DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
This Office Action is sent in response to Applicant’s Communication received on August 21, 2024 for application number 18/810,508. This Office hereby acknowledges receipt of the following and placed of record in file: Specification, Drawings, Abstract, Oath/Declaration, and Claims.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. KR 10-2024-0032823 filed on March 7, 2024.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on August 21, 2024 and September 22, 2025 are noted. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-3, 5, 7-12 and 17-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Cui et al. (CN 111231688 A), hereinafter “Cui”.
Regarding claim 1, Cui discloses a parking assistance system (Abstract; paragraph 9) comprising: an electronic parking brake associated with at least one wheel of a vehicle (paragraphs 9, 10); a parking brake drive circuit configured to control the electronic parking brake (paragraphs 85-90); and a processor (paragraphs 185-188) configured to: start braking control for maintaining a braking force applied by a main brake based on input information of a transmission gear and information of whether the vehicle is braking and stopping (Abstract; paragraphs 115-122), wherein a duration of the braking control for maintaining the braking force applied by the main brake is shorter than or equal to a preset first time (paragraphs 112-117, 125-127); and control the braking force applied by the main brake to be released based on whether the electronic parking brake is engaged or whether a target transmission gear is changed (paragraphs 112-122, 123-127).
Regarding claim 2, Cui discloses the parking assistance system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to control the braking force applied by the main brake to be released when engagement of the electronic parking brake is completed (paragraphs 125-127, 185).
Regarding claim 3, Cui discloses the parking assistance system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to: identify whether the target transmission gear is changed to a P stage when engagement of the electronic parking brake is not completed (paragraphs 112-117); and control the braking force applied by the main brake to be released when the target transmission gear is not changed to the P stage and the duration of the braking control for maintaining the braking force applied by the main brake exceeds a preset second time (paragraphs 120-127).
Regarding claim 5, Cui discloses the parking assistance system of claim 3, wherein the processor is configured to: identify whether transmission to the P stage of the transmission gear is completed when the target transmission gear is changed to the P stage (paragraphs 114-119); and control the braking force applied by the main brake to be released when the transmission to the P stage of the transmission gear is completed (paragraphs 120-127).
Regarding claim 7, Cui discloses the parking assistance system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to, when the input information of the transmission gear corresponds to a P stage (paragraphs 110-116), determine whether the vehicle is braking and stopping based on a signal associated with displacement of a brake pedal or a signal associated with a wheel speed (paragraphs 122-127).
Regarding claim 8, Cui discloses the parking assistance system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to identify whether the vehicle is on an inclined road based on a signal associated with a longitudinal acceleration (paragraphs 88-95).
Regarding claim 9, Cui discloses the parking assistance system of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to, when it is determined that the vehicle is on the inclined road, adjust the braking force applied by the main brake based on an inclination angle of a road surface on which the vehicle is (paragraphs 86-96, 115-123).
Regarding claim 10, Cui discloses the parking assistance system of claim 3, wherein the preset first time is longer than the preset second time (paragraphs 86-106).
Regarding claim 11, Cui discloses a parking assistance method parking brake drive (Abstract; paragraph 9) comprising: identifying whether a driver inputs a P stage based on input information of a transmission gear (paragraphs 112-117); identifying whether a vehicle is braking and stopping (Abstract; paragraphs 115-122); controlling a braking force applied by a main brake to be maintained (paragraphs 112-120), wherein a duration of the braking control for maintaining the braking force applied by the main brake is shorter than or equal to a preset first time (paragraphs 112-117, 125-127); and controlling the braking force applied by the main brake to be released based on whether an electronic parking brake associated with at least one wheel of the vehicle is engaged or whether a target transmission gear is changed (paragraphs 112-122, 123-127).
Regarding claim 12, Cui discloses the parking assistance method of claim 11, wherein the controlling of the braking force applied by the main brake to be released comprises controlling the braking force applied by the main brake to be released when engagement of the electronic parking brake is completed (paragraphs 125-127, 185).
Regarding claim 17, Cui discloses the parking assistance method of claim 11, wherein, the identifying of whether the vehicle is braking and stopping comprises identifying whether the vehicle is braking and stopping based on a signal associated with displacement of a brake pedal or a signal associated with a wheel speed (paragraphs 122-127).
Regarding claim 18, Cui discloses the parking assistance method of claim 11, further comprises identifying whether the vehicle is on an inclined road based on a signal associated with a longitudinal acceleration (paragraphs 88-95).
Regarding claim 19, Cui discloses the parking assistance method of claim 11, further comprising, when the vehicle is on an inclined road, adjusting the braking force applied the main brake based on an inclination angle of a road surface on which the vehicle is (paragraphs 86-96, 115-123).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 6, 13-16 and 20 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to OMAR MORALES whose telephone number is (571)272-5923. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday thru Friday.
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/O.M/Examiner, Art Unit 3747
/LINDSAY M LOW/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3747