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 .
This is a Non-Final Action on the Merits. Claims 1-6 and 8 are currently pending and are addressed below.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on September 10th, 2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendments
The amendment filed on September 10th, 2026 has been considered and entered. Accordingly, claims 1-6 have been amended. Claim 7 has been cancelled. Claim 8 has been newly added.
Response to Arguments
The previous rejection of claim 4 under 35 USC 112(b) has been overcome due to the applicant’s amendments.
The previous rejection of claim 7 under 35 USC 112(d) has been overcome due to the applicant’s amendment.
The applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-6 and 8 have been considered but are moot in view of the newly formulated grounds of rejections necessitated by the applicant’s amendments.
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.
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.
Claims 1, 5 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shuai (CN 111060120 A) (“Shuai”) (Translation Attached) in view of Zhang (CN 113108801 A) (“Zhang”) (Translation Attached) in view of Zhang II (CN 116543576 A) (“Zhang II”) (Translation Attached).
With respect to claim 1, Shuai teaches an information processing device comprising:
a processor configured to receive a route generation request from a navigation device of a vehicle to generate a first route that includes a green wave section where green wave travel by the vehicle is possible; generate the first route to a destination, the first route including the green wave section (See at least Shuai FIG. 1 and Paragraphs 51-52 “Step 120: Generate at least one navigation route based on the origin and destination information, wherein the at least one navigation route includes a route to avoid congestion. Upon receiving a navigation route planning instruction, the navigation device generates at least one navigation route based on the origin and destination information. The origin can be obtained from the vehicle's real-time positioning information or input by the user in advance. The navigation route generated by the navigation device includes at least a route that avoids congestion, and may also include the shortest distance route, the route with the shortest travel time, and other navigation routes. The calculation methods for navigation routes such as avoiding congestion, the shortest distance route, and the route with the shortest travel time are well known to those skilled in the art and will not be described in detail here. After the navigation route is generated, users can select one of the routes to start navigation as needed” | Paragraph 54 “When a user chooses to navigate using a route that avoids congestion, the navigation device first obtains the vehicle's real-time location, traffic light information at intersections along the route, and speed limit information for each road segment. The traffic light information includes the current color of the traffic light, the countdown timer for the current color, and the total time for each color. The speed limit information includes the maximum speed limit, minimum speed limit, or green wave speed for each road segment. Then, the navigation device calculates the recommended speed or recommended speed range for the vehicle to reach the next intersection based on the obtained data. The recommended speed or recommended speed range is used to guide the user to drive the vehicle at an appropriate speed so that they can pass through the next intersection without waiting for a red light or at a reasonable speed when they must wait for a red light”),
Shuai, however, fails to explicitly disclose that the route is between a plurality of intersections at which traffic lights are installed along the first route; transmit screen information including the generated first route and a predetermined travel speed to the navigation device, wherein the screen information is to be displayed on a display screen of the navigation device, the vehicle is controlled to travel at the predetermined travel speed during travel through the green wave section, and the processor is further configured to, based on position information of the vehicle, cause information regarding the green wave section and the predetermined travel speed at which the green wave travel is possible in the green wave section to be simultaneously presented on the display screen of the navigation device.
Zhang, teaches that the route is between a plurality of intersections at which traffic lights are installed along the first route (See at least Zhang Paragraphs 35-36 “Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of this application embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, in the green wave road navigation scenario applied by this application, the green wave road refers to the traffic lights at some traffic intersections being set to turn green at a specific time to allow vehicles to pass. At the same time, if a vehicle passes through a certain road segment at a specified speed, the vehicle can just encounter the green light at the next intersection and continue to pass, thereby reducing the number of times the vehicle starts and brakes, which is conducive to achieving energy conservation and emission reduction. For example, in the scenario shown in Figure 1, the two road segments between traffic lights A and B, and between B and C, can be referred to as green wave roads. When a vehicle passes through traffic light A when it is green, if the vehicle continues to travel on the green wave road between traffic light A and traffic light B at the green wave speed indicated by the sign, the vehicle will be able to reach traffic light B when it is green, and the vehicle can pass through traffic light B smoothly without stopping. Similarly, after passing through traffic light B, if the vehicle continues to travel on the green wave road between traffic light B and traffic light C at the green wave speed indicated by the sign, the vehicle will also be able to reach traffic light C when it is green, and the vehicle can pass through traffic light C smoothly without stopping. In the above scenario, the A-B and B-C roads between adjacent traffic lights can be designated as green wave roads, and the speed specified for green wave roads can be designated as green wave speeds. When a vehicle travels at a green wave speed on a green wave road, the traffic light will be green when it passes the traffic light at the end of the green wave road.”);
transmit screen information including the generated first route and a predetermined travel speed to the navigation device, wherein the screen information is to be displayed on a display screen of the navigation device (See at least Zhang FIGSA. 2-7 Paragraph 62 “The terminal device determines whether the planned driving route passes through a green wave road. If not, it continues navigation to the target location. If so, after the vehicle reaches the starting point of the green wave road, it determines whether the map data includes the green wave speed of the green wave road. When the map data includes green wave speed, the terminal device directly issues a prompt message based on the map data, indicating the start of the green wave road and the prescribed green wave speed for the green wave road; when the map data does not include green wave speed, the terminal device uses the image of the vehicle's surroundings acquired by the camera, and after recognizing the signs in the image using an image recognition algorithm, determines the green wave speed of the green wave road and issues a prompt message. Finally, once the vehicle reaches the midpoint of the green wave road, the terminal device can continue to issue a prompt message to inform the driver that the green wave road has ended and continue navigation to the target location. This application does not limit the navigation method for roads other than green wave roads.”), and
the vehicle is controlled to travel at the predetermined travel speed during travel through the green wave section (See at least Zhang FIGS> 2-7 and Paragraphs 66-70 “Specifically, the green wave road navigation method provided in this embodiment includes: S201: Determine the green wave road along the vehicle's route, and the green wave speed specified for the green wave road. The specific implementation of S201 can be found in the description in S101, and will not be repeated here. Furthermore, the driving route can also be planned in the manner shown in Figure 6. S202: Control vehicles to pass through green wave roads at green wave speeds. Specifically, once the terminal device determines the green wave road and the prescribed green wave speed on the vehicle's route, it can control the vehicle to travel at the green wave speed after the vehicle arrives at the green wave road. This application does not limit the specific implementation method of autonomous vehicles traveling at a certain speed.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the apparatus of Shuai to include that the route is between a plurality of intersections at which traffic lights are installed along the first route; transmit screen information including the generated first route and a predetermined travel speed to the navigation device, wherein the screen information is to be displayed on a display screen of the navigation device, and the vehicle is controlled to travel at the predetermined travel speed during travel through the green wave section, as taught by Zhang as disclosed above, in order to ensure optimal vehicle control (Zhang Paragraph 5 “This application provides a green wave road navigation method and device, which can promptly provide drivers with green wave road information, enabling them to adjust their vehicle speed in time to pass through the green wave road.”).
Shuai in view of Zhang, however, fail to explicitly disclose that the processor is further configured to, based on position information of the vehicle, cause information regarding the green wave section and the predetermined travel speed at which the green wave travel is possible in the green wave section to be simultaneously presented on the display screen of the navigation device.
Zhang II teaches that the processor is further configured to, based on position information of the vehicle, cause information regarding the green wave section and the predetermined travel speed at which the green wave travel is possible in the green wave section to be simultaneously presented on the display screen of the navigation device (See at least Zhang II FIG. 4 and Paragraphs 34-50 “In frame 210, server device 120 determines a green wave speed range for driving through a set of traffic lights, including the first traffic light, based on the distance of the vehicle to the first traffic light. In embodiments of this disclosure, server device 120 obtains the distance of a vehicle (e.g., a vehicle driven by user 130) to a first traffic light, which is typically the traffic light in front of the vehicle that is closest to it. In some embodiments, the server device 120 may determine the vehicle's direction of travel based on the aforementioned route information, and determine the first traffic light based on the vehicle's current location and direction of travel. In some embodiments, the server device 120 may use the vehicle’s current location (or road) and the traffic light at the nearest intersection ahead of the vehicle as the first traffic light. Furthermore, the server device 120 identifies a group of traffic lights, including the first traffic light, to identify other traffic lights with green wave communication relationships. In some embodiments, the server device 120 can determine the traffic light that the vehicle will pass after the first traffic light by using the vehicle's route information (e.g., the planned route provided to the vehicle, the predicted vehicle travel route, etc.). For ease of understanding, such a traffic light can be referred to as the second traffic light. Accordingly, the server device 120 can determine the second speed range corresponding to the second traffic light based on the vehicle's position relative to the second traffic light … Furthermore, the server device 120 determines the speed range of the vehicle when it arrives at the first traffic light while the first traffic light is in a green state, based on the switching time and the distance of the vehicle to the first traffic light. For example, the server device 120 can determine the speed range [v<sub>min</sub>,v<sub>max</sub>] based on the following formulas (1) and (2) … In frame 220, server device 120 generates a green wave alert message in response to determining that the vehicle's current speed falls within the green wave speed range … Based on the above example, for instance, if the server device 120 determines that the current speed of the vehicle is 35 km/h, it can determine that the vehicle falls within the target green wave speed range of [30 km/h, 40 km/h]. Accordingly, the server device 120 determines that the green wave speed range indicated in the green wave reminder information is [30km/h, 40km/h], and that the number of a set of traffic lights is 3 (i.e., the first traffic light, the second traffic light a, and the second traffic light b). For example, if the server device 120 determines that the vehicle's current speed is 45 km/h, it can determine that the vehicle falls within the target green wave speed range of [30 km/h, 50 km/h]. Accordingly, the server device 120 determines that the green wave speed range indicated in the green wave reminder information is [30km/h, 50km/h], and the number of a set of traffic lights is 4 (i.e., the first traffic light, the second traffic light a, the second traffic light b, and the second traffic light c) … Figure 4 shows an example 400 of a green wave reminder message displayed on a terminal device 110 in some embodiments. In this example 400, the server device 120 can determine the first traffic light 420 and the second traffic light 430 (subsequent traffic lights are not shown) based on the navigation path of the vehicle 410 (e.g., navigation path 440). Furthermore, the server device 120 determines that the current speed of vehicle 410 is 45 km/h, which falls within the green wave speed range indicated in the green wave reminder information, which is [30 km/h, 50 km/h], and determines that it can pass through 4 traffic lights continuously. Correspondingly, the server device 120 uses the display interface 111 of the terminal device 110 to display a green wave reminder message 450. The green wave alert information 450 includes at least information 451 indicating the target green wave speed range and information 452 indicating the number of traffic lights”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the apparatus of Shuai in view of Zhang to include that the processor is further configured to, based on position information of the vehicle, cause information regarding the green wave section and the predetermined travel speed at which the green wave travel is possible in the green wave section to be simultaneously presented on the display screen of the navigation device, as taught by Zhang II as disclosed above, in order to ensure accurate information is presented (Zhang II Paragraph 6 “During vehicle operation, the driver and controller need to make driving decisions based on the status of traffic lights ahead”).
With respect to claim 5, Shuai teaches an information processing method executed by an information processing device, the information processing method comprising:
receive a route generation request from a navigation device of a vehicle to generate a first route that includes a green wave section where green wave travel by the vehicle is possible; generate the first route to a destination, the first route including the green wave section (See at least Shuai FIG. 1 and Paragraphs 51-52 “Step 120: Generate at least one navigation route based on the origin and destination information, wherein the at least one navigation route includes a route to avoid congestion. Upon receiving a navigation route planning instruction, the navigation device generates at least one navigation route based on the origin and destination information. The origin can be obtained from the vehicle's real-time positioning information or input by the user in advance. The navigation route generated by the navigation device includes at least a route that avoids congestion, and may also include the shortest distance route, the route with the shortest travel time, and other navigation routes. The calculation methods for navigation routes such as avoiding congestion, the shortest distance route, and the route with the shortest travel time are well known to those skilled in the art and will not be described in detail here. After the navigation route is generated, users can select one of the routes to start navigation as needed” | Paragraph 54 “When a user chooses to navigate using a route that avoids congestion, the navigation device first obtains the vehicle's real-time location, traffic light information at intersections along the route, and speed limit information for each road segment. The traffic light information includes the current color of the traffic light, the countdown timer for the current color, and the total time for each color. The speed limit information includes the maximum speed limit, minimum speed limit, or green wave speed for each road segment. Then, the navigation device calculates the recommended speed or recommended speed range for the vehicle to reach the next intersection based on the obtained data. The recommended speed or recommended speed range is used to guide the user to drive the vehicle at an appropriate speed so that they can pass through the next intersection without waiting for a red light or at a reasonable speed when they must wait for a red light”),
Shuai, however, fails to explicitly disclose that the route is between a plurality of intersections at which traffic lights are installed along the first route; transmit screen information including the generated first route and a predetermined travel speed to the navigation device, the screen information being displayed on a display screen of the navigation device, and the vehicle being controlled to travel at the predetermined travel speed during travel through the green wave section; and simultaneously presenting information regarding the green wave section and the predetermined travel speed at which the green wave travel is possible in the green wave section, based on position information of the vehicle, on the display screen of the navigation device.
Zhang, teaches that the route is between a plurality of intersections at which traffic lights are installed along the first route (See at least Zhang Paragraphs 35-36 “Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of this application embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, in the green wave road navigation scenario applied by this application, the green wave road refers to the traffic lights at some traffic intersections being set to turn green at a specific time to allow vehicles to pass. At the same time, if a vehicle passes through a certain road segment at a specified speed, the vehicle can just encounter the green light at the next intersection and continue to pass, thereby reducing the number of times the vehicle starts and brakes, which is conducive to achieving energy conservation and emission reduction. For example, in the scenario shown in Figure 1, the two road segments between traffic lights A and B, and between B and C, can be referred to as green wave roads. When a vehicle passes through traffic light A when it is green, if the vehicle continues to travel on the green wave road between traffic light A and traffic light B at the green wave speed indicated by the sign, the vehicle will be able to reach traffic light B when it is green, and the vehicle can pass through traffic light B smoothly without stopping. Similarly, after passing through traffic light B, if the vehicle continues to travel on the green wave road between traffic light B and traffic light C at the green wave speed indicated by the sign, the vehicle will also be able to reach traffic light C when it is green, and the vehicle can pass through traffic light C smoothly without stopping. In the above scenario, the A-B and B-C roads between adjacent traffic lights can be designated as green wave roads, and the speed specified for green wave roads can be designated as green wave speeds. When a vehicle travels at a green wave speed on a green wave road, the traffic light will be green when it passes the traffic light at the end of the green wave road.”);
transmit screen information including the generated first route and a predetermined travel speed to the navigation device, the screen information being displayed on a display screen of the navigation device (See at least Zhang FIGSA. 2-7 Paragraph 62 “The terminal device determines whether the planned driving route passes through a green wave road. If not, it continues navigation to the target location. If so, after the vehicle reaches the starting point of the green wave road, it determines whether the map data includes the green wave speed of the green wave road. When the map data includes green wave speed, the terminal device directly issues a prompt message based on the map data, indicating the start of the green wave road and the prescribed green wave speed for the green wave road; when the map data does not include green wave speed, the terminal device uses the image of the vehicle's surroundings acquired by the camera, and after recognizing the signs in the image using an image recognition algorithm, determines the green wave speed of the green wave road and issues a prompt message. Finally, once the vehicle reaches the midpoint of the green wave road, the terminal device can continue to issue a prompt message to inform the driver that the green wave road has ended and continue navigation to the target location. This application does not limit the navigation method for roads other than green wave roads.”), and
the vehicle being controlled to travel at the predetermined travel speed during travel through the green wave section (See at least Zhang FIGS> 2-7 and Paragraphs 66-70 “Specifically, the green wave road navigation method provided in this embodiment includes: S201: Determine the green wave road along the vehicle's route, and the green wave speed specified for the green wave road. The specific implementation of S201 can be found in the description in S101, and will not be repeated here. Furthermore, the driving route can also be planned in the manner shown in Figure 6. S202: Control vehicles to pass through green wave roads at green wave speeds. Specifically, once the terminal device determines the green wave road and the prescribed green wave speed on the vehicle's route, it can control the vehicle to travel at the green wave speed after the vehicle arrives at the green wave road. This application does not limit the specific implementation method of autonomous vehicles traveling at a certain speed.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the method of Shuai to include the route is between a plurality of intersections at which traffic lights are installed along the first route; transmit screen information including the generated first route and a predetermined travel speed to the navigation device, the screen information being displayed on a display screen of the navigation device, and the vehicle being controlled to travel at the predetermined travel speed during travel through the green wave section, as taught by Zhang as disclosed above, in order to ensure optimal vehicle control (Zhang Paragraph 5 “This application provides a green wave road navigation method and device, which can promptly provide drivers with green wave road information, enabling them to adjust their vehicle speed in time to pass through the green wave road.”).
Shuai in view of Zhang, however, fail to explicitly disclose to simultaneously presenting information regarding the green wave section and the predetermined travel speed at which the green wave travel is possible in the green wave section, based on position information of the vehicle, on the display screen of the navigation device.
Zhang II teaches to simultaneously presenting information regarding the green wave section and the predetermined travel speed at which the green wave travel is possible in the green wave section, based on position information of the vehicle, on the display screen of the navigation device (See at least Zhang II FIG. 4 and Paragraphs 34-50 “In frame 210, server device 120 determines a green wave speed range for driving through a set of traffic lights, including the first traffic light, based on the distance of the vehicle to the first traffic light. In embodiments of this disclosure, server device 120 obtains the distance of a vehicle (e.g., a vehicle driven by user 130) to a first traffic light, which is typically the traffic light in front of the vehicle that is closest to it. In some embodiments, the server device 120 may determine the vehicle's direction of travel based on the aforementioned route information, and determine the first traffic light based on the vehicle's current location and direction of travel. In some embodiments, the server device 120 may use the vehicle’s current location (or road) and the traffic light at the nearest intersection ahead of the vehicle as the first traffic light. Furthermore, the server device 120 identifies a group of traffic lights, including the first traffic light, to identify other traffic lights with green wave communication relationships. In some embodiments, the server device 120 can determine the traffic light that the vehicle will pass after the first traffic light by using the vehicle's route information (e.g., the planned route provided to the vehicle, the predicted vehicle travel route, etc.). For ease of understanding, such a traffic light can be referred to as the second traffic light. Accordingly, the server device 120 can determine the second speed range corresponding to the second traffic light based on the vehicle's position relative to the second traffic light … Furthermore, the server device 120 determines the speed range of the vehicle when it arrives at the first traffic light while the first traffic light is in a green state, based on the switching time and the distance of the vehicle to the first traffic light. For example, the server device 120 can determine the speed range [v<sub>min</sub>,v<sub>max</sub>] based on the following formulas (1) and (2) … In frame 220, server device 120 generates a green wave alert message in response to determining that the vehicle's current speed falls within the green wave speed range … Based on the above example, for instance, if the server device 120 determines that the current speed of the vehicle is 35 km/h, it can determine that the vehicle falls within the target green wave speed range of [30 km/h, 40 km/h]. Accordingly, the server device 120 determines that the green wave speed range indicated in the green wave reminder information is [30km/h, 40km/h], and that the number of a set of traffic lights is 3 (i.e., the first traffic light, the second traffic light a, and the second traffic light b). For example, if the server device 120 determines that the vehicle's current speed is 45 km/h, it can determine that the vehicle falls within the target green wave speed range of [30 km/h, 50 km/h]. Accordingly, the server device 120 determines that the green wave speed range indicated in the green wave reminder information is [30km/h, 50km/h], and the number of a set of traffic lights is 4 (i.e., the first traffic light, the second traffic light a, the second traffic light b, and the second traffic light c) … Figure 4 shows an example 400 of a green wave reminder message displayed on a terminal device 110 in some embodiments. In this example 400, the server device 120 can determine the first traffic light 420 and the second traffic light 430 (subsequent traffic lights are not shown) based on the navigation path of the vehicle 410 (e.g., navigation path 440). Furthermore, the server device 120 determines that the current speed of vehicle 410 is 45 km/h, which falls within the green wave speed range indicated in the green wave reminder information, which is [30 km/h, 50 km/h], and determines that it can pass through 4 traffic lights continuously. Correspondingly, the server device 120 uses the display interface 111 of the terminal device 110 to display a green wave reminder message 450. The green wave alert information 450 includes at least information 451 indicating the target green wave speed range and information 452 indicating the number of traffic lights”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the apparatus of Shuai in view of Zhang to simultaneously presenting information regarding the green wave section and the predetermined travel speed at which the green wave travel is possible in the green wave section, based on position information of the vehicle, on the display screen of the navigation device, as taught by Zhang II as disclosed above, in order to ensure accurate information is presented (Zhang II Paragraph 6 “During vehicle operation, the driver and controller need to make driving decisions based on the status of traffic lights ahead”).
With respect to claim 8, Shuai in view of Zhang in view of Zhang II teach that the processor is configured to initiate the simultaneous presentation when the position information indicates that the vehicle has entered a start point of the green wave section (See at least Zhang II FIG. 4 and Paragraphs 34-50)
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shuai (CN 111060120 A) (“Shuai”) (Translation Attached) in view of Zhang (CN 113108801 A) (“Zhang”) (Translation Attached) in view of Zhang II (CN 116543576 A) (“Zhang II”) (Translation Attached) further in view of Tani (US 20090319110 A1) (“Tani”).
With respect to claim 2, Shuai in view of Zhang in view of Zhang II fails to explicitly disclose a memory, wherein the processor is further configured to calculate a power cost required to travel the green wave section by dividing an amount of electric power received from the vehicle and consumed during travel from a start point to an end point of the green wave section by a distance of the green wave section; and store the calculated power cost in the memory.
Tani teaches a memory, wherein the processor is further configured to calculate a power cost required to travel the green wave section by dividing an amount of electric power received from the vehicle and consumed during travel from a start point to an end point of the green wave section by a distance of the green wave section; and store the calculated power cost in the memory (See at least Tani FIGS. 7-9 and Paragraphs 66-69 “As the amount of fuel increase varies with the electric generation power Eg, the relation between the electric power generation cost D and the electric generation power Eg is expressed by the following equation (7). D(Eg)=(fuel increase amount ΔFg for electric power Eg)/(electric power Eg) (7) The fuel increase amount ΔFg is computed as a difference (Fg1−Fg0) of fuel amounts Fg1 and Fg0. The fuel amount Fg1 indicates amount of fuel consumed at an operating point of the engine 101 and the MG 102 determined on an assumption that the drive power of a wheel axle is the required drive power Pw and the electric power to be supplied from the MG 102 to the power source system, that is, electric power generated by the MG, is Eg. The fuel amount Fg0 indicates amount of fuel consumed at an operating point of the engine 101 on an assumption that no electric power is generated by the MG 102 and the required drive power Pw is all generated by the engine 101 … After determination of the optimum electric power generation cost Do and the optimum electric generation power Eo, it is checked at S604 whether the optimum electric power generation cost Do is greater than the reference cost Dr computed at S210.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the apparatus of Shuai in view of Zhang in view of Zhang II to include a memory, wherein the processor is further configured to calculate a power cost required to travel the green wave section by dividing an amount of electric power received from the vehicle and consumed during travel from a start point to an end point of the green wave section by a distance of the green wave section; and store the calculated power cost in the memory, as taught by Tani as disclosed above, in order to ensure an optimal route is chosen for the vehicle (Tani Paragraph 9 “It is therefore an object of the present invention to reduce energy cost of a hybrid vehicle, in which an in-vehicle battery is chargeable with electric power supplied from an external electric power source.”).
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shuai (CN 111060120 A) (“Shuai”) (Translation Attached) in view of Zhang (CN 113108801 A) (“Zhang”) (Translation Attached) in view of Zhang II (CN 116543576 A) (“Zhang II”) (Translation Attached) in view of Tani (US 20090319110 A1) (“Tani”) further in view of in view of Kumar (US 20200072626 A1) (“Kumar”).
With respect to claim 3, Shuai in view of Tani in view of Zhang II in view of Tani teach that the first route is a route that includes the section where the green wave travel is possible (See at least Shuai FIG. 1 and Paragraphs 51-54) and determining a power cost for the route (See at least Tani FIGS. 7-9 and Paragraphs 66-69).
Shuai in view of Zhang in view of Zhang II in view of Tani fail to explicitly disclose that a remaining charge level of a battery when the vehicle arrives at the destination of the vehicle is determined based on the power cost stored in the memory, a remaining charge level of the battery at a departure point of the vehicle, and distances of a plurality of routes connecting the departure point and the destination including the green wave section.
Kumar teaches that the first route is a route in which a remaining charge level when the vehicle arrives at a destination of the vehicle is highest, a remaining charge level of a battery when the vehicle arrives at the destination of the vehicle is determined based on the power cost stored in the memory, a remaining charge level of the battery at a departure point of the vehicle, and distances of a plurality of routes connecting the departure point and the destination (See at least Kumar FIGS. 3-5 and Paragraphs 53-60 “Accordingly, in the example shown in FIG. 3, first route 308 includes a first route segment 316 (between starting location 304 and point A), a second route segment 318 (between points A and B), and a third route segment 320 (between point B and destination location 306), each of which is not charging capable. Second route 310 includes a fourth route segment 322 (between starting location 304 and point C) that is charging capable and a fifth route segment 324 (between point C and destination location 306) that is not charging capable. Third route 312 includes a sixth route segment 326 (between starting location 304 and point D) that is not charging capable and a seventh route segment 328 (between points D and E), an eighth route segment 330 (between points E and F), and a ninth route segment 332 (between point F and destination location 306) that are each charging capable. It should be recognized that these examples are merely illustrative and should not be viewed as limiting the scope of the disclosure. Navigation device 100 may prioritize or rank the routes according to the charging metric and/or based on vehicle information described above. For example, even though first route 308 is shorter in distance than second route 310 and third route 312, navigation device 100 may prioritize or rank second route 310 and third route 312 higher than first route 308 since second route 310 and third route 312 have charging capability for at least a portion of their respective route. As a further example, in one aspect, navigation device 100 may rank third route 312 highest since it includes the largest percentage of distance along the route that has charging capability. However, if navigation device 100 determines that the battery level of the vehicle associated with navigation device is below a threshold (e.g., 10%), navigation device 100 may prioritize second route 310 higher than third route 312 since second route 310 includes charging capability in the initial route segment. As a result, the vehicle has less of a chance of running out of battery charge while driving along second route 310 as compared to third route 312. As another example, if navigation device 100 prioritizes preserving a highest amount of battery charge by the time the vehicle reaches destination location 306, navigation device 100 may prioritize third route 312 above second route 310 since third route 312 concludes with multiple route segments 314 having charging capability. The above examples are merely illustrative, and it should be recognized that navigation device 100 may rank or prioritize the plurality of routes based on any other charging metric, vehicle information, or combinations thereof. Navigation device 100 may then display or otherwise present the routes to the user based on the ranking or prioritization described herein … In one aspect, the user may select a “charging metric optimized” button or selector 404 to cause navigation device 100 to prioritize routes that have a highest charging metric. For example, in response to an input from the user selecting the charging metric optimized selector 404, navigation device 100 may filter the routes to only display routes that include charging capability for at least one route segment and/or may present a list of routes that are ordered from highest charging metric to lowest charging metric … In another aspect, the user may select a “shortest ETA to destination location” button or selector 408 (referred to herein as the “shortest ETA selector”) to cause navigation device 100 to prioritize routes that have a shortest estimated time of arrival (ETA) from the starting location to the destination location. For example, in response to an input from the user selecting the shortest ETA selector 408, navigation device 100 may present a list of routes that are ordered from the shortest ETA to the destination location to the longest ETA to the destination location” | Paragraph 66 “If the user selects the charging metric priority 502 of providing a highest battery charge level 506 at the destination location, navigation device 100 or route management server 150 may prioritize the route or routes that are expected to cause the battery of the vehicle associated with the navigation device 100 to have the highest level of charge at the end of the route. For example, if a first route has a route segment that does not have charging capability right before the end of the route, a second route that does have charging capability at the end of the route may be prioritized above the first route. This may be the case even if the first route has more overall charging capability than the second route as long as the second route is expected to leave the vehicle battery at a higher charge level at the end of the route.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the device of Shuai in view of Zhang in view of Zhang II in view of Tani to include that the first route is a route in which a remaining charge level when the vehicle arrives at a destination of the vehicle is highest, a remaining charge level of a battery when the vehicle arrives at the destination of the vehicle is determined based on the power cost stored in the memory, a remaining charge level of the battery at a departure point of the vehicle, and distances of a plurality of routes connecting the departure point and the destination, as taught by Kumar as disclosed above, such that the remaining charge level is also created based on the green wave sections, in order ensure multiple routes displayed to various user preferences (Kumar Paragraph 1 “This disclosure relates generally to methods and devices for enhanced route selection techniques for electric vehicles and, more particularly, to methods and devices for enabling users to plan routes with special considerations for electric vehicles”).
Claims 4 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shuai (CN 111060120 A) (“Shuai”) (Translation Attached) in view of Zhang (CN 113108801 A) (“Zhang”) (Translation Attached) in view of Zhang II (CN 116543576 A) (“Zhang II”) (Translation Attached) further in view of Kumar (US 20200072626 A1) (“Kumar”).
With respect to claim 4, Shuai in view of Zhang in view of Zhang II teaches that the screen information further includes, a second route that does not include the green wave section (See at least Shuai FIG. 1 and Paragraphs 51-52 “Step 120: Generate at least one navigation route based on the origin and destination information, wherein the at least one navigation route includes a route to avoid congestion. Upon receiving a navigation route planning instruction, the navigation device generates at least one navigation route based on the origin and destination information. The origin can be obtained from the vehicle's real-time positioning information or input by the user in advance. The navigation route generated by the navigation device includes at least a route that avoids congestion, and may also include the shortest distance route, the route with the shortest travel time, and other navigation routes. The calculation methods for navigation routes such as avoiding congestion, the shortest distance route, and the route with the shortest travel time are well known to those skilled in the art and will not be described in detail here. After the navigation route is generated, users can select one of the routes to start navigation as needed”).
Shuai in view of Zhang in view of Zhang II fails to explicitly disclose displaying expected times of arrival at the destination of the first route, a destination of the second route, and estimated values of a remaining charge level of a battery at the expected times for the first route and the second route included on the screen information.
Kumar teaches expected times of arrival at the destination of the first route, a destination of the second route, and estimated values of a remaining charge level of a battery at the expected times for the first route and the second route included on the screen information (See at least Kumar Paragraph 60 “In another aspect, the user may select a “shortest ETA to destination location” button or selector 408 (referred to herein as the “shortest ETA selector”) to cause navigation device 100 to prioritize routes that have a shortest estimated time of arrival (ETA) from the starting location to the destination location. For example, in response to an input from the user selecting the shortest ETA selector 408, navigation device 100 may present a list of routes that are ordered from the shortest ETA to the destination location to the longest ETA to the destination location” | Paragraph 66 “If the user selects the charging metric priority 502 of providing a highest battery charge level 506 at the destination location, navigation device 100 or route management server 150 may prioritize the route or routes that are expected to cause the battery of the vehicle associated with the navigation device 100 to have the highest level of charge at the end of the route. For example, if a first route has a route segment that does not have charging capability right before the end of the route, a second route that does have charging capability at the end of the route may be prioritized above the first route. This may be the case even if the first route has more overall charging capability than the second route as long as the second route is expected to leave the vehicle battery at a higher charge level at the end of the route.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the device of Shuai in view of Zhang in view of Zhang II to include expected times of arrival at the destination of the first route, a destination of the second route, and estimated values of a remaining charge level of a battery at the expected times for the first route and the second route included on the screen information, as taught by Kumar as disclosed above, in order ensure multiple routes displayed to various user preferences (Kumar Paragraph 1 “This disclosure relates generally to methods and devices for enhanced route selection techniques for electric vehicles and, more particularly, to methods and devices for enabling users to plan routes with special considerations for electric vehicles”).
With respect to claim 6, Shuai in view of Zhang in view of Zhang II fail to explicitly disclose that the first route that is generated maximizes a remaining charge level of the vehicle upon arriving at the destination of the first route.
Kumar teaches that the first route that is generated maximizes a remaining charge level of the vehicle upon arriving at the destination of the first route (See at least Kumar Paragraph 66 “If the user selects the charging metric priority 502 of providing a highest battery charge level 506 at the destination location, navigation device 100 or route management server 150 may prioritize the route or routes that are expected to cause the battery of the vehicle associated with the navigation device 100 to have the highest level of charge at the end of the route. For example, if a first route has a route segment that does not have charging capability right before the end of the route, a second route that does have charging capability at the end of the route may be prioritized above the first route. This may be the case even if the first route has more overall charging capability than the second route as long as the second route is expected to leave the vehicle battery at a higher charge level at the end of the route.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the device of Shuai in view of Zhang in view of Zhang II to include that the first route that is generated maximizes a remaining charge level of the vehicle upon arriving at the destination of the first route, as taught by Kumar as disclosed above, in order ensure multiple routes displayed to various user preferences (Kumar Paragraph 1 “This disclosure relates generally to methods and devices for enhanced route selection techniques for electric vehicles and, more particularly, to methods and devices for enabling users to plan routes with special considerations for electric vehicles”).
Conclusion
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/IBRAHIM ABDOALATIF ALSOMAIRY/ Examiner, Art Unit 3667 /KENNETH J MALKOWSKI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3667
