DETAILED ACTION
1. The Preliminary Amendment mailed on November 20, 2024 is acknowledged.
Claims 7-10 are added; and
Claims 1-10 are pending.
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
2. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Inventorship
3. This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
4. 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.
5. Claims 1-4, 6-8 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by SHIOZAWA (US 2016/0157041 A1).
Regarding claim 1, SHIOZAWA invention teaches an information transmission apparatus [Figure 1] configured to be provided on a vehicle that comprises a steering configured to steer a wheel device [para. 0006 teaches steering operation], the information transmission apparatus comprises a parameter detector [steering angle sensor (12)] configured to detect a parameter that correlates with a steering amount of the steering device [para. 0029 teaches steering angle sensor (12) is composed of a rotary encoder, and detects a steering angle (θs) of a steering shaft]; a vibrator [speakers (23)] configured to vibrate air [sound] around an occupant based on a predetermined vibration waveform in accordance with a change in the parameter of the steering device [para. 0006 teaches there is provided a vehicle acoustic control device including a plurality of speakers each disposed on a periphery of a passenger and controlling a sound field in a vehicle cabin by individually driving the plurality of speakers. Then, a steering operation is detected, a turning behavior is estimated based on the steering operation, an actual turning behavior of a vehicle which is turning is detected, and when the steering operation is detected, the sound field in the vehicle cabin is changed in a direction of a change in the actual turning behavior depending on an deviation between the estimated turning behavior and the actual turning behavior]; a rotation center calculator [sound field rotation amount setting unit (31)] configured to calculate (since there is no mathematical process or formula would be used to find a specific value, etc., the term calculate is now considered as set or determine, or adjust or control) a position of a rotation center of a yaw behavior of a body of the vehicle [para. 0043 teaches when an operation input for changing a turning behavior of the vehicle is made, the sound field rotation amount setting unit (31) set a sound field rotation amount (α) to rotate the sound field in the vehicle cabin in a direction of the change in an actual turning behavior of the vehicle]; and a gain adjuster [sound signal adjustment instruction unit (22)] configured to adjust an output gain of the vibration waveform in accordance with a relative position between the rotation center and a seating position of the occupant [para. 0051, 0054; Figures 1, 2 and 7].
Regarding claim 2, as discussed in claim 1, further see Figures 10A and 10B.
Regarding claim 3, as discussed in claim 1, notes Figure 2, SHIOZAWA invention further illustrating an example of the acoustic control processing to adjust the output gain in accordance with an increase in an angular difference between slip angle of the body of the vehicle [the 6-axis motion sensor (14) and controller (21), para. 0032]; and and an angle defined by straight line that couples the rotation center and seating position with respect to a center line of the body vehicle in a plan view [para. 0043-0049; and furthermore, see Figures 3-6 and 8-10 and the corresponding explanation in the specification].
Regarding claim 4, see discussion in claim 1; specifically para. 0006 teaches there is provided a vehicle acoustic control device including a plurality of speakers each disposed on a periphery of a passenger and controlling a sound field in a vehicle cabin by individually driving the plurality of speakers; and Figures 10A/10B illustrate the plurality of speakers (vibrators) which provided corresponding to the seating positions.
Regarding claim 6, as discussed in claim 1, para. 0043 further teaches the operation input includes the steering input by an actuator in steering control such as intervention control for avoiding contact with an obstacle or for lane keeping, automated driving, or the like.
Regarding claim 7, see discussion in claim 3.
Regarding claim 8, see discussion in claim 4.
Regarding claim 10, see discussion in claim 6.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
6. 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.
7. Claims 5 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over SHIOZAWA.
Regarding claim 5, as discussed in claim 1, SHIOZAWA does not specifically teach the vibration waveform comprises a dominant frequency comprised in a frequency band of 100Hz to 400Hz. A speaker's dominant frequency varies by speaker type and design, but generally, subwoofers focus on the low-end (20-200 Hz), midrange drivers handle 50-500 Hz, and full-range speakers cover broader ranges like 45-700 Hz, with specific resonant frequencies (like 40Hz for some impacts or 100Hz for transformers) often appearing as strong vibrations within these bands, impacting sound clarity and physical rattling; therefore, It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to include a dominant frequency is in a frequency band of 100Hz to 400Hz, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233.
Regarding claim 9, see the discussion and motivation in claim 5.
Conclusion
8. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHNNY H HOANG whose telephone number is (571) 272-4843. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday [Maxi-Flex].
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/J.H.H./
January 7, 2026
/Johnny H. Hoang/
Examiner, Art Unit 3747
/LOGAN M KRAFT/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3747