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 . Claims 1-19 and 31-41 are currently pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
2. 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 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Claims 1, 2, 5, 7-9, and 11-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the non-patent literature document titled Time-Synchronization Method for CAN-Ethernet Networks with Gateways (hereinafter “Kim”)1, in view of U.S. Publication No. 2020/0393891 A1 (hereinafter “Baggett”).
Regarding claims 1 and 13: Kim teaches a method for determining a plurality of propagation delays between a head node and a plurality of bus nodes of a data bus system, the propagation delays determined by an exchange of predetermined measurement messages, the method comprising: for each measurement cycle of a plurality of measurement cycles:
selecting, by the head node, a selected one of the bus nodes; [and] determining, by the head node, a propagation delay between the head node and the selected one of the bus nodes by exchanging the measurement messages (see, e.g., section 2 PTP; note applicability to a CAN and/or CAN-Ethernet network; figure 1, section 3.4; note a master sends measurement messages to a slave in order to calculate delay).
Kim discusses different messaging mechanisms and acknowledges that simultaneous messaging causes collisions (see, e.g., section 3.4). Kim does not explicitly state “switching, by the head node, each bus node of the bus nodes other than the selected one of the bus nodes by way of at least one sleep message from an awake state in which the bus node responds to measurement messages to a predetermined sleep state in which the bus node remains unresponsive to measurement messages”; nor “activating, by the head node, each bus node of the bus nodes other than the selected one of the bus nodes from the sleep state by way of at least one wake-up signal.” However, in a similar field of endeavor as Kim, Baggett teaches these features (see, e.g., figures 2-4, [0050]-[0057], [0062]-[0068]; note awareness of node state via responsiveness and subsequent bus node signaling, switching, and activation for node isolation). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the application to incorporate features from the system of Baggett, such as the signaling and/or bus node isolation functionality, within the system of Kim, in order to reduce collisions for diagnostic testing.
The rationale set forth above regarding the method of claim 1 is applicable to the node of claim 13.
Regarding claim 2: Kim modified by Baggett further teaches determining, by the head node, prior to a first one of the measurement cycles and/or between each of the measurement cycles whether all of the bus nodes are in the awake state; and in response to determining that at least one of the bus nodes is in the sleep state, switching the at least one of the bus nodes to the awake state by way of an additional wake-up signal (see, e.g., Baggett [0049]-[0057], [0063]-[0073]; note state/mode switching functionality). The motivation set forth above regarding claim 1 is applicable to claim 2.
Regarding claim 5: Kim modified by Baggett further teaches wherein during each measurement cycle of the measurement cycles, the at least one wake-up signal is transmitted before a last measurement message of the measurement cycle is transmitted (see, e.g., Baggett [0049]-[0057], [0063]-[0073]; note state/mode switching functionality). The motivation set forth above regarding claim 1 is applicable to claim 5.
Regarding claim 7: Kim modified by Baggett further teaches wherein the at least one wake-up signal is transmitted in response to detecting that a data transmission on the data bus meets a predetermined reliability criterion (see, e.g., Baggett [0050]-[0054], [0065]; note monitoring and/or threshold criteria). The motivation set forth above regarding claim 1 is applicable to claim 7.
Regarding claim 8: Kim modified by Baggett further teaches wherein the at least one wake-up signal is transmitted in response to determining that the exchange of the measurement messages has proceeded according to a predetermined protocol, and wherein, if the exchange of the measurement messages has not proceeded according to the predetermined protocol, the measurement cycle is repeated (see, e.g., Baggett figures 2-4, [0050]-[0057], [0062]-[0068]; note awareness of node state via responsiveness and subsequent bus node signaling, switching, and activation for node isolation). The motivation set forth above regarding claim 1 is applicable to claim 8.
Regarding claim 9: Kim modified by Baggett further teaches wherein in the data bus, the head node and the bus nodes are connected to a common bus line and a message on the bus line reaches each of the bus nodes other than one of the bus nodes that transmitted the message (see, e.g., Baggett figures 2-4, note also the explanation set forth above regarding claim 1). The motivation set forth above regarding claim 1 is applicable to claim 9.
Regarding claim 11: Kim modified by Baggett further teaches wherein the determining of the propagation delays is started in response to detecting at least one predetermined trigger event (see, e.g., (see, e.g., Kim section 2 PTP, figure 1, section 3.4; note calculation and/or testing is initiated; see also the explanation set forth above regarding claim 1).
Regarding claim 12: Kim modified by Baggett further teaches wherein at least one further bus subscriber is additionally connected to the data bus and the at least one further bus subscriber is excluded from the determining of the propagation delays and does not respond to the measurement messages, and each of the at least one further bus subscriber remains excluded from the switching to the sleep state during the measurement cycles (see, e.g., Baggett figures 2-4, [0050]-[0057], [0062]-[0068]; note awareness of node state via responsiveness and subsequent bus node signaling to one or more nodes, i.e. not necessarily all nodes). The motivation set forth above regarding claim 1 is applicable to claim 12.
Regarding claim 14: Kim modified by Baggett further teach a data bus system for a vehicle, the bus system comprising: a head node according to claim 13; and the plurality of other bus nodes (see, e.g., Kim section 1, 3.4; and/or Baggett figures 2-5, [0030]; note applicability to bus system in a vehicle network including a head node and a plurality of other bus nodes). The motivation for modification set forth above regarding claim 13 is applicable to claim 14.
Regarding claim 15: Kim modified by Baggett further teach a motor vehicle (10) comprising: a data bus system according to claim 14 (see, e.g., Kim section 1, 3.4; and/or Baggett figures 2-5, [0030]; note applicability to bus system in a vehicle network including a head node and a plurality of other bus nodes). The motivation for modification set forth above regarding claim 13 is applicable to claim 15.
Allowable Subject Matter
6. Claims 3, 4, 6, and 10 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.
Relevant Art
7. The following prior art not relied upon in this Office action is considered pertinent to Applicant's disclosure: See form PTO-892.
Conclusion
8. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NICHOLAS SLOMS whose telephone number is (571)270-7520. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9AM-5PM EST.
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/NICHOLAS SLOMS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2476
1 Kim was cited in Applicant’s Information Disclosure Statement submitted July 31, 2024 (Non-Patent Literature Documents, cite no. 2).
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