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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1-3, 6-11, and 14-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Boling et al. (US Pub No. 2013/0147617) and Hsiao et al. (US Pat No. 6,687,609).
Regarding claim 1, Boling teaches a communication system (See abstract teaches communication from a truck trailer tracking device to a central server), comprising:
a trailer bridge disposed on a cargo trailer, the trailer bridge comprising a power line transceiver for communicating with a tractor module when the trailer and a tractor having the tractor module are electrically connected (See abstract, Fig. 1 - 12, [0010], and [0023]-[0024] teach a trailer tracking device placed on a cargo trailer with communication through a power line to a truck tracking device.); and
a locator module for communicating with the trailer bridge, the locator module comprising a mobile or cellular transceiver for communicating with a mobile or cellular communications network external to the trailer (See abstract, Fig. 2 20 – long-range communication, and [0026] teach a long range communication transceiver which communicates data with a central monitoring station);
wherein the locator module is to communicate making of the electrical connection between the trailer and tractor to a remote datacenter in response to a signal from the trailer bridge indicating that the electrical connection has been made (See abstract, Fig. 3, [0012], and [0026], “then a trailer 38 is coupled to a truck 40 and the harness 36 is initially connected (step 100), the trailer tracking device 12 accesses the unique identification/serial number of the truck tracking device 14 via the short range communication interfaces 32 and 22 (step 102). The trailer tracking device 12 then transmits a first data packet via the long-range communication interface 20 to the central monitoring station 50 indicating that the trailer 38 and truck 40 are coupled (step 104).”).
Boling does not teach communicating the data to an owner/operator of the trailer.
Hsaio teaches communicating the data to an owner/operator of the trailer (See Col. 1 lines 24-30).
One of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed would have been motivated to modify Boling’s system to include Hsaio’s teachings to facilitate “efficient allocation of pick-up and delivery of goods, increased equipment utilization, effective maintenance scheduling, improved cargo security, decreased asset losses, and rapid assistance for vehicles in need of repair or help.”. Therefore, the invention as a whole would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made.
Regarding claim 2, Boling teaches the tractor module comprises an identification of the tractor, the trailer bridge to receive the tractor identification from the tractor module via the power line transceiver and communicate the tractor identification to the locator module, the locator module to include the tractor identification in communication with the remote datacenter (See abstract and [0005]).
Regarding claim 3, Boling teaches the trailer bridge comprises an identification of the trailer, the trailer bridge to communicate the trailer identification to the locator module, the locator module to include the trailer identification in communication with the remote datacenter. (See abstract and [0005]).
Regarding claim 6, Boling teaches the locator module comprises a Global Positioning System (GPS) unit, the locator module to report location information from the GPS unit of the trailer in communication with the remote datacenter. (See abstract, [0013], and Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 7, Boling teaches the locator module is to include sensor data in communication with the remote datacenter, the sensor data collected from sensors on the trailer or tractor (See abstract, Fig. 3 and [0034]-[0035]).
Regarding claim 8, Boling teaches the trailer bridge is to collect the sensor data and provide the sensor data to the locator module (See abstract, Fig. 3 and [0034]-[0035]).
Claim 9 is the method embodiment of claim 1 and is rejected with the same reasoning.
Claim 10 is the method embodiment of claim 2 and is rejected with the same reasoning.
Claim 11 is the method embodiment of claim 3 and is rejected with the same reasoning.
Claim 14 is the method embodiment of claim 6 and is rejected with the same reasoning.
Claim 15 is the method embodiment of claim 7 and is rejected with the same reasoning.
Claim 16 is the method embodiment of claim 8 and is rejected with the same reasoning.
Regarding claim 17, Boling teaches a communication system (See abstract teaches communication from a truck trailer tracking device to a central server), comprising:
a trailer bridge disposed on a cargo trailer, the trailer bridge comprising a system to detect when a tractor has been electrically connected to the trailer, the tractor having a tractor module to identify the tractor to the trailer bridge (See abstract, Fig. 1 - 12, [0010], and [0023]-[0024] teach a trailer tracking device placed on a cargo trailer with communication through a power line to a truck tracking device.); and
a locator module having a communication system for communication with the trailer bridge, the locator module further comprising a mobile or cellular transceiver for communicating with a mobile or cellular communications network external to the trailer (See abstract, Fig. 2 20 – long-range communication, and [0026] teach a long range communication transceiver which communicates data with a central monitoring station);
wherein the locator module is to communicate completion of the electrical connection between the trailer and tractor, and identification of the tractor, to a remote datacenter in response to a signal from the trailer bridge indicating that the electrical connection has been made and providing the identification of the tractor (See abstract, Fig. 3, [0012], and [0026], “hen a trailer 38 is coupled to a truck 40 and the harness 36 is initially connected (step 100), the trailer tracking device 12 accesses the unique identification/serial number of the truck tracking device 14 via the short range communication interfaces 32 and 22 (step 102). The trailer tracking device 12 then transmits a first data packet via the long-range communication interface 20 to the central monitoring station 50 indicating that the trailer 38 and truck 40 are coupled (step 104).”).
Boling does not teach communicating the data to an owner/operator of the trailer.
Hsaio teaches communicating the data to an owner/operator of the trailer (See Col. 1 lines 24-30).
Claim 18 is the method embodiment of claim 2 and is rejected with the same reasoning.
Claim 19 is the method embodiment of claim 6 and is rejected with the same reasoning.
Claim 20 is the method embodiment of claim 7 and is rejected with the same reasoning.
Claims 4, 5, 12, and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Boling, as modified by Hsiao, as applied to claims above, and further in view of Cavajal (US Pub No. 2016/0019497).
Regarding claim 4, Boling does not teach the trailer bridge and locator module each include a wireless transceiver for wireless communication between the trailer bridge and locator module.
Carvajal teaches a trailer bridge and locator module setup where each include a wireless transceiver for wireless communication between the trailer bridge and locator module (See Fig. 1A 104a and 106a, [0079], [0082], and [0083] which teach a wireless connection between the TCU and input/output device).
One of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed would have been motivated to modify Boling’s system to include Carvajal’s teachings for a transportation system that reduces “trailer transportation costs and to increase the speed of trailer transportation” ([0063]). Therefore, the invention as a whole would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made.
Regarding claim 5, Boling does not teach the wireless transceivers are Bluetooth transceivers.
Carvajal teaches wireless transceivers are Bluetooth transceivers (See [0039]).
Claim 12 is the method embodiment of claim 4 and is rejected with the same reasoning.
Claim 13 is the method embodiment of claim 5 and is rejected with the same reasoning.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THOMAS S MCCORMACK whose telephone number is (571)272-0841. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM.
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/THOMAS S MCCORMACK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2686