DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application is being examined under the pre-AIA first to invent provisions.
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
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
Claim(s) (1-14) is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a-1) as being anticipated by Dean et al (9597931, hereinafter – Dean).
Regarding claim s 1 and 14: Dean discloses a tire monitoring system (as depicted in figure 1 of Dean and see associated descriptions for details) comprising:
an inflation pressure sensor (element 46 in figure 1 of Dean and see associated descriptions for details) and a temperature sensor (element 64 in figure 1 of Dean and see descriptions for details) provided in a tire mounted on a vehicle;
an information acquisition unit that acquires measurement data by the inflation pressure sensor and the temperature sensor (col. 4, lines 19-25 and col. 4, lines 39-43 of Dean);
a temperature determination unit that determines whether the measurement data for temperature is higher than a predetermined threshold value based on the measurement data acquired by the information acquisition unit (col. 6, lines 38-55 of Dean); and
an inflation pressure determination unit that determines, when the temperature determination unit determines that the temperature is higher than the predetermined threshold value, whether a high temperature state in the tire is caused by a factor on a vehicle side or a tire side based on the measurement data for inflation pressure (col. 8, lines 2-10 and col. 11, lines 6-34 of Dean).
Regarding claim 2: wherein, when the inflation pressure is higher than a predetermined threshold value, the inflation pressure determination unit determines that the high temperature state in the tire is caused by a factor on the vehicle side (col. 11, lines 10-34 of Dean).
Regarding claim 3: wherein the inflation pressure determination unit makes a determination based on inflation pressure data for a predetermined period including a point of time of occurrence of the high temperature state in the tire (col. 8, lines 13-18 and col. 11, lines 16-25 of Dean).
Regarding claim 4: wherein the inflation pressure determination unit determines whether the inflation pressure data is larger a predetermined threshold value (col. 5, lines 60-66 of Dean).
Regarding claim 5: further comprising: a notification unit that outputs a result of determination by the inflation pressure determination unit outside (col. 10, lines 10-25 of Dean).
Regarding claim 6: wherein the notification unit outputs a stop instruction to stop the vehicle when the inflation pressure determination unit determines that the high temperature state in the tire is caused by a factor on the vehicle side (col. 10, lines 16-25 of Dean).
Regarding claim 7: wherein, when the temperature determination unit determines that the temperature of the tire is lower than the threshold value after the notification unit outputs the stop instruction, the notification unit notifies that running of the vehicle can be resumed (col. 10, lines 16-25 of Dean).
Regarding claim 8: wherein the notification unit generates alert information including tire temperature, factor causing a high temperature state, identification information on a corresponding vehicle, information on a mounting position of the tire in an axle arrangement, and information on date and time and outputs the alert information outside (col. 10, lines 3-31 of Dean).
Regarding claim 9: wherein, when the temperature determination unit determines that the temperature of the tire is higher than the threshold value, the temperature determination unit outputs a determination result to a storage unit, causing the storage unit to store the determination result as determination result information (col. 7, lines 33-46 and col. 10, lines 3-31 of Dean).
Regarding claim 10: wherein the determination result information includes tire temperature, identification information on a corresponding vehicle, information on a mounting position of the tire in an axle arrangement, and information on date and time (as shown in figure 1 of Dean and associated descriptions for details of detection arrangement on a vehicle).
Regarding claim 11: wherein the inflation pressure determination unit calculates an average value of a tire inflation pressure in a period before the high temperature state in the tire occurs and calculates an amount of decrease in the tire inflation pressure at a point of time of occurrence of the high temperature state in the tire (col. 6, lines 30-55 of Dean).
Regarding claim 12: further comprising: a temperature trend comparison unit that compares a trend in temperature in a plurality of tires mounted on the vehicle, wherein, when the temperature trend comparison unit determines that only one of the plurality of tires is in a high temperature state, the inflation pressure determination unit determines whether the high temperature state is caused by a factor on the vehicle side or the tire side (col. 6, lines 30-55 and col. 11, lines 10-58 of Dean).
Regarding claim 13: further comprising: a temperature trend comparison unit that compares a trend in temperature in a plurality of tires mounted on the vehicle, wherein, when the temperature trend comparison unit determines that the trend in temperature in one of the plurality of tires differs from the trend in temperature in all other tires, the inflation pressure determination unit determines whether the high temperature state is caused by a factor on the vehicle side or the tire side (as shown in figure 1 of Dean and see associated descriptions for details; and col. 2, lines 16-29 of Dean).
Regarding claim 14: method claim 14 is similar and parallel to apparatus claim 1; thus, method claim 14 is considered met when apparatus claim(s) is being implemented.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Hall et al (8494704), Hebert (5900809), Ichikawa (2024/0059109), Ichinose (7019628), Iizuka (12444253) and Kusunoki et al (9731771) are cited tire pressure control and management.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to K. Wong whose telephone number is (571) 272-7566.
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, D. Goins can be reached at (571) 272-2957. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/K. WONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2689
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