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
This is the First Office Action on the merits.
Claims 1-20 are currently pending and addressed below.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) filed on 10/04/2024 has been considered. An initialed copy of the IDS is enclosed herewith.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
As to claim 1, the claim recites “storing critical code in the volatile memory of the vehicle”. It is unclear to the Examiner what is meant by “critical code”. While applicant’s filed specification provides examples of “critical code”, it specifically states that it is merely an example of the critical code (e.g. “For example, critical code (e.g…data) for an autonomous driving application. The data can include data collected from vehicle sensors…”) and is not limited thereto, so it is unclear exactly what this term encompasses.
As to claim 6, the claim is rejected for the same reasons as mentioned in the rejection of claim 1.
As to claim 16, the claim is rejected for the same reasons as mentioned in the rejection of claim 1.
Dependent claims 2-5, 7-15 and 17-20 are rejected as being dependent upon a rejected claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-14, and 16-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by James et al. (US 20180293809 A1).
Regarding claim 1, and similarly with respect to claims 6 and 16, James et al. discloses A
method, comprising: collecting vehicle data from a sensor of a vehicle; (119, Figure 1, [0050] “The one or more data stores 115 can include sensor data 119… The sensor data 119 can relate to one or more sensors of the sensor system 120. As an example, in one or more arrangements, the sensor data 119 can include information on one or more LIDAR sensors 124 of the sensor system 120.”)
storing the vehicle data in volatile memory of the vehicle; storing critical code in the
volatile memory of the vehicle; and (115, Figure 1, and [0046] “The vehicle 100 can include one or more data stores 115 for storing one or more types of data. The data store 115 can include volatile and/or non-volatile memory. Examples of suitable data stores 115 include RAM (Random Access Memory), flash memory, ROM (Read Only Memory), PROM (Programmable Read-Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), registers, magnetic disks, optical disks, hard drives, or any other suitable storage medium, or any combination thereof.”, and see at least [0065])
transmitting the critical code. ([0065] “The modules can be implemented as computer-
readable program code that, when executed by a processor 110, implement one or more of the various processes described herein. One or more of the modules can be a component of the processor(s) 110, or one or more of the modules can be executed on and/or distributed among other processing systems to which the processor(s) 110 is operatively connected. The modules can include instructions (e.g., program logic) executable by one or more processor(s) 110. Alternatively, or in addition, one or more data store 115 may contain such instructions.”, and [0069] “The autonomous driving module(s) 160 can be configured to execute various vehicle functions and/or to transmit data to, receive data from, interact with, and/or control the vehicle 100 or one or more systems thereof (e.g. one or more of vehicle systems 140).”)
Regarding claim 2, James et al. discloses The method of claim 1, comprising storing the
vehicle data in non-volatile memory. (115, Figure 1, and [0046] “The vehicle 100 can include one or more data stores 115 for storing one or more types of data. The data store 115 can include volatile and/or non-volatile memory. Examples of suitable data stores 115 include RAM (Random Access Memory), flash memory, ROM (Read Only Memory), PROM (Programmable Read-Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), registers, magnetic disks, optical disks, hard drives, or any other suitable storage medium, or any combination thereof.”, and see at least [0065])
Regarding claim 3, James et al. discloses The method of claim 1, comprising using the
critical code for autonomous driving of the vehicle. (Figure 1, [0065] “The modules can be implemented as computer-readable program code that, when executed by a processor 110, implement one or more of the various processes described herein. One or more of the modules can be a component of the processor(s) 110, or one or more of the modules can be executed on and/or distributed among other processing systems to which the processor(s) 110 is operatively connected. The modules can include instructions (e.g., program logic) executable by one or more processor(s) 110. Alternatively, or in addition, one or more data store 115 may contain such instructions.”, [0067] “The vehicle 100 can include one or more autonomous driving modules 160. The autonomous driving module(s) 160 can be configured to receive data from the sensor system 120 and/or any other type of system capable of capturing information relating to the vehicle 100 and/or the external environment of the vehicle 100. In one or more arrangements, the autonomous driving module(s) 160 can use such data to generate one or more driving scene models. The autonomous driving module(s) 160 can determine position and velocity of the vehicle 100. The autonomous driving module(s) 160 can determine the location of obstacles, obstacles, or other environmental features including traffic signs, trees, shrubs, neighboring vehicles, pedestrians, etc.”, and [0069] “The autonomous driving module(s) 160 either independently or in combination with the collection system 170 can be configured to collect information about and/or determine travel path(s), current autonomous driving maneuvers for the vehicle 100, future autonomous driving maneuvers and/or modifications to current autonomous driving maneuvers based on data acquired by the sensor system 120…The autonomous driving module(s) 160 can be configured to execute various vehicle functions and/or to transmit data to, receive data from, interact with, and/or control the vehicle 100 or one or more systems thereof (e.g. one or more of vehicle systems 140).”)
Regarding claim 4, James et al. discloses The method of claim 1, comprising using the
vehicle data for autonomous driving of the vehicle. (Figure 1, [0065] “The modules can be implemented as computer-readable program code that, when executed by a processor 110, implement one or more of the various processes described herein. One or more of the modules can be a component of the processor(s) 110, or one or more of the modules can be executed on and/or distributed among other processing systems to which the processor(s) 110 is operatively connected. The modules can include instructions (e.g., program logic) executable by one or more processor(s) 110. Alternatively, or in addition, one or more data store 115 may contain such instructions.”, [0067] “The vehicle 100 can include one or more autonomous driving modules 160. The autonomous driving module(s) 160 can be configured to receive data from the sensor system 120 and/or any other type of system capable of capturing information relating to the vehicle 100 and/or the external environment of the vehicle 100. In one or more arrangements, the autonomous driving module(s) 160 can use such data to generate one or more driving scene models. The autonomous driving module(s) 160 can determine position and velocity of the vehicle 100. The autonomous driving module(s) 160 can determine the location of obstacles, obstacles, or other environmental features including traffic signs, trees, shrubs, neighboring vehicles, pedestrians, etc.”, and [0069] “The autonomous driving module(s) 160 either independently or in combination with the collection system 170 can be configured to collect information about and/or determine travel path(s), current autonomous driving maneuvers for the vehicle 100, future autonomous driving maneuvers and/or modifications to current autonomous driving maneuvers based on data acquired by the sensor system 120…The autonomous driving module(s) 160 can be configured to execute various vehicle functions and/or to transmit data to, receive data from, interact with, and/or control the vehicle 100 or one or more systems thereof (e.g. one or more of vehicle systems 140).”)
Regarding claim 5, James et al. discloses wherein collecting the vehicle data includes
collecting photographic data. ([0034] “the filter module 230 can activate one or more sensors of the sensor system 120 to acquire additional information that may not otherwise be generated by the vehicle 100. For example, if the camera 126 is not presently active, then the filter module 230 can activate the camera to obtain additional data. Additionally, in an instance when the vehicle 100 is parked and turned off, the filter module 230 may activate a camera to obtain images of any nearby objects and so on.”)
Regarding claim 7, James et al. discloses The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising one
or more sensors of a vehicle. (122, Figure 1)
Regarding claim 8, James et al. discloses The apparatus of claim 7, wherein collecting the
vehicle data is performed by the one or more sensors. (115, 119, Figure 1, and [0050] “The sensor data 119 can relate to one or more sensors of the sensor system 120. As an example, in one or more arrangements, the sensor data 119 can include information on one or more LIDAR sensors 124 of the sensor system 120.”)
Regarding claim 9, James et al. discloses The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the one or more
sensors include a vehicle camera. (126, Figure 1)
Regarding claim 10, James et al. discloses The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the memory
resource further includes non-volatile memory. [0046] “The vehicle 100 can include one or more data stores 115 for storing one or more types of data. The data store 115 can include volatile and/or non-volatile memory. Examples of suitable data stores 115 include RAM (Random Access Memory), flash memory, ROM (Read Only Memory), PROM (Programmable Read-Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), registers, magnetic disks, optical disks, hard drives, or any other suitable storage medium, or any combination thereof.”, and see at least [0065])
Regarding claim 11, James et al. discloses The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the non-
volatile memory is configured to store the vehicle data. (115, Figure 1, [0046] “The vehicle 100 can include one or more data stores 115 for storing one or more types of data. The data store 115 can include volatile and/or non-volatile memory. Examples of suitable data stores 115 include RAM (Random Access Memory), flash memory, ROM (Read Only Memory), PROM (Programmable Read-Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), registers, magnetic disks, optical disks, hard drives, or any other suitable storage medium, or any combination thereof.”, [0050] “The one or more data stores 115 can include sensor data 119… The sensor data 119 can relate to one or more sensors of the sensor system 120. As an example, in one or more arrangements, the sensor data 119 can include information on one or more LIDAR sensors 124 of the sensor system 120.”, and see at least [0065])
Regarding claim 12, James et al. discloses The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the critical
code is for an autonomous driving application. (Figure 1, [0065] “The modules can be implemented as computer-readable program code that, when executed by a processor 110, implement one or more of the various processes described herein. One or more of the modules can be a component of the processor(s) 110, or one or more of the modules can be executed on and/or distributed among other processing systems to which the processor(s) 110 is operatively connected. The modules can include instructions (e.g., program logic) executable by one or more processor(s) 110. Alternatively, or in addition, one or more data store 115 may contain such instructions.”, [0067] “The vehicle 100 can include one or more autonomous driving modules 160. The autonomous driving module(s) 160 can be configured to receive data from the sensor system 120 and/or any other type of system capable of capturing information relating to the vehicle 100 and/or the external environment of the vehicle 100. In one or more arrangements, the autonomous driving module(s) 160 can use such data to generate one or more driving scene models. The autonomous driving module(s) 160 can determine position and velocity of the vehicle 100. The autonomous driving module(s) 160 can determine the location of obstacles, obstacles, or other environmental features including traffic signs, trees, shrubs, neighboring vehicles, pedestrians, etc.”, and [0069] “The autonomous driving module(s) 160 either independently or in combination with the collection system 170 can be configured to collect information about and/or determine travel path(s), current autonomous driving maneuvers for the vehicle 100, future autonomous driving maneuvers and/or modifications to current autonomous driving maneuvers based on data acquired by the sensor system 120…The autonomous driving module(s) 160 can be configured to execute various vehicle functions and/or to transmit data to, receive data from, interact with, and/or control the vehicle 100 or one or more systems thereof (e.g. one or more of vehicle systems 140).”)
Regarding claim 13, James et al. discloses The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the memory
resource (115, Figure 1) and the processing resource (110, Figure 1) are located on an autonomous vehicle. (Figure 1)
Regarding claim 14, James et al. discloses The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the memory
resource is used by an active vehicle. (Figure 1, and [0046] “The vehicle 100 can include one or more processors 110. In one or more arrangements, the processor(s) 110 can be a main processor of the vehicle 100. For instance, the processor(s) 110 can be an electronic control unit (ECU). The vehicle 100 can include one or more data stores 115 for storing one or more types of data. The data store 115 can include volatile and/or non-volatile memory. Examples of suitable data stores 115 include RAM (Random Access Memory), flash memory, ROM (Read Only Memory), PROM (Programmable Read-Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), registers, magnetic disks, optical disks, hard drives, or any other suitable storage medium, or any combination thereof. The data store 115 can be a component of the processor(s) 110, or the data store 115 can be operatively connected to the processor(s) 110 for use thereby.”)
Regarding claim 17, James et al. discloses The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the sensor is a
vehicle sensor. (122, Figure 1)
Regarding claim 18, James et al. discloses The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the vehicle is an
autonomous vehicle. (Figure 1, and [0045] “the vehicle 100 is an autonomous vehicle.”)
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.
Claims 15 and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over James et al. (US 20180293809 A1) in view of Sitzes (US 20100202346 A1).
Regarding claim 15, James et al. discloses The apparatus of claim 6,
However, James et al. fails to explicitly disclose wherein the memory resource is accessed
by another vehicle.
Sitzes teaches wherein the memory resource is accessed by another vehicle. ([0050] “The
shared memory 512 may include a memory location that is accessible by other communication devices on the network. For example, in one embodiment, other communication devices may be capable of mapping to the memory location to view and download information (e.g., files and messages) stored in the shared memory 512. In one embodiment, access to the shared memory location may be at least partially limited to external devices and/or users. For example, other communication device may be capable of viewing only certain information related to information stored in shared memory 512.”, and [0065] “communication device 112 may be adapted for use in various locations. For example, where the communication device is to be used as an inter-vehicle communication device, it may be mounted somewhere within a vehicle that is conducive to use by the vehicle occupants.”, [0054] “Transceiver 516 includes, in one embodiment, a device configured to wirelessly transmit and/or receive communication signal between one or more communication devices. The devices may include other communication devices on the network, such as those associated with vehicles and/or non-vehicles.”, see at least [0011] and etc.)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date
of the claimed invention with reasonable expectations of success to modify the invention of James et al. to incorporate a shared memory that is accessible by other communication devices (e.g. vehicles) as taught by Sitzes for the purpose of allowing the vehicle to share data with other vehicles for navigation.
Regarding claim 19, James et al. discloses The vehicle of claim 16, further comprising a
transceiver. ([0069] “The autonomous driving module(s) 160 can be configured to execute various vehicle functions and/or to transmit data to, receive data from, interact with, and/or control the vehicle 100 or one or more systems thereof (e.g. one or more of vehicle systems 140).”)
However, James et al. may be alleged to not explicitly disclose The vehicle… further
comprising a transceiver.
Sitzes teaches The vehicle… further comprising a transceiver. ([0050] “The shared memory
512 may include a memory location that is accessible by other communication devices on the network. For example, in one embodiment, other communication devices may be capable of mapping to the memory location to view and download information (e.g., files and messages) stored in the shared memory 512. In one embodiment, access to the shared memory location may be at least partially limited to external devices and/or users. For example, other communication device may be capable of viewing only certain information related to information stored in shared memory 512.”, and [0065] “communication device 112 may be adapted for use in various locations. For example, where the communication device is to be used as an inter-vehicle communication device, it may be mounted somewhere within a vehicle that is conducive to use by the vehicle occupants.”, [0054] “Transceiver 516 includes, in one embodiment, a device configured to wirelessly transmit and/or receive communication signal between one or more communication devices. The devices may include other communication devices on the network, such as those associated with vehicles and/or non-vehicles.”, see at least [0011] and etc.)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date
of the claimed invention with reasonable expectations of success to modify the invention of James et al. to incorporate a vehicle transceiver as taught by Sitzes for the purpose of allowing the vehicle to receive/transmit data from/to other vehicles.
Regarding claim 20, James et al. discloses The vehicle of claim 19,
However, James et al. fails to explicitly disclose wherein the transceiver is configured to
enable access to another memory resource.
Sitzes teaches wherein the transceiver is configured to enable access to another memory
resource. ([0050] “The shared memory 512 may include a memory location that is accessible by other communication devices on the network. For example, in one embodiment, other communication devices may be capable of mapping to the memory location to view and download information (e.g., files and messages) stored in the shared memory 512. In one embodiment, access to the shared memory location may be at least partially limited to external devices and/or users. For example, other communication device may be capable of viewing only certain information related to information stored in shared memory 512.”, and [0065] “communication device 112 may be adapted for use in various locations. For example, where the communication device is to be used as an inter-vehicle communication device, it may be mounted somewhere within a vehicle that is conducive to use by the vehicle occupants.”, and [0054] “Transceiver 516 includes, in one embodiment, a device configured to wirelessly transmit and/or receive communication signal between one or more communication devices. The devices may include other communication devices on the network, such as those associated with vehicles and/or non-vehicles.”)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention with reasonable expectations of success to modify the invention of James et al. to incorporate a shared memory that is accessible by other communication devices (e.g. vehicles) as taught by Sitzes for the purpose of allowing the vehicle to share data with other vehicles for vehicle navigation.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MISA HUYNH NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)270-5604. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday.
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/MISA H NGUYEN/Examiner, Art Unit 3666
/ANNE MARIE ANTONUCCI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3666