DETAILED ACTION
This action is in response to Applicants’ amendment received on September 30, 2025.
Claim 1-8 are pending in the application.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 4, 5 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Limpibunterng et al. (CN 102264593 A), hereinafter “Limpibunterng”.
Regarding claim 1, Limpibunterng discloses a vehicle control device to be mounted on a vehicle, the vehicle control device comprising: a processor and a memory storing instructions configured to implement: a target steering angle calculation unit configured to calculate a target steering angle according to a target position to which the vehicle is to be moved or a situation of a steering angle (paragraphs 144, 153, 155, 158, 171-178: “FIG. 9, the calculated target lateral acceleration GYTG (step S105), the ECU 100 based on the calculated target lateral acceleration GYTG to calculate the LKA for front wheel target steering angle 9LKA to FR (step S401). LKA of the calculated front wheel target steering angle [theta] LKA-FR, then ECU 100 of the LKA calculated by the front wheel target steering angle [theta] LKA-FR is stored in the original storage device (step S402). In addition, LKA for front wheel target steering angle eLKA-FR is the other of one example of the present invention relates to “first control target value””); a ratio determination unit configured to determine a ratio of steering angles of a front wheel and a rear wheel of the vehicle based on a front-rear acceleration of the vehicle (paragraphs 114, 119, 120 and 174-178: “In addition, previously storing the relationship between quantization shown in FIG. 18 LKA for rear wheel target steering angle map in the ROM of the ECU 100, in step S601, from the LKA by the rear wheel target steering angle map to select a suitable value. one relationship, relationship between the operation direction of the steering rear wheel and a steering operation direction of the front wheel, for example, according to the vehicle speed and the in-phase and reversed phase transformation can refer to FIG. 10 and FIG. 18 are suitable” and “In FIG. 17, the calculated target lateral acceleration GYTG, the ECU 100 based on the calculated target lateral acceleration GYTG to calculate the LKA for rear wheel target steering angle [theta] LKA-RR (step S601) and stores it (step S602). Here, referring to FIG. 18 to illustrate the target transverse acceleration GYTG and LKA for rear wheel target steering angle 0LKA relation of RR. Here, FIG. 18 is a LKA for rear wheel target steering angle 9LKA RR and target lateral relationship between the acceleration GYTG mode FIG” and “In addition, previously storing the relationship between quantization shown in FIG. 18 LKA for rear wheel target steering angle map in the ROM of the ECU 100, in step S601, from the LKA by the rear wheel target steering angle map to select a suitable value. one relationship, relationship between the operation direction of the steering rear wheel and a steering operation direction of the front wheel, for example, according to the vehicle speed and the in-phase and reversed phase transformation can refer to FIG. 10 and FIG. 18 are suitable”); a steering angle calculation unit configured to calculate, for the front wheel and the rear wheel, steering angles determined by multiplying the target steering angle by the ratio (paragraphs 171-178: “In FIG. 17, the calculated target lateral acceleration GYTG, the ECU 100 based on the calculated target lateral acceleration GYTG to calculate the LKA for rear wheel target steering angle [theta] LKA-RR (step S601) and stores it (step S602). Here, referring to FIG. 18 to illustrate the target transverse acceleration GYTG and LKA for rear wheel target steering angle 0LKA relation of RR. Here, FIG. 18 is a LKA for rear wheel target steering angle 9LKA RR and target lateral relationship between the acceleration GYTG mode FIG” and “In addition, previously storing the relationship between quantization shown in FIG. 18 LKA for rear wheel target steering angle map in the ROM of the ECU 100, in step S601, from the LKA by the rear wheel target steering angle map to select a suitable value. one relationship, relationship between the operation direction of the steering rear wheel and a steering operation direction of the front wheel, for example, according to the vehicle speed and the in-phase and reversed phase transformation can refer to FIG. 10 and FIG. 18 are suitable”); and a control unit configured to instruct the front wheel and the rear wheel about the calculated steering angles of the front wheel and the rear wheel (paragraphs 114, 119, 120 and 174-178).
Regarding claim 4, Limpibunterng discloses the vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit instructs the front wheel and the rear wheel about the steering angles substantially simultaneously (paragraphs 114, 119, 120 and 174-178).
Regarding claim 5, Limpibunterng discloses the vehicle control device according to claim 1, further comprising: an abnormality determination unit configured to determine whether a driver is abnormal, wherein the target steering angle calculation unit calculates the target steering angle based on the target position to which the vehicle is to be evacuated when the abnormality determination unit determines that the driver is abnormal (paragraphs 114, 119, 120 and 174-178).
Regarding claim 8, Limpibunterng discloses the vehicle control device according to claim 4, further comprising: an abnormality determination unit configured to determine whether a driver is abnormal, wherein the target steering angle calculation unit calculates the target steering angle based on the target position to which the vehicle is to be evacuated when the abnormality determination unit determines that the driver is abnormal (paragraphs 114, 119, 120 and 174-178).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 3, 6 and 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.
Response to Arguments
Applicants’ remarks filed on September 30, 2025 have been fully considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to the current rejection.
Applicants’ amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicants are 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 extension fee 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 date of this final action.
Conclusion
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/O.M/Examiner, Art Unit 3747
/LINDSAY M LOW/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3747