CTFR 18/891,547 CTFR 100755 DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. Response to Amendment The amendment filed on 03/09/2026 has been entered. Claims 1-3, 5, 7-9, 11, and 13 remain pending in the application. Claims 4, 6, 10, and 12 have been canceled. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-20-aia AIA 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. 07-23-aia AIA The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows: 1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art. 2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue. 3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art. 4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness. 07-21-aia AIA Claim s 1-3, 5, 7-9, 11, and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Krause et al. (US 20200070715 A1) in view of Brown et al. (US 10384519 B1) and Diamond et al. (US 20240151092 A1) . Regarding claim 1, Krause teaches a method for selectively actuating an automatic door of a motor vehicle for passenger ingress or egress, the method comprising: determining, by a seat allocation unit of the motor vehicle, a seat occupied by a passenger within the motor vehicle ([0078]) ; assessing, by a passenger control unit of the motor vehicle , that the passenger intends to egress the motor vehicle or that another passenger wants to ingress into the motor vehicle ([0072], where the ECU determines if a passenger will enter the vehicle); determining current environmental conditions around the motor vehicle ([0083] and [0092]) ; selecting, by the passenger control unit and based on the determined seat and the determined current environmental conditions, an automatic door of the motor vehicle as an egress/ingress door for the passenger ingress or egress and specifying a door opening configuration for the egress/ingress door ([0104-0105], where the ECU selects the door nearest to the determined seat for passenger ingress) ; and unlocking , by a door control unit, the egress/ingress door based on the specified door opening configuration ([0105] and [0108], where a light is actuated on the chosen door so that the passenger to ingress is made aware of which door they should enter, and where the door is actuated to unlock so that the passenger can open the door); wherein, for ingress of the other passenger , only one automated door is unlocked ([0104-0105], where a door is illuminated and unlocked so that a passenger can enter the vehicle). Examiner notes that Krause only explicitly teaches that the door adjacent to the assigned seat for the entering passenger is unlocked and is absent any showing that the other doors are unlocked at the time of passenger ingress. Although Krause does teach that the arrangement of passengers in a vehicle can change depending on the determined current environmental conditions ([0092], where the environmental conditions can result in multiple possible seating conditions) and teaches that doors are unlocked for ingress based on this plan ([0104-0105]), it does not explicitly teach that the plan is changed specifically so that the automated door farthest from the determined seat and/or a panel of the automated door farthest from the determined seat is unlocked. However, Krause does alternatively teach that the arrangement of passengers in a vehicle can change so that users of the vehicle can ingress on a manner that “minimize[s] inconvenience caused by traffic or weather conditions”, specifically for when “a passenger may be in a rush when approaching the vehicle so as to avoid the inclement weather” ([0083] and [0092]). Therefore, when a passenger is approaching from the direction of the automated door farthest from the determined seat in environmental conditions, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective date of filing to unlock the automated door furthest from the determined seat based on a reasonable expectation of success and motivation to minimize inconvenience and/or discomfort caused by the weather conditions by allowing for the fastest ingress possible so that the passenger can avoid inclement weather as taught by Krause ([0083] and [0092]). The examiner notes that Krause discloses additional user preferences for seating arrangements, such as location and potential relationships between passengers ([0087-0089] and see Tables 1 and 2), in which one of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated and able to unlock the automated door farthest from the determined for passenger ingress to advantageously realize these seating arrangements, such as by keeping passengers who are strangers to each other in seats that are farthest away. Krause does not disclose how the current environmental conditions are determined, and does not explicitly teach an environmental sensor unit nor the actuation of the door based on these conditions, wherein the door opening configuration specifies a size of a doorway formed by the egress/ingress door when opened and/or an opening angle of the egress/ingress door and/or an actuated door panel of the egress/ingress door . However, Krause does teach consideration of weather conditions and how such considerations can determine selection of seat occupancy ([0092]). Brown, in a similar field of controlling doors of a vehicle for passenger ingress/egress, teaches controlling the operation of a vehicle through the use of sensors and input from devices, and also teaches controlling the operation of the vehicle doors (Col. 10, lines 1-17). The vehicle includes an interior space that allows passengers to sit in the vehicle during operation (Col. 4, lines 4-12) and opens/closes the doors to allow ease on entry or exit for the passenger and avoid obstructions (Col. 3, lines 22-40). For example, Brown teaches that weather information can be used and obtained from an environmental sensor unit (Col. 8, lines 46-85 and Col. 9, lines 38-45, where light, temperature, and rain sensors collect weather information). This information can be used to customize the operation of the vehicle. One benefit is to actuate the doors to allow them to be opened or closed in a manner that adapts to the environment, and the position of the passengers (Col. 10, lines 36-49), wherein the door opening configuration specifies a size of a doorway formed by the egress/ingress door when actuated and/or an opening angle of the egress/ingress door and/or of an actuated door panel of the egress/ingress door (Col. 4, lines 63-67 and Col. 5, lines 1-15, where the positions and angles of the doors are controlled to change the size of the doorway; Col. 5, lines 27-30, where the doors are opened at a position and angle to allow a passenger to ingress/egress without obstruction). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective date of filing to modify to use an environmental sensor unit to detect the environmental conditions, and to actuate an automatic door in with the opening configuration as taught by Brown based on a reasonable expectation of success and motivation to allow easier entry and exit of the passenger into and out of the vehicle. As taught by Brown, this allows the doors to open in a manner that avoids obstacles in the environment (Col. 1, lines 26-38), and allows them to be able to move to a position/angle so as to avoid obstructing the path of the ingress/egress of passengers (Col. 5, lines 27-30). The prior combination does not teach wherein, for egress of the passenger, depending on the determined current environmental conditions only the automated door closest to the determined seat and/or a panel of the automated door closest to the determined seat is actuated. Diamond, in a similar field of controlling doors of a vehicle for passenger ingress/egress, teaches: wherein, for egress of the passenger, depending on the determined current environmental conditions only the automated door closest to the determined seat and/or a panel of the automated door closest to the determined seat is actuated ([0014] and Fig. 3A, where the door closest to the seat of an occupant determined to intend to exit the vehicle is opened; [0014] and [0055], where the door being actuated is depending on the environmental conditions nearby the vehicle, such as a passerby) . It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective date of filing to modify the prior combination to open the egress door of the vehicle in the manner disclosed by Diamond based on a reasonable expectation of success and motivation, as taught by Diamond, of allowing the user to exit the vehicle in a manner that takes into consideration the location of occupants near the opening door ([0002]). Regarding claim 2, the prior art remains as applied in claim 1. Krause teaches: wherein the current environmental conditions comprise at least one of weather conditions including rain, snow, hail and/or wind, ambient temperature and pollutant levels ([0092]) . Regarding claim 3, the prior art remains as applied in claim 1. Krause teaches: wherein the door opening configuration specifies actuating merely one of the door panels depending on the determined current environmental conditions. ([0092] and [0105], where only the determined door is actuated to be unlocked and the rest of the doors are instead locked). Krause does not teach the specific door structure wherein the automatic door comprises at least two individually movable door panels . In a similar field of controlling doors of a vehicle for passenger ingress/egress, Brown teaches: wherein the automatic door comprises at least two individually movable door panels (Col. 6, lines 5-9 and Figs. 5A-5D, where each door 68 has a front panel 16-1 and a rear panel 16-2). Brown further teaches that one of these panels is actuated so as to automatically open for ingress passengers (Col. 6, lines 65-68 and Col. 7, lines 1-3). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective date of filing to modify Krause with the door structure of Brown based on a reasonable expectation of success and motivation, as taught by Brown, of allowing the doors to not be restricted to a singular moving path as is the case with conventional sliding doors, thereby adaptively changing their positions to avoid obstacles as necessary (Col. 1, lines 26-38). Regarding claim 5, the prior art remains as applied in claim 1. Krause teaches: wherein the motor vehicle comprises several automatic doors, one of which is selected as the egress/ingress door based on the determined seat and depending on the determined current environmental conditions ([0092] and [0108], where the ECU selects and unlocks one of the doors) . Regarding claim 7, Krause teaches a system for selectively actuating an automatic door of a motor vehicle for passenger ingress or egress, the system comprising: a seat allocation unit configured to determine a seat occupied by a passenger within the motor vehicle ([0078]) ; a passenger control unit of the motor vehicle configured to assess that the passenger intends to egress the motor vehicle or that another passenger wants to ingress into the motor vehicle ([0072], where the ECU determines if a passenger will enter the vehicle); wherein the passenger control unit is further configured based on the determined seat and the determined current environmental conditions to select an automatic door of the motor vehicle as an egress/ingress door for the passenger ingress or egress and to specify a door opening configuration for the egress/ingress door; ([0104-0105], where the ECU selects the door nearest to the determined seat for passenger ingress) ; and a door control unit configured to unlock the egress/ingress door based on the specified door opening configuration ([0105] and [0108], where a light is actuated on the chosen door so that the passenger to ingress is made aware of which door they should enter, and where the door is actuated to unlock so that the passenger can open the door), wherein, for ingress of the other passenger , only one automated door is unlocked ([0104-0105], where a door is illuminated and unlocked so that a passenger can enter the vehicle). Examiner notes that Krause only explicitly teaches that the door adjacent to the assigned seat for the entering passenger is unlocked and is absent any showing that the other doors are unlocked at the time of passenger ingress. Although Krause does teach that the arrangement of passengers in a vehicle can change depending on the determined current environmental conditions ([0092], where the environmental conditions can result in multiple possible seating conditions) and teaches that doors are unlocked for ingress based on this plan ([0104-0105]), it does not explicitly teach that the plan is changed specifically so that the automated door farthest from the determined seat and/or a panel of the automated door farthest from the determined seat is unlocked. However, Krause does alternatively teach that the arrangement of passengers in a vehicle can change so that users of the vehicle can ingress on a manner that “minimize[s] inconvenience caused by traffic or weather conditions”, specifically for when “a passenger may be in a rush when approaching the vehicle so as to avoid the inclement weather” ([0083] and [0092]). Therefore, when a passenger is approaching from the direction of the automated door farthest from the determined seat in environmental conditions, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective date of filing to unlock the automated door furthest from the determined seat based on a reasonable expectation of success and motivation to minimize inconvenience and/or discomfort caused by the weather conditions by allowing for the fastest ingress possible so that the passenger can avoid inclement weather as taught by Krause ([0083] and [0092]). The examiner notes that Krause discloses additional user preferences for seating arrangements, such as location and potential relationships between passengers ([0087-0089] and see Tables 1 and 2), in which one of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated and able to unlock the automated door farthest from the determined for passenger ingress to advantageously realize these seating arrangements, such as by keeping passengers who are strangers to each other in seats that are farthest away. Krause does not disclose how the current environmental conditions are determined, and does not explicitly teach an environmental sensor unit nor the actuation of the door based on these conditions, wherein the door opening configuration specifies a size of a doorway formed by the egress/ingress door when opened and/or an opening angle of the egress/ingress door and/or an actuated door panel of the egress/ingress door . However, Krause does teach consideration of weather conditions and how such considerations can determine selection of seat occupancy ([0092]). Brown, in a similar field of controlling doors of a vehicle for passenger ingress/egress, teaches controlling the operation of a vehicle through the use of sensors and input from devices, and also teaches controlling the operation of the vehicle doors (Col. 10, lines 1-17). The vehicle includes an interior space that allows passengers to sit in the vehicle during operation (Col. 4, lines 4-12) and opens/closes the doors to allow ease on entry or exit for the passenger and avoid obstructions (Col. 3, lines 22-40). For example, Brown teaches that weather information can be used and obtained from an environmental sensor unit (Col. 8, lines 46-85 and Col. 9, lines 38-45, where light, temperature, and rain sensors collect weather information). This information can be used to customize the operation of the vehicle. One benefit is to actuate the doors to allow them to be opened or closed in a manner that adapts to the environment, and the position of the passengers (Col. 10, lines 36-49), wherein the door opening configuration specifies a size of a doorway formed by the egress/ingress door when actuated and/or an opening angle of the egress/ingress door and/or of an actuated door panel of the egress/ingress door (Col. 4, lines 63-67 and Col. 5, lines 1-15, where the positions and angles of the doors are controlled to change the size of the doorway; Col. 5, lines 27-30, where the doors are opened at a position and angle to allow a passenger to ingress/egress without obstruction). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective date of filing to modify to use an environmental sensor unit to detect the environmental conditions, and to actuate an automatic door in with the opening configuration as taught by Brown based on a reasonable expectation of success and motivation to allow easier entry and exit of the passenger into and out of the vehicle. As taught by Brown, this allows the doors to open in a manner that avoids obstacles in the environment (Col. 1, lines 26-38), and allows them to be able to move to a position/angle so as to avoid obstructing the path of the ingress/egress of passengers (Col. 5, lines 27-30). The prior combination does not teach wherein, for egress of the passenger, depending on the determined current environmental conditions only the automated door closest to the determined seat and/or a panel of the automated door closest to the determined seat is actuated. Diamond, in a similar field of controlling doors of a vehicle for passenger ingress/egress, teaches: wherein, for egress of the passenger, depending on the determined current environmental conditions only the automated door closest to the determined seat and/or a panel of the automated door closest to the determined seat is actuated ([0014] and Fig. 3A, where the door closest to the seat of an occupant determined to intend to exit the vehicle is opened; [0014] and [0055], where the door being actuated is depending on the environmental conditions nearby the vehicle, such as a passerby) . It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective date of filing to modify the prior combination to open the egress door of the vehicle in the manner disclosed by Diamond based on a reasonable expectation of success and motivation, as taught by Diamond, of allowing the user to exit the vehicle in a manner that takes into consideration the location of occupants near the opening door ([0002]). Regarding claim 8, the prior art remains as applied in claim 7. Krause teaches: wherein the current environmental conditions comprise at least one of weather conditions including rain, snow, hail and/or wind, ambient temperature and pollutant levels ([0092]) . Regarding claim 9, the prior art remains as applied in claim 7. Krause teaches: wherein the door opening configuration specifies actuating merely one of the door panels depending on the determined current environmental conditions. ([0092] and [0105], where only the determined door is actuated to be unlocked and the rest of the doors are instead locked). Krause does not teach the specific door structure wherein the automatic door comprises at least two individually movable door panels . In a similar field of controlling doors of a vehicle for passenger ingress/egress, Brown teaches: wherein the automatic door comprises at least two individually movable door panels (Col. 6, lines 5-9 and Figs. 5A-5D, where each door 68 has a front panel 16-1 and a rear panel 16-2). Brown further teaches that one of these panels is actuated so as to automatically open for ingress passengers (Col. 6, lines 65-68 and Col. 7, lines 1-3). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective date of filing to modify Krause with the door structure of Brown based on a reasonable expectation of success and motivation, as taught by Brown, of allowing the doors to not be restricted to a singular moving path as is the case with conventional sliding doors, thereby adaptively changing their positions to avoid obstacles as necessary (Col. 1, lines 26-38). Regarding claim 11, the prior art remains as applied in claim 7. Krause teaches: wherein the motor vehicle comprises several automatic doors, one of which is selected as the egress/ingress door based on the determined seat and depending on the determined current environmental conditions ([0092] and [0108], where the ECU selects and unlocks one of the doors) . Regarding claim 13, the prior art remains as applied in claim 7. Krause teaches: a motor vehicle comprising the system according to claim 7 ([0069] and Fig. 3, where the operations are performed by the system for vehicle 300) . Response to Arguments Applicant's arguments filed 03/09/2026 have been fully considered. Regarding the rejection under 35 USC 103, applicant contends that the previous combination fails to teach the “ingress-specific farthest-door logic required by the amended claim 1”, further arguing that the primary reference Krause “provides no disclosure of door-control logic” necessary to map the ingress now required by the independent claims. This argument is unpersuasive. Krause teaches the unlocking of a specific door for passenger ingress, with this unlocking being specifically for the door adjacent to a selected seat for the entering passenger ([0104-0105]). However, Krause does not explicitly disclose an embodiment where this actuated door for ingress is the farthest door from a seat determined to be “occupied by a passenger of the motor vehicle” as now required by the independent claims. Nevertheless, Krause does teach and suggest that the assigned seat for a passenger entering a vehicle can be changed depending on the weather conditions so as to minimize the time the passenger is exposed to inclement weather ([0083] and [0092]). Therefore, when the passenger is approaching from a direction furthest from the seat currently occupied by a passenger, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to assign this furthest seat to the passenger and to unlock this farthest door as it is adjacent to the seat now assigned to the passenger. Examiner additionally notes further support in Krause in which one of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to assign a seat farthest from a determined occupied seat to a passenger for ingress as disclosed above in the presently given rejection. Examiner notes that this addition to the rejection was mandated by applicant’s amendment specifying that control for ingress and egress is now required to map the presently filed claims, as opposed to only ingress or egress that was required by the previous set of claims. Conclusion The following prior art made of record and not relied upon by the examiner is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure: Elie et al. (US 20170249797 A1) 07-39 AIA THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 JACK R BREWER whose telephone number is (571)272-4455. The examiner can normally be reached 10AM-6PM. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Angela Ortiz can be reached at 571-272-1206. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /JACK R BREWER/Examiner, Art Unit 3663 /ADAM D TISSOT/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3663 Application/Control Number: 18/891,547 Page 2 Art Unit: 3663 Application/Control Number: 18/891,547 Page 3 Art Unit: 3663 Application/Control Number: 18/891,547 Page 4 Art Unit: 3663 Application/Control Number: 18/891,547 Page 5 Art Unit: 3663 Application/Control Number: 18/891,547 Page 6 Art Unit: 3663 Application/Control Number: 18/891,547 Page 7 Art Unit: 3663 Application/Control Number: 18/891,547 Page 8 Art Unit: 3663 Application/Control Number: 18/891,547 Page 9 Art Unit: 3663 Application/Control Number: 18/891,547 Page 10 Art Unit: 3663 Application/Control Number: 18/891,547 Page 11 Art Unit: 3663 Application/Control Number: 18/891,547 Page 12 Art Unit: 3663 Application/Control Number: 18/891,547 Page 13 Art Unit: 3663 Application/Control Number: 18/891,547 Page 14 Art Unit: 3663 Application/Control Number: 18/891,547 Page 15 Art Unit: 3663 Application/Control Number: 18/891,547 Page 16 Art Unit: 3663
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