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 .
Status of Claims
Claims 1-20 are presented for examination.
Claims 1-20 are rejected.
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.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied 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.
Claim(s) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as -being unpatentable over Gronsbell et al. (US Pub. No.: 2020/0234515 A1: hereinafter “Gronsbell”) in view of Schuh et al. (US Pub. No.: 2022/0148352 A1: hereinafter “Schuh”).
Consider claims 1, 9, and 15:
Gronsbell teaches a system (Fig. 3 elements 300-340), a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (e.g., “…The memory device 16 may be non-transitory…”, of Fig. 1 elements 10-22), a method for vehicle asset management (See Gronsbell, e.g., “…Methods, systems, apparatuses, and computer readable media for monitoring and maintaining vehicle condition…means for receiving a partial dataset indicator for a certain type of dataset…means for providing at least one complete dataset indicator…provides an indication of one or more terms in their respective dataset…means for determining at least one of the one or more terms of the partial dataset…means for causing the transmission of at least one of the one or more determined terms of the partial dataset for use by a mobile application…” of Abstract, ¶ [0005]-¶ [0011], ¶ [0018], ¶ [0022], ¶ [0024], ¶ [0050]-¶ [0053], and Fig. 1 elements 10-22, Fig. 3 elements 300-340, Fig. 9 steps 900-940) comprising: registering, by a computing device, a first asset and a second asset (See Gronsbell, e.g., “…generates a user profile, including vehicle, vehicle sensor, and policy data. In some embodiments, the systems, apparatus, and methods described herein may receive a partial dataset corresponding to one or more of the above identified data…” of ¶ [0005]-¶ [0011], ¶ [0018], ¶ [0022], ¶ [0024], ¶ [0050]-¶ [0053], ¶ [0104]-¶ [0106], ¶ [0201]-¶ [0208], and Fig. 1 elements 10-22, Fig. 3 elements 300-340, Fig. 9 steps 900-940); monitoring, by the computing device, usage of the first asset and the second asset during a trip of predetermined duration (See Gronsbell, e.g., “…receiving a signal comprising diagnostic data objects, which may be processed to include malfunction data objects relating to a type of malfunction from data captured by sensors at the user's vehicle. The term “malfunction” may refer to diagnostic data objects of either a planned (e.g., scheduled maintenance intervals or triggers) or unplanned (e.g., OBD trouble code) nature…the type of signal may depend on the type of vehicle apparatus used to detect and/or determine the malfunction (e.g., OBD error codes determined from onboard vehicle apparatuses, or raw data from one or more sensors on the vehicle)…” of ¶ [0005]-¶ [0011], ¶ [0018], ¶ [0022], ¶ [0024], ¶ [0050]-¶ [0053], ¶ [0104]-¶ [0106], ¶ [0201]-¶ [0208], and Fig. 1 elements 10-22, Fig. 3 elements 300-340, Fig. 9 steps 900-940); predicting, by the computing device, based on the usage that the first asset is likely to experience a status change (See Gronsbell, e.g., “…receiving a signal comprising diagnostic data objects, which may be processed to include malfunction data objects relating to a type of malfunction from data captured by sensors at the user's vehicle…the type of signal may depend on the type of vehicle apparatus used to detect and/or determine the malfunction (e.g., OBD error codes determined from onboard vehicle apparatuses, or raw data from one or more sensors on the vehicle)…” of ¶ [0005]-¶ [0011], ¶ [0018], ¶ [0022], ¶ [0024], ¶ [0050]-¶ [0053], ¶ [0104]-¶ [0106], ¶ [0201]-¶ [0208], and Fig. 1 elements 10-22, Fig. 3 elements 300-340, Fig. 9 steps 900-940); determining, by the computing device, a likely time that the first asset is likely to experience the status change (See Gronsbell, e.g., “…executed in advance of the occurrence of an actual issue or fault based on a future predicted issue or fault or other need or opportunity…determine that one or more faults will occur within an expected time period (e.g., a confidence interval based on a predicted lifespan)…generate a maintenance offer (e.g., an incentive or promotion) based upon the expected time period for failure (e.g., if the system predicts that a component will fail in approximately 60 days, the system may make an offer to fix the fault that expires after 90 days)…” of ¶ [0005]-¶ [0011], ¶ [0018], ¶ [0022], ¶ [0024], ¶ [0050]-¶ [0053], ¶ [0104]-¶ [0106], ¶ [0201]-¶ [0208], ¶ [0225]-¶ [0230], and Fig. 1 elements 10-22, Fig. 3 elements 300-340, Fig. 9 steps 900-940); determining, by the computing device, based on the likely time that the first asset is likely to experience the status change, whether the first asset will likely to experience the status change during the trip (See Gronsbell, e.g., “…the speed of repairs may be a deciding factor in determining the remedial measure…the malfunction of the vehicle may preclude the vehicle from being drivable and therefore immediate repairs may be necessary. In such a case, the other preferences (e.g., using a certain dealership) may be ignored due to the speed in which repairs is needed…the user may indicate that the speed of repair is not the most important factor (e.g., the user has multiple vehicles to drive)…the speed of repair may be considered in conjunction with the mechanic cost and/or qualifications…” of ¶ [0005]-¶ [0011], ¶ [0018], ¶ [0022], ¶ [0024], ¶ [0050]-¶ [0053], ¶ [0104]-¶ [0106], ¶ [0201]-¶ [0208], ¶ [0225]-¶ [0230], and Fig. 1 elements 10-22, Fig. 3 elements 300-340, Fig. 9 steps 900-940).
Gronsbell further teaches and in response to determining that the first asset will likely experience the status change during the trip (See Gronsbell, e.g., “…the malfunction of the vehicle may preclude the vehicle from being drivable and therefore immediate repairs may be necessary…” of Fig. 1 elements 10-22, Fig. 3 elements 300-340, Fig. 9 steps 900-940), altering, by the computing device, operation of a vehicle to address the status change (See Gronsbell, e.g., “…determining a remedial measure for the vehicle based on the terms of the policy information and the type of malfunction. A remedial measure may be any steps taken by an apparatus in an attempt to repair, mitigate, or otherwise remedy and/or prevent a vehicle malfunction…” of ¶ [0005]-¶ [0011], ¶ [0018], ¶ [0022], ¶ [0024], ¶ [0050]-¶ [0053], ¶ [0104]-¶ [0106], ¶ [0201]-¶ [0208], ¶ [0225]-¶ [0230], and Fig. 1 elements 10-22, Fig. 3 elements 300-340, Fig. 9 steps 900-940). However, Gronsbell does not explicitly teach a recreational vehicle.
In an analogous field of endeavor, Schuh teaches a recreational vehicle (See Schuh, e.g., “…relate to utilities, for non-limiting example, water, fuel, power, or remaining waste capacity system for use with a recreational vehicle (RV)…relate to a predictive analysis system for use with the utilities systems of an RV…” of Abstract, ¶ [0012]-¶ [0021], ¶ [0035]-¶ [0045], ¶ [0061]-¶ [0067], and Fig. 1 elements 10-24).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine “…Methods, systems, apparatuses, and computer readable media for monitoring and maintaining vehicle condition…means for receiving a partial dataset indicator for a certain type of dataset…means for providing at least one complete dataset indicator…provides an indication of one or more terms in their respective dataset…means for determining at least one of the one or more terms of the partial dataset…means for causing the transmission of at least one of the one or more determined terms of the partial dataset for use by a mobile application...”, as disclosed in Gronsbell with “a recreational vehicle”, as taught in Schuh with a reasonable expectation of success to yield a system, method to render the trips more comfortable, enjoyable, and memorable.
Consider claims 2, 10, and 16:
The combination of Gronsbell, Schuh teaches everything claimed as implemented in the rejection of claims 1, 9, and 15 above. Schuh teaches wherein addressing the malfunction comprises automatically adjusting a setting on the first asset to extend a time until the likely malfunction (See Schuh, e.g., “…when the awnings are extended, windows of the RV 10 may be covered which may result in cooler interior of the RV 10 and therefore cooler temperatures in the summer and less power usage by the HVAC system 12…extend the awning or close blinds to limit the amount of heat in the RV 10 to further extend the stored battery power that is remaining…analyze and determine which system uses less energy to operate—the awning/blinds or the heat rise of the current day based upon current conditions (cloudy vs sunny)… the lighting system 16 may be adjusted in order to preserve stored battery power…set a stored battery threshold wherein the lights go into a power save mode…once the stored battery power or energy drops to some value, for example 10%, the lighting system 16 may dropped to 20% of their full brightness. This may extend the life of the stored battery power or energy…” of ¶ [0012]-¶ [0021], ¶ [0035]-¶ [0045], ¶ [0061]-¶ [0067], and Fig. 1 elements 10-24).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Gronsbell with the teachings of Schuh so as to, with a reasonable expectation of success, yield a system, method to extend the life of vehicles’ assets by using the predictive analysis system.
Consider claims 3, 11, and 17:
The combination of Gronsbell, Schuh teaches everything claimed as implemented in the rejection of claims 1, 9, and 15 above. Schuh teaches wherein the logic further causes the system to determine that the likely malfunction is caused by an issue with the second asset (See Schuh, e.g., “…when the awnings are extended, windows of the RV 10 may be covered which may result in cooler interior of the RV 10 and therefore cooler temperatures in the summer and less power usage by the HVAC system 12…extend the awning or close blinds to limit the amount of heat in the RV 10 to further extend the stored battery power that is remaining…analyze and determine which system uses less energy to operate—the awning/blinds or the heat rise of the current day based upon current conditions (cloudy vs sunny)… the lighting system 16 may be adjusted in order to preserve stored battery power…set a stored battery threshold wherein the lights go into a power save mode…once the stored battery power or energy drops to some value, for example 10%, the lighting system 16 may dropped to 20% of their full brightness. This may extend the life of the stored battery power or energy…” of ¶ [0012]-¶ [0021], ¶ [0035]-¶ [0045], ¶ [0061]-¶ [0067], and Fig. 1 elements 10-24).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Gronsbell with the teachings of Schuh so as to, with a reasonable expectation of success, yield a system, method to extend the life of vehicles’ assets by using the predictive analysis system.
Consider claims 4, 12, and 18:
The combination of Gronsbell, Schuh teaches everything claimed as implemented in the rejection of claims 1, 9, and 15 above. In addition, Gronsbell teaches wherein the logic further causes the system to register the first asset (See Gronsbell, e.g., “…generates a user profile, including vehicle, vehicle sensor, and policy data. In some embodiments, the systems, apparatus, and methods described herein may receive a partial dataset corresponding to one or more of the above identified data…” of ¶ [0005]-¶ [0011], ¶ [0018], ¶ [0022], ¶ [0024], ¶ [0050]-¶ [0053], ¶ [0104]-¶ [0106], ¶ [0201]-¶ [0208], and Fig. 1 elements 10-22, Fig. 3 elements 300-340, Fig. 9 steps 900-940), wherein registering the first asset comprises determining if the first asset is compatible with the vehicle (See Gronsbell, e.g., “…generates a user profile, including vehicle, vehicle sensor, and policy data. In some embodiments, the systems, apparatus, and methods described herein may receive a partial dataset corresponding to one or more of the above identified data…extrapolate the partial dataset into a complete dataset to complete the data…one or more of the user, vehicle, vehicle apparatus, and policy may be identified and captured via still image (e.g., scan or camera capture), converted into computer readable form, and onboarded as part of the data described herein…” of ¶ [0005]-¶ [0011], ¶ [0018], ¶ [0022], ¶ [0024], ¶ [0050]-¶ [0053], ¶ [0104]-¶ [0106], ¶ [0201]-¶ [0208], and Fig. 1 elements 10-22, Fig. 3 elements 300-340, Fig. 9 steps 900-940).
Consider claims 5, 13, and 19:
The combination of Gronsbell, Schuh teaches everything claimed as implemented in the rejection of claims 1, 12, and 18 above. In addition, Gronsbell teaches wherein the logic further causes the system to determine, in response to determining that the first asset is not compatible (See Gronsbell, e.g., “…the malfunction of the vehicle may preclude the vehicle from being drivable and therefore immediate repairs may be necessary. In such a case, the other preferences (e.g., using a certain dealership) may be ignored due to the speed in which repairs is needed. Alternatively, the user may indicate that the speed of repair is not the most important factor (e.g., the user has multiple vehicles to drive). In some embodiments, the speed of repair may be considered in conjunction with the mechanic cost and/or qualifications…” of ¶ [0005]-¶ [0011], ¶ [0018], ¶ [0022], ¶ [0024], ¶ [0050]-¶ [0053], ¶ [0104]-¶ [0106], ¶ [0201]-¶ [0208], and Fig. 1 elements 10-22, Fig. 3 elements 300-340, Fig. 9 steps 900-940), a reason why the first asset is not compatible; and determining other assets that will need to be included in the vehicle to make the first asset compatible (See Gronsbell, e.g., “…the user may only want a certified mechanic (e.g., such as a mechanic certified to work on the specific brand of the vehicle) to work on the vehicle. In some embodiments, the user may be able to identify, via an apparatus such as the user device, one or more requirements for a mechanic to be selected. For example, the user may be able to set a minimum customer rating, a maximum cost, a minimum certification level, and/or the like. The user may select one or more preferred mechanics that are given preference during the selection process…” of ¶ [0005]-¶ [0011], ¶ [0018], ¶ [0022], ¶ [0024], ¶ [0050]-¶ [0053], ¶ [0104]-¶ [0106], ¶ [0201]-¶ [0208], and Fig. 1 elements 10-22, Fig. 3 elements 300-340, Fig. 9 steps 900-940). Schuh teaches a recreational vehicle (See Schuh, e.g., “…relate to utilities, for non-limiting example, water, fuel, power, or remaining waste capacity system for use with a recreational vehicle (RV)…relate to a predictive analysis system for use with the utilities systems of an RV…” of Abstract, ¶ [0012]-¶ [0021], ¶ [0035]-¶ [0045], ¶ [0061]-¶ [0067], and Fig. 1 elements 10-24). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Gronsbell with the teachings of Schuh so as to, with a reasonable expectation of success, yield a system, method to extend the life of vehicles’ assets by using the predictive analysis system.
Consider claims 6, 14, and 20:
The combination of Gronsbell, Schuh teaches everything claimed as implemented in the rejection of claims 4, 12, and 18 above. In addition, Gronsbell teaches wherein determining whether the first asset is compatible comprises determining whether adding the first asset to the vehicle will violate a user-defined parameter (See Gronsbell, e.g., “…A remedial measure may be any steps taken by an apparatus in an attempt to repair, mitigate, or otherwise remedy and/or prevent a vehicle malfunction. In some embodiments, the remedial measure may also be based on the current location of the vehicle as received by one or more positioning sensors on the vehicle or on a user device in or near the vehicle (e.g., a GPS receiver). For example, a malfunction may require immediate repair and therefore getting to a specific dealer may not be plausible…” of ¶ [0005]-¶ [0011], ¶ [0018], ¶ [0022], ¶ [0024], ¶ [0050]-¶ [0053], ¶ [0104]-¶ [0106], ¶ [0201]-¶ [0208], and Fig. 1 elements 10-22, Fig. 3 elements 300-340, Fig. 9 steps 900-940) and in response to determining that adding the first asset to the vehicle will violate the user-defined parameter (See Gronsbell, e.g., “…the user may only want a certified mechanic (e.g., such as a mechanic certified to work on the specific brand of the vehicle) to work on the vehicle. In some embodiments, the user may be able to identify, via an apparatus such as the user device, one or more requirements for a mechanic to be selected…the user may be able to set a minimum customer rating, a maximum cost, a minimum certification level, and/or the like. The user may select one or more preferred mechanics that are given preference during the selection process…” of ¶ [0005]-¶ [0011], ¶ [0018], ¶ [0022], ¶ [0024], ¶ [0050]-¶ [0053], ¶ [0104]-¶ [0106], ¶ [0201]-¶ [0208], and Fig. 1 elements 10-22, Fig. 3 elements 300-340, Fig. 9 steps 900-940), providing an option to perform at least one of the following: adjust the user-defined parameter, accept that the first asset will violate the user-defined parameter, or locate a different asset that will not violate the user- defined parameter (See Gronsbell, e.g., “…for lower value vehicles, a user may only want the minimum amount of repairs to make the vehicle operational, while a user with a higher valued vehicle may want a complete repair using OEM parts and high rated mechanics…” of ¶ [0005]-¶ [0011], ¶ [0018], ¶ [0022], ¶ [0024], ¶ [0050]-¶ [0053], ¶ [0104]-¶ [0106], ¶ [0201]-¶ [0208], and Fig. 1 elements 10-22, Fig. 3 elements 300-340, Fig. 9 steps 900-940). Schuh teaches a recreational vehicle (See Schuh, e.g., “…relate to utilities, for non-limiting example, water, fuel, power, or remaining waste capacity system for use with a recreational vehicle (RV)…relate to a predictive analysis system for use with the utilities systems of an RV…” of Abstract, ¶ [0012]-¶ [0021], ¶ [0035]-¶ [0045], ¶ [0061]-¶ [0067], and Fig. 1 elements 10-24). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Gronsbell with the teachings of Schuh so as to, with a reasonable expectation of success, yield a system, method to extend the life of vehicles’ assets by using the predictive analysis system.
Consider claim 7:
The combination of Gronsbell, Schuh teaches everything claimed as implemented in the rejection of claim 1 above. In addition, Gronsbell teaches wherein the computing device comprises at least one of the following: a recreational vehicle computing device, a remote computing device, or a mobile device (See Gronsbell, e.g., “…the vehicle apparatus is configured to cause the graphical user interface to be rendered on a user mobile device…the subscriber device itself may be embodied or partially embodied as a mobile terminal, such as a personal digital assistant (PDA), mobile telephone, smart phone, personal navigation device, smart watch, tablet computer, camera or any combination of the aforementioned and other types of voice and text communications systems. The subscriber device 10 may be a fixed computing device (e.g., fixed within a vehicle, a building, or a remote structure)…” of ¶ [0005]-¶ [0011], ¶ [0018], ¶ [0022], ¶ [0024], ¶ [0050]-¶ [0053], ¶ [0104]-¶ [0106], ¶ [0201]-¶ [0208], and Fig. 1 elements 10-22, Fig. 3 elements 300-340, Fig. 9 steps 900-940). Schuh also teaches wherein the computing device comprises at least one of the following: a recreational vehicle computing device, a remote computing device, or a mobile device (See Schuh, e.g., “…relate to utilities, for non-limiting example, water, fuel, power, or remaining waste capacity system for use with a recreational vehicle (RV)…relate to a predictive analysis system for use with the utilities systems of an RV…” of Abstract, ¶ [0012]-¶ [0021], ¶ [0035]-¶ [0045], ¶ [0061]-¶ [0067], and Fig. 1 elements 10-24). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Gronsbell with the teachings of Schuh so as to, with a reasonable expectation of success, yield a system, method to extend the life of vehicles’ assets by using the predictive analysis system.
Consider claim 8:
The combination of Gronsbell, Schuh teaches everything claimed as implemented in the rejection of claim 1 above. Schuh teaches wherein the first asset is a water heater and the second asset is an electrical system, wherein altering operation of the recreational vehicle comprises limiting a time that the water heater is powered (See Schuh, e.g., “…when the awnings are extended, windows of the RV 10 may be covered which may result in cooler interior of the RV 10 and therefore cooler temperatures in the summer and less power usage by the HVAC system 12…extend the awning or close blinds to limit the amount of heat in the RV 10 to further extend the stored battery power that is remaining…analyze and determine which system uses less energy to operate—the awning/blinds or the heat rise of the current day based upon current conditions (cloudy vs sunny)… the lighting system 16 may be adjusted in order to preserve stored battery power…set a stored battery threshold wherein the lights go into a power save mode…once the stored battery power or energy drops to some value, for example 10%, the lighting system 16 may dropped to 20% of their full brightness. This may extend the life of the stored battery power or energy…” of ¶ [0012]-¶ [0021], ¶ [0035]-¶ [0045], ¶ [0061]-¶ [0067], and Fig. 1 elements 10-24). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine Gronsbell with the teachings of Schuh so as to, with a reasonable expectation of success, yield a system, method to extend the life of vehicles’ assets by using the predictive analysis system.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Sandu et al. (US Pub. No.: 2020/0242855 A1) teaches “Control methods and systems including a smart vehicle, a smart mobile device including a processor, a memory communicatively coupled to the processor, and machine readable instructions stored in the memory that may cause a system to perform at least the following when executed by the processor: use a software application tool of the smart mobile device to automatically control and monitor functionality of an internet of things (IOT) environment of the smart vehicle and to identify the smart vehicle type; auto populate the software application tool with dynamic checklists based on the smart vehicle details; and utilize and/or modify the dynamic checklists during vehicle preparation, travel, and/or servicing based on dynamic IOT control features.”
Sussna (US Pat. No.: 11,263,833 B2) teaches “The present disclosure describes a system for detecting, identifying and addressing a maintenance event for light electric vehicles. The maintenance event may be detected based on rider profile information, riding parameter information and light electric vehicle information. If a maintenance event is detected, a light electric vehicle management system may determine an action that addresses the maintenance event and provide instructions regarding the action to the light electric vehicle and/or one or more individuals that are trained or otherwise certified to address the maintenance event.”
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/BABAR SARWAR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3667