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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 12/18/2024 has been considered and is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97.
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)(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.
Claims 11-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Jain et al. (US 2022/0066459; hereinafter Jain).
Regarding Claim 11:
Jain discloses a method for supporting a longitudinal and transverse guiding of a motor vehicle on a road, the method comprising: detecting environmental data which characterize a respective environment which is located in front in the travel direction of the motor vehicle (Jain, Para. [0025], Jain discloses detecting and collecting perception data of the surrounding environment adjacent to the vehicle);
estimating, based on the environmental data, a path of a boundary which delimits a passable region of the road in the respective environment and a travel envelope which is predicted to be travelled by the motor vehicle (Jain, Para. [0027], Jain discloses determining a path of the host vehicle and positioning within the road based on, at least, the center line, upcoming or nearby vehicles and/or objects);
determining along the travel envelope at least one distance provided transversely relative to the travel direction of the travel envelope from the estimated path of the boundary (Jain, Para. [0027], Jain discloses determining a safety distance the host vehicle will keep between itself and the upcoming object/vehicle, see Fig. 1A); and
producing and providing a data set from the travel envelope and the determined distance, wherein the data set indicates the travel envelope and, as a result of the distance, the region which can be travelled along the travel envelope (Jain, Para. [0047-0049], Jain discloses storing and receiving data sets for both historical and current travel operations by the vehicle, which include past behaviors for both when the vehicle is controlled by the human and autonomously, with safety distances and the like being stored and received).
Regarding Claim 12:
Jain discloses the method of claim 11.
Jain further discloses wherein, for the estimation of the boundary and the travel envelope, a plurality of different data types are combined with each other (Jain, Para. [0071], Jain discloses a plurality of different sensors data types are fused together to model the contextual environment of the host vehicle).
Regarding Claim 13:
Jain discloses the method of claim 11.
Jain further discloses wherein a distinction is made between hard boundaries which must not be passed and soft boundaries which can be passed (Jain, Para. [0036], Jain discloses hard limits such as the road boundary with the centerline being seen as a softer boundary, allowing the vehicle to pass through at times, see at least Fig. 1C).
Regarding Claim 14:
Jain discloses the method of claim 13.
Jain further discloses wherein only the distances of the travel envelope from the next estimated hard boundaries at both sides of the travel envelope and/or only the distances of the travel envelope from the estimated soft boundaries that are furthest away at both sides of the travel envelope are determined and indicated in the data set (Jain, Para. [0027], Jain discloses after the vehicle passes the object/vehicle the only boundaries limiting the lateral distance of the vehicle would be the road boundaries and/or the road centerline).
Regarding Claim 15:
Jain discloses the method of claim 13.
Jain further discloses wherein the carriageway markings are used as soft boundaries (Jain, Para. [0027], Fig. 1A and 1C, Jain discloses the road center lines as a boundary which may be passed).
Regarding Claim 16:
Jain discloses the method of claim 13.
Jain further discloses wherein structural devices are used as hard boundaries (Jain, Para. [0061], Jain discloses the road boundary (i.e. edge of the road) as a boundary which is not passed, and is physically the edge of the road itself).
Regarding Claim 17:
Jain discloses the method of claim 13.
Jain further discloses wherein the hard boundaries include physical boundaries, which cannot be passed, and rule-based boundaries, which may not be passed only in accordance with predetermined rules, and wherein, in the data set, separate distances of the travel envelope from physical boundaries and rule-based boundaries are indicated (Jain, Para. [0061-0062], Jain discloses the road boundary (i.e. edge of the road) as a boundary which is not passed within a minimum safety distance as determined based on the safety rules).
Regarding Claim 18:
Jain discloses the method of claim 11.
Jain further discloses wherein, in a portion along the travel envelope in which no boundary can be estimated, the distance is set to zero (Jain, Para. [0062], Jain discloses a predetermined set of safety rules which apply to the vehicle before any environmental data is received, furthermore no detecting of any boundary or upcoming object allows the vehicle to continue forward with zero change in the travel trajectory).
Regarding Claim 19:
Jain discloses the method of claim 11.
Jain further discloses an assistance system for a motor vehicle, comprising: an interface configured to detect environmental data that characterize an environment which is located in front in the travel direction (Jain, Para. [0083], Jain discloses an interface configured to receiving and output environmental data);
a processor (Jain, Para. [0081], Jain discloses a processor); and
a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, configure the assistance system to carry out the method of claim 11 (Jain, Para. [0081], Jain discloses a memory configured to perform the vehicle operations).
Regarding Claim 20:
Jain discloses the method of claim 11.
Jain further discloses a motor vehicle, comprising: an environmental sensor system configured to record environmental data that characterizes a respective environment which is located in front in the travel direction (Jain, Para. [0025], Jain discloses a plurality of environmental sensors configured to record the upcoming environmental data of the host vehicle), and
an assistance system, including: an interface configured to detect environmental data that characterize an environment which is located in front in the travel direction (Jain, Para. [0083], Jain discloses an interface configured to receiving and output environmental data),
a processor (Jain, Para. [0081], Jain discloses a processor), and
a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, configure the assistance system to carry out the method of claim 11 (Jain, Para. [0081], Jain discloses a memory configured to perform the vehicle operations).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZACHARY JOSEPH WALLACE whose telephone number is (469)295-9087. The examiner can normally be reached 7:00 am - 5:00 pm, Monday - Friday.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Wade Miles can be reached at (571) 270-7777. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Z.J.W./Examiner, Art Unit 3656
/WADE MILES/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3656
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