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 .
Application Status
This Office action has been issued in response to application filed on 05/29/2024.
Claims 1-20 are pending. Claims 1- 20 are rejected.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 05/29/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 4, 9, 11, 14, and 19, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Brock (US20200117437A1).
Regarding claim 1, Brock discloses, an electronic module comprising: a pin connector including a plurality of connector pins (7, each first mount point of the first module mount points includes a plurality of first pins coupled to wires of the plurality of first wiring harnesses), wherein a subset of the plurality of connector pins includes n-number of position pins adapted to receive a position signal (0014, the mounting point identifier mapped to the second electrical signature may also be mapped to software implementing the function corresponding to the mounting point), the position signal being indicative of a location of the electronic module within the vehicle (0013, each generic module is at a particular physical location within the vehicle 102 and at a particular mounting point of the wiring harnesses 110. The inherent electrical properties of the wires connected to the mounting point constitute a signature of the mounting point); an internal sensor configured to measure acceleration along a plurality of sensing axes (0035, the generic module 104 may include an accelerometer), the internal sensor providing an output (0035, such that the orientation of the module 104 may be measured 416 from the output of the output of the accelerometer), and a processor in electrical communication with the pin connector and the internal sensor (0057, the server system 112 may communicate with the generic modules 104 wirelessly by means of a wireless antenna 118 or may connected directly, such as by way of the ECU 108 or some other component), wherein the processor is configured to determine an installation location of the electronic module based on the position signal in combination with the output of the internal sensor (1, determining locations of generic modules at second module mount points in a second wire layout in a second system having a design of the first system according to the mapping and second electrical signatures of the second module mount points), the processor operating differently among at least two of a plurality of installation locations within a vehicle (10, programming each generic module with software corresponding to the location of the each generic module in the second wire layout).
Regarding claim 4, Brock discloses, the electronic module of claim 1, wherein the internal sensor comprises a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) accelerometer (0035, In some embodiments, the generic module 104 may include an accelerometer such that the orientation of the module 104 may be measured 416 from the output of the output of the accelerometer).
Regarding claim 9, Brock discloses, the electronic module of claim 1, further including machine readable memory with instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to operate differently among at least two of the plurality of installation locations (10, programming each generic module with software corresponding to the location of the each generic module in the second wire layout).
Regarding claim 11, Brock discloses, a method comprising: providing an electronic module including a pin connector and an internal sensor pins (7, each first mount point of the first module mount points includes a plurality of first pins coupled to wires of the plurality of first wiring harnesses) … (0035, the generic module 104 may include an accelerometer), the electronic module being configured for a plurality of installation locations within a vehicle (10, programming each generic module with software corresponding to the location of the each generic module in the second wire layout). receiving, at the pin connector, a position signal indicative of an installation location of electronic module within a vehicle (10, programming each generic module with software corresponding to the location of the each generic module in the second wire layout) determining a physical orientation of the electronic module based upon the output of the internal sensor (1, determining locations of generic modules at second module mount points in a second wire layout in a second system having a design of the first system according to the mapping and second electrical signatures of the second module mount points), the electronic module operating differently among at least two of the plurality of installation locations (10, programming each generic module with software corresponding to the location of the each generic module in the second wire layout).
Regarding claim 14, Bock discloses, the method of claim 11, wherein the internal sensor comprises a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) accelerometer (0035, In some embodiments, the generic module 104 may include an accelerometer such that the orientation of the module 104 may be measured 416 from the output of the output of the accelerometer).
Regarding claim 19, the method of claim 11, wherein the electronic module includes machine readable memory with instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to operate differently among at least two of the plurality of installation locations (10, programming each generic module with software corresponding to the location of the each generic module in the second wire layout).
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 2 and 12 are all rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brock (US20200117437A1) in view of Pillar et al (US20030158640A1).
Regarding claim 2, Brock discloses the electronic module of claim 1 as discussed supra. Additionally, Brock discloses, the position signal comprises an n-bit binary signal indicative of the installation location of the electronic module (10, programming each generic module with software corresponding to the location of the each generic module in the second wire layout), … (0058, Computer-executable instructions comprise, for example, instructions and data which, when executed at a processor, cause a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or special purpose processing device to perform a certain function or group of functions. The computer executable instructions may be, for example, binaries). However Brock does not explicitly disclose, the processor is configured to recognize up to 2n+1 installation locations of the electronic module within the vehicle.
Nevertheless, Pillar who is in the same field of endeavor of electronic module location discloses, the processor is configured to recognize up to 2n+1 installation locations of the electronic module within the vehicle (0250, all of the modules 1420-1430 associated with the chassis 1417 and its variant module 1413, as well as configuration information for the interface modules (N+1 to Z in FIG. 18) of other variant modules that are capable of being mounted to the chassis 1417).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the
effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Brocks invention with aspects of Pillars disclosures. Pillars n-bit pin code would predictably expand the distinguishable installation states from 2^n to up to 2^(n+1) enabling the processor to recognize a larger number of installation location using the same harness pin outline as Brock.
Regarding claim 12, Brock discloses the method of claim 11, as discussed supra. Additionally, Brock discloses, the position signal comprises an n-bit binary signal (10, programming each generic module with software corresponding to the location of the each generic module in the second wire layout), … (0058, Computer-executable instructions comprise, for example, instructions and data which, when executed at a processor, cause a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or special purpose processing device to perform a certain function or group of functions. The computer executable instructions may be, for example, binaries). However Brock does not explicitly disclose, the plurality of installation locations includes up to 2n+1 installation locations.
Nevertheless, Pillar who is in the same field of endeavor of electronic module location discloses, the plurality of installation locations includes up to 2n+1 installation locations (0250, all of the modules 1420-1430 associated with the chassis 1417 and its variant module 1413, as well as configuration information for the interface modules (N+1 to Z in FIG. 18) of other variant modules that are capable of being mounted to the chassis 1417).
Claims 3 and 13 are all rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brock (US20200117437A1) in view of McKown (US20130332105A1).
Regarding claim 3, Brock discloses, the electronic module of claim 1, as discussed supra. Additionally, McKown who is in the same field of endeavor of calibration for an in-vehicle accelerometer device discloses, the internal sensor comprises at least one of an accelerometer and a gyroscopic sensor (0005, A very accurate accelerometer sensor-to-vehicle-body coordinate transformation may be required, for example, for aftermarket PN devices to function at an intended high level of performance. Some personal navigation devices use multiple axis accelerometers and gyroscopes to enable an inertial navigation assist to GPS navigation).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the
effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Brocks invention with aspects of McKown’s disclosure. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have strong reasons to include a gyroscope in Brock’s generic module to improve the orientation estimation especially because gyroscopes are a well know complementary sensor for angular motion measurements and are routinely paired with accelerometers..
Regarding claim 13, Brock discloses, the method of claim 11, as discussed supra. Additionally, McKown discloses, the internal sensor comprises at least one of an accelerometer and a gyroscopic sensor (0005, A very accurate accelerometer sensor-to-vehicle-body coordinate transformation may be required, for example, for aftermarket PN devices to function at an intended high level of performance. Some personal navigation devices use multiple axis accelerometers and gyroscopes to enable an inertial navigation assist to GPS navigation).
Claims 5 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brock (US20200117437A1) in view of Mouser Electronics (830M1 TRIAXIAL CONDITION MONITORING ACCELEROMETER).
Regarding claim 5, Brock discloses, the electronic module of claim 1, as discussed supra. Additionally, Mouser Electronics who is in the same field of endeavor of triaxial accelerometers discloses, the plurality of sensing axes comprises three orthogonal axes aligned with three corresponding side surfaces of the outer housing (ORIENTATION CONSIDERATIONS, the 830M1 is able to sense and measure motion and acceleration in all three orthogonal axes (X, Y, Z)) … (ORIENTATION CONSIDERATIONS , As shown in the detailed dimension drawing, each sensing axis is aligned to be parallel with the external surfaces of the accelerometer package).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the
effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Brocks invention with aspects of Mouser Electronics disclosure. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have strong reasons to include a triaxial accelerometer in Brock’s generic module to improve the orientation estimation especially because a triaxial accelerometers are a well know sensors for angular motion measurements.
Regarding claim 17, Brock discloses, the method of claim 11, as discussed supra. Additionally, Brock discloses, the internal sensor is configured to measure acceleration along a plurality of sensing axes that are fixed in relation to the electronic module (0035, the generic module 104 may include an accelerometer).
Additionally, Mouser Electronics discloses, and the plurality of sensing axes comprise three orthogonal axes aligned with three exterior side surfaces of electronic module (ORIENTATION CONSIDERATIONS, the 830M1 is able to sense and measure motion and acceleration in all three orthogonal axes (X, Y, Z)) … (ORIENTATION CONSIDERATIONS , As shown in the detailed dimension drawing, each sensing axis is aligned to be parallel with the external surfaces of the accelerometer package).
Claims 15-16 are all rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brock (US20200117437A1) in view of TE Connectivity (DEUTSCH * DT Series Connector System).
Regarding claim 15, Brock discloses, the method of claim 11 a discussed supra. Additionally, TE Connectivity discloses, the electronic module includes an alignment aid that prevents incorrect assembly of the electronic module among the plurality of installation locations (G. Keying Pins , Keying pins are solid plastic rods used to prevent mis-mating of like connectors in close proximity).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the
effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Brock with aspects of the TE Connectivity disclosure. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have strong reasons to include alignment aids to prevent the incorrect assembly of installation locations.
Regarding claim 16, Brock and TE Connectivity disclosed the method of claim 15 as discussed supra. Additionally, TE Connectivity discloses, (3.8, Connector Mating, to mate the plug and receptacle, first make sure both plug and receptacle are same key (i.e. A,B,C,D) next align the plug keys with the receptacle keyways).
Claims 6-7 are all rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brock (US20200117437A1) in view of Mouser Electronics (830M1 TRIAXIAL CONDITION MONITORING ACCELEROMETER), further in view of TE Connectivity (DEUTSCH * DT Series Connector System).
Regarding claim 6, Brock discloses, the electronic module of claim 1 as discussed supra. Additionally, Mouser Electronics discloses, an outer housing (ORIENTATION CONSIDERATIONS , As shown in the detailed dimension drawing, each sensing axis is aligned to be parallel with the external surfaces of the accelerometer package).
Additionally, TE Connectivity who is in the same field of endeavor of pin connector systems discloses, at least one alignment aid that prevents incorrect assembly of the electronic module among the plurality of installation locations within a vehicle (G. Keying Pins , Keying pins are solid plastic rods used to prevent mis-mating of like connectors in close proximity).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the
effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the combination of Brock and Mouser Electronics inventions with aspects of the TE Connectivity disclosure. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have strong reasons to include alignment aids to prevent the incorrect assembly of installation locations.
Regarding claim 7, Brock, TE Connectivity, and Mouser Electronics disclose, the electronic module of claim 6 as discussed supra. Additionally, TE Connectivity discloses, the alignment aid includes a keyway, a tab, a projection, a ridge, or a notch. (3.8, Connector Mating, to mate the plug and receptacle, first make sure both plug and receptacle are same key (i.e. A,B,C,D) next align the plug keys with the receptacle keyways).
Claims 8 and 18 are all rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brock (US20200117437A1) in view of Kia (Kia Owners Manuel).
Regarding claim 8, Brock discloses, the electronic module of claim 1 as discussed supra. Additionally, Brock discloses, the electronic module comprises a control module for vehicle lighting (0011, the vehicle 102 includes a plurality of generic modules 104 coupled to one or more components 106, such as switches, sensors, motors, actuators, lights), and climate control (0015, Some non-limiting examples may include: a power folding seat module, power liftgate module, upfitter's module, ancillary body module, heated steering wheel module, ancillary translator module, climate control seat module). However Brock does not explicitly disclose, collision avoidance blind-spot monitoring, emergency braking, power windows, door locks, airbag control, or instrument cluster control.
Nevertheless, Kia who is in the same field of endeavor of automotive electronic module design discloses, collision avoidance blind-spot monitoring, emergency braking, power windows, door locks, airbag control, and instrument cluster control See Table 1: MDPS (Motor Driven Power Steering) is the same as EPS (Electric Power Steering).
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It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the
effective filing date of the claimed invention to have combined Brock with aspects of Kia’s disclosures. . A person of ordinary skill in the art would have strong reasons to include Kia’s well know automotive circuitry for vital components and operations that are related to a user’s driving experience.
Regarding claim 18 Brock discloses, the method of claim 11, as discussed supra. Additionally, Brock discloses, the electronic module comprises a control module for vehicle lighting (0011, the vehicle 102 includes a plurality of generic modules 104 coupled to one or more components 106, such as switches, sensors, motors, actuators, lights), and climate control (0015, Some non-limiting examples may include: a power folding seat module, power liftgate module, upfitter's module, ancillary body module, heated steering wheel module, ancillary translator module, climate control seat module). However Brock does not explicitly disclose, collision avoidance blind-spot monitoring, emergency braking, power windows, door locks, airbag control, or instrument cluster control.
Nevertheless, Kia discloses, collision avoidance blind-spot monitoring, emergency braking, power windows, door locks, airbag control, and instrument cluster control See Table 1: MDPS (Motor Driven Power Steering) is the same as EPS (Electric Power Steering).
Claims 10 and 20 are all rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brock (US20200117437A1) in view of McKown (US20130332105A1), further in view of TE Connectivity (DEUTSCH * DT Series Connector System), further in view of DigiKey (JST XH Series Connectors).
Regarding claim 10, Brock discloses, the electronic module of claim 1, as discussed supra. Additionally, DigiKey who is in the same field of endeavor of crimps and connectors discloses, the pin connector comprises a JST connector (JST, The JST XH series' disconnectable, 2.5 mm (0.984”) pitch, crimp-style connector was developed based on the high reliability and versatility of their NH series connectors).
Additionally, McKown discloses, an OBD-II connector (0010, although the On-Board Diagnostics version 2 (OBDII) connector is mandated to always be near the vehicle steering column).
Finally, TE Connectivity discloses a Deutsch connector (1. Introduction, this specification covers the requirements for application of DEUTSCH DT series connector system).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Brock with DigiKey, McKown, and TE Connectivity. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have strong reasons to include multiple connectors in their design choice because they are all widely used.
Regarding claim 20, Brock discloses the method of claim 11, as discussed supra. Additionally, DigiKey discloses, the pin connector comprises a JST connector (JST, The JST XH series' disconnectable, 2.5 mm (0.984”) pitch, crimp-style connector was developed based on the high reliability and versatility of their NH series connectors).
Additionally, McKown discloses, an OBD-II connector (0010, although the On-Board Diagnostics version 2 (OBDII) connector is mandated to always be near the vehicle steering column).
Finally, TE Connectivity discloses a Deutsch connector (1. Introduction, this specification covers the requirements for application of DEUTSCH DT series connector system).
Conclusion
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/S.E.D./Examiner, Art Unit 3665
/CHRISTIAN CHACE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3665