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 office action is in response to applicant amendment/remarks filed 05/05/2026. Claims 1, 8, 10, and 17-18 have been amended. Claim 6-7 and 15-16 have been cancelled and no claim have been newly added. Accordingly, claims 1-5, 8-14, and 17-18 are pending.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see page 7, filed 05/05/2026, with respect to the claim interpretation and the 35 U.S.C. 112(a) and 112(b) have been fully considered and are persuasive, since the applicant has removed “a battery management system”. The 35 U.S.C. 112(a) and 112(b) of claims 10-18 has been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments, see page 8 filed 05/05/2026, with respect to the 35 U.S.C. 101 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The 35 U.S.C. 101 of claims 1-18 has been withdrawn, since it now recites a practical application of automatically adjusting a function of the vehicle subsystem (based on the real-time influence degree exceeding the initial influence degree by a specified reference) to maximize the drivable distance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 1-5, 8-14, and 17-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Amended independent claims 1 and 10 recite “based on a determination a destination has been set, calculating and displaying an initial influence degree of each of the one or more factors according to a current state of each of the one or more factors.” The specifications (filed 10/09/2024) discloses calculating and displaying a DTE (i.e. distance to empty), and calculating influences of factors impacting the DTE (see Para. 0031), but does not specifically state “based on a determination a destination has been set, calculating an initial influence degree of each of the one or more factors according to a current state of each of the one or more factors”. Para. 0046-0052 discloses that the initial influence degree is displayed when a destination has been set, but no “calculating” appear to be present in the specifications, when the destination has been set. Para. 0052 discloses “The DTE influence information display unit 230 can display, as the initial influence Y, an influence of each factor received at the time of path setting”. The initial influence factor is received at the time of path setting, but not calculated. Therefore, the claims contain subject matter which was not described in the specifications in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor had possession of the claimed invention. Appropriate correction is required.
Additionally, the newly amended independent claims disclose “and based on the real-time influence degree exceeding the initial influence degree by a specified reference, outputting an instruction to adjust a vehicle subsystem corresponding to the factor and automatically adjusting a function of the vehicle subsystem to maximize the drivable distance”. The term “subsystem” is missing from the specifications and the previous claims. Furthermore, cancelled claim 7 discloses “ based on the real-time influence degree of a factor exceeding a specified reference compared to the initial influence degree of the factor, displaying an instruction to adjust the factor; adjusting a function of the factor selected by a user; and displaying a drivable distance changed by the adjustment of the factor” while Claim 8 discloses “wherein adjusting the function of the factor comprises: based on an automatic control function being selected, adjusting each of the one or more factors to maximize the drivable distance”. These claims are different from the newly added “based on the real-time influence degree exceeding the initial influence degree by a specified reference, outputting an instruction to adjust a vehicle subsystem corresponding to the factor and automatically adjusting a function of the vehicle subsystem to maximize the drivable distance”. Displaying an instruction to adjust the factor wherein the user can adjust a function of the factor is not the same as “outputting an instruction to adjust a vehicle subsystem corresponding to the factor and automatically adjusting a function of the vehicle subsystem to maximize the drivable distance”. Para. 0032 discloses “when the automatic DTE management mode is selected through the user input unit 170, the VCU 100 can change the settings of each factor to maximize the DTE”, but this isn’t the same as automatically adjusting a function of the vehicle subsystem to maximize the drivable distance based on the real-time influence degree exceeding the initial influence degree. Therefore, the claims contain subject matter which was not described in the specifications in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor had possession of the claimed invention. Appropriate correction is required.
Claims 2-5, 8-9, 11-14 and 17-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, for being dependent on rejected independent claims 1 and 10 and for failing to cure the deficiencies as recited above.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-5, 8-14, and 17-18 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 1nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The primary reference Yang et al. US20140074329A1 (henceforth Yang) discloses the limitations such as “a drivable distance guiding method of an electric vehicle using a vehicle control system, comprising: obtaining, by the vehicle control system including one or more sensors, information of one or more factors related to a drivable distance; obtaining current state information of each of the one or more factors; and calculating an influence degree of each of the one or more factors related to the drivable distance based on the current state information of each of the one or more factors.” However, the claims have been amended to include “based on a determination a destination has been set, calculating and displaying an initial influence degree of each of the one or more factors according to a current state of each of the one or more factors; during traveling of the electric vehicle“, “obtaining current state information of each of the one or more factors, calculating a real-time influence degree of each of the one or more factors related to the drivable distance based on the current state information” and comparing the real-time influence degree of a factor to the initial influence degree of the factor; and based on the real-time influence degree exceeding the initial influence degree by a specified reference, outputting an instruction to adjust a vehicle subsystem corresponding to the factor”.
The initial influence degree of each of the factors is calculated according to a current state of each of the one or more factors, and is calculated/displayed when a destination has been set. Next, it compares this initial degree to a real-time influence degree (which also uses current vehicle state information) when the vehicle is traveling, and when it is determined that the real-time influence degree exceeds the initial influence degree, the vehicle subsystem corresponding to the factor is adjusted to maximize the drivable distance. The initial influence degree is based on the current state of each of the one or more factors, and is incorporated throughout the claim. None of the prior art on record discloses calculating and displaying an initial influence degree when the destination has been set, and then comparing it to a real-time influence degree when the vehicle is traveling. The prior art on record discloses comparing the “real-time influence degree of a factor” to a fixed reference value, and not to the factor’s current state when the destination is set. Therefore, this limitation and in combination with the other limitations in the claim are not anticipated nor made obvious by the prior art on record.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Maury et al. US20220072962A1 discloses a power management system regulates the power provided to various individual on-board vehicle systems in response to detection of vehicle operating conditions and overall anticipated vehicle energy requirements for completion of a planned route, with the objective of conserving as much energy as necessary for the vehicle to reach its planned destination (See abstract).
Yang US20170028912A1 discloses controlling a vehicle system to refine a travel range estimation of an electrified vehicle if a desired destination cannot be reached under current driving conditions. The controlling step includes warning a driver about a travel range based on the driver's driving habits, coaching the driver to modify the driving habits, and adjusting operation of at least one vehicle subsystem. (See abstract)
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/Erin M Piateski/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3669
/G.J.L./
Examiner
Art Unit 3669
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