DETAILED ACTION
Status of Claims
This action is in reply to the amendments filed on 10 March 2026.
Claims 1, 3-9 and 12-16 have been amended.
Claims 1-16 are currently pending and have been examined.
The Examiner respectfully rescinds the objection of claim 9 in view of the claimed amendments.
The Examiner respectfully rescinds the 35 U.S.C. 112(b) rejection of claims 1, 7, 12 & 16 in view of the claimed amendments.
The claim recites the combination of additional elements of recording multiple camera images of the area at various points in time with different occupancies of the parking spaces by vehicles in a period of time temporally before the parking; extracting, from these camera images, extracted image parts that show free parking spaces; generating, utilizing the extracted image parts, a mosaic aerial view image of the area showing the entire area with only free parking spaces; when the vehicle is located in or near the area for parking, recording, using a sensor of the vehicle, environment data of at least one part of the area next close to the vehicle, which data is representative of a current occupancy of the parking spaces in the area; generating a graphical hybrid representation of at least this part of the area, which graphical hybrid representation shows a current occupancy of the parking spaces in the mosaic aerial view image, wherein the parking spaces determined as currently occupied using the environment data are shown overlayed in the mosaic aerial view and displaying the graphical hybrid representation on a screen of the vehicle to support the vehicle driver. Although each of the steps analyzed individually may be viewed as mere pre -solution activity and post solution activity, the claim as a whole is directed to a particular improvement in generating hybrid representations. Specifically, the method generates a hybrid representation of parking spaces in a mosaic aerial view on the screen of the vehicle by using extracted image parts of free parking spaces form multiple camera images at various points in time. This provides a specific improvement over prior systems, resulting in improved graphical representation. The claim as a whole integrates human activity into a practical application. Thus, the claim is eligible because it is not directed to the recited judicial exception.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-16 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 USC §119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in the present application.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on June 12, 2024, has been considered by the examiner.
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.
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.
Claim(s) 1-7 & 9-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kang et al. US 2016/0275360 A1, hereafter Kang in view of Terzidis US 2013/0231128.
Claims 1-7 & 9-16
Kang discloses: A method for supporting a vehicle driver when parking a vehicle in a parking space that is located in an area with multiple such parking spaces, comprising: (abstract)
recording multiple camera images of the area at various points in time with different occupancies of the parking spaces by vehicles in a period of time temporally before the parking (para. 0070: The external device 200 may be a nearby vehicle or Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) located within a threshold from the vehicle 100);
extracting, from these camera images, extracted image parts that show free parking spaces (para. 0074: The surrounding vehicle 200a may have an image capturer mounted on a front, back, or side of the surrounding vehicle 200a. The image capturer may include a black box of the vehicle 100. If the parking vehicle 100 requests parking information from the surrounding vehicle 200a, the surrounding vehicle 200a may collect surrounding parking information through the image capturer and send the collected parking information to the parking vehicle 100 via D2D communication. The parking vehicle 100 may receive the surrounding parking information from the surrounding vehicle 200a and may easily obtain the parking information using the received information. The parking information may include image information of available spaces for parking.);
generating, utilizing the extracted image parts, a mosaic aerial view image of the area showing the entire area […] (Para. 0079: Furthermore, the image processor 120 may match other space than the available space for parking, and output the mosaic-processed image information to the first controller 180. Para. 0115: The parking information may be image information collected through image capturers of the external devices 200-1, 200-2, 200-3, and in some embodiments, the parking information may be information about locations of the external devices 200-1, 200-2, 200-3 received from beacon modules of the external devices 200-1, 200-2, 200-3. Para. 0116: When receiving multiple pieces of image information from the external devices 200-1, 200-2, 200-3, the parking vehicle 100 may match them to determine a location of available space for parking in the parking lot. In some embodiments, GPS information collected by the position detector 110 of the parking vehicle 100, or information about locations of the external devices 200-1, 200-2, 200-3 collected by a beacon module of the first communicator 160 may also be used.);
when the vehicle is located in or near the area for parking, recording, using a sensor of the vehicle ,environment data of at least one part of the area close to the vehicle, which data is representative of a current occupancy of the parking spaces in the area; (para. 0090: The first display 140 may display parking information collected from the first image capturer 170 mounted on the parking vehicle 100 in addition to parking information collected from the external device 200, and the parking information collected from the external device 200 or the parking information collected by the parking vehicle 100 itself may be displayed in the form of an image or in a streaming form. The form of the parking information displayed on the first display 140 may vary depending on whether the collected information is image information or video information, or depending on settings of the user.)
automatically determining, utilizing the environment data, currently occupied parking spaces at least in the part of the area (Fig. 9 & 10 & Para. 0086 & 0087);
generating a graphical hybrid representation of at least this part of the area, which graphical hybrid representation shows a current occupancy of the parking spaces in the mosaic aerial view image, wherein the parking spaces determined as currently occupied using the environment data are shown overlayed in the mosaic aerial view image (Fig. 9 & 10 & Para. 0086 & 0087); and
displaying the graphical hybrid map representation on a screen of the vehicle to support the vehicle driver (Fig. 9 & 10 & Para. 0086 & 0087).
Kang does not disclose showing the entire area with only free parking spaces, however Terzidis teaches in paragraph 0031: a time range that he or she is looking for parking, and the system will show only the available parking spots for that time range. The user also can input, by selecting a button 303, a money range that he or she is looking to pay for parking, and the system will show only the available parking spots for that money range.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to [combine/modify] the method of Terzidis with the technique of Kang to increase the reliability and ease of the system such that there is a flexible, dynamic, on demand, immediate, and safe way to find or offer a spot (e.g. parking, bike, taxi seat) within a geographical area. Therefore, the design incentives of a more reliable system provided a reason to make an adaptation, and the invention resulted from application of the prior knowledge in a predictable manner.
Claim 2
Kang discloses:
wherein, to recognize the free parking spaces in the camera images, an image-processing object recognition method is applied to the images (para. 0062: recognition/determination technologies).
Claim 3
Kang discloses:
wherein, to recognize the free parking spaces in the camera images, sensor data are also recorded in the area at the respective points in time of recording of said camera images using a local sensor that is different from a camera used to record the camera images, and free parking spaces and/or occupied parking spaces are determined therefrom, and, based thereon, image parts of the aerial and/or satellite images showing the free parking spaces are determined (Fig. 7 item 170: first capturer and item 220: second capturer & Para. 0063).
Claim 4
Kang discloses:
wherein, to show the current occupancy in the graphical hybrid representation, a specified symbolic vehicle image is overlaid in each case over the image parts of the mosaic aerial view image corresponding to the parking spaces recognized as currently occupied using the environment data (Fig. 10 & para. 0087: As shown in FIG. 10, the parking information may represent the available space for parking with the particular mark M1 and an unavailable space for parking with a mark M2 indicating that parking is not available in the unavailable space for parking, taking into account the size of the parking vehicle 100. Para. 0088: More specifically, if it is determined that the size of the available space for parking is narrower than the size of the parking vehicle 100 based on an image processing result of the image processor 120, the first display 140 may display the mark M2 to indicate that parking is unavailable in the corresponding parking space).
Claim 5
Kang discloses:
wherein, to show the current occupancy in the graphical hybrid representation, a specified symbolic parking space image is overlaid in each case over the image parts of the mosaic aerial view image corresponding to parking spaces recognized as currently free using the environment data (Fig. 9 & 10 & para. 0087: As shown in FIG. 10, the parking information may represent the available space for parking with the particular mark M1 and an unavailable space for parking with a mark M2 indicating that parking is not available in the unavailable space for parking, taking into account the size of the parking vehicle 100. Para. 0088: More specifically, if it is determined that the size of the available space for parking is narrower than the size of the parking vehicle 100 based on an image processing result of the image processor 120, the first display 140 may display the mark M2 to indicate that parking is unavailable in the corresponding parking space)..
Claim 6
Kang discloses:
wherein, to generate the graphical hybrid representation, specified symbols for specified equipment features are also overlaid in a positionally accurate manner over the mosaic aerial view image (Fig. 11 & para. 0089).
Claim 7
Kang discloses:
wherein a currently free parking space is selected automatically as the a target parking space and is displayed in the graphical hybrid map representation with an indicator of this selected target parking space (Fig. 11 & para. 0089).
Claims 1-7 are directed toward methods that performs the steps recited in the systems of claims 9-16. The cited portions of the reference(s) used in the rejections of claims 1-7 teach the steps recited in the systems of claims 9-16. Therefore, claims 9-16 are rejected under the same rationale used in the rejections of claims 1-7.
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.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kang et al. 2016/0275360 A1.
Claim 8
Kang discloses:
8. (Currently Amended) A non-transitory medium with a digital graphical hybrid representation of an area comprising multiple parking spaces for vehicles, wherein the graphical hybrid representation shows an aerial view of the area, generated by combining vehicle-free image parts of a plurality of camera images of the area and overlayed labelings each of the currently occupied parking spaces and/or each of the currently free parking spaces overlaid according to a current occupancy of each of the parking spaces (Fig. 9 & 10: items M1 and M2).
Conclusion
Related References
The related art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 12,136,296 B2 by Inoue teaches a parking lot management system with map generation and presentation and shading corresponding to space availability.
US 2016/0207526 A1 by Franz teaches a proximate parking space detection method to capture and combine images over time to identify empty parking spaces and spatial relationships between them and the self-vehicle.
US 10,926,701 B2 also by Suzuki teaches a parking lot target space labeling system with iconography superimposed upon the assistance images.
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 KITO R ROBINSON whose telephone number is (571)270-3921. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00am-5:00pm.
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/KITO R ROBINSON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3664
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