Prosecution Insights
Last updated: May 29, 2026
Application No. 18/917,392

PARKING ASSISTANCE DEVICE, PARKING ASSISTANCE METHOD, AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER-READABLE RECORDING MEDIUM WITH PARKING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM RECORDED THEREON

Non-Final OA §102§OTHER
Filed
Oct 16, 2024
Priority
Oct 18, 2023 — JP 2023-179790
Examiner
LAGUARDA, GONZALO
Art Unit
3747
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Panasonic Automotive Systems Co. Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
73%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
1y 2m
Est. Remaining
80%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 73% — above average
73%
Career Allowance Rate
508 granted / 699 resolved
+2.7% vs TC avg
Moderate +7% lift
Without
With
+7.1%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 9m
Avg Prosecution
40 currently pending
Career history
757
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.7%
-39.3% vs TC avg
§103
73.0%
+33.0% vs TC avg
§102
1.8%
-38.2% vs TC avg
§112
4.1%
-35.9% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 699 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §OTHER
DETAILED ACTION Specification The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed. The following title is suggested: Using Feature Points to Cancel Parking Assistance. 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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. (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) 1-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Nakada (U.S. Pat. No. 11,364,897). Regarding claim 1, 6 and 11, Nakada discloses a parking assistance device, comprising: a feature point detector that determines whether a first number of a plurality of feature points (construed as obstacles) extracted from a camera image captured at a start position (any position before the final position can be “a start”) for automatic parking of a vehicle (fig. 4), during the automatic parking, is equal to or greater than a third number (this can include things not in the way but close to the path) that is greater than a second number (this can be zero) of a plurality of feature points extracted from a camera image captured at the start position during learning travel; and a traveling controller that controls the vehicle not to perform the automatic parking when the first number is equal to or greater than the third number (col. 12, line 61 – col. 13, line 6). Regarding claims 2, 7, 12 which depends from claim 1, 6 and 11 respectively, Nakada discloses further comprising: a notifier that gives a notification of a failure when a series of processes from extracting the plurality of feature points from the camera image captured at the start position during the learning travel up to registering the extracted plurality of feature points fails (col. 13, lines 7-10). Regarding claim 3, 8, 13 which depends from claim 2, 7, 12 respectively, Nakada discloses wherein the notifier gives the notification of the failure when the vehicle arrives at the start position and the series of processes has previously failed (col. 13, lines 7-10). Regarding claim 4, 9, 14 which depends from claim 2, 7, 12 respectively, Nakada discloses further comprising: a state manager that executes the series of processes again when the vehicle arrives at the start position and the series of processes has previously failed (col. 13, lines 7-10 after hitting the resumption button it will do it again). Regarding claim 5, 10, 15 which depends from claim 2, 7, 12 respectively, Nakada discloses further comprising: a state manager that determines whether the series of processes has been successful or not when the vehicle arrives at the start position (col. 13, lines 7-15). Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Please review when considering a response to this office action. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GONZALO LAGUARDA whose telephone number is (571)272-5920. The examiner can normally be reached 8-5 M-Th Alt. F. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Logan Kraft can be reached at (571) 270-5065. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. GONZALO LAGUARDA Primary Examiner Art Unit 3747 email: gonzalo.laguarda@uspto.gov /GONZALO LAGUARDA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3747
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Oct 16, 2024
Application Filed
Feb 13, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102, §OTHER (current)

Precedent Cases

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
73%
Grant Probability
80%
With Interview (+7.1%)
2y 9m (~1y 2m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 699 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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