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 .
2. This Office Action is an answer to an amendment filed on 9/15/2028. Claims 1-3, 5-6 are pending; wherein claims 1, 5 are amended; and claim 4 is cancelled.
Response
3. The examiner is unpersuasive on pending claims’ limitations.
To solve 35 U.S.C. 112(b) issue of claim 1; applicant adds “the onboard device is a sensor or an actuator”; however, the question about “what is an abnormality” is still unclear.
Independent claim 1 incorporates rejected claim 4’s limitation; therefore, claim 1 is rejected with similar rationales and references set forth (as previously rejected claim 4).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC§ 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
4. Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. The claimed term “an abnormality has occurred in the onboard device” (see pending claim 1, lines 9-10); it is unclear what is an abnormality (e.g., an abnormality can be many different things).
Applicant adds “the onboard device is a sensor or an actuator” to answer this concern; however, the question about “what is an abnormality” is still unclear.
5. Dependent claims 2-3, and 5-6 are objected to because they are dependent on a rejected claim 1.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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. Claims 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Komatsu’108 (US Pub 20220017108 A1).
A, Per independent claim 1: Komatsu’108 teaches an “onboard” device that controls traveling of a vehicle (see Komatsu’108 para. [0005]);and an “electronic” control unit that collects information of the onboard device (e.g., a sensor/detector/receiver see Komatsu’108 para [0051]), the “”onboard” control unit feeding power supplied to the “electronic” control unit to the onboard device see Komatsu’108 para, [0064], [0068]) wherein the “electronic” control unit includes a current measurement unit that measures a value of a current flowing through a power feeding path (e.g., an ammeter) see Komatsu’108 para, [0002], [0011], [0147] [0148]) that feeds power to the onboard device, and a control unit that monitor/determines (see Komatsu’108 para, [0128]).whether an abnormality has occurred in the onboard device based on the current value measured by the current measurement unit (e.g., using an ammeter, see Komatsu’108 para, [0010]).
Applicant adds “a power supply wire that feeds the onboard control unit”; Komatsu’108 provides power to feed the control unit (see Komatsu’108 claim 1).
Applicant also adds “the onboard device is a sensor or an actuator, and the electronic control unit associates data acquired by the onboard device with the current value at a timing when the onboard device has acquired the data, and selects data to be transmitted to the integrated electronic control unit using the current value as a parameter for determining credibility of the data”; however, Komatsu’108 already suggests these features since Applicant claims the control unit associates data acquired by the onboard device with the current value at a timing when the onboard device has acquired the data (e.g., using a sensor to detect a discreet signal), and then timely transmitting that data to a control unit (see Komatsu’108 para, [0067], [0106]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement Komatsu’108 with specific claimed languages to select latest data to use in order to reflect the current onboard circuitry condition – this has been expected to be successfully performed for one with skill in the art.
B, Per dependent claim 2: The rationales and reference for a rejection of claim 1 are incorporated.
Applicant claims a data wire through which data is exchanged between the electronic control unit and the onboard device (e.g., for a communication between two electronic components – see Komatsu FIG. 6), wherein the electronic control unit includes a superimposition circuit that superimposes power supplied to the electronic control unit on data to be transmitted to the onboard device, and transmits the data on which the power is superimposed, the data being transmitted from the superimposition circuit, to the onboard device using the data wire (see Komatsu’108 para, [0057], and claim 10).
C. Per dependent claim 3: The rationales and reference for a rejection of claim 2 are incorporated.
Applicant claims an integrated electronic control unit , wherein when the control unit has detected that an abnormality has occurred in the onboard device (e.g., a current overload), the control unit transmits information indicating that the abnormality has occurred to the integrated electronic control unit – which has been a fundamental function of a sensor/detector.
7. Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Komatsu’108, in view of Chi’292 (US Pat 11912292B2)
The rationale and reference for a rejection of claim 1 are incorporated
Komatsu’108 does not disclose an onboard device with a thermometer that measures a temperature at a time of data acquisition, and the electronic control unit selects data to be transmitted to the integrated electronic control unit using temperature information measured by the thermometer as a parameter for determining credibility of the data; however, Chi’292 suggests that claimed idea (see Chi’292 col. 3 lines 32-36, and col. 14 lines 23-37).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement Komatsu’108 with Chi’292 to measures a temperature at a time of data acquisition with a thermostat, and integrating that measured data to detect a circuit abnormality – the use of temperature measurement on an object to detect a change of condition has been expected for onboard circuitry.
8. Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Komatsu’108, in view of Schluetter’216 (US Pub 20210035216 A1).
The rationales and reference for a rejection of claim 3 are incorporated
Komatsu’108 does not disclose a cycle of data received by the electronic control unit from the onboard device is 1/2 or less of a cycle of data transmitted from the electronic control unit to the integrated electronic control unit; however, this is a familiar concept of reducing data travel/transmit/receive time (see Schluetter’216 para. [0045]-[0046]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement Komatsu’108 with Schluetter’216 to reducing data travel time to ensure that the data is sent nearly simultaneously at the time to release, the local sender may access synchronized clocks to accurately control the clock time between time to release and to send the data.
Conclusion
9. Claims 1-3, 5-6 are rejected. THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
10. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Cuong H Nguyen whose telephone number is (571) 272-6759 (email address is cuong.nguyen@uspto.gov). The examiner can normally be reached on M - F: 10:00AM- 6:00PM. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, 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. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Bendidi Rachid can be reached on (571) 272-4896. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PATER. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only, For more information about the PAIR system, see https//ppair-my.uspto.gov/pair/PrivatePair. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll- free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or S71-272- 1000.
/CUONG H NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3664
