DETAILED ACTION
This action is in response to the amendments filed on August 3, 2026. Claims 1-3, 5, 9-12, and 18 have been amended. Claims 6-7 and 15-16 have been canceled. Claims 1-5, 8-14, and 17-18 are pending. Claims 1-5 and 8-9 represent a method and claims 10-14 and 17-18 represent a system directed to managing recorded images for each driver, and system for the same.
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 .
Specification
The objections to the specification have been withdrawn in view of the amendments to the specification submitted on August 3, 2026.
Claim Objections
The objections to the claims have been withdrawn in view of the amendments submitted on August 3, 2026.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The rejections to the claims have been withdrawn in view of the amendments and remarks submitted on August 3, 2026.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-5, 8-14, and 17-18 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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)(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.
Claims 1-3 and 8-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Koseki et al. (US 10102392), hereinafter referred to as Koseki.
Regarding Claim 1, Koseki discloses:
A method of managing recorded images for a vehicle (In Col 2, Lines 27-30, Koseki discloses “The recording method of the drive recorder according to the present embodiment is executed by, for example, a drive recorder 1 that is mounted on a vehicle 11.”), the method comprising: distinguishing between at least two drivers (In Col 5, Lines 44-49, Koseki discloses “a plurality of the authentication persons are registered in the identification information 5 a. For example, the identification information 5 a indicates that one vehicle 11 can be shared by a plurality of the authentication persons when the vehicle 11 is a rental car, a company car, etc” and further discloses in Col 6, Lines 10-40 “when a captured image G1 is captured at time t1 in which the occupant A is authenticated….When a captured image G10 is captured at time t10 in which the occupant B is authenticated”); storing recorded images of the vehicle in a specific format (In Col 6, Lines 7-10, Koseki discloses “the drive recorder 1 according to the present embodiment employs, for example, a continuous-record method in which captured images G, which are input from the capture unit 2, are sequentially recorded.”); and assigning an authority to each of the recorded images according to the distinguishing such that a driver is restricted from accessing a recorded image associated with a different driver (In Col 6, Lines 43-47, Koseki discloses “Therefore, when the occupants A and B share the vehicle 11, a password, which is corresponding to each occupant, is set for each of the traveling images, and thus an unauthorized access from a person other than the corresponding occupant is limited.”), wherein storing the recorded images includes storing recorded images associated with different drivers in different non-transitory memories or different folder storage areas in a non- transitory memory, or includes storing recorded images associated with different drivers with different file names, including one or more words indicating a corresponding driver among the at least two drivers (In Col 6, Lines 25-28 and Lines 36-39, Koseki discloses “The access controller 4 b stores each captured image, to which the password that is corresponding to the ID of the occupant A is given, in, for example, a folder FA that stores traveling information on the occupant A.” and further discloses “The access controller 4 b stores each captured image, to which the password that is corresponding to the ID of the occupant B is given, in, for example, a folder FB that stores traveling information on the occupant B.”).
Regarding Claim 2, Koseki discloses:
The method of claim 1, wherein the distinguishing between at least two drivers comprises assigning a unique code to a vehicle key associated with each driver of the at least two drivers (In Col 3, Lines 44-47, Koseki discloses “It is sufficient that the portable device P can identify an occupant, and may be, for example, an electronic key that unlocks doors or controls engine starting of the vehicle 11.”).
Regarding Claim 3, Koseki discloses:
The method of claim 2, wherein the vehicle key is one or more of a smart key, a digital key, a card key, and a shared digital key. (In Col 3, Lines 44-47, Koseki discloses “It is sufficient that the portable device P can identify an occupant, and may be, for example, an electronic key that unlocks doors or controls engine starting of the vehicle 11.”).
Regarding Claim 8, Koseki discloses:
The method of claim 1, wherein the authority is related to one or more of playback, deletion, copying, and external transmission of the recorded images (In Col 10, Lines 43-44 and Lines 50-51, Koseki discloses “an access right by which any traveling information 5 b of the authentication persons A, B, and C is available can be deleted” and “an access right by which any traveling information 5 b of the authentication persons A, B, and C can be transferred to other storage medium or the like.”).
Regarding Claim 9, Koseki discloses:
The method of claim 1, wherein the assigning of the authority includes assigning a master authority. (In Col 5, Lines 34-38, Koseki discloses ““Administrator flag” and “quasi-administrator flag” are information that indicate, by either value of “0” or “1”, whether the occupant is an administrator that can perform privileged functions about processes for traveling information or a quasi-administrator that is equivalent to thereof.”)
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.
Claim(s) 4-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Koseki et al. (US 10102392), hereinafter referred to as Koseki, in view of Kim et al. (US 20220114893), hereinafter referred to as Kim.
Regarding Claim 4, Koseki discloses:
The method of claim 1, wherein the storing of recorded images of the vehicle in a specific format (In Col 6, Lines 25-28 and Lines 36-39, Koseki discloses “The access controller 4 b stores each captured image, to which the password that is corresponding to the ID of the occupant A is given, in, for example, a folder FA that stores traveling information on the occupant A.” and further discloses “The access controller 4 b stores each captured image, to which the password that is corresponding to the ID of the occupant B is given, in, for example, a folder FB that stores traveling information on the occupant B.”).
However, Koseki does not disclose recordings in a parked state.
Kim discloses:
comprises storing indoor images of the vehicle in a parked state, outdoor images of the vehicle in a parked state, or both (In ¶ 90, Kim discloses “the image capturing apparatus 100 for a vehicle may include all or some a front image capturing apparatus of capturing an image of the front of the vehicle, a rear image capturing apparatus of capturing an image of the rear of the vehicle, side image capturing apparatuses of capturing images of left and right sides of the vehicle, an image capturing apparatus of capturing an image of a face of a vehicle driver, and an interior image capturing apparatus of capturing an image of the interior of the vehicle.”), according to a specific format assigned to a driver when the vehicle is turned off and the driver does not leave the vehicle (In ¶ 122, Kim discloses “The parking recording mode may refer to a mode operated in a parked state of the vehicle in which the engine of the vehicle is turned off or the supply of power from a battery for driving the vehicle is stopped.” And further discloses in ¶ 170 “whether or not the passenger has gotten off the vehicle”).
One of ordinary skill in the art of cryptography would have been motivated, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Koseki’s approach by utilizing Kim’s approach of utilizing continuous recording of a vehicle’s cameras when the vehicle is parked as the motivation would be to ensure images are captured of important events when a driver is inside or outside the vehicle in a parked and off state (See Kim, ¶ 122).
Regarding Claim 5, Koseki discloses:
The method of claim 1, wherein the storing of recorded images of the vehicle in a specific format, in a public mode in which anyone of the at least two drivers is able to view the indoor images or the outdoor images (In Col 6, Lines 63-67, Koseki discloses “The access controller 4 b stores in, for example, the folder F each of the captured images for which a password is not set. In other words, because the password, by which the traveling images stored in the folder F are read, is not needed, anyone can read the traveling images.”)
However, Koseki does not disclose recordings in a parked state.
Kim discloses:
comprises storing indoor images of the vehicle in a parked state, outdoor images of the vehicle in a parked state, or both (In ¶ 90, Kim discloses “the image capturing apparatus 100 for a vehicle may include all or some a front image capturing apparatus of capturing an image of the front of the vehicle, a rear image capturing apparatus of capturing an image of the rear of the vehicle, side image capturing apparatuses of capturing images of left and right sides of the vehicle, an image capturing apparatus of capturing an image of a face of a vehicle driver, and an interior image capturing apparatus of capturing an image of the interior of the vehicle.”), when the vehicle is turned off and a driver leaves the vehicle (In ¶ 122, Kim discloses “The parking recording mode may refer to a mode operated in a parked state of the vehicle in which the engine of the vehicle is turned off or the supply of power from a battery for driving the vehicle is stopped.” And further discloses in ¶ 170 “whether or not the passenger has gotten off the vehicle”).
One of ordinary skill in the art of cryptography would have been motivated, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Koseki’s approach by utilizing Kim’s approach of utilizing continuous recording of a vehicle’s cameras when the vehicle is parked as the motivation would be to ensure images are captured of important events when a driver is inside or outside the vehicle in a parked and off state (See Kim, ¶ 122).
Claim(s) 10-12 and 17-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Koseki et al. (US 10102392), hereinafter referred to as Koseki, in view of Woo et al. (US 20120323490), hereinafter referred to as Woo.
Regarding Claim 10, Koseki discloses:
A system of managing recorded images for a vehicle (In Col 3, Lines 37-40, Koseki discloses “according to the present embodiment includes portable devices P1 to Pn, the drive recorder 1, and a display device 10.”), the system comprising: a digital key driver authentication module configured to distinguish and authenticate a different driver based on different digital keys used by the different drivers (In Col 4, Lines 57-58, Koseki discloses “The controller 4 includes an authentication unit 4 a and an access controller 4 b.”); a camera configured to process obtain images, the camera acquired from at least one camera observing at least one of an interior area of the vehicle or an exterior area of the vehicle (In Col 4, Lines 59-63, Koseki discloses “The capture unit 2 includes a capture element such as a Charge Coupled Device (CCD) or a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS). The capture unit 2 outputs to the controller 4, as traveling images, captured images of outside the vehicle 11,”); a recorded image storage module configured to store recorded images acquired through the camera (In Col 11, Lines 2-4, Koseki discloses “The storage 5 stores the identification information 5 a, the traveling information 5 b, and the event information 5 c, which are aforementioned.”); configured to perform a function according to a request for file management for the recorded images stored in the recorded image storage module (In Col 11, Lines 6-11, Koseki discloses “The display device 10 retrieves the traveling information 5 b stored in the storage 5, and displays it on the display unit (not illustrated) such as an aforementioned screen. In such a case that the reader reads the traveling information 5 b, the display device 10 displays on the display unit an image that requests a password to the reader.”); and a management module configured to distinguish between the different drivers through the digital key driver authentication module, store the recorded images in the recorded image storage module in a specific format and assign an authority to each of the recorded images according to the distinguishing (In Col 5, Lines 54-57, Koseki discloses “the authentication unit 4 a sends an authentication result to the portable device 2, and outputs information on the occupant A included in the identification information 5 a to the access controller 4 b.”), wherein the management module is further configured to store recorded images associated with the different drivers in different non-transitory memories or different folder storage areas in a non-transitory memory, or to store recorded images associated with the different drivers with different file names (In Col 6, Lines 25-28 and Lines 36-39, Koseki discloses “The access controller 4 b stores each captured image, to which the password that is corresponding to the ID of the occupant A is given, in, for example, a folder FA that stores traveling information on the occupant A.” and further discloses “The access controller 4 b stores each captured image, to which the password that is corresponding to the ID of the occupant B is given, in, for example, a folder FB that stores traveling information on the occupant B.”).
However, Koseki discloses a display performing the function of the audio video navigation (AVN), however does not explicitly disclose an AVN.
Woo discloses:
an audio video navigation (AVN) (In ¶ 61, Woo discloses “The output unit 140 is a device that enables the vehicle navigation apparatus 100 to output information. The output unit 140 includes a display module 141 and an audio output module 143.”)
One of ordinary skill in the art of cryptography would have been motivated, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Koseki’s approach by utilizing Woo’s approach of utilizing a vehicle audio and navigation device as the motivation would be to ensure proper integration with an in-vehicle device that has been integrated rather than a generic device as outlined by Koseki (See Woo, ¶ 32).
Regarding Claim 11, the combination of Koseki and Woo disclose:
The system of claim 10, wherein the management module distinguishes between the at least two drivers by assigning a unique code to a digital key associated with each driver of the different drivers. (In Col 3, Lines 44-47, Koseki discloses “It is sufficient that the portable device P can identify an occupant, and may be, for example, an electronic key that unlocks doors or controls engine starting of the vehicle 11.”).
Regarding Claim 12, the combination of Koseki and Woo disclose:
The system of claim 11, wherein the digital key is one or more of a smart key, a digital key, a card key, or a shared digital key. (In Col 3, Lines 44-47, Koseki discloses “It is sufficient that the portable device P can identify an occupant, and may be, for example, an electronic key that unlocks doors or controls engine starting of the vehicle 11.”).
Regarding Claim 17, the combination of Koseki and Woo disclose:
The system of claim 10, wherein the authority is related to one or more of playback, deletion, copying, and external transmission of the recorded images. (In Col 10, Lines 43-44 and Lines 50-51, Koseki discloses “an access right by which any traveling information 5 b of the authentication persons A, B, and C is available can be deleted” and “an access right by which any traveling information 5 b of the authentication persons A, B, and C can be transferred to other storage medium or the like.”).
Regarding Claim 18, the combination of Koseki and Woo disclose:
The system of claim 10, wherein the management module allows a driver with a master authority to control other drivers' recorded images. (In Col 5, Lines 34-38, Koseki discloses ““Administrator flag” and “quasi-administrator flag” are information that indicate, by either value of “0” or “1”, whether the occupant is an administrator that can perform privileged functions about processes for traveling information or a quasi-administrator that is equivalent to thereof.”)
Claim(s) 13-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Koseki et al. (US 10102392), hereinafter referred to as Koseki, in view of Woo et al. (US 20120323490), hereinafter referred to as Woo, in further view of Kim et al. (US 20220114893), hereinafter referred to as Kim.
Regarding Claim 13, the combination of Koseki and Woo disclose storing in a specific format assigned to a driver as disclosed in claim 10.
However, Koseki does not disclose recordings in a parked state.
Kim discloses:
wherein the management module stores indoor and/or outdoor images of the vehicle occurring in a parked state according to a specific format assigned to a driver (In ¶ 90, Kim discloses “the image capturing apparatus 100 for a vehicle may include all or some a front image capturing apparatus of capturing an image of the front of the vehicle, a rear image capturing apparatus of capturing an image of the rear of the vehicle, side image capturing apparatuses of capturing images of left and right sides of the vehicle, an image capturing apparatus of capturing an image of a face of a vehicle driver, and an interior image capturing apparatus of capturing an image of the interior of the vehicle.”) when the vehicle is turned off and the driver does not leave the vehicle (In ¶ 122, Kim discloses “The parking recording mode may refer to a mode operated in a parked state of the vehicle in which the engine of the vehicle is turned off or the supply of power from a battery for driving the vehicle is stopped.” And further discloses in ¶ 170 “whether or not the passenger has gotten off the vehicle”).
One of ordinary skill in the art of cryptography would have been motivated, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Koseki’s approach by utilizing Kim’s approach of utilizing continuous recording of a vehicle’s cameras when the vehicle is parked as the motivation would be to ensure images are captured of important events when a driver is inside or outside the vehicle in a parked and off state (See Kim, ¶ 122).
Regarding Claim 14, the combination of Koseki and Woo disclose storing in a specific format assigned to a driver as disclosed in claim 10.
However, Koseki does not disclose recordings in a parked state.
Kim discloses:
The system of claim 10, wherein the management module stores indoor and/or outdoor images of the vehicle occurring in a parked state in a public mode (In ¶ 90, Kim discloses “the image capturing apparatus 100 for a vehicle may include all or some a front image capturing apparatus of capturing an image of the front of the vehicle, a rear image capturing apparatus of capturing an image of the rear of the vehicle, side image capturing apparatuses of capturing images of left and right sides of the vehicle, an image capturing apparatus of capturing an image of a face of a vehicle driver, and an interior image capturing apparatus of capturing an image of the interior of the vehicle.”) when the vehicle is turned off and a driver leaves the vehicle. (In ¶ 122, Kim discloses “The parking recording mode may refer to a mode operated in a parked state of the vehicle in which the engine of the vehicle is turned off or the supply of power from a battery for driving the vehicle is stopped.” And further discloses in ¶ 170 “whether or not the passenger has gotten off the vehicle”).
One of ordinary skill in the art of cryptography would have been motivated, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Koseki’s approach by utilizing Kim’s approach of utilizing continuous recording of a vehicle’s cameras when the vehicle is parked as the motivation would be to ensure images are captured of important events when a driver is inside or outside the vehicle in a parked and off state (See Kim, ¶ 122).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Rios et al. (US 20170134687) discloses methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture disclosed herein may be used to manage audiovisual recording in a connected vehicle.
Maeda et al. (US 20100129064) discloses a method for a drive recorder performing continuous recording of outside a vehicle.
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 SHADI H KOBROSLI whose telephone number is (571)272-1952. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-5pm ET.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Rupal Dharia can be reached at 571-272-3880. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SHADI H KOBROSLI/Examiner, Art Unit 2492 /RUPAL DHARIA/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2492
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