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 Amendment
This Office Action is in response to reply filed claims 7 and 18 have been canceled, claims 1, 2, 8, 10, 11, 17, and 20 have been amended, and claims 21 and 22 are new. Claims 1-6, 8-17, and 19-22 are currently pending in the application.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-6, 8-17, and 19-22 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) 1-6, 10-15, and 20-22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jin (CN 117373275 – hereinafter Jin) in view of Liang (CN 117948982 A – hereinafter Liang) and Liao et al. (WO 2024002202 A1 – hereinafter Liao).
As per claim 1, Jin teaches a method for mapping vehicle parking (Jin, p. 35 lines 7-11 and p. 48 lines 20-24: The vehicle parking position is mapped) comprising: receiving, by a sensor in a vehicle , a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signal (Jin, p. 28 line 34-p. 29 line 2 and p. 35 lines 12-24: The vehicle receives GNSS signal through a GNSS receiver, or sensor; the GNSS signal is used to determine vehicle position); determining, based on the GNSS signal, a position of the vehicle; entering, by the vehicle, into a parking structure (Jin, p. 28 line 34-p. 29 line 2 and p. 35 lines 12-24: The vehicle position is determined to be entering an underground parking lot), wherein, based on a location of the vehicle in the parking structure, a loss of reception of the GNSS signal occurs (Jin, p. 28 line 34-p. 29 line 2 and p. 35 lines 12-24: Loss of GNSS signal is determined when the vehicle enters the underground parking lot); tracking, based on one or more vehicle movement sensors, a movement of the vehicle within the parking structure after the loss of reception of the GNSS signal (Jin, p. 28 line 34-p. 29 line 2 and p. 35 lines 12-24: The vehicle movement sensors are triggered to track movement of the vehicle in the parking lot once GNSS signal is lost); identifying, using an optical sensor in the vehicle, vehicle location information within the parking structure (Jin, p. 35 lines 29-p. 36 line 2 and p. 36 lines 16-27: The vehicle sensors include radar and camera, or optical sensors, to identify location information of the vehicle in the parking lot); mapping, using one or more sensors within the vehicle and based on the tracking and identifying, based on simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), parking space mapping data (Jin, p. 36 line 35-p. 37 line 10: SLAM is used to assist in parking of the vehicle and map parking position); recognizing, upon cessation of movement of the vehicle, using one or more sensors within the vehicle, a parking of the vehicle (Jin, p. 29 lines 3-14: The parking of the vehicle may be determined when the sensors for the motion of the vehicle detect the vehicle has stopped at a parking space); and determining a parking space position of the parked vehicle within the parking structure (Jin, p. 28 lines 11-30: After the parking is determined based on the vehicle stopping, the parking space, including parking floor and parking area is determined).
Jin does not disclose:
determining, using dynamic programming, an optimized path to an open parking space within the parking structure, wherein the optimized path is based on a direction that the vehicle is facing at a start of a process to determine the optimized path;
recognizing, upon a determination that a transmission of the vehicle has been placed into a parking gear, a parking of the vehicle;
However, in the same art of vehicle parking guidance, Liang, page 4 lines 6-10, page 12 lines 13-19, and page 13 lines 24-28, teaches determining the best candidate, or optimized, path to a parking space. The determination is done dynamically with adaptive values, and thus, is done using dynamic programming. The determination also is based on the starting direction for the vehicle at the start of determining the best candidate path.
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art for Jin’s mapping vehicle parking to include dynamic determination of an optimized path to a parking space including based on the starting direction of the vehicle, as taught by Liang. The motivation is to provide best candidate path options for a vehicle to move to a parking space that is updated based on changing conditions (Liang, page 4 lines 6-10 and page 12 lines 13-19).
Additionally, in the same art of vehicle parking determination, Liao, page 37 lines 20-33, page 40 lines 18-33, page 58 lines 29-31, and page 67 lines 27-29, teaches determination that a transmission of the vehicle has been placed into a parking gear as part of the recognition of parking of the vehicle.
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art for Jin’s recognition of parking of the vehicle to include a determination that a transmission of the vehicle has been placed into a parking gear, as taught by Liao. The motivation is because there are a limited number of ways to determination a vehicle has been parked. Liao clearly shows that the determination of placement in the parking gear is at least one of reasonable methods of determining parking of the vehicle. Thus, determination of placement in the parking gear would reasonable be used in place of, or in combination with, other methods to recognize that a vehicle has been parked.
As per claim 2 (dependent on claim 1), Jin, Liang, and Liao further teaches:
wherein the recognizing the parking of the vehicle further comprises determining that an engine of the vehicle has been turned off (Liao, page 37 lines 20-33, page 40 lines 18-33, page 58 lines 29-31, and page 67 lines 27-29: The determination of vehicle parking includes determination that the vehicle is powered off).
As per claim 3 (dependent on claim 1), Jin, Liang, and Liao further teaches:
further comprising transmitting the parking space mapping data to a mobile communication device (Jin, p. 9 lines 1-11: The determined parking position, which includes the parking space mapping data, is messaged to a mobile phone).
As per claim 4 (dependent on claim 3), Jin, Liang, and Liao further teaches:
further comprising transmitting the parking space mapping data from the mobile communication device to a server (Jin, p. 46 lines 22-25: The mobile phone may use a local server to store parking space information, which includes the parking space mapping information; thus, the mobile phone transmits the parking space information to the server).
As per claim 5 (dependent on claim 1), Jin, Liang, and Liao further teaches:
further comprising transmitting the parking space position of the parked vehicle to a mobile communication device (Jin, p. 9 lines 1-11: The determined parking position, which includes the parking space mapping data, is messaged to a mobile phone).
As per claim 6 (dependent on claim 1), Jin, Liang, and Liao further teaches:
further comprising augmenting, by a-priori parking space mapping information, the parking space mapping data (Jin, p. 34 line 29-p. 35 line 3: The sensed motion data of the vehicle used for mapping location of the vehicle may be combined with previously known, or a-priori, map data of the parking spaces in order to better identify parking position of the vehicle).
As per claim 11, Jin, Liang, and Liao renders obvious all the claim limitations as in the consideration of claim 1 above since the system of claim 11 includes the components for performing the method considered in claim 1.
As per claim 12, Jin, Liang, and Liao renders obvious the limitations of claim 11 and further limitations are met as in the consideration of claim 3 above.
As per claim 13, Jin, Liang, and Liao renders obvious the limitations of claim 12 and further limitations are met as in the consideration of claim 4 above.
As per claim 14, Jin, Liang, and Liao renders obvious the limitations of claim 11 and further limitations are met as in the consideration of claim 5 above.
As per claim 15, Jin, Liang, and Liao renders obvious the limitations of claim 11 and further limitations are met as in the consideration of claim 3 above.
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) 8-10, and 16-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jin, Liang, and Liao in view of Wang et al. (CN 117068143 – hereinafter Wang).
As per claim 8 (dependent on claim 1), Jin, Liang, and Liao does not disclose:
wherein the determining of the optimized path is based on a location coordinate of a parking lot entrance, a speed of the vehicle, an elapsed time of travel of the vehicle, and a-priori parking space mapping information.
However, in the same art of vehicle parking, Wang teaches:
wherein the determining of the optimized path is based on a location coordinate of a parking lot entrance (Wang, p. 7 lines 1-23: The optimized route is based on the location of the parking entrance), a speed of the vehicle (Wang, p. 7 lines 1-23: The optimized route includes speed controls for the vehicle), an elapsed time of travel of the vehicle (Wang, p. 5 lines 4-6: The optimized route is determined to save time of the driver, thus the optimized route is based on elapsed time to reach the parking space destination), and a-priori parking space mapping information (Wang, p. 8 lines 15-18 and lines 27-30: As vehicle park, the parking mapping information is updated and shared, thus the mapping information received by a vehicle to park includes historical mapping data from other vehicles).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art for Jin, Liang, and Liao’s optimizing a parking route for a vehicle to include the additional parameters, as taught by Wang. The motivation is to ensure accurate and efficient parking of vehicles (Wang, p. 7 lines 1-23).
As per claim 9 (dependent on claim 1), Jin, Liang, and Liao does not disclose:
further comprising sharing the parking space mapping data with a third-party parking software application.
However, in the same art of vehicle parking, Wang, p. 8 lines 15-18 and lines 27-30, teaches that each vehicle shares the parking mapping information to update the parking mapping information at the server; the updated parking mapping information is then shared with other vehicles, thus with the other vehicles’ parking software, to assist in parking.
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art for Jin, Liang, and Liao’s optimizing a parking route for a vehicle to include the sharing of updated parking mapping information through a server, as taught by Wang. The motivation is to ensure accurate and efficient parking of vehicles (Wang, p. 8 lines 15-18 and lines 27-30).
As per claim 10 (dependent on claim 1), Jin, Liang, and Liao does not disclose:
receiving from a server, parking space mapping data.
However, in the same art of vehicle parking, Wang, p. 8 lines 15-18 and lines 27-30, teaches that the updated parking mapping information is received from the server.
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art for Jin, Liang, and Liao’s optimizing a parking route for a vehicle to include the sharing of updated parking mapping information through a server, as taught by Wang. The motivation is to ensure accurate and efficient parking of vehicles (Wang, p. 8 lines 15-18 and lines 27-30).
As per claim 16, Jin, Liang, and Liao renders obvious the limitations of claim 11 and further limitations are met by Jin, Liang, and Liao in view of Wang as in the consideration of claim 7 above.
As per claim 17, Jin, Liang, Liao, and Wang renders obvious the limitations of claim 16 and further limitations are met as in the consideration of claim 8 above.
As per claim 19, Jin, Liang, and Liao renders obvious the limitations of claim 11 and further limitations are met by Jin, Liang, and Liao in view of Wang as in the consideration of claim 10 above.
As per claim 20, Jin, Liang, and Liao renders obvious all the claim limitations as in the consideration of claims 1-4 above. Additional limitations are met by Jin, Liang, and Liao in view of Wang as in the consideration of claim 8 above.
As per claim 21, Jin, Liang, Liao, and Wang renders obvious the claim limitations of claim 20 and further limitations are met as in the consideration of claim 5 above.
As per claim 22, Jin, Liang, Liao, and Wang renders obvious the claim limitations of claim 20 and further limitations are met as in the consideration of claim 6 above.
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.
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/ANDREW W BEE/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2677
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