DETAILED ACTION
This communication is responsive to Pre-Amendment filed 02/05/2025.
Claims 1-20 are pending in this application. In the Amendment, claim 18 is amended.
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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. The claims do not fall within at least one of the four categories of patent eligible subject matter because claim 19 recites a computer-readable storage media, however, the specification does not disclose or specifically define the recited computer-readable storage media. It is noted that the computer-readable storage media thus can be interpreted as media other than physical media such that it can be interpreted to include transitory media, signals, carrier waves etc. which are non-statutory. It is recommended to amend the claimed "computer-readable storage" to "non-transitory computer-readable storage"; thereby directing the "non-transitory computer-readable storage" to only physical media; thus excluding transitory media. Appropriate corrections are required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claims 1-3, 5-13 and 15-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Penilla et al. (“Penilla”, US 2018/0059913) in view of Hammad et al. (“Hammad”, US 2015/0095190).
As per claim 1, Penilla teaches an apparatus comprising:
a memory (Penilla, para.199; Fig.13A, memory 1912); and
a processor communicably coupled to the memory (Penilla, para.11,199; Fig.13A, processor 1914), the processor configured to:
generate a plurality of interactions (Penilla, para.84, 96, user adjust settings);
identify a plurality of location data within the vehicle (Penilla, para.10, 40, 48, 85, 95, sensors determine location data);
determine a source vector between the plurality of interactions and the plurality of location data (Penilla, para.18, 38, settings based on location);
generate a filtered interaction from the plurality of interactions for the source vector (Penilla, para.18, 38, 332, user inputted settings filtered to user’s location); and
transmit the filtered interaction to a target user interface from a plurality of user interfaces (Penilla, para.18, 257, 261, 264-265, 332, user provided filtered access in user’s custom interface).
However, Penilla does not explicitly teach to generate a plurality of interactions via a head unit of a vehicle. Hammad teaches an automobile mobile-interaction apparatus wherein a plurality of interactions are generated via a head unit of a vehicle (Hammad, Fig.7c, automobile display 740; para.21-22, 28-29, 39, 53, users interact with automobile interface 114/134/228). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include Hammad’s teaching with Penilla’s apparatus in order to view multiple interactions simultaneously on the main display.
As per claim 2, the apparatus of Penilla and Hammad teaches the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to capture one or more of audio and video of an occupant of the vehicle from one or more hardware sensors installed within the vehicle while the plurality of interactions are occurring (Penilla, para.32, 36, sensors for video capture, passenger position sensor).
As per claim 3, the apparatus of Penilla and Hammad teaches the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to identify a closest available user interface to an occupant within the vehicle from among the plurality of user interfaces based on a location of the occupant within the vehicle, and display a data related to the plurality of interactions on the target user interface (Penilla, para.11, 20, user interface of passenger’s mobile device).
As per claim 5, the apparatus of Penilla and Hammad teaches the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to display a digital wallet screen on the target user interface, receive digital wallet data via the digital wallet screen on the target user interface, and transmit the digital wallet data to a service provider from the head unit of the vehicle (Hammad, para.23, 30-31, 40, 42-43, 52-53, 62, 67, Fig.7b, user confirms payments).
As per claim 6, the apparatus of Penilla and Hammad teaches the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to capture multi-occupant sensor data that includes a first occupant within the vehicle interacting with a service provider and a second occupant within the vehicle interacting with the service provider (Hammad, para.30-31, 42-43, 52-53, multiple users may split bill).
As per claim 7, the apparatus of Penilla and Hammad teaches the apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a location of the first occupant within the vehicle based on the multi-occupant sensor data and determine a different location of the second occupant within the vehicle based on the multi-occupant sensor data (Penilla, para.10, 18, 38, 40, 48, 85, 95, sensors determine location data).
As per claim 8, the apparatus of Penilla and Hammad teaches the apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to display data related to the filtered interaction between the service provider and the first occupant on a first user interface (Hammad, para.23, 30-31, 40, 42-43, 52-53, 62, 67, Fig.7b, user confirms payments on their interface) from among the plurality of user interfaces within the vehicle based on the location of the first occupant within the vehicle (Penilla, para.18, 38, 332, user inputted settings filtered to user’s location), and display data related to the filtered interaction between the service provider and the second occupant on a second user interface (Hammad, para.23, 30-31, 40, 42-43, 52-53, 62, 67, Fig.7b, user confirms payments on their interface) from among the plurality of user interfaces within the vehicle based on the different location of the second occupant within the vehicle (Penilla, para.18, 38, 332, user inputted settings filtered to user’s location).
As per claim 9, the apparatus of Penilla and Hammad teaches the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to identify a proximal target user interface to the source vector (Penilla, para.18, 27, 38, settings based on proximate location to seat).
As per claim 10, the apparatus of Penilla and Hammad teaches the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to capture sensor data from an interior of the vehicle during an interaction with a service provider (Penilla, para.32, 36, sensors for video capture, passenger position sensor; Hammad, para.35).
Claims 11 and 19 are similar in scope to claim 1, and are therefore rejected under similar rational.
Claims 12 and 20 are similar in scope to claim 2, and are therefore rejected under similar rational.
Claim 13 is similar in scope to claim 3, and is therefore rejected under similar rational.
Claim 15 is similar in scope to claim 5, and is therefore rejected under similar rational.
Claim 16 is similar in scope to claim 6, and is therefore rejected under similar rational.
Claim 17 is similar in scope to claim 7, and is therefore rejected under similar rational.
As per claim 18, the method of Penilla and Hammad teaches the method of claim 17, comprising displaying data related to the filtered interaction between the service provider and the first occupant on a first user interface (Hammad, para.23, 30-31, 40, 42-43, 52-53, 62, 67, Fig.7b, user confirms payments on their interface) from among the plurality of user interfaces within the vehicle based on the location of the first occupant within the vehicle (Penilla, para.18, 38, 332, user inputted settings filtered to user’s location), and display data related to the filtered interaction between the service provider and the second occupant on a second user interface (Hammad, para.23, 30-31, 40, 42-43, 52-53, 62, 67, Fig.7b, user confirms payments on their interface) from among the plurality of user interfaces within the vehicle based on the different location of the second occupant within the vehicle (Penilla, para.18, 38, 332, user inputted settings filtered to user’s location), wherein the data related to the filtered interaction is based on at least one of training an artificial intelligence (AI) model or executing the AI model (Penilla, para.22, 43, 101-103, patterns to predict, intelligent suggestions, learned behavior; Hammad, para.31, recommendations).
Claims 4 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Penilla et al. (“Penilla”, US 2018/0059913) in view of Hammad et al. (“Hammad”, US 2015/0095190) in view of Harris et al. (“Harris”, US 2018/0198541).
As per claim 4, the apparatus of Penilla and Hammad teaches the apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of user interfaces are communicably coupled to the head unit of the vehicle (Penilla, para.39, 99, passenger map on dashboard; Hammad, Fig.1c, para.21-22, devices 131/133 communicate with interface 134). However, the apparatus of Penilla and Hammad does not teach the plurality of user interfaces include a plurality of display screens integrated within an interior of the vehicle. Harris teaches an apparatus for detecting passenger devices wherein the plurality of user interfaces include a plurality of display screens integrated within an interior of the vehicle (Harris, para.49, digital content access stations 16 in seats). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include Harris’ teaching with the apparatus of Penilla and Hammad in order to provide access to passengers without mobile devices.
Claim 14 is similar in scope to claim 4, and is therefore rejected under similar rational.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Coe et al. (“Coe”, US 2022/0086929) teaches a method of locating a closest interface to the user.
Winton et al. (US 2023/0214171) teaches a method of multi-occupant consoles in a vehicle.
Peng et al. (US 2025/0324394) teaches a method of obtaining locations of devices in a vehicle.
Gray et al. (US 11,283,533) teaches a method of detecting and connecting a device to a vehicle.
Inquiries
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SAJEDA MUHEBBULLAH whose telephone number is (571)272-4065. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Tue/Thur-Fri 10am-8pm.
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/S.M./
Sajeda MuhebbullahExaminer, Art Unit 2174
/WILLIAM L BASHORE/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2174
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