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 .
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.
Claim(s) 1 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Zinner (US Publication 2023/0053772 A1).
In regards to claims 1 and 7, Zinner (US Publication 2023/0053772 A1) teaches, an apparatus for controlling sensors over a network, the apparatus comprising: a transceiver (see paragraph 92 for the transceiver), configured to communicate over the network; and a processor (see paragraph 48; microprocessor; see figure 16), configured to: generate a first packet comprising a first timestamp destined to a first sensor (see paragraph 36; a first control unit (3) of the Ethernet onboard network is identified, at least a first control unit of the Ethernet onboard network is synchronized, the synchronization interval is ascertained, a drift of a timer of the first control unit is ascertained, a timestamp of the first control unit is ascertained, a timestamp is read or the time of the first control unit is queried, the timestamp is compared with a reference clock of the Ethernet onboard network, a delay time measurement is carried out, the speed of the associated clock generator is ascertained; see paragraph 92; When this packet arrives, the responder generates a timestamp t2), and generate a second packet comprising a second timestamp destined to a second sensor (see figure 21 and paragraph 131; FIG. 21 shows the arrival of different sensor data frames at a fusion unit or, by way of example, at a data recorder. The latter assigns the data not according to the order in which they arrive, but rather according to their timestamp, which was based on a preceding time synchronization), the first and second timestamps indicative of first and second future times that are set to synchronize operation of the first and second sensors (see paragraph 134; a successful synchronization is checked for the last time, and the time at which data were last valid is ascertained; see paragraph 30; more precise synchronization allows actions that are more realtime-critical (sensor fusion) to be performed more safely and more reliably. The quality of the sensor data fusion is increased, which ultimately leads to a better environment model and better trajectories); and send the first and second packets to the network (see figure 18 and paragraph 129; different data from different sensors/control devices need to be fusioned; reads on sending the first and second packet data to the network).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-6 and 8-12 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
In regards to claims 2 and 8, the cited prior art fails to teach, including first control data in the first packet, to include second control data in the second packet, and to set the first and second timestamps to be indicative of a synchronized future time at which the first and second control data is to be provided respectively to the first and second sensors.
In regards to claims 3 and 9, the cited prior art fails to teach, setting the first and second future times to exceed a maximal latency of the network between the apparatus and the first and second sensors.
In regards to claims 4 and 10, the cited prior art fails to teach, setting the first and second future times in the first and second timestamps to be indicative of respective times at which the first and second packets are to be transmitted to the network in order to arrive synchronously at the first and second sensors.
In regards to claims 5 and 11, the cited prior art fails to teach, sending the first and second packets to the network at first and second transmission times corresponding to the first and second future times, respectively.
In regards to claims 6 and 12, the cited prior art fails to teach, setting the first and second future times in the first and second timestamps to be indicative of respective times at which respective first and second links with the first and second sensors will be awake.
Prior art Mai et al. (US Publication 2020/0406860 a1) teaches in a vehicular wireless monitoring system, one activity measure may be associated with the current item associated with a current timestamp, past items of the tentative section with timestamps not larger than the current timestamp, and/or future items of the tentative section with timestamps not smaller than the current timestamp.
Conclusion
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/JAY P PATEL/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2466
