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 .
2. This Office Action is sent in response to Applicant's Communication received on February 11, 2026.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s amendments/arguments filed February 11, 2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Oba as explained in 35 USC 103 section below.
Disposition of Claims
Claims 1-8 and 10-21 are pending in this application.
Claims 1-8 and 10-21 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 non-obviousness.
Claims 1-8 and 10-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over (FREYER – EP 2355072 A2), in view of (Oba – US 20200139992 A1).
Regarding claim 1, FREYER discloses:
A method for providing data configured for demonstrating a driver assistance function of a vehicle (Method for presenting and / or simulating at least one functionality of at least one driver assistance system for a motor vehicle with respect to a customer, in particular a final consumer, and an associated feed device: [Abstract]), the driver assistance function being configured to assist a driver of the vehicle at least partially in driving the vehicle, the method comprising:
receiving, by a system comprising a processor (software means provided in a control device of the motor vehicle reads out data stored on the feed device and uses it accordingly: [0022]), a selection of the driver assistance function based on a user input on a user interface of the vehicle ([0024]: “In a further embodiment of the present invention can be provided that the feed device comprises a computing unit or communicates with a computing unit that simulates the driving situation, in particular in response to input from the customer. While in principle a simple and low-effort design of a simple "demonstration mode" without intervention of the customer can be preferred, it is in the present invention in principle quite possible to include actions of the customer in the vehicle or in the motor vehicle cockpit and use as input to a simulation, so that ultimately deviated from the recorded real driving situation depending on the inputs of the customer. In such an extended virtual test drive so the motor vehicle or the motor vehicle cockpit can be used as a kind of simulator, so that the driver in a traffic simulation that emanates from the driving situation, possibly limited to a certain extent, can act, thus in appropriate driving situations experience the desired additional equipment interactively. Acts of the driver on real operating elements of the motor vehicle or of the motor vehicle cockpit lead to tangible reactions, in particular of the driver assistance system. For example, steering the driver in the simulation may lead to a lane change. Appropriately, the driver assistance system is activated in the real motor vehicle or motor vehicle cockpit and processes the input values, for example blinking when changing lanes, even though the motor vehicle is stationary. If the corresponding driver assistance system is not realized, a corresponding control unit can also be emulated in the arithmetic unit, as already described above. Typical input variables for such a simulation may be: accelerator pedal position, clutch position, steering wheel position, brake pedal position, turn signals, operating elements (buttons, cruise control lever, etc.) as well as MMI settings, for example settings of suspension control systems or driver assistance systems (Sports mode, comfort mode, preset distances, ...). All these input variables can in particular also be diverted from the vehicle bus via the feed device and forwarded to the arithmetic unit”);
providing, by the system, first data for use by a device for virtually demonstrating the selected driver assistance function ([0015]: “Of course, it is equally conceivable that the visual representation of the situation on an external, in particular by at least one window of the motor vehicle visible display means, in particular a screen and / or a Powerwall and / or a Screen, takes place, and / or {{{a visual display on the head of the customer to be worn through-display (head-mounted see-through display)}}} is used. For example, the driving situation can be projected onto a screen arranged in front of the windshield of the motor vehicle or of the motor vehicle cockpit via a beamer. Also, screens, such as TVs or the like, can be used. A particularly impressive visual representation can be achieved with a so-called Powerwall. These are high-resolution screens, with which it is also possible to achieve a 3D effect, for example, by having a certain shape or the viewer, here the customer, wearing certain glasses for generating the 3D effect. The motor vehicle or motor vehicle cockpit can, in particular, be parked completely in a room, for example a showroom, which is provided all around with such display means, in particular power walls. Various possibilities are conceivable here in order to provide the driver with a realistic view of the driving situations optically. However, it can make sense, especially in terms of effort, to keep the means within limits since the communication of the functionality and the understanding of the customer can often also be achieved with less effort”); and
providing, by the system, second data for controlling operation of at least one component of the vehicle for physically assisting the virtual demonstration of the selected driver assistance function on the device ([0016]: “It can further be provided that, for the haptic representation of the driving situation, at least one actuator of a steering wheel and / or a pedal of the motor vehicle or of the motor vehicle cockpit is actuated to generate a force and / or movement. Often, steering wheel and / or pedals of a motor vehicle also include actuators, which, for example, can provide haptic feedback or, by virtue of their movement, can also serve to indicate driving interventions of a driver assistance system. Above all, the "by-wire technologies" which can be used here in order to indicate, for example, a steering operation and / or an actuation of the pedals in the driving situation are known in this field. If a steering wheel operation is used, then this is particularly useful to use in motor vehicles in which the steering can be decoupled from the wheels. But also, for the reproduction of functionalities of the driver assistance system such actuators can be used, for example to simulate the jerking of the brake signal in an ABS (Anti-lock Braking System). Also, for example, parking aids often use so-called force feedback to warn the driver of certain directions or to influence his activities directionally”).
But FREYER does not explicitly and/or specifically meet the following limitations:
(A) wherein the second data specifies, for the at least one component, at least one physical effect on the driver that is triggered responsive to an event in the simulated driving situation and is output in temporal synchronism with a virtual representation of the event in the simulated driving situation, and wherein the second data is configured to cause is at least one of a change in seat position of a seat of the vehicle, a change in seat inclination the seat of the vehicle, a change in airflow or temperature of an air climate system of the vehicle, or a tensioning of a safety belt of the vehicle at a time of the event in the simulated driving situation.
However, regarding limitation (A) above, Oba discloses/teaches the following:
The driver may be notified by a generation source of various factors of causing the driver to feel displeasure such as a seat vibration or a steering wheel vibration to simulate rumble strip road surface running, panel information display, odor, raising a backrest, and moving a seated position by the actuator on the basis of a record of a detected driver's return behavior (Oba [0121]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified the method for providing data of FREYER incorporating additional controller communications/calculation-unit modules as taught by Oba providing clear, data-driven insights into a driver's driving patterns, reaction times, and spatial awareness.
Regarding claim 13, FREYER discloses:
A non-transitory machine-readable medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor (software means provided in a control device of the motor vehicle reads out data stored on the feed device and uses it accordingly: [0022]), facilitate performance of operations, comprising:
receiving a selection of a driver assistance function based on a user input on a user interface of a vehicle, wherein the driver assistance function is configured to assist a driver of the vehicle at least partially in driving the vehicle ([0024]: “In a further embodiment of the present invention can be provided that the feed device comprises a computing unit or communicates with a computing unit that simulates the driving situation, in particular in response to input from the customer. While in principle a simple and low-effort design of a simple "demonstration mode" without intervention of the customer can be preferred, it is in the present invention in principle quite possible to include actions of the customer in the vehicle or in the motor vehicle cockpit and use as input to a simulation, so that ultimately deviated from the recorded real driving situation depending on the inputs of the customer. In such an extended virtual test drive so the motor vehicle or the motor vehicle cockpit can be used as a kind of simulator, so that the driver in a traffic simulation that emanates from the driving situation, possibly limited to a certain extent, can act, thus in appropriate driving situations experience the desired additional equipment interactively. Acts of the driver on real operating elements of the motor vehicle or of the motor vehicle cockpit lead to tangible reactions, in particular of the driver assistance system. For example, steering the driver in the simulation may lead to a lane change. Appropriately, the driver assistance system is activated in the real motor vehicle or motor vehicle cockpit and processes the input values, for example blinking when changing lanes, even though the motor vehicle is stationary. If the corresponding driver assistance system is not realized, a corresponding control unit can also be emulated in the arithmetic unit, as already described above. Typical input variables for such a simulation may be: accelerator pedal position, clutch position, steering wheel position, brake pedal position, turn signals, operating elements (buttons, cruise control lever, etc.) as well as MMI settings, for example settings of suspension control systems or driver assistance systems (Sports mode, comfort mode, preset distances, ...). All these input variables can in particular also be diverted from the vehicle bus via the feed device and forwarded to the arithmetic unit”);
providing first data for use by a device for virtually demonstrating the selected driver assistance function ([0015]: “Of course, it is equally conceivable that the visual representation of the situation on an external, in particular by at least one window of the motor vehicle visible display means, in particular a screen and / or a Powerwall and / or a Screen, takes place, and / or {{{a visual display on the head of the customer to be worn through-display (head-mounted see-through display)}}} is used. For example, the driving situation can be projected onto a screen arranged in front of the windshield of the motor vehicle or of the motor vehicle cockpit via a beamer. Also, screens, such as TVs or the like, can be used. A particularly impressive visual representation can be achieved with a so-called Powerwall. These are high-resolution screens, with which it is also possible to achieve a 3D effect, for example, by having a certain shape or the viewer, here the customer, wearing certain glasses for generating the 3D effect. The motor vehicle or motor vehicle cockpit can, in particular, be parked completely in a room, for example a showroom, which is provided all around with such display means, in particular power walls. Various possibilities are conceivable here in order to provide the driver with a realistic view of the driving situations optically. However, it can make sense, especially in terms of effort, to keep the means within limits since the communication of the functionality and the understanding of the customer can often also be achieved with less effort”); and
providing second data for controlling operation of at least one component of the vehicle for physically assisting the virtual demonstration of the selected driver assistance function on the device ([0016]: “It can further be provided that, for the haptic representation of the driving situation, at least one actuator of a steering wheel and / or a pedal of the motor vehicle or of the motor vehicle cockpit is actuated to generate a force and / or movement. Often, steering wheel and / or pedals of a motor vehicle also include actuators, which, for example, can provide haptic feedback or, by virtue of their movement, can also serve to indicate driving interventions of a driver assistance system. Above all, the "by-wire technologies" which can be used here in order to indicate, for example, a steering operation and / or an actuation of the pedals in the driving situation are known in this field. If a steering wheel operation is used, then this is particularly useful to use in motor vehicles in which the steering can be decoupled from the wheels. But also, for the reproduction of functionalities of the driver assistance system such actuators can be used, for example to simulate the jerking of the brake signal in an ABS (Anti-lock Braking System). Also, for example, parking aids often use so-called force feedback to warn the driver of certain directions or to influence his activities directionally”).
But FREYER does not explicitly and/or specifically meet the following limitations:
(A) wherein the second data specifies, for the at least one component, at least one physical effect on the driver that is triggered responsive to an event in the simulated driving situation and is output in temporal synchronism with a virtual representation of the event in the simulated driving situation, and wherein the second data is configured to cause is at least one of a change in seat position of a seat of the vehicle, a change in seat inclination the seat of the vehicle, a change in airflow or temperature of an air climate system of the vehicle, or a tensioning of a safety belt of the vehicle at a time of the event in the simulated driving situation.
However, regarding limitation (A) above, Oba discloses/teaches the following:
The driver may be notified by a generation source of various factors of causing the driver to feel displeasure such as a seat vibration or a steering wheel vibration to simulate rumble strip road surface running, panel information display, odor, raising a backrest, and moving a seated position by the actuator on the basis of a record of a detected driver's return behavior (Oba [0121]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified the method for providing data of FREYER incorporating additional controller communications/calculation-unit modules as taught by Oba providing clear, data-driven insights into a driver's driving patterns, reaction times, and spatial awareness.
Regarding claim 17, FREYER discloses:
A vehicle (motor vehicle) comprising:
at least one processor (software means provided in a control device of the motor vehicle reads out data stored on the feed device and uses it accordingly: [0022]); and
at least one memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor (software means provided in a control device of the motor vehicle reads out data stored on the feed device and uses it accordingly: [0022]), facilitate performance of operations, comprising:
receiving a selection of a driver assistance function based on a user input on a user interface of the vehicle, wherein the driver assistance function is configured to assist a driver of the vehicle at least partially in driving the vehicle ([0024]: “In a further embodiment of the present invention can be provided that the feed device comprises a computing unit or communicates with a computing unit that simulates the driving situation, in particular in response to input from the customer. While in principle a simple and low-effort design of a simple "demonstration mode" without intervention of the customer can be preferred, it is in the present invention in principle quite possible to include actions of the customer in the vehicle or in the motor vehicle cockpit and use as input to a simulation, so that ultimately deviated from the recorded real driving situation depending on the inputs of the customer. In such an extended virtual test drive so the motor vehicle or the motor vehicle cockpit can be used as a kind of simulator, so that the driver in a traffic simulation that emanates from the driving situation, possibly limited to a certain extent, can act, thus in appropriate driving situations experience the desired additional equipment interactively. Acts of the driver on real operating elements of the motor vehicle or of the motor vehicle cockpit lead to tangible reactions, in particular of the driver assistance system. For example, steering the driver in the simulation may lead to a lane change. Appropriately, the driver assistance system is activated in the real motor vehicle or motor vehicle cockpit and processes the input values, for example blinking when changing lanes, even though the motor vehicle is stationary. If the corresponding driver assistance system is not realized, a corresponding control unit can also be emulated in the arithmetic unit, as already described above. Typical input variables for such a simulation may be: accelerator pedal position, clutch position, steering wheel position, brake pedal position, turn signals, operating elements (buttons, cruise control lever, etc.) as well as MMI settings, for example settings of suspension control systems or driver assistance systems (Sports mode, comfort mode, preset distances, ...). All these input variables can in particular also be diverted from the vehicle bus via the feed device and forwarded to the arithmetic unit”);
providing first data for use by a device for virtually demonstrating the selected driver assistance function ([0015]: “Of course, it is equally conceivable that the visual representation of the situation on an external, in particular by at least one window of the motor vehicle visible display means, in particular a screen and / or a Powerwall and / or a Screen, takes place, and / or {{{a visual display on the head of the customer to be worn through-display (head-mounted see-through display)}}} is used. For example, the driving situation can be projected onto a screen arranged in front of the windshield of the motor vehicle or of the motor vehicle cockpit via a beamer. Also, screens, such as TVs or the like, can be used. A particularly impressive visual representation can be achieved with a so-called Powerwall. These are high-resolution screens, with which it is also possible to achieve a 3D effect, for example, by having a certain shape or the viewer, here the customer, wearing certain glasses for generating the 3D effect. The motor vehicle or motor vehicle cockpit can, in particular, be parked completely in a room, for example a showroom, which is provided all around with such display means, in particular power walls. Various possibilities are conceivable here in order to provide the driver with a realistic view of the driving situations optically. However, it can make sense, especially in terms of effort, to keep the means within limits since the communication of the functionality and the understanding of the customer can often also be achieved with less effort”); and
providing second data for controlling operation of at least one component of the vehicle for physically assisting the virtual demonstration of the selected driver assistance function on the device ([0016]: “It can further be provided that, for the haptic representation of the driving situation, at least one actuator of a steering wheel and / or a pedal of the motor vehicle or of the motor vehicle cockpit is actuated to generate a force and / or movement. Often, steering wheel and / or pedals of a motor vehicle also include actuators, which, for example, can provide haptic feedback or, by virtue of their movement, can also serve to indicate driving interventions of a driver assistance system. Above all, the "by-wire technologies" which can be used here in order to indicate, for example, a steering operation and / or an actuation of the pedals in the driving situation are known in this field. If a steering wheel operation is used, then this is particularly useful to use in motor vehicles in which the steering can be decoupled from the wheels. But also, for the reproduction of functionalities of the driver assistance system such actuators can be used, for example to simulate the jerking of the brake signal in an ABS (Anti-lock Braking System). Also, for example, parking aids often use so-called force feedback to warn the driver of certain directions or to influence his activities directionally”).
But FREYER does not explicitly and/or specifically meet the following limitations:
(A) wherein the second data specifies, for the at least one component, at least one physical effect on the driver that is triggered responsive to an event in the simulated driving situation and is output in temporal synchronism with a virtual representation of the event in the simulated driving situation, and wherein the second data is configured to cause is at least one of a change in seat position of a seat of the vehicle, a change in seat inclination the seat of the vehicle, a change in airflow or temperature of an air climate system of the vehicle, or a tensioning of a safety belt of the vehicle at a time of the event in the simulated driving situation.
However, regarding limitation (A) above, Oba discloses/teaches the following:
The driver may be notified by a generation source of various factors of causing the driver to feel displeasure such as a seat vibration or a steering wheel vibration to simulate rumble strip road surface running, panel information display, odor, raising a backrest, and moving a seated position by the actuator on the basis of a record of a detected driver's return behavior (Oba [0121]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified the method for providing data of FREYER incorporating additional controller communications/calculation-unit modules as taught by Oba providing clear, data-driven insights into a driver's driving patterns, reaction times, and spatial awareness.
Regarding claim 2, FREYER as combined above disclose the method according to claim 1, and further on FREYER also discloses:
wherein the device is at least one of a head-mounted display or a head-up display (FREYER [0015-0025]: “visual display on the head of the customer to be worn through-display (head-mounted see-through display) is used”).
Regarding claim 3, FREYER as combined above disclose the method according to claim 1, and further on FREYER also discloses:
wherein the device is separate from the vehicle and operatively couplable to the vehicle (FREYER [0015-0025]: “visual display on the head of the customer to be worn through-display (head-mounted see-through display) is used”).
Regarding claim 4, FREYER as combined above disclose the method according to claim 1, and further on FREYER also discloses:
wherein the first data is indicative of at least one of a virtual reality, an augmented reality, or a mixed reality (FREYER [0015-0025]: “A particularly impressive visual representation can be achieved with a so-called Powerwall. These are high-resolution screens, with which it is also possible to achieve a 3D effect, for example, by having a certain shape or the viewer, here the customer, wearing certain glasses for generating the 3D effect”).
Regarding claim 5, FREYER as combined above disclose the method according to claim 1, and further on FREYER also discloses:
wherein the first data comprises simulation data for virtually simulating at least one driving situation, and wherein the first data is configured for virtually demonstrating the selected driver assistance function for the at least one driving situation (FREYER [0015-0025]: Please see analysis in at least claim 1 above reciting this same limitations).
Regarding claim 6, FREYER as combined above disclose the method according to claim 1, and further on FREYER also discloses:
wherein the second data is configured for notifying the driver of an event in the virtual demonstration by controlling operation of the at least one component of the vehicle (FREYER [0015-0025]).
Regarding claim 7, FREYER as combined above disclose the method according to claim 6, and further on FREYER also discloses:
wherein the at least one component of the vehicle is at least one of a light, a display, or a speaker (FREYER [0015-0025]: “The vehicle systems 11 can, in addition to conventional output means such as a human-machine interface (MMI), switches, {{{displays, lights, speakers}}} and the like also include a provided with actuators steering wheel, which in particular can be decoupled from the wheels, and provided with appropriate actuators pedals. Of course, some vehicle systems 11 may also be perceptible to the customer outwardly acting output means, such as headlights, direction indicators, a horn or the like” and “It should be emphasized at this point that all these external means of representation 13 - 15 are optional and a representation of a driving situation, also over, for example, the screen of a MMI and {{{provided in the motor vehicle speakers}}} can be done. It is even conceivable, as already noted above, that suspension systems are controlled in order to image specific forces and movements which act on the motor vehicle 10 in the real driving situation by means of the motor vehicle 10 itself”).
Regarding claim 8, FREYER as combined above disclose the method according to claim 1, and further on FREYER also discloses:
wherein the at least one component of the vehicle comprises an actuator, wherein the at least one component of the vehicle is configured to physically interact with the driver when operating the actuator, and wherein the second data is configured for physically interacting with the driver in an event in the virtual demonstration by controlling operation of the actuator (FREYER [0015-0025]: “It can further be provided that, for the haptic representation of the driving situation, at least one actuator of a steering wheel and / or a pedal of the motor vehicle or of the motor vehicle cockpit is actuated to generate a force and / or movement. Often, steering wheel and / or pedals of a motor vehicle also include actuators, which, for example, can provide haptic feedback or, by virtue of their movement, can also serve to indicate driving interventions of a driver assistance system”).
Regarding claim 9, FREYER as combined above disclose the method according to claim 8, and further on FREYER also discloses:
wherein the at least one component of the vehicle is at least one of a seat, an air climate system, or a safety belt (FREYER [0015-0025]: “These input data - ultimately bus messages which were recorded during a driving situation that has actually occurred, in particular during a test drive, represent the functionality of the driver assistance system without requiring a test drive. The {{{customer simply takes a seat}}} in the motor vehicle or motor vehicle cockpit”).
Regarding claim 10, FREYER as combined above disclose the method according to claim 1, and further on FREYER also discloses:
receiving, by the system, at least one driving control instruction based on a user control of a driving control interface of the vehicle; and providing, by the system, the first data for the device based on the at least one received driving control instruction (FREYER [0015-0025]).
Regarding claim 11, FREYER as combined above disclose the method according to claim 10, and further on FREYER also discloses:
wherein the at least one driving control instruction is indicative of at least one of a deceleration, an acceleration, or a steering (FREYER [0015-0025]: “It can further be provided that, for the haptic representation of the driving situation, at least one actuator of a steering wheel and / or a pedal of the motor vehicle or of the motor vehicle cockpit is actuated to generate a force and / or movement. Often, steering wheel and / or pedals of a motor vehicle also include actuators, which, for example, can provide haptic feedback or, by virtue of their movement, can also serve to indicate driving interventions of a driver assistance system”).
Regarding claim 12, FREYER as combined above disclose the method according to claim 1, and further on FREYER also discloses:
receiving, by the system, an indication of the vehicle being in at least one of an autonomous driving mode or a standstill mode, wherein the first data and second data are provided upon receival of the indication (FREYER [0015-0025]).
Regarding claim 14, FREYER as combined above disclose the non-transitory machine-readable medium according to claim 13, and further on FREYER also discloses:
wherein the device is at least one of a head-mounted display or a head-up display (FREYER [0015-0025]: “visual display on the head of the customer to be worn through-display (head-mounted see-through display) is used”).
Regarding claim 15, FREYER as combined above disclose the non-transitory machine-readable medium according to claim 13, and further on FREYER also discloses:
wherein the device is separate from the vehicle and operatively couplable to the vehicle (FREYER [0015-0025]).
Regarding claim 16, FREYER as combined above disclose the non-transitory machine-readable medium according to claim 13, and further on FREYER also discloses:
wherein the first data is indicative of at least one of a virtual reality, an augmented reality, or a mixed reality (FREYER [0015-0025]).
Regarding claim 18, FREYER as combined above disclose the vehicle according to claim 17, and further on FREYER also discloses:
wherein the first data comprises simulation data for virtually simulating at least one driving situation, and wherein the first data is configured for virtually demonstrating the selected driver assistance function for the at least one driving situation (FREYER [0015-0025]).
Regarding claim 19, FREYER as combined above disclose the vehicle according to claim 17, and further on FREYER also discloses:
wherein the second data is configured for notifying the driver of an event in the virtual demonstration by controlling operation of the at least one component of the vehicle (FREYER [0015-0025]).
Regarding claim 20, FREYER as combined above disclose the vehicle according to claim 19, and further on FREYER also discloses:
wherein the at least one component of the vehicle is at least one of a light, a display, or a speaker (FREYER [0015-0025]: “The vehicle systems 11 can, in addition to conventional output means such as a human-machine interface (MMI), switches, {{{displays, lights, speakers}}} and the like also include a provided with actuators steering wheel, which in particular can be decoupled from the wheels, and provided with appropriate actuators pedals. Of course, some vehicle systems 11 may also be perceptible to the customer outwardly acting output means, such as headlights, direction indicators, a horn or the like” and “It should be emphasized at this point that all these external means of representation 13 - 15 are optional and a representation of a driving situation, also over, for example, the screen of a MMI and {{{provided in the motor vehicle speakers}}} can be done. It is even conceivable, as already noted above, that suspension systems are controlled in order to image specific forces and movements which act on the motor vehicle 10 in the real driving situation by means of the motor vehicle 10 itself”).
Regarding claim 21, FREYER as combined above disclose the vehicle according to claim 17, and further on FREYER also discloses:
wherein the device is a head-mounted display (FREYER [0015-0025]: “visual display on the head of the customer to be worn through-display (head-mounted see-through display) is used”).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Ruben Picon-Feliciano whose telephone number is (571)-272-4938. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Thursday within 11:30 am-7:30 pm ET.
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/RUBEN PICON-FELICIANO/Examiner, Art Unit 3747
/GRANT MOUBRY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3747
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