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 .
Status of Claims
This Office Action is in response to the application filed on 06/21/2024. Claims 1-5 are presently pending and are presented for examination.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to ATA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis 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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 15 1, 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 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by U.S. Pub. No. 20250083656 (hereinafter, "Ishii").
Regarding claim 1, Ishii discloses a deceleration assistance apparatus, comprising a control apparatus that executes deceleration control that decelerates a vehicle when a vehicle speed of the vehicle is greater (Fig. 4, #S105) than a target vehicle speed set as a target value of the vehicle speed of the vehicle when the vehicle travels on a curved road (“The reference braking force calculation unit 104 calculates reference braking force based on the current vehicle speed Vv and the target vehicle speed Vp. The reference braking force is calculated, in the vehicle control system, based on the external environment information ahead of the vehicle, and specified to successfully approach to and travel along (more specifically, achieve the target vehicle speed in approaching to and travelling along) the target travel locus such as a corner (curve) in the direction of travel of the vehicle” (para 0043)), wherein the control apparatus is configured to cause the target vehicle speed to be greater by a predetermined value (“the braking force calculation unit 107 includes the mechanism to increase or decrease the auxiliary braking force limit value as the maximum output value of the auxiliary braking force, in accordance with the current vehicle speed and the road surface μ information (presumed road surface μ)” (para 0116)) or is configured to not execute the deceleration control (“On determination of No in S103, the auxiliary braking force control device (braking control device) 11 proceeds to S108 to determine that the auxiliary braking force is not required (no need to execute the auxiliary braking force function)” (para 0064)) even when the vehicle speed of the vehicle is greater than the target vehicle speed when a predetermined condition in which a decrease of a deceleration speed of the vehicle is detected when the vehicle travels on the curved road is met ((Fig. 4, #S105 and #S108) and “the braking force calculation unit 107 calculates the physical speed limit based on the external environment information, such as the travel path curvature, acquired by the external recognition information acquisition unit 101” (para 0072)).
Regarding claim 2, Ishii discloses the deceleration assistance apparatus according to claim 1. Additionally, Ishii discloses wherein the predetermined condition includes a condition in which the deceleration speed at a time point at which the decrease of the deceleration speed of the vehicle is detected is equal to or more than a predetermined deceleration speed (Fig. 7, #T1-T4 and “In the braking control, the determination above is similar to that in S201, but the given threshold may be used to vary timing for calculation and timing for output, initialize setting of each gradient, and others.” (para 0105)).
Regarding claim 3, Ishii discloses the deceleration assistance apparatus according to claim 1. Additionally, Ishii discloses wherein the predetermined condition includes a condition in which the decrease of the deceleration speed of the vehicle is detected at a time point at which the vehicle enters the curved road (Fig. 4, #S103 and Fig. 7, #T1-T4).
Regarding claim 4, Ishii discloses a deceleration assistance method that executes deceleration control that decelerates a vehicle when a vehicle speed of the vehicle is greater (Fig. 4, #S105) than a target vehicle speed set as a target value of the vehicle speed of the vehicle when the vehicle travels on a curved road (“The reference braking force calculation unit 104 calculates reference braking force based on the current vehicle speed Vv and the target vehicle speed Vp. The reference braking force is calculated, in the vehicle control system, based on the external environment information ahead of the vehicle, and specified to successfully approach to and travel along (more specifically, achieve the target vehicle speed in approaching to and travelling along) the target travel locus such as a corner (curve) in the direction of travel of the vehicle” (para 0043)), the deceleration assistance method comprising a step of causing the target vehicle speed to be greater by a predetermined value (“the braking force calculation unit 107 includes the mechanism to increase or decrease the auxiliary braking force limit value as the maximum output value of the auxiliary braking force, in accordance with the current vehicle speed and the road surface μ information (presumed road surface μ)” (para 0116)) or not executing the deceleration control (“On determination of No in S103, the auxiliary braking force control device (braking control device) 11 proceeds to S108 to determine that the auxiliary braking force is not required (no need to execute the auxiliary braking force function)” (para 0064)) even when the vehicle speed of the vehicle is greater than the target vehicle speed when a predetermined condition in which a decrease of a deceleration speed of the vehicle is detected when the vehicle travels on the curved road is met ((Fig. 4, #S105 and #S108) and “the braking force calculation unit 107 calculates the physical speed limit based on the external environment information, such as the travel path curvature, acquired by the external recognition information acquisition unit 101” (para 0072)).
Regarding claim 5, Ishii discloses a non-transitory storage medium storing instructions that are executable by one or more processors and that cause the one or more processors to perform functions comprising:
executing deceleration control that decelerates a vehicle when a vehicle speed of the vehicle is greater (Fig. 4, #S105) than a target vehicle speed set as a target value of the vehicle speed of the vehicle when the vehicle travels on a curved road (“The reference braking force calculation unit 104 calculates reference braking force based on the current vehicle speed Vv and the target vehicle speed Vp. The reference braking force is calculated, in the vehicle control system, based on the external environment information ahead of the vehicle, and specified to successfully approach to and travel along (more specifically, achieve the target vehicle speed in approaching to and travelling along) the target travel locus such as a corner (curve) in the direction of travel of the vehicle” (para 0043)); and
causing the target vehicle speed to be greater by a predetermined value (“the braking force calculation unit 107 includes the mechanism to increase or decrease the auxiliary braking force limit value as the maximum output value of the auxiliary braking force, in accordance with the current vehicle speed and the road surface μ information (presumed road surface μ)” (para 0116)) or not executing the deceleration control (“On determination of No in S103, the auxiliary braking force control device (braking control device) 11 proceeds to S108 to determine that the auxiliary braking force is not required (no need to execute the auxiliary braking force function)” (para 0064)) even when the vehicle speed of the vehicle is greater than the target vehicle speed when a predetermined condition in which a decrease of a deceleration speed of the vehicle is detected when the vehicle travels on the curved road is met ((Fig. 4, #S105 and #S108) and “the braking force calculation unit 107 calculates the physical speed limit based on the external environment information, such as the travel path curvature, acquired by the external recognition information acquisition unit 101” (para 0072)).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ADAM ALHARBI whose telephone number is (313)446-6621. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 11:00AM – 7:30PM EST.
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/ADAM M ALHARBI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3663