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 .
This Office Action is in response to Applicant’s amendment filed 06/01/2026. Claims 11-14 and 16-21 are currently pending in this application.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 11-14 and 16-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. Claims 11, 18, and 19, as amended, claim “wherein a connection between the first base unit and the second base unit is an Ethernet connection formed using the respective first communication device of the first base unit and the respective second communication device of the second base unit”. Applicant’s specification, however, defines “the first and second base units respectively comprise a first communication device, in particular a first network switch, and a second communication device, in particular a second network switch, wherein the connection between the first and second base units is formed using the two first communication devices” (see Applicant’s specification, Page 8, Lines 19-24). Claims 12-14, 16-17, and 20-21 are further rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, because of their dependencies on claims 11.
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.
Claims 11-14 and 16-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mielenz (U.S. 2017/0200367 A1) in view of Quast et al. (U.S. 2018/0224865 A1) in view of Ross (DE 102016212196 A1).
Claim 11, Mielenz teaches:
A system for infrastructure-based assistance (Mielenz, Figs. 1-3) of a motor vehicle (Mielenz, Figs. 1-3: 10) guided in an at least partially automated manner within a parking lot (Mielenz, Figs. 1-3: 20, Paragraph [0030], The system sends a trajectory 40 to be processed by the vehicle 10 in order for the vehicle 10 to move autonomously to its assigned parking space 24’.), the system comprising:
a first base unit (Mielenz, Figs. 1-3: 15) arranged within the parking lot (Mielenz, Figs. 1-3: 20),
wherein each respective base unit of the first base unit is respectively connected to at least one respective environment sensor that is arranged within the parking lot (Mielenz, Figs. 1-3: 30), in a respective environment of the respective base unit and separate from the respective base unit (Mielenz, Figs. 1-3: 20, 30, The environment is a parking area 20 and the sensor 30 is separate from the central control unit 15 (see Mielenz, Fig. 1).), and detects an area of the parking lot, wherein the first base unit is respectively configured to ascertain respective infrastructure assistance data for infrastructure-based assistance of the motor vehicle guided in an at least partially automated manner within the parking lot (Mielenz, Paragraph [0030], The data includes trajectory 40, i.e. path information, and/or destination information, i.e. coordinates.);
wherein a respective connection between the at least one respective environment sensor and the respective base unit is formed using the respective second communication device (Mielenz, Fig. 1: 15, 30, Paragraph [0029], The central control unit 15 recieves parking-space information from parking-space sensor 30. As can be seen in Fig. 1, central control unit 15 and parking-space sensor 30 are physically connected. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of filing, for the central control unit 15, which is a computer or server for example, to have at least one port/connector for communicating with central control unit 15. Such a modification would not change the principal operation of the central control unit 15, as a whole, and would yield predictable results.); and
based on respective environment sensor data of the at least one respective environment sensor that represent the respective detected area (Mielenz, Paragraph [0029], The environment sensor data includes open parking spaces. In the embodiment of Fig. 3, each parking sensor 30a-30f provides data regarding an individual parking space 24a-24f, respectively.); and
at least one wireless communication interface which is configured to transmit the ascertained respective infrastructure assistance data to the motor vehicle (Mielenz, Paragraph [0030], The control unit 15 transmits the trajectory 40 and/or destination information to the vehicles 10. The control unit 15 thus has at least one wireless communication interface.),
wherein the first base unit is further configured to:
track the motor vehicle based on the respective environment sensor data to determine a position of the motor vehicle (Mielenz, Paragraph [0029], By utilizing parking-space sensor 30, the central control unit 15 can determine the present position of one or more vehicles 10, including vehicles which are not parked or are currently parking.).
Mielenz does not specifically teach:
A second base unit, wherein the first and second base units are arranged spaced apart from one another within the parking lot and are interconnected in series,
wherein each respective base unit of the first base unit and the second base unit respectively include a respective first communication device including a first network switch, and a respective second communication device including a second network switch;
wherein a connection between the first base unit and the second base unit is an Ethernet connection formed using the respective first communication device of the first base unit and the respective second communication device of the second base unit;
wherein each respective base unit of the first base unit and the second base unit is respectively connected to at least one respective environment sensor that is arranged within the parking lot;
wherein the first and second base units are further configured to:
track the motor vehicle based on the respective environment sensor data to determine a position of the motor vehicle, and
control a handover of a guidance of the motor vehicle from the first base unit to the second base unit when the motor vehicle moves from an environment of the first base unit to an environment of the second base unit based on the tracking, the handover including a transfer of a transmission of the ascertained respective infrastructure assistance data from the first base unit to the second base unit.
Quast teaches:
A second base unit (Quast, Fig. 2: 203), which are arranged spaced apart from one another (Quast, Fig. 3: 203, Paragraph [0088], The plurality of WLAN base stations 203 are situated in a spaced apart manner within parking area 301.) within the parking lot and are interconnected in series (Quast, Paragraph [0051], In order to form the WLAN network, the WLAN base stations 203 may be fashioned as WLAN routers, which enables communication within the WLAN network. Therefore, the WLAN base stations 203 are functionally equivalent to being interconnected in series, i.e. directly in communication with each other to form the WLAN network.),
wherein the first and second base units are further configured to:
track the motor vehicle based on the respective environment sensor data to determine a position of the motor vehicle (Quast, Fig. 3: 203, Paragraphs [0072-0088], Each of the base stations 203 located within the parking area 301 are used to track the locations of vehicles, e.g. vehicle 307 and 309, in order to determine an adapted route 317 to guide the respective vehicles to parking positions 311.), and
control a handover of a guidance of the motor vehicle from the first base unit to the second base unit when the motor vehicle moves from an environment of the first base unit to an environment of the second base unit based on the tracking (Quast, Fig. 3: 203, Paragraphs [0072-0088], In the example of base units 203 located at the entrance 303 and base units 203 located at the exit 313, the respective base units 203 track the positions of vehicles, e.g. 305 and 315, respectively. When a vehicle enters via entrance 303, the vehicle is supposed to be dropped off at drop position 305, which may be confirmed by base stations 203 located at the entrance 303. Subsequently, when a vehicle is leaving via exit 313, the base stations 203 located at the exit 313 can track if the vehicle is located at retrieval position 315. Thus, the entrance 303 is the environment of the base stations 203 located at the entrance 303, and the exit 313 is the environment of the base stations 203 located at the exit 313. When the vehicle travels from the entrance area 303 or from parking position 311 to the exit 313, the communications with corresponding base stations 203 is functionally equivalent to a handover of a guidance.), the handover including a transfer of a transmission of the ascertained respective infrastructure assistance data from the first base unit to the second base unit (Quast, Fig. 3: 203, Paragraphs [0072-0088], When a vehicle travels from one set of base stations 203, e.g. at entrance 303 or at parking positions 311, to another set of base stations 203, e.g. at exit 313, the route(s) that the vehicles travel and the locations of the vehicles are effectively determined/received at the respective base station 203. For example, when a vehicle is parking at a parking position 311, the route 315 or adapted route 317 is effectively transferred from the base stations 203 at the entrance 303 to the base stations 203 at the parking positions 311 in order to facilitate the automatic parking operation.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of filing, to modify the system in Mielenz by integrating the teaching of WLAN base stations, as taught by Quast. In the combination of Mielenz in view of Quast, each of the plurality of base stations would be equipped with at least one sensor 30 (see Mielenz, Fig. 1: 30).
The motivation would be to efficiently be able to locate the vehicles moving within the parking area (see Quast, Paragraph [0088]).
Mielenz in view of Quast does not specifically teach:
Wherein each respective base unit of the first base unit and the second base unit respectively include a respective first communication device including a first network switch, and a respective second communication device including a second network switch;
wherein a connection between the first base unit and the second base unit is an Ethernet connection formed using the respective first communication device of the first base unit and the respective second communication device of the second base unit;
wherein each respective base unit of the first base unit and the second base unit is respectively connected to at least one respective environment sensor that is arranged within the parking lot.
Ross teaches:
Wherein each respective base unit of the first base unit and the second base unit respectively include a respective first communication device including a first network switch, and a respective second communication device including a second network switch (Ross, Fig. 1: 131, 132, Page 12, As can be seen in Fig. 1, both servers 131 and 132 are in physical communication with cameras 121 and 122, and additionally with each other via Ethernet connection 133. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of filing, for the connections between the servers 131 and 132 to each other to be functionally equivalent to a first communication device including a first network switch and for the connections between the servers 131 and 132 to the cameras 121 and 122 to be functionally equivalent to a second communication device including a second network switch.);
wherein a connection between the first base unit and the second base unit is an Ethernet connection formed using the respective first communication device of the first base unit and the respective second communication device of the second base unit (Ross, Fig. 1: 133, Page 11, Lines 16-18, For purposes of examination only, the first base unit and the second base unit are connected via their respective first communication devices to be consistent with the Applicant’s specification.);
wherein each respective base unit of the first base unit and the second base unit is respectively connected to at least one respective environment sensor that is arranged within the parking lot (Ross, Fig. 1: 131, 132, Page 12, The environment is a parking garage 100.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of filing, to modify the combination of Mielenz in view of Quast by integrating the teachings of Ross.
The motivation would be to enable secure active interventions in vehicle guidance to prevent a threat to the occupants of the vehicle (see Ross, Page 2, Lines 6-9).
Claim 12, Mielenz in view of Quast in view of Ross further teaches:
The system according to claim 11, wherein the first and second base units are respectively configured to ascertain the infrastructure assistance data based on the environment sensor data of the at least one respective environment sensor of the respectively other base unit (Mielenz, Paragraphs [0029-0030], In the combination of Mielenz in view of Quast, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of filing, to implement a first base station on a first level of a multi-level garage, and a second base station on another level of a multi-level garage (see Mielenz, Paragraph [0036]). Therefore, the sensors 30 on each respective level would correspond with each respective base unit, i.e. “of the” base unit.).
Claim 13, Mielenz in view of Quast in view of Ross further teaches:
The system according to claim 11, wherein each of the first and second base units respectively include a respective first communication device including a first network switch, and a respective second communication device including a second network switch (Quast, Fig. 2: 205, Paragraphs [0070-0071], The WLAN base stations 203 include an antenna array 205, enabling the WLAN base stations 203 to effectively “switch” between one of a plurality of antennas for receiving signals from vehicles (see Quast, Paragraph [0066]) and/or operate as routers (see Quast, Paragraph [0051]).), wherein a connection between the first and second base units is an Ethernet connection formed using the respective first communication devices of the first and second base units (Ross, Fig. 1: 133), and wherein a respective connection between the at least one respective environment sensor and the respective base units is formed using the respective second communication devices (Mielenz, Paragraph [0030], It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of filing, for the portion of the control unit 15 that communicates with the sensor(s) 30 to be functionally equivalent to a “communication device”.).
Claim 14, Mielenz in view of Quast in view of Ross further teaches:
The system according to claim 11, wherein the first and second base units are arranged along a driving path of the parking lot (Quast, Fig. 3: 203, The WLAN base stations 203 are located along the traveling path within a parking area 301.).
Claim 15, Mielenz in view of Quast in view of Ross further teaches:
The system according to claim 11, wherein the first and second base units are configured to track the motor vehicle based on the environment sensor data and to control, based on the tracking, the respective transmission of infrastructure data using a corresponding wireless communication interface (Mielenz, Paragraph [0030], Based on the location of the vehicle and the location of a free parking space 24’, the system determines the trajectory 40 of the vehicle to transmit to the vehicle.).
Claim 16, Mielenz in view of Quast in view of Ross further teaches:
The system according to claim 11, further comprising:
a third base unit (Quast, Fig. 3: 203) which is arranged within the parking lot (Quast, Fig. 3: 301) and connected in series to the first or the second base unit (Quast, Paragraph [0051], In order to form the WLAN network, the WLAN base stations 203 may be fashioned as WLAN routers, which enables communication within the WLAN network. Therefore, the WLAN base stations 203 are functionally equivalent to being interconnected in series, i.e. directly in communication with each other to form the WLAN network.), wherein the third base unit is connected to at least
one respective environment sensor which is arranged within the parking lot (Mielenz, Figs. 1-3: 30), in the environment of the third base unit (Mielenz, Figs. 1-3: 20, The environment is a parking area 20.), and detects an area of the parking lot, wherein the third base unit is configured to ascertain infrastructure assistance data for infrastructure-based assistance of the motor vehicle guided in an at least partially automated manner within the parking lot (Mielenz, Paragraphs [0029-0030]), based on environment sensor data of the at least one respective environment sensor that represent the respective detected area (Mielenz, Paragraph [0029]).
Claim 17, Mielenz in view of Quast in view of Ross further teaches:
The system according to claim 11, wherein the at least one wireless communication interface is included in at least one of the first and second base units (Mielenz, Paragraph [0030]).
Claim 18, Mielenz teaches:
A method for infrastructure-based assistance (Mielenz, Figs. 1-3) of a motor vehicle (Mielenz, Figs. 1-3: 10) guided in an at least partially automated manner within a parking lot (Mielenz, Figs. 1-3: 20, Paragraph [0030], The system sends a trajectory 40 to be processed by the vehicle 10 in order for the vehicle 10 to move autonomously to its assigned parking space 24’.), using a system including:
a first base unit (Mielenz, Figs. 1-3: 15) within the parking lot (Mielenz, Figs. 1-3: 20),
wherein each respective base unit of the first base unit is respectively connected to at least one respective environment sensor that is arranged within the parking lot (Mielenz, Figs. 1-3: 30), in a respective environment of the respective base unit and separate from the respective base unit (Mielenz, Figs. 1-3: 20, 30, The environment is a parking area 20 and the sensor 30 is separate from the central control unit 15 (see Mielenz, Fig. 1).), and detects an area of the parking lot, wherein the first base unit is respectively configured to ascertain respective infrastructure assistance data for infrastructure-based assistance of the motor vehicle guided in an at least partially automated manner within the parking lot (Mielenz, Paragraph [0030], The data includes trajectory 40, i.e. path information, and/or destination information, i.e. coordinates.);
wherein a respective connection between the at least one respective environment sensor and the respective base unit is formed using the respective second communication device (Mielenz, Fig. 1: 15, 30, Paragraph [0029], The central control unit 15 recieves parking-space information from parking-space sensor 30. As can be seen in Fig. 1, central control unit 15 and parking-space sensor 30 are physically connected. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of filing, for the central control unit 15, which is a computer or server for example, to have at least one port/connector for communicating with central control unit 15. Such a modification would not change the principal operation of the central control unit 15, as a whole, and would yield predictable results.);
based on respective environment sensor data of the at least one respective environment sensor that represent the respective detected area (Mielenz, Paragraph [0029], The environment sensor data includes open parking spaces. In the embodiment of Fig. 3, each parking sensor 30a-30f provides data regarding an individual parking space 24a-24f, respectively.), and
at least one wireless communication interface which is configured to transmit
the ascertained respective infrastructure assistance data to the motor vehicle (Mielenz, Paragraph [0030], The control unit 15 transmits the trajectory 40 and/or destination information to the vehicles 10. The control unit 15 thus has at least one wireless communication interface.), wherein the method comprises the following steps:
ascertaining, using one of the first and second base units, the respective
infrastructure assistance data for infrastructure-based assistance of the motor vehicle guided in an at least partially automated manner within the parking lot, based on the respective environment sensor data (Mielenz, Paragraphs [0029-0030]);
tracking the motor vehicle based on the respective environment sensor data to determine a position of the motor vehicle (Mielenz, Paragraph [0029], By utilizing parking-space sensor 30, the central control unit 15 can determine the present position of one or more vehicles 10, including vehicles which are not parked or are currently parking.); and
transmitting the ascertained respective infrastructure assistance data to the
motor vehicle via the at least one wireless communication interface (Mielenz, Paragraph [0030]).
Mielenz does not specifically teach:
A second base unit, wherein the first and second base units are arranged spaced apart from one another within the parking lot and are interconnected in series;
wherein each respective base unit of the first base unit and the second base unit respectively include a respective first communication device including a first network switch, and a respective second communication device including a second network switch;
wherein a connection between the first base unit and the second base unit is an Ethernet connection formed using the respective first communication device of the first base unit and the respective second communication device of the second base unit;
wherein each respective base unit of the first base unit and the second base unit is respectively connected to at least one respective environment sensor that is arranged within the parking lot; and
controlling a handover of a guidance of the motor vehicle from the first base unit to the second base unit when the motor vehicle moves from an environment of the first base unit to an environment of the second base unit based on the tracking, the handover including a transfer of a transmission of the ascertained respective infrastructure assistance data from the first base unit to the second base unit.
Quast teaches:
A second base unit (Quast, Fig. 2: 203), which are arranged spaced apart from one another (Quast, Fig. 3: 203, Paragraph [0088], The plurality of WLAN base stations 203 are situated in a spaced apart manner within parking area 301.) within the parking lot and are interconnected in series (Quast, Paragraph [0051], In order to form the WLAN network, the WLAN base stations 203 may be fashioned as WLAN routers, which enables communication within the WLAN network. Therefore, the WLAN base stations 203 are functionally equivalent to being interconnected in series, i.e. directly in communication with each other to form the WLAN network.); and
controlling a handover of a guidance of the motor vehicle from the first base unit to the second base unit when the motor vehicle moves from an environment of the first base unit to an environment of the second base unit based on the tracking (Quast, Fig. 3: 203, Paragraphs [0072-0088], In the example of base units 203 located at the entrance 303 and base units 203 located at the exit 313, the respective base units 203 track the positions of vehicles, e.g. 305 and 315, respectively. When a vehicle enters via entrance 303, the vehicle is supposed to be dropped off at drop position 305, which may be confirmed by base stations 203 located at the entrance 303. Subsequently, when a vehicle is leaving via exit 313, the base stations 203 located at the exit 313 can track if the vehicle is located at retrieval position 315. Thus, the entrance 303 is the environment of the base stations 203 located at the entrance 303, and the exit 313 is the environment of the base stations 203 located at the exit 313. When the vehicle travels from the entrance area 303 or from parking position 311 to the exit 313, the communications with corresponding base stations 203 is functionally equivalent to a handover of a guidance.), the handover including a transfer of a transmission of the ascertained respective infrastructure assistance data from the first base unit to the second base unit (Quast, Fig. 3: 203, Paragraphs [0072-0088], When a vehicle travels from one set of base stations 203, e.g. at entrance 303 or at parking positions 311, to another set of base stations 203, e.g. at exit 313, the route(s) that the vehicles travel and the locations of the vehicles are effectively determined/received at the respective base station 203. For example, when a vehicle is parking at a parking position 311, the route 315 or adapted route 317 is effectively transferred from the base stations 203 at the entrance 303 to the base stations 203 at the parking positions 311 in order to facilitate the automatic parking operation.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of filing, to modify the system in Mielenz by integrating the teaching of WLAN base stations, as taught by Quast. In the combination of Mielenz in view of Quast, each of the plurality of base stations would be equipped with at least one sensor 30 (see Mielenz, Fig. 1: 30).
The motivation would be to efficiently be able to locate the vehicles moving within the parking area (see Quast, Paragraph [0088]).
Mielenz in view of Quast does not specifically teach:
Wherein each respective base unit of the first base unit and the second base unit respectively include a respective first communication device including a first network switch, and a respective second communication device including a second network switch;
wherein a connection between the first base unit and the second base unit is an Ethernet connection formed using the respective first communication device of the first base unit and the respective second communication device of the second base unit;
wherein each respective base unit of the first base unit and the second base unit is respectively connected to at least one respective environment sensor that is arranged within the parking lot.
Ross teaches:
Wherein each respective base unit of the first base unit and the second base unit respectively include a respective first communication device including a first network switch, and a respective second communication device including a second network switch (Ross, Fig. 1: 131, 132, Page 12, As can be seen in Fig. 1, both servers 131 and 132 are in physical communication with cameras 121 and 122, and additionally with each other via Ethernet connection 133. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of filing, for the connections between the servers 131 and 132 to each other to be functionally equivalent to a first communication device including a first network switch and for the connections between the servers 131 and 132 to the cameras 121 and 122 to be functionally equivalent to a second communication device including a second network switch.);
wherein a connection between the first base unit and the second base unit is an Ethernet connection formed using the respective first communication device of the first base unit and the respective second communication device of the second base unit (Ross, Fig. 1: 133, Page 11, Lines 16-18, For purposes of examination only, the first base unit and the second base unit are connected via their respective first communication devices to be consistent with the Applicant’s specification.);
wherein each respective base unit of the first base unit and the second base unit is respectively connected to at least one respective environment sensor that is arranged within the parking lot (Ross, Fig. 1: 131, 132, Page 12, The environment is a parking garage 100.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of filing, to modify the combination of Mielenz in view of Quast by integrating the teachings of Ross.
The motivation would be to enable secure active interventions in vehicle guidance to prevent a threat to the occupants of the vehicle (see Ross, Page 2, Lines 6-9).
Claim 19, Mielenz teaches:
A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium on which is stored a computer program (Mielenz, Paragraph [0029], The central control unit 15 is a computer or server.) for infrastructure-based assistance (Mielenz, Figs. 1-3) of a motor vehicle (Mielenz, Figs. 1-3: 10) guided in an at least partially automated manner within a parking lot (Mielenz, Figs. 1-3: 20, Paragraph [0030], The system sends a trajectory 40 to be processed by the vehicle 10 in order for the vehicle 10 to move autonomously to its assigned parking space 24’.), using a system including:
a first base unit (Mielenz, Figs. 1-3: 15), within the parking lot (Mielenz, Figs. 1-3: 20),
wherein each respective base unit of the first base unit is respectively connected to at least one respective environment sensor that is arranged within the parking lot (Mielenz, Figs. 1-3: 30), in a respective environment of the respective base unit and separate from the respective base unit (Mielenz, Figs. 1-3: 20, 30, The environment is a parking area 20 and the sensor 30 is separate from the central control unit 15 (see Mielenz, Fig. 1).), and detects an area of the parking lot, wherein the first base unit is respectively configured to ascertain respective infrastructure assistance data for infrastructure-based assistance of the motor vehicle guided in an at least partially automated manner within the parking lot (Mielenz, Paragraph [0030], The data includes trajectory 40, i.e. path information, and/or destination information, i.e. coordinates.);
wherein a respective connection between the at least one respective environment sensor and the respective base unit is formed using the respective second communication device (Mielenz, Fig. 1: 15, 30, Paragraph [0029], The central control unit 15 recieves parking-space information from parking-space sensor 30. As can be seen in Fig. 1, central control unit 15 and parking-space sensor 30 are physically connected. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of filing, for the central control unit 15, which is a computer or server for example, to have at least one port/connector for communicating with central control unit 15. Such a modification would not change the principal operation of the central control unit 15, as a whole, and would yield predictable results.);
based on respective environment sensor data of the at least one respective environment sensor that represent the respective detected area (Mielenz, Paragraph [0029], The environment sensor data includes open parking spaces. In the embodiment of Fig. 3, each parking sensor 30a-30f provides data regarding an individual parking space 24a-24f, respectively.), and
at least one wireless communication interface which is configured to transmit the ascertained respective infrastructure assistance data to the motor vehicle (Mielenz, Paragraph [0030], The control unit 15 transmits the trajectory 40 and/or destination information to the vehicles 10. The control unit 15 thus has at least one wireless communication interface.), wherein the computer program, when executed by a computer, causing the computer to perform the following steps:
ascertaining, using one of the first and second base units, the respective infrastructure assistance data for infrastructure-based assistance of the motor vehicle guided in an at least partially automated manner within the parking lot, based on the respective environment sensor data (Mielenz, Paragraphs [0029-0030]);
tracking the motor vehicle based on the respective environment sensor data to determine a position of the motor vehicle (Mielenz, Paragraph [0029], By utilizing parking-space sensor 30, the central control unit 15 can determine the present position of one or more vehicles 10, including vehicles which are not parked or are currently parking.); and
transmitting the ascertained respective infrastructure assistance data to the motor vehicle via the at least one wireless communication interface (Mielenz, Paragraph [0030]).
Mielenz does not specifically teach:
A second base unit, wherein the first and second base units are arranged spaced apart from one another within the parking lot and are interconnected in series;
wherein each respective base unit of the first base unit and the second base unit respectively include a respective first communication device including a first network switch, and a respective second communication device including a second network switch;
wherein a connection between the first base unit and the second base unit is an Ethernet connection formed using the respective first communication device of the first base unit and the respective second communication device of the second base unit;
wherein each respective base unit of the first base unit and the second base unit is respectively connected to at least one respective environment sensor that is arranged within the parking lot; and
controlling a handover of a guidance of the motor vehicle from the first base unit to the second base unit when the motor vehicle moves from an environment of the first base unit to an environment of the second base unit based on the tracking, the handover including a transfer of a transmission of the ascertained respective infrastructure assistance data from the first base unit to the second base unit.
Quast teaches:
A second base unit (Quast, Fig. 2: 203), which are arranged spaced apart from one another (Quast, Fig. 3: 203, Paragraph [0088], The plurality of WLAN base stations 203 are situated in a spaced apart manner within parking area 301.) within the parking lot and are interconnected in series (Quast, Paragraph [0051], In order to form the WLAN network, the WLAN base stations 203 may be fashioned as WLAN routers, which enables communication within the WLAN network. Therefore, the WLAN base stations 203 are functionally equivalent to being interconnected in series, i.e. directly in communication with each other to form the WLAN network.); and
controlling a handover of a guidance of the motor vehicle from the first base unit to the second base unit when the motor vehicle moves from an environment of the first base unit to an environment of the second base unit based on the tracking (Quast, Fig. 3: 203, Paragraphs [0072-0088], In the example of base units 203 located at the entrance 303 and base units 203 located at the exit 313, the respective base units 203 track the positions of vehicles, e.g. 305 and 315, respectively. When a vehicle enters via entrance 303, the vehicle is supposed to be dropped off at drop position 305, which may be confirmed by base stations 203 located at the entrance 303. Subsequently, when a vehicle is leaving via exit 313, the base stations 203 located at the exit 313 can track if the vehicle is located at retrieval position 315. Thus, the entrance 303 is the environment of the base stations 203 located at the entrance 303, and the exit 313 is the environment of the base stations 203 located at the exit 313. When the vehicle travels from the entrance area 303 or from parking position 311 to the exit 313, the communications with corresponding base stations 203 is functionally equivalent to a handover of a guidance.), the handover including a transfer of a transmission of the ascertained respective infrastructure assistance data from the first base unit to the second base unit (Quast, Fig. 3: 203, Paragraphs [0072-0088], When a vehicle travels from one set of base stations 203, e.g. at entrance 303 or at parking positions 311, to another set of base stations 203, e.g. at exit 313, the route(s) that the vehicles travel and the locations of the vehicles are effectively determined/received at the respective base station 203. For example, when a vehicle is parking at a parking position 311, the route 315 or adapted route 317 is effectively transferred from the base stations 203 at the entrance 303 to the base stations 203 at the parking positions 311 in order to facilitate the automatic parking operation.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of filing, to modify the system in Mielenz by integrating the teaching of WLAN base stations, as taught by Quast. In the combination of Mielenz in view of Quast, each of the plurality of base stations would be equipped with at least one sensor 30 (see Mielenz, Fig. 1: 30).
The motivation would be to efficiently be able to locate the vehicles moving within the parking area (see Quast, Paragraph [0088]).
Mielenz in view of Quast does not specifically teach:
Wherein each respective base unit of the first base unit and the second base unit respectively include a respective first communication device including a first network switch, and a respective second communication device including a second network switch;
wherein a connection between the first base unit and the second base unit is an Ethernet connection formed using the respective first communication device of the first base unit and the respective second communication device of the second base unit;
wherein each respective base unit of the first base unit and the second base unit is respectively connected to at least one respective environment sensor that is arranged within the parking lot.
Ross teaches:
Wherein each respective base unit of the first base unit and the second base unit respectively include a respective first communication device including a first network switch, and a respective second communication device including a second network switch (Ross, Fig. 1: 131, 132, Page 12, As can be seen in Fig. 1, both servers 131 and 132 are in physical communication with cameras 121 and 122, and additionally with each other via Ethernet connection 133. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of filing, for the connections between the servers 131 and 132 to each other to be functionally equivalent to a first communication device including a first network switch and for the connections between the servers 131 and 132 to the cameras 121 and 122 to be functionally equivalent to a second communication device including a second network switch.);
wherein a connection between the first base unit and the second base unit is an Ethernet connection formed using the respective first communication device of the first base unit and the respective second communication device of the second base unit (Ross, Fig. 1: 133, Page 11, Lines 16-18, For purposes of examination only, the first base unit and the second base unit are connected via their respective first communication devices to be consistent with the Applicant’s specification.);
wherein each respective base unit of the first base unit and the second base unit is respectively connected to at least one respective environment sensor that is arranged within the parking lot (Ross, Fig. 1: 131, 132, Page 12, The environment is a parking garage 100.).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of filing, to modify the combination of Mielenz in view of Quast by integrating the teachings of Ross.
The motivation would be to enable secure active interventions in vehicle guidance to prevent a threat to the occupants of the vehicle (see Ross, Page 2, Lines 6-9).
Claim 20, Mielenz in view of Quast in view of Ross further teaches:
The system according to claim 11, further comprising:
a first plurality of environment sensors arranged within a parking lot in a respective environment and separate from the first base unit (Mielenz, Paragraph [0036], The layout of the parking-space monitoring system may be optimized in terms of number and placement of parking-space sensors 30 needed.); and
a second plurality of environment sensors arranged within a parking lot in a respective environment and separate from the second base unit (Mielenz, Paragraph [0036], In the combination of Mielenz in view of Quast, a plurality of base stations would be used (see Quast, Fig. 2: 203), wherein each base station would have its own set of sensors 30 (see Mielenz, Paragraph [0036]).),
wherein the first base unit is connected to the first plurality of environment sensors and the second base unit is connected to the second plurality of environment sensors (Mielenz, Paragraph [0036], In the combination of Mielenz in view of Quast, a plurality of base stations would be used (see Quast, Fig. 2: 203), wherein each base station would have its own set of sensors 30 (see Mielenz, Paragraph [0036]).).
Claim 21, Mielenz in view of Quast in view of Ross further teaches:
The system according to claim 11, wherein controlling the handover of the guidance of the motor vehicle comprises ending a transmission by the first base unit and initiating a transmission by the second base unit (Quast, Fig. 3: 203, Paragraphs [0072-0088], It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of filing, for the system of the combination of Mielenz in view of Quast to be capable of ending communication between the base stations 203, e.g. at the entrance 303, from a vehicle that is exiting the parking area 301, wherein the base stations 203, e.g. at the exit 313, are remain in communication with the vehicle as the vehicle exits. Such a modification would not change the principal operation of the system, as a whole, and would yield predictable results.).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 06/01/2026 regarding Applicant’s claims, as amended, have been fully considered but they are moot in view of the new grounds of rejection, necessitated by the Applicant’s amendment.
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 JAMES J YANG whose telephone number is (571)270-5170. The examiner can normally be reached 9:30am-6:00p M-F.
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/JAMES J YANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2686
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