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 § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. The claim(s) does/do not fall within at least one of the four categories of patent eligible subject matter. Specifically, the claimed “a computer program,” under the broadest reasonable interpretation, encompasses a computer program per se (often referred to as “software per se”) thus not having a physical or tangible form (MPEP § 2106.03). See Microsoft Corp. v. AT&T Corp., 550 U.S. 437, 449, 82 USPQ2d 1400, 1407 (2007). Accordingly, because the BRI of the claims does not cover subject matter that have a physical or tangible form in order to fall within one of the statutory categories, the claims do not fall within a statutory category and failed the first criterion for eligibility.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-12, and 14-17 are allowed.
Reasons for Allowance
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: The specific limitations of “determining a virtual front wheel geometry of the vehicle by mirroring a steered front wheel of the vehicle about a non-steered rear wheel location on the vehicle, along a longitudinal extension direction of a wheelbase of the vehicle, where the mirrored steered front wheel corresponds to a virtual front wheel in the virtual front wheel geometry, establishing a control relationship between the virtual front wheel and the steered front wheel, such that a steered angle at the virtual front wheel corresponds to an equivalent steered angle at the steered front wheel, determining a virtual front wheel target path based on the virtual front wheel geometry of the vehicle and on the pose path, and controlling the heavy-duty vehicle during the reversal maneuver by controlling the virtual front wheel to follow the virtual front wheel target path” as recited in claims 1 and 15, in combination with the other elements in the claims are not anticipated or made obvious by the prior arts on record.
Tokoro et al US 2024/0239409 A1 discloses a backward movement control device for an articulated vehicle including a setting unit 42A sets a target virtual steered angle α2* of the trailer 12 based on the electric signal S1 generated by the input device 41, the target virtual steered angle α2* is a target value of the virtual steered angle α2 of the trailer 12, and a control unit 42B calculates the target steered angle α1* of the front wheels 11F of the tractor 11 based on the target virtual steered angle α2* set by the setting unit 42A, and the hitch angle β, the vehicle speed V, and the steered angle α1 detected through various sensors, but doesn’t explicitly disclose “determining a virtual front wheel geometry of the vehicle by mirroring a steered front wheel of the vehicle about a non-steered rear wheel location on the vehicle, along a longitudinal extension direction of a wheelbase of the vehicle, where the mirrored steered front wheel corresponds to a virtual front wheel in the virtual front wheel geometry, establishing a control relationship between the virtual front wheel and the steered front wheel, such that a steered angle at the virtual front wheel corresponds to an equivalent steered angle at the steered front wheel, determining a virtual front wheel target path based on the virtual front wheel geometry of the vehicle and on the pose path, and controlling the heavy-duty vehicle during the reversal maneuver by controlling the virtual front wheel to follow the virtual front wheel target path”.
Laine et al US 2022/0177033 A1 (common assignee) discloses a reverse assistance function including obtaining data related to a track of the vehicle, wherein the data comprises a plurality of corresponding positions, headings and articulation angles of the vehicle along the track but doesn’t explicitly disclose “determining a virtual front wheel geometry of the vehicle by mirroring a steered front wheel of the vehicle about a non-steered rear wheel location on the vehicle, along a longitudinal extension direction of a wheelbase of the vehicle, where the mirrored steered front wheel corresponds to a virtual front wheel in the virtual front wheel geometry, establishing a control relationship between the virtual front wheel and the steered front wheel, such that a steered angle at the virtual front wheel corresponds to an equivalent steered angle at the steered front wheel, determining a virtual front wheel target path based on the virtual front wheel geometry of the vehicle and on the pose path, and controlling the heavy-duty vehicle during the reversal maneuver by controlling the virtual front wheel to follow the virtual front wheel target path”.
Nitta et al US 2025/0178668 A1 discloses a control device for an articulated vehicle configured to, when a reverse operation of the combination vehicle is performed, assist a reverse operation of the trailer by causing a controlled variable to follow a target value of reverse control that is set through a specific operation by an operator but doesn’t explicitly disclose “determining a virtual front wheel geometry of the vehicle by mirroring a steered front wheel of the vehicle about a non-steered rear wheel location on the vehicle, along a longitudinal extension direction of a wheelbase of the vehicle, where the mirrored steered front wheel corresponds to a virtual front wheel in the virtual front wheel geometry, establishing a control relationship between the virtual front wheel and the steered front wheel, such that a steered angle at the virtual front wheel corresponds to an equivalent steered angle at the steered front wheel, determining a virtual front wheel target path based on the virtual front wheel geometry of the vehicle and on the pose path, and controlling the heavy-duty vehicle during the reversal maneuver by controlling the virtual front wheel to follow the virtual front wheel target path”.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RAMI KHATIB whose telephone number is (571)270-1165. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9:00am-5:30pm.
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/RAMI KHATIB/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3669