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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This office action is in response to communication filed 10/30/25.
Response to Amendment
The examiner acknowledgement of 1,4,10,11,13, the addition of claims 15-16 and the cancellation of claims 2-3.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1, 4-16 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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.
Claim(s) 1,4-7, and 9-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lambert et al. US Patent Application Publication 20170104589 in view of Kim US Patent 11,330,429.
Regarding claim 1, Lambert et al. teaches a vehicular digital Key system comprising:
a vehicular device that is mounted on and used in a vehicle (14,paragraph 036):
at least one mobile terminal (10) that is a portable information processing terminal (paragraph 036);
a server that generates a service key unique to each mobile terminal as key information for using the vehicle, and distributes the service key to the mobile terminal (paragraph 038-039), wherein:
the vehicular device is configured to acquire the service key by communicating with the mobile terminal or the server and store the service key in a predetermined vehicle side memory (paragraph 039-040);
the vehicular device is configured to store an owner key in the vehicle side memory under a condition that a specific owner registration start signal is input from a predetermined dedicated device or the server (paragraph 040); and the owner key is the service key having an authority as an owner of the vehicle (paragraph 040-042,047); wherein
an operation mode of the vehicular device include an owner registration mode in which the owner key can be registered (request is made by the owner and the owner enters the code for registering the owner key, paragraph 04-042,047) and an owner registration prohibition mode in which a registration of the owner key is rejected (the owner is prohibited from registering the owner key if the owner code is not validated, paragraph 064-065);
the vehicular device is configured to switch the operation mode from the owner registration prohibition mode to the owner registration mode based on an input of the owner registration start signal (request is made by the owner and the owner enters the code for registering the owner key, paragraph 04-042,047);
the vehicular device executes a communication for acquiring the owner key from an owner terminal, which is the mobile terminal associated with the owner , or the server when operating in the owner registration mode (request is made by the owner and the owner enters the code for registering the owner key, paragraph 04-042,047);
the vehicular device does not execute the communication for acquiring the owner key from the owner terminal or the server, or a process for storing a received owner key in the vehicle side memory when operating in the owner registration mode (the owner is prohibited from registering the owner key if the owner code is not validated, paragraph 064-065);
the server is configured to issue a guest key, which is the service key for a guest terminal as the mobile terminal other than the owner terminal, based on a guest key issuance request signal transmitted from the owner terminal (paragraph 047,051);
the server is configured to distribute an issued guest key to the guest terminal (paragraph 048);
the vehicular device is configured to execute a sequence for receiving the guest key from the guest terminal or the server even in the owner registration prohibition mode (the vehicle is in the owner registration mode when the owner code is not received and the owner registration is not initiated, paragraph 049). Lambert is not explicit in teaching the vehicular device is configured to store the guest key in the vehicle side memory when reviving the guest key from the guest terminal or the server. Kim in an analogous art teaches the vehicular device is configured to store the guest key in the vehicle side memory when reviving the guest key from the guest terminal or the server (col. 4 lines 39-50,col. 10 lines 19-26).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the system of Lambert at the time of the invention as disclosed by Kim because such modification improve the security of vehicle access control system by enabling additional verification and authentication of the shared digital key.
Regarding claim 4, Lambert et al. teaches the mobile terminal and the vehicular device are configured to be capable of performing short-range wireless communication, which is wireless communication conforming to a predetermined short-range wireless communication standard (paragraph 037); the server is configured to deliver the service key issued for any one mobile terminal to the any one mobile terminal without delivering the service key to the vehicle device (paragraph 048); and the vehicular device is configured to acquire the service key issued by the server by performing the short-range wireless communication with the mobile terminal, and store the service key in the vehicle side memory (paragraph 049).
Regarding claim 5, Lambert teaches the server is configured to:
issue the owner key based on a reception of an owner key issuance request
signal transmitted from the owner terminal (paragraph 065-067); and
deliver an issued owner key to the owner terminal without delivering the owner key to the vehicular device (paragraph 037,068);
the vehicular device is configured:
to acquire the service key issued by the server by performing the short-range wireless communication with the mobile terminal, and to store the service key in the vehicle side memory (paragraph 069);
to perform a communication sequence for acquiring the owner key from the owner terminal through the short-range wireless communication in the owner registration mode (paragraph 069); and
not to perform the communication sequence for acquiring the owner key from the owner terminal in the owner registration prohibition mode (the registration is initiated by a request from the mobile device, fig. 3, paragraph 038).
Regarding claim 6, lambert teaches the mobile terminal and the vehicular device are configured to be capable of performing short-range wireless communication, which is wireless communication conforming to a predetermined short-range wireless communication standard (paragraph 037);
the server is configured to:
issue a guest key as the service key for a guest terminal as the mobile terminal other than the owner terminal based on a reception of a guest key issuance request signal transmitted from the owner terminal, which is the mobile terminal associated with the owner (paragraph 047,051); and
transmit the guest key to the guest terminal; and the guest key is activated by performing the short-range wireless communication between the vehicular device and the guest terminal (paragraph 037,048-049).
Regarding claim 7, Lambert teaches the vehicular device is configured to store only one owner key (paragraph 038-040),.
Regarding claim 9, Lambert et al. teaches the vehicular device is provided by at least one of (i) a circuit and (il) a processor having a memory storing computer program code (paragraph 037,077);
the at least one mobile terminal is provided by at least one of (i) a circuit and (il) A processor having a memory storing computer program code (paragraph 037,077); and
the server is provided by at least one of (i) a circuit and (il) a processor having a memory storing computer program code (paragraph 077).
Regarding claim 10, Lambert et al. teaches a vehicular digital key management method executed by:
at least one mobile terminal that is a portable information processing terminal capable of performing short-range wireless communication, which is wireless communication conforming to a predetermined short-range wireless communication standard (paragraph 037);
a vehicular device that is mounted on a vehicle and is configured to be capable of performing the short-range wireless communication (paragraph 037,048-049); and
a server that generates a service key, which is key information for using the vehicle, based on a request from the mobile terminal (paragraph 047), the vehicular digital key management method comprising:
issuing, by the server, an owner key which is the service key having an authority as an owner, based on a request from an owner terminal registered in an user database as the mobile terminal possessed by the owner of the vehicle (paragraph 048-049);
delivering, by the server, an issued owner key to the owner terminal without transmitting the owner key to the vehicular device (fig. 8, step 266);
switching, by the vehicular device, an owner registration prohibition mode in which a registration of the owner key is rejected to an owner registration mode in which the owner key can be registered, by the vehicular device based on an input of a predetermined registration start signal from a predetermined dedicated device or the server mode (the registration is initiated by a request from the mobile device, fig. 3, paragraph 038);
transmitting, by the owner terminal, the owner key to the vehicular device by performing the short-range wireless communication under a condition that the vehicular device is in the owner registration mode (paragraph 037-038); and
receiving, by the vehicular device, the owner key from the owner terminal, and storing, by the vehicular device, the owner key in a predetermined non-volatile vehicle side memory under the condition that the vehicular device is in the owner registration mode (paragraph 040,077); wherein
an operation mode of the vehicular device include an owner registration mode in which the owner key can be registered (request is made by the owner and the owner enters the code for registering the owner key, paragraph 04-042,047) and an owner registration prohibition mode in which a registration of the owner key is rejected (the owner is prohibited from registering the owner key if the owner code is not validated, paragraph 064-065);
the vehicular device is configured to switch the operation mode from the owner registration prohibition mode to the owner registration mode based on an input of the owner registration start signal (request is made by the owner and the owner enters the code for registering the owner key, paragraph 04-042,047);
the vehicular device executes a communication for acquiring the owner key from an owner terminal, which is the mobile terminal associated with the owner , or the server when operating in the owner registration mode (request is made by the owner and the owner enters the code for registering the owner key, paragraph 04-042,047);
the vehicular device does not execute the communication for acquiring the owner key from the owner terminal or the server, or a process for storing a received owner key in the vehicle side memory when operating in the owner registration mode (the owner is prohibited from registering the owner key if the owner code is not validated, paragraph 064-065);
the server is configured to issue a guest key, which is the service key for a guest terminal as the mobile terminal other than the owner terminal, based on a guest key issuance request signal transmitted from the owner terminal (paragraph 047,051);
the server is configured to distribute an issued guest key to the guest terminal (paragraph 048);
the vehicular device is configured to execute a sequence for receiving the guest key from the guest terminal or the server even in the owner registration prohibition mode (the vehicle is in the owner registration mode when the owner code is not received and the owner registration is not initiated, paragraph 049). Lambert is not explicit in teaching the vehicular device is configured to store the guest key in the vehicle side memory when reviving the guest key from the guest terminal or the server. Kim in an analogous art teaches the vehicular device is configured to store the guest key in the vehicle side memory when reviving the guest key from the guest terminal or the server (col. 4 lines 39-50,col. 10 lines 19-26).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the system of Lambert at the time of the invention as disclosed by Kim because such modification improve the security of vehicle access control system by enabling additional verification and authentication of the shared digital key.
Regarding claim 11, Lambert et al. teaches a vehicular device configured to be capable of performing data communication through short-range wireless communication, which is wireless communication conforming to a predetermined short-range wireless communication standard, with a mobile terminal, which is an information processing terminal carried by a user (paragraph 037), the vehicular device comprising:
a vehicle control unit having at least one processor (54, paragraph 037), wherein:
the vehicle control unit has an owner registration mode in which an owner key as key information having an authority as an owner of a vehicle can be registered and an owner registration prohibition mode in which a registration of the owner key is rejected, as an operation mode (the registration is initiated by a request from the mobile device, fig. 3, paragraph 038);
the vehicle control unit switches from the owner registration prohibition mode to the owner registration mode based on an input of a specific registration start signal from a predetermined dedicated device or a server (the registration is initiated by a request from the mobile device, fig. 3, paragraph 038); and
the vehicle control unit is configured to start a communication sequence, for acquiring the owner key from an owner terminal as the mobile terminal possessed by the owner, by performing the short-range wireless communication under a condition that the vehicle control unit is in the owner registration mode (paragraph 038-039) ); wherein
an operation mode of the vehicular device include an owner registration mode in which the owner key can be registered (request is made by the owner and the owner enters the code for registering the owner key, paragraph 04-042,047) and an owner registration prohibition mode in which a registration of the owner key is rejected (the owner is prohibited from registering the owner key if the owner code is not validated, paragraph 064-065);
the vehicular device is configured to switch the operation mode from the owner registration prohibition mode to the owner registration mode based on an input of the owner registration start signal (request is made by the owner and the owner enters the code for registering the owner key, paragraph 04-042,047);
the vehicular device executes a communication for acquiring the owner key from an owner terminal, which is the mobile terminal associated with the owner , or the server when operating in the owner registration mode (request is made by the owner and the owner enters the code for registering the owner key, paragraph 04-042,047);
the vehicular device does not execute the communication for acquiring the owner key from the owner terminal or the server, or a process for storing a received owner key in the vehicle side memory when operating in the owner registration mode (the owner is prohibited from registering the owner key if the owner code is not validated, paragraph 064-065);
the server is configured to issue a guest key, which is the service key for a guest terminal as the mobile terminal other than the owner terminal, based on a guest key issuance request signal transmitted from the owner terminal (paragraph 047,051);
the server is configured to distribute an issued guest key to the guest terminal (paragraph 048);
the vehicular device is configured to execute a sequence for receiving the guest key from the guest terminal or the server even in the owner registration prohibition mode (the vehicle is in the owner registration mode when the owner code is not received and the owner registration is not initiated, paragraph 049). Lambert is not explicit in teaching the vehicular device is configured to store the guest key in the vehicle side memory when reviving the guest key from the guest terminal or the server. Kim in an analogous art teaches the vehicular device is configured to store the guest key in the vehicle side memory when reviving the guest key from the guest terminal or the server (col. 4 lines 39-50,col. 10 lines 19-26).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the system of Lambert at the time of the invention as disclosed by Kim because such modification improve the security of vehicle access control system by enabling additional verification and authentication of the shared digital key.
Regarding claim 12, Lambert et al. teaches the vehicle control unit is provided by at least one of (i) a circuit and (il) a processor having a memory storing computer program code (paragraph 037,077).
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lambert et al. US Patent Application Publication 20170104589 in view of Kim US Patent 11,330,429 and further in view of Sangle-Ferriere US Patent Application Publication 20210176057.
Regarding claim 8, a server that generates a service key unique to each mobile terminal as key information for using the vehicle, and distributes the service key to the mobile terminal (paragraph 038-039) and teaches the mobile terminal is configured to test the validity of the vehicular device as a communication partner (paragraph 037,045) but is silent on teaching generating a plurality of one-time disposable authentication key. Sangle-Ferriere in an analogous art teaches a server generating a plurality of one-time disposable authentication key and the supply of one-time authentication key is replenished bay requesting ne one one-time disposable authentication key (paragraph 015-016).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify the system of Lambert et al. in view of Kim as disclosed by Sangle-Ferriere because such modification represents an improvement over the system of Lambert by further limiting vehicle access by the authentication key and further improving vehicle security.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 13-14 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.
Regarding claims 13-14, the prior art of record is silent on teaching the server delivers a plurality of disposable one-time authentication keys having an expiration date to the mobile terminal; and the mobile terminal deletes one of the plurality of disposable one-time authentication keys which is stored in the mobile terminal and has expired according to the expiration date.
Claims 15-16 are allowed.
Regarding claims 15-16, the prior art of record is silent on teaching the mobile terminal is configured to transmit a replenishment request signal for requesting a replenishment of the one-time authentication key to the server when a remaining number of the one-time authentication keys is equal to or less than a predetermined value; the server is configured to newly generate a plurality of the one-time authentication keys based on a reception of the replenishment request signal, and transmit the one-time authentication keys to the mobile terminal;
the server delivers the plurality of disposable one-time authentication keys having an expiration date to the mobile terminal; and the mobile terminal deletes one of the plurality of disposable one-time authentication keys which is stored in the mobile terminal and has expired according to the expiration date.
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 VERNAL U BROWN whose telephone number is (571)272-3060. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8AM-5PM, EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Steven Lim can be reached at 571 270 1210. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/VERNAL U BROWN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2686