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 .
Claims 1-9 and 11-19 have been examined.
Claims 10 and 20 have been canceled.
P = paragraph e.g. P[0001] = paragraph[0001]
Examiner’s Note:
The Drawings objection has been withdrawn, where the 02/23/2026 arguments in response to the Drawings objection are considered the Applicant’s admission of the structure and scope of the claimed “a control panel having a first microphone for receiving voice commands from a user”.
The 02/23/2026 claim amendments have rendered moot the Claim Objections and the claim rejections under 35 U.S.C. 112(b). The Examiner notes that the 02/23/2026 arguments in response to the claim rejections under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) are considered the Applicant’s admission of the structure and scope of the claimed “power module”.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 02/23/2026 regarding the rejections under 35 U.S.C. 103 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Regarding Claim 1, the Applicant argues
“Applicant has further amended claim 1 to incorporate the subject matter of dependent claim 10, now canceled. Thus, amended claim 1 recites "wherein the plurality of controlled components includes at least two of a slide out, an awning, a water pump, a water heater, an HVAC system, a door lock and a plurality of lights."
In rejecting the subject matter of claim 10, now incorporated into claim 1, the Office Action states acknowledges that Zhao fails to disclose controlled components including at least two of a slide out, an awning, a water pump, a water heater, an HVAC system, a door lock and a plurality of lights. (Office Action, pg. 16). The Office Action states, however, that U.S. Publication No. 2022/0148352 ("Schuh") discloses "heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) 12 which uses electrical power, an awning system 14 ... see P[0036]." (Office Action, pg. 16). The Office Action further states that it would have been obvious to modify Zhao with the teachings of Schuh "in order to render 'camping activities more enjoyable."' (Office Action, pg. 16) (quoting Schuh). Applicant respectfully disagrees.
While Applicant acknowledges that Schuh describes several mechanical systems commonly found on a conventional RV which may be controlled by a controller, there is no disclosure in Schuh that would motivate a skilled person to modify the system of Zhao to control these systems using voice control. The mention in Schuh of making camping activities more enjoyable refers to the various mechanical systems and does not serve as motivation for somehow modifying the Zhao system to enable voice control of such systems. Accordingly, Applicant respectfully submits that claim 1 and its dependent claims are distinguishable over the cited art”.
The arguments are not persuasive. Amended Claim 1 recites the following:
“a processor coupled to the user interface and the memory and configured to execute the instructions in response to the received voice commands without accessing an external network by providing at least one command to the power module to provide an activation signal via one or more of the plurality of output drivers to a corresponding one or more of the plurality of controlled components; wherein the plurality of controlled components includes at least two of a slide out, an awning, a water pump, a water heater, an HVAC system, a door lock and a plurality of lights”.
As seen in the above citation of Claim 1, the claim does not expressly require that the specific controlled component from “one or more of the plurality of controlled components” is required to be one of “a slide out, an awning, a water pump, a water heater, an HVAC system, a door lock and a plurality of lights”. In other words, while the “plurality of controlled components” includes “at least two of a slide out, an awning, a water pump, a water heater, an HVAC system, a door lock and a plurality of lights”, there is no requirement that the single controlled component that is provided an “activation signal” in response to “the received voice commands” is selected from “a slide out, an awning, a water pump, a water heater, an HVAC system, a door lock and a plurality of lights”, and also, the claim does not exclude the “plurality of controlled components” including components that are not claimed.
Furthermore, Zhao et al. does teach a voice command to control “an HVAC system” as seen in P[0054] of Zhao et al. cited in the rejection, and as explained above, the claim does not require providing an “activation signal” in response to “the received voice commands” to “at least two” of “a slide out, an awning, a water pump, a water heater, an HVAC system, a door lock and a plurality of lights”, and instead only requires that the “plurality of controlled components” includes “at least two of a slide out, an awning, a water pump, a water heater, an HVAC system, a door lock and a plurality of lights” without any requirement that “at least two” of “a slide out, an awning, a water pump, a water heater, an HVAC system, a door lock and a plurality of lights” are specifically provided an “activation signal” in response to “the received voice commands”, therefore, the arguments are not persuasive. In other words, the arguments “there is no disclosure in Schuh that would motivate a skilled person to modify the system of Zhao to control these systems using voice control. The mention in Schuh of making camping activities more enjoyable refers to the various mechanical systems and does not serve as motivation for somehow modifying the Zhao system to enable voice control of such systems” imply that Claim 1 requires “voice control” for multiple systems as seen by the use of “such systems”, however, as explained above, this is not required by Claim 1, and the arguments are not persuasive.
Claim 1 is rejected under the interpretation that Claim 1 only requires a single controlled component being actually provided an “activation signal” in response to “the received voice commands” which is taught by Zhao et al., and the arguments do not address this interpretation of Claim 1, where this interpretation is fully supported by amended Claim 1 as written, as explained above. Therefore, the arguments are not persuasive.
The Examiner also notes for the record that regarding the argument “The mention in Schuh of making camping activities more enjoyable refers to the various mechanical systems and does not serve as motivation for somehow modifying the Zhao system to enable voice control of such systems”, while this argument is not persuasive for the reasons given above, the Examiner notes for the record that all of the claimed “components” of “a slide out, an awning, a water pump, a water heater, an HVAC system, a door lock and a plurality of lights” may be considered as existing for a user’s convenience and for improving a user experience, or for providing a more “enjoyable” experience for a user, as the entire vehicle itself and all vehicle components are provided for the use and benefit of a user. Also, P[0002] of the Applicant’s specification recites “In many instances, these recreational vehicles include a plurality of components to enable and/or enhance the functions and comfort of the vehicle, such as automated space expansion components, heating, air conditioning and plumbing components, power and lighting components, and locking components, among others”, which indicates that the Applicant is aware of the fact that components may be added to a vehicle for the motivation of providing a benefit such as enhancing “comfort” to a user of the vehicle. The Examiner disagrees with the Applicant’s implication that modification of Zhao et al. with the teachings of Schuh et al. for the motivation of rendering “camping activities more enjoyable” (Schuh et al.; see P[0036]) is not sufficient motivation for the modification, as clearly it would be desirable to include the teachings of Schuh et al. to improve a user experience or render “camping activities more enjoyable”.
Regarding Claim 16, the Applicant further argues
“While not expressing agreement with the rejection and solely to expedite allowance of the present application, Applicant has amended claim 16 to include the subject matter of claim 15 and the subject matter of original claim 1. Applicant respectfully submits that none of the cited references discloses or suggests controlling a set of lights with a voice command corresponding to a name of the set of lights. Recker discloses using specific speech commands to change the ON/OFF state or intensity of a light bulb, but provides no disclosure of naming a set of lights and controlling the set of lights using a voice command. As such, Applicant respectfully submits that claim 16 is distinguishable over the cited art”.
The arguments are not persuasive. The previous rejection explained that the teachings of Recker et al. of the use of specific words to control specific lights (Recker et al.; see P[0416]), where the name may be any desired command that may be spoken by a user, renders obvious providing a “name” to a set of lights, and the Applicant provides no persuasive rebuttal to this use of Recker et al., therefore, the arguments are not persuasive. The arguments provide a conclusory statement that Recker et al. “provides no disclosure of naming a set of lights and controlling the set of lights using a voice command” which does not amount to a persuasive rebuttal to the use of Recker et al. as applied in the rejection.
Furthermore, the argument that Recker et al. “provides no disclosure” of “controlling the set of lights using a voice command” is false, as Recker et al. teaches “wireless light bulbs or battery powered wireless lighting fixtures there may be an ability to detect sound or spoken commands and change the state of the bulb or fixture based on the sound or spoken commands” (Recker et al.; see P[0416]), which clearly describes that “spoken commands” are used to control lights, contradicting the Applicant’s incorrect characterization of Recker et al. The Applicant provides no explanation or evidence demonstrating how controlling lights with user spoken commands is somehow not equivalent to controlling a “set of lights using a voice command”. Therefore, the arguments are not persuasive.
Regarding Claim 17, the Applicant further argues
“As the Office Action acknowledges, Beck fails to disclose a remote interface in communication with the control panel, the remote interface having a second microphone for receiving voice commands from the user. (Office Action, pg. 24). Beck discloses a smart phone running an app as an interface (in addition to the voice command system 34), and does not describe using a microphone on the smart phone to provide voice commands. Also, while Beck discloses using a smart speaker such as Alexa, it is described as a replacement for the disclosed voice control system 34. Accordingly, Applicant respectfully submits that claim 17 is distinguishable over the cited art”.
The arguments are not persuasive. Regarding the argument “Also, while Beck discloses using a smart speaker such as Alexa, it is described as a replacement for the disclosed voice control system 34”, this argument is a mischaracterization of Beck et al. and is false, as Beck et al. in fact does not disclose the “user interfaces 39 (e.g., a smart phone app)” (Beck et al.; see P[0023]) as a “replacement for the disclosed voice control system 34” as argued by the Applicant. The control system 30” of Beck et al. receives inputs from both the voice command system “34” and from the user interfaces “39 (e.g., a smart phone app)” (Beck et al.; see P[0023]), and no “replacement” of the voice command system “34” occurs. Furthermore, this argument is not a rebuttal to the rejection as written, as it does not clearly indicate why the citations indicated as being rendered obvious by Beck et al. are in fact not rendered obvious by Beck et al., and the Applicant’s mention of “a replacement” is not provided in the context of what is actually claimed. Therefore, the arguments are not persuasive.
All other arguments are not persuasive for the reasons given above and in the new grounds of rejection. No claims are allowable.
All claims are rejected. See the new grounds of rejection.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
Claims 1-3, 5, 6, 11-13 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhao et al. (2023/0038039) in view of Sorenson et al. (12,384,222) further in view of Schuh et al. (2022/0148352).
Regarding Claim 1, Zhao et al. teaches the claimed control system for a vehicle, comprising:
a power distribution center (“The power supply 110 may provide power to various components of the vehicle 100”, see P[0105]); and
a controller in communication with a plurality of controlled components of the vehicle (“Some or all of functions of the vehicle 100 are controlled by the computer system 112…”, see P[0105]), the controller including:
…
a user interface configured to receive voice commands from a user (“The processing unit 1020 is configured to: obtain a sound signal collected by an in-vehicle microphone; when a first voice command is recognized from the sound signal…”, see P[0369]);
a memory including instructions for responding to received voice commands (“The processor reads, through the data interface, instructions stored in a memory, to perform the method according to the foregoing aspects”, see P[0077], and see P[0106] and P[0378]); and
a processor coupled to the user interface and the memory and configured to execute the instructions in response to the received voice commands without accessing an external network by providing at least one command to the power module to provide an activation signal…to a corresponding one or more of the plurality of controlled components (“The processor reads, through the data interface, instructions stored in a memory, to perform the method according to the foregoing aspects”, see P[0077], and see P[0106] and P[0378] and “…the microphone 150 may receive audio (for example, a voice command or another audio input) from the user of the vehicle 100. In this embodiment of this application, the vehicle-mounted computer 148 may perform an operation by receiving a voice command or another audio input of the user”, see P[0104] and P[0117]-P[0120]);
wherein the plurality of controlled components includes…an HVAC system (“…the first voice command may be adjusting a temperature of an air conditioner”, see P[0054).
Zhao et al. does not expressly recite the bolded portions of the claimed
a power module configured to receive power from the power distribution center, the power module including a plurality of output drivers, each of the plurality of output drivers being in communication with a corresponding one of the plurality of controlled components
and
a processor coupled to the user interface and the memory and configured to execute the instructions in response to the received voice commands without accessing an external network by providing at least one command to the power module to provide an activation signal via one or more of the plurality of output drivers to a corresponding one or more of the plurality of controlled components.
However, Sorenson et al. (12,384,222) teaches a power module configured to receive power from the power distribution center, the power module including a plurality of output drivers, each of the plurality of output drivers being in communication with a corresponding one of the plurality of controlled components (Sorenson et al.; “…the controller 302 can be communicatively coupled to subsystems and components of both the chassis power subsystem 206 and the RV power subsystem 208 (as shown in FIG. 2). For simplicity, only some of the recreational vehicle's subsystems and components are shown in FIG. 3. The controller 302 can be programmed to communicate with a variety of subsystems and components, including those utilizing low-side drivers, high-side drivers, half-H-bridge drivers, and full-H-bridge drivers”, see col.5, particularly lines 32-47).
Zhao et al. doe not expressly recite the bolded portions of the claimed
wherein the plurality of controlled components includes at least two of a slide out, an awning, a water pump, a water heater, an HVAC system, a door lock and a plurality of lights.
However, Schuh et al. (2022/0148352) teaches a plurality of controlled components that includes at least two of a slide out, an awning, a water pump, a water heater, an HVAC system, a door lock and a plurality of lights (Schuh et al.; “…heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) 12 which uses electrical power, an awning system 14…”, see P[0036]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Zhao et al. with the teachings of Sorenson et al. and Schuh et al., and to provide a power module configured to receive power from the power distribution center, the power module including a plurality of output drivers, each of the plurality of output drivers being in communication with a corresponding one of the plurality of controlled components, and a processor coupled to the user interface and the memory and configured to execute the instructions in response to the received voice commands without accessing an external network by providing at least one command to the power module to provide an activation signal via one or more of the plurality of output drivers to a corresponding one or more of the plurality of controlled components, as rendered obvious by Sorenson et al., and wherein the plurality of controlled components includes at least two of a slide out, an awning, a water pump, a water heater, an HVAC system, a door lock and a plurality of lights, as rendered obvious by Schuh et al., in order to enable “a user to control various aspects of the recreational vehicle 100 and its systems, etc.” (Sorenson et al.; see col.4, particularly lines 27-32), and in order to render “camping activities more enjoyable” (Schuh et al.; see P[0036]).
Regarding Claim 2, Zhao et al. teaches the claimed control system of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes one or more microphones for receiving the voice commands (“…microphone 150…”, see P[0103] and P[0104]).
Regarding Claim 3, Zhao et al. teaches the claimed control system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to operate in a stand by mode, wherein the user interface listens for a wake-up word from the user, the controller being configured to respond to a wake-up word by entering a control mode (“…the voice command may be a wakeup word. The wake-up word may be used to activate a processing procedure of the system 200”, see P[0152]).
Regarding Claim 5, Zhao et al. teaches the claimed control system of claim 3, wherein the user interface is configured to only receive voice commands when the controller is in the control mode (“…the first voice command may be a wakeup keyword, and the wakeup keyword may be used to wake up a voice assistant, to activate a subsequent processing procedure”, see P[0047] and “…the voice command may be a wakeup word. The wake-up word may be used to activate a processing procedure of the system 200”, see P[0152]).
Regarding Claim 6, Zhao et al. teaches the claimed control system of claim 1, further comprising a remote interface in communication with the controller, the remote interface being configured to receive voice commands from the user (“…the peripheral device 108 may provide a means for the vehicle 100 to communicate with another device located in the vehicle. For example, the microphone 150 may receive audio (for example, a voice command or another audio input) from the user of the vehicle 100”, see P[0104]).
Regarding Claim 11, Zhao et al. does not expressly recite the claimed control system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of monitored components of the vehicle, the controller being in communication with the plurality of monitored components and configured to receive information from the plurality of monitored components, the user interface being configured to display the information to the user.
However, Schuh et al. (2022/0148352) teaches a plurality of monitored components of a vehicle, a controller being in communication with the plurality of monitored components and configured to receive information from the plurality of monitored components, a user interface being configured to display the information to the user (Schuh et al.; “The controllers 30 also allow for monitoring of the various system capacities at various locations. For example, it may be desirable to have one location within the RV 10 with a controller with all system utilities monitored…multiple controllers 30 may have access to the utilities information so that it may be displayed wherever desired within the RV 10”, see P[0045] and “…a display 32 which provides information to the user”, see P[0048]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Zhao et al. with the teachings of Schuh et al., and the control system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of monitored components of the vehicle, the controller being in communication with the plurality of monitored components and configured to receive information from the plurality of monitored components, the user interface being configured to display the information to the user, as rendered obvious by Schuh et al., in order to render “camping activities more enjoyable” (Schuh et al.; see P[0036]).
Regarding Claim 12, Zhao et al. does not expressly recite the claimed control system of claim 11, wherein the information relates to a status and/or an operational parameter of at least one of the plurality of monitored components.
However, Schuh et al. (2022/0148352) teaches wherein the information relates to a status and/or an operational parameter of at least one of the plurality of monitored components (Schuh et al.; “The controllers 30 also allow for monitoring of the various system capacities at various locations. For example, it may be desirable to have one location within the RV 10 with a controller with all system utilities monitored…monitor battery conditions”, see P[0045]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Zhao et al. with the teachings of Schuh et al., and wherein the information relates to a status and/or an operational parameter of at least one of the plurality of monitored components, as rendered obvious by Schuh et al., in order to render “camping activities more enjoyable” (Schuh et al.; see P[0036]).
Regarding Claim 13, Zhao et al. does not expressly recite the claimed control system of claim 11, wherein the plurality of monitored components includes at least two of a fresh water tank, a black water tank, a gray water tank, a tire pressure sensor, a propane tank, a battery, an AC power input, an interior thermostat and an exterior thermostat.
However, Schuh et al. (2022/0148352) teaches wherein the plurality of monitored components includes at least two of a fresh water tank, a black water tank, a gray water tank, a tire pressure sensor, a propane tank, a battery, an AC power input, an interior thermostat and an exterior thermostat (Schuh et al.; “The controllers 30 also allow for monitoring of the various system capacities at various locations. For example, it may be desirable to have one location within the RV 10 with a controller with all system utilities monitored…monitor battery conditions”, see P[0045] and “…monitor at least one sensor on the gray water tank 23…”, see P[0052]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Zhao et al. with the teachings of Schuh et al., and wherein the plurality of monitored components includes at least two of a fresh water tank, a black water tank, a gray water tank, a tire pressure sensor, a propane tank, a battery, an AC power input, an interior thermostat and an exterior thermostat, as rendered obvious by Schuh et al., in order to render “camping activities more enjoyable” (Schuh et al.; see P[0036]).
Regarding Claim 15, Zhao et al. does not expressly recite the claimed control system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of controlled components includes a plurality of lights, the controller being configured to permit the user to define a plurality of lighting scenes, each lighting scene corresponding to at least one of a color or intensity setting of each of the plurality of lights.
However, Schuh et al. (2022/0148352) teaches wherein a plurality of controlled components includes a plurality of lights, the controller being configured to permit the user to define a plurality of lighting scenes, each lighting scene corresponding to at least one of a color or intensity setting of each of the plurality of lights (Schuh et al.; “Lights may be added at any of various locations and power control of these may be provided by the controller 30. Still further, it may be also desirable to provide additional control of lighting effects. For example, some lights may be able to be dimmed in addition to powered on and off. Further, some lights may be able to be color controlled, any of these being desirable to create a mood within or about the exterior of the RV 10”, see P[0045]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Zhao et al. with the teachings of Schuh et al., and wherein the plurality of controlled components includes a plurality of lights, the controller being configured to permit the user to define a plurality of lighting scenes, each lighting scene corresponding to at least one of a color or intensity setting of each of the plurality of lights, as rendered obvious by Schuh et al., in order to render “camping activities more enjoyable” (Schuh et al.; see P[0036]).
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhao et al. (2023/0038039) in view of Sorenson et al. (12,384,222) further in view of Schuh et al. (2022/0148352), and further in view of Sukumar (2021/0358496).
Regarding Claim 4, Zhao et al. does not expressly recite the claimed control system of claim 3, wherein the wake-up word is configured by the user.
Zhao et al. does teach that voice commands may be preset for different users (“…different voice commands may be preset for different users…”, see P[0195], also see P[0153]).
Furthermore, Sukumar (2021/0358496) teaches customizing or personalizing a wake word/phrase, where a user may define or program a device with a “personalized wake word/phrase” (Sukumar; see P[0097]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Zhao et al. with the teachings of Sukumar, and wherein the wake-up word is configured by the user, as rendered obvious by Sukumar, in order to activate a “voice assistant system” operable on a computing device of a vehicle, “without inadvertently activating a voice assistant operable on some other electronic device” (Sukumar; see P[0097]).
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhao et al. (2023/0038039) in view of Sorenson et al. (12,384,222) further in view of Schuh et al. (2022/0148352), further in view of Sims et al. (2010/0240307).
Regarding Claim 7, Zhao et al. does not expressly recite the claimed control system of claim 6, wherein the remote interface is in communication with the controller over a short-range wireless connection.
However, Sims et al. (2010/0240307) teaches a hands-free system such as a hands-free phone system that may interpret a voice input from a user and send a command message to a vehicle system over a wireless network such as BLUETOOTHTM (Sims et al.; see P[0053], also see P[0003]-P[0004] and P[0017]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Zhao et al. with the teachings of Sims et al., and wherein the remote interface is in communication with the controller over a short-range wireless connection, as rendered obvious by Sims et al., in order to control a vehicle system “based on voice commands from a user” (Sims et al.; see P[0053]).
Claims 8 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhao et al. (2023/0038039) in view of Sorenson et al. (12,384,222) further in view of Schuh et al. (2022/0148352), further in view of Cepynsky (2015/0224909).
Regarding Claim 8, Zhao et al. does not expressly recite the claimed control system of claim 1, further comprising a brake light sensor coupled to the controller, the brake light sensor being configured to respond to detection of power to a brake light of the vehicle by providing a signal to the controller which causes the controller to disable activation of at least one of the plurality of controlled components.
However, Cepynsky (2015/0224909) teaches preventing operation of an TV trailer component in response to detecting a voltage applied to a brake light (Cepynsky; see Abstract), where a circuit may be latched to prevent the operation (Cepynsky; see P[0027]), where a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would find it obvious to achieve prevention of the operation by either a signal provided to a device or controller to perform or cause the latching.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Zhao et al. with the teachings of Cepynsky, and the control system of claim 1, further comprising a brake light sensor coupled to the controller, the brake light sensor being configured to respond to detection of power to a brake light of the vehicle by providing a signal to the controller which causes the controller to disable activation of at least one of the plurality of controlled components, as rendered obvious by Cepynsky, in order to “prevent activation of protruding components while the RV trailer is in transmit” (Cepynsky; see P[0004]).
Regarding Claim 9, Zhao et al. does not expressly recite the claimed control system of claim [[9]] 8, wherein the user interface includes a button that permits the user to re-enable activation of the at least one of the plurality of controlled components.
However, Cepynsky (2015/0224909) teaches a user interface includes a button that permits the user to re-enable activation of the at least one of the plurality of controlled components (Cepynsky; “When a user presses the toggle motion button 16 if the RV trailer is in the non-motion or parked position, all protruding components in the RV trailer may be activated for extension by their respective power switches”, see P[0013]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Zhao et al. with the teachings of Cepynsky, and wherein the user interface includes a button that permits the user to re-enable activation of the at least one of the plurality of controlled components, as rendered obvious by Cepynsky, in order to “prevent activation of protruding components while the RV trailer is in transmit” (Cepynsky; see P[0004]).
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhao et al. (2023/0038039) in view of Sorenson et al. (12,384,222) further in view of Schuh et al. (2022/0148352), further in view of Gowda et al. (2023/0035752).
Regarding Claim 14, Zhao et al. does not expressly recite the claimed control system of claim 1, wherein the user interface further includes a speaker, the controller being configured to respond to received voice commands by providing information to the user via the speaker.
However, Gowda et al. (2023/0035752) teaches a controller configured to respond to received voice commands by providing information to the user via an audio device (Gowda et al.; see P[0082]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Zhao et al. with the teachings of Gowda et al., and wherein the user interface further includes a speaker, the controller being configured to respond to received voice commands by providing information to the user via the speaker, as rendered obvious by Gowda et al., in order to provide for “responding to audible commands and/or adjusting vehicle components” (Gowda et al.; see P[0001]).
Claim 16 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhao et al. (2023/0038039) in view of Sorenson et al. (12,384,222) further in view of Schuh et al. (2022/0148352), further in view of Recker et al. (2017/0223807).
Regarding Claim 16, Zhao et al. teaches the claimed control system for a vehicle, comprising:
a power distribution center (“The power supply 110 may provide power to various components of the vehicle 100”, see P[0105]); and
a controller in communication with a plurality of controlled components of the vehicle (“Some or all of functions of the vehicle 100 are controlled by the computer system 112…”, see P[0105]), the controller including:
a power module configured to receive power from the power distribution center, the power module including a plurality of output drivers, each of the plurality of output drivers being in communication with a corresponding one of the plurality of controlled components;
a user interface configured to receive voice commands from a user (“The processing unit 1020 is configured to: obtain a sound signal collected by an in-vehicle microphone; when a first voice command is recognized from the sound signal…”, see P[0369]);
a memory including instructions for responding to received voice commands (“The processor reads, through the data interface, instructions stored in a memory, to perform the method according to the foregoing aspects”, see P[0077], and see P[0106] and P[0378]); and
a processor coupled to the user interface and the memory and configured to execute the instructions in response to the received voice commands by providing at least one command to the power module to provide an activation signal…to a corresponding one or more of the plurality of controlled components (“The processor reads, through the data interface, instructions stored in a memory, to perform the method according to the foregoing aspects”, see P[0077], and see P[0106] and P[0378] and “…the microphone 150 may receive audio (for example, a voice command or another audio input) from the user of the vehicle 100. In this embodiment of this application, the vehicle-mounted computer 148 may perform an operation by receiving a voice command or another audio input of the user”, see P[0104] and P[0117]-P[0120]).
Zhao et al. does not expressly recite the bolded portions of the claimed
power module configured to receive power from the power distribution center, the power module including a plurality of output drivers, each of the plurality of output drivers being in communication with a corresponding one of the plurality of controlled components
and
a processor coupled to the user interface and the memory and configured to execute the instructions in response to the received voice commands by providing at least one command to the power module to provide an activation signal via one or more of the plurality of output drivers to a corresponding one or more of the plurality of controlled components.
However, Sorenson et al. (12,384,222) teaches a power module configured to receive power from the power distribution center, the power module including a plurality of output drivers, each of the plurality of output drivers being in communication with a corresponding one of the plurality of controlled components (Sorenson et al.; “…the controller 302 can be communicatively coupled to subsystems and components of both the chassis power subsystem 206 and the RV power subsystem 208 (as shown in FIG. 2). For simplicity, only some of the recreational vehicle's subsystems and components are shown in FIG. 3. The controller 302 can be programmed to communicate with a variety of subsystems and components, including those utilizing low-side drivers, high-side drivers, half-H-bridge drivers, and full-H-bridge drivers”, see col.5, particularly lines 32-47).
Zhao et al. doe not expressly recite the bolded portions of the claimed
wherein the plurality of controlled components includes a plurality of lights, the controller being configured to permit the user to define a plurality of lighting scenes, each lighting scene corresponding to at least one of a color or intensity setting of each of the plurality of lights; and
wherein the controller is configured to permit the user to control a set of lights of the plurality of lights by providing a voice command corresponding to a name of the set of lights.
However, Schuh et al. (2022/0148352) teaches a user interface for a vehicle computer system including audio input devices such as a voice recognition system, and teaches providing control by a vehicle controller of multiple lights (Schuh et al.; see P[0066], P[0041] and P[0045]).
Furthermore, Recker et al. (2017/0223807) teaches using specific words to control specific lights (Recker et al.; see P[0416]), therefore, to provide a “name” to a set of lights, where the name may be any desired command that may be spoken by a user, would be obvious in view of Recker et al.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Zhao et al. with the teachings of Sorenson et al., Schuh et al. and Recker et al., and to provide a power module configured to receive power from the power distribution center, the power module including a plurality of output drivers, each of the plurality of output drivers being in communication with a corresponding one of the plurality of controlled components, and a processor coupled to the user interface and the memory and configured to execute the instructions in response to the received voice commands by providing at least one command to the power module to provide an activation signal via one or more of the plurality of output drivers to a corresponding one or more of the plurality of controlled components, as rendered obvious by Sorenson et al., and wherein the controller is configured to permit the user to control a set of lights of the plurality of lights by providing a voice command corresponding to a name of the set of lights, as rendered obvious by Schuh et al. and Recker et al., in order to enable “a user to control various aspects of the recreational vehicle 100 and its systems, etc.” (Sorenson et al.; see col.4, particularly lines 27-32), in order to render “camping activities more enjoyable” (Schuh et al.; see P[0036]), and in order to “detect sound or spoken commands and change the state of the bulb or fixture based on the sound or spoken commands” (Recker et al.; see P[0416]).
Claim 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhao et al. (2023/0038039) in view of Beck et al. (2023/0373305) further in view of Sorenson et al. (12,384,222).
Regarding Claim 17, Zhao et al. teaches the claimed self-contained, voice-controlled system for a vehicle, comprising:
a control panel having a first microphone for receiving voice commands from a user (“A microphone array in FIG. 6 includes four microphones 410, which are located on a bridge in front of a cockpit and arranged linearly”, see P[0185]);
…; and
a power module in communication with the control panel and including at least one output driver configured to provide an activation signal to a controlled component of the vehicle in response to receipt of a valid voice command from the user (“…the microphone 150 may receive audio (for example, a voice command or another audio input) from the user of the vehicle 100. In this embodiment of this application, the vehicle-mounted computer 148 may perform an operation by receiving a voice command or another audio input of the user”, see P[0104] and P[0117]-P[0120]);
wherein a processor of the control panel determines whether a received voice command is a valid voice command by accessing instructions stored on a memory of the control panel (“…voice recognition may be performed on the sound signal, to determine whether the sound signal includes the first voice command. When the sound signal includes the first voice command…”, see P[0187] and P[0384]-P[0385]).
Zhao et al. does not expressly recite the claimed
a remote interface in communication with the control panel, the remote interface having a second microphone for receiving voice commands from the user.
However, Beck et al. (2023/0373305) teaches a remote interface in communication with a control system, the remote interface having a second microphone for receiving voice commands from a user (Beck et al.; “…the control system 30 receives inputs from the safety interlock sensors 38 as well as the voice command system 34 and user interfaces 39 (e.g., a smart phone app)”, see P[0023]).
Zhao et al. does not expressly recite the bolded portions of the claimed
a power module in communication with the control panel and including at least one output driver configured to provide an activation signal to a controlled component of the vehicle in response to receipt of a valid voice command from the user.
However, Sorenson et al. (12,384,222) teaches a power module including at least one output driver (Sorenson et al.; “…the controller 302 can be communicatively coupled to subsystems and components of both the chassis power subsystem 206 and the RV power subsystem 208 (as shown in FIG. 2). For simplicity, only some of the recreational vehicle's subsystems and components are shown in FIG. 3. The controller 302 can be programmed to communicate with a variety of subsystems and components, including those utilizing low-side drivers, high-side drivers, half-H-bridge drivers, and full-H-bridge drivers”, see col.5, particularly lines 32-47).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Zhao et al. with the teachings of Beck et al. and Sorenson et al., and to provide a remote interface in communication with the control panel, the remote interface having a second microphone for receiving voice commands from the user, as rendered obvious by Beck et al., and to provide a power module in communication with the control panel and including at least one output driver configured to provide an activation signal to a controlled component of the vehicle in response to receipt of a valid voice command from the user, as rendered obvious by Sorenson et al., in order to “receives inputs from” a “smart phone app” (Beck et al.; see P[0023]), and in order to enable “a user to control various aspects of the recreational vehicle 100 and its systems, etc.” (Sorenson et al.; see col.4, particularly lines 27-32), and in order to render “camping activities more enjoyable” (Schuh et al.; see P[0036]).
Claims 18 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhao et al. (2023/0038039) in view of Beck et al. (2023/0373305) further in view of Sorenson et al. (12,384,222), further in view of Cepynsky (2015/0224909).
Regarding Claim 18, Zhao et al. does not expressly recite the claimed self-contained, voice-controlled system of claim 17, further comprising a brake light sensor coupled to the control panel, the brake light sensor being configured to respond to detection of power to a brake light of the vehicle by providing a signal to the control panel which causes the processor to prevent the power module from providing the activation signal to the controlled component.
However, Cepynsky (2015/0224909) teaches preventing operation of an TV trailer component in response to detecting a voltage applied to a brake light (Cepynsky; see Abstract), where a circuit may be latched to prevent the operation (Cepynsky; see P[0027]), where a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would find it obvious to achieve prevention of the operation by either a signal provided to a device or controller to perform or cause the latching.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Zhao et al. with the teachings of Cepynsky, and the self-contained, voice-controlled system of claim 17, further comprising a brake light sensor coupled to the control panel, the brake light sensor being configured to respond to detection of power to a brake light of the vehicle by providing a signal to the control panel which causes the processor to prevent the power module from providing the activation signal to the controlled component, as rendered obvious by Cepynsky, in order to “prevent activation of protruding components while the RV trailer is in transmit” (Cepynsky; see P[0004]).
Regarding Claim 19, Zhao et al. teaches the claimed self-contained, voice-controlled system of claim 17, wherein the control panel is configured to operate in a stand by mode, wherein the control panel listens for a wake-up word from the user, the controller being configured to respond to a wake-up word by entering a control mode (“…the voice command may be a wakeup word. The wake-up word may be used to activate a processing procedure of the system 200”, see P[0152]).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ISAAC G SMITH whose telephone number is (571)272-9593. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday, 8AM-5PM.
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/ISAAC G SMITH/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3662
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