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 § 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yoshida (US2022/0315097 A1) in view of Kreutz (US2019/0176868 A1).
Regarding to Claim 1, Yoshida teaches a steering control system comprising:
a mode selector configured to switch a driving mode for a vehicle between an autonomous driving mode or a manual driving mode (Paragraph 34, Paragraph 141, based on the teachings of the paragraphs, it would be known the reference teaches a vehicle has both manual driving mode and autonomous driving mode);
a steering manipulator configured to be manipulatable by a driver to steer the vehicle when the driving mode for the vehicle is the manual driving mode (Paragraphs 51-57);
a reaction force generator configured to generate a steering reaction force and a restoring reaction force in response to manipulation of the steering manipulator by the driver (Paragraphs 51-57, especially Paragraph 54 teaches a restoring reaction force); and
a controller configured to determine a target steering angle according to the manipulation of the steering manipulator by the driver and drive a steering motor according to the target steering angle (Paragraphs 51-57).
Yoshida fails to explicitly disclose, but Kreutz teaches a steering control system comprising:
wherein the steering manipulator comprises:
a mount member coupled to a dashboard of the vehicle and configured to be insertable or withdrawable into or from the dash board;
a frame member coupled to an end of the mount member and extending in a direction different from the mount member; and
a pair of steering levers coupled to ends of the frame member, respectively, to allow the driver to steer the vehicle by moving the pair of steering levers [Kreutz teaches a steering manipulator comprises two levers (Kreutz, Figs. 1, 2, Part 1 comprises Parts 8, 9, and Part 7 can be considered as a frame member. Based on the drawing in Fig. 1, it would be known the manipulator is removable. In addition, based on the claimed language, the examiner considered the reference would reflect the limitations under the broadest reasonable interpretation) to control the driving mode of the vehicle (Kreutz, Paragraph 7).]
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Yoshida to incorporate the teachings of Kreutz to design a steering manipulator with a lever in a specific way and place the steering manipulator in a specific location in order to control the driving mode of the vehicle (Kreutz, Paragraph 7).
Claims 10, 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yoshida (US2022/0315097 A1) in view of Huang (US6604757B1).
Regarding to Claim 10, Yoshida teaches a steering control system comprising:
a mode selector configured to switch a driving mode for a vehicle between an autonomous driving mode or a manual driving mode (Paragraph 34, Paragraph 141, based on the teachings of the paragraphs, it would be known the reference teaches a vehicle has both manual driving mode and autonomous driving mode);
a steering manipulator configured to be manipulatable by a driver to steer the vehicle when the driving mode for the vehicle is the manual driving mode (Paragraphs 51-57);
a reaction force generator configured to generate a steering reaction force and a restoring reaction force in response to manipulation of the steering manipulator by the driver (Paragraphs 51-57, especially Paragraph 54 teaches a restoring reaction force); and
a controller configured to determine a target steering angle according to the manipulation of the steering manipulator by the driver and drive a steering motor according to the target steering angle (Paragraphs 51-57).
Yoshida fails to explicitly disclose, but Huang teaches a steering control system comprising:
wherein the steering manipulator comprises:
a first mount member arranged at a first side of a seat and configured to be movable in insertable and withdrawable directions;
a first frame member coupled to an end of the first mount member and extending in a direction different from the first mount member; and
a first steering lever coupled to an end of the first frame member to allow the driver to steer the vehicle by moving the first steering lever [Huang teaches a steering manipulator comprises a lever and is located in a specific location (Huang, Fig. 6, Part 20, the drawing shows the part is in a specific location which would reflect the limitations, Col. 4, Lines 30-60. Based on the drawing in Fig. 6, it would be known the manipulator is removable. In addition, based on the claimed language, the examiner considered the reference would reflect the limitations under the broadest reasonable interpretation) to save the operation time and cost (Huang, Col. 2, Lines 15-34).]
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Yoshida to incorporate the teachings of Huang to design a steering manipulator with a lever in a specific way and place the steering manipulator in a specific location in order to save the operation time and cost (Huang, Col. 2, Lines 15-34).
Regarding to Claim 11, Yoshida in view of Huang teaches the modified steering control system, wherein the steering manipulator further comprises:
a second mount member arranged at a second side of the seat and configured to be movable in the insertable and withdrawable directions (Huang, Fig. 6);
a second frame member coupled to an end of the second mount member and extending in a direction different from the second mount member (Huang, Fig. 6); and
a second steering lever coupled to an end of the second frame member to allow the driver to steer the vehicle by moving the second steering lever (Huang, Fig. 6).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-9, 12-20 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YI-KAI WANG whose telephone number is (313)446-6613. The examiner can normally be reached Flexible.
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, Lindsay Low can be reached at 5712721196. 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.
/YI-KAI WANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3747