DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. 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 § 112
2. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Independent claim 1 ends with the limitation "”…compared with when the front vehicle is not being monitored.” The contingency of the front vehicle not being monitored has not been explained in sufficient detail with respect to relaxing or strengthening registration/deregistration conditions found in the final embodiment of the claim; therefore, the metes and bounds of the claim cannot be clearly ascertained.
Independent claim 7 maintains an identical recitation, and is likewise rejected under identical grounds and rationale.
Subsequently, claims 2-6 are rejected due to dependency on independent claim 1.
Prior Art
3. None of the prior art cited could anticipate, or be combined to render obvious the claimed invention as best understood. Upon resolution of the above cited issues, independent claim 1 will be in condition for allowance. None of the prior art cited could anticipate, or be combined to render obvious a front vehicle monitor configured to start to monitor the front vehicle registered as the leading vehicle regarding whether the front vehicle will perform a synchro lane change to an identical target lane, which is identical to a target lane of the vehicle to which the drive assist system is configured to be applied, on condition that the vehicle and the front vehicle are steadily driving in an identical lane, wherein the leading-vehicle registration determiner is configured to relax the leading vehicle register condition and the leading vehicle deregister condition when the front vehicle is being monitored, compared with when the front vehicle is not being monitored.
Independent claim 7 maintains similar embodiments, and will also be allowed with claims 2-6 upon resolution of the above issues.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Citation of Relevant Prior Art
4. The prior art made of record considered most pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Yonemura (US 2021/0245759) at 0039-0042 teaches a cooperative adaptive cruise control system configured to monitor the lead vehicle, and perform a synchro lane change from the current lane of travel of the platoon to a target lane.
Kurumisawa (US 2014/0121928) at 0036 teaches an adaptive cruise control system configured to register/deregister a leading vehicle based on predefined conditions.
Karmoose (US 10,805,086) at col 13 lines 63-67 through col 14 lines 1-67 teaches a cooperative platoon control wherein a lane change request can be made and implemented, as well as platoon lead vehicle preset register/deregister conditions.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JONATHAN M DAGER whose telephone number is (571)270-1332. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 0830-1730.
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/JONATHAN M DAGER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3663 29 April 2026
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