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
This communication is in response to application No. 18/823/777 filed on Sep 04, 2024. Claims 1-23 are currently pending and have been examined. Claims 1-23 have been rejected as follows.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on September 15, 2025 is being considered by the examiner.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's amendment and/or arguments with respect to the rejection under 35 USC 101
as set forth in the office action of 13 March 2026 have been considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the Claim Objections as set forth in the office action of 16 December 2025 have been withdrawn.
Applicant's amendment and/or arguments with respect to the rejection of claims
under 35 USC 103 as set forth in the office action of 16 December 2025 have been considered but are moot because the new ground(s) of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1, 2, and 3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over Mun (KR100189492B1) in view of Schumacher (US 8355233 B2).
Regarding claim 1, Mun teaches A vehicular sensing system, the vehicular sensing system comprising: at least one water sensor disposed at an interior of a vehicle equipped with the vehicular sensing system; (see at least [4]; " a plurality of water detection sensors mounted to detect the water inflow into the vehicle room ") Mun teaches at least one water sensor disposed at an interior of a vehicle equipped with the vehicular sensing system.
an electronic control unit (ECU) comprising electronic circuitry and associated software; (see at least [4]; "an electronic control unit (ECU) that automatically controls emergency devices") Mun teaches an electronic control unit (ECU) comprising electronic circuitry and associated software.
an electronic control unit (ECU) comprising electronic circuitry and associated software; (see at least [4]; "an electronic control unit (ECU) that automatically controls emergency devices") Mun teaches an electronic control unit (ECU) comprising electronic circuitry and associated software.
wherein, responsive to determination of presence of water within the equipped vehicle, an alert indicating presence of water within the interior of the equipped vehicle is generated (see at least [19];"As described above, the present invention configures an emergency device that automatically performs the necessary actions for emergency after recognizing the vehicle flooding into the water according to the vehicle accident, thereby protecting the driver or occupant when the vehicle is flooded. The emergency distress signal due to flooding is sent to the surface of the water so that the flooding of the vehicle can be easily and easily grasped at another location on the surface of the water.") Mun teaches an alert indicating the presence of water within the interior of the equipped vehicle in response to the determination of the presence of water.
Mun does not explicitly disclose wherein the vehicular sensing system, responsive to determination of presence of water within the equipped vehicle, electrically disconnects electrical devices proximate to the detected water from a power source of the equipped vehicle.
However, Schumacher teaches wherein the vehicular sensing system, responsive to determination of presence of water within the equipped vehicle, electrically disconnects electrical devices proximate to the detected water from a power source of the equipped vehicle. (see at least [0013]; "For this reason, the detection device is arranged on the vehicle battery. It is therefore ensured that as soon as wetness arrives in the vehicle battery, in particular as soon as the vehicle battery is surrounded by liquid, the poles of the battery are disconnected from the distribution system.")
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Mun to incorporate the teachings of Schumacher which teaches disconnecting the battery of the vehicle within the vehicle when water has been detected in order to avoid damaging the power source and associated connections.
Regarding claim 2, Mun teaches The vehicular sensing system of claim 1, wherein the at least one water sensor comprises a plurality of water sensors disposed at spaced apart locations within the equipped vehicle. (see at least [10]; "As shown in Fig. 1 and 2, a plurality of water detection sensors (1) for detecting the water inflow into the vehicle room due to the flooding of the vehicle is mounted in the engine room and the trunk of the vehicle,")
Regarding claim 3, Mun teaches The vehicular sensing system of claim 1, wherein the at least one water sensor is at least one selected from the group consisting of (i) disposed at an instrument panel within an interior cabin of the equipped vehicle, (ii) disposed at a center panel within the interior cabin of the equipped vehicle, (iii) disposed at floor of the interior cabin of the equipped vehicle, and (iv) disposed within a trunk of the equipped vehicle. (see at least [10]; "As shown in Fig. 1 and 2, a plurality of water detection sensors (1) for detecting the water inflow into the vehicle room due to the flooding of the vehicle is mounted in the engine room and the trunk of the vehicle,")
Claims 4-8 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over Mun (KR 100189492 B1) in view of Susumago (WO 2021234837 A1),
Regarding claim 4, Mun and Schumacher teach the limitations of claim 1, as discussed above, Mun does not explicitly disclose The vehicular sensing system of claim 1, wherein, responsive to determining presence of water within the equipped vehicle when an occupant is present within the equipped vehicle, the alert is generated via a display disposed within the equipped vehicle.
However, Susumago discloses a computer-implemented method for initializing a localization system for a vehicle, (see at least ¶ [1, 22, 61]; " The present invention relates to a navigation device that calculates and displays the current position of a vehicle….")
the alert is generated via a display disposed within the equipped vehicle. (see at least [68]; "The alarm output control unit 15 outputs, for example, a message or a voice notifying that flooding has occurred to a speaker or a display mounted on the vehicle 30.")
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Mun to incorporate teachings of Susumago which teaches determining the presence of water within a vehicle and a detection unit to determine whether it is occupied or not, and then generated a display to the user in order to prevent damage to the interior of the vehicle.
Regarding claim 5, Mun and Schumacher teach the limitations of claim 1, as discussed above, Mun does not explicitly disclose The vehicular sensing system of claim 4, wherein the vehicular sensing system determines whether the occupant is present within the equipped vehicle based at least in part on an output of a cabin monitoring system of the equipped vehicle.
However, Susumago teaches The vehicular sensing system of claim 4, wherein the vehicular sensing system determines whether the occupant is present within the equipped vehicle based at least in part on an output of a cabin monitoring system of the equipped vehicle. (see at least [97, 98]; "The occupant detection unit 142 detects an occupant existing in the vehicle based on the in-vehicle distance data acquired by the distance data acquisition unit 111 in step ST501 (step ST506). Here, the occupant detection unit 142 detects, for example, the rear seat occupant 34 existing in the rear seat 32. When the occupant detection unit 142 detects an occupant, the occupant detection unit 142 outputs the detected occupant information to the output unit.")
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Mun to incorporate teachings of Susumago which teaches determining whether an occupant is present in a vehicle or not based in part on an output of a cabin monitoring system in order to determine what the appropriate control action would need to be taken, such as whether a human is in danger during a flood or whether a window should be closed during a rain shower.
Regarding claim 6, Mun and Schumacher teach the limitations of claim 1, as discussed above, Mun does not explicitly disclose The vehicular sensing system of claim 1, wherein, responsive to determining presence of water within the equipped vehicle when an occupant is not present within the equipped vehicle, at least one selected from the group consisting of (i) an exterior light of the equipped vehicle is flashed and (ii) a horn of the equipped vehicle is actuated.
However, Susumago teaches The vehicular sensing system of claim 1, wherein, responsive to determining presence of water within the equipped vehicle when an occupant is not present within the equipped vehicle, at least one selected from the group consisting of (i) an exterior light of the equipped vehicle is flashed and (ii) a horn of the equipped vehicle is actuated. (see at least [66, 67]; "The alarm output control unit 15 outputs an alarm from the output device 3 when the alarm output required information is output from the flood detection unit 141. The output device 3 is, for example, a speaker mounted on the vehicle 30, a display mounted on the vehicle 30, or a mobile terminal owned by the owner of the vehicle 30. The output device 3 may be a hazard lamp, a horn (horn), or the like mounted on the vehicle 30.")
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Mun to incorporate teachings of Susumago which teaches turning an exterior light on or honking a horn in response to determining water is within the vehicle to notify a user that action may need to be taken in order to mitigate the water that is being detected to avoid damage to the vehicle or a dangerous situation.
Regarding claim 7, Mun and Schumacher teach the limitations of claim 1, as discussed above, Mun does not explicitly disclose The vehicular sensing system of claim 6, wherein the vehicular sensing system determines occupancy of the equipped vehicle based at least in part on an output of a cabin monitoring system of the equipped vehicle.
However, Susumago teaches The vehicular sensing system of claim 6, wherein the vehicular sensing system determines occupancy of the equipped vehicle based at least in part on an output of a cabin monitoring system of the equipped vehicle. (see at least [97, 98]; "The occupant detection unit 142 detects an occupant existing in the vehicle based on the in-vehicle distance data acquired by the distance data acquisition unit 111 in step ST501 (step ST506). Here, the occupant detection unit 142 detects, for example, the rear seat occupant 34 existing in the rear seat 32. When the occupant detection unit 142 detects an occupant, the occupant detection unit 142 outputs the detected occupant information to the output unit.")
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Mun to incorporate teachings of Susumago which teaches determining whether an occupant is present in a vehicle or not based in part on an output of a cabin monitoring system in order to determine what the appropriate control action would need to be taken, such as whether a human is in danger during a flood or whether a window should be closed during a rain shower
Regarding claim 8, Mun and Schumacher teach the limitations of claim 1, as discussed above, Mun does not appear to explicitly disclose The vehicular sensing system of claim 1, wherein the alert comprises a wireless communication to a user device of a user associated with the equipped vehicle.
However, Susumago teaches The vehicular sensing system of claim 1, wherein the alert comprises a wireless communication to a user device of a user associated with the equipped vehicle. (see at least [124]; "Further, the submersion detection device 1 includes a device such as an in-vehicle sensor 2, an output device 3, or an external device, and an input interface device 803 and an output interface device 804 for performing wired communication or wireless communication.")
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Mun to incorporate teachings of Susumago which teaches an alert to a wireless communication to a user’s device for the user’s awareness of the vehicle’s condition as well as allow them to control the vehicle from a distance to increase convenience.
Regarding claim 10, Mun and Schumacher teach the limitations of claim 1, as discussed above, Mun does not explicitly disclose The vehicular sensing system of claim 1, wherein, responsive to determining presence of water within the equipped vehicle, the vehicular sensing system determines whether an occupant is present within the equipped vehicle, and wherein the vehicular sensing system, responsive to determining that the occupant is not present within the equipped vehicle when presence of water is determined within the equipped vehicle, controls a function of the equipped vehicle.
However, Susamago teaches The vehicular sensing system of claim 1, wherein, responsive to determining presence of water within the equipped vehicle, the vehicular sensing system determines whether an occupant is present within the equipped vehicle, and (see at least [97, 98]; "The occupant detection unit 142 detects an occupant existing in the vehicle based on the in-vehicle distance data acquired by the distance data acquisition unit 111 in step ST501 (step ST506). Here, the occupant detection unit 142 detects, for example, the rear seat occupant 34 existing in the rear seat 32. When the occupant detection unit 142 detects an occupant, the occupant detection unit 142 outputs the detected occupant information to the output unit.")
wherein the vehicular sensing system, responsive to determining that the occupant is not present within the equipped vehicle when presence of water is determined within the equipped vehicle, controls a function of the equipped vehicle. (see at least [68, 116]; "The alarm output control unit 15 outputs, for example, a message or a voice notifying that flooding has occurred to a speaker or a display mounted on the vehicle 30. ..The flood detection device 1 does not have to include the occupant detection unit 142. ")
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Mun to incorporate teachings of Susumago which teaches determining whether an occupant is present in a vehicle after determining water is present in the cabin and then taking a control action in order to avoid accident or injury to a user.
Claim(s) 9, 11, and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mun (KR 100189492 B1) in view of Susumago (WO 2021234837 A1) further in view of Srivastava (US 20220153227 A1).
Regarding claim 9, Mun and Susumago in combination teache the limitation of claim 8 as discussed above, Mun does not explicitly disclose The vehicular sensing system of claim 8, wherein the alert is communicated to the user device of the user responsive to determining presence of water within the equipped vehicle when an occupant is not present within the equipped vehicle.
However, Srivastava teaches The vehicular sensing system of claim 8, wherein the alert is communicated to the user device of the user responsive to determining presence of water within the equipped vehicle when an occupant is not present within the equipped vehicle. (see at least [0032]; " Each of the sensor(s) 108 of FIG. 1A is configured to generate sensor data (e.g., raw and/or pre-processed sensor data), which enables the smart window application 118 to determine when and/or how to take action in connection with alerting the user of the primary user device 110 and/or cooling the vehicle cabin. The sensor(s) 108 include, but are not limited to, one or more temperature sensors, one or more GPS locators, one or more cameras, one or more LiDAR sensors, one or more RADAR sensors, one or more ignition key sensors, one or more seat weight sensors, one or more seat belt sensors, one or more microphones or noise level sensors, and the like, any other suitable sensor(s) or sensing device(s) capable of generating sensor data, or a combination thereof. In some examples, at least some of the sensor(s) 108 are part of the vehicle system(s) 112, 114, and/or at least some of the sensor(s) 108 are separate components installed on the vehicle 102. In particular, the smart window application 118 analyzes and/or processes at least some or all of the sensor data (and/or data provided by the vehicle system(s) 112, 114) to detect a certain condition or status of the vehicle 102 indicating that the user likely requires assistance in cooling the cabin of the vehicle 102 and/or providing aid to an unattended occupant (e.g., one of a child, a pet, etc.) in the vehicle 102. Further, in some examples, the smart window application 118 advantageously utilizes data obtained from the resource(s) 126 to facilitate determining the status of the vehicle 102, such as the weather information and/or crime information for a detected location of the parked vehicle 102.")
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Mun to incorporate teachings of Srivastava which teaches communicating with a user device after the detection of water for increased convenience of the user and to protect damage from occurring to the vehicle.
Regarding claim 11, Mun and Susumago, in combination, teach the limitation of claim 10 as discussed above, Mun does not explicitly disclose The vehicular sensing system of claim 10, wherein controlling the function of the equipped vehicle comprises closing a window of the equipped vehicle.
However, Srivastava teaches The vehicular sensing system of claim 10, wherein controlling the function of the equipped vehicle comprises closing a window of the equipped vehicle (see at least [Fig. 6, Fig. 7, 0019, 0021]; " More particularly, certain events and/or changes in the environment can be detected by the smart window application, wherein closing or adjusting one or more windows of the vehicle would be advantageous. In some examples, the window(s) of the vehicle can be closed (e.g., partially or fully rolled up) when a certain detected weather event that may adversely affect a vehicle interior is occurring or will occur imminently. The detected weather event could be, for example, a dust or sand storm, rain, and the like, where certain environmental elements (e.g., any of dust, dirt, sand, water, etc.) are airborne and/or substantially present in the environment, which can wear and/or degrade a vehicle interior that is exposed to the environment")
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Mun to incorporate teachings of Srivastava which teaches closing a window based on the detection of water in order to prevent damage to the vehicle from weather conditions.
Regarding claim 12, Mun and Susumago in combination teach the limitation of claim 10 as discussed above, Mun does not explicitly disclose The vehicular sensing system of claim 10, wherein controlling the function of the equipped vehicle comprises closing a sunroof of the equipped vehicle.
However, Srivastava teaches The vehicular sensing system of claim 10, wherein controlling the function of the equipped vehicle comprises closing a sunroof of the equipped vehicle. (see at least [Fig. 6, Fig. 7, 0019, 0021]; " More particularly, certain events and/or changes in the environment can be detected by the smart window application, wherein closing or adjusting one or more windows of the vehicle would be advantageous. In some examples, the window(s) of the vehicle can be closed (e.g., partially or fully rolled up) when a certain detected weather event that may adversely affect a vehicle interior is occurring or will occur imminently. The detected weather event could be, for example, a dust or sand storm, rain, and the like, where certain environmental elements (e.g., any of dust, dirt, sand, water, etc.) are airborne and/or substantially present in the environment, which can wear and/or degrade a vehicle interior that is exposed to the environment")
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Mun to incorporate teachings of Srivastava which teaches closing a window or sunroof based on the detection of water in order to prevent damage to the vehicle from weather conditions.
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over Mun (KR 100189492 B1) in view of Marchlewski (US 10549790 B2).
Regarding claim 13, Mun and Schumacher teach the limitations of claim 1, as discussed above, Mun does not explicitly disclose The vehicular sensing system of claim 1, further comprising a drain stopper disposed at a drain at the floor of the equipped vehicle, and wherein the drain stopper, when water is not present within the equipped vehicle, blocks the drain, and wherein thedrain stopper, when water is determined to be present within the equipped vehicle, adjusts to allow the water to pass through the drain.
However, Marchlewski teaches The vehicular sensing system of claim 1, further comprising a drain stopper disposed at a drain at floor of the equipped vehicle, and wherein the drain stopper, when water is not present within the equipped vehicle, blocks the drain, and wherein thedrain stopper, when water is determined to be present within the equipped vehicle, adjusts to allow the water to pass through the drain. (see at least [3]; " A drain assembly is coupled with the flooring component which includes a plug having a one-way valve and defining a plug opening. A drain defines a drain aperture to accept the plug. The drain defines a drain opening in alignment with the gap."
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Mun to incorporate teachings of Marchlewski which teaches a valve which drains water when water is present and seals when water is not present in order to have a convenience method to rid the vehicle of water to prevent long term damage to the vehicle such as mold or corrosion.
Claim(s) 14 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mun (KR 100189492 B1) in view Marchlewski (US 10549790 B2) further in view of Zhang (CN 105539376 A).
Regarding claim 14, Mun and Marchlewski in combination teach the limitation of claim 13 as discussed above, Mun does not explicitly disclose The vehicular sensing system of claim 13, wherein the at least one water sensor is disposed at the drain in the floor of the equipped vehicle.
However, Zhang teaches The vehicular sensing system of claim 13, wherein the at least one water sensor is disposed at the drain in the floor of the equipped vehicle. (see at least [17]; "the humidity sensor of the vehicle bottom 9 controls the alarm lamp 12 is green…hydraulic control switch 10 is switched on and the micro water pump for vehicle bottom 2 the seeper in the vehicle quickly discharged through the drain pipe 16, ")
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Mun to incorporate teachings of Zhang which teaches a water sensor at the drain of the floor of the equipped vehicle in order to get the most accurate readings of whether the water has completely cleared out or not to avoid further damage to the interior of the vehicle.
Regarding claim 15, Mun and Marchlewski in combination teach the limitation of claim 13 as discussed above, Mun does not explicitly disclose The vehicular sensing system of claim 13, wherein the vehicular sensing system adjusts the drain stopper responsive to determining presence of water within the equipped vehicle.
However, Zhang teaches The vehicular sensing system of claim 13, wherein the vehicular sensing system adjusts the drain stopper responsive to determining presence of water within the equipped vehicle. (see at least [8, 9, 10, 11]; "Further, the humidity sensor is humidity can be set according to the requirement, said controller receives the humidity signal of humidity sensor and according to the received humidity signal to control the color of the alarm lamp, the bottom of the water alarm lamp is red, the absolute humidity exceeds the set value, the alarming lamp is green. Furthermore, the vehicle air conditioner bottom blowing, the bottom blowing specific functions as air outlet spring pad is spring cavity enters the bottom of automobile and open the fan switch.Further, the humidity sensor is (0 ~ 100) %RH humidity sensors. The device will adopt the spring pad and instead of the spring cushion between the vehicle bottom and rubber mat to form a air-flow cavity, the vehicle at the lowest position is disposed a hydraulic control switch is a water pump and a drain pipe, the automobile bottom with water, the liquid control switch controlled by the controller to alarm lamp is red and connects the motor water pump to drain water. ")
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Mun to incorporate teachings of Zhang which teaches adjusting a drain based on a water sensor in order to avoid damage to the vehicle by activating water draining procedures.
Claim 16 is rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over Mun (KR 100189492 B1) in view of Ventimiglia (US 20210190516 A1).
Regarding claim 16, Mun and Schumacher teach the limitations of claim 1, as discussed above, Mun does not explicitly disclose The vehicular sensing system of claim 1, wherein the at least one water sensor is operable to capture sensor data, and wherein the electronic circuitry of the ECU comprises a data processor for processing sensor data captured by the at least one water sensor.
However, Ventimigllia teaches The vehicular sensing system of claim 1, wherein the at least one water sensor is operable to capture sensor data, and (see at least [0007, 0030, 0029]; "a sensing module for monitoring a cabin of a vehicle includes an environmental sensor configured to sense organic compounds in ambient air of the cabin, a particle sensor configured to detect particulate matter in the ambient air, the particle sensor including an inlet,…To this end, depending on the particular qualities, conditions, or statuses of the vehicle 102 to be monitored, the sensors 116, 120 may comprise a wide variety of sensors including, for example, cameras, microphones, gyroscopes, accelerometers, smoke detectors or other air-quality/particle sensors, temperature sensors, and/or humidity sensors. The in-vehicle sensing module 112 includes at least a processor, a memory, and the one or more integrated sensors 116 integrated into a common enclosure that is installed into the cabin 108 of the vehicle. ")
wherein the electronic circuitry of the ECU comprises a data processor for processing sensor data captured by the at least one water sensor. (see at least [0027]; "In one embodiment, the vehicle ECU 128 communicates certain telemetric data to the in-vehicle sensing module 112, such as vehicle speed or travel direction and, thus, the vehicle ECU 128 may be considered one of the external sensors 120…, the in-vehicle sensing module 112 is configured to process sensor data received from the sensors")
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Mun to incorporate teachings of Ventimiglia which teaches a sensor being able to capture data and an ECU comprising of a data processor in order to communicate the data to the user to take the necessary action to protect the vehicle.
Claim(s) 17, 18 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mun in view of Schumacher, Zhang, and Susumago further in view of Srivastava.
Regarding claim 17, Mun discloses an electronic control unit (ECU) comprising electronic circuitry and associated software; (see at least [4]; "an electronic control unit (ECU) that automatically controls emergency devices") Mun teaches an electronic control unit (ECU) comprising electronic circuitry and associated software.
wherein, responsive to receiving at the ECU an output of the at least one water sensor, presence of water within the equipped vehicle is determined; (see at least [13] ; "According to the configuration of the exemplary embodiment described above, when the vehicle is flooded into the water by accident, the water sensor 1 mounted in the trunk of the vehicle and the engine room detects the amount of water flowing into the vehicle compartment, The indoor air pressure sensor 2 and the indoor air sensor 3 mounted in the vehicle cabin automatically detect the indoor air pressure and the air amount in the vehicle cabin and output the same to the electronic control unit 4.") Mum describes responsive to receiving at the ECU an output of the at least one water sensor, presence of water within the equipped vehicle is determined.
Mun discloses the limitations of claim 1 as discussed above, but fails to disclose A vehicular sensing system, the vehicular sensing system comprising: at least one water sensor disposed at a floor of an interior cabin of a vehicle equipped with the vehicular sensing system; wherein the vehicular sensing system determines occupancy of the equipped vehicle based at least in part on an output of a cabin monitoring system of the equipped vehicle; wherein, responsive to determining presence of water within the equipped vehicle when an occupant is not present within the equipped vehicle, a first alert indicating presence of water within the interior of the equipped vehicle is communicated to a user device of a user associated with the equipped vehicle; and wherein, responsive to determining presence of water within the equipped vehicle when an occupant is present within the equipped vehicle, a second alert indicating presence of water within the interior of the equipped vehicle is displayed at a display disposed within the equipped vehicle, and wherein the vehicular sensing system, responsive to determining presence of water within the equipped vehicle, electrically disconnects electrical devices proximate to the detected water from a power source of the equipped vehicle. .
However, Zhang teaches A vehicular sensing system, the vehicular sensing system comprising: at least one water sensor disposed at a floor of an interior cabin of a vehicle equipped with the vehicular sensing system; (see at least [17]; "the humidity sensor of the vehicle bottom 9 controls the alarm lamp 12 is green) Zhang describes a humidity sensor, which senses water, disposed at the floor of an interior cabin of a vehicle equipped with a vehicular sensing system.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Mun to incorporate teachings of Zhang which teaches a water sensor at the floor of a cabin as part of a vehicle sensing system to in order to attain an accurate reading of where water may pool and avoid further damage to the vehicle.
Mun and Zhang, in combination, do not explicitly disclose wherein the vehicular sensing system determines occupancy of the equipped vehicle based at least in part on an output of a cabin monitoring system of the equipped vehicle; wherein, responsive to determining presence of water within the equipped vehicle when an occupant is not present within the equipped vehicle, a first alert indicating presence of water within the interior of the equipped vehicle is communicated to a user device of a user associated with the equipped vehicle; and wherein, responsive to determining presence of water within the equipped vehicle when an occupant is present within the equipped vehicle, a second alert indicating presence of water within the interior of the equipped vehicle is displayed at a display disposed within the equipped vehicle, and wherein the vehicular sensing system, responsive to determining presence of water within the equipped vehicle, electrically disconnects electrical devices proximate to the detected water from a power source of the equipped vehicle.
However, Susumago teaches wherein the vehicular sensing system determines occupancy of the equipped vehicle based at least in part on an output of a cabin monitoring system of the equipped vehicle; (see at least [97, 98]; "The occupant detection unit 142 detects an occupant existing in the vehicle based on the in-vehicle distance data acquired by the distance data acquisition unit 111 in step ST501 (step ST506). Here, the occupant detection unit 142 detects, for example, the rear seat occupant 34 existing in the rear seat 32. When the occupant detection unit 142 detects an occupant, the occupant detection unit 142 outputs the detected occupant information to the output unit.") Susumago teaches a vehicular sensing system that determined occupancy of the equipped vehicle based on an output of a cabin monitoring system of the equipped vehicle.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Mun to incorporate teachings of Susumago which teaches determining whether an occupant is present in a vehicle or not based in part on an output of a cabin monitoring system in order to determine what the appropriate control action would need to be taken, such as whether a human is in danger during a flood or whether a window should be closed during a rain shower.
Mun, Zhang and Susamago, in combination, do not explicitly disclose wherein, responsive to determining presence of water within the equipped vehicle when an occupant is not present within the equipped vehicle, a first alert indicating presence of water within the interior of the equipped vehicle is communicated to a user device of a user associated with the equipped vehicle; and wherein, responsive to determining presence of water within the equipped vehicle when an occupant is present within the equipped vehicle, a second alert indicating presence of water within the interior of the equipped vehicle is displayed at a display disposed within the equipped vehicle and wherein the vehicular sensing system, responsive to determining presence of water within the equipped vehicle, electrically disconnects electrical devices proximate to the detected water from a power source of the equipped vehicle. .
However, Srivastava teaches wherein, responsive to determining presence of water within the equipped vehicle when an occupant is not present within the equipped vehicle, a first alert indicating presence of water within the interior of the equipped vehicle is communicated to a user device of a user associated with the equipped vehicle; and (see at least [0021, 0019, 0020]; "The detected weather event could be, for example, a dust or sand storm, rain, and the like, where certain environmental elements (e.g., any of dust, dirt, sand, water, etc.) are airborne and/or substantially present in the environment, which can wear and/or degrade a vehicle interior that is exposed to the environment… In particular, if a certain usage condition or status of the vehicle is detected based on the data, a user of the vehicle (e.g., the owner or driver) may be alerted and/or notified with respect to the detected status of the vehicle… A customer or user interested in actively cooling and/or monitoring their parked vehicle can interact with an example smart window application (e.g., a cloud application), for example, via a mobile or electronic device (e.g., any of smartphone, a tablet, a smart key fob, etc.). Such an electronic device can enable the user, for example, to (a) view notifications or information related to the detected status of their vehicle and/or (b) select one or more options related to cooling the cabin of the vehicle and/or providing aid to the unattended occupant. ") Srivastava teaches a system that communicates to a user when it is determined they are not in the vehicle and water is detected within the equipped vehicle, which could be the first alert to the user.
wherein, responsive to determining presence of water within the equipped vehicle when an occupant is present within the equipped vehicle, a second alert indicating presence of water within the interior of the equipped vehicle is displayed at a display disposed within the equipped vehicle. (see at least [0021, 0019, 0037]; "The detected weather event could be, for example, a dust or sand storm, rain, and the like, where certain environmental elements (e.g., any of dust, dirt, sand, water, etc.) are airborne and/or substantially present in the environment, which can wear and/or degrade a vehicle interior that is exposed to the environment… In particular, if a certain usage condition or status of the vehicle is detected based on the data, a user of the vehicle (e.g., the owner or driver) may be alerted and/or notified with respect to the detected status of the vehicle…In some examples, the alert dispatcher 120 enables the user of the primary user device 110 to receive a user alert generated by the smart window application 118 and/or view data associated with the user alert. For example, the alert dispatcher 120 can transmit, via the second communication link(s) 130, the first or second user alert to the primary user device 110, and the primary user device 110, upon receiving the alert, is configured to notify the user of the alert. To notify the user of an alert generated by the smart window application 118, the primary user device 110 can, for example, display a certain message on a screen of the primary user device 110 and/or generate certain sound(s) via an audio transducer or speaker of the primary user device 110 based on the data encoded in the alert") Srivastava teaches a system which displays a second alert at a display within the equipped vehicle to the user when the presence of water is determined.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Mun to incorporate teachings of Srivastava which teaches multiple methods to alert to user of the status of the vehicle in order for the user to take action to protect the vehicle from damage.
Mun, Zhang, Srivastava and Susamago, in combination, do not explicitly disclose wherein the vehicular sensing system, responsive to determining presence of water within the equipped vehicle, electrically disconnects electrical devices proximate to the detected water from a power source of the equipped vehicle.
However, Schumacher teaches wherein the vehicular sensing system, responsive to determination of presence of water within the equipped vehicle, electrically disconnects electrical devices proximate to the detected water from a power source of the equipped vehicle. (see at least [0013]; "For this reason, the detection device is arranged on the vehicle battery. It is therefore ensured that as soon as wetness arrives in the vehicle battery, in particular as soon as the vehicle battery is surrounded by liquid, the poles of the battery are disconnected from the distribution system.")
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Mun to incorporate the teachings of Schumacher which teaches disconnecting the battery of the vehicle within the vehicle when water has been detected in order to avoid damaging the power source and associated connections.
Regarding claim 18, Mun, Susumago, Zhang and Srivastava in combination teach the limitation of claim 17 as discussed above, furthermore, Susamago discloses The vehicular sensing system of claim 17, wherein, responsive to determining presence of water within the equipped vehicle when an occupant is not present within the equipped vehicle, at least one selected from the group consisting of (i) an exterior light of the equipped vehicle is flashed and (ii) a horn of the equipped vehicle is actuated. (See at least [66, 67]; "The alarm output control unit 15 outputs an alarm from the output device 3 when the alarm output required information is output from the flood detection unit 141. The output device 3 is, for example, a speaker mounted on the vehicle 30, a display mounted on the vehicle 30, or a mobile terminal owned by the owner of the vehicle 30. The output device 3 may be a hazard lamp, a horn (horn), or the like mounted on the vehicle 30.")
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Mun to incorporate teachings of Susumago which teaches turning an exterior light on or honking a horn in response to determining water is within the vehicle to notify a user that action may need to be taken in order to mitigate the water that is being detected to avoid damage to the vehicle or a dangerous situation.
Regarding claim 19, Mun, Susumago, Zhang and Srivastava teach the limitation of claim 17 as discussed above, furthermore, Srivastava discloses The vehicular sensing system of claim 17, wherein, responsive to determining presence of water within the equipped vehicle when an occupant is not present within the equipped vehicle, at least one selected from the group consisting of (i) a window of the equipped vehicle is closed and (ii) a sunroof of the equipped vehicle is closed. (see at least [0019, 0021]; " More particularly, certain events and/or changes in the environment can be detected by the smart window application, wherein closing or adjusting one or more windows of the vehicle would be advantageous. In some examples, the window(s) of the vehicle can be closed (e.g., partially or fully rolled up) when a certain detected weather event that may adversely affect a vehicle interior is occurring or will occur imminently. The detected weather event could be, for example, a dust or sand storm, rain, and the like, where certain environmental elements (e.g., any of dust, dirt, sand, water, etc.) are airborne and/or substantially present in the environment, which can wear and/or degrade a vehicle interior that is exposed to the environment")
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Mun to incorporate teachings of Srivastava which teaches closing a window or sunroof based on the detection of water in order to prevent damage to the vehicle from weather conditions.
Claim(s) 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mun in view of Schumacher and Susamago.
Regarding claim 20, Mun teaches a vehicular sensing system, the vehicular sensing system comprising: at least one water sensor disposed at an interior of a vehicle equipped with the vehicular sensing system; (see at least [4]; " a plurality of water detection sensors mounted to detect the water inflow into the vehicle room ") Mun teaches at least one water sensor disposed at an interior of a vehicle equipped with the vehicular sensing system.
an electronic control unit (ECU) comprising electronic circuitry and associated software; (see at least [4]; "an electronic control unit (ECU) that automatically controls emergency devices") Mun teaches an electronic control unit (ECU) comprising electronic circuitry and associated software.
wherein, responsive to receiving at the ECU an output of the at least one water sensor, presence of water within the equipped vehicle is determined; (see at least [13] "According to the configuration of the exemplary embodiment described above, when the vehicle is flooded into the water by accident, the water sensor 1 mounted in the trunk of the vehicle and the engine room detects the amount of water flowing into the vehicle compartment, The indoor air pressure sensor 2 and the indoor air sensor 3 mounted in the vehicle cabin automatically detect the indoor air pressure and the air amount in the vehicle cabin and output the same to the electronic control unit 4.") Mum describes responsive to receiving at the ECU an output of the at least one water sensor, presence of water within the equipped vehicle is determined.
Mun teaches the limitation of claim 20 as discussed above, Mun does not appear to explicitly disclose wherein the vehicular sensing system determines occupancy of the equipped vehicle based at least in part on an output of a cabin monitoring system of the equipped vehicle; wherein the vehicular sensing system, responsive to determining presence of water within the equipped vehicle, electrically disconnects electrical devices proximate to the detected water from a power source of the equipped vehicle;wherein the vehicular sensing system, responsive to determining that an occupant is not present within the equipped vehicle when presence of water is determined within the equipped vehicle, controls a function of the equipped vehicle; and wherein controlling the function of the equipped vehicle comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of (i) closing a window of the equipped vehicle, (ii) closing a sunroof of the equipped vehicle, (iii) flashing an exterior light of the equipped vehicle, and (iv) actuating a horn of the equipped vehicle.
However, Susumago teaches wherein the vehicular sensing system determines occupancy of the equipped vehicle based at least in part on an output of a cabin monitoring system of the equipped vehicle; (see at least [97, 98]; "The occupant detection unit 142 detects an occupant existing in the vehicle based on the in-vehicle distance data acquired by the distance data acquisition unit 111 in step ST501 (step ST506). Here, the occupant detection unit 142 detects, for example, the rear seat occupant 34 existing in the rear seat 32. When the occupant detection unit 142 detects an occupant, the occupant detection unit 142 outputs the detected occupant information to the output unit.") Susumago teaches a vehicular sensing system that determined occupancy of the equipped vehicle based on an output of a cabin monitoring system of the equipped vehicle.
wherein the vehicular sensing system, responsive to determining that an occupant is not present within the equipped vehicle when presence of water is determined within the equipped vehicle, (see at least [27]; "The detection unit 14 includes a flood detection unit 141 and an occupant detection unit 142.") Susamago teaches a vehicular sensing system to determine the presence of water and determine the presence of an occupant.
controls a function of the equipped vehicle; and wherein controlling the function of the equipped vehicle comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of (i) closing a window of the equipped vehicle, (ii) closing a sunroof of the equipped vehicle, (iii) flashing an exterior light of the equipped vehicle, and (iv) actuating a horn of the equipped vehicle. (see at least [66, 67]; "The alarm output control unit 15 outputs an alarm from the output device 3 when the alarm output required information is output from the flood detection unit 141. The output device 3 is, for example, a speaker mounted on the vehicle 30, a display mounted on the vehicle 30, or a mobile terminal owned by the owner of the vehicle 30. The output device 3 may be a hazard lamp, a horn (horn), or the like mounted on the vehicle 30.") Susumago teaches controlling a function of the vehicle to include flashing an hazard lamp.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Mun to incorporate teachings of Susumago which teaches determining an occupant is not present, then turning an exterior light on or honking a horn in response to determining water is within the vehicle to notify a user that action may need to be taken in order to mitigate the water that is being detected to avoid damage to the vehicle.
Susamago and Mun, in combination, do not explicitly disclose wherein the vehicular sensing system, responsive to determining presence of water within the equipped vehicle, electrically disconnects electrical devices proximate to the detected water from a power source of the equipped vehicle;
However, Schumacher teaches wherein the vehicular sensing system, responsive to determination of presence of water within the equipped vehicle, electrically disconnects electrical devices proximate to the detected water from a power source of the equipped vehicle. (see at least [0013]; "For this reason, the detection device is arranged on the vehicle battery. It is therefore ensured that as soon as wetness arrives in the vehicle battery, in particular as soon as the vehicle battery is surrounded by liquid, the poles of the battery are disconnected from the distribution system.")
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Mun to incorporate the teachings of Schumacher which teaches disconnecting the battery of the vehicle within the vehicle when water has been detected in order to avoid damaging the power source and associated connections.
Claim(s) 21 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mun and Saramago, in further view of Srivastava.
Regarding claim 21, Mun and Susumago in combination teaches the limitation of claim 20 as discussed above, Mun and Susumago do not explicitly disclose The vehicular sensing system of claim 20, wherein, responsive to determining presence of water within the equipped vehicle when an occupant is not present within the equipped vehicle, a wireless communication indicating presence of water within the interior of the equipped vehicle is communicated to a user device of a user associated with the equipped vehicle.
However, Srivasta teaches The vehicular sensing system of claim 20, wherein, responsive to determining presence of water within the equipped vehicle when an occupant is not present within the equipped vehicle, an indicating presence of water within the interior of the equipped vehicle is communicated to a user device of a user associated with the equipped vehicle. (see at least [0021, 0019, 0020]; "The detected weather event could be, for example, a dust or sand storm, rain, and the like, where certain environmental elements (e.g., any of dust, dirt, sand, water, etc.) are airborne and/or substantially present in the environment, which can wear and/or degrade a vehicle interior that is exposed to the environment… In particular, if a certain usage condition or status of the vehicle is detected based on the data, a user of the vehicle (e.g., the owner or driver) may be alerted and/or notified with respect to the detected status of the vehicle… A customer or user interested in actively cooling and/or monitoring their parked vehicle can interact with an example smart window application (e.g., a cloud application), for example, via a mobile or electronic device (e.g., any of smartphone, a tablet, a smart key fob, etc.). Such an electronic device can enable the user, for example, to (a) view notifications or information related to the detected status of their vehicle and/or (b) select one or more options related to cooling the cabin of the vehicle and/or providing aid to the unattended occupant. ")
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Mun to incorporate teachings of Susumago which teaches an alert to a wireless communication to a user’s device for the user’s awareness of the vehicle’s condition as well as allow them to control the vehicle from a distance to increase convenience.
Claim(s) 22 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mun and Saramago, in further view of Marchlewski.
Regarding claim 22, Mun in combination with Susumago teach the limitation of claim 20 as discussed above, Mun and Susumago do not explicitly disclose The vehicular sensing system of claim 20, further comprising a drain stopper disposed at a drain at floor of the equipped vehicle, and wherein the drain stopper, when water is not present within the equipped vehicle, blocks the drain, and wherein the drain stopper, when water is determined to be present within the equipped vehicle, adjusts to allow the water to pass through the drain
However, Marchlewski teaches The vehicular sensing system of claim 20, further comprising a drain stopper disposed at a drain at the floor of the equipped vehicle, and wherein the drain stopper, when water is not present within the equipped vehicle, blocks the drain, and wherein the drain stopper, when water is determined to be present within the equipped vehicle, adjusts to allow the water to pass through the drain. (see at least [3]; " A drain assembly is coupled with the flooring component which includes a plug having a one-way valve and defining a plug opening. A drain defines a drain aperture to accept the plug. The drain defines a drain opening in alignment with the gap.")
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Mun to incorporate teachings of Marchlewski which teaches a valve which drains water when water is present and seals when water is not present in order to have a convenience method to rid the vehicle of water to prevent long term damage to the vehicle such as mold or corrosion.
Claim(s) 23 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mun and Saramago, in further view of Zhang.
Regarding claim 23, Mun, Susumago and Marchlewski in combination teaches the limitation of claim 20 as discussed above, combination of Mun, Susumago and Marchlewski do not explicitly disclose the vehicular sensing system of claim 22, wherein the at least one water sensor is disposed at the drain in a floor of the equipped vehicle.
However, Zhang teaches The vehicular sensing system of claim 22, wherein the at least one water sensor is disposed at the drain in the floor of the equipped vehicle.(see at least [17]; "the humidity sensor of the vehicle bottom 9 controls the alarm lamp 12 is green…hydraulic control switch 10 is switched on and the micro water pump for vehicle bottom 2 the seeper in the vehicle quickly discharged through the drain pipe 16, ")
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Mun to incorporate teachings of Zhang which teaches a water sensor at the drain of the floor of the equipped vehicle in order to get the most accurate readings of whether the water has completely cleared out or not to avoid further damage to the interior of the vehicle.
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 HANA VICTORIA HALL whose telephone number is (571)272-5289. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5.Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
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/HANA VICTORIA HALL/
Examiner, Art Unit 3664
/RACHID BENDIDI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3664
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