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
Claims 1, 4-8 and 11-19 are amended.
No new claim is added.
Claims 1-20 are pending.
Response to arguments
With respect to Applicant’s remarks filed on 03/17/2026; Applicant's “Amendments and Remarks” have been fully considered. Applicant’s remarks will be addressed in sequential order as they were presented.
Applicant remarks:
Based on the interview, amended claims should overcome 35 U.S.C. 112(b).
Disclosed invention improves technology or a technical field, and evaluate the claim to ensure it reflects the disclosed improvement.
Tanaka does not teach association of the player, cart and tee location.
Noda does not teach the “starting location” as claimed, Examiner suggested to clarify the “Starting location” which could place the claim in suitable position to overcome 35 U.S.C 103 rejection.
Office Response:
Amendment overcome 35 U.S.C. 112(b).
Based on the argument, 35 U.S.C 101 rejection does not overcomes since in specification para[0001] implies that the invention provides the improvement of the golf navigation system which can handle the large group of players/golfers ..hole is known as a shortgun start” and shortgun starts can be difficult to coordinate. But it is possible to apply the program in computer which can handle the shotgun starts for the golf.
Tanaka teaches golf course data storage unit where the location of the tee is stored, player data storage unit where the attribute data of the player, The attribute data of the player includes data regarding a carry obtained using each of golf clubs for use by the player and head speed of each of the golf clubs and content of previous play of the player. Control unit is configured to control the input/output unit (where player can choose the cart number), player data storage unit and gold course data storage unit. Even though, Tanaka does not expressly mention the association between the players, cart and tee location but it is obvious that the control unit can associate the players information with the cart and tee location by adding one program in control unit. On the other hand, Noda teaches in para [0019] that the golf navigation device has a position calculation means (a program) refers to data indicating the direction of movement, data indicating the distance traveled, and data received by the GPS receiving means when calculating its own position, making it possible to calculate more accurate positional information for the cart which help to accurately recognizing the location of the cart equipped with this navigation device and display the distance according to the players’ perception. Therefore, it is obvious to combine Tanaka and Noda to associate the player’s information with cart number/location and tee location as claimed in the independent claim.
During interview, Examiner mentioned the starting position (current position) could place the claim in better position to overcome 103 rejection as Noda teaches the distance is mainly measured to the shelter/club house. Noda teaches in para[0041] If the distance between the current position of the player's cart, which has started playing from the teeing ground, and the green is a predetermined distance (for example, 150 yards) or more, a hole diagram as shown in Figure 4 will be displayed on the navigation device's display. Nevertheless, Tanaka teaches that the golf assistance apparatus is capable of displaying a distance from the present location to green, bunker or the like (see column 1, lines 26-33]. So, it is obvious to determine the shortest distance from the current location to the starting tee location.
Applicant further argues that the other independent claims which recite similar features are allowable and the dependent claims are also allowable since they depend on allowable subject and the Office respectfully disagrees. It is the Office's stance that all of the claimed subject matter has been properly rejected; therefore, the Office's respectfully disagrees with applicant’s arguments.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention
is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more.
Analysis for claim 1:
In January, 2019 (updated October 2019), the USPTO released new examination
guidelines setting forth a two-step inquiry for determining whether a claim is
directed to non-statutory subject matter. According to the guidelines, a claim is
directed to non-statutory subject matter if:
• STEP 1: the claim does not fall within one of the four statutory
categories of invention (process, machine, manufacture or composition
of matter), or
• STEP 2: the claim recites a judicial exception, e.g. an abstract idea,
without reciting additional elements that amount to significantly more
than the judicial exception, as determined using the following analysis:
STEP 1: Does claim 1 fall within one of the statutory categories? Yes.
Claim 1 is directed to a system, claim 8 is directed towards a system and
Claim 15 is directed toward a method. Therefore, claims 1, 8 and 15 are within at
least one of the four statutory categories.
STEP 2A (PRONG 1): Is the claim directed to a law of nature, a natural
phenomenon or an abstract idea? Yes, the claim is directed to an abstract idea.
Claim 1:
A navigation system for a golf course, the navigation system comprising:
a plurality of vehicles, each having an operator interface;
one or more processing circuits including one or more memory devices storing instructions thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
acquire group data associated with the plurality of vehicles, the group data comprising a plurality of player identifiers and a plurality of cart identifiers;
associate each one of the plurality of player identifiers with a respective one of the plurality of cart identifiers;
acquire navigation data associated with at least one of the golf course or the plurality of vehicles, the navigation data comprising a plurality of starting tee locations of the golf course;
associate each one of the plurality of vehicles with a respective one of the plurality of starting tee locations based on an association between each one of the plurality of player identifiers with the respective one of the plurality of cart identifiers;
determine, based on the group data and the navigation data, a shortest route, for each particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles, from a current location of each vehicle to the respective one of the plurality of starting tee locations assigned to each the particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles; and
simultaneously provide, via the operator interface of each particular vehicle, the shortest route to the starting tee location respective one of the plurality of starting tee locations assigned to each particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles.
Claim 8:
A navigation system for a golf course for providing navigation instructions to a plurality of vehicles at a golf course, the navigation system comprising:
a non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
acquire group data associated with a plurality of vehicles, the group data comprising a plurality of player identifiers and a plurality of cart identifiers;
associate each one of the plurality of player identifiers with a respective one of the plurality of cart identifiers;
acquire navigation data associated with the golf course, the navigation data comprising a plurality of starting tee locations of the golf course;
associate each one of the plurality of vehicles with a respective one of the plurality of starting tee locations based on an association between each one of the plurality of player identifiers with the respective one of the plurality of cart identifiers;
determine, based on the group data and the navigation data, a shortest route, for each particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles from a current location of each vehicle, to the respective one of the starting tee locations assigned to the particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles;
and provide, via an operator interface of each particular vehicle, the shortest route to the respective one of the plurality of starting tee location assigned to each particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles
Claim 15:
A method for providing navigation instructions to a plurality of vehicles at a golf course, the method comprising:
acquiring group data associated with the plurality of vehicles, the group data comprising a plurality of player identifiers and a plurality of cart identifiers;
associating each one of the plurality of player identifiers with a respective one of the plurality of cart identifiers;
acquiring navigation data associated with at least one of the golf course or the plurality of vehicles, the navigation data comprising a plurality of starting tee locations of the golf course;
associating each one of the plurality of vehicles with a respective one of the plurality of starting tee locations based on an association between each one of the plurality of player identifiers with the respective one of the plurality of cart identifiers;
determining, based on the group data and the navigation data, a shortest route, for each particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles, from a current location of each vehicle to the respective one of the starting tee locations assigned to each the particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles; and
simultaneously providing, via an operator interface of each particular vehicle, the shortest route to the respective one of the plurality of starting tee location assigned to each the particular vehicle.
The method in claim 1 is a mental process that can be practicably performed in the human mind and, therefore, an abstract idea. Specifically, the limitations of claim 1 highlighted above merely consist of associate the plurality of vehicle data with a respective starting tee location and determine the shortest route for each vehicle to the respective tee location. More specifically, a person can mentally associate vehicles with tee location (navigation) and determine which distance is the shortest. Thus, the claims recite a mental process.
STEP 2A (PRONG 2): Does the claim recite additional elements that integrate the judicial exception into a practical application? No, the claim does not recite additional elements (underlined) that integrate the judicial exception into a practical application.
Limitations that are indicative of integration into a practical application:
Improvements to the functioning of a computer, or to any other technology or technical field-see MEPE2106.05(a).
In the claimed invention, by associating vehicles with respective starting tee location based on association between players and carts which may allow for identifier based navigation in a shotgun start environment which does not consider as an improvement of the technology as it can be done using a computer meaning using a computer as a tool to perform an abstract idea.
Claims 1, 8 and 15 do not recite any of the exemplary considerations that are indicative of an abstract idea having been integrated into a practical application. The step of “acquiring group data” is recited at a high level of generality (at para[0060]) The controller 402 may provide the navigation instructions (e.g., turn-by-turn directions) generated by the mapping system 414 to the one or more vehicles 10 of the plurality of vehicles 10 at the golf course. In some embodiments, the controller 402 may be configured to receive the group data 410 associated with the plurality of vehicles 10.) may include control unit obtain group data associated with the plurality of vehicle. Similarly, “acquiring navigation data” is recite at a high level of generality ( at para[0003] acquire navigation data associated with at least one of the golf course or the plurality of vehicles).
STEP 2B: Does the claim recite additional elements that amount to significantly more than the judicial exception? No, the claim does not recite additional elements that amount to significantly more than the judicial exception.
Thus, since claims 1, 8 and 15 are: (a) directed toward an abstract idea, (b) does not recite additional elements that integrate the judicial exception into a practical application, and (c) do not recite additional elements that amount to significantly more than the judicial exception, it is clear that claims 1, 8 and 15 are directed towards non-statutory subject matter.
Dependent claims 2-7, 14 of independent claim 1, dependent claims 9-13 of independent claim 8, dependent claims 16-20 of independent claim 15 further limit the abstract idea without integrating the abstract idea into practical application or adding significantly more. For example, the limitations of dependent claims are further limitations that, under their broadest reasonable interpretation, covers performance of the limitation in the mind using a similar analysis to claims, 1, 8 and 15 above.
As such, claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 USC 101 as being drawn to an abstract idea without significantly more, and thus are ineligible.
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 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatented over US 11504598 B2 to Tanaka (herein after “Tanaka”) in view of JP4653911B2 to Noda (herein after “Noda”).
Regarding claim 1, Tanaka teaches A navigation system for a golf course (See Tanaka para[0002] golf course GPS navigation), the navigation system comprising:
a plurality of vehicles, each having an operator interface; (See Tanaka para[0029] The golf cart terminal is equipped with a WIFI interface. Various information sent from the golf course server is transmitted via the WIFI wireless network and received from the WIFI interface located on the cart terminal. This information is stored in the built-in memory of the golf cart terminal and displayed on the screen.)
one or more processing circuits including one or more memory devices storing instructions thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to (See Tanaka [column 6 line 4-8] The control unit 6 includes a microprocessor that includes a central processing unit (CPU), a read-only memory (ROM), a random-access memory (RAM), a flash memory, various kinds of peripheral circuits, an interface, and the like.) (see Tanaka set of player, even though Tanaka mentioned the target score being set by the player, The player data storage unit 4 stores, as information regarding the attribute of the player, a carry with each golf club , column 4 The player data storage unit 4 stores, as information regarding the attribute of the player, a carry with each golf club (hereinafter referred to as a club) used by the player, head speed indicating ability of the player, and data regarding contents of play such as scores, the number of shots, and the number of putts in a golf course played by the player in the past. );
acquire group data associated with the plurality of vehicles, the group data comprising a plurality of player identifiers and a plurality of cart identifiers (See Tanaka a player data storage unit 4) (see Tanaka para[0016] classify and count the number of carts leaving the field, including the total number of carts leaving the field, the number of carts in normal condition, the number of carts delayed, etc., and mark the delayed carts with different colors; para[0055] such as car number, location (hole number), customer name, and caddie name; para[0061] Transaction request records can be queried by player, time, and vehicle number,);
associate each one of the plurality of player identifiers with a respective one of the plurality of cart identifiers
(see Tanaka para[0016] classify and count the number of carts leaving the field, including the total number of carts leaving the field, the number of carts in normal condition, the number of carts delayed, etc., and mark the delayed carts with different colors; para[0055] such as car number, location (hole number), customer name, and caddie name; para[0061] Transaction request records can be queried by player, time, and vehicle number,)
acquire navigation data associated with at least one of the golf course or the plurality of vehicles, the navigation data comprising a plurality of starting tee locations of the golf course(see Tanaka para[0016] classify and count the number of carts leaving the field, including the total number of carts leaving the field, the number of carts in normal condition, the number of carts delayed, etc., and mark the delayed carts with different colors; para[0055] such as car number, location (hole number), customer name, and caddie name; para[0061] Transaction request records can be queried by player, time, and vehicle number,);
associate each one of the plurality of vehicles with a respective one of the plurality of starting tee locations;
(see Tanaka column 2 determine an optimal solution for the player on each of holes from a tee shot to a final putt and a route to the optimal solution from the tee shot to the final putt so that the target score is achieved)
from a current location of each vehicle to the respective one of the plurality of starting tee locations assigned to each the particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles;(See [Tanaka column 6] , calculates a carry of a shot ball immediately before from the present position and a teeing area or from a position where the correction is made; it is possible to determine the plurality of tee locations from the current location measured in Tanaka )
However, Tanaka does not expressly disclose or otherwise teach determine, based on the group data and the navigation data, a shortest route, for each particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles, to the respective one of the starting tee locations assigned to the particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles, simultaneously provide, via the operator interface (See Tanaka interface) of each particular vehicle, the shortest route to the starting tee location assigned to each particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles. Nevertheless, Noda same field of endeavor teaches determine, based on the group data and the navigation data, a shortest route, for each particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles, to the respective one of the starting tee locations respective one of the plurality of starting tee locations assigned to the each particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles (see Noda This event information includes progress management at each hole, evacuation routes to the nearest evacuation shelter that are displayed on the screen when a lightning warning is received from the base station (this evacuation route varies depending on the current location);
simultaneously provide, via the operator interface (See Tanaka interface) of each particular vehicle, the shortest route to the starting tee location assigned to each particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles. (see Noda nearest evacuation shelter).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention with a reasonable expectation of success to combine Tanaka’s golf analysis assistance appliance with Noda’s golf navigation device in order to allow to enable more accurate position detection and more detailed progress management (see Noda description first paragraph).
Regarding claim 2, Tanaka and Noda remain applied as claim 1. Tanaka teaches wherein the group data further comprises at least one of a group of players, a number of players in the group of players, (See Tanaka [column 2 lines 20-23] That is, a golf analysis assistance apparatus according to the present invention includes an input/output unit, a golf course data storage unit which stores attribute data of a golf course, a player data storage unit which stores attribute data of a player,) or event information associated with an event at the golf course (See Tanaka a player data storage unit 4) (see Tanaka para[0016] classify and count the number of carts leaving the field, including the total number of carts leaving the field, the number of carts in normal condition, the number of carts delayed, etc., and mark the delayed carts with different colors; para[0055] such as car number, location (hole number), customer name, and caddie name; para[0061] Transaction request records can be queried by player, time, and vehicle number,);
Regarding claim 3, Tanaka and Noda remain applied as claim 1. Tanaka teaches wherein the event information includes at least an event start time and an event end time (See Tanaka a player data storage unit 4) (see Tanaka para[0016] classify and count the number of carts leaving the field, including the total number of carts leaving the field, the number of carts in normal condition, the number of carts delayed, etc., and mark the delayed carts with different colors; para[0055] such as car number, location (hole number), customer name, and caddie name; para[0061] Transaction request records can be queried by player, time, and vehicle number,);
Regarding claim 4, Tanaka and Noda remain applied as claim 1. However, Tanaka does not expressly disclose or otherwise teach wherein the navigation data comprises at least one of a course layout, a pin location a current location of the particular vehicle for each particular vehicle, a shelter location, a clubhouse location, a cart storage location, or an event gathering location. Nevertheless, Noda same field of endeavor teaches wherein the navigation data comprises at least one of a course layout, a pin location (See Noda Further, in the conventional navigation device, when displaying the distance from the ball to the pin,), a current location of the particular vehicle for each particular vehicle, a shelter location, a clubhouse location, a cart storage location, or an event gathering location (See Noda In any of the above, based on the calculated own cart position (point), it is determined whether there is event information associated with this point. If there is no such event information (No in S306), the screen will not be switched. On the other hand, if there is event information associated with this point, the screen is switched according to the event information in S307. This event information includes progress management in each hall, an evacuation route to the nearest shelter cabin displayed on the screen when a lightning alert is received from the base station (this evacuation route varies depending on the current point), There is an automatic start table creation, a club forget screen, a guide screen for a route from a hole to the next hall.)
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention with a reasonable expectation of success to combine Tanaka’s golf analysis assistance appliance with Noda’s golf navigation device in order to allow to enable more accurate position detection and more detailed progress management (see Noda description first paragraph).
Regarding claim 5, Tanaka and Noda remain applied as claim 1. However, Tanaka does not expressly disclose or otherwise teach wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: acquire, for each particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles at an event or round end, the current location of the particular vehicle;, determine, based on the group data and the navigation data, a shortest route, for each particular vehicle, to a designated return location associated with the particular vehicle, wherein the designated return location includes at least one of the clubhouse location, the cart storage location, or the event gathering location. Nevertheless, Noda same field of endeavor teaches wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
acquire, for each particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles at an event or round end, the current location of each the particular vehicle; (See Noda and calculates the current location (present position) of the receiving device based on this information, as well as the direction information of the cart on which the navigation device is mounted and information on the distance traveled.)
determine, based on the group data and the navigation data, a shortest route, for each particular vehicle, (see Noda This event information includes progress management at each hole, evacuation routes to the nearest evacuation shelter that are displayed on the screen when a lightning warning is received from the base station (this evacuation route varies depending on the current location);
to a designated return location associated with the particular each vehicle
(See Noda This polling process causes each mobile station to sequentially return its current location information to the base station.)
and
provide, via the operator interface of the particular each vehicle, the shortest route to the designated return location associated with the particular vehicle (See Noda This polling process causes each mobile station to sequentially return its current location information to the base station.)
wherein the designated return location includes at least one of the clubhouse location, (See Noda This polling process causes each mobile station to sequentially return its current location information to the base station.)
the cart storage location, or the event gathering location (See Noda In any of the above, based on the calculated own cart position (point), it is determined whether there is event information associated with this point. If there is no such event information (No in S306), the screen will not be switched. On the other hand, if there is event information associated with this point, the screen is switched according to the event information in S307. This event information includes progress management in each hall, an evacuation route to the nearest shelter cabin displayed on the screen when a lightning alert is received from the base station (this evacuation route varies depending on the current point), There is an automatic start table creation, a club forget screen, a guide screen for a route from a hole to the next hall.).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention with a reasonable expectation of success to combine Tanaka’s golf analysis assistance appliance with Noda’s golf navigation device in order to allow to enable more accurate position detection and more detailed progress management (see Noda description first paragraph).
Regarding claim 6, Tanaka and Noda remain applied as claim 1. Tanaka teaches wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: (see Tanaka column 6 The control unit 6 includes a microprocessor that includes a central processing unit (CPU)).
However, Tanaka does not expressly disclose or otherwise teach provide, via a GUI of the operator interface of the particular each vehicle, the shortest route to the starting tee location and the shortest route to the designated return location as a set of turn-by-turn directions, wherein the set of turn-by-turn directions associated with the particular vehicle is configured to be sequentially displayed based on the current location of the particular vehicle. Nevertheless, Noda same field of endeavor teaches wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: (see Tanaka column 6 The control unit 6 includes a microprocessor that includes a central processing unit (CPU))
provide, via a GUI of the operator interface (See Noda The image data is displayed on the display 14 via the graphic board 15 . ) of the particular each vehicle, the shortest route to the respective one of the plurality of starting tee location and the shortest route to the designated return location as a set of turn-by-turn directions (See Noda This polling process causes each mobile station to sequentially return its current location information to the base station.); and
wherein the set of turn-by-turn directions associated with the particular each vehicle is configured to be sequentially displayed based on the current location of the particular each vehicle(see Noda The cart 102-2, which has received the information including the previous cart information in the transmission request, returns its current position information (latitude, longitude) to the base station 101 as a response 103-2r., Here, a position calculation means such as a program of the golf navigation device calculates the current position based on data indicating the direction of movement, data indicating the distance traveled, and position information from the GPS.).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention with a reasonable expectation of success to combine Tanaka’s golf analysis assistance appliance with Noda’s golf navigation device in order to allow to enable more accurate position detection and more detailed progress management (see Noda description first paragraph).
Regarding claim 7, Tanaka and Noda remain applied as claim 1. However, Tanaka does not expressly disclose or otherwise teach wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: acquire an indication to shelter, acquire, for each particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles and in response to receiving the indication to shelter, a current location of the particular vehicle, determine, based on the current location of each particular vehicle and the navigation data shortest route, for each particular vehicle, to a shelter location for the particular vehicle and a shortest route to a designated return location associated with the particular each vehicle. Nevertheless, Noda same field of endeavor teaches wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
acquire an indication to shelter (See Noda determining nearest shelter location);
acquire, for each particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles and in response to receiving the indication to shelter, a current location of the particular each vehicle (see Noda calculates the current location (present position) of the receiving device based on this information,);
determine, based on the current location of each particular each vehicle and the navigation data shortest route, for each particular vehicle, to a shelter location for the particular vehicle and a shortest route to a designated return location associated with the particular vehicle(See Noda This polling process causes each mobile station to sequentially return its current location information to the base station.) and
provide, via the operator interface (see Tanaka interface) of each particular vehicle, the shorter of: the shortest route to the shelter location for the particular vehicle(see Noda This event information includes progress management at each hole, evacuation routes to the nearest evacuation shelter that are displayed on the screen when a lightning warning is received from the base station (this evacuation route varies depending on the current location); or
the shortest route to the designated return location for the particular vehicle ( see Noda This polling process causes each mobile station to sequentially return its current location information to the base station.)
; and wherein the indication to shelter includes at least one of a signal indicating inclement weather, a signal indicating a natural disaster, or a signal indicating an emergency event. (See Noda When the weather becomes unstable and lightning is imminent, this information is transmitted from the base station to each mobile station as a lightning warning. The navigation device of each mobile station that receives the lightning warning information displays a lightning evacuation screen on its display.), The emergency button is for when you feel unwell while playing. The strategy button is used in the third embodiment to switch to a viewing screen, which will be described later. The green button is used to display the green diagram on the screen.)
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention with a reasonable expectation of success to combine Tanaka’s golf analysis assistance appliance with Noda’s golf navigation device in order to allow to enable more accurate position detection and more detailed progress management (see Noda description first paragraph).
Regarding claim 8, Tanaka teaches A navigation system for a golf course for providing navigation instructions to a plurality of vehicles at a golf course the navigation system comprising (See Tanaka a golf navigation apparatus):
a non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to (see Tanaka column 1 a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium storing a golf analysis assistance program.)
acquire group data associated with the plurality of vehicles, the group data comprising a plurality of player identifiers and a plurality of cart identifiers(see Tanaka set of player, even though Tanaka mentioned the target score being set by the player, The player data storage unit 4 stores, as information regarding the attribute of the player, a carry with each golf club , column 4 The player data storage unit 4 stores, as information regarding the attribute of the player, a carry with each golf club (hereinafter referred to as a club) used by the player, head speed indicating ability of the player, and data regarding contents of play such as scores, the number of shots, and the number of putts in a golf course played by the player in the past. );
associate each one of the plurality of player identifiers with a respective one of the plurality of cart identifiers (see Tanaka para[0016] classify and count the number of carts leaving the field, including the total number of carts leaving the field, the number of carts in normal condition, the number of carts delayed, etc., and mark the delayed carts with different colors; para[0055] such as car number, location (hole number), customer name, and caddie name; para[0061] Transaction request records can be queried by player, time, and vehicle number,)
; acquire navigation data associated with the golf course, the navigation data comprising a plurality of starting tee locations of the golf course; (see Tanaka para[0016] classify and count the number of carts leaving the field, including the total number of carts leaving the field, the number of carts in normal condition, the number of carts delayed, etc., and mark the delayed carts with different colors; para[0055] such as car number, location (hole number), customer name, and caddie name; para[0061] Transaction request records can be queried by player, time, and vehicle number,);
associate each one of the plurality of vehicles with a respective one of the plurality of starting tee locations; (see Tanaka column 2 determine an optimal solution for the player on each of holes from a tee shot to a final putt and a route to the optimal solution from the tee shot to the final putt so that the target score is achieved)
from a current location of each vehicle to the respective one of the plurality of starting tee locations assigned to each the particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles;(See [Tanaka column 6] , calculates a carry of a shot ball immediately before from the present position and a teeing area or from a position where the correction is made; it is possible to determine the plurality of tee locations from the current location measured in Tanaka )
However, Tanaka does not expressly disclose or otherwise teach determine, based on the group data and the navigation data, a shortest route, for each particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles, to the respective one of the starting tee locations assigned to the particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles, provide, via the operator interface of each particular vehicle, the shortest route to the respective one of the plurality of starting tee location assigned to each particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles. Nevertheless, Noda same field of endeavor teaches determine, based on the group data and the navigation data, a shortest route, for each particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles, to the respective one of the respective one of the plurality of starting tee locations assigned to the particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles; (see Noda This event information includes progress management at each hole, evacuation routes to the nearest evacuation shelter that are displayed on the screen when a lightning warning is received from the base station (this evacuation route varies depending on the current location); ) and
provide, via the operator interface (See Tanaka interface) of each particular vehicle, the shortest route to the starting tee location assigned to each particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles. (see Noda nearest evacuation shelter).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention with a reasonable expectation of success to combine Tanaka’s golf analysis assistance appliance with Noda’s golf navigation device in order to allow to enable more accurate position detection and more detailed progress management (see Noda description first paragraph).
Regarding claim 9, Tanaka and Noda remain applied as claim 8. Tanaka teaches wherein the group data further comprises at least one of a group of players, a number of players in the group of players, or event information associated with an event at the golf course. (See Tanaka a player data storage unit 4) (see Tanaka para[0016] classify and count the number of carts leaving the field, including the total number of carts leaving the field, the number of carts in normal condition, the number of carts delayed, etc., and mark the delayed carts with different colors; para[0055] such as car number, location (hole number), customer name, and caddie name; para[0061] Transaction request records can be queried by player, time, and vehicle number,);
Regarding claim 10, Tanaka and Noda remain applied as claim 8. Tanaka teaches wherein the event information includes at least an event start time and an event end time. (See Tanaka a player data storage unit 4) (see Tanaka para[0016] classify and count the number of carts leaving the field, including the total number of carts leaving the field, the number of carts in normal condition, the number of carts delayed, etc., and mark the delayed carts with different colors; para[0055] such as car number, location (hole number), customer name, and caddie name; para[0061] Transaction request records can be queried by player, time, and vehicle number,);
Regarding claim 11, Tanaka and Noda remain applied as claim 8. However, Tanaka does not expressly disclose or otherwise teach wherein the navigation data comprises at least one of a course layout, a pin location, the current location of the particular vehicle for each particular vehicle, a shelter location, a clubhouse location, a cart storage location, or an event gathering location. Nevertheless, Noda same field of endeavor teaches wherein the navigation data comprises at least one of a course layout, a pin location(See Noda Further, in the conventional navigation device, when displaying the distance from the ball to the pin,), the current location of the particular vehicle for each particular vehicle, a shelter location, a clubhouse location, a cart storage location, or an event gathering location(See Noda In any of the above, based on the calculated own cart position (point), it is determined whether there is event information associated with this point. If there is no such event information (No in S306), the screen will not be switched. On the other hand, if there is event information associated with this point, the screen is switched according to the event information in S307. This event information includes progress management in each hall, an evacuation route to the nearest shelter cabin displayed on the screen when a lightning alert is received from the base station (this evacuation route varies depending on the current point), There is an automatic start table creation, a club forget screen, a guide screen for a route from a hole to the next hall.).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention with a reasonable expectation of success to combine Tanaka’s golf analysis assistance appliance with Noda’s golf navigation device in order to allow to enable more accurate position detection and more detailed progress management (see Noda description first paragraph).
Regarding claim 12, Tanaka and Noda remain applied as claim 8. Tanaka teaches wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to (See Tanaka [column 6 line 4-8] The control unit 6 includes a microprocessor that includes a central processing unit (CPU), a read-only memory (ROM), a random-access memory (RAM), a flash memory, various kinds of peripheral circuits, an interface, and the like.).
However, Tanaka does not expressly disclose or otherwise teach acquire, for each particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicle at an event or round end, the current location of the particular vehicle, determine, based on the group data and the navigation data, a shortest route, for each particular vehicle, to a designated return location associated with the particular vehicle, provide, via the operator interface of the particular vehicle, the shortest route to the designated return location associated with the particular vehicle, wherein the designated return location includes at least one of the clubhouse location, the cart storage location, or the event gathering location. Nevertheless, Noda same field of endeavor teaches acquire, for each particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicle at an event or round end, the current location of the particular each vehicle; (See Noda and calculates the current location (present position) of the receiving device based on this information, as well as the direction information of the cart on which the navigation device is mounted and information on the distance traveled.)
determine, based on the group data and the navigation data, a shortest route, for each particular vehicle, to a designated return location associated with the particular each vehicle ((see Noda This event information includes progress management at each hole, evacuation routes to the nearest evacuation shelter that are displayed on the screen when a lightning warning is received from the base station (this evacuation route varies depending on the current location);
and provide, via the operator interface of the particular vehicle, the shortest route to the designated return location associated with the particular each vehicle (See Noda This polling process causes each mobile station to sequentially return its current location information to the base station.)
wherein the designated return location includes at least one of the clubhouse location, the cart storage location, or the event gathering location (See Noda In any of the above, based on the calculated own cart position (point), it is determined whether there is event information associated with this point. If there is no such event information (No in S306), the screen will not be switched. On the other hand, if there is event information associated with this point, the screen is switched according to the event information in S307. This event information includes progress management in each hall, an evacuation route to the nearest shelter cabin displayed on the screen when a lightning alert is received from the base station (this evacuation route varies depending on the current point), There is an automatic start table creation, a club forget screen, a guide screen for a route from a hole to the next hall.).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention with a reasonable expectation of success to combine Tanaka’s golf analysis assistance appliance with Noda’s golf navigation device in order to allow to enable more accurate position detection and more detailed progress management (see Noda description first paragraph).
Regarding claim 13, Tanaka and Noda remain applied as claim 8. Tanaka teaches wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: (see Tanaka column 6 The control unit 6 includes a microprocessor that includes a central processing unit (CPU)). However, Tanaka does not expressly disclose or otherwise teach provide, via a GUI of the operator interface of the particular vehicle, the shortest route to the respective one of the plurality of starting tee location and the shortest route to the designated return location as a set of turn-by-turn directions, and wherein the set of turn-by-turn directions associated with the particular vehicle is configured to be sequentially displayed based on the current location of the particular vehicle. Nevertheless, Noda same field of endeavor teaches provide, via a GUI of the operator interface (See Noda The image data is displayed on the display 14 via the graphic board 15 . ) of the particular vehicle, the shortest route to the respective one of the plurality of starting tee location and the shortest route to the designated return location as a set of turn-by-turn directions (See Noda On this screen, the mobile station automatically displays the route to the nearest (easiest to get to) shelter from your current location, This polling process causes each mobile station to sequentially return its current location information to the base station.)
; and wherein the set of turn-by-turn directions associated with the particular vehicle is configured to be sequentially displayed based on the current location of the particular each vehicle (see Noda The cart 102-2, which has received the information including the previous cart information in the transmission request, returns its current position information (latitude, longitude) to the base station 101 as a response 103-2r., Here, a position calculation means such as a program of the golf navigation device calculates the current position based on data indicating the direction of movement, data indicating the distance traveled, and position information from the GPS.).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention with a reasonable expectation of success to combine Tanaka’s golf analysis assistance appliance with Noda’s golf navigation device in order to allow to enable more accurate position detection and more detailed progress management (see Noda description first paragraph).
Regarding claim 14, Tanaka and Noda remain applied as claim 1. Tanaka teaches wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to(See Tanaka [column 6 line 4-8] The control unit 6 includes a microprocessor that includes a central processing unit (CPU), a read-only memory (ROM), a random-access memory (RAM), a flash memory, various kinds of peripheral circuits, an interface, and the like.). However, Tanaka does not expressly disclose or otherwise teach acquire an indication to shelter, acquire, for each particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles and in response to receiving the indication to shelter, a current location of the particular vehicle, determine, based on the current location of each particular vehicle and the navigation data, a shortest route, for each particular vehicle, to a shelter location for the particular vehicle, provide, via the operator interface of each particular vehicle, the shortest route to the shelter location for the particular each vehicle. Nevertheless, Noda same field of endeavor teaches acquire an indication to shelter(See Noda evacuation routes to the nearest evacuation shelter that are displayed on the screen when a lightning warning is received from the base station (this evacuation route varies depending on the current location),);
acquire, for each particular vehicle and in response to receiving the indication to shelter, a current location of the particular vehicle(See Noda This event information includes progress management at each hole, evacuation routes to the nearest evacuation shelter that are displayed on the screen when a lightning warning is received from the base station (this evacuation route varies depending on the current location);
determine, based on the current location of each particular vehicle and the navigation data, a shortest route, for each particular each vehicle, to a shelter location for the particular vehicle(see Noda This event information includes progress management at each hole, evacuation routes to the nearest evacuation shelter that are displayed on the screen when a lightning warning is received from the base station (this evacuation route varies depending on the current location); and provide, via the operator interface of each particular vehicle, the shortest route to the shelter location for the particular each vehicle. (see Noda Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to this example. When the navigation device receives a notification of evacuation due to lightning from a base station, it may display a screen showing an evacuation route to the nearest evacuation shelter.)
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention with a reasonable expectation of success to combine Tanaka’s golf analysis assistance appliance with Noda’s golf navigation device in order to allow to enable more accurate position detection and more detailed progress management (see Noda description first paragraph).
Regarding claim 15, Tanaka teaches A method for providing navigation instructions to a plurality of vehicles at a golf course (See Tanaka golf analysis assistance method), the method comprising:
acquiring group data associated with the plurality of vehicles, the group data comprising a plurality of player identifiers and a plurality of cart identifiers(see Tanaka set of player, even though Tanaka mentioned the target score being set by the player, The player data storage unit 4 stores, as information regarding the attribute of the player, a carry with each golf club , column 4 The player data storage unit 4 stores, as information regarding the attribute of the player, a carry with each golf club (hereinafter referred to as a club) used by the player, head speed indicating ability of the player, and data regarding contents of play such as scores, the number of shots, and the number of putts in a golf course played by the player in the past. );
associating each one of the plurality of player identifiers with a respective one of the plurality of cart identifiers(see Tanaka para[0016] classify and count the number of carts leaving the field, including the total number of carts leaving the field, the number of carts in normal condition, the number of carts delayed, etc., and mark the delayed carts with different colors; para[0055] such as car number, location (hole number), customer name, and caddie name; para[0061] Transaction request records can be queried by player, time, and vehicle number,);
acquiring navigation data associated with at least one of the golf course or the plurality of vehicles, the navigation data comprising a plurality of starting tee locations of the golf course; (see [column 25] Tanaka While an apparatus that displays the actual golf course on the course layout, measures the present position, and makes notification of the present position, a remaining distance to the green, or the like in real time with the movement of the player is also called as a golf navigation apparatus or the like in a broad sense, the golf analysis assistance apparatus according to the present invention can be also called as a golf assistance apparatus having functions of the golf navigation apparatus in the broad sense.)
associating each one of the plurality of vehicles with a respective one of the plurality of starting tee locations; (see Tanaka column 2 determine an optimal solution for the player on each of holes from a tee shot to a final putt and a route to the optimal solution from the tee shot to the final putt so that the target score is achieved)
from a current location of each vehicle to the respective one of the plurality of starting tee locations assigned to each the particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles; ;(See [Tanaka column 6] , calculates a carry of a shot ball immediately before from the present position and a teeing area or from a position where the correction is made; it is possible to determine the plurality of tee locations from the current location measured in Tanaka ).
However, Tanaka does not expressly disclose or otherwise teach determining, based on the group data and the navigation data, a shortest route, for each particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles, to the respective one of the starting tee locations assigned to the particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles, simultaneously providing, via an operator interface (See Tanaka interface) of each particular vehicle, the shortest route to the starting tee location assigned to the particular vehicle. Nevertheless, Noda same field of endeavor teaches determining, based on the group data and the navigation data, a shortest route, for each particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles, to the respective one of the respective one of the plurality of starting tee locations assigned to the particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles (See Noda This polling process causes each mobile station to sequentially return its current location information to the base station.)
and simultaneously providing, via an operator interface (See Tanaka interface) of each particular vehicle, the shortest route to the respective one of the plurality of starting tee location assigned to the particular vehicle (see Noda nearest evacuation shelter).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention with a reasonable expectation of success to combine Tanaka’s golf analysis assistance appliance with Noda’s golf navigation device in order to allow to enable more accurate position detection and more detailed progress management (see Noda description first paragraph).
Regarding claim 16, Tanaka and Noda remain applied as claim 15. Tanaka teaches the group data comprises at least one of a group of players, a number of players in the group of players, or an event start time and an event end time associated with an event at the golf course(See Tanaka a player data storage unit 4) (see Tanaka para[0016] classify and count the number of carts leaving the field, including the total number of carts leaving the field, the number of carts in normal condition, the number of carts delayed, etc., and mark the delayed carts with different colors; para[0055] such as car number, location (hole number), customer name, and caddie name; para[0061] Transaction request records can be queried by player, time, and vehicle number,);
However, Tanaka does not expressly disclose or otherwise teach the navigation data comprises at least one of a course layout, a pin, the current location of the particular vehicle, a shelter location, a clubhouse location, a cart storage location, or an event gathering location. Nevertheless, Noda same field of endeavor teaches the navigation data comprises at least one of a course layout, a pin location (See Noda Further, in the conventional navigation device, when displaying the distance from the ball to the pin,), a current location of the particular vehicle, a shelter location, a clubhouse location, a cart storage location, or an event gathering location. (See Noda In any of the above, based on the calculated own cart position (point), it is determined whether there is event information associated with this point. If there is no such event information (No in S306), the screen will not be switched. On the other hand, if there is event information associated with this point, the screen is switched according to the event information in S307. This event information includes progress management in each hall, an evacuation route to the nearest shelter cabin displayed on the screen when a lightning alert is received from the base station (this evacuation route varies depending on the current point), There is an automatic start table creation, a club forget screen, a guide screen for a route from a hole to the next hall.)
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention with a reasonable expectation of success to combine Tanaka’s golf analysis assistance appliance with Noda’s golf navigation device in order to allow to enable more accurate position detection and more detailed progress management (see Noda description first paragraph).
Regarding claim 17, Tanaka and Noda remain applied as claim 15. However, Tanaka does not expressly disclose or otherwise teach acquiring, for each particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles at an event or round end, the current location of the particular vehicle;
determining, based on the group data and the navigation data, a shortest route, for each particular vehicle, to a designated return location associated with the particular vehicle, providing, via the operator interface of the particular vehicle, the shortest route to the designated return location associated with the particular vehicle. Nevertheless, Noda same field of endeavor teaches acquiring, for each particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles at an event or round end, the current location of the particular each vehicle; (See Noda and calculates the current location (present position) of the receiving device based on this information, as well as the direction information of the cart on which the navigation device is mounted and information on the distance traveled.)
determining, based on the group data and the navigation data, a shortest route, for each particular vehicle, to a designated return location associated with the particular each vehicle (See Noda This polling process causes each mobile station to sequentially return its current location information to the base station.);
providing, via the operator interface (see Tanaka column 6 line 7 an interface) of the particular each vehicle, the shortest route to the designated return location associated with the particular each vehicle. (See Noda nearest evacuation shelter, In this case, if the cart path of the hole you are currently playing is close to the cart path of the adjacent hole, Therefore, when a golf cart is used, the distance is displayed as the straight-line distance from the cart to the pin, This polling process causes each mobile station to sequentially return its current location information to the base station.).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention with a reasonable expectation of success to combine Tanaka’s golf analysis assistance appliance with Noda’s golf navigation device in order to allow to enable more accurate position detection and more detailed progress management (see Noda description first paragraph).
Regarding claim 18, Tanaka and Noda remain applied as claim 15. However, Tanaka does not expressly disclose or otherwise teach the shortest route to the respective one of the plurality of starting tee location and the shortest route to the designated return location, includes a set of turn-by-turn directions are provided via a GUI of the operator interface, wherein the set of turn-by-turn directions associated with the particular vehicle is configured to be sequentially displayed based on the current location of the particular vehicle. Nevertheless, Noda same field of endeavor teaches the shortest route to the respective one of the plurality of starting tee location and the shortest route to the designated return location (See Noda On this screen, the mobile station automatically displays the route to the nearest (easiest to get to) shelter from your current location. This polling process causes each mobile station to sequentially return its current location information to the base station)
includes a set of turn-by-turn directions are provided via a GUI of the operator interface (See Noda The image data is displayed on the display 14 via the graphic board 15) of the particular each vehicle; and
wherein the set of turn-by-turn directions associated with the particular each vehicle is configured to be sequentially displayed based on the current location of the particular each vehicle. (see Noda The cart 102-2, which has received the information including the previous cart information in the transmission request, returns its current position information (latitude, longitude) to the base station 101 as a response 103-2r., Here, a position calculation means such as a program of the golf navigation device calculates the current position based on data indicating the direction of movement, data indicating the distance traveled, and position information from the GPS.)
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention with a reasonable expectation of success to combine Tanaka’s golf analysis assistance appliance with Noda’s golf navigation device in order to allow to enable more accurate position detection and more detailed progress management (see Noda description first paragraph).
Regarding claim 19, Tanaka and Noda remain applied as claim 15. However, Tanaka does not expressly disclose or otherwise teach acquiring an indication to shelter; acquiring, for each particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles and in response to receiving the indication to shelter, the current location of the particular vehicle; determining, based on the current location of each particular vehicle and the navigation data, a shortest route, for each particular vehicle, to a shelter location for the particular vehicle, providing, via the operator interface of each particular vehicle, the shortest route to the shelter location for the particular vehicle. Nevertheless, Noda same field of endeavor teaches acquiring an indication to shelter; (See Noda This event information includes progress management at each hole, evacuation routes to the nearest evacuation shelter that are displayed on the screen when a lightning warning is received from the base station (this evacuation route varies depending on the current location), automatic creation of a start table)
acquiring, for each particular vehicle of the plurality of vehicles and in response to receiving the indication to shelter, the current location of the particular vehicle; (See Noda This event information includes progress management at each hole, evacuation routes to the nearest evacuation shelter that are displayed on the screen when a lightning warning is received from the base station (this evacuation route varies depending on the current location)
determining, based on the current location of each particular vehicle and the navigation data, a shortest route, for each particular vehicle, to a shelter location for the particular vehicle(see Noda This event information includes progress management at each hole, evacuation routes to the nearest evacuation shelter that are displayed on the screen when a lightning warning is received from the base station (this evacuation route varies depending on the current location), ; and
providing, via the operator interface of each particular vehicle, the shortest route to the shelter location for the particular each vehicle. (see Noda Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to this example. When the navigation device receives a notification of evacuation due to lightning from a base station, it may display a screen showing an evacuation route to the nearest evacuation shelter.)
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention with a reasonable expectation of success to combine Tanaka’s golf analysis assistance appliance with Noda’s golf navigation device in order to allow to enable more accurate position detection and more detailed progress management (see Noda description first paragraph).
Regarding claim 20, Tanaka and Noda remain applied as claim 15. However, Tanaka does not expressly disclose or otherwise teach wherein the indication to shelter includes at least one of a signal indicating inclement weather, a signal indicating a natural disaster, or a signal indicating an emergency event. Nevertheless, Noda same field of endeavor teaches wherein the indication to shelter includes at least one of a signal indicating inclement weather, a signal indicating a natural disaster, or a signal indicating an emergency event (See Noda When the weather becomes unstable and lightning is imminent, this information is transmitted from the base station to each mobile station as a lightning warning. The navigation device of each mobile station that receives the lightning warning information displays a lightning evacuation screen on its display.), The emergency button is for when you feel unwell while playing. The strategy button is used in the third embodiment to switch to a viewing screen, which will be described later. The green button is used to display the green diagram on the screen.).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention with a reasonable expectation of success to combine Tanaka’s golf analysis assistance appliance with Noda’s golf navigation device in order to allow to enable more accurate position detection and more detailed progress management (see Noda description first paragraph).
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NAZIA AFRIN whose telephone number is (703)756-1175. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:30-6.
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/NAZIA AFRIN/Examiner, Art Unit 3666
/SCOTT A BROWNE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3666
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