DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
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
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.
Claim(s) 1, 3, 4, 6-8 and 10-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by JP 2016-022854 (hereinafter JP ‘854).
Claim 1
JP ‘854 discloses an information processing device comprising: a calculation unit that calculates three-dimensional information of a driver on a basis of information from an imaging unit (physique measurement unit 2, see also paragraph [0029]) mounted on a vehicle; and an estimation unit (control unit 31) that estimates an optimal driving posture of the driver on a basis of the three-dimensional information (see paragraphs [0022]-[0041]).
Claim 3
JP ‘854 discloses an information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising an automatic adjustment unit that automatically adjusts a seat position, a steering wheel position, and a mirror position of the vehicle on a basis of the estimated optimal driving posture (paragraphs [0039] and [0040]).
Claim 4
JP ‘854 discloses an information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the estimation unit estimates the optimal driving posture of the driver on a basis of the three-dimensional information, and ideal posture information set in advance (paragraphs [0029]-[0039]).
Claim 6
JP ‘854 discloses an information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the imaging unit includes a light source that emits light toward the driver, and a light receiving unit that receives light reflected by the driver (paragraphs [0033] and [0034]).
Claim 7
JP ‘854 discloses an information processing device according to claim 6, wherein the light source emits infrared light toward the driver (paragraphs [0033] and [0034]).
Claim 8
JP ‘854 discloses an information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit calculates a skeleton of the driver and an eyeball position of the driver as the three-dimensional information of the driver on a basis of the information from the imaging unit (Paragraph [0039]).
Claim 10
JP ‘854 discloses an information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the estimation unit estimates a comfortable driving posture of the driver during automatic driving of the vehicle on a basis of the three-dimensional information (Paragraph [0039]).
Claim 11
JP ‘854 discloses an information processing method executed by a computer, the method comprising: a calculation step of calculating three-dimensional information of a driver on a basis of information from an imaging unit mounted on a vehicle; and an estimation step of estimating an optimal driving posture of the driver on a basis of the three-dimensional information (paragraphs [0029]-[0039]).
Claim 12
JP ‘854 discloses a vehicle control system comprising: an imaging unit mounted on a vehicle; and a control unit that controls the vehicle, wherein the control unit includes a calculation unit that calculates three-dimensional information of a driver on a basis of information from the imaging unit, and an estimation unit that estimates an optimal driving posture of the driver on a basis of the three-dimensional information (paragraphs [0029]-[0039]).
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.
Claim(s) 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP ‘854 as applied to claim 1 above and further in view of JP 2010-001163 (hereinafter JP ‘163)
JP ‘854 does not discloses an information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a proposing unit that proposes the estimated optimal driving posture to the driver.
However JP ‘163 discloses a proposing unit that proposes an estimated optimal driving posture to the driver (paragraphs [0021], [0036] and [0043])
Therefore it would have been obvious to modify the system of JP ‘854 with the posture proposal of JP ‘163 in order to relieve the driver from having an unpleasant feeling
Claim(s) 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP ‘854 as applied to claim 1 above.
JP ‘854 discloses an information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the estimation unit estimates the optimal driving posture of the driver on a basis of the three-dimensional information and creates an ideal posture model (paragraphs [0029]-[0039])
JP ‘854 does not explicitly disclose an ideal posture model generated by machine learning
However it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to modify a known process (creating an ideal posture model) with machine learning in order to more accurately or more easily create the ideal posture model.
Claim(s) 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP ‘854 as applied to claim 1 above and further in view of JP 2017-132383 (hereinafter JP ‘383)
JP ‘854 does not discloses an information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the estimation unit estimates, on a basis of the three-dimensional information, a seat position and a steering wheel position of the vehicle which positions are suitable for the driver to get on and off the vehicle.
However JP ‘383 discloses an information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the estimation unit estimates, on a basis of the three-dimensional information, a seat position and a steering wheel position of the vehicle which positions are suitable for the driver to get on and off the vehicle (paragraphs [0012], [0032], [0033], and [0038]-[0039]).
Therefore it would have been obvious to modify the system disclosed by JP ‘854 with the steering wheel and seat position adjustments when getting in and out of the vehicle as disclosed by JP ‘383 in order to reduce fatigue when boarding a vehicle.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SIZO BINDA VILAKAZI whose telephone number is (571)270-3926. The examiner can normally be reached 10am-6pm.
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/SIZO B VILAKAZI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3747