DETAILED ACTION
Claims 1-8 are currently pending and have been examined in this application. Claims 6-8 are new.
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
This action is in response to the “amendment” and “remarks” filed 11/03/2025.
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, 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Madalin (US20090030603) in view of Nishijo (WO202208580).
Claim 1:
Madalin explicitly teaches:
A navigation device configured to be applied to a vehicle, the navigation device comprising:
a memory storing, [prior to occurrence of a disaster, an evacuation site registered by a user of the navigation device for evacuation during the disaster]; a current position obtainer configured to acquire a current position of the vehicle;
(Madalin) – “Example(s) of the system and method disclosed herein advantageously provide for improved acquisition of evacuation routes, and improved transmission of such evacuation routes to a vehicle and/or vehicle user in an emergency area. A digital map database including emergency route attribute associated with road segments may be utilized in conjunction with vehicle position data to determine an evacuation route.” (Para 0010)
“Telematics unit 18 may include a processor 20 operatively coupled to a wireless modem 22, a location detection system 24 (a non-limiting example of which is a global positioning system (GPS)), an in-vehicle memory 26, a microphone 28, one or more speakers 30, an embedded or in-vehicle mobile phone 32, a real-time clock (RTC) 34, a short-range wireless communication network 36 (e.g. a Bluetooth.RTM. unit), a user interface 38, and/or a user interface panel 58.” (Para 0017)
an emergency alarm determiner configured to determine whether an emergency alarm has been issued;
(Madalin) – “Example(s) of the system and method disclosed herein advantageously provide for improved acquisition of evacuation routes, and improved transmission of such evacuation routes to a vehicle and/or vehicle user in an emergency area. A digital map database including emergency route attribute associated with road segments may be utilized in conjunction with vehicle position data to determine an evacuation route.” (Para 0010)
“More specifically, and as shown in FIG. 2, an example of the method includes receiving an emergency alert at the call center 46, as shown at reference numeral 102. The alert generally informs the call center 46 of an emergency located within, or potentially threatening an area which the call center 46 services.” (Para 0041)
a disaster information obtainer configured to acquire disaster information comprising at least information on a risky area in response to determining, by [[when]] the emergency alarm determiner,
(Madalin) – “Example(s) of the system and method disclosed herein advantageously provide for improved acquisition of evacuation routes, and improved transmission of such evacuation routes to a vehicle and/or vehicle user in an emergency area. A digital map database including emergency route attribute associated with road segments may be utilized in conjunction with vehicle position data to determine an evacuation route.” (Para 0010)
“Upon receiving and recognizing the alert information, the service advisors 54 input any information regarding the emergency (e.g., type, course/path, speed, etc.) into the network system 56. The inputted information allows the call center 46 to define an emergency area, as shown at reference numeral 104. The emergency area may be defined with latitude and longitude coordinates that bound the area proximate to the emergency. In another example, the emergency area may be bounded by one or more municipalities, counties, and/or states. It is to be understood that the phrase "area proximate to the emergency," as used herein, refers to the general area surrounding the incident/emergency situation that is affected by, or that may be affected by the incident/emergency situation.” (Para 0043)
“Determining the emergency area also includes isolating and extracting one or more road segments from the digital map database 62. The database 62 may be queried for evacuation route attributes that are particular to the emergency (e.g., type, area, etc.). For example, a service advisor 54 may search the database 62 for tornado evacuation routes heading east out of a particular city. Generally, the isolated and extracted road segments have a suitable evacuation route attribute associated therewith. It is to be understood that any road segment that matches the search criteria may be extracted from the database 62.” (Para 0044)
a guidance route calculator configured to: determine, in response to acquiring the disaster information, whether a destination has been set [in the navigation device by the user];
(Madalin) – “Example(s) of the system and method disclosed herein advantageously provide for improved acquisition of evacuation routes, and improved transmission of such evacuation routes to a vehicle and/or vehicle user in an emergency area. A digital map database including emergency route attribute associated with road segments may be utilized in conjunction with vehicle position data to determine an evacuation route.” (Para 0010)
“In any of the embodiments disclosed herein, it is to be understood that the general evacuation route may be open-ended (i.e., with no specific destination, for example, head north on Highway X), or it may direct numerous vehicles to a particular location (e.g., head north on Highway X toward a designated shelter X).” (Para 0046)
“If it is determined that the vehicle 12 and/or vehicle user is located within, traveling toward, or proximate to the emergency area, the previously generated evacuation route may be delivered to the user, or another evacuation route (using the actual position as a starting point) may be generated and delivered, as shown at reference numerals 112 and 114. It is to be understood that both the previously generated route and the specific evacuation route utilizing the actual vehicle/user position include all or some of the extracted road segments.” (Para 0052)
calculate, based on the disaster information, a first guidance route [in response to determining that the destination has been set by the user], the first guidance route extending from the current position to [[a]] the destination and avoiding the risky area; and
(Madalin) – “Example(s) of the system and method disclosed herein advantageously provide for improved acquisition of evacuation routes, and improved transmission of such evacuation routes to a vehicle and/or vehicle user in an emergency area. A digital map database including emergency route attribute associated with road segments may be utilized in conjunction with vehicle position data to determine an evacuation route.” (Para 0010)
“If it is determined that the vehicle 12 and/or vehicle user is located within, traveling toward, or proximate to the emergency area, the previously generated evacuation route may be delivered to the user, or another evacuation route (using the actual position as a starting point) may be generated and delivered, as shown at reference numerals 112 and 114. It is to be understood that both the previously generated route and the specific evacuation route utilizing the actual vehicle/user position include all or some of the extracted road segments.” (Para 0052)
calculate, based on the disaster information, a second guidance route [in response to determining that no destination has been set], the second guidance route extending from the current position to the evacuation site stored in the memory and avoiding the risky area; and
(Madalin) – “Example(s) of the system and method disclosed herein advantageously provide for improved acquisition of evacuation routes, and improved transmission of such evacuation routes to a vehicle and/or vehicle user in an emergency area. A digital map database including emergency route attribute associated with road segments may be utilized in conjunction with vehicle position data to determine an evacuation route.” (Para 0010)
“In any of the embodiments disclosed herein, it is to be understood that the general evacuation route may be open-ended (i.e., with no specific destination, for example, head north on Highway X), or it may direct numerous vehicles to a particular location (e.g., head north on Highway X toward a designated shelter X).” (Para 0046)
“If it is determined that the vehicle 12 and/or vehicle user is located within, traveling toward, or proximate to the emergency area, the previously generated evacuation route may be delivered to the user, or another evacuation route (using the actual position as a starting point) may be generated and delivered, as shown at reference numerals 112 and 114. It is to be understood that both the previously generated route and the specific evacuation route utilizing the actual vehicle/user position include all or some of the extracted road segments.” (Para 0052)
a display configured to display information on the guidance route calculated by the guidance route calculator,
(Madalin) – “Example(s) of the system and method disclosed herein advantageously provide for improved acquisition of evacuation routes, and improved transmission of such evacuation routes to a vehicle and/or vehicle user in an emergency area. A digital map database including emergency route attribute associated with road segments may be utilized in conjunction with vehicle position data to determine an evacuation route.” (Para 0010)
“The evacuation route may be transmitted to the vehicle 12 and/or vehicle user via the service advisor 54. In one example, turn-by-turn navigation instructions are transmitted to the user audibly (e.g., from an automaton) and/or visually (e.g., via a display).” (Para 0053)
Madalin does not explicitly teach:
prior to occurrence of a disaster, an evacuation site registered by a user of the navigation device for evacuation during the disaster… in the navigation device by the user… in response to determining that the destination has been set by the user… in response to determining that no destination has been set
Nishijo, in the same field of endeavor of emergency navigation, teaches:
prior to occurrence of a disaster, an evacuation site registered by a user of the navigation device for evacuation during the disaster… in the navigation device by the user… in response to determining that the destination has been set by the user… in response to determining that no destination has been set
(Nishijo) – “The local government server 10 may store evacuation destinations of residents (for example, addresses of relatives). The municipality server 10 (evacuation information control unit 204) may provide guidance to pre-registered evacuation destinations instead of evacuation centers selected based on the degree of congestion. Specifically, the evacuation information control unit 204 may calculate the shortest evacuation route between the current location of the resident and a pre-registered evacuation destination, and guide the resident to the evacuation route whose safety has been confirmed. . That is, the evacuation information control unit 204 selects an evacuation route that reaches an evacuation destination designated in advance by residents (for example, a relative's residence) and that is safe for a predetermined period of time (evacuation time for residents). can be provided to residents. Alternatively, the evacuation information control unit 204 may guide the user to evacuate to an evacuation center when a pre-registered evacuation destination cannot be safely reached.” (Para 0125-0126)
Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the methods for obtaining evacuation route of Madalin with the server device for evacuating a resident with enhanced safety in case of a disaster of Nishiko. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make these modifications, with a reasonable expectation of success, for the purpose of “evacuating a resident with enhanced safety in case of a disaster” (Nishiko Abstract)
Claim 5:
Madalin explicitly teaches:
A navigation device configured to be applied to a vehicle, the navigation device comprising:
one or more processors; one or more memories communicably coupled to the one or more processors; and a display configured to display information on a firstguidance route and a second guidance route, wherein the one or more memories stores, [prior to occurrence of a disaster, an evacuation site registered by a user of the navigation device for evacuation during the disaster], the one or more processors are configured
(Madalin) – “Example(s) of the system and method disclosed herein advantageously provide for improved acquisition of evacuation routes, and improved transmission of such evacuation routes to a vehicle and/or vehicle user in an emergency area. A digital map database including emergency route attribute associated with road segments may be utilized in conjunction with vehicle position data to determine an evacuation route.” (Para 0010)
“Telematics unit 18 may include a processor 20 operatively coupled to a wireless modem 22, a location detection system 24 (a non-limiting example of which is a global positioning system (GPS)), an in-vehicle memory 26, a microphone 28, one or more speakers 30, an embedded or in-vehicle mobile phone 32, a real-time clock (RTC) 34, a short-range wireless communication network 36 (e.g. a Bluetooth.RTM. unit), a user interface 38, and/or a user interface panel 58.” (Para 0017)
acquire a current position of the vehicle;
(Madalin) – “Example(s) of the system and method disclosed herein advantageously provide for improved acquisition of evacuation routes, and improved transmission of such evacuation routes to a vehicle and/or vehicle user in an emergency area. A digital map database including emergency route attribute associated with road segments may be utilized in conjunction with vehicle position data to determine an evacuation route.” (Para 0010)
“Telematics unit 18 may include a processor 20 operatively coupled to a wireless modem 22, a location detection system 24 (a non-limiting example of which is a global positioning system (GPS)), an in-vehicle memory 26, a microphone 28, one or more speakers 30, an embedded or in-vehicle mobile phone 32, a real-time clock (RTC) 34, a short-range wireless communication network 36 (e.g. a Bluetooth.RTM. unit), a user interface 38, and/or a user interface panel 58.” (Para 0017)
determine whether an emergency alarm has been issued;
(Madalin) – “Example(s) of the system and method disclosed herein advantageously provide for improved acquisition of evacuation routes, and improved transmission of such evacuation routes to a vehicle and/or vehicle user in an emergency area. A digital map database including emergency route attribute associated with road segments may be utilized in conjunction with vehicle position data to determine an evacuation route.” (Para 0010)
“More specifically, and as shown in FIG. 2, an example of the method includes receiving an emergency alert at the call center 46, as shown at reference numeral 102. The alert generally informs the call center 46 of an emergency located within, or potentially threatening an area which the call center 46 services.” (Para 0041)
acquire disaster information comprising at least information on a risky area in response to determining that [[when]] the emergency alarm has been determined
(Madalin) – “Example(s) of the system and method disclosed herein advantageously provide for improved acquisition of evacuation routes, and improved transmission of such evacuation routes to a vehicle and/or vehicle user in an emergency area. A digital map database including emergency route attribute associated with road segments may be utilized in conjunction with vehicle position data to determine an evacuation route.” (Para 0010)
“Upon receiving and recognizing the alert information, the service advisors 54 input any information regarding the emergency (e.g., type, course/path, speed, etc.) into the network system 56. The inputted information allows the call center 46 to define an emergency area, as shown at reference numeral 104. The emergency area may be defined with latitude and longitude coordinates that bound the area proximate to the emergency. In another example, the emergency area may be bounded by one or more municipalities, counties, and/or states. It is to be understood that the phrase "area proximate to the emergency," as used herein, refers to the general area surrounding the incident/emergency situation that is affected by, or that may be affected by the incident/emergency situation.” (Para 0043)
“Determining the emergency area also includes isolating and extracting one or more road segments from the digital map database 62. The database 62 may be queried for evacuation route attributes that are particular to the emergency (e.g., type, area, etc.). For example, a service advisor 54 may search the database 62 for tornado evacuation routes heading east out of a particular city. Generally, the isolated and extracted road segments have a suitable evacuation route attribute associated therewith. It is to be understood that any road segment that matches the search criteria may be extracted from the database 62.” (Para 0044)
determine, in response to acquiring the disaster information, whether a destination has been set [in the navigation device by the user];
(Madalin) – “Example(s) of the system and method disclosed herein advantageously provide for improved acquisition of evacuation routes, and improved transmission of such evacuation routes to a vehicle and/or vehicle user in an emergency area. A digital map database including emergency route attribute associated with road segments may be utilized in conjunction with vehicle position data to determine an evacuation route.” (Para 0010)
“In any of the embodiments disclosed herein, it is to be understood that the general evacuation route may be open-ended (i.e., with no specific destination, for example, head north on Highway X), or it may direct numerous vehicles to a particular location (e.g., head north on Highway X toward a designated shelter X).” (Para 0046)
“If it is determined that the vehicle 12 and/or vehicle user is located within, traveling toward, or proximate to the emergency area, the previously generated evacuation route may be delivered to the user, or another evacuation route (using the actual position as a starting point) may be generated and delivered, as shown at reference numerals 112 and 114. It is to be understood that both the previously generated route and the specific evacuation route utilizing the actual vehicle/user position include all or some of the extracted road segments.” (Para 0052)
calculate, based on the disaster information, a first guidance route [in response to determining that the destination has been set by the user], the first guidance route extending from the current position to [[a]] the destination and avoiding the risky area; and
(Madalin) – “Example(s) of the system and method disclosed herein advantageously provide for improved acquisition of evacuation routes, and improved transmission of such evacuation routes to a vehicle and/or vehicle user in an emergency area. A digital map database including emergency route attribute associated with road segments may be utilized in conjunction with vehicle position data to determine an evacuation route.” (Para 0010)
“If it is determined that the vehicle 12 and/or vehicle user is located within, traveling toward, or proximate to the emergency area, the previously generated evacuation route may be delivered to the user, or another evacuation route (using the actual position as a starting point) may be generated and delivered, as shown at reference numerals 112 and 114. It is to be understood that both the previously generated route and the specific evacuation route utilizing the actual vehicle/user position include all or some of the extracted road segments.” (Para 0052)
calculate, based on the disaster information, a second guidance route [in response to determining that no destination has been set], the second guidance route in response to determining that no destination has been set, the second guidance route extending from the current position to the evacuation site stored in the one or more memories
(Madalin) – “Example(s) of the system and method disclosed herein advantageously provide for improved acquisition of evacuation routes, and improved transmission of such evacuation routes to a vehicle and/or vehicle user in an emergency area. A digital map database including emergency route attribute associated with road segments may be utilized in conjunction with vehicle position data to determine an evacuation route.” (Para 0010)
“In any of the embodiments disclosed herein, it is to be understood that the general evacuation route may be open-ended (i.e., with no specific destination, for example, head north on Highway X), or it may direct numerous vehicles to a particular location (e.g., head north on Highway X toward a designated shelter X).” (Para 0046)
“If it is determined that the vehicle 12 and/or vehicle user is located within, traveling toward, or proximate to the emergency area, the previously generated evacuation route may be delivered to the user, or another evacuation route (using the actual position as a starting point) may be generated and delivered, as shown at reference numerals 112 and 114. It is to be understood that both the previously generated route and the specific evacuation route utilizing the actual vehicle/user position include all or some of the extracted road segments.” (Para 0052)
Madalin does not explicitly teach:
prior to occurrence of a disaster, an evacuation site registered by a user of the navigation device for evacuation during the disaster… in the navigation device by the user… in response to determining that the destination has been set by the user… in response to determining that no destination has been set
Nishijo, in the same field of endeavor of emergency navigation, teaches:
prior to occurrence of a disaster, an evacuation site registered by a user of the navigation device for evacuation during the disaster… in the navigation device by the user… in response to determining that the destination has been set by the user… in response to determining that no destination has been set
(Nishijo) – “The local government server 10 may store evacuation destinations of residents (for example, addresses of relatives). The municipality server 10 (evacuation information control unit 204) may provide guidance to pre-registered evacuation destinations instead of evacuation centers selected based on the degree of congestion. Specifically, the evacuation information control unit 204 may calculate the shortest evacuation route between the current location of the resident and a pre-registered evacuation destination, and guide the resident to the evacuation route whose safety has been confirmed. . That is, the evacuation information control unit 204 selects an evacuation route that reaches an evacuation destination designated in advance by residents (for example, a relative's residence) and that is safe for a predetermined period of time (evacuation time for residents). can be provided to residents. Alternatively, the evacuation information control unit 204 may guide the user to evacuate to an evacuation center when a pre-registered evacuation destination cannot be safely reached.” (Para 0125-0126)
Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the methods for obtaining evacuation route of Madalin with the server device for evacuating a resident with enhanced safety in case of a disaster of Nishiko. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make these modifications, with a reasonable expectation of success, for the purpose of “evacuating a resident with enhanced safety in case of a disaster” (Nishiko Abstract)
Claim(s) 2-4, 6-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Madalin (US20090030603) in view of Nishijo (WO202208580) in view of Konrady (US11441916).
Claim 2:
Madalin in combination with the references relied upon in Claim 1 teach those respective limitations. Madalin further teaches:
wherein, the guidance route calculator is configured to, when unable to calculate the first guidance route and the second guidance route, calculate a third extending from the current position to an evacuation site [closest to the current position] and avoiding the risky area
(Madalin) – “Example(s) of the system and method disclosed herein advantageously provide for improved acquisition of evacuation routes, and improved transmission of such evacuation routes to a vehicle and/or vehicle user in an emergency area. A digital map database including emergency route attribute associated with road segments may be utilized in conjunction with vehicle position data to determine an evacuation route.” (Para 0010)
“In any of the embodiments disclosed herein, it is to be understood that the general evacuation route may be open-ended (i.e., with no specific destination, for example, head north on Highway X), or it may direct numerous vehicles to a particular location (e.g., head north on Highway X toward a designated shelter X).” (Para 0046)
“Many people (particularly travelers and those unfamiliar with an area's roads, evacuation routes, and shelters) often encounter difficulty in discovering and following emergency evacuation directions. Additionally, standard evacuation routes that are prepared prior to the onset of an emergency generally do not take into account the specific features and/or nature of the particular incident.” (Para 0003)
Examiner Note: Bracketed text not explicitly taught by primary reference, but is taught by non-primary reference later in the rejection.
Madalin does not explicitly teach:
closest to the current position
Konrardy, in the same field of endeavor of vehicle navigation, teaches:
closest to the current position
(Konrardy) – “A user may input an origin and a destination (e.g., A and B locations), whether they want to drive fully autonomous or take the fastest route, and/or whether they will need to park the vehicle nearby or close to the destination…Optimal routes may also be determined for carpooling or vehicle sharing, delivery or other commercial use, emergency response (e.g., a “self-driving to hospital” mode), non-driving passenger pick-up and drop-off (e.g., children, elderly, etc.), autonomous parking and retrieval, or other purposes.” (Col 9 Ln 43-59)
“FIG. 7 illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary emergency routing method 700 for controlling an autonomous vehicle in an emergency situation. The method 700 may be implemented in conjunction with the method 600 described above to route the vehicle 108 automatically to an appropriate location in the event of an emergency. Emergencies may include vehicle accidents or collisions, medical emergencies, incapacitation of a driver, threats to immediate safety, or other situations requiring an immediate response. In response to a user indication of an emergency or an automatic determination of an emergency, the method 700 may control the vehicle 108 to operate autonomously to a destination. In the case of a medical emergency, for example, the method 700 may direct the vehicle 108 to a nearby hospital.” (Col 46 Ln 53-67)
Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the methods for obtaining evacuation route of Madalin with the vehicle routing of Konrardy. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make these modifications, with a reasonable expectation of success, so that “routes may be automatically updated based upon changes in road conditions, vehicle conditions, operator conditions, or environmental conditions” (Konrardy Abstract)
Claim 3:
Madalin in combination with the references relied upon in Claim 1 teach those respective limitations. Madalin further teaches:
further comprising: a risky area determiner configured to determine whether the current position of the vehicle is in the risky area when the emergency alarm determiner determines that the emergency alarm has been issued; and
(Madalin) – “Example(s) of the system and method disclosed herein advantageously provide for improved acquisition of evacuation routes, and improved transmission of such evacuation routes to a vehicle and/or vehicle user in an emergency area. A digital map database including emergency route attribute associated with road segments may be utilized in conjunction with vehicle position data to determine an evacuation route.” (Para 0010)
“Upon receiving and recognizing the alert information, the service advisors 54 input any information regarding the emergency (e.g., type, course/path, speed, etc.) into the network system 56. The inputted information allows the call center 46 to define an emergency area, as shown at reference numeral 104. The emergency area may be defined with latitude and longitude coordinates that bound the area proximate to the emergency. In another example, the emergency area may be bounded by one or more municipalities, counties, and/or states. It is to be understood that the phrase "area proximate to the emergency," as used herein, refers to the general area surrounding the incident/emergency situation that is affected by, or that may be affected by the incident/emergency situation.” (Para 0043)
“Determining the emergency area also includes isolating and extracting one or more road segments from the digital map database 62. The database 62 may be queried for evacuation route attributes that are particular to the emergency (e.g., type, area, etc.). For example, a service advisor 54 may search the database 62 for tornado evacuation routes heading east out of a particular city. Generally, the isolated and extracted road segments have a suitable evacuation route attribute associated therewith. It is to be understood that any road segment that matches the search criteria may be extracted from the database 62.” (Para 0044)
a notifier configured to notify [an emergency contact registered in advance] that the vehicle is present in the risky area
(Madalin) – “Example(s) of the system and method disclosed herein advantageously provide for improved acquisition of evacuation routes, and improved transmission of such evacuation routes to a vehicle and/or vehicle user in an emergency area. A digital map database including emergency route attribute associated with road segments may be utilized in conjunction with vehicle position data to determine an evacuation route.” (Para 0010)
“Upon receiving and recognizing the alert information, the service advisors 54 input any information regarding the emergency (e.g., type, course/path, speed, etc.) into the network system 56. The inputted information allows the call center 46 to define an emergency area, as shown at reference numeral 104. The emergency area may be defined with latitude and longitude coordinates that bound the area proximate to the emergency. In another example, the emergency area may be bounded by one or more municipalities, counties, and/or states. It is to be understood that the phrase "area proximate to the emergency," as used herein, refers to the general area surrounding the incident/emergency situation that is affected by, or that may be affected by the incident/emergency situation.” (Para 0043)
“Determining the emergency area also includes isolating and extracting one or more road segments from the digital map database 62. The database 62 may be queried for evacuation route attributes that are particular to the emergency (e.g., type, area, etc.). For example, a service advisor 54 may search the database 62 for tornado evacuation routes heading east out of a particular city. Generally, the isolated and extracted road segments have a suitable evacuation route attribute associated therewith. It is to be understood that any road segment that matches the search criteria may be extracted from the database 62.” (Para 0044)
“The evacuation route may be transmitted to the vehicle 12 and/or vehicle user via the service advisor 54. In one example, turn-by-turn navigation instructions are transmitted to the user audibly (e.g., from an automaton) and/or visually (e.g., via a display).” (Para 0053)
Examiner Note: Bracketed text not explicitly taught by primary reference, but is taught by non-primary reference later in the rejection.
Madalin does not explicitly teach:
an emergency contact registered in advance
Konrardy, in the same field of endeavor of vehicle navigation, teaches:
an emergency contact registered in advance
(Konrardy) – “At block 712, the on-board computer 114 may communicate with the emergency facility at the target location or an interested party regarding the emergency. In some embodiments, the server 140 may communicate information relating to the emergency to the emergency facility or interested party. Similarly, the mobile device 110 may be used to send automatically generated text, data, or voice communications to such parties. For example, the mobile device 110 may be controlled by a Data Application to make a wireless telephone call to the emergency facility to inform of the vehicle's approach and/or provide information regarding the nature of the emergency. Such communication may include alerts that the vehicle 108 is traveling to the target location or alerts that the vehicle 108 has reached the target location. Information may similarly be provided to interested parties, such as vehicle owners or emergency contacts.” (Col 50 Ln 8-23)
Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the methods for obtaining evacuation route of Madalin with the vehicle routing of Konrardy. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make these modifications, with a reasonable expectation of success, so that “routes may be automatically updated based upon changes in road conditions, vehicle conditions, operator conditions, or environmental conditions” (Konrardy Abstract)
Claim 4:
Rejected based on the same rationale as Claim 3
Claim 6:
Rejected based on the same rationale as Claim 2
Claim 7:
Rejected based on the same rationale as Claim 3
Claim 8:
Rejected based on the same rationale as Claim 3
Response to Arguments
The 35 U.S.C. 112 rejection mailed 08/04/2025 have been withdrawn because the “amendment” and “remarks” filed 11/03/2025 sufficiently overcome this rejection.
The 35 U.S.C. 101 rejection mailed 08/04/2025 have been withdrawn i because the “amendment” and “remarks” filed 11/03/2025 sufficiently overcome this rejection.
Applicant's arguments regarding the 35 U.S.C. 103 rejection mailed 08/04/2025 have been fully considered but they are not convincing. Rejection had been updated to reflect amendment.
Specifically, all claims are now rejected in view of Nishijo as necessitated by amendment. Examiner believes Nishijo resolves any deficiencies in the previously cited prior art and directly resolves Arguments 1, 2, 3, & 5 as numbered by the applicant in the “remarks” filed 11/03/2025.
Furthermore in response to Argument 4, Applicant’s assertion that “This is fundamentally different from claim 1, which requires that the navigation device itself perform the determinations and route calculations. The rejection has not explained how or why a person skilled in the art would relocate these call-center processes into an in-vehicle navigation device” fails to correctly represent the claimed limitations. The claims require that the navigation device be “configured to be applied to a vehicle.” At no point is it claimed that the device be on or integral to the vehicle, instead any device providing navigation to a vehicle may correspond with the claim language. As such, this argument is unconvincing.
As such, all remaining claims remain rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103.
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 DAVID RUBEN PEDERSEN whose telephone number is (571)272-9696. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th: 07:00 -16:00 Eastern.
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/DAVID RUBEN PEDERSEN/Examiner, Art Unit 3667
/VIVEK D KOPPIKAR/Supervisory Patent Examiner
Art Unit 3667
January 22, 2026