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 .
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed on 04/27/2026 has been entered. Claims 1-7, 9-15 and 19-20 remain pending in the application and claims 8 and 16-18 are cancelled.
Examiner respectfully withdraws of the claim § 101 rejection of claims 1-7, 9-15 and 19-20 due to the amendment and persuasive arguments
Examiner respectfully withdraws claim interpretation for 112 (f) on the previous office action mailed out on 02/06/2026 due to the amendment filed on 04/27/2026.
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 1-4, 9-10 and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zheng et al. US 20210263165 in view of Bai et al. US 20150091740.
Regarding claim 1, Zheng et al. teach An assistance control apparatus comprising at least one processor configured to: acquire location information of a user terminal of a user; (Zheng et al. US 20210263165 abstract; paragraphs [0057]; [0092]; [0097]-[0104]; figures 1-17;)
A roadside unit, in an embodiment, may broadcast or otherwise send its location and identification. The roadside unit may also send a request for location information to mobiles within transmission range. The location information requested may include latitude and longitude, phase offset, heading, velocity, ability to stop or otherwise maneuver relative to an intersection or a pedestrian, or other location related information. A roadside unit may also provide positioning information, absolute or relative to the roadside unit, for vehicles and pedestrians with a zone of influence for the roadside unit. For example, a roadside unit may determine or update the location of cars and pedestrians that are located within a zone of influence (such as within a particular radius of the roadside unit or within a particular distance from an intersection or within a particular distance of a crosswalk). This is particularly useful in tracking the movements of pedestrians and vehicles that are not advertising their location. The location of pedestrians and/or vehicles may be determined and/or verified using their broadcast location, if available, and sensor data, such as cameras, RADAR, SONAR, LIDAR, infrared or other light-based ranging systems, road-based magnetic sensors and/or other sensor inputs capable of determining the location of objects in the zone of influence. A roadside unit may also be capable of actively querying vehicles and/or pedestrian devices such as smartphones for location information which may include absolute information such as latitude and longitude or relative location information such as distance and heading or GNSS or other measurement information such as phase offset measurements (Zheng et al. par. 98).
Zheng et al. do not explicitly teach estimate a destination of the user at a current time zone based on a history of the location information acquired from the user terminal in a past; identify, based on current location information of the user terminal, the destination of the user that is estimated, and the current time zone, a crossing area, which is an area where the user is predicted to cross a road on a walking path from the current location information to the destination; and cause a mobile object approaching the user to output a warning, when the user terminal is located within a predetermined range including the crossing area.
Bai et al. teach estimate a destination of the user at a current time zone based on a history of the location information acquired from the user terminal in a past; identify, based on current location information of the user terminal, the destination of the user that is estimated, and the current time zone, a crossing area, which is an area where the user is predicted to cross a road on a walking path from the current location information to the destination; (Bai et al. US 20150091740 abstract; paragraphs [0002]-[0003]; [0006]-[0009]; [0032]-[0044]; [0046]-[0052]; [0062]; [0070]-[0076]; [0079]-[0083]; table 1 and 2; figures 1-21)
In still another embodiment, the V2P communication system and method may be applied to predict a pedestrian trajectory. In one aspect, the system uses information provided by a device associated with the pedestrian in order to estimate a future position of the pedestrian based on history of the pedestrian, such as historical location data. Example information may include a pedestrian's every day walking path history to determine the mostly likely location of a future street crossing location and pattern. Alternative (or additional) information may include use of map data that lists street crossing, curb, or paint location information. This map data may be combined with a pedestrian's current movement to predict a crossing location and direction (Bai et al. par. 44).
According to the cited passages and figures, examiner interprets the future location as the destination.
and cause a mobile object approaching the user to output a warning, when the user terminal is located within a predetermined range including the crossing area.
In one aspect, the system may detect the act (or intention) of a pedestrian entering or exiting a vehicle and provide a corresponding alert. In an exiting scenario, an alert may indicate that a pedestrian may be entering the vicinity. Conversely, in an entering scenario, an alert may indicate that a vehicle may be entering the vicinity. Furthermore, the information broadcast by the V2P system may be the result of the intention of exiting or entering a vehicle. Given the location of the user of the system relative to the vehicle, a customized alert may be generated such as an indication of the possibility of a user crossing a roadway in order to enter the vehicle (Bai et al. par. 43). Other information that may be transmitted in addition to or in place of a BSM may include whether the user is listening to music, texting, talking on the phone, or browsing the internet. The vehicle, upon receiving the information transmitted by the device, may determine the probability of the pedestrian being distracted. If the vehicle determines that the probability of distraction may be likely, then the vehicle may warn the pedestrian. Example warnings may include an audible or visual alert. Moreover, the vehicle may actuate the brakes or alert the driver that a greater stopping distance may be required to account for the distracted pedestrian. By comparison, the device may warn the pedestrian by providing an audible or visual alert, by interrupting or deactivating programs with which the user may be interfacing, or the like (Bai et al. par. 50). For example, if a pedestrian is using a V2P enabled device to send a text message, a device associated with the vehicle may automatically sound the vehicle's horn to warn the pedestrian. In another example, if the pedestrian is using a device to listen to music, then a combination of flashing the vehicle's headlights and sounding the vehicle's horn may be a better contextual warning given that the pedestrian's hearing may be impaired by the use of headphones. Furthermore, for the benefit of the driver of the vehicle, an interface in the vehicle may, for example, display a context-dependent alert or adjust the timing of when the alert is provided. In the case of a visually impaired pedestrian, in one aspect, a V2P enabled device may vibrate as a warning the pedestrian (Bai et al. par. 73).
Therefore, it would have been obviously to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claim invention to substitute the V2P communication and predicting the future location based on the history location (user walking path history) as taught by Bai et al. reference into the system of Zheng et al. reference. The result of the substitution would be predictable to improve safety for vulnerable road users. For example, pedestrians and vehicles broadcasting their location and sharing their travel history to help the system to predict the future trajectory and an alert can be generate in the timely manner for avoid collision.
Regarding claim 2, the combination of Zheng et al. and Bai et al. disclose The assistance control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: identify a crossing point at which the user previously crossed the road, based on the history of the location information of the user terminal; and identify the crossing area further based on the crossing point.
In still another embodiment, the V2P communication system and method may be applied to predict a pedestrian trajectory. In one aspect, the system uses information provided by a device associated with the pedestrian in order to estimate a future position of the pedestrian based on history of the pedestrian, such as historical location data. Example information may include a pedestrian's every day walking path history to determine the mostly likely location of a future street crossing location and pattern. Alternative (or additional) information may include use of map data that lists street crossing, curb, or paint location information. This map data may be combined with a pedestrian's current movement to predict a crossing location and direction (Bai et al. par. 44).
According to the cited passages and figure, examiner interprets the crossing area and crossing point can be easily identify from everyday walking patch history with additional of the map data that lists street crossing, curb, or paint location information.
Regarding claim 3, the combination of Zheng et al. and Bai et al. disclose The assistance control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: perform control to store the crossing point in association with the destination of the user; and identify the crossing area further based on the crossing point that is stored in association with the destination of the user.
In still another embodiment, the V2P communication system and method may be applied to predict a pedestrian trajectory. In one aspect, the system uses information provided by a device associated with the pedestrian in order to estimate a future position of the pedestrian based on history of the pedestrian, such as historical location data. Example information may include a pedestrian's every day walking path history to determine the mostly likely location of a future street crossing location and pattern. Alternative (or additional) information may include use of map data that lists street crossing, curb, or paint location information. This map data may be combined with a pedestrian's current movement to predict a crossing location and direction (Bai et al. par. 44). Furthermore, if a pedestrian is hidden behind an object such as a building, or otherwise blocked from the view of a driver, the V2P system may alert the driver in a corresponding manner (e.g., alert 61 in FIG. 7). The V2P system may, in some embodiments, be configured to detect the presence of an object, such as a tree or a building, between a driver and a vehicle. In one aspect, the location of certain objects is stored in a database accessible to a V2P enabled device. In another aspect, the hidden pedestrian may be anticipated based on the GPS coordinate of the pedestrian and the driver in conjunction with map data. For example, the pedestrian may be located on a roadway that intersects a roadway on which the driver is traveling. The presence of the intersection is determined based on map data and the location of the pedestrian and the vehicle is determined based on GPS coordinates obtained from associated V2P enabled devices. In a third aspect, a vehicle or device may be configured with a RADAR/SONAR system, video sensor (e.g., driver facing video camera) or other comparable system for the detection of objects (Bai et al. par. 76).
According to the cited passages and figure, examiner interprets the crossing area and crossing point can be easily identify from everyday walking patch history with additional of the map data that lists street crossing, curb, or paint location information that stored in the database.
Regarding claim 4, the combination of Zheng et al. and Bai et al. disclose The assistance control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: perform control to store the crossing point in association with the destination of the user and time zone; identify the crossing area further based on the crossing point that is stored in association with the destination of the user and the current time zone.
In still another embodiment, the V2P communication system and method may be applied to predict a pedestrian trajectory. In one aspect, the system uses information provided by a device associated with the pedestrian in order to estimate a future position of the pedestrian based on history of the pedestrian, such as historical location data. Example information may include a pedestrian's every day walking path history to determine the mostly likely location of a future street crossing location and pattern. Alternative (or additional) information may include use of map data that lists street crossing, curb, or paint location information. This map data may be combined with a pedestrian's current movement to predict a crossing location and direction (Bai et al. par. 44). Furthermore, if a pedestrian is hidden behind an object such as a building, or otherwise blocked from the view of a driver, the V2P system may alert the driver in a corresponding manner (e.g., alert 61 in FIG. 7). The V2P system may, in some embodiments, be configured to detect the presence of an object, such as a tree or a building, between a driver and a vehicle. In one aspect, the location of certain objects is stored in a database accessible to a V2P enabled device. In another aspect, the hidden pedestrian may be anticipated based on the GPS coordinate of the pedestrian and the driver in conjunction with map data. For example, the pedestrian may be located on a roadway that intersects a roadway on which the driver is traveling. The presence of the intersection is determined based on map data and the location of the pedestrian and the vehicle is determined based on GPS coordinates obtained from associated V2P enabled devices. In a third aspect, a vehicle or device may be configured with a RADAR/SONAR system, video sensor (e.g., driver facing video camera) or other comparable system for the detection of objects (Bai et al. par. 76).
According to the cited passages and figure, examiner interprets the crossing area and crossing point can be easily identify from everyday walking patch history with additional of the map data that lists street crossing, curb, or paint location information that stored in the database.
Regarding claim 9, the combination of Zheng et al. and Bai et al. disclose The assistance control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mobile object is a vehicle.
Once the device 10 carried by the pedestrian 20 detects the type and the disability classification of the user of the device 10, the device 10 may incorporate the classification information into the broadcasting of a safety message. A vehicle 40 may receive these messages and determine that the pedestrian 20 may, for example, have impaired vision. Thereafter, the vehicle 40 may actuate an audible warning such as vehicle horn to warn the pedestrian 20. If the pedestrian 20 is a wheelchair user, the vehicle 40 may actuate a brake of the vehicle 40. Accordingly, the approach of the vehicle 40 towards the pedestrian 20 in the wheelchair may be slowed to provide the wheelchair user with a greater amount of clearance or time to complete a street crossing maneuver. In one aspect, the clearance may enable the wheelchair user to feel less vulnerable as compared to a pedestrian 20 that does not require a wheelchair (Bai et al. par. 47).
Regarding claim 10, the combination of Zheng et al. and Bai et al. disclose The assistance control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the user terminal is located within the predetermined range including the crossing area and the mobile object is approaching the user, the at least one processor is further configured to perform control to cause a warning to be output to the user.
Once the device 10 carried by the pedestrian 20 detects the type and the disability classification of the user of the device 10, the device 10 may incorporate the classification information into the broadcasting of a safety message. A vehicle 40 may receive these messages and determine that the pedestrian 20 may, for example, have impaired vision. Thereafter, the vehicle 40 may actuate an audible warning such as vehicle horn to warn the pedestrian 20. If the pedestrian 20 is a wheelchair user, the vehicle 40 may actuate a brake of the vehicle 40. Accordingly, the approach of the vehicle 40 towards the pedestrian 20 in the wheelchair may be slowed to provide the wheelchair user with a greater amount of clearance or time to complete a street crossing maneuver. In one aspect, the clearance may enable the wheelchair user to feel less vulnerable as compared to a pedestrian 20 that does not require a wheelchair (Bai et al. par. 47). The alerts may be presented based on a location of the pedestrian relative to the vehicle (driver's side vs. passenger side). The alerts may also indicate that the driver should brake 66. Referring to FIG. 8, the alerts may also be specific to a distance of a pedestrian to a vehicle. For example, a single audible signal 70 may alert the driver of vehicle 40 that a pedestrian is somewhat close to the vehicle (e.g., 100 feet), whereas a multiple or repeated audible signal 72 may indicate that a pedestrian is very close to the vehicle 40 (e.g., 5 feet). Intermediate audible signals 74, 76 and 78 may include an intermediate number of repeated alerts to differentiate from the larger distance indicated by signal 70 and the smaller distance indicated by signal 72 (Bai et al. par. 75).
Regarding claim 19, Zheng et al. teach An assistance control method comprising: acquiring location information of a user terminal of a user; (Zheng et al. US 20210263165 abstract; paragraphs [0057]; [0092]; [0097]-[0104]; figures 1-17;)
A roadside unit, in an embodiment, may broadcast or otherwise send its location and identification. The roadside unit may also send a request for location information to mobiles within transmission range. The location information requested may include latitude and longitude, phase offset, heading, velocity, ability to stop or otherwise maneuver relative to an intersection or a pedestrian, or other location related information. A roadside unit may also provide positioning information, absolute or relative to the roadside unit, for vehicles and pedestrians with a zone of influence for the roadside unit. For example, a roadside unit may determine or update the location of cars and pedestrians that are located within a zone of influence (such as within a particular radius of the roadside unit or within a particular distance from an intersection or within a particular distance of a crosswalk). This is particularly useful in tracking the movements of pedestrians and vehicles that are not advertising their location. The location of pedestrians and/or vehicles may be determined and/or verified using their broadcast location, if available, and sensor data, such as cameras, RADAR, SONAR, LIDAR, infrared or other light-based ranging systems, road-based magnetic sensors and/or other sensor inputs capable of determining the location of objects in the zone of influence. A roadside unit may also be capable of actively querying vehicles and/or pedestrian devices such as smartphones for location information which may include absolute information such as latitude and longitude or relative location information such as distance and heading or GNSS or other measurement information such as phase offset measurements (Zheng et al. par. 98).
Zheng et al. do not explicitly teach estimating a destination of the user at a current time zone based on a history of the location information acquired from the user terminal in a past; identifying, based on current location information of the user terminal, the destination of the user that is estimated, and the current time zone, a crossing area, which is an area where the user is predicted to cross a road on a walking path from the current location information to the destination; and causing a mobile object approaching the user to output a warning, when the user terminal is located within a predetermined range including the crossing area.
Bai et al. teach estimating a destination of the user at a current time zone based on a history of the location information acquired from the user terminal in a past; identifying, based on current location information of the user terminal, the destination of the user that is estimated, and the current time zone, a crossing area, which is an area where the user is predicted to cross a road on a walking path from the current location information to the destination; (Bai et al. US 20150091740 abstract; paragraphs [0002]-[0003]; [0006]-[0009]; [0032]-[0044]; [0046]-[0052]; [0062]; [0070]-[0076]; [0079]-[0083]; table 1 and 2; figures 1-21)
In still another embodiment, the V2P communication system and method may be applied to predict a pedestrian trajectory. In one aspect, the system uses information provided by a device associated with the pedestrian in order to estimate a future position of the pedestrian based on history of the pedestrian, such as historical location data. Example information may include a pedestrian's every day walking path history to determine the mostly likely location of a future street crossing location and pattern. Alternative (or additional) information may include use of map data that lists street crossing, curb, or paint location information. This map data may be combined with a pedestrian's current movement to predict a crossing location and direction (Bai et al. par. 44).
According to the cited passages and figures, examiner interprets the future location as the destination.
and causing a mobile object approaching the user to output a warning, when the user terminal is located within a predetermined range including the crossing area.
In one aspect, the system may detect the act (or intention) of a pedestrian entering or exiting a vehicle and provide a corresponding alert. In an existing scenario, an alert may indicate that a pedestrian may be entering the vicinity. Conversely, in an entering scenario, an alert may indicate that a vehicle may be entering the vicinity. Furthermore, the information broadcast by the V2P system may be the result of the intention of exiting or entering a vehicle. Given the location of the user of the system relative to the vehicle, a customized alert may be generated such as an indication of the possibility of a user crossing a roadway in order to enter the vehicle (Bai et al. par. 43). Other information that may be transmitted in addition to or in place of a BSM may include whether the user is listening to music, texting, talking on the phone, or browsing the internet. The vehicle, upon receiving the information transmitted by the device, may determine the probability of the pedestrian being distracted. If the vehicle determines that the probability of distraction may be likely, then the vehicle may warn the pedestrian. Example warnings may include an audible or visual alert. Moreover, the vehicle may actuate the brakes or alert the driver that a greater stopping distance may be required to account for the distracted pedestrian. By comparison, the device may warn the pedestrian by providing an audible or visual alert, by interrupting or deactivating programs with which the user may be interfacing, or the like (Bai et al. par. 50). For example, if a pedestrian is using a V2P enabled device to send a text message, a device associated with the vehicle may automatically sound the vehicle's horn to warn the pedestrian. In another example, if the pedestrian is using a device to listen to music, then a combination of flashing the vehicle's headlights and sounding the vehicle's horn may be a better contextual warning given that the pedestrian's hearing may be impaired by the use of headphones. Furthermore, for the benefit of the driver of the vehicle, an interface in the vehicle may, for example, display a context-dependent alert or adjust the timing of when the alert is provided. In the case of a visually impaired pedestrian, in one aspect, a V2P enabled device may vibrate as a warning the pedestrian (Bai et al. par. 73).
Therefore, it would have been obviously to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claim invention to substitute the V2P communication and predicting the future location based on the history location (user walking path history) as taught by Bai et al. reference into the method of Zheng et al. reference. The result of the substitution would be predictable to improve safety for vulnerable road users. For example, pedestrians and vehicles broadcasting their location and sharing their travel history to help the system to predict the future trajectory and an alert can be generate in the timely manner for avoid collision.
Regarding claim 20, Zheng et al. teach A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a program, wherein the program causes a computer, when executed by the computer, to execute: acquiring location information of a user terminal of a user; (Zheng et al. US 20210263165 abstract; paragraphs [0057]; [0092]; [0097]-[0104]; figures 1-17;)
A roadside unit, in an embodiment, may broadcast or otherwise send its location and identification. The roadside unit may also send a request for location information to mobiles within transmission range. The location information requested may include latitude and longitude, phase offset, heading, velocity, ability to stop or otherwise maneuver relative to an intersection or a pedestrian, or other location related information. A roadside unit may also provide positioning information, absolute or relative to the roadside unit, for vehicles and pedestrians with a zone of influence for the roadside unit. For example, a roadside unit may determine or update the location of cars and pedestrians that are located within a zone of influence (such as within a particular radius of the roadside unit or within a particular distance from an intersection or within a particular distance of a crosswalk). This is particularly useful in tracking the movements of pedestrians and vehicles that are not advertising their location. The location of pedestrians and/or vehicles may be determined and/or verified using their broadcast location, if available, and sensor data, such as cameras, RADAR, SONAR, LIDAR, infrared or other light-based ranging systems, road-based magnetic sensors and/or other sensor inputs capable of determining the location of objects in the zone of influence. A roadside unit may also be capable of actively querying vehicles and/or pedestrian devices such as smartphones for location information which may include absolute information such as latitude and longitude or relative location information such as distance and heading or GNSS or other measurement information such as phase offset measurements (Zheng et al. par. 98).
Zheng et al. do not explicitly teach estimating a destination of the user at a current time zone based on a history of the location information acquired from the user terminal in a past; identifying, based on current location information of the user terminal, the destination of the user that is estimated, and the current time zone, a crossing area, which is an area where the user is predicted to cross a road on a walking path from the current location information to the destination; and causing a mobile object approaching the user to output a warning, when the user terminal is located within a predetermined range including the crossing area.
Bai et al. teach estimating a destination of the user at a current time zone based on a history of the location information acquired from the user terminal in a past; identifying, based on current location information of the user terminal, the destination of the user that is estimated, and the current time zone, a crossing area, which is an area where the user is predicted to cross a road on a walking path from the current location information to the destination; (Bai et al. US 20150091740 abstract; paragraphs [0002]-[0003]; [0006]-[0009]; [0032]-[0044]; [0046]-[0052]; [0062]; [0070]-[0076]; [0079]-[0083]; table 1 and 2; figures 1-21)
In still another embodiment, the V2P communication system and method may be applied to predict a pedestrian trajectory. In one aspect, the system uses information provided by a device associated with the pedestrian in order to estimate a future position of the pedestrian based on history of the pedestrian, such as historical location data. Example information may include a pedestrian's every day walking path history to determine the mostly likely location of a future street crossing location and pattern. Alternative (or additional) information may include use of map data that lists street crossing, curb, or paint location information. This map data may be combined with a pedestrian's current movement to predict a crossing location and direction (Bai et al. par. 44).
According to the cited passages and figures, examiner interprets the future location as the destination.
and causing a mobile object approaching the user to output a warning, when the user terminal is located within a predetermined range including the crossing area.
In one aspect, the system may detect the act (or intention) of a pedestrian entering or exiting a vehicle and provide a corresponding alert. In an existing scenario, an alert may indicate that a pedestrian may be entering the vicinity. Conversely, in an entering scenario, an alert may indicate that a vehicle may be entering the vicinity. Furthermore, the information broadcast by the V2P system may be the result of the intention of exiting or entering a vehicle. Given the location of the user of the system relative to the vehicle, a customized alert may be generated such as an indication of the possibility of a user crossing a roadway in order to enter the vehicle (Bai et al. par. 43). Other information that may be transmitted in addition to or in place of a BSM may include whether the user is listening to music, texting, talking on the phone, or browsing the internet. The vehicle, upon receiving the information transmitted by the device, may determine the probability of the pedestrian being distracted. If the vehicle determines that the probability of distraction may be likely, then the vehicle may warn the pedestrian. Example warnings may include an audible or visual alert. Moreover, the vehicle may actuate the brakes or alert the driver that a greater stopping distance may be required to account for the distracted pedestrian. By comparison, the device may warn the pedestrian by providing an audible or visual alert, by interrupting or deactivating programs with which the user may be interfacing, or the like (Bai et al. par. 50). For example, if a pedestrian is using a V2P enabled device to send a text message, a device associated with the vehicle may automatically sound the vehicle's horn to warn the pedestrian. In another example, if the pedestrian is using a device to listen to music, then a combination of flashing the vehicle's headlights and sounding the vehicle's horn may be a better contextual warning given that the pedestrian's hearing may be impaired by the use of headphones. Furthermore, for the benefit of the driver of the vehicle, an interface in the vehicle may, for example, display a context-dependent alert or adjust the timing of when the alert is provided. In the case of a visually impaired pedestrian, in one aspect, a V2P enabled device may vibrate as a warning the pedestrian (Bai et al. par. 73).
Therefore, it would have been obviously to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claim invention to substitute the V2P communication and predicting the future location based on the history location (user walking path history) as taught by Bai et al. reference into the system of Zheng et al. reference. The result of the substitution would be predictable to improve safety for vulnerable road users. For example, pedestrians and vehicles broadcasting their location and sharing their travel history to help the system to predict the future trajectory and an alert can be generate in the timely manner for avoid collision.
Claims 5-7 and 11-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zheng et al. US 20210263165 in view of Bai et al. US 20150091740 and further in view of Zhang et al. US 20220392337.
Regarding claim 5, the combination of Zheng et al. and Bai et al. teach all the limitation in the claim 1.
The combination of Zheng et al. and Bai et al. do not explicitly teach The assistance control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: identify, based on location information history of a plurality of user terminals, a frequent crossing point, which is a point where a plurality of users associated with the plurality of user terminals frequently cross a road; and identify the crossing area further based on the frequent crossing point.
Zhang et al. teach The assistance control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: identify, based on location information history of a plurality of user terminals, a frequent crossing point, which is a point where a plurality of users associated with the plurality of user terminals frequently cross a road; and identify the crossing area further based on the frequent crossing point. (Zhang et al. US 20220392337 abstract; paragraphs [0003]-[0006]; [0026]; [0037]-[0041]; [0088]-[0089]; [0092]-[0102]; [0142]-[0145]; figures 1-11;)
Referring also to FIG. 8, the control information 724 from the TRP 300 may comprise a near-field communication (NFC), with the TRP 300 co-located with the crosswalk signaler 531, for example in a traffic light pole. The control information 724, at least the NFC, may be broadcast or unicast, e.g., to a UE 810 associated with a pedestrian 820. The NFC has a short range 830 in which the NFC may be received by the UE 810 and information from the NFC extracted. The NFC may be transmitted periodically by the crosswalk signaler 532 to help ensure that any UE that comes within the range 830 of the crosswalk signaler 532 receives the NFC. The frequency of transmission of the NFC may be about 1 Hz or even less because pedestrians often stand near crosswalk signalers for several seconds waiting for permission to cross a crosswalk. The NFC may include a location of the crosswalk signaler 532, e.g., a pole. Because the location of the crosswalk signaler 532 may be known precisely (and does not change), and because the range 830 of the NFC is short, e.g., less than 2 m (e.g., about 1 m), the location of the crosswalk signaler 532 may be used as the location of the UE 810 based on the UE 810 successfully receiving and extracting information from the NFC. The location of the UE 810 may thus be determined with high accuracy, e.g., within 2 m, very reliably (because the crosswalk signaler 532 is stationary and the range of the NFC is known). In this example, the NFC is emitted by a crosswalk signaler, but an NFC may be emitted from another source, e.g., a control box for a traffic light. The source of the NFC may be located where pedestrians are likely to wait for permission to cross a crosswalk (Zhang et al. par. 95). At stage 730, one or more visual traffic control indications 732 and/or one or more audible traffic control indications 734 are transmitted by one or more of the traffic control indication source(s) 702, respectively. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a green light 840 of the traffic light 521 emits green light 842 that is received by a UE 850, which is an example of the UE 600. The green light 842 may thus be received by the camera 218 of the UE 850. As another example, crosswalk lights 860 may emit light that may be received by the UE 850, e.g., the camera 218 of the UE 850. The crosswalk lights 860 may be disposed on borders of a crosswalk 861 as shown and/or disposed at other locations. Lights may be disposed in other crosswalks as well, but are not shown in FIG. 8 to help reduce complexity of the figure. As another example, light in the form of a “walk” indication (e.g., the word “walk”, a symbol of a person walking, etc.) may be emitted by a walk/don't-walk sign 871 of the crosswalk signaler 531 and a walk/don't-walk sign 873 of the crosswalk signaler 533. One walk/don't-walk sign is shown for each of the crosswalk signalers 531, 533, but the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 may each have more than one walk/don't-walk sign. Further, although not shown in FIG. 8, other crosswalk signalers may include walk/don't-walk signs. As another example, the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 emit respective sound signals 876, 878. The sound signals 876, 878 may be, for example, accessible pedestrian signals (APS) that may be repeated, short tones (e.g., cuckoo sounds, chirp sounds), and/or verbal announcements (e.g., “walk”, “wait”, or a street name that is permitted to be crossed). The visual traffic control indications 732 and/or the audible traffic control indications 734 may be referred to in the plural, but this includes the singular where appropriate (Zhang et al. par. 97). The location of the UE 600 may be obtained from a past location estimate, or from using a location of a crosswalk signaler 531-534 from which the UE 600 receives an NFC that includes the location of the crosswalk signaler 531-534. As another example, the position-related information unit 660 may be able to disambiguate the direction of travel based on magnitudes of received sound signals. For example, if the sound signals 876, 878 are transmitted with equal magnitudes and one or more different characteristics such that the sound signals 876, 878 may be differentiated, then the position-related information unit 660 may determine that the direction of travel is from the crosswalk signaler 531, 533 from which the sound signal 876, 878 with higher magnitude is initially received toward the other crosswalk signaler 531, 533 (Zhang et al. par. 102).
According to the cited passages and figures, examiner interprets the pedestrian with UE 850 and another pedestrian with UE 810 in the figure 8 as illustrate plurality of user terminals. Examiner interprets a past location estimate as the history. Also paragraph 252 of Sharma Banjade et al. reference teach plurality point of past location and path history of the user as well.
Therefore, it would have been obviously to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claim invention to substitute the near-field communication (NFC) device near an intersection as taught by Zhang et al. reference into the modified system of Zheng et al. and Bai et al. reference. The result of the substitution would be predictable to reduce the false alarm, improve safety and prediction accuracy. For example, the NFC device near the intersection to inform the vehicles within a distance to confirm that the pedestrians carries the NFC device is at the proximity of the crossing point to wait for a crosswalk signal to indicate Ok signal to cross the street.
Regarding claim 6, the combination of Zheng et al., Bai et al. and Zhang et al. disclose The assistance control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: perform control to store the frequent crossing point in association with a destination of the plurality of users; and identify the crossing area further based on the frequent crossing point that is stored in association with the destination of the user.
At stage 730, one or more visual traffic control indications 732 and/or one or more audible traffic control indications 734 are transmitted by one or more of the traffic control indication source(s) 702, respectively. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a green light 840 of the traffic light 521 emits green light 842 that is received by a UE 850, which is an example of the UE 600. The green light 842 may thus be received by the camera 218 of the UE 850. As another example, crosswalk lights 860 may emit light that may be received by the UE 850, e.g., the camera 218 of the UE 850. The crosswalk lights 860 may be disposed on borders of a crosswalk 861 as shown and/or disposed at other locations. Lights may be disposed in other crosswalks as well, but are not shown in FIG. 8 to help reduce complexity of the figure. As another example, light in the form of a “walk” indication (e.g., the word “walk”, a symbol of a person walking, etc.) may be emitted by a walk/don't-walk sign 871 of the crosswalk signaler 531 and a walk/don't-walk sign 873 of the crosswalk signaler 533. One walk/don't-walk sign is shown for each of the crosswalk signalers 531, 533, but the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 may each have more than one walk/don't-walk sign. Further, although not shown in FIG. 8, other crosswalk signalers may include walk/don't-walk signs. As another example, the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 emit respective sound signals 876, 878. The sound signals 876, 878 may be, for example, accessible pedestrian signals (APS) that may be repeated, short tones (e.g., cuckoo sounds, chirp sounds), and/or verbal announcements (e.g., “walk”, “wait”, or a street name that is permitted to be crossed). The visual traffic control indications 732 and/or the audible traffic control indications 734 may be referred to in the plural, but this includes the singular where appropriate (Zhang et al. par. 97). A non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause a processor of an apparatus to (Zhang et al. par. 143): obtain traffic control information indicative of transmission of a traffic control indication granting permission for vehicle motion, or permission for pedestrian motion, or a combination thereof; and (Zhang et a. par. 144) determine, based on the traffic control information, position-related information comprising a location of a user equipment (UE), a heading of the UE, or a combination thereof (Zhang et a. par. 145).
According to the cited passages and figures, examiner interprets the pedestrian with UE 850 is in the crosswalk following the direction travel 880 to cross a road at the intersection to reach a destination on another side of the road.
Regarding claim 7, the combination of Zheng et al., Bai et al. and Zhang et al. disclose The assistance control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: perform control to store the frequent crossing point in association with the plurality of users' destination and time zone; and identify the crossing area further based on the frequent crossing point that is stored in association with the users' destination and the current time zone.
At stage 730, one or more visual traffic control indications 732 and/or one or more audible traffic control indications 734 are transmitted by one or more of the traffic control indication source(s) 702, respectively. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a green light 840 of the traffic light 521 emits green light 842 that is received by a UE 850, which is an example of the UE 600. The green light 842 may thus be received by the camera 218 of the UE 850. As another example, crosswalk lights 860 may emit light that may be received by the UE 850, e.g., the camera 218 of the UE 850. The crosswalk lights 860 may be disposed on borders of a crosswalk 861 as shown and/or disposed at other locations. Lights may be disposed in other crosswalks as well, but are not shown in FIG. 8 to help reduce complexity of the figure. As another example, light in the form of a “walk” indication (e.g., the word “walk”, a symbol of a person walking, etc.) may be emitted by a walk/don't-walk sign 871 of the crosswalk signaler 531 and a walk/don't-walk sign 873 of the crosswalk signaler 533. One walk/don't-walk sign is shown for each of the crosswalk signalers 531, 533, but the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 may each have more than one walk/don't-walk sign. Further, although not shown in FIG. 8, other crosswalk signalers may include walk/don't-walk signs. As another example, the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 emit respective sound signals 876, 878. The sound signals 876, 878 may be, for example, accessible pedestrian signals (APS) that may be repeated, short tones (e.g., cuckoo sounds, chirp sounds), and/or verbal announcements (e.g., “walk”, “wait”, or a street name that is permitted to be crossed). The visual traffic control indications 732 and/or the audible traffic control indications 734 may be referred to in the plural, but this includes the singular where appropriate (Zhang et al. par. 97). A non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause a processor of an apparatus to (Zhang et al. par. 143): obtain traffic control information indicative of transmission of a traffic control indication granting permission for vehicle motion, or permission for pedestrian motion, or a combination thereof; and (Zhang et a. par. 144) determine, based on the traffic control information, position-related information comprising a location of a user equipment (UE), a heading of the UE, or a combination thereof (Zhang et a. par. 145).
According to the cited passages and figures, examiner interprets the pedestrian with UE 850 is in the crosswalk following the direction travel 880 to cross a road at the intersection to reach a destination on another side of the road in real time.
Regarding claim 11, the combination of Zheng et al., Bai et al. and Zhang et al. disclose The assistance control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: identify, based on location information history of a plurality of user terminals, a frequent crossing point, which is a point where a plurality of users associated with the plurality of user terminals frequently cross a road: and identify the crossing area further based on the frequent crossing point.
Referring also to FIG. 8, the control information 724 from the TRP 300 may comprise a near-field communication (NFC), with the TRP 300 co-located with the crosswalk signaler 531, for example in a traffic light pole. The control information 724, at least the NFC, may be broadcast or unicast, e.g., to a UE 810 associated with a pedestrian 820. The NFC has a short range 830 in which the NFC may be received by the UE 810 and information from the NFC extracted. The NFC may be transmitted periodically by the crosswalk signaler 532 to help ensure that any UE that comes within the range 830 of the crosswalk signaler 532 receives the NFC. The frequency of transmission of the NFC may be about 1 Hz or even less because pedestrians often stand near crosswalk signalers for several seconds waiting for permission to cross a crosswalk. The NFC may include a location of the crosswalk signaler 532, e.g., a pole. Because the location of the crosswalk signaler 532 may be known precisely (and does not change), and because the range 830 of the NFC is short, e.g., less than 2 m (e.g., about 1 m), the location of the crosswalk signaler 532 may be used as the location of the UE 810 based on the UE 810 successfully receiving and extracting information from the NFC. The location of the UE 810 may thus be determined with high accuracy, e.g., within 2 m, very reliably (because the crosswalk signaler 532 is stationary and the range of the NFC is known). In this example, the NFC is emitted by a crosswalk signaler, but an NFC may be emitted from another source, e.g., a control box for a traffic light. The source of the NFC may be located where pedestrians are likely to wait for permission to cross a crosswalk (Zhang et al. par. 95). At stage 730, one or more visual traffic control indications 732 and/or one or more audible traffic control indications 734 are transmitted by one or more of the traffic control indication source(s) 702, respectively. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a green light 840 of the traffic light 521 emits green light 842 that is received by a UE 850, which is an example of the UE 600. The green light 842 may thus be received by the camera 218 of the UE 850. As another example, crosswalk lights 860 may emit light that may be received by the UE 850, e.g., the camera 218 of the UE 850. The crosswalk lights 860 may be disposed on borders of a crosswalk 861 as shown and/or disposed at other locations. Lights may be disposed in other crosswalks as well, but are not shown in FIG. 8 to help reduce complexity of the figure. As another example, light in the form of a “walk” indication (e.g., the word “walk”, a symbol of a person walking, etc.) may be emitted by a walk/don't-walk sign 871 of the crosswalk signaler 531 and a walk/don't-walk sign 873 of the crosswalk signaler 533. One walk/don't-walk sign is shown for each of the crosswalk signalers 531, 533, but the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 may each have more than one walk/don't-walk sign. Further, although not shown in FIG. 8, other crosswalk signalers may include walk/don't-walk signs. As another example, the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 emit respective sound signals 876, 878. The sound signals 876, 878 may be, for example, accessible pedestrian signals (APS) that may be repeated, short tones (e.g., cuckoo sounds, chirp sounds), and/or verbal announcements (e.g., “walk”, “wait”, or a street name that is permitted to be crossed). The visual traffic control indications 732 and/or the audible traffic control indications 734 may be referred to in the plural, but this includes the singular where appropriate (Zhang et al. par. 97). The location of the UE 600 may be obtained from a past location estimate, or from using a location of a crosswalk signaler 531-534 from which the UE 600 receives an NFC that includes the location of the crosswalk signaler 531-534. As another example, the position-related information unit 660 may be able to disambiguate the direction of travel based on magnitudes of received sound signals. For example, if the sound signals 876, 878 are transmitted with equal magnitudes and one or more different characteristics such that the sound signals 876, 878 may be differentiated, then the position-related information unit 660 may determine that the direction of travel is from the crosswalk signaler 531, 533 from which the sound signal 876, 878 with higher magnitude is initially received toward the other crosswalk signaler 531, 533 (Zhang et al. par. 102).
According to the cited passages and figures, examiner interprets the pedestrian with UE 850 and another pedestrian with UE 810 in the figure 8 as illustrate plurality of user terminals. Examiner interprets a past location estimate as the history. Also paragraph 252 of Sharma Banjade et al. reference teach plurality point of past location and path history of the user as well.
Regarding claim 12, the combination of Zheng et al., Bai et al. and Zhang et al. disclose The assistance control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: identify, based on location information history of a plurality of user terminals, a frequent crossing point, which is a point where a plurality of users associated with the plurality of user terminals frequently cross a road; and identify the crossing area further based on the frequent crossing point.
Referring also to FIG. 8, the control information 724 from the TRP 300 may comprise a near-field communication (NFC), with the TRP 300 co-located with the crosswalk signaler 531, for example in a traffic light pole. The control information 724, at least the NFC, may be broadcast or unicast, e.g., to a UE 810 associated with a pedestrian 820. The NFC has a short range 830 in which the NFC may be received by the UE 810 and information from the NFC extracted. The NFC may be transmitted periodically by the crosswalk signaler 532 to help ensure that any UE that comes within the range 830 of the crosswalk signaler 532 receives the NFC. The frequency of transmission of the NFC may be about 1 Hz or even less because pedestrians often stand near crosswalk signalers for several seconds waiting for permission to cross a crosswalk. The NFC may include a location of the crosswalk signaler 532, e.g., a pole. Because the location of the crosswalk signaler 532 may be known precisely (and does not change), and because the range 830 of the NFC is short, e.g., less than 2 m (e.g., about 1 m), the location of the crosswalk signaler 532 may be used as the location of the UE 810 based on the UE 810 successfully receiving and extracting information from the NFC. The location of the UE 810 may thus be determined with high accuracy, e.g., within 2 m, very reliably (because the crosswalk signaler 532 is stationary and the range of the NFC is known). In this example, the NFC is emitted by a crosswalk signaler, but an NFC may be emitted from another source, e.g., a control box for a traffic light. The source of the NFC may be located where pedestrians are likely to wait for permission to cross a crosswalk (Zhang et al. par. 95). At stage 730, one or more visual traffic control indications 732 and/or one or more audible traffic control indications 734 are transmitted by one or more of the traffic control indication source(s) 702, respectively. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a green light 840 of the traffic light 521 emits green light 842 that is received by a UE 850, which is an example of the UE 600. The green light 842 may thus be received by the camera 218 of the UE 850. As another example, crosswalk lights 860 may emit light that may be received by the UE 850, e.g., the camera 218 of the UE 850. The crosswalk lights 860 may be disposed on borders of a crosswalk 861 as shown and/or disposed at other locations. Lights may be disposed in other crosswalks as well, but are not shown in FIG. 8 to help reduce complexity of the figure. As another example, light in the form of a “walk” indication (e.g., the word “walk”, a symbol of a person walking, etc.) may be emitted by a walk/don't-walk sign 871 of the crosswalk signaler 531 and a walk/don't-walk sign 873 of the crosswalk signaler 533. One walk/don't-walk sign is shown for each of the crosswalk signalers 531, 533, but the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 may each have more than one walk/don't-walk sign. Further, although not shown in FIG. 8, other crosswalk signalers may include walk/don't-walk signs. As another example, the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 emit respective sound signals 876, 878. The sound signals 876, 878 may be, for example, accessible pedestrian signals (APS) that may be repeated, short tones (e.g., cuckoo sounds, chirp sounds), and/or verbal announcements (e.g., “walk”, “wait”, or a street name that is permitted to be crossed). The visual traffic control indications 732 and/or the audible traffic control indications 734 may be referred to in the plural, but this includes the singular where appropriate (Zhang et al. par. 97). The location of the UE 600 may be obtained from a past location estimate, or from using a location of a crosswalk signaler 531-534 from which the UE 600 receives an NFC that includes the location of the crosswalk signaler 531-534. As another example, the position-related information unit 660 may be able to disambiguate the direction of travel based on magnitudes of received sound signals. For example, if the sound signals 876, 878 are transmitted with equal magnitudes and one or more different characteristics such that the sound signals 876, 878 may be differentiated, then the position-related information unit 660 may determine that the direction of travel is from the crosswalk signaler 531, 533 from which the sound signal 876, 878 with higher magnitude is initially received toward the other crosswalk signaler 531, 533 (Zhang et al. par. 102).
According to the cited passages and figures, examiner interprets the pedestrian with UE 850 and another pedestrian with UE 810 in the figure 8 as illustrate plurality of user terminals. Examiner interprets a past location estimate as the history. Also paragraph 252 of Sharma Banjade et al. reference teach plurality point of past location and path history of the user as well.
Regarding claim 13, the combination of Zheng et al., Bai et al. and Zhang et al. disclose The assistance control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: identify, based on location information history of a plurality of user terminals, a frequent crossing point, which is a point where a plurality of users associated with the plurality of user terminals frequently cross a road; and identify the crossing area further based the frequent crossing point.
Referring also to FIG. 8, the control information 724 from the TRP 300 may comprise a near-field communication (NFC), with the TRP 300 co-located with the crosswalk signaler 531, for example in a traffic light pole. The control information 724, at least the NFC, may be broadcast or unicast, e.g., to a UE 810 associated with a pedestrian 820. The NFC has a short range 830 in which the NFC may be received by the UE 810 and information from the NFC extracted. The NFC may be transmitted periodically by the crosswalk signaler 532 to help ensure that any UE that comes within the range 830 of the crosswalk signaler 532 receives the NFC. The frequency of transmission of the NFC may be about 1 Hz or even less because pedestrians often stand near crosswalk signalers for several seconds waiting for permission to cross a crosswalk. The NFC may include a location of the crosswalk signaler 532, e.g., a pole. Because the location of the crosswalk signaler 532 may be known precisely (and does not change), and because the range 830 of the NFC is short, e.g., less than 2 m (e.g., about 1 m), the location of the crosswalk signaler 532 may be used as the location of the UE 810 based on the UE 810 successfully receiving and extracting information from the NFC. The location of the UE 810 may thus be determined with high accuracy, e.g., within 2 m, very reliably (because the crosswalk signaler 532 is stationary and the range of the NFC is known). In this example, the NFC is emitted by a crosswalk signaler, but an NFC may be emitted from another source, e.g., a control box for a traffic light. The source of the NFC may be located where pedestrians are likely to wait for permission to cross a crosswalk (Zhang et al. par. 95). At stage 730, one or more visual traffic control indications 732 and/or one or more audible traffic control indications 734 are transmitted by one or more of the traffic control indication source(s) 702, respectively. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a green light 840 of the traffic light 521 emits green light 842 that is received by a UE 850, which is an example of the UE 600. The green light 842 may thus be received by the camera 218 of the UE 850. As another example, crosswalk lights 860 may emit light that may be received by the UE 850, e.g., the camera 218 of the UE 850. The crosswalk lights 860 may be disposed on borders of a crosswalk 861 as shown and/or disposed at other locations. Lights may be disposed in other crosswalks as well, but are not shown in FIG. 8 to help reduce complexity of the figure. As another example, light in the form of a “walk” indication (e.g., the word “walk”, a symbol of a person walking, etc.) may be emitted by a walk/don't-walk sign 871 of the crosswalk signaler 531 and a walk/don't-walk sign 873 of the crosswalk signaler 533. One walk/don't-walk sign is shown for each of the crosswalk signalers 531, 533, but the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 may each have more than one walk/don't-walk sign. Further, although not shown in FIG. 8, other crosswalk signalers may include walk/don't-walk signs. As another example, the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 emit respective sound signals 876, 878. The sound signals 876, 878 may be, for example, accessible pedestrian signals (APS) that may be repeated, short tones (e.g., cuckoo sounds, chirp sounds), and/or verbal announcements (e.g., “walk”, “wait”, or a street name that is permitted to be crossed). The visual traffic control indications 732 and/or the audible traffic control indications 734 may be referred to in the plural, but this includes the singular where appropriate (Zhang et al. par. 97). The location of the UE 600 may be obtained from a past location estimate, or from using a location of a crosswalk signaler 531-534 from which the UE 600 receives an NFC that includes the location of the crosswalk signaler 531-534. As another example, the position-related information unit 660 may be able to disambiguate the direction of travel based on magnitudes of received sound signals. For example, if the sound signals 876, 878 are transmitted with equal magnitudes and one or more different characteristics such that the sound signals 876, 878 may be differentiated, then the position-related information unit 660 may determine that the direction of travel is from the crosswalk signaler 531, 533 from which the sound signal 876, 878 with higher magnitude is initially received toward the other crosswalk signaler 531, 533 (Zhang et al. par. 102).
According to the cited passages and figures, examiner interprets the pedestrian with UE 850 and another pedestrian with UE 810 in the figure 8 as illustrate plurality of user terminals. Examiner interprets a past location estimate as the history. Also paragraph 252 of Sharma Banjade et al. reference teach plurality point of past location and path history of the user as well.
Regarding claim 14, the combination of Zheng et al., Bai et al. and Zhang et al. disclose The assistance control apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: perform control to store the frequent crossing point in association with a destination of the plurality of users; and identify the crossing area further based on the frequent crossing point that is stored in association with the destination of the user.
At stage 730, one or more visual traffic control indications 732 and/or one or more audible traffic control indications 734 are transmitted by one or more of the traffic control indication source(s) 702, respectively. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a green light 840 of the traffic light 521 emits green light 842 that is received by a UE 850, which is an example of the UE 600. The green light 842 may thus be received by the camera 218 of the UE 850. As another example, crosswalk lights 860 may emit light that may be received by the UE 850, e.g., the camera 218 of the UE 850. The crosswalk lights 860 may be disposed on borders of a crosswalk 861 as shown and/or disposed at other locations. Lights may be disposed in other crosswalks as well, but are not shown in FIG. 8 to help reduce complexity of the figure. As another example, light in the form of a “walk” indication (e.g., the word “walk”, a symbol of a person walking, etc.) may be emitted by a walk/don't-walk sign 871 of the crosswalk signaler 531 and a walk/don't-walk sign 873 of the crosswalk signaler 533. One walk/don't-walk sign is shown for each of the crosswalk signalers 531, 533, but the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 may each have more than one walk/don't-walk sign. Further, although not shown in FIG. 8, other crosswalk signalers may include walk/don't-walk signs. As another example, the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 emit respective sound signals 876, 878. The sound signals 876, 878 may be, for example, accessible pedestrian signals (APS) that may be repeated, short tones (e.g., cuckoo sounds, chirp sounds), and/or verbal announcements (e.g., “walk”, “wait”, or a street name that is permitted to be crossed). The visual traffic control indications 732 and/or the audible traffic control indications 734 may be referred to in the plural, but this includes the singular where appropriate (Zhang et al. par. 97). A non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause a processor of an apparatus to (Zhang et al. par. 143): obtain traffic control information indicative of transmission of a traffic control indication granting permission for vehicle motion, or permission for pedestrian motion, or a combination thereof; and (Zhang et a. par. 144) determine, based on the traffic control information, position-related information comprising a location of a user equipment (UE), a heading of the UE, or a combination thereof (Zhang et a. par. 145).
According to the cited passages and figures, examiner interprets the pedestrian with UE 850 is in the crosswalk following the direction travel 880 to cross a road at the intersection to reach a destination on another side of the road.
Regarding claim 15, the combination of Zheng et al., Bai et al. and Zhang et al. disclose The assistance control apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: perform control to store the frequent crossing point in association with the plurality of users' destination and time zone; and identify the crossing area further based on the frequent crossing point that is stored in association with the users' destination and the current time zone.
At stage 730, one or more visual traffic control indications 732 and/or one or more audible traffic control indications 734 are transmitted by one or more of the traffic control indication source(s) 702, respectively. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a green light 840 of the traffic light 521 emits green light 842 that is received by a UE 850, which is an example of the UE 600. The green light 842 may thus be received by the camera 218 of the UE 850. As another example, crosswalk lights 860 may emit light that may be received by the UE 850, e.g., the camera 218 of the UE 850. The crosswalk lights 860 may be disposed on borders of a crosswalk 861 as shown and/or disposed at other locations. Lights may be disposed in other crosswalks as well, but are not shown in FIG. 8 to help reduce complexity of the figure. As another example, light in the form of a “walk” indication (e.g., the word “walk”, a symbol of a person walking, etc.) may be emitted by a walk/don't-walk sign 871 of the crosswalk signaler 531 and a walk/don't-walk sign 873 of the crosswalk signaler 533. One walk/don't-walk sign is shown for each of the crosswalk signalers 531, 533, but the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 may each have more than one walk/don't-walk sign. Further, although not shown in FIG. 8, other crosswalk signalers may include walk/don't-walk signs. As another example, the crosswalk signalers 531, 533 emit respective sound signals 876, 878. The sound signals 876, 878 may be, for example, accessible pedestrian signals (APS) that may be repeated, short tones (e.g., cuckoo sounds, chirp sounds), and/or verbal announcements (e.g., “walk”, “wait”, or a street name that is permitted to be crossed). The visual traffic control indications 732 and/or the audible traffic control indications 734 may be referred to in the plural, but this includes the singular where appropriate (Zhang et al. par. 97). A non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause a processor of an apparatus to (Zhang et al. par. 143): obtain traffic control information indicative of transmission of a traffic control indication granting permission for vehicle motion, or permission for pedestrian motion, or a combination thereof; and (Zhang et a. par. 144) determine, based on the traffic control information, position-related information comprising a location of a user equipment (UE), a heading of the UE, or a combination thereof (Zhang et a. par. 145).
According to the cited passages and figures, examiner interprets the pedestrian with UE 850 is in the crosswalk following the direction travel 880 to cross a road at the intersection to reach a destination on another side of the road in real time.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 04/27/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. In the remark applicant argues in substance:
Applicant argument: applicant argues that arts of record Zheng et al., Zhang et al. and Sharma Banjade et al. failed to teach or suggest the amendment as cited in the independent claims 1, 19 and 20.
Examiner response: The presented arguments are rendered moot in view of the new ground rejection necessitated by amendments initiated by applicant. Please see above rejections.
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 THANG D TRAN whose telephone number is (408)918-7546. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 5:30 pm (pacific time).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Brian A Zimmerman can be reached at 571-272-3059. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/THANG D TRAN/Examiner, Art Unit 2686
/BRIAN A ZIMMERMAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2686
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