DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 (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.
3. 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.
4. Claim(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Watanabe et al (JP 2020-090131).
Alternative limitations are written in italics and are not rejected.
As per claim 1, Watanabe et al discloses a vehicle braking control device (Title) which adjusts liquid pressures ([0002]) of front wheel (Cwi) and rear wheel cylinders (CWj) according to a braking required amount (Fd; [0087]), the vehicle braking control device comprising:
an applying unit (YM) including a cylinder (CM), and a supply chamber (Rm) and a servo chamber (Rs) partitioned by a piston (PM) inserted into the cylinder and sealed by a seal member (SL);
a pressure adjustment unit (YC) configured to electrically adjust first (HC, Pc; [0034]) and second servo pressures (HB, Pb; [0044]),
adjust the liquid pressure of the front wheel cylinder by supplying the first servo pressure to the servo chamber and outputting a front wheel supply pressure from the supply chamber to the front wheel cylinder (Pwf; [0028]), and
adjust the liquid pressure of the rear wheel cylinder by outputting the second servo pressure to the rear wheel cylinder as a rear wheel supply pressure (Pwr; [0009]);
front wheel (PQ) and rear wheel supply pressure sensors (PB) configured to detect the front wheel and rear wheel supply pressures respectively; and
a controller (ECU) configured to select any one of
a two-system pressure adjustment for individually adjusting the first and second servo pressures (S320; [0097]), and
a one-system pressure adjustment for adjusting the first and second servo pressures to be the same (S420; [0101]),
wherein the controller is configured to
in response to selection of the two-system pressure adjustment, individually calculate front wheel and rear wheel target pressures based on the braking required amount, and control the pressure adjustment unit such that the front wheel and rear wheel supply pressures coincide with the front wheel and rear wheel target pressures (S320; [0097]), and
in response to selection of the one-system pressure adjustment, make the front wheel and rear wheel target pressures equal and then add a predetermined pressure to calculate a common target pressure, and control the pressure adjustment unit such that the rear wheel supply pressure coincides with the common target pressure.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
5. 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.
6. Claim(s) 1-2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Watanabe et al (JP 2020-090131) in view of Miyazaki et al (US 2015/0291141) and further in view of Takeuchi et al (US 2015/0127226).
As per claim 1, Watanabe et al discloses a vehicle braking control device (Title) which adjusts liquid pressures ([0002]) of front wheel (Cwi) and rear wheel cylinders (CWj) according to a braking required amount (Fd; [0087]), the vehicle braking control device comprising:
an applying unit (YM) including a cylinder (CM), and a supply chamber (Rm) and a servo chamber (Rs) partitioned by a piston (PM) inserted into the cylinder and sealed by a seal member (SL);
a pressure adjustment unit (YC) configured to electrically adjust first (HC, Pc; [0034]) and second servo pressures (HB, Pb; [0044]),
adjust the liquid pressure of the front wheel cylinder by supplying the first servo pressure to the servo chamber and outputting a front wheel supply pressure from the supply chamber to the front wheel cylinder (Pwf; [0028]), and
adjust the liquid pressure of the rear wheel cylinder by outputting the second servo pressure to the rear wheel cylinder as a rear wheel supply pressure (Pwr; [0009]);
front wheel (PQ) and rear wheel supply pressure sensors (PB) configured to detect the front wheel and rear wheel supply pressures respectively; and
a controller (ECU) configured to select any one of
a two-system pressure adjustment for individually adjusting the first and second servo pressures (S320; [0097]), and
a one-system pressure adjustment for adjusting the first and second servo pressures to be the same (S420; [0101]),
wherein the controller is configured to
in response to selection of the two-system pressure adjustment, individually calculate front wheel and rear wheel target pressures based on the braking required amount, and control the pressure adjustment unit such that the front wheel and rear wheel supply pressures coincide with the front wheel and rear wheel target pressures (S320; [0097]), and
in response to selection of the one-system pressure adjustment, calculate a target pressure (S410; [0100]). Although Watanabe et al discloses controlling the pressure adjustment unit such that the rear wheel supply pressure coincides with the target pressure ([0097]), they do not clearly state whether this would also occur during the abrupt braking process condition. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the brake system of Watanabe et al by making the wheel cylinder pressures match their respective targets during abrupt braking in order to maintain vehicle control. Watanabe et al does not disclose making the front wheel and rear wheel target pressures equal and then add a predetermined pressure to calculate a common target pressure.
Miyazaki et al discloses a vehicle brake control device, wherein, in response to selection of the one-system pressure adjustment, make the front wheel and rear wheel target pressures equal to calculate a common target pressure (S12; [0093]), and control the pressure adjustment unit such that the rear wheel supply pressure coincides with the common target pressure (S13; [0078], [0094]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the brake system of Watanabe et al by using a single target pressure for all wheels when different wheel pressures were not required as taught by Miyazaki et al in order to simplify braking operations. Watanabe et al and Miyazaki et al do not disclose adding a predetermined pressure to calculate a common target pressure.
Takeuchi et al discloses a brake control device comprising the step of adding a predetermined pressure to calculate a common target pressure ([0113], [0140]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the brake system of Watanabe et al by accounting for piston seal friction when calculating target pressures as taught by Takeuchi et al in order to ensure that sufficient hydraulic pressure is applied.
As per claim 2, Watanabe et al, Miyazaki et al and Takeuchi et al disclose the vehicle braking control device according to claim 1. Takeuchi et al further discloses wherein the predetermined pressure is set to a value corresponding to sliding resistance of the seal member ([0113], [0140]).
7. Claim(s) 3-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Watanabe et al (JP 2020-090131) in view of Miyazaki et al (US 2015/0291141), Takeuchi et al (US 2015/0127226) and Yamamoto (JP 2020-32833).
As per claim 3, Watanabe et al, Miyazaki et al and Takeuchi et al disclose the vehicle braking control device according to claim 2. Watanabe et al discloses antilock braking ([0023]) and switching to the one-system operating mode in response to an abrupt braking request (S410; [0100]), but does not disclose wherein the controller switches the two-system pressure adjustment to the one-system pressure adjustment at a time point when execution of an antilock brake control is started.
Yamamoto discloses a brake control device wherein the controller switches the two-system pressure adjustment to the one-system pressure adjustment at a time point when execution of an antilock brake control is started ([0012]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the brake system of Watanabe et al by switching to the one-system pressure adjustment mode after starting antilock braking as taught by Yamamoto in order to maintain vehicle control in an emergency.
As per claim 4, Watanabe et al, Miyazaki et al and Takeuchi et al disclose the vehicle braking control device according to claim 1. Watanabe et al discloses antilock braking ([0023]) and switching to the one-system operating mode in response to an abrupt braking request (S410; [0100]), but does not disclose wherein the controller switches the two-system pressure adjustment to the one-system pressure adjustment at a time point when execution of an antilock brake control is started.
Yamamoto discloses a brake control device wherein the controller switches the two-system pressure adjustment to the one-system pressure adjustment at a time point when execution of an antilock brake control is started ([0012]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the brake system of Watanabe et al by switching to the one-system pressure adjustment mode after starting antilock braking as taught by Yamamoto in order to maintain vehicle control in an emergency.
Conclusion
8. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Brake systems
Yamamoto et al (US 2022/0332301).
Kato et al (US 2022/0203944).
Kimura et al (US 2022/0055589).
Yamamoto et al (US 2021/0229648).
Miyazaki et al (US 2006/0158032).
9. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEPHEN M BOWES whose telephone number is (571)270-0460. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5:00pm.
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STEPHEN M. BOWES IV
Examiner
Art Unit 3616
/STEPHEN M BOWES/Examiner, Art Unit 3616
/Robert A. Siconolfi/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3616
Prosecution Insights