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 .
Introduction
This is a response to the applicant’s response filed on 06/09/2026. Claims 19-30 are currently presented in the instant application. Claims 1-18 are non-elected.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 08/15/2024 and 03/05/2025 has been considered by Examiner and made of record in the application file.
Drawings
The drawing submitted on 05/22/2024 has been considered by Examiner and made of record in the application file.
Specification
The specification submitted on 05/22/2024 has been considered by Examiner and made of record in the application file.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group II, claims 19-30 in the reply filed on 06/09/2026 is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 19, 21-22, 25 and 27-28 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wang (US Pub. No.: 2018/0316763).
Regarding claims 19 and 25, Wang teaches Outside-world access-point equipment (see figure 1, Wi-Fi network 1040 should be included access point, [0053], comprising:
a memory; and
at least one processor, coupled to the memory and operative to cause the outside-world access-point equipment to (it is clearly seen that the access point should be included processor and memory):
receive information about vehicles in a wireless network architecture, wherein each vehicle has compute capability (see figures 1 and 6, [0060-0065, 0071-0073], forward the first dada of vehicle to server, each vehicle can calculate the battery level); and
orchestrate the compute capabilities of the vehicles to function as individual processors of a multi-processor computer system (see figures 1, 3 and 6, processor 3010, [0060-0065, 0071-0073], each vehicle can calculate the battery level so each vehicle can be process as an individual processor based on the battery level).
Regarding claims 21 and 27, Wang further teaches the outside-world access-point equipment instructing a second vehicle to process data of a first vehicle (see [0060-0061], it is clearly seen that the server give the instruction to the first vehicle to download the software to the second vehicles).
Regarding claims 22 and 28, Wang further teaches the outside-world access-point equipment comprises a WiFi AP that communicates directly with a first vehicle via a WiFi connection and indirectly with one or more other vehicles via the WiFi connection and one or more vehicle-to-vehicle Bluetooth connections (see figures 1, 3 and 6, [0060-0065, 0071-0073]).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 20 and 26 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang (US Pub. No.: 2018/0316763) in view of Mendes et al. (US Pub. No.: 2023/0352956, hereinafter, “Mendes”).
Regarding claims 20 and 26, Wang teaches the information about each vehicle comprises at least one of the vehicle’s compute capacity (see [0060]). Wang fails to teach the vehicle’s battery charge level. However, Mendes teach the vehicle’s battery charge level (see [0019]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Wang into view of Mendes in order to protect the life of battery.
Claim(s) 23-24 and 29-30 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang (US Pub. No.: 2018/0316763) in view of Altman (US Pub. No.: 2021/0114616).
Regarding claims 23 and 29, Wang disclosed invention, but fails to teach the outside-world access-point equipment determining a corresponding path through the wireless network architecture between the outside-world access-point equipment and each vehicle. However, Altman teaches the outside-world access-point equipment determining a corresponding path through the wireless network architecture between the outside-world access-point equipment and each vehicle (see figures 3-4, [0124, 0127, 0155], plurality of path).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Wang into view of Altman in order to provide cost of data transfer, policies, over-usage of a certain link or device.
Regarding claims 24 and 30, Altman further teaches the outside-world access-point equipment dynamically modifying the path to a first vehicle upon a second vehicle leaving the wireless network architecture (see [0155], when a passenger leaving the vehicle or another vehicle getting out of the ad-hoc communication network or range, then the Bonding/Multi-Link Agent or circuitry may automatically adapt or modify the transmission and/or the reception of the data over the remaining participating links).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Tuan A. Pham whose telephone number is (571) 272-8097, the fax number is (571) 273-8097 and the email is tuan.pham01@uspto.gov. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM-5:30 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Yuwen (Kevin) Pan can be reached on (571) 272-7855. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/TUAN PHAM/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2649
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