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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 07/06/2026 has been entered.
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) 1-9 and 17-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nishiyori (US 11325472 B2), and further in view of Kim (US 10324305 B2).
Regarding claim 1, Nishiyori teaches a gaze directing system for directing a gaze of a driver of a vehicle, comprising:
a plurality of displays located on or within the vehicle (col. 5, lines 35-37: “With such a configuration, the line-of-sight guidance device 100 can guide the line of sight of the driver to the attention target that the driver should look at with attention.”); and
an electronic control unit (ECU) coupled to the plurality of displays and configured to (col. 3, lines 32-37: “The display control unit 30 acquires the first attention target actually watched by the driver based on the information on the line of sight of the driver acquired by the line-of-sight acquisition unit 20. The display control unit 30 acquires the second attention target to be watched by the driver.”):
generate a gaze indicator that is displayed by at least one display of the plurality of displays to direct the gaze of the driver to the selected display or the selected portion of the plurality of displays(col. 3, lines 45-50: “The display control unit 30 controls the two or more selected display devices to display a line-of-sight guidance display. The line-of-sight guidance display is a display for guiding the line of sight of the driver from the first attention target to the second attention target.”).
Nishiyori fails to teach wherein the electronic control unit (ECU) is configured to determine or receive a plurality of conditions of the vehicle including a current shift position, a current vehicle speed, a current steering angle, and a current turn signal status; and
select a display of the plurality of displays or a portion of the plurality of displays that the driver should gaze at based on one or more display-selection rules associating a respective combination of one or more conditions of the plurality of conditions with a respective display such that the selected display presents a field of view relevant to operation of the vehicle under the one or more conditions.
Kim teaches wherein the electronic control unit (ECU) is configured to determine or receive a plurality of conditions of the vehicle including a current shift position, a current vehicle speed, a current steering angle, and a current turn signal status (col. 16, lines 33-40: “The sensing unit 120 may acquire sensing signals with respect to vehicle-related information, such as a posture, a collision, an orientation, a position (GPS information), an angle, a speed, an acceleration, a tilt, a forward/backward movement, a battery, a fuel, tires, lamps, internal temperature, internal humidity, a rotated angle of a steering wheel, external illumination, pressure applied to an accelerator, pressure applied to a brake pedal and the like.”); and
select a display of the plurality of displays or a portion of the plurality of displays that the driver should gaze at based on one or more display-selection rules associating a respective combination of one or more conditions of the plurality of conditions with a respective display such that the selected display presents a field of view relevant to operation of the vehicle under the one or more conditions (col. 25, lines 28-37: “For example, as illustrated in FIG. 10, when a point at which the vehicle 100 should change a direction (or a point at which the driver should pay attention) is located within a first reference distance range, the first graphic object 1010 can be output on the first display 810. Thereafter, when the point is located within a second reference distance range due to the movement of the vehicle 100, a second graphic object 1020 corresponding to the first graphic object 1010 can be output on the second display 820”).
It would have been obvious to one familiar in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the display device of Kim into the line-of-sight guidance device of Nishiyori, as both are in the same field of endeavor of vehicle instruments designed to direct the attention of the operator of a vehicle. Directing a driver’s gaze in response to changing conditions both within and without the vehicle is an obvious innovation to one familiar in the art that would prove obviously beneficial to the method of Nishiyori.
Regarding claim 2, Nishiyori and Kim teach the gaze directing system of claim 1. Nishiyori further teaches one or more cameras coupled to the ECU and configured to capture real-time video data of one or more fields of view of a surrounding area of the vehicle (col. 6, lines 41-45: “The vehicle peripheral state detection device 110 may detect the peripheral state of the vehicle in a constant manner. The vehicle peripheral state detection device 110 is, for example, a camera, a radar or a sensor.”);
wherein the ECU is further configured to transmit the real-time video data to the selected display (col. 7, lines 53-56: “The processing circuit is connected to the vehicle peripheral state detection device 110, the line-of-sight detection device 120, and the plurality of display devices via an input/output interface 140.”).
Regarding claim 3, Nishiyori and Kim teach the gaze directing system of claim 2. Nishiyori further teaches wherein the one or more fields of view include a left rearward field of view with respect to the vehicle, a right rearward field of view with respect to the vehicle, a first rearward field of view with respect to the vehicle, and/or a second rearward field of view with respect to the vehicle (col. 7, line 66 – col. 8, line 7: “FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the plurality of display devices mounted on the vehicle according to Embodiment 2. The first display device 131 is an infotainment device. The second display device 132 is an electronic meter cluster in which small display units are clustered. The third display device 133 is a head-up display. The fourth display device 134 and the fifth display device 135 are electronic side mirrors. The sixth display device 136 is an electronic rearview mirror.”).
Regarding claim 4, Nishiyori and Kim teach the gaze directing system of claim 3. Nishiyori further teaches wherein the plurality of displays include:
an infotainment display configured to display the left rearward field of view, the right rearward field of view, the first rearward field of view, the second rearward field of view, and/or the gaze indicator (col. 7, line 66 – col. 8, line 7, as above in claim 3 rejection); and
a digital rearview mirror configured to display the first rearward field of view, the second rearward field of view, and/or the gaze indicator (col. 7, line 66 – col. 8, line 7, as above in claim 3 rejection).
Regarding claim 5, Nishiyori and Kim teach the gaze directing system of claim 1. Nishiyori further teaches wherein the plurality of displays include two or more of:
an infotainment display located within a cabin of the vehicle (col. 7, line 66 – col. 8, line 7, as above in claim 3 rejection);
a digital rearview mirror located within the cabin (col. 7, line 66 – col. 8, line 7, as above in claim 3 rejection);
a digital left side view mirror located within the cabin or on a left side of the vehicle (col. 7, line 66 – col. 8, line 7, as above in claim 3 rejection);
a digital right side view mirror located within the cabin or on a right side of the vehicle (col. 7, line 66 – col. 8, line 7, as above in claim 3 rejection); or
a digital gauge cluster located within the cabin (col. 7, line 66 – col. 8, line 7, as above in claim 3 rejection).
Regarding claim 6, Nishiyori and Kim teach the gaze directing system of claim 5.
Neither Nishiyori nor Kim teach wherein to select the display of the plurality of displays or the portion of the plurality of displays that the driver should gaze at, the ECU is configured to at least one of:
select the infotainment display or the gauge cluster when the current shift position indicates the vehicle is in reverse;
select the infotainment display or the gauge cluster when:
the current shift position indicates the vehicle is in drive or neutral,
the vehicle speed is less than a vehicle speed threshold, and
the current steering angle is greater than or equal to a steering angle threshold;
select the infotainment display or the gauge cluster when:
the current shift position indicates the vehicle is in drive or neutral,
the vehicle speed is less than a vehicle speed threshold, and
the current turn signal status indicates a turn signal of the vehicle is activated
select the digital rearview mirror when:
the current shift position indicates the vehicle is in drive or neutral,
the vehicle speed is greater than or equal to the vehicle speed threshold, and
the current turn signal status indicates the turn signal of the vehicle is not activated;
select the digital rearview mirror when:
the current shift position indicates the vehicle is in drive or neutral,
the vehicle speed is less than the vehicle speed threshold,
the current steering angle is less than the steering angle threshold, and
the current turn signal status indicates the turn signal of the vehicle is not activated;
or select the digital left side view mirror or the digital right side view mirror when:
the current shift position indicates the vehicle is in drive or neutral,
the vehicle speed is greater than the vehicle speed threshold, and
the current turn signal status indicates the turn signal of the vehicle is activated.
However, it would have been obvious to one familiar in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate Kim’s considerations of shift position, vehicle speed, and turn signal status into the gaze directing system of Nishiyori, as evidenced by claim 1. If one familiar in the art were to include Kim’s considerations into the gaze directing system of Nishiyori, it would be an obvious innovation to reference such information when determining which of the displays to display pertinent information on, as this directly relates to the motivation one familiar in the art would likely have for combining Nishiyori and Kim’s inventions.
Regarding claim 7, Nishiyori and Kim teach the gaze directing system of claim 1. Nishiyori further teaches wherein the gaze indicator is a graphical icon including a graphical representation of at least one display of the plurality of displays (col. 9, lines 45-49: “The line-of-sight guidance display displayed in cooperation with each display device includes, for example, characters, or a moving image in which figures, or symbols are used. The line-of-sight guidance display includes, for example, an animation using an icon or the like.”).
Regarding claim 8, Nishiyori and Kim teach the gaze directing system of claim 7. Nishiyori further teaches wherein the gaze indicator indicates the selected display by flashing and/or highlighting a graphical representation of the selected display and/or by including an arrow pointing toward the graphical representation of the selected display (col. 9, lines 1-7: “In Step S70, the display control unit 30 controls the selected display devices to display the line-of-sight guidance display. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the line-of-sight guidance display. Here, the display control unit 30 controls each display device to display an arrow indicating a direction from each display device toward the second attention target Y.”).
Regarding claim 9, Nishiyori and Kim teach the gaze directing system of claim 1. Kim further teaches one or more vehicle sensors electrically connected to the ECU and configured to detect or indicate the one or more conditions (col. 16, lines 33-40, as above in claim 1 rejection).
Claim 17 is substantially similar to claim 1, and differs only in that it teaches a method rather than a system. It is therefore rejected on similar grounds as claim 1.
Claim 18 is substantially similar to claim 5, except that it depends on claim 17 as opposed to claim 1. As such, it is rejected on similar grounds as claim 5.
Claim 19 is substantially similar to claim 6, except that it depends on claim 18 as opposed to claim 1. As such, it is rejected on similar grounds as claim 6.
Claim 20 is substantially similar to claim 8, except that it depends on claim 17 as opposed to claim 7. As such, it is rejected on similar grounds as claim 8.
Claim(s) 10-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nishiyori (US 11325472 B2), and further in view of Kim (US 10324305 B2) and Gali (US 12049253 B2).
Claim 10 is substantially similar to claim 1, and differs only in that the gaze directing system is here intended to direct the gaze of a driver of a vehicle towing a trailer, and comprises one or more cameras configured to capture real-time video data of one or more fields of view of a surrounding area of the vehicle and the trailer.
Nishiyori and Kim teach the system of claim 1 (as above in claim 1 rejection), but fail to teach the unique aspects of claim 10.
Gali teaches a gaze directing system for directing a gaze of a driver of a vehicle towing a trailer (col. 2, lines 51-55: “Referring now to the drawings and the illustrative embodiments depicted therein, a vehicle 10 includes a trailer maneuver guidance system 12 that is operable to guide the driver in maneuvering the vehicle 10 and trailer 14 toward a desired or selected location.”), comprising:
one or more cameras configured to capture real-time video data of one or more fields of view of a surrounding area of the vehicle and the trailer (col. 9, lines 55-66: “The trailer maneuver guidance system 12 includes at least one exterior viewing vehicle-based imaging sensor or camera, such as a rearward viewing imaging sensor or camera 16 (and the system may optionally include multiple exterior viewing imaging sensors or cameras, such as a sideward/rearward viewing camera 18, 20 at respective sides of the vehicle), and a rearward viewing trailer-based camera 22, which capture image data representative of the respective scene exterior of the vehicle and trailer and in the respective field of view, with the cameras each having a lens for focusing images at or onto an imaging array or imaging plane or imager of the cameras (FIG. 1).”).
It would have been obvious to one familiar in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include the trailer-based camera of Gali if one wished to implement the system taught by Nishiyori and Kim in a vehicle possessing a trailer. It is well-known in the art that trailers often serve to obstruct the rearward view of a driver, creating an obvious need for a guidance system like the one taught by Nishiyori and Kim to facilitate safe driving.
Claim 11 is substantially similar to claim 3, except that it depends on claim 10 as opposed to claim 2. As such, it is rejected on similar grounds as claim 3.
Claim 12 is substantially similar to claim 4, except that it depends on claim 11 as opposed to claim 3. As such, it is rejected on similar grounds as claim 4.
Claim 13 is substantially similar to claim 5, except that it depends on claim 10 as opposed to claim 1. As such, it is rejected on similar grounds as claim 5.
Claim 14 is substantially similar to claim 6, except that it depends on claim 13 as opposed to claim 5. As such, it is rejected on similar grounds as claim 6.
Claim 15 is substantially similar to claim 7, except that it depends on claim 10 as opposed to claim 1. As such, it is rejected on similar grounds as claim 7.
Claim 16 is substantially similar to claim 8, except that it depends on claim 15 as opposed to claim 7. As such, it is rejected on similar grounds as claim 8.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-20 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.
Conclusion
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/RYAN ALLEN BARHAM/ Examiner, Art Unit 2613
/XIAO M WU/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2613
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