DETAILED ACTION
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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments filed 02/17/2026 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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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, 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jurthe et al (WO 2017/012852 A1) in view Campbell et al (US 2012/0313768 A1) and further in view of Dong et al (CN 106790498 A1) and further in view of Jung (KR 101274891 B1).
Regarding claim 1, Jurthe et al disclose a position-based audio interaction method comprising: at an electronic device in response to detecting that a relative position relationship between an electronic device and a target vehicle meets a predetermined condition (Jurthe et al; Page 2), generating an action detection instruction for detecting an action of a user of the electronic device (Jurthe et al; Page 2; activation of sensor in response to distance threshold), at the electronic device, in response to detecting a predetermined activation action of a user, generating a sound collection (Jurthe et al; Page 2; initiation of input collection); but do not expressly disclose instruction for collecting of a sound signal of the user; and the target vehicle including at least one external speaker; and at the onboard controller, outputting the collected sound signal by the at least one external speaker; at the electronic device, performing the sound collection instruction to collect and send the sound signal to an onboard controller corresponding to the target vehicle. However, in the same field of endeavor, Campbell et al disclose a method further comprising, at the electronic device, performing the sound collection instruction to collect and send the sound signal to an onboard controller corresponding to the target vehicle (Campbell et al; Para [0054]). It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the application to use the speech data transmission taught by Campbell to transmit input collected data from the portable device to the vehicle taught by Jurthe. The motivation to do so would have been to provide other audible information to the user (Campbell et al; Para [0055]). Moreover, in the same field of endeavor, Dong et al disclose a method further comprising, at the electronic device, at the electronic device, in response to detecting a predetermined activation action of a user, generating a sound collection instruction for collecting of a sound signal of the user (Dong et al; Page 5; step S101). It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the application to use the speech data transmission taught by Dong to transmit input collected data from the portable device to the vehicle taught by Jurthe. The motivation to do so would have been to improve the driving experience (Dong; Page 2; lines 1-10). Furthermore, in the same field of endeavor, Jung discloses a method further comprising the target vehicle including at least one external speaker (Jung; Fig 3; speaker 20); and at the onboard controller, outputting the collected sound signal by the at least one external speaker (Jung; Para [0040] [0042] [0043]). It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date the application to use the speaker instruction taught by Jung to control the speaker taught by Jurthe. The motivation to do so would have been to provide an effective announcement feature to the user (Jung; Para [0014]).
Regarding claim 18, Jurthe et al disclose a position-based audio interaction system comprising: an electronic device (Jurthe et al; Fig 1; electronic device 20); an onboard controller arranged at a target vehicle (Jurthe et al; Fig 1; controller 30); wherein: the electronic device is configured to: in response to detecting that a relative position relationship between the electronic device and the target vehicle meets a predetermined condition (Jurthe et al; Page 2), generate an action detection instruction (Jurthe et al; Page 2; activation of sensor in response to distance threshold) in response to detecting a predetermined activation action of the user, generate a sound collection instruction (Jurthe et al; Page 2; initiation of input collection), but do not expressly disclose the action detection instruction indicating detection of a user action for detecting an action of a user of the electronic device, the sound collection instruction indicating a collection of for collecting a sound signal of the user; and perform the sound collection instruction to collect and send the sound signal to the onboard controller corresponding to the target vehicle; and at least one external speaker arranged at the target vehicle; the onboard controller is communicatively connected to the at least one external speaker and configured to receive and send the collected sound signal to the at least one external speaker; and the at least one external speaker is configured to output the collected sound signal. However, in the same field of endeavor, Campbell et al disclose a method further wherein the electronic device, perform the sound collection instruction to collect and send the sound signal to the onboard controller corresponding to the target vehicle (Campbell et al; Para [0054]). It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the application to use the speech data transmission taught by Campbell to transmit input collected data from the portable device to the vehicle taught by Jurthe. The motivation to do so would have been to provide other audible information to the user (Campbell et al; Para [0055]). Moreover, in the same field of endeavor, Dong et al disclose a method further comprising, the action detection instruction indicating detection of a user action for detecting an action of a user of the electronic device, the sound collection instruction indicating a collection of for collecting a sound signal of the user (Dong et al; Page 5; step S101). It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the application to use the speech data transmission taught by Dong to transmit input collected data from the portable device to the vehicle taught by Jurthe. The motivation to do so would have been to improve the driving experience (Dong; Page 2; lines 1-10). Furthermore, in the same field of endeavor, Jung disclose a method further comprising and at least one external speaker arranged at the target vehicle (Jung; Fig 3; speaker 20); the onboard controller is communicatively connected to the at least one external speaker and configured to receive and send the collected sound signal to the at least one external speaker (Jung; Para [0040][0042][0043]); and the at least one external speaker is configured to output the collected sound signal (Jung; Para [0040][0042][0043]). It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date the application to use the speaker instruction taught by Jung to control the speaker taught by Jurthe. The motivation to do so would have been to provide an effective announcement feature to the user (Jung; Para [0014]).
Claim(s) 2, 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jurthe et al (WO 2017/012852 A1) in view Campbell et al (US 2012/0313768 A1) and further in view of Dong et al (CN 106790498 A1) and further in view of Jung (KR 101274891 B1) and further in view of Lechao et al (CN 111312238 A).
Regarding claim 2, Jurthe et al in view of Campbell and further in view of Dong et al and further in view of Jung disclose the method according to claim 1, but do not expressly disclose further comprising, before generating the sound collection instruction: generating a wake-up instruction to be sent to the target vehicle, the wake-up instruction indicating wake-up of the onboard controller corresponding to the target vehicle. However, in the same field of endeavor, Lechao et al disclose a method further comprising, before generating the sound collection instruction: generating a wake-up instruction to be sent to the target vehicle, the wake-up instruction indicating wake-up of the onboard controller corresponding to the target vehicle (Lechao et al; Page 11; lines 15-30; waking up vehicle control response). It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the application to use the wakeup instruction taught by Lechao as instruction in the device taught by Jurthe. The motivation to do so would have been to ensure the user has better user experience (Lechao et al; Page 4; lines 1-10).
Regarding claim 20, Jurthe et al in view of Campbell and further in view of Dong and further in view of Jung et al disclose the system according to claim 16, but do not expressly disclose wherein the electronic device further includes: an external audio collection member configured to collect the sound signal of the user according to the sound collection instruction. However, in the same field of endeavor, Lechao et al disclose a method wherein the electronic device further includes: an external audio collection member configured to collect the sound signal of the user according to the sound collection instruction (Lechao et al; Page 11; lines 15-30; audio collection). It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the application to use the wakeup instruction taught by Lechao as instruction in the device taught by Jurthe. The motivation to do so would have been to ensure the user has better user experience (Lechao et al; Page 4; lines 1-10).
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jurthe et al (WO 2017/012852 A1) in view Campbell et al (US 2012/0313768 A1) and further in view of Dong et al (CN 106790498 A1) and further in view of Jung (KR 101274891 B1) and further in view of Bader et al (US 2021/0394716 A1).
Regarding claim 3, Jurthe et al in view of Campbell and further in view of Dong et and further in view of Jung disclose the method according to claim 1, but do not expressly disclose wherein outputting the collected sound signal by the at least one external speaker includes: selecting a target speaker from the at least one external speaker based on the relative position relationship; and outputting the collected sound signal by the target speaker. However, in the same field of endeavor, Bader et al disclose a method wherein outputting the collected sound signal by the at least one external speaker includes: selecting a target speaker from the at least one external speaker based on the relative position relationship (Bader et al; Para [0007][0010]; only loudspeaker closest to user interpreted as target loudspeaker is selected for outputting speaker signal); and outputting the collected sound signal by the target speaker (Bader et al; Para [0007]; outputting speaker signal by closest loudspeaker). It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the application to use the interface taught by Bader as interface in the device taught by Jurthe. The motivation to do so would have been avoiding unnecessary noise pollution of the surroundings (Bader et al; Para [0007]).
Claim(s) 4-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jurthe et al (WO 2017/012852 A1) in view Campbell et al (US 2012/0313768 A1) and further in view of Dong et al (CN 106790498 A1) and further in view of Jung (KR 101274891 B1) and further in view of Hatton (US 2015/0362997 A1) and further in view of Magnusson et al (US 2013/0226593 A1).
Regarding claim 4, Jurthe et al in view of Campbell and further in view of Dong et and further in view of Jung disclose the method according to claim 1, but do not expressly disclose further comprising: in response to detecting that the relative position relationship between the electronic device and the target vehicle meets the predetermined condition, displaying an interaction interface including an audio icon. However, in the same field of endeavor, Hatton discloses a method further comprising: in response to detecting that the relative position relationship between the electronic device and the target vehicle meets the predetermined condition, displaying an interaction interface (Hatton; Para [0042]). It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the application to use the interface taught by Hatton as interface in the device taught by Louboutin. The motivation to do so would have been to ensure functionality of the device (Hatton; Para [0058]). Moreover, in the same field of endeavor, Magnusson disclose a method wherein displaying an interaction interface including an audio icon (Magnusson et al; Figs 7a-d; Para [0129]-[0130][0133]). It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the application to use the audio icon taught by Magnusson as interface in the device taught by Jurthe. The motivation to do so would have been to improve the audio quality (Magnusson et al; Para [0007]).
Regarding claim 5, Jurthe et al in view of Campbell and further in view of Dong et al and further in view of Jung and further in view of Hatton and further in view of Magnusson et al disclose the method according to claim 4, but do not expressly disclose wherein the predetermined activation action of the user includes any one of: a first predetermined operation of the user for the audio icon; and a second predetermined operation of the user for the electronic device. However, in the same field of endeavor, Hatton discloses a method wherein the predetermined activation action of the user includes any one of: a first predetermined operation of the user for the audio icon; and a second predetermined operation of the user for the electronic device (Hatton; Para [0051] [0072]-[0073][0076][0046]). It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the application to use the interface taught by Hatton as interface in the device taught by Jurthe. The motivation to do so would have been to ensure functionality of the device (Hatton; Para [0058]). Moreover, in the same field of endeavor, Magnusson disclose a method wherein the predetermined activation action of the user includes any one of: a first predetermined operation of the user for the audio icon (Magnusson et al; Fig 7; Para [0129]-[0130]). It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the application to use the audio icon taught by Magnusson as interface in the device taught by Jurthe. The motivation to do so would have been to improve the audio quality (Magnusson et al; Para [0007]).
Regarding claim 6, Jurthe et al in view of Campbell and further in view of Dong et al and further in view of Jung and further in view of Hatton and further in view of Magnusson et al disclose the method according to claim 4, but do not expressly disclose wherein: when the sound collection instruction is not performed, the audio icon is displayed as a first icon on the interaction interface; and when the sound collection instruction is performed, the audio icon is displayed as a second icon on the interaction interface. However, in the same field of endeavor, Magnusson disclose a method wherein: when the sound collection instruction is not performed, the audio icon is displayed as a first icon on the interaction interface (Magnusson et al; Fig 7; Para [0129]-[0130]; microphone icon); and when the sound collection instruction is performed, the audio icon is displayed as a second icon on the interaction interface (Magnusson et al; Fig 7; Para [0129]-[0130]; submenu open in second instruction on the interface). It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the application to use the audio icon taught by Magnusson as interface in the device taught by Jurthe. The motivation to do so would have been to improve the audio quality (Magnusson et al; Para [0007]).
Regarding claim 7, Jurthe et al in view of Campbell and further in view of Dong et al and further in view of Jung and further in view of Hatton and further in view of Magnusson et al disclose the method according to claim 4, but do not expressly disclose further comprising, after displaying the interaction interface including the audio icon and generating the action detection instruction: in response to detecting that the relative position relationship between the electronic device and the target vehicle does not meet the predetermined condition, hiding the interaction interface and/or stopping detection of the user action. However, in the same field of endeavor, Magnusson disclose a method further comprising, after displaying the interaction interface including the audio icon and generating the action detection instruction: in response to detecting that the relative position relationship between the electronic device and the target vehicle does not meet the predetermined condition, hiding the interaction interface and/or stopping detection of the user action (Magnusson et al; Fig 7; Para [0129]-[0130]; hiding submenu when microphone is not selected). It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the application to use the audio icon taught by Magnusson as interface in the device taught by Jurthe. The motivation to do so would have been to improve the audio quality (Magnusson et al; Para [0007]).
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jurthe et al (WO 2017/012852 A1) in view Campbell et al (US 2012/0313768 A1) and further in view of Dong et al (CN 106790498 A1) and further in view of Jung (KR 101274891 B1) and further in view of Xian et al (US 2014/0281983 A1).
Regarding claim 8, Jurthe et al in view of Campbell and further in view of Dong et and further in view of Jung disclose the method according to claim 1, but do not expressly disclose further comprising, after performing the sound collection instruction: in response to detecting a predetermined deactivation action of the user, stopping the collection of the sound signal of the user. However, in the same field of endeavor, Xian et al disclose a method further comprising, after performing the sound collection instruction: in response to detecting a predetermined deactivation action of the user, stopping the collection of the sound signal of the user (Xian et al; Fig 3; pause action will stop collection of sound; Para [0040][0050][0060]). It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the application to use the sound collection control taught by Xian as sound collection control in the device taught by Jurthe. The motivation to do so would have been to provide a user with a fine granularity of control of the content (Xian et al; Para [0030]).
Claim(s) 9, 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jurthe et al (WO 2017/012852 A1) in view Campbell et al (US 2012/0313768 A1) and further in view of Dong et al (CN 106790498 A1) and further in view of Jung (KR 101274891 B1) and further in view of Ledvina et al (US 2018/0234797 A1).
Regarding claim 9, Jurthe et al in view of Campbell and further in view of Dong et and further in view of Jung disclose the method according to claim 1, but do not expressly disclose wherein the relative position relationship between the electronic device and the target vehicle is determined based on a UWB method. However, in the same field of endeavor, Ledvina disclose a method wherein the relative position relationship between the electronic device and the target vehicle is determined based on a UWB method (Ledvina et al; Para [0006][0041]). It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the application to use the position determination taught by Ledvina as position determination in the device taught by Jurthe. The motivation to do so would have been enabling certain functionality of the vehicle (Ledvina et al; Para [0005]).
Regarding claim 19, Jurthe et al in view of Campbell and further in view of Dong et al and further in view of Jung disclose the system according to claim 18, but do not expressly disclose wherein: the electronic device further includes a first UWB communication module; the onboard controller further includes a second UWB communication module; and the first UWB communication module and the second UWB communication module establish a communication connection based on a UWB method and are configured to determine the relative position relationship between the electronic device and the target vehicle. However, in the same field of endeavor, Ledvina disclose a method wherein: the electronic device further includes a first UWB communication module; the onboard controller further includes a second UWB communication module (Ledvina et al; Para [0006][0041][0035]-[0038]); and the first UWB communication module and the second UWB communication module establish a communication connection based on a UWB method and are configured to determine the relative position relationship between the electronic device and the target vehicle (Ledvina et al; Para [0006][0041][0035]-[0038]). It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the application to use the position determination taught by Ledvina as position determination in the device taught by Jurthe. The motivation to do so would have been enabling certain functionality of the vehicle (Ledvina et al; Para [0005]).
Claim(s) 10, 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jurthe et al (WO 2017/012852 A1) in view of Zurek et al (US 2013/0202130 A1) and further in view Campbell et al (US 2012/0313768 A1) and further in view of Jung (KR 101274891 B1).
Regarding claim 10, Jurthe et al disclose a position-based audio interaction method comprising: at an electronic device, in response to detecting that a relative position relationship between the electronic device and a target vehicle meets a first position condition (Jurthe et al; Para [0036]), generating a sound collection instruction, for collecting a sound signal of a user of the electronic device (Jurthe et al; Para [0036]; initiation of input collection), but do not expressly disclose and the target vehicle including at least one external speaker; at the electronic device, determining a relative position distance between a user face and the electronic device based on the collected sound signal; at the electronic device, in response to determining that the relative position distance between the user face and the electronic device meets a second position condition, generating a transmission instruction, for transmitting the collected sound signal to an onboard controller corresponding to the target vehicle; and at the onboard controller, outputting the collected sound signal by the at least one external speaker. However, in the same field of endeavor, Campbell et al disclose a method further comprising generating a transmission instruction, for transmitting the collected sound signal to an onboard controller corresponding to the target vehicle (Campbell et al; Para [0054]). It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the application to use the speech data transmission taught by Campbell to transmit input collected data from the portable device to the vehicle taught by Jurthe. The motivation to do so would have been to provide other audible information to the user (Campbell et al; Para [0055]). Moreover, in the same field of endeavor, Zurek et al disclose a method further comprising, at the electronic device, determining a relative position distance between a user face and the electronic device based on the collected sound signal (Zurek et al; Para [0011]-[0014]); at the electronic device, in response to determining that the relative position distance between the user face and the electronic device meets a second position condition, generating a transmission instruction, for transmitting the collected sound signal to an onboard controller corresponding to the target vehicle (Zurek et al; Para [0011]-[0014]). It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the application to use the audio detection taught by Zurek as audio detection in the device taught by Jurthe. The motivation to do so would have been to compensate for increased noise (Zurek et al; Para [0011]). Furthermore, in the same field of endeavor, Jung disclose a method further comprising and at least one external speaker arranged at the target vehicle (Jung; Fig 3; speaker 20); and at the onboard controller, outputting the collected sound signal by the at least one external speaker (Jung; Para [0040][0042][0043]). It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date the application to use the speaker instruction taught by Jung to control the speaker taught by Jurthe. The motivation to do so would have been to provide an effective announcement feature to the user (Jung; Para [0014]).
Regarding claim 17, Jurthe et al in view of Campbell and further in view of Zurek and further in view of Jung disclose the method according to claim 10, but do not expressly disclose further comprising, after determining the relative position distance between the user face and the electronic device: in response to determining that the relative position distance between the user face and the electronic device does not meet the second position condition, stopping transmission of the collected sound signal. However, in the same field of endeavor, Zurek et al disclose a method further comprising, after determining the relative position distance between the user face and the electronic device: in response to determining that the relative position distance between the user face and the electronic device does not meet the second position condition, stopping transmission of the collected sound signal (Zurek et al; Para [0011]-[0014]). It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the application to use the audio detection taught by Zurek as audio detection in the device taught by Jurthe. The motivation to do so would have been to compensate for increased noise (Zurek et al; Para [0011]).
Claim(s) 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jurthe et al (WO 2017/012852 A1) in view of Zurek et al (US 2013/0202130 A1) and further in view Campbell et al (US 2012/0313768 A1) and further in view of Jung (KR 101274891 B1) and further in view of Lechao et al (CN 111312238 A).
Regarding claim 11, Jurthe et al in view of Campbell and further in view of Zurek and further in view of Jung disclose the method according to claim 10, but do not expressly disclose further comprising, before generating the transmission instruction: generating a wake-up instruction to be sent to the target vehicle, the wake-up instruction indicating wake-up of the onboard controller corresponding to the target vehicle. However, in the same field of endeavor, Lechao et al disclose a method further comprising, before generating the sound collection instruction: generating a wake-up instruction to be sent to the target vehicle, the wake-up instruction indicating wake-up of the onboard controller corresponding to the target vehicle (Lechao et al; Page 11; lines 15-30; waking up vehicle control response). It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the application to use the wake up instruction taught by Lechao as instruction in the device taught by Jurthe. The motivation to do so would have been to ensure the user has better user experience (Lechao et al; Page 4; lines 1-10).
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jurthe et al (WO 2017/012852 A1) in view of Zurek et al (US 2013/0202130 A1) and further in view Campbell et al (US 2012/0313768 A1) and further in view of Jung (KR 101274891 B1) and further in view of Bader et al (US 2021/0394716 A1).
Regarding claim 12, Jurthe et al in view of Campbell and further in view of Zurek and further in view of Jung disclose the method according to claim 10, but do not expressly disclose wherein outputting the collected sound signal by the at least one external speaker includes: selecting a target speaker from the at least one external speaker based on the relative position relationship; and outputting the collected sound signal by the target speaker. However, in the same field of endeavor, Bader et al disclose a method wherein outputting the collected sound signal by the at least one external speaker includes: selecting a target speaker from the at least one external speaker based on the relative position relationship (Bader et al; Para [0007][0010]; only loudspeaker closest to user interpreted as target loudspeaker is selected for outputting speaker signal); and outputting the collected sound signal by the target speaker (Bader et al; Para [0007]; outputting speaker signal by closest loudspeaker). It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the application to use the interface taught by Bader as interface in the device taught by Jurthe. The motivation to do so would have been avoiding unnecessary noise pollution of the surroundings (Bader et al; Para [0007]).
Claim(s) 13-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jurthe et al (WO 2017/012852 A1) in view of Zurek et al (US 2013/0202130 A1) and further in view Campbell et al (US 2012/0313768 A1) and further in view of Jung (KR 101274891 B1) and further in view of Hatton (US 2015/0362997 A1) and further in view of Magnusson et al (US 2013/0226593 A1).
Regarding claim 13, Jurthe et al in view of Campbell and further in view of Zurek and further in view of Jung disclose the method according to claim 10, but do not expressly disclose further comprising: in response to detecting that the relative position relationship between the electronic device and the target vehicle meets the first position condition, displaying an interaction interface including an audio icon. However, in the same field of endeavor, Hatton discloses a method further comprising: in response to detecting that the relative position relationship between the electronic device and the target vehicle meets the predetermined condition, displaying an interaction interface (Hatton; Para [0042]). It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the application to use the interface taught by Hatton as interface in the device taught by Jurthe. The motivation to do so would have been to ensure functionality of the device (Hatton; Para [0058]). Moreover, in the same field of endeavor, Magnusson disclose a method wherein displaying an interaction interface including an audio icon (Magnusson et al; Fig 7; Para [0129]-[0130][0133]). It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the application to use the audio icon taught by Magnusson as interface in the device taught by Jurthe. The motivation to do so would have been to improve the audio quality (Magnusson et al; Para [0007]).
Regarding claim 14, Jurthe et al in view of Campbell and further in view of Zurek and further in view of Jung disclose the method according to claim 13, but do not expressly disclose wherein: when the relative position distance between the user face and the electronic device does not meet the second position condition, the audio icon displayed at the interaction interface is a first icon; and when the relative position distance between the user face and the electronic device meet the second position condition, the audio icon displayed at the interaction interface is a second icon. However, in the same field of endeavor, Magnusson disclose a device wherein: when the relative position distance between the user face and the electronic device does not meet the second position condition, the audio icon displayed at the interaction interface is a first icon (Magnusson et al; Fig 7; Para [0129]-[0130]; microphone icon); and when the relative position distance between the user face and the electronic device meet the second position condition, the audio icon displayed at the interaction interface is a second icon (Magnusson et al; Fig 7; Para [0129]-[0130]; submenu open in second instruction on the interface). It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the application to use the audio icon taught by Magnusson as interface in the device taught by Jurthe. The motivation to do so would have been to improve the audio quality (Magnusson et al; Para [0007]).
Regarding claim 15, Jurthe et al in view of Campbell and further in view of Zurek and further in view of Jung disclose the method according to claim 13, but do not expressly disclose further comprising, after displaying the interaction interface including the audio icon and generating the sound collection instruction: in response to detecting that the relative position relationship between the electronic device and the target vehicle does not meet the first position condition, hiding the interaction interface and/or stopping the collection of the sound signal of the user. However, in the same field of endeavor, Magnusson disclose a method further comprising, after displaying the interaction interface including the audio icon and generating the sound collection instruction: in response to detecting that the relative position relationship between the electronic device and the target vehicle does not meet the first position condition, hiding the interaction interface and/or stopping the collection of the sound signal of the user (Magnusson et al; Fig 7; Para [0129]-[0130]). It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the application to use the audio icon taught by Magnusson as interface in the device taught by Jurthe. The motivation to do so would have been to improve the audio quality (Magnusson et al; Para [0007]).
Claim(s) 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jurthe et al (WO 2017/012852 A1) in view of Zurek et al (US 2013/0202130 A1) and further in view Campbell et al (US 2012/0313768 A1) and further in view of Jung (KR 101274891 B1) and further in view of Ledvina et al (US 2018/0234797 A1).
Regarding claim 16, Jurthe et al in view of Campbell and further in view of Zurek and further in view of Jung disclose the method according to claim 10, but do not expressly disclose wherein the relative position relationship between the electronic device and the target vehicle is determined based on a UWB method. However, in the same field of endeavor, Ledvina disclose a method wherein the relative position relationship between the electronic device and the target vehicle is determined based on a UWB method (Ledvina et al; Para [0006][0041]). It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the application to use the position determination taught by Ledvina as position determination in the device taught by Jurthe. The motivation to do so would have been enabling certain functionality of the vehicle (Ledvina et al; Para [0005]).
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 KUASSI A GANMAVO whose telephone number is (571)270-5761. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9 AM-5PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Carolyn Edwards can be reached at 5712707136. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/KUASSI A GANMAVO/Examiner, Art Unit 2692
/CAROLYN R EDWARDS/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2692
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