DETAILED ACTION
This Non-Final action is responsive to the IDS and application filed 11/7/2024.
In the application Claims 1-15 are pending. Claims 1 and 12 are the independent claim.
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Information Disclosure Statement
4. The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 11/7/2024 has been entered, and considered by the examiner.
Allowable Subject Matter
5. Claims 3-8 and 14 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. Please note allowability status of claims are subject to change should relevant prior art be discovered anytime during prosecution.
Priority
6. Acknowledgement is made to applicant’s claim for priority to PCT/EP2023/062014, filed 5/5/2023, which claims foreign priority to 2206819.1 (GB), filed 5/10/2022.
Drawings
7. The Drawings filed on 11/7/2024 have been approved.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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)(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.
8. Claim(s) 1-2, 10-13 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Abdallah (U.S. Pub 2023/0040600, with a provisional date of Jul. 28, 2021).
Regarding Independent claims 1 and 12, Abdallah discloses A speed control system for a vehicle, the speed control system configured to cause the vehicle to operate in accordance with a target speed value, the speed control system comprising one or more controllers, the speed control system configured to:
receive ride height information indicative of a ride height setting of a suspension of the vehicle (see paragraphs 5, 10 and 23, discloses a suspension system for a vehicle including a controller configured to detect a suspension operating condition. Further teaching in paragraphs 13, 116, 128-129, that the suspension operating condition includes a vehicle ground height taken into account for setting vehicle speed limits.); and
set a maximum vehicle speed limit, CA_set-speed, in dependence at least in part on the ride height information (see paragraphs 13, 116, 119, 125 and 128, discloses setting a maximum vehicle speed based on ride height).
Regarding Dependent claims 2 and 13, Abdallah discloses wherein the ride height information comprises i) a signal indicative of a predetermined ride height setting of an electronically adjustable suspension system of the vehicle, or ii) a signal indicative of a difference in ride height between a measured ride height and a reference ride height provided by a passive suspension system of the vehicle (see paragraphs 117 and 128-129, discloses that the speed of the vehicle is limited when the vehicle is raised into a relatively high or max height).
Regarding Dependent claim 9, with dependency of claim 1, Abdallah discloses receive a signal indicative of vehicle speed, VREF, the speed control system being configured to limit vehicle speed in further dependence on the value of VREF (see paragraphs 11, 116 and 65, including the explanation provided in the Independent claim).
Regarding Dependent claim 10, with dependency of claim 1, Abdallah discloses one or more sensors configured to output information indicative of an amount of articulation of front and rear wheels of the vehicle (see paragraphs 66 and 78, including the explanation provided in the Independent claim).
Regarding Dependent claims 11 and 15, recite similar language has in claim 1 and are rejected under the same rationale.
It is noted that any citation [[s]] to specific, pages, columns, lines, or figures in the prior art references and any interpretation of the references should not be considered to be limiting in any way. A reference is relevant for all it contains and may be relied upon for all that it would have reasonably suggested to one having ordinary skill in the art. [[See, MPEP 2123]]
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MANGLESH M PATEL whose telephone number is (571)272-5937. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F from 10:30 am to 7:30 pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Erin D. Bishop, can be reached at telephone number 571-270-3713. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Manglesh M Patel/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3665
3/7/2026