of aspects such as: state(s) associated with the driver (e.g., driver attentiveness state, physiological state, emotional state, etc.),).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kondrad to incorporate the teaching of identifying, by the controller, whether a state of a user seated on a front seat corresponds to a second specified state indicative of carelessness of the user when the rear seat passenger seated on the rear seat is in the first specified state; determining, by the controller, a control parameter when the user is in the second specified state of Katz, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to provide improvements to driver monitoring (see at least Katz, para. [0015-0016])
As per claim 10 Kondrad discloses
wherein identifying whether the state of the rear seat passenger corresponds to the first specified state when it is identified by using the sensor part that the rear seat passenger is seated on the rear seat includes: identifying, by the controller, that the state of the rear seat passenger corresponds to the first specified state when it is identified that care is required for the rear seat passenger based on information on a feeling state of the rear seat passenger acquired by using the sensor part (see at least Kondrad, para. [0099]: Transitioning to the child care arrangement may be accomplished by interaction with the user interface 120 by the occupant of the first seating assembly332. In some examples, the transition to the child care arrangement may be initiated by an occupant of the passenger compartment 140 uttering a trigger word, phrase, or gesture. The trigger word, phrase, or gesture may be preprogrammed into the controller 104 or customized by a user. For example, the trigger word, phrase, or gesture can include, but is not limited to, “help”, “mom”, “dad”, “I dropped”, “oh no”, “child care arrangement”, “slide back”, and so on. In general, the trigger word, phrase, or gesture may be a recognized, programmed, or saved signal that can be communicated verbally or visually.).
As per claim 11 Kondrad discloses
wherein identifying whether the state of the rear seat passenger corresponds to the first specified state when it is identified by using the sensor part whether the rear seat passenger is seated on the rear seat includes: identifying, by the controller, that the state of the rear seat passenger corresponds to the first specified state when it is identified that the rear seat passenger is a child of a specific age or less based on the first body information of the rear seat passenger acquired by using the sensor part (see at least Kondrad, para. [0161]: In some examples, the method 1472 includes processing the images collected of the prospective user and identifying the first user carrying the second user. In various examples, the method 1472 includes processing the images collected of the prospective user and identifying the first user holding a hand of the second user. In some examples, the step of processing the images collected of the prospective user can include estimating a height of the second user and inferring an age of the second user based upon the height by referencing a database…actuating the seat 204 of the second seating assembly 336 to the upwardly-stowed position, and actuating the second seating assembly 336 toward the forward extreme of the rail system 316.).
As per claim 12 Kondrad does not explicitly disclose
wherein identifying whether the state of the user seated on the front seat corresponds to the second specified state indicative of carelessness includes: identifying, by the controller, that the state of the user corresponds to the second specified state when it is identified that the user is in a carelessness state based on gaze information of the user acquired by using the sensor part.
Katz teaches
wherein identifying whether the state of the user seated on the front seat corresponds to the second specified state indicative of carelessness includes: identifying, by the controller, that the state of the user corresponds to the second specified state when it is identified that the user is in a carelessness state based on gaze information of the user acquired by using the sensor part (see at least Katz, para. [0072]: Additionally, in certain implementations the described technologies can utilize or account for various phenomena exhibited by the driver in determining the driver awareness (e.g., via a neural network and/or utilizing one or more machine learning techniques). For example, in certain implementations various physiological phenomena can be accounted for such as the motion of the head of the driver, the gaze of the eyes of the driver, feature(s) exhibited by the eyes or eyelids of the driver, the direction of the gaze of the driver (e.g., whether the driver is looking towards the road),whether the driver is bored or daydreaming, the posture of the driver, etc. para. [0074]: Accordingly, as described herein, the disclosed technologies can be configured to determine a required/suggested attention/ attentiveness level (e.g., via a neural network and/or utilizing one or more machine learning techniques), and an alert to be provided to the driver, and/or action(s) to be initiated (e.g., an autonomous driving system takes control of the vehicle). In certain implementations, such determinations or operations can be computed or initiated based on/in view of aspects such as: state(s) associated with the driver (e.g., driver attentiveness state, physiological state, emotional state, etc.),).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kondrad to incorporate the teaching of wherein identifying whether the state of the user seated on the front seat corresponds to the second specified state indicative of carelessness includes: identifying, by the controller, that the state of the user corresponds to the second specified state when it is identified that the user is in a carelessness state based on gaze information of the user acquired by using the sensor part of Katz, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to provide improvements to driver monitoring (see at least Katz, para. [0015-0016]).
As per claim 13 Kondrad does not explicitly disclose
acquiring, by the controller, driving information on a driving environment of a host vehicle; and
determining, by the controller, the control parameter when identifying based on the driving information that an autonomous driving control for the host vehicle is allowed.
Katz teaches
acquiring, by the controller, driving information on a driving environment of a host vehicle (see at least Katz, para. [0059]: Objects, such as may be referred to herein as ‘first object(s),’ ‘second object(s),’ etc., can include road signs, traffic lights, moving vehicles, stopped vehicles, stopped vehicles on the side of the road, vehicles approaching a cross section or square, humans or animals walking/standing on the sidewalk or on the road or crossing the road, bicycle riders, a vehicle whose door is opened, a car stopped on the side of the road, a human walking or running along the road, a human working or standing on the road and/or signing (e.g. police officer or traffic related worker), a vehicle stopping, redlights of vehicle in the field of view of the driver, objects next to or on the road, landmarks, buildings, advertisements, objects that signal to the driver (such as that the lane is closed, cones located on the road, blinking lights etc.)…In certain implementations, the described technologies can be deployed as a driver assistance system. Such a system can be configured to detect the awareness of a driver and can further initiate various action(s) using information associated with various environmental/driving conditions.); and
determining, by the controller, the control parameter when identifying based on the driving information that an autonomous driving control for the host vehicle is allowed (see at least Katz, para. [0060]: In certain implementations, the described technologies can be deployed as a driver assistance system. Such a system can be configured to detect the awareness of a driver and can further initiate various action(s) using information associated with various environmental/driving conditions. & para. [0074]: Accordingly, as described herein, the disclosed technologies can be configured to determine a required/suggested attention/ attentiveness level (e.g., via a neural network and/or utilizing one or more machine learning techniques), and an alert to be provided to the driver, and/or action(s) to be initiated (e.g., an autonomous driving system takes control of the vehicle). In certain implementations, such determinations or operations can be computed or initiated based on/in para. [0110]: At operation 460, one or more action(s) can be initiated. In certain implementations, such actions can be initiated based on/in view of the state of the driver (e.g., as determined at 420) and/or the driver attentiveness threshold (e.g., as computed at 450). Actions can include changing parameters related to the vehicle or to the driving, such as: controlling a car's lights (e.g., turn on/off the bright headlights of the vehicle, turn on/off the warning lights or turn signal(s) of the vehicle, reduce/increase the speed of the vehicle).).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kondrad to incorporate the teaching of acquiring, by the controller, driving information on a driving environment of a host vehicle; and determining, by the controller, the control parameter when identifying based on the driving information that an autonomous driving control for the host vehicle is allowed of Katz, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to provide improvements to driver monitoring (see at least Katz, para. [0015-0016]).
As per claim 14 Kondrad discloses
wherein determining the control parameter includes: determining, by the controller, a first slide movement amount of the rear seat based on the first body information acquired by using the sensor part (see at least Kondrad, para. [0161]: In some examples, the method 1472 includes processing the images collected of the prospective user and identifying the first user carrying the second user. In various examples, the method 1472 includes processing the images collected of the prospective user and identifying the first user holding a hand of the second user. In some examples, the step of processing the images collected of the prospective user can include estimating a height of the second user and inferring an age of the second user based upon the height by referencing a database…actuating the seat 204 of the second seating assembly 336 to the upwardly-stowed position, and actuating the second seating assembly 336 toward the forward extreme of the rail system 316.); and
determining, by the controller, at least one of a second slide movement amount of the front seat, a movement amount of a steering wheel, or a combination thereof, based on the second body information stored in a memory (see at least Kondrad, para. [0161]: In some examples, the method 1472 includes processing the images collected of the prospective user and identifying the first user carrying the second user. In various examples, the method 1472 includes processing the images collected of the prospective user and identifying the first user holding a hand of the second user….In some examples, the method 1472 can include processing the images collected of the prospective user, identifying a cargo item in the possession of the prospective user, actuating the seat 204 of the first seating assembly 332 to the upwardly-stowed position, actuating the first seating assembly 332 toward the forward extreme of the rail system 316…).
As per claim 15 Kondrad discloses
wherein determining the control parameter includes: identifying, by the controller, information including at least one of a seating location, a seating posture, a seating direction, a volume of the rear seat passenger, or a combination thereof, based on the first body information; and determining, by the controller, the swivel direction of the front seat based on the identified information (see at least Kondrad, para. [0161]: In various examples, the database may be stored within the memory 112 of the controller 104. In some examples, the method1472 can include processing the images collected of the prospective user, identifying a cargo item in the possession of the prospective user, actuating the seat 204 of the first seating assembly 332 to the upwardly-stowed position, actuating the first seating assembly 332 toward the forward extreme of the rail system 316, actuating the seat 204 of the second seating assembly 336 to the upwardly-stowed position, and actuating the second seating assembly 336 toward the forward extreme of the rail system 316. In various examples, the cargo item in the possession of the prospective user is identified as one or more bags carried by the prospective user. In some examples, the method 1472 includes processing the images collected of the prospective user and identifying the prospective user as comprising a plurality of occupants. In various examples, the method 1472 includes actuating the seat 204 of the second seating assembly 336 to the upwardly-stowed position and actuating the second seating assembly 336 in the vehicle-forward direction along the rail system 316. In some examples, the method 1472 includes rotating the first seating assembly 332 about the vertical axis 268 thereof to place the first seating assembly 332 in the rearward-facing orientation.).
As per claim 16 Kondrad discloses
A computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least one processor (see at least Kondrad, para. [0021]: controller that includes a microprocessor and memory, the controller being communicatively coupled to a user interface and each of the plurality of seating assemblies;), cause at least one processor to perform operations including:
identifying whether a state of a rear seat passenger corresponds to a first specified state when it is identified by using a sensor part that the rear seat passenger is seated on a rear seat (see at least Kondrad, para. [0099]: Transitioning to the child care arrangement may be accomplished by interaction with the user interface 120 by the occupant of the first seating assembly332. In some examples, the transition to the child care arrangement may be initiated by an occupant of the passenger compartment 140 uttering a trigger word, phrase, or gesture. The trigger word, phrase, or gesture may be preprogrammed into the controller 104 or customized by a user. For example, the trigger word, phrase, or gesture can include, but is not limited to, “help”, “mom”, “dad”, “I dropped”, “oh no”, “child care arrangement”, “slide back”, and so on. In general, the trigger word, phrase, or gesture may be a recognized, programmed, or saved signal that can be communicated verbally or visually. para. [0109]: the controller 104 may reference the occupancy sensor 156 of the first seating assembly 332 to determine whether the first seating assembly 332 is presently occupied. Of course, upon a determination by the controller 104 that the first seating assembly 332 is occupied, then the optional step 484A of actuating the seat 204 of the first seating assembly 332 toward the upwardly-stowed position may be omitted as such an adjustment is likely to be challenging while the first seating assembly 332 is occupied. In step 484B, the controller 104 activates the translation actuator 184 of the first seating assembly 332 to actuate the first seating assembly 332 along the rail system 316 in the vehicle-rearward direction.);
determining a control parameter including at least one of a slide movement amounts of the front seat, a slide movement of the rear seat, a swivel direction of the front seat, or a combination thereof, based on first body information of the rear seat passenger and second body information of the user (see at least Kondrad, para. [0099]: Referring again to FIG. 9, in some examples, the swivel assembly 260 of the first seating assembly 332 may be actuated by the swivel actuator 180 of the first seating assembly 332 about the vertical axis 268 such that the first seating assembly 332 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction toward the third seating assembly 340. Such an actuation of the swivel assembly 260 of the first seating assembly 332 may further enable an occupant of the first seating assembly 332 to access an occupant of the third seating assembly 340 and/or cargo positioned rearward of the fourth seating assembly 344. As with the other exemplary arrangements depicted herein, the present depiction of the child care arrangement is intended to be exemplary in nature and not limiting. Accordingly, the childcare arrangement may be accomplished utilizing others of the seating assemblies 124 without departing from the concepts disclosed herein. Therefore, the child care arrangement may be defined as a vehicle-forward one of the seating assemblies 124 being actuated along the rail system 316 in a vehicle-rearward direction such that the vehicle-forward one of the seating assemblies 124 is positioned proximate to a vehicle-rearward one of the seating assemblies 124, with the vehicle-rearward one of the seating assemblies 124 having the seat 204 thereof optionally positioned in the upwardly-stowed position. ); and
providing the user with seat control information including the determined control parameter (see at least Kondrad, para. [0103]: In various examples, the prompt 356 may take the form of a request signal transmitted by the user interface 120 to the controller 104. As described above, the user interface 120 may be an on-board component of the vehicle 100 or a component that is external to the vehicle 100. Regardless of the positioning or arrangement of the user interface 120, the prompt 356may take the form of a request signal communicated to the controller 104 by the user interface 120.The request signals transmitted from the user interface 120 to the controller 104 may be actively chosen by the user (e.g., actively selecting a given arrangement of the passenger compartment 140)or may be passively selected by the user (e.g., selected based upon a number of occupants and/or an intended destination of the vehicle 100).) and
a predicted control result for the front seat and the rear seat by using an output part (see at least Kondrad, para. [0126]: The transition from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement 400 may be initiated by the prompt 396 to transition from the first arrangement 392 to the second arrangement400. Transitioning the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 from the child care arrangement to the child seat arrangement includes step 632 of actuating the first seating assembly332 in a vehicle-forward direction along the rail system 316.); and
controlling the front seat and the rear seat based on the control parameter by using the driving part when receiving an approval input corresponding to the seat control information from the user (see at least Kondrad, para. [0127]: Upon completion of the transition of the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 from the arrangement to the seat arrangement and/or the predetermined idle time 644 having elapsed, the user may be presented with decision point 648 where the user is prompted as to whether they would like to return to the arrangement. In the event that the user elects to not return to the arrangement, the process may exit at step 652 such that the user will not be prompted again to exit the seat arrangement…In such an example, the election of the user to return to the arrangement at decision point 648may be treated as a prompt 656 or request signal communicated to the controller 104. In returning to the arrangement from the seat arrangement, the second seating assembly 336 can be rotated counterclockwise by about ninety degrees (90°) such that the second seating assembly 336 is oriented in the forward-facing orientation at step 660. Additionally, in transitioning the arrangement of the passenger compartment 140 back to the arrangement, step 664 actuates the seat 204of the second seating assembly 336 to the upwardly-stowed position. Finally, step 668 of actuating the first seating assembly 332 in a vehicle-rearward direction along the rail system 316 may complete the transition from the arrangement to the arrangement.).
However Kondrad does not explicitly disclose
identifying whether a state of a user seated on a front seat corresponds to a second specified state indicative of carelessness when the rear seat passenger seated on the rear seat is in the first specified state;
determining a control parameter including at least one of a slide movement amounts of the front seat, a slide movement of the rear seat, a swivel direction of the front seat, or a combination thereof, based on first body information of the rear seat passenger and second body information of the user when the user is in the second specified state.
Katz teaches
identifying whether a state of a rear seat passenger corresponds to a first specified state when it is identified by using a sensor part that the rear seat passenger is seated on a rear seat (see at least Katz, para. [0073]: By way of illustration, events taking place in the vehicle, the attention of a driver towards a passenger, passengers (e.g., children) asking for attention, events recently occurring in relation to device(s) of the driver/user (e.g., received SMS, voice, video message, etc. notifications) can indicate a possible change of attention of the driver (e.g., towards the device).),
identifying whether a state of a user seated on a front seat corresponds to a second specified state indicative of carelessness when the rear seat passenger seated on the rear seat is in the first specified state (see at least Katz, para. [0074]: Accordingly, as described herein, the disclosed technologies can be configured to determine a required/suggested attention/ attentiveness level (e.g., via a neural network and/or utilizing one or more machine learning techniques), and an alert to be provided to the driver, and/or action(s) to be initiated (e.g., an autonomous driving system takes control of the vehicle). In certain implementations, such determinations or operations can be computed or initiated based on/in view of aspects such as: state(s) associated with the driver (e.g., driver attentiveness state, physiological state, emotional state, etc.),);
determining a control parameter when the user is in the second specified state (see at least Katz, para. [0074]: Accordingly, as described herein, the disclosed technologies can be configured to determine a required/suggested attention/attentiveness level (e.g., via a neural network and/or utilizing one or more machine learning techniques), and an alert to be provided to the driver, and/or action(s) to be initiated (e.g., an autonomous driving system takes control of the vehicle). In certain implementations, such determinations or operations can be computed or initiated based on/in view of aspects such as: state(s) associated with the driver (e.g., driver attentiveness state, physiological state, emotional state, etc.),).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kondrad to incorporate the teaching of identifying whether a state of a user seated on a front seat corresponds to a second specified state indicative of carelessness when the rear seat passenger seated on the rear seat is in the first specified state, determining a control parameter including at least one of a slide movement amounts of the front seat, a slide movement of the rear seat, a swivel direction of the front seat, or a combination thereof, based on first body information of the rear seat passenger and second body information of the user when the user is in the second specified state of Katz, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to provide improvements to driver monitoring (see at least Katz, para. [0015-0016]).
As per claim 17 Kondrad discloses
wherein identifying whether the state of the rear seat passenger corresponds to the first specified state when it is identified by using the sensor part that the rear seat passenger is seated on the rear seat includes: identifying that the state of the rear seat passenger corresponds to the first specified state when it is identified that care is required for the rear seat passenger based on information on a feeling state of the rear seat passenger acquired by using the sensor part (see at least Kondrad, para. [0099]: Transitioning to the child care arrangement may be accomplished by interaction with the user interface 120 by the occupant of the first seating assembly332. In some examples, the transition to the child care arrangement may be initiated by an occupant of the passenger compartment 140 uttering a trigger word, phrase, or gesture. The trigger word, phrase, or gesture may be preprogrammed into the controller 104 or customized by a user. For example, the trigger word, phrase, or gesture can include, but is not limited to, “help”, “mom”, “dad”, “I dropped”, “oh no”, “child care arrangement”, “slide back”, and so on. In general, the trigger word, phrase, or gesture may be a recognized, programmed, or saved signal that can be communicated verbally or visually).
As per claim 18 Kondrad discloses
wherein identifying whether the state of the rear seat passenger corresponds to the first specified state when it is identified by using the sensor part that the rear seat passenger is seated on the rear seat includes: identifying that the state of the rear seat passenger corresponds to the first specified state when it is identified that the rear seat passenger is a child of a specific age or less based on the first body information of the rear seat passenger acquired by using the sensor part (see at least Kondrad, para. [0161]: In some examples, the method 1472 includes processing the images collected of the prospective user and identifying the first user carrying the second user. In various examples, the method 1472 includes processing the images collected of the prospective user and identifying the first user holding a hand of the second user. In some examples, the step of processing the images collected of the prospective user can include estimating a height of the second user and inferring an age of the second user based upon the height by referencing a database…actuating the seat 204 of the second seating assembly 336 to the upwardly-stowed position, and actuating the second seating assembly 336 toward the forward extreme of the rail system 316.).
As per claim 19 Kondrad does not explicitly disclose
wherein identifying whether the state of the user seated on the front seat corresponds to the second specified state indicative of carelessness includes: identifying that the state of the user corresponds to the second specified state when it is identified that the user is in a carelessness state based on gaze information of the user acquired by using the sensor part.
Katz teaches
wherein identifying whether the state of the user seated on the front seat corresponds to the second specified state indicative of carelessness includes: identifying that the state of the user corresponds to the second specified state when it is identified that the user is in a carelessness state based on gaze information of the user acquired by using the sensor part (see at least Katz, para. [0072]: Additionally, in certain implementations the described technologies can utilize or account for various phenomena exhibited by the driver in determining the driver awareness (e.g., via a neural network and/or utilizing one or more machine learning techniques). For example, in certain implementations various physiological phenomena can be accounted for such as the motion of the head of the driver, the gaze of the eyes of the driver, feature(s) exhibited by the eyes or eyelids of the driver, the direction of the gaze of the driver (e.g., whether the driver is looking towards the road),whether the driver is bored or daydreaming, the posture of the driver, etc. para. [0074]: Accordingly, as described herein, the disclosed technologies can be configured to determine a required/suggested attention/ attentiveness level (e.g., via a neural network and/or utilizing one or more machine learning techniques), and an alert to be provided to the driver, and/or action(s) to be initiated (e.g., an autonomous driving system takes control of the vehicle). In certain implementations, such determinations or operations can be computed or initiated based on/in view of aspects such as: state(s) associated with the driver (e.g., driver attentiveness state, physiological state, emotional state, etc.),).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kondrad to incorporate the teaching of wherein identifying whether the state of the user seated on the front seat corresponds to the second specified state indicative of carelessness includes: identifying that the state of the user corresponds to the second specified state when it is identified that the user is in a carelessness state based on gaze information of the user acquired by using the sensor part of Katz, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to provide improvements to driver monitoring (see at least Katz, para. [0015-0016]).
As per claim 20 Kondrad does not explicitly disclose
acquiring driving information on a driving environment of a host vehicle; and
determining the control parameter when identifying based on the driving information that an autonomous driving control for the host vehicle is allowed.
Katz teaches
acquiring driving information on a driving environment of a host vehicle (see at least Katz, para. [0059]: Objects, such as may be referred to herein as ‘first object(s),’ ‘second object(s),’ etc., can include road signs, traffic lights, moving vehicles, stopped vehicles, stopped vehicles on the side of the road, vehicles approaching a cross section or square, humans or animals walking/standing on the sidewalk or on the road or crossing the road, bicycle riders, a vehicle whose door is opened, a car stopped on the side of the road, a human walking or running along the road, a human working or standing on the road and/or signing (e.g. police officer or traffic related worker), a vehicle stopping, redlights of vehicle in the field of view of the driver, objects next to or on the road, landmarks, buildings, advertisements, objects that signal to the driver (such as that the lane is closed, cones located on the road, blinking lights etc.)…In certain implementations, the described technologies can be deployed as a driver assistance system. Such a system can be configured to detect the awareness of a driver and can further initiate various action(s) using information associated with various environmental/driving conditions.); and
determining the control parameter when identifying based on the driving information that an autonomous driving control for the host vehicle is allowed (see at least Katz, para. [0060]: In certain implementations, the described technologies can be deployed as a driver assistance system. Such a system can be configured to detect the awareness of a driver and can further initiate various action(s) using information associated with various environmental/driving conditions. & para. [0074]: Accordingly, as described herein, the disclosed technologies can be configured to determine a required/suggested attention/attentiveness level (e.g., via a neural network and/or utilizing one or more machine learning techniques), and an alert to be provided to the driver, and/or action(s) to be initiated (e.g., an autonomous driving system takes control of the vehicle). In certain implementations, such determinations or operations can be computed or initiated based on/in para. [0110]: At operation 460, one or more action(s) can be initiated. In certain implementations, such actions can be initiated based on/in view of the state of the driver (e.g., as determined at 420) and/or the driver attentiveness threshold (e.g., as computed at 450). Actions can include changing parameters related to the vehicle or to the driving, such as: controlling a car's lights (e.g., turn on/off the bright headlights of the vehicle, turn on/off the warning lights or turn signal(s) of the vehicle, reduce/increase the speed of the vehicle).).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kondrad to incorporate the teaching of acquiring driving information on a driving environment of a host vehicle; and determining the control parameter when identifying based on the driving information that an autonomous driving control for the host vehicle is allowed of Katz, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to provide improvements to driver monitoring (see at least Katz, para. [0015-0016]).
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 MOHAMED ABDO ALGEHAIM whose telephone number is (571)272-3628. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8-5PM EST.
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/MOHAMED ABDO ALGEHAIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3668
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