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 03/05/2026 has been entered and considered. Claims 1-20 remain pending in the application.
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, 5-15 and 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wei Jimin et al. CN 114973697 in view of Bentrott et al. US 5955968.
Regarding claim 1, Wei Jimin et al. teach A traffic control method, performed by a road side unit, the method comprising: receiving a vehicle intention and request message transmitted by a vehicle, the vehicle intention and request message comprising signal priority request information, the signal priority request information comprising target signal priority request information, (Wei Jimin et al. CN 114973697 abstract; paragraphs [0003]-[0010]; [0012]-[0017]; [0023]; [0029]-[0033]; [0037]-[0042]; [0050]; [0052]; [0066]; [0068]-[0070]; [0096]; [0099]; [0103]; [0137]-[0144]; figures 1-9;)
In a first aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide a vehicle priority passage control method applied to a roadside unit of a vehicle priority passage control system. The vehicle priority passage control system further includes a signal controller communicatively connected to the roadside unit and an on-board unit installed on a target vehicle and communicatively connected to the roadside unit (Wei Jimin et al. par. 4). The method includes: Receive a priority passage request sent by the vehicle unit, the priority passage request including the vehicle ID of the target vehicle (Wei Jimin et al. par. 5); The vehicle priority passage control method in this application embodiment can be executed by the vehicle priority passage control system. Referring to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of a vehicle priority passage control system provided in an embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle is a bus. In this case, the vehicle priority passage control system includes a roadside unit (RSU) 107 installed at the intersection, a signal controller (TSC) 108 that is communicatively connected to the RSU 107, and an onboard unit (OBU) 104 installed on the bus and communicatively connected to the RSU 107 (Wei Jimin et al. par. 68). The Onboard Unit (OBU) 104 is installed on the bus and can acquire information from the bus's detection equipment (such as passenger counting equipment, vehicle speed acquisition equipment, etc.) and transmit it to the Roadside Unit (RSU) via broadcast (Wei Jimin et al. par. 69). The roadside unit RSU 107 can receive messages sent by the OBU 104 and has the ability to perceive the traffic situation at the intersection through the edge computing unit 110 (Wei Jimin et al. par. 70).
and the target signal priority request information comprising at least one of: classification information or load information of the vehicle;
In response to the priority passage request, obtain real-time dynamic traffic information of the intersection into which the target vehicle is entering (Wei Jimin et al. par. 6); Send a first query frame to the signal controller so that the signal controller responds to the first query frame by replying with a first query response frame, the first query response frame carrying the current traffic light phase at the intersection (Wei Jimin et al. par. 7); Parse the first query response frame to obtain the current traffic light phase (Wei Jimin et al. par. 8); Based on the real-time dynamic traffic information of the intersection, the current traffic light phase, and the vehicle information corresponding to the vehicle ID, priority passage control information is determined to allow the target vehicle to pass through the intersection first (Wei Jimin et al. par. 9). The vehicle information corresponding to the vehicle ID is obtained from the vehicle unit. The vehicle information includes at least one of the following: the target vehicle's speed, location, heading angle, driving route, number of passengers, and vehicle type (Wei Jimin et al. par. 12).
According to the cited passages and figures, examiner interprets vehicle information as classification information and examiner interprets number of passengers as a load information.
wherein the target signal priority request information is configured to instruct the road traffic signal control system to determine, based on the target signal priority request information, whether to allow for priority passage of the vehicle.
In the vehicle priority passage control method of this invention, the roadside unit responds to the priority passage request from the on-board unit installed on the target vehicle, obtains real-time dynamic traffic information of the intersection the target vehicle is entering, and the priority passage request includes the vehicle ID of the target vehicle; the roadside unit sends a first query frame to the signal controller to request the current traffic light phase of the intersection; the signal controller responds to the first query frame with a first query response frame, the first query response frame carrying the current traffic light phase; the roadside unit parses the first query response frame to obtain the current traffic light phase; the roadside unit determines priority passage control information to allow the target vehicle to pass through the intersection first, based on the real-time dynamic traffic information of the intersection, the current traffic light phase, and the vehicle information corresponding to the vehicle ID (Wei Jimin et al. par. 52).
Wei Jimin et al. do not explicitly teach transmitting, selectively, the target signal priority request information in the vehicle intention and request message to a road traffic signal control system upon determining that a transmission condition satisfied.
Bentrott et al. teach transmitting, selectively, the target signal priority request information in the vehicle intention and request message to a road traffic signal control system upon determining that a transmission condition satisfied. (Bentrott et al. US 5955968 abstract; col. 2 lines 59-67; col. 3 lines 1-4; col. 4 lines 25-67; col. 5 lines 1-11; col. 12 lines 38-67; col. 13 lines 1-28; figures 1-12)
The EVCCS 1, as described above with respect to FIGS. 1-12 includes a vehicle mounted EVT 10, and intersection installation including two intersection unit subassemblies 20, 30 (see FIG. 1). Each subassembly 20, 30 includes an electronically scanned two antenna 201, 203 array, a pair of associated receiver/transmitters 210, 240 and an associated processor 260 (see FIG. 4). The system further includes a controller processor 40 that is operatively coupled to an intersection controller 50 (see FIG. 1). Upon activation of the EVCCS 1 at the intersection (see FIG. 8), the system performs a series of diagnostic self-tests at power up, after which it initiates an electronic scan of the antenna array (in the preferred embodiment, carried out through a sampling of the outputs from associated receiver transmitter subassemblies 210, 240). If an emergency vehicle approaches the intersection, at a predetermined distance, such as, for example, 0.5 miles, the EVCCS 1 will begin receiving the EVT 10 transmitted message at predetermined intervals, such as, for example, at one-half second intervals. Each of the directions of approach to the intersection may be individually preset to any range, and the distance between the emergency vehicle and the intersection antenna array quantized based on signal strength. During reception of the first preamble bit, the EVCCS 1 determines an initial signal direction-of-arrival, inhibits the electronic scan of the antenna array at the signal direction-of-arrival, and receives the remainder of the message. In the exemplary embodiment described herein, the total time elapsed for this sequence of events is approximately 4.8 milliseconds. Upon receiving the last bit, the electronic scan of the antenna array is once again resumed. If during a succeeding predetermined period of time, such as, for example, 495 milliseconds, a second emergency vehicle approaches from another direction, the system will receive the message from the second emergency vehicle in the same manner as the first vehicle. In both cases, the receiver processor 260 will format and transmit a message to the controller processor 40 containing signal direction-of-arrival, received signal amplitude and the data in the received message. For a predetermined timing period, such as, for example, three seconds, after the first message was received, the EVCCS 1 will continue to process messages from both emergency vehicles. At the conclusion of the three second period, the controller processor 40 will determine the final signal direction-of-arrival for the selected emergency vehicle coded with the highest priority for preemption of the traffic light. Priority may be ranked in any manner by the user, such as, for example, highest to lowest: ambulances; fire engines, police, cars, busses, etc. Once the priority has been determined, the controller processor 40 inhibits the electronic scan of the antenna array at the proper signal direction-of-arrival and commands the receiver processor 260 to "gate", i.e., receive, only the selected emergency vehicle transmissions for processing. The "gating" process also inhibits the reception of transmissions from a second emergency vehicle that may be traveling on the same path, but behind the selected emergency vehicle until the selected emergency vehicle passes through and exits the intersection (Bentrott et al. col. 12 lines 38-67; col. 13 lines 1-28).
According to the cited passages and figures, examiner interprets the controller processor 40 classify the target vehicles that has highest priority (selected emergency vehicle transmission as a transmission condition satisfy the vehicle that has highest priority) and transmit to the traffic controller. For example highest to lowest priority as list: ambulances, fire engines, police, cars, busses, etc.
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 vehicle priority classification as taught by Bentrott et al. reference into the method of Wei Jimin et al. reference and the result would be predictable for the system to select the vehicle that had higher priority over the lowest priority vehicle.
Regarding claim 5, the combination of Wei Jimin et al. and Bentrott et al. disclose The method according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle intention and request message comprises a data frame of intention and request data.
Optionally, the frame format of the data frame includes at least one of the following fields: start field, type field, control field, length field, data field, check field, and end field; the data frame is at least one of the first query frame, the first query response frame, and the setting frame (Wei Jimin et al. par. 23). In one possible embodiment, the present invention provides a method for a roadside unit to obtain vehicle information of a target vehicle, that is, to carry the vehicle information of the target vehicle in the priority passage request, that is, the priority passage request may also include vehicle information corresponding to the vehicle ID, wherein the vehicle information includes at least one of the target vehicle's speed, position, heading angle, driving route, number of passengers (or passenger load factor), and vehicle type (Wei Jimin et al. par. 99). The control field consists of two bytes following the second start field, used to indicate the current frame type and information ID; the length field consists of two bytes following the control field, used to indicate the length of the data field, thereby determining the position of the data field, in bytes. Furthermore, the length of the data field is variable to allow different data frames to carry data of different size (Wei Jimin et al. par. 137).
Regarding claim 6, the combination of Wei Jimin et al. and Bentrott et al. disclose The method according to claim 5, wherein the data frame of the intention and request data comprises a data frame of a driving request; the data frame of the driving request comprises a data frame of request information; the data frame of the request information comprises a data frame of a signal priority request.
Optionally, the frame format of the data frame includes at least one of the following fields: start field, type field, control field, length field, data field, check field, and end field; the data frame is at least one of the first query frame, the first query response frame, and the setting frame (Wei Jimin et al. par. 23). In one possible embodiment, the present invention provides a method for a roadside unit to obtain vehicle information of a target vehicle, that is, to carry the vehicle information of the target vehicle in the priority passage request, that is, the priority passage request may also include vehicle information corresponding to the vehicle ID, wherein the vehicle information includes at least one of the target vehicle's speed, position, heading angle, driving route, number of passengers (or passenger load factor), and vehicle type (Wei Jimin et al. par. 99). In one possible embodiment, when determining whether to grant priority passage control to the target vehicle, the roadside unit can also determine the vehicle type of the target vehicle. When it is determined that the target vehicle belongs to a preset vehicle type, the step of determining priority communication control information is executed. The preset vehicle type can be set according to the actual situation. For example, the preset vehicle type can be set to at least one of buses, ambulances, water trucks, cement trucks, etc. (Wei Jimin et al. par. 103). The control field consists of two bytes following the second start field, used to indicate the current frame type and information ID; the length field consists of two bytes following the control field, used to indicate the length of the data field, thereby determining the position of the data field, in bytes. Furthermore, the length of the data field is variable to allow different data frames to carry data of different size (Wei Jimin et al. par. 137).
Regarding claim 7, the combination of Wei Jimin et al. and Bentrott et al. disclose Regarding claim 7, Wei Jimin et al. disclose The method according to claim 6, wherein when the signal priority request information comprises the load information of the vehicle, and the vehicle is a bus, the data frame of the signal priority request comprises a data element of a bus occupancy rate; and the data element of the bus occupancy rate is configured to carry the load information of the vehicle.
In one possible embodiment, the present invention provides a method for a roadside unit to obtain vehicle information of a target vehicle, that is, to carry the vehicle information of the target vehicle in the priority passage request, that is, the priority passage request may also include vehicle information corresponding to the vehicle ID, wherein the vehicle information includes at least one of the target vehicle's speed, position, heading angle, driving route, number of passengers (or passenger load factor), and vehicle type (Wei Jimin et al. par. 99). In one possible embodiment, when determining whether to grant priority passage control to the target vehicle, the roadside unit can also determine the vehicle type of the target vehicle. When it is determined that the target vehicle belongs to a preset vehicle type, the step of determining priority communication control information is executed. The preset vehicle type can be set according to the actual situation. For example, the preset vehicle type can be set to at least one of buses, ambulances, water trucks, cement trucks, etc. (Wei Jimin et al. par. 103). The control field consists of two bytes following the second start field, used to indicate the current frame type and information ID; the length field consists of two bytes following the control field, used to indicate the length of the data field, thereby determining the position of the data field, in bytes. Furthermore, the length of the data field is variable to allow different data frames to carry data of different size (Wei Jimin et al. par. 137).
According to the cited passages and figures, paragraphs 103 clearly disclose the vehicle type as a bus and paragraph 99 disclose a vehicle information like number of passengers (or passenger load factor). Examiner interprets passenger load factor as a bus occupancy rate information.
Regarding claim 8, the combination of Wei Jimin et al. and Bentrott et al. disclose The method according to claim 1, further comprising: receiving signal priority response information transmitted by the road traffic signal control system, the signal priority response information comprising at least one of signal priority type information or signal priority duration information.
The system receives a setting frame from the roadside unit to prepare for traffic light priority control and to prepare to issue the current traffic light phase at the intersection (Wei Jimin et al. par. 33). The data field of the second query frame carries the priority passage control information request information; while the data field of the second query response frame is used to carry the priority passage control information. The vehicle priority strategy can be specifically identified by 2 bits, such as 00 indicating ① green light extension, 01 indicating ② red light cutoff, 10 indicating ③ phase maintenance, etc. (Wei Jimin et al. par. 140).
Regarding claim 9, the combination of Wei Jimin et al. and Bentrott et al. disclose The method according to claim 8, further comprising: generating a road side coordination message based on the signal priority response information, the road side coordination message comprising at least one of the signal priority type information or the signal priority duration information; and transmitting the road side coordination message to the vehicle.
Specifically, the roadside unit sends priority passage control information to the signal controller, which can then adjust the phase of the traffic lights at the intersection based on the priority passage control information, so that the target vehicle can pass through the intersection smoothly with priority. In one possible embodiment, the roadside unit can actively send the priority passage control information to the signal controller at the intersection after obtaining the priority passage control information of the target vehicle. In another possible embodiment, the roadside unit can respond to the request of the signal controller and send priority passage control information of the target vehicle to the signal controller. Referring to Figure 2, the signal controller can periodically send a second query frame to the roadside unit to request the issuance of the current priority passage control information. The roadside unit will respond to the second query frame by sending a second query response frame to the signal controller, so that the signal controller can obtain the priority passage control information and adjust the phase of the traffic lights at the intersection according to the priority passage control information (Wei Jimin et al. par. 97). In one possible embodiment, the vehicle priority passage control method further includes (Wei Jimin et al. par. 142):The roadside unit broadcasts priority passage control information to vehicles at the intersection. Vehicles at the intersection match their vehicle IDs, and vehicles with matched vehicle IDs display the priority passage control information on their own in-vehicle displays (Wei Jimin et al. par. 143. Specifically, the roadside unit broadcasts priority passage control information to all vehicles at the intersection. Each vehicle passing through the intersection uses its onboard unit to match the ID of the priority vehicle with its own vehicle ID to determine whether it is a priority vehicle. If the vehicle is a priority vehicle, its onboard unit displays the priority passage control information, such as the type of vehicle priority strategy and the duration of the priority traffic lights, on the in-vehicle display screen via wired or wireless communication in the form of pictures or other means. Taking buses as an example, when a bus is designated as a priority vehicle, the result is displayed on the in-vehicle screen. This helps the bus driver understand the priority status, enabling them to make decisions in advance and improving the safety of the driver when passing through intersections. It also enhances the passenger experience when riding the bus (Wei Jimin et al. par. 144).
According to the cited passages and figures, examiner interprets the a priority message and a response to the priority message as a coordination message.
Regarding claim 10, the combination of Wei Jimin et al. and Bentrott et al. disclose The method according to claim 9, wherein the road side coordination message comprises a data frame of vehicle coordination.
Optionally, the frame format of the data frame includes at least one of the following fields: start field, type field, control field, length field, data field, check field, and end field; the data frame is at least one of the first query frame, the first query response frame, and the setting frame (Wei Jimin et al. par. 23).
Regarding claim 11, the combination of Wei Jimin et al. and Bentrott et al. disclose The method according to claim 10, wherein the data frame of the vehicle coordination comprises a data frame of signal priority information response.
Optionally, the frame format of the data frame includes at least one of the following fields: start field, type field, control field, length field, data field, check field, and end field; the data frame is at least one of the first query frame, the first query response frame, and the setting frame (Wei Jimin et al. par. 23). The system receives a setting frame from the roadside unit to prepare for traffic light priority control and to prepare to issue the current traffic light phase at the intersection (Wei Jimin et al. par. 33). The data field of the second query frame carries the priority passage control information request information; while the data field of the second query response frame is used to carry the priority passage control information. The vehicle priority strategy can be specifically identified by 2 bits, such as 00 indicating ① green light extension, 01 indicating ② red light cutoff, 10 indicating ③ phase maintenance, etc. (Wei Jimin et al. par. 140).
Regarding claim 12, the combination of Wei Jimin et al. and Bentrott et al. disclose The method according to claim 11, wherein the data frame of the signal priority information response comprises at least one of a data element of a signal priority type or a data element of signal priority duration.
Optionally, the frame format of the data frame includes at least one of the following fields: start field, type field, control field, length field, data field, check field, and end field; the data frame is at least one of the first query frame, the first query response frame, and the setting frame (Wei Jimin et al. par. 23). The system receives a setting frame from the roadside unit to prepare for traffic light priority control and to prepare to issue the current traffic light phase at the intersection (Wei Jimin et al. par. 33). The data field of the second query frame carries the priority passage control information request information; while the data field of the second query response frame is used to carry the priority passage control information. The vehicle priority strategy can be specifically identified by 2 bits, such as 00 indicating ① green light extension, 01 indicating ② red light cutoff, 10 indicating ③ phase maintenance, etc. (Wei Jimin et al. par. 140). Specifically, the roadside unit broadcasts priority passage control information to all vehicles at the intersection. Each vehicle passing through the intersection uses its onboard unit to match the ID of the priority vehicle with its own vehicle ID to determine whether it is a priority vehicle. If the vehicle is a priority vehicle, its onboard unit displays the priority passage control information, such as the type of vehicle priority strategy and the duration of the priority traffic lights, on the in-vehicle display screen via wired or wireless communication in the form of pictures or other means. Taking buses as an example, when a bus is designated as a priority vehicle, the result is displayed on the in-vehicle screen. This helps the bus driver understand the priority status, enabling them to make decisions in advance and improving the safety of the driver when passing through intersections. It also enhances the passenger experience when riding the bus (Wei Jimin et al. par. 144).
According to the cited passages and figures, paragraph 140 indicate the data field with signal priority type as indicate such as 00 indicating ① green light extension, 01 indicating ② red light cutoff, 10 indicating ③ phase maintenance, etc. and paragraph 144 disclose the duration of the priority traffic light which is same as the data element of signal priority duration.
Regarding claim 13, the combination of Wei Jimin et al. and Bentrott et al. disclose The method according to claim 12, wherein the data frame of the signal priority information response comprises the data element of the signal priority type, the data element of the signal priority type configured to carry the signal priority type information.
Optionally, the frame format of the data frame includes at least one of the following fields: start field, type field, control field, length field, data field, check field, and end field; the data frame is at least one of the first query frame, the first query response frame, and the setting frame (Wei Jimin et al. par. 23). The system receives a setting frame from the roadside unit to prepare for traffic light priority control and to prepare to issue the current traffic light phase at the intersection (Wei Jimin et al. par. 33). The data field of the second query frame carries the priority passage control information request information; while the data field of the second query response frame is used to carry the priority passage control information. The vehicle priority strategy can be specifically identified by 2 bits, such as 00 indicating ① green light extension, 01 indicating ② red light cutoff, 10 indicating ③ phase maintenance, etc. (Wei Jimin et al. par. 140).
According to the cited passages and figures, examiner interprets the second query response frame is a data frame carrying the priority information and also, examiner interprets 2 bits vehicle priority strategy defines the signal priority type.
Regarding claim 14, the combination of Wei Jimin et al. and Bentrott et al. disclose The method according to claim 12, wherein the data frame of the signal priority information response comprises the data element of the signal priority duration, the data element of the signal priority duration configured to carry the signal priority duration information.
Optionally, the frame format of the data frame includes at least one of the following fields: start field, type field, control field, length field, data field, check field, and end field; the data frame is at least one of the first query frame, the first query response frame, and the setting frame (Wei Jimin et al. par. 23). The data field of the second query frame carries the priority passage control information request information; while the data field of the second query response frame is used to carry the priority passage control information. The vehicle priority strategy can be specifically identified by 2 bits, such as 00 indicating ① green light extension, 01 indicating ② red light cutoff, 10 indicating ③ phase maintenance, etc. (Wei Jimin et al. par. 140). Specifically, the roadside unit broadcasts priority passage control information to all vehicles at the intersection. Each vehicle passing through the intersection uses its onboard unit to match the ID of the priority vehicle with its own vehicle ID to determine whether it is a priority vehicle. If the vehicle is a priority vehicle, its onboard unit displays the priority passage control information, such as the type of vehicle priority strategy and the duration of the priority traffic lights, on the in-vehicle display screen via wired or wireless communication in the form of pictures or other means. Taking buses as an example, when a bus is designated as a priority vehicle, the result is displayed on the in-vehicle screen. This helps the bus driver understand the priority status, enabling them to make decisions in advance and improving the safety of the driver when passing through intersections. It also enhances the passenger experience when riding the bus (Wei Jimin et al. par. 144).
According to the cited passages and figures, paragraph 140 indicate the data field with signal priority type as indicate such as 00 indicating ① green light extension, 01 indicating ② red light cutoff, 10 indicating ③ phase maintenance, etc. and paragraph 144 disclose the duration of the priority traffic light which is same as the data element of signal priority duration.
Regarding claim 15, Wei Jimin et al. teach A traffic control apparatus, deployed in a road side unit, the apparatus comprising: a memory storing a plurality of instructions; and a processor configured to execute the plurality of instructions, and upon execution of the plurality of instructions, the processor is configured to: receive a vehicle intention and request message transmitted by a vehicle, the vehicle intention and request message comprising signal priority request information, (Wei Jimin et al. CN 114973697 abstract; paragraphs [0003]-[0010]; [0012]-[0017]; [0023]; [0029]-[0033]; [0037]-[0042]; [0050]; [0052]; [0066]; [0068]-[0070]; [0096]; [0099]; [0103]; [0137]-[0144]; figures 1-9;)
In a first aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide a vehicle priority passage control method applied to a roadside unit of a vehicle priority passage control system. The vehicle priority passage control system further includes a signal controller communicatively connected to the roadside unit and an on-board unit installed on a target vehicle and communicatively connected to the roadside unit (Wei Jimin et al. par. 4). The method includes: Receive a priority passage request sent by the vehicle unit, the priority passage request including the vehicle ID of the target vehicle (Wei Jimin et al. par. 5); The processor is connected to a memory, wherein the memory is used to store program code, and the processor is used to call the program code to execute the vehicle priority passage control method as described in the first aspect and/or the second aspect (Wei Jimin et al. par. 50). The vehicle priority passage control method in this application embodiment can be executed by the vehicle priority passage control system. Referring to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of a vehicle priority passage control system provided in an embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle is a bus. In this case, the vehicle priority passage control system includes a roadside unit (RSU) 107 installed at the intersection, a signal controller (TSC) 108 that is communicatively connected to the RSU 107, and an onboard unit (OBU) 104 installed on the bus and communicatively connected to the RSU 107 (Wei Jimin et al. par. 68). The Onboard Unit (OBU) 104 is installed on the bus and can acquire information from the bus's detection equipment (such as passenger counting equipment, vehicle speed acquisition equipment, etc.) and transmit it to the Roadside Unit (RSU) via broadcast (Wei Jimin et al. par. 69). The roadside unit RSU 107 can receive messages sent by the OBU 104 and has the ability to perceive the traffic situation at the intersection through the edge computing unit 110 (Wei Jimin et al. par. 70).
the signal priority request information comprising target signal priority request information, and the target signal priority request information comprising at least one of classification information or load information of the vehicle;
In response to the priority passage request, obtain real-time dynamic traffic information of the intersection into which the target vehicle is entering (Wei Jimin et al. par. 6); Send a first query frame to the signal controller so that the signal controller responds to the first query frame by replying with a first query response frame, the first query response frame carrying the current traffic light phase at the intersection (Wei Jimin et al. par. 7); Parse the first query response frame to obtain the current traffic light phase (Wei Jimin et al. par. 8); Based on the real-time dynamic traffic information of the intersection, the current traffic light phase, and the vehicle information corresponding to the vehicle ID, priority passage control information is determined to allow the target vehicle to pass through the intersection first (Wei Jimin et al. par. 9). The vehicle information corresponding to the vehicle ID is obtained from the vehicle unit. The vehicle information includes at least one of the following: the target vehicle's speed, location, heading angle, driving route, number of passengers, and vehicle type (Wei Jimin et al. par. 12).
According to the cited passages and figures, examiner interprets vehicle information as classification information and examiner interprets number of passengers as a load information.
wherein the target signal priority request information is configured to instruct the road traffic signal control system to determine, based on the target signal priority request information, whether to allow for priority passage of the vehicle.
In the vehicle priority passage control method of this invention, the roadside unit responds to the priority passage request from the on-board unit installed on the target vehicle, obtains real-time dynamic traffic information of the intersection the target vehicle is entering, and the priority passage request includes the vehicle ID of the target vehicle; the roadside unit sends a first query frame to the signal controller to request the current traffic light phase of the intersection; the signal controller responds to the first query frame with a first query response frame, the first query response frame carrying the current traffic light phase; the roadside unit parses the first query response frame to obtain the current traffic light phase; the roadside unit determines priority passage control information to allow the target vehicle to pass through the intersection first, based on the real-time dynamic traffic information of the intersection, the current traffic light phase, and the vehicle information corresponding to the vehicle ID (Wei Jimin et al. par. 52).
Wei Jimin et al. do not explicitly teach transmit, selectively, the target signal priority request information in the vehicle intention and request message to a road traffic signal control system upon determining that a transmission condition is satisfied.
Bentrott et al. teach transmit, selectively, the target signal priority request information in the vehicle intention and request message to a road traffic signal control system upon determining that a transmission condition is satisfied. (Bentrott et al. US 5955968 abstract; col. 2 lines 59-67; col. 3 lines 1-4; col. 4 lines 25-67; col. 5 lines 1-11; col. 12 lines 38-67; col. 13 lines 1-28; figures 1-12)
The EVCCS 1, as described above with respect to FIGS. 1-12 includes a vehicle mounted EVT 10, and intersection installation including two intersection unit subassemblies 20, 30 (see FIG. 1). Each subassembly 20, 30 includes an electronically scanned two antenna 201, 203 array, a pair of associated receiver/transmitters 210, 240 and an associated processor 260 (see FIG. 4). The system further includes a controller processor 40 that is operatively coupled to an intersection controller 50 (see FIG. 1). Upon activation of the EVCCS 1 at the intersection (see FIG. 8), the system performs a series of diagnostic self-tests at power up, after which it initiates an electronic scan of the antenna array (in the preferred embodiment, carried out through a sampling of the outputs from associated receiver transmitter subassemblies 210, 240). If an emergency vehicle approaches the intersection, at a predetermined distance, such as, for example, 0.5 miles, the EVCCS 1 will begin receiving the EVT 10 transmitted message at predetermined intervals, such as, for example, at one-half second intervals. Each of the directions of approach to the intersection may be individually preset to any range, and the distance between the emergency vehicle and the intersection antenna array quantized based on signal strength. During reception of the first preamble bit, the EVCCS 1 determines an initial signal direction-of-arrival, inhibits the electronic scan of the antenna array at the signal direction-of-arrival, and receives the remainder of the message. In the exemplary embodiment described herein, the total time elapsed for this sequence of events is approximately 4.8 milliseconds. Upon receiving the last bit, the electronic scan of the antenna array is once again resumed. If during a succeeding predetermined period of time, such as, for example, 495 milliseconds, a second emergency vehicle approaches from another direction, the system will receive the message from the second emergency vehicle in the same manner as the first vehicle. In both cases, the receiver processor 260 will format and transmit a message to the controller processor 40 containing signal direction-of-arrival, received signal amplitude and the data in the received message. For a predetermined timing period, such as, for example, three seconds, after the first message was received, the EVCCS 1 will continue to process messages from both emergency vehicles. At the conclusion of the three second period, the controller processor 40 will determine the final signal direction-of-arrival for the selected emergency vehicle coded with the highest priority for preemption of the traffic light. Priority may be ranked in any manner by the user, such as, for example, highest to lowest: ambulances; fire engines, police, cars, busses, etc. Once the priority has been determined, the controller processor 40 inhibits the electronic scan of the antenna array at the proper signal direction-of-arrival and commands the receiver processor 260 to "gate", i.e., receive, only the selected emergency vehicle transmissions for processing. The "gating" process also inhibits the reception of transmissions from a second emergency vehicle that may be traveling on the same path, but behind the selected emergency vehicle until the selected emergency vehicle passes through and exits the intersection (Bentrott et al. col. 12 lines 38-67; col. 13 lines 1-28).
According to the cited passages and figures, examiner interprets the controller processor 40 classify the target vehicles that has highest priority (selected emergency vehicle transmission as a transmission condition satisfy the vehicle that has highest priority) and transmit to the traffic controller. For example highest to lowest priority as list: ambulances, fire engines, police, cars, busses, etc.
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 vehicle priority classification as taught by Bentrott et al. reference into the system of Wei Jimin et al. reference and the result would be predictable for the system to select the vehicle that had higher priority over the lowest priority vehicle.
Regarding claim 17, the combination of Wei Jimin et al. and Bentrott et al. disclose The traffic control apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the vehicle intention and request message comprises a data frame of intention and request data, wherein the data frame of the intention and request data comprises a data frame of a driving request, the data frame of the driving request comprises a data frame of request information, and the data frame of the request information comprises a data frame of a signal priority request.
Optionally, the frame format of the data frame includes at least one of the following fields: start field, type field, control field, length field, data field, check field, and end field; the data frame is at least one of the first query frame, the first query response frame, and the setting frame (Wei Jimin et al. par. 23). In one possible embodiment, the present invention provides a method for a roadside unit to obtain vehicle information of a target vehicle, that is, to carry the vehicle information of the target vehicle in the priority passage request, that is, the priority passage request may also include vehicle information corresponding to the vehicle ID, wherein the vehicle information includes at least one of the target vehicle's speed, position, heading angle, driving route, number of passengers (or passenger load factor), and vehicle type (Wei Jimin et al. par. 99). In one possible embodiment, when determining whether to grant priority passage control to the target vehicle, the roadside unit can also determine the vehicle type of the target vehicle. When it is determined that the target vehicle belongs to a preset vehicle type, the step of determining priority communication control information is executed. The preset vehicle type can be set according to the actual situation. For example, the preset vehicle type can be set to at least one of buses, ambulances, water trucks, cement trucks, etc. (Wei Jimin et al. par. 103). The control field consists of two bytes following the second start field, used to indicate the current frame type and information ID; the length field consists of two bytes following the control field, used to indicate the length of the data field, thereby determining the position of the data field, in bytes. Furthermore, the length of the data field is variable to allow different data frames to carry data of different size (Wei Jimin et al. par. 137).
Regarding claim 18, the combination of Wei Jimin et al. and Bentrott et al. disclose The traffic control apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the processor, upon execution of the plurality of instructions, is further configured to: receive signal priority response information transmitted by the road traffic signal control system, the signal priority response information comprising at least one of signal priority type information or signal priority duration information;
Optionally, the frame format of the data frame includes at least one of the following fields: start field, type field, control field, length field, data field, check field, and end field; the data frame is at least one of the first query frame, the first query response frame, and the setting frame (Wei Jimin et al. par. 23). The system receives a setting frame from the roadside unit to prepare for traffic light priority control and to prepare to issue the current traffic light phase at the intersection (Wei Jimin et al. par. 33). The data field of the second query frame carries the priority passage control information request information; while the data field of the second query response frame is used to carry the priority passage control information. The vehicle priority strategy can be specifically identified by 2 bits, such as 00 indicating ① green light extension, 01 indicating ② red light cutoff, 10 indicating ③ phase maintenance, etc. (Wei Jimin et al. par. 140).
According to the cited passages and figures, examiner interprets the second query response frame is a data frame carrying the priority information and also, examiner interprets 2 bits vehicle priority strategy defines the signal priority type.
generate a road side coordination message based on the signal priority response information, the road side coordination message comprising at least one of the signal priority type information or the signal priority duration information; and transmit the road side coordination message to the vehicle.
Specifically, the roadside unit sends priority passage control information to the signal controller, which can then adjust the phase of the traffic lights at the intersection based on the priority passage control information, so that the target vehicle can pass through the intersection smoothly with priority. In one possible embodiment, the roadside unit can actively send the priority passage control information to the signal controller at the intersection after obtaining the priority passage control information of the target vehicle. In another possible embodiment, the roadside unit can respond to the request of the signal controller and send priority passage control information of the target vehicle to the signal controller. Referring to Figure 2, the signal controller can periodically send a second query frame to the roadside unit to request the issuance of the current priority passage control information. The roadside unit will respond to the second query frame by sending a second query response frame to the signal controller, so that the signal controller can obtain the priority passage control information and adjust the phase of the traffic lights at the intersection according to the priority passage control information (Wei Jimin et al. par. 97). In one possible embodiment, the vehicle priority passage control method further includes (Wei Jimin et al. par. 142):The roadside unit broadcasts priority passage control information to vehicles at the intersection. Vehicles at the intersection match their vehicle IDs, and vehicles with matched vehicle IDs display the priority passage control information on their own in-vehicle displays (Wei Jimin et al. par. 143. Specifically, the roadside unit broadcasts priority passage control information to all vehicles at the intersection. Each vehicle passing through the intersection uses its onboard unit to match the ID of the priority vehicle with its own vehicle ID to determine whether it is a priority vehicle. If the vehicle is a priority vehicle, its onboard unit displays the priority passage control information, such as the type of vehicle priority strategy and the duration of the priority traffic lights, on the in-vehicle display screen via wired or wireless communication in the form of pictures or other means. Taking buses as an example, when a bus is designated as a priority vehicle, the result is displayed on the in-vehicle screen. This helps the bus driver understand the priority status, enabling them to make decisions in advance and improving the safety of the driver when passing through intersections. It also enhances the passenger experience when riding the bus (Wei Jimin et al. par. 144).
According to the cited passages and figures, examiner interprets the a priority message and a response to the priority message as a coordination message.
Regarding claim 19, the combination of Wei Jimin et al. and Bentrott et al. disclose The traffic control apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the road side coordination message comprises a data frame of vehicle coordination.
Optionally, the frame format of the data frame includes at least one of the following fields: start field, type field, control field, length field, data field, check field, and end field; the data frame is at least one of the first query frame, the first query response frame, and the setting frame (Wei Jimin et al. par. 23).
Regarding claim 20, Wei Jimin et al. teach A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a plurality of instructions executable by a processor, wherein upon execution by the processor, the plurality of instructions is configured to cause the processor to: receive a vehicle intention and request message transmitted by a vehicle, the vehicle intention and request message comprising signal priority request information, (Wei Jimin et al. CN 114973697 abstract; paragraphs [0003]-[0010]; [0012]-[0017]; [0023]; [0029]-[0033]; [0037]-[0042]; [0050]; [0052]; [0066]; [0068]-[0070]; [0096]; [0099]; [0103]; [0137]-[0144]; figures 1-9;)
In a first aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide a vehicle priority passage control method applied to a roadside unit of a vehicle priority passage control system. The vehicle priority passage control system further includes a signal controller communicatively connected to the roadside unit and an on-board unit installed on a target vehicle and communicatively connected to the roadside unit (Wei Jimin et al. par. 4). The method includes: Receive a priority passage request sent by the vehicle unit, the priority passage request including the vehicle ID of the target vehicle (Wei Jimin et al. par. 5); The processor is connected to a memory, wherein the memory is used to store program code, and the processor is used to call the program code to execute the vehicle priority passage control method as described in the first aspect and/or the second aspect (Wei Jimin et al. par. 50). The vehicle priority passage control method in this application embodiment can be executed by the vehicle priority passage control system. Referring to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of a vehicle priority passage control system provided in an embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle is a bus. In this case, the vehicle priority passage control system includes a roadside unit (RSU) 107 installed at the intersection, a signal controller (TSC) 108 that is communicatively connected to the RSU 107, and an onboard unit (OBU) 104 installed on the bus and communicatively connected to the RSU 107 (Wei Jimin et al. par. 68). The Onboard Unit (OBU) 104 is installed on the bus and can acquire information from the bus's detection equipment (such as passenger counting equipment, vehicle speed acquisition equipment, etc.) and transmit it to the Roadside Unit (RSU) via broadcast (Wei Jimin et al. par. 69). The roadside unit RSU 107 can receive messages sent by the OBU 104 and has the ability to perceive the traffic situation at the intersection through the edge computing unit 110 (Wei Jimin et al. par. 70).
the signal priority request information comprising target signal priority request information, and the target signal priority request information comprising at least one of classification information or load information of the vehicle;
In response to the priority passage request, obtain real-time dynamic traffic information of the intersection into which the target vehicle is entering (Wei Jimin et al. par. 6); Send a first query frame to the signal controller so that the signal controller responds to the first query frame by replying with a first query response frame, the first query response frame carrying the current traffic light phase at the intersection (Wei Jimin et al. par. 7); Parse the first query response frame to obtain the current traffic light phase (Wei Jimin et al. par. 8); Based on the real-time dynamic traffic information of the intersection, the current traffic light phase, and the vehicle information corresponding to the vehicle ID, priority passage control information is determined to allow the target vehicle to pass through the intersection first (Wei Jimin et al. par. 9). The vehicle information corresponding to the vehicle ID is obtained from the vehicle unit. The vehicle information includes at least one of the following: the target vehicle's speed, location, heading angle, driving route, number of passengers, and vehicle type (Wei Jimin et al. par. 12).
According to the cited passages and figures, examiner interprets vehicle information as classification information and examiner interprets number of passengers as a load information.
wherein the target signal priority request information is configured to instruct the road traffic signal control system to determine, based on the target signal priority request information, whether to allow for priority passage of the vehicle.
In the vehicle priority passage control method of this invention, the roadside unit responds to the priority passage request from the on-board unit installed on the target vehicle, obtains real-time dynamic traffic information of the intersection the target vehicle is entering, and the priority passage request includes the vehicle ID of the target vehicle; the roadside unit sends a first query frame to the signal controller to request the current traffic light phase of the intersection; the signal controller responds to the first query frame with a first query response frame, the first query response frame carrying the current traffic light phase; the roadside unit parses the first query response frame to obtain the current traffic light phase; the roadside unit determines priority passage control information to allow the target vehicle to pass through the intersection first, based on the real-time dynamic traffic information of the intersection, the current traffic light phase, and the vehicle information corresponding to the vehicle ID (Wei Jimin et al. par. 52).
Wei Jimin et al. do not explicitly teach transmit, selectively, the target signal priority request information in the vehicle intention and request message to a road traffic signal control system upon determining that a transmission condition is satisfied.
Bentrott et al. teach transmit, selectively, the target signal priority request information in the vehicle intention and request message to a road traffic signal control system upon determining that a transmission condition is satisfied. (Bentrott et al. US 5955968 abstract; col. 2 lines 59-67; col. 3 lines 1-4; col. 4 lines 25-67; col. 5 lines 1-11; col. 12 lines 38-67; col. 13 lines 1-28; figures 1-12)
The EVCCS 1, as described above with respect to FIGS. 1-12 includes a vehicle mounted EVT 10, and intersection installation including two intersection unit subassemblies 20, 30 (see FIG. 1). Each subassembly 20, 30 includes an electronically scanned two antenna 201, 203 array, a pair of associated receiver/transmitters 210, 240 and an associated processor 260 (see FIG. 4). The system further includes a controller processor 40 that is operatively coupled to an intersection controller 50 (see FIG. 1). Upon activation of the EVCCS 1 at the intersection (see FIG. 8), the system performs a series of diagnostic self-tests at power up, after which it initiates an electronic scan of the antenna array (in the preferred embodiment, carried out through a sampling of the outputs from associated receiver transmitter subassemblies 210, 240). If an emergency vehicle approaches the intersection, at a predetermined distance, such as, for example, 0.5 miles, the EVCCS 1 will begin receiving the EVT 10 transmitted message at predetermined intervals, such as, for example, at one-half second intervals. Each of the directions of approach to the intersection may be individually preset to any range, and the distance between the emergency vehicle and the intersection antenna array quantized based on signal strength. During reception of the first preamble bit, the EVCCS 1 determines an initial signal direction-of-arrival, inhibits the electronic scan of the antenna array at the signal direction-of-arrival, and receives the remainder of the message. In the exemplary embodiment described herein, the total time elapsed for this sequence of events is approximately 4.8 milliseconds. Upon receiving the last bit, the electronic scan of the antenna array is once again resumed. If during a succeeding predetermined period of time, such as, for example, 495 milliseconds, a second emergency vehicle approaches from another direction, the system will receive the message from the second emergency vehicle in the same manner as the first vehicle. In both cases, the receiver processor 260 will format and transmit a message to the controller processor 40 containing signal direction-of-arrival, received signal amplitude and the data in the received message. For a predetermined timing period, such as, for example, three seconds, after the first message was received, the EVCCS 1 will continue to process messages from both emergency vehicles. At the conclusion of the three second period, the controller processor 40 will determine the final signal direction-of-arrival for the selected emergency vehicle coded with the highest priority for preemption of the traffic light. Priority may be ranked in any manner by the user, such as, for example, highest to lowest: ambulances; fire engines, police, cars, busses, etc. Once the priority has been determined, the controller processor 40 inhibits the electronic scan of the antenna array at the proper signal direction-of-arrival and commands the receiver processor 260 to "gate", i.e., receive, only the selected emergency vehicle transmissions for processing. The "gating" process also inhibits the reception of transmissions from a second emergency vehicle that may be traveling on the same path, but behind the selected emergency vehicle until the selected emergency vehicle passes through and exits the intersection (Bentrott et al. col. 12 lines 38-67; col. 13 lines 1-28).
According to the cited passages and figures, examiner interprets the controller processor 40 classify the target vehicles that has highest priority (selected emergency vehicle transmission as a transmission condition satisfy the vehicle that has highest priority) and transmit to the traffic controller. For example highest to lowest priority as list: ambulances, fire engines, police, cars, busses, etc.
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 vehicle priority classification as taught by Bentrott et al. reference into the system of Wei Jimin et al. reference and the result would be predictable for the system to select the vehicle that had higher priority over the lowest priority vehicle.
Claims 2-4 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wei Jimin et al. CN 114973697 in view of Bentrott et al. US 5955968 and further in view of Liu et al. US 20210043079.
Regarding claim 2, the combination of Wei Jimin et al. and Bentrott et al. teach all the limitation in the claim 1.
The combination of Wei Jimin et al. and Bentrott et al. do not explicitly teach The method according to claim 1, wherein the signal priority request information comprises the classification information of the vehicle, the vehicle intention and request message comprises a data frame of a vehicle classification; and the data frame of the vehicle classification is configured to carry the classification information of the vehicle.
Liu et al. teach The method according to claim 1, wherein the signal priority request information comprises the classification information of the vehicle, the vehicle intention and request message comprises a data frame of a vehicle classification; and the data frame of the vehicle classification is configured to carry the classification information of the vehicle. (Liu et al. US 20210043079 abstract; paragraphs [0125]-[0129]; [0151]-[0158]; [0177]-[0182]; [0190]-[0197]; figures 1-13;)
The Vehicle Classification data frame is a data frame corresponding to the basic safety message body. This data frame defines a basic type and a fuel power type of the vehicle in the prior art. The basic types of the vehicle include: light trucks, lorries, motorcycles, buses, rescue vehicles, and the like; the fuel power types include: gasoline, ethanol, diesel, electricity, hydrogen, propane, mixed fuel, and the like (Liu et al. par. 156).
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 vehicle classification data frame as taught by Liu et al. reference into the modify method of Wei Jimin et al. and Bentrott et al. reference and the result would be predictable for the system to identify types of vehicle and types of fuel.
Regarding claim 3, the combination of Wei Jimin et al., Bentrott et al. and Liu et al. disclose The method according to claim 2, wherein the classification information of the vehicle comprises basic class information of the vehicle; the data frame of the vehicle classification comprises a data element of a basic vehicle class; and the data element of the basic vehicle class is configured to carry the basic class information of the vehicle.
In one possible embodiment, when determining whether to grant priority passage control to the target vehicle, the roadside unit can also determine the vehicle type of the target vehicle. When it is determined that the target vehicle belongs to a preset vehicle type, the step of determining priority communication control information is executed. The preset vehicle type can be set according to the actual situation. For example, the preset vehicle type can be set to at least one of buses, ambulances, water trucks, cement trucks, etc. (Wei Jimin et al. par. 103). The control field consists of two bytes following the second start field, used to indicate the current frame type and information ID; the length field consists of two bytes following the control field, used to indicate the length of the data field, thereby determining the position of the data field, in bytes. Furthermore, the length of the data field is variable to allow different data frames to carry data of different size (Wei Jimin et al. par. 137).
According to the cite passages and figures, examiner interpret vehicle type as a basic vehicle class like buses, ambulances, truck which is similarity to paragraph 77 in the specification of the instant application.
Regarding claim 4, the combination of Wei Jimin et al., Bentrott et al. and Liu et al. disclose The method according to claim 3, wherein the classification information of the vehicle further comprises fuel power type information of the vehicle; the data frame of the vehicle classification further comprises a data element of a fuel power type; and the data element of the fuel power type is configured to carry the fuel power type information of the vehicle.
The Vehicle Classification data frame is a data frame corresponding to the basic safety message body. This data frame defines a basic type and a fuel power type of the vehicle in the prior art. The basic types of the vehicle include: light trucks, lorries, motorcycles, buses, rescue vehicles, and the like; the fuel power types include: gasoline, ethanol, diesel, electricity, hydrogen, propane, mixed fuel, and the like (Liu et al. par. 156).
Regarding claim 16, the combination of Wei Jimin et al., Bentrott et al. and Liu et al. disclose The traffic control apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the signal priority request information comprises the classification information of the vehicle, the vehicle intention and request message comprises a data frame of a vehicle classification; and the data frame of the vehicle classification is configured to carry the classification information of the vehicle.
The Vehicle Classification data frame is a data frame corresponding to the basic safety message body. This data frame defines a basic type and a fuel power type of the vehicle in the prior art. The basic types of the vehicle include: light trucks, lorries, motorcycles, buses, rescue vehicles, and the like; the fuel power types include: gasoline, ethanol, diesel, electricity, hydrogen, propane, mixed fuel, and the like (Liu et al. par. 156).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 03/05/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. In the remark applicant argues in substance:
Applicant argument: Applicant argues that arts of record Wei Jimin et al. and Liu et al. failed to teach or suggest the amendment as cited in the independent claims 1, 15 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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