DETAILED ACTION
This action is in response to the initial filing filed on May 17, 2024, claims 1-22 havebeen examined in this application.
Information Disclosure Statement
The Information Disclosure Statement (IDS) filed on 5/17/2024 and 2/27/2025 have been acknowledged.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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 .
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.
Claims 1, 4, and 10-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mayer et al (IEEE, 2019) in view of Santra et al (US 2019/0302253 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Mayer teaches an apparatus working as MmWave radar sensor module comprising [page 119, left column, abstract for angular view of single radar sensor]:
a mmWave integrated radar circuit entity having at least four receiving input, and at least two transmitting outputs [page 120, left column, first three paragraphs for using a 4 x 8 MIMO array (4 transmitters and 8 receivers)];
an antenna structure having at least four radiation elements receiving mmWave signals [page 120, left column, first two paragraphs for patch antenna arrays],
and at least two radiation elements transmitting mmWave signals, all the radiation elements being connected by mmWave electromagnetic transmission guides [page 120, left column, first three paragraphs for using a 4 x 8 MIMO array (4 transmitters and 8 receivers)],
wherein the middle points of radiation surfaces of said radiation elements build a symmetrical convex arrangement toward observation area, named the main curve [page 120, figure 1 for arranging antennas in a curve, and page 121 figure 7 for showing antennas in a curved arrangement],
wherein said radiation elements transmitting mmWave signals are arranged on the main curve in the middle of the main curve in symmetrical order such that the same number of radiation elements transmitting mmWave signals are arranged on each side of the “main curve” [page 120, right column, last three paragraphs for having a wide angular area with outer transmit antennas],
if the number of radiation elements transmitting mmWave signals is even and one radiation element transmitting mmWave signals is arranged in the middle of the main curve and rest of the radiation elements transmitting mmWave signals are symmetrically arranged on each side of the main curve [page 120, figure 1 for arranging antennas in a curve, and page 121 figure 7 for showing antennas in a curved arrangement as claimed],
if the number of the radiation elements transmitting mmWave signals are odd, wherein said radiation elements receiving mmWave signals are arranged on the main curve on the left and right side of the radiation elements transmitting mmWave signals [page 121, figure 4 and figure 7 for showing conformation arrays with even and odd number of antennas in curved arrangements].
Mayer fails to explicitly teach all the radiation elements being connected by mmWave electromagnetic transmission guides to the integrated mmWave integrated radar circuit entity.
Santra has receiving radar data at a millimeter-wave radar sensor, the radar data being generated in response to an incident radio-frequency signal reflecting off an object located (abstract) and teaches all the radiation elements being connected by mmWave electromagnetic transmission guides to the integrated mmWave integrated radar circuit entity [0038-0039 for using integrated circuits with sensors and antennas].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the radar sensor techniques, as disclosed by Mayer, further including the circuit calculations as taught by Santra for the purpose to incorporated all parts of the functionality into the same integrated circuit (Santra, 0038).
Regarding Claim 4, Mayer teaches the radiation elements transmitting mmWave signals are strings of patch antennas [page 120, left column, 2nd and 3rd paragraph for having serial fed patch antennas],
wherein the minimum number of patches is one, and wherein mmWave electromagnetic transmission guides are microstrip lines [page 120, figure 2 and left column second paragraph for patch antennas on a substrate (microstrip)].
Regarding Claim 10, Mayer fails to explicitly teach said apparatus is placed with the minimum angle of zero degree from the plane of symmetrical main curve to horizontal plane parallel to the ground, toward the ground plane, mounted on the vehicle.
Santra has receiving radar data at a millimeter-wave radar sensor, the radar data being generated in response to an incident radio-frequency signal reflecting off an object located (abstract) and teaches said apparatus is placed with the minimum angle of zero degree from the plane of symmetrical main curve to horizontal plane parallel to the ground, toward the ground plane, mounted on the vehicle [0042 for radar sensor on the bumper of a vehicle].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the radar sensor techniques, as disclosed by Mayer, further including the circuit calculations as taught by Santra for the purpose sensitive to the motion of objects within a space between the bumper and the ground (Santra, 0042).
Regarding Claim 11, Mayer fails to explicitly teach the vehicle, has more than one wheel.
Santra has receiving radar data at a millimeter-wave radar sensor, the radar data being generated in response to an incident radio-frequency signal reflecting off an object located (abstract) and teaches the vehicle, has more than one wheel [0042 for radar sensor on the bumper (more than one wheel) of a vehicle].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the radar sensor techniques, as disclosed by Mayer, further including the circuit calculations as taught by Santra for the purpose sensitive to the motion of objects within a space between the bumper and the ground (Santra, 0042).
Regarding Claim 12, Mayer fails to explicitly teach the said vehicle, has more than one said apparatus mounted on more than one side of the vehicle.
Santra has receiving radar data at a millimeter-wave radar sensor, the radar data being generated in response to an incident radio-frequency signal reflecting off an object located (abstract) and teaches the said vehicle, has more than one said apparatus mounted on more than one side of the vehicle [0042 for radar sensor on the bumper of a vehicle].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the radar sensor techniques, as disclosed by Mayer, further including the circuit calculations as taught by Santra for the purpose sensitive to the motion of objects within a space between the bumper and the ground (Santra, 0042).
Regarding Claim 13, Mayer teaches the said apparatus can provide signal processing on module enabling detection of distance to targets, their speed, angular position relative to said apparatus, in the 180° azimuth field of view [page 122, left column, 4th paragraph for 200 degree angular view for tracking two targets].
Regarding Claim 14, Mayer teaches the said apparatus can provide classification of targets in the 180° azimuth field of view [page 122, figure 11 for estimating targets, with page 122, left column, 4th paragraph for 200 degree angular view for tracking two targets].
Regarding Claim 15, Mayer teaches the said apparatus can provide tracking of targets [page 122, figure 11 for estimating targets].
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mayer et al (IEEE, 2019) in view of Santra et al (US 2019/0302253 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and in further view of DeHart (US 5,006,857 A).
Regarding Claim 5, Mayer teaches the radiation elements transmitting mmWave signals are strings containing patches [page 120, figure 2 for showing transmit and receive patches]
with differing patch sizes, where mmWave electromagnetic transmission guides are microstrip lines [page 121, figures 4 and 7].
Mayer fails to explicitly teach patches being printed on different sides of a microstrip feeding line in an asymmetrical manner [col 4, lines 5-20 for asymmetrical patch antennas].
DeHart has planar microstrip antenna structure having individual elements in the form of asymmetrical triangular patches (abstract) and teaches patches being printed on different sides of a microstrip feeding line in an asymmetrical manner [col 4, lines 5-20 for asymmetrical patch antennas].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the radar sensor techniques, as disclosed by Mayer, further including the patch antenna configurations as taught by DeHart for the purpose to emit an electromagnetic radiation pattern (DeHart, col 4, lines 35-45).
Claims 6 and 8-9 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mayer et al (IEEE, 2019) in view of Santra et al (US 2019/0302253 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and in further view of Smith (US 10218075 B1).
Regarding Claim 6, Mayer teaches radiation elements transmitting mmWave signals are open mmWave waveguides, wherein mmWave electromagnetic transmission guides are mmWave waveguides [page 120, left column, last paragraph].
Mayer fails to explicitly teach waveguides smoothly banded to reach their endings in one plane, where their endings are open mmWave waveguides, where open waveguides on both sides are rectangular mmWave waveguides.
Smith has method may involve forming, in a first metal layer, a first half of waveguide channels including an input waveguide channel (abstract) and teaches waveguides smoothly banded to reach their endings in one plane, where their endings are open mmWave waveguides, where open waveguides on both sides are rectangular mmWave waveguides [col 10, lines 50-60 and col 12, lines 8-30 for having a rectangular shape].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the radar sensor techniques, as disclosed by Mayer, further including the waveguide configurations as taught by Smith for the purpose to make the waveguide highly convenient to manufacture (Smith, col 12, lines 10-25).
Regarding Claim 8, Mayer fails to explicitly teach the mmWave integrated radar circuit entity’s inputs and outputs are attached to the mmWave launcher, releasing mmWave radio signal coupling in the efficient way from and to mmWave integrated radar circuit entity inputs and outputs to the said mmWave waveguides.
Santra has receiving radar data at a millimeter-wave radar sensor, the radar data being generated in response to an incident radio-frequency signal reflecting off an object located (abstract) and teaches the mmWave integrated radar circuit entity’s inputs and outputs are attached to the mmWave launcher, releasing mmWave radio signal coupling in the efficient way from and to mmWave integrated radar circuit entity inputs and outputs to the said mmWave waveguides [0034 for front end coupling (launching means) to four receive antennas].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the radar sensor techniques, as disclosed by Mayer, further including the circuit calculations as taught by Santra for the purpose to control the operation of millimeter-wave radar sensor circuit (Santra, 0035).
Regarding Claim 9, Mayer teaches mmWave launcher is an arbitrarily shaped planar patch [page 120, left column, first two paragraphs for five elements on a substrate].
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mayer et al (IEEE, 2019) in view of Santra et al (US 2019/0302253 A1) and Smith (US 10218075 B1), as applied to claim 6 above, and in further view of Nagai (US 7423604 B1).
Regarding Claim 7, Mayer fails to explicitly teach open waveguides on both sides are ellipsoidal mmWave waveguides.
Nagai has a conductor member contains a linear feed waveguide extending in a fixed direction and a plurality of horn antennas coupled to the feed waveguide (abstract) and teaches open waveguides on both sides are ellipsoidal mmWave waveguides [figure 13 for an elliptical opening for a waveguide with col 4, lines 45-55].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the radar sensor techniques, as disclosed by Mayer, further including the waveguide shape as taught by Nagai for the purpose to realize excellent radiation characteristics (Nagai, col 3, lines 35-45).
Claims 16-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mayer et al (IEEE, 2019) in view of Santra et al (US 2019/0302253 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and in further view of Alland et al (US 2011/0163904 A1).
Regarding Claim 16, Mayer fails to explicitly teach in the same body of the said apparatus, the camera is integrated.
Alland has an integrated radar-camera sensor is provided which includes a camera sensor component and a radar sensor component both housed within a common single module housing (abstract) and teaches in the same body of the said apparatus, the camera is integrated [0025].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the radar sensor techniques, as disclosed by Mayer, further including the sensor configurations as taught by Alland for the purpose to reduce sensor costs (Alland, 0025).
Regarding Claim 17, Mayer fails to explicitly teach only one physical connection for both said apparatus and camera is approaching the vehicle infrastructure.
Alland has an integrated radar-camera sensor is provided which includes a camera sensor component and a radar sensor component both housed within a common single module housing (abstract) and teaches only one physical connection for both said apparatus and camera is approaching the vehicle infrastructure [0025].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the radar sensor techniques, as disclosed by Mayer, further including the sensor configurations as taught by Alland for the purpose to reduce sensor costs (Alland, 0025).
Claims 18-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mayer et al (IEEE, 2019) in view of Santra et al (US 2019/0302253 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and in further view of Tran et al (US 2013/0311075 A1).
Regarding Claim 18, Mayer fails to explicitly teach the said apparatus has integrated short range wireless communication means integrated circuit, enabling sensor information transmission wirelessly to the part of the vehicle body.
Trans has a safety system for motorcycle comprises at least one sensor mounted to the motorcycle to sense a feature of an environment surrounding the vehicle (abstract) and teaches the said apparatus has integrated short range wireless communication means integrated circuit, enabling sensor information transmission wirelessly to the part of the vehicle body [0021 for short range sensors and 0026-0027].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the radar sensor techniques, as disclosed by Mayer, further including the communication configurations as taught by Tran for the purpose to minimizing obstruction of the operator's sight, (Tran, 0027).
Regarding Claim 19, Mayer fails to explicitly teach the sensor information is additionally transmitted to the two-wheeler rider’s helmet.
Trans has a safety system for motorcycle comprises at least one sensor mounted to the motorcycle to sense a feature of an environment surrounding the vehicle (abstract) and teaches the sensor information is additionally transmitted to the two-wheeler rider’s helmet [0026-0027].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the radar sensor techniques, as disclosed by Mayer, further including the communication configurations as taught by Tran for the purpose to minimizing obstruction of the operator's sight, (Tran, 0027).
Regarding Claim 20, Mayer fails to explicitly teach the sensor information is additionally transmitted to the two-wheeler rider’s airbag.
Trans has a safety system for motorcycle comprises at least one sensor mounted to the motorcycle to sense a feature of an environment surrounding the vehicle (abstract) and teaches the sensor information is additionally transmitted to the two-wheeler rider’s airbag [0003].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the radar sensor techniques, as disclosed by Mayer, further including the communication configurations as taught by Tran for the purpose to minimizing obstruction of the operator's sight, (Tran, 0027).
Regarding Claim 21, Mayer fails to explicitly teach the sensor information is transmitted to the two-wheelers’ back looking mirrors.
Trans has a safety system for motorcycle comprises at least one sensor mounted to the motorcycle to sense a feature of an environment surrounding the vehicle (abstract) and teaches the sensor information is transmitted to the two-wheelers’ back looking mirrors [0023-0024].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the radar sensor techniques, as disclosed by Mayer, further including the communication configurations as taught by Tran for the purpose to minimizing obstruction of the operator's sight, (Tran, 0027).
Regarding Claim 22, Mayer fails to explicitly teach apparatus is mounted in after-market manner to the vehicle having only wireless communication means to the vehicle structure, without other wired digital interfaces.
Trans has a safety system for motorcycle comprises at least one sensor mounted to the motorcycle to sense a feature of an environment surrounding the vehicle (abstract) and teaches apparatus is mounted in after-market manner to the vehicle having only wireless communication means to the vehicle structure, without other wired digital interfaces [0026-0027].
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the applicant’s invention for modifying the radar sensor techniques, as disclosed by Mayer, further including the communication configurations as taught by Tran for the purpose to minimizing obstruction of the operator's sight, (Tran, 0027).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-3 objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Aloumanis et al (US 10219571 B1) has a motorcycle helmet includes electronic components operating within the motorcycle helmet. At least a portion of the electronic components is embedded within an outer shell of the helmet or an inner shell of the helmet.
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/SAMARINA MAKHDOOM/
Examiner, Art Unit 3648