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)(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, 2, 4-7 and 17-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 a (1) as being anticipated by Bolotin et al. (US 2007/0176791, hereon Bolotin).
Claim 1, Bolotin teaches an apparatus for controlling traffic lights (abstract), comprising:
a traffic signal display controller configured to transmit a pattern control command comprising information related to remaining time of a current traffic signal (par. 10: A control means with a microprocessor allows selection of a desired pattern, according to which the selected light indicator will display the remaining time); and
traffic lights configured to display information on a traffic signal by receiving the pattern control command (par. 27: When the indicator 24 is just switched on, the entire area of the circle 24 has the yellow color, as can be seen in FIG. 1a. As the time remaining for the indicator 24 decreases, the yellow-illuminated area diminishes, with a discrete sector 32 becoming non-illuminated, as shown in FIG. 1b. The non-illuminated sector 32 progressively expands, as shown in FIGS. 1c through 1g, with about one-quarter of the circle area remaining illuminated. Finally, when the yellow light cycle finished, the circle of the indicator 24 is no longer illuminated, as shown in FIG. 1j).
Claim 2, Bolotin teaches wherein the traffic signal display controller transmits the pattern control command for a cycle related to a turn-on and turn-off of an LED device corresponding to a specific signal based on the remaining time (par. 25&27: When the indicator 24 is just switched on, the entire area of the circle 24 has the yellow color, as can be seen in FIG. 1a. As the time remaining for the indicator 24 decreases, the yellow-illuminated area diminishes, with a discrete sector 32 becoming non-illuminated, as shown in FIG. 1b. Turned on entirely at the beginning and turning off the LEDs as time diminishes).
Claim 4, Bolotin teaches wherein the traffic signal display controller transmits the pattern control command for the cycle related to the turn-on and turn-off of the LED device by considering results of grouping of the remaining times (par. 26: A control means, or control circuitry 28 is mounted in the housing 12. The control circuitry 28 is operationally coupled to the indicators 22, 24 and 26. The control circuitry comprises a timer (not shown) and is adapted to control time between a red light changing to a green light and a green light changing to a yellow light within the device 10. The control means 28 is preferably a microprocessor. Considering the grouping of different light colors remaining time).
Claim 5, Bolotin teaches wherein the traffic signal display controller transmits the pattern control command for an order in which an LED device corresponding to a specific signal is turned on based on the remaining time (par. 25&27: When the indicator 24 is just switched on, the entire area of the circle 24 has the yellow color, as can be seen in FIG. 1a. As the time remaining for the indicator 24 decreases, the yellow-illuminated area diminishes, with a discrete sector 32 becoming non-illuminated, as shown in FIG. 1b. Turned on entirely at the beginning and turning off the LEDs as time diminishes. The order for countdown applies to each color lights 22, 24 and 26).
Claim 6, Bolotin teaches wherein the traffic signal display controller controls the LED device to display information on the remaining time by adjusting a time interval for an order in which the LED device is turned on (par. 31: FIG. 6 illustrates still another example of the programmable light pattern produced in the yellow light indicator. In this example, the controllable pattern makes the light indictor change colors, starting from a full yellow circle, as shown in FIG. 2 and gradually diminishing yellow illuminated portion 42. The extinguishing of illumination in the zone 42 may be programmed to follow a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. The area of diminishing yellow light is gradually occupied by the next color in the cycle, in this example red area 44. The center of the circle 46 remains yellow while the wide outer band 42 changes color).
Claim 7, Bolotin teaches wherein the traffic signal display controller controls the LED device to display information on the remaining time by differently adjusting a shape according to an order in which the LED device is turned on (par. 31: FIG. 6 illustrates still another example of the programmable light pattern produced in the yellow light indicator. In this example, the controllable pattern makes the light indictor change colors, starting from a full yellow circle, as shown in FIG. 2 and gradually diminishing yellow illuminated portion 42. The extinguishing of illumination in the zone 42 may be programmed to follow a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. The area of diminishing yellow light is gradually occupied by the next color in the cycle, in this example red area 44. The center of the circle 46 remains yellow while the wide outer band 42 changes color. Each time a new color light is displayed, the shape indicating the remaining time gets adjusted to fully displayed).
Claim 17, Bolotin teaches a system for controlling traffic lights (abstract), comprising:
an input interface device configured to receive a control command related to a signal display of traffic lights (par. 10: The pattern may also include a two-part outer band, with one part displaying the color corresponding to the then current cycle, while the second part is programmed to display a gradually diminishing light pattern);
memory in which a program that controls a light emission of an LED device in response to a control command is stored (par. 10: programmed code has to be stored in memory); and
a processor configured to execute the program, wherein the processor controls the light emission of the LED device in response to the control command (par. 10: A control means with a microprocessor allows selection of a desired pattern, according to which the selected light indicator will display the remaining time), but controls the light emission of the LED device based on a pattern comprising information on a remaining time of a current traffic signal (par. 27: When the indicator 24 is just switched on, the entire area of the circle 24 has the yellow color, as can be seen in FIG. 1a. As the time remaining for the indicator 24 decreases, the yellow-illuminated area diminishes, with a discrete sector 32 becoming non-illuminated, as shown in FIG. 1b. The non-illuminated sector 32 progressively expands, as shown in FIGS. 1c through 1g, with about one-quarter of the circle area remaining illuminated. Finally, when the yellow light cycle finished, the circle of the indicator 24 is no longer illuminated, as shown in FIG. 1j).
Claim 18, Bolotin teaches wherein the processor controls a flickering cycle of the LED device disposed in a traffic light area corresponding to a specific signal (par. 34: Some of the traffic lights are formed as single LEDs, with different parts of the lens being programmed to flash the desired color, being it red, yellow or green. Such traffic lights may come in the rectangular form shown in FIG. 9).
Claim 19, Bolotin teaches wherein the processor controls an order in which the LED device disposed in the traffic light area corresponding to the specific signal is turned on based on a preset order (par. 31: FIG. 6 illustrates still another example of the programmable light pattern produced in the yellow light indicator. In this example, the controllable pattern makes the light indictor change colors, starting from a full yellow circle, as shown in FIG. 2 and gradually diminishing yellow illuminated portion 42. The extinguishing of illumination in the zone 42 may be programmed to follow a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. The area of diminishing yellow light is gradually occupied by the next color in the cycle, in this example red area 44. The center of the circle 46 remains yellow while the wide outer band 42 changes color).
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) 8, 9, 12, 13, 15 and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yu (US 2022/0189300) in view of Kamakura (US 2023/0069211).
Claim 8, Yu teaches a traffic control method based on control of traffic lights, which is performed by a system for controlling traffic lights (abstract), the traffic control method comprising steps of:
(a) displaying a pattern comprising information related to a remaining display time for a current traffic signal of traffic lights (par 101&104: The traffic light information providing apparatus 100 may calculate a cycle of the traffic light 51 by using the accumulated turn-on information of the intersection traffic light 51 … Then, the signal light information providing apparatus 100 generates information related to a turn-on color and a remaining time of the intersection traffic light in front of the currently driving road through the synchronization);
(b) identifying the remaining display time by recognizing the displayed pattern (par. 104: The signal light information providing apparatus 100 also outputs and displays the color information of the intersection traffic light and the remaining time on the display device 130 and the vehicle display 400).
Yu does not teach:
(c) determining a driving behavior based on results of the identification of the remaining display time.
In the field of endeavor, Kamakura teaches driving assistance system. He goes on to teach the system detected traffic light information, and using the traffic light information to derive a recommended driving behavior to a driver (abstract, par. 29).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify Yu’s vehicle system with recommending driving behavior based on detected traffic signal information as taught by Kamakura for the purpose of improving and enhanced driving safety of the vehicle’s driver as well as other surrounding user (Kamakura par. 5).
Claim 9, the combination teaches wherein the step (a) comprises displaying the pattern so that a turn-on and turn-off of the traffic lights are repeated in a cycle that is not recognized by a naked eye of a person based on the remaining display time (Yu par. 102: one cycle of the intersection traffic light 51 may be provided until it becomes orange->left turn signal+green->orange->red. For example, in the case of 50 seconds of green, 15 seconds of left turn, 50 seconds of red, and 5 seconds of orange, one cycle of a corresponding intersection traffic light may be 120 seconds and one cycle of such a traffic light may be different for each traffic light. Where the timing information is not recognized by eye of a person).
Claim 12, the combination teaches wherein the step (a) comprises displaying the pattern by adjusting an order in which a plurality of LED devices corresponding to the current traffic signal is turned on (Yu par. 59: Referring to FIG. 2B, the intersection traffic light 1310 may include a red image 1311, an orange or yellow image 1312, a left-turn signal 1313, a green image 1314, and the like positioned in sequence. The virtual traffic light or crosswalk light 1320 may include a green image 1321, an orange image 1322, a red image 1323 positioned in sequence, and a remaining time image 1324).
Claim 13, the combination teaches wherein the step (a) comprises displaying the pattern by adjusting a time interval at which the plurality of LED devices is turned on (Yu par. 102: one cycle of the intersection traffic light 51 may be provided until it becomes orange->left turn signal+green->orange->red. For example, in the case of 50 seconds of green, 15 seconds of left turn, 50 seconds of red, and 5 seconds of orange, one cycle of a corresponding intersection traffic light may be 120 seconds and one cycle of such a traffic light may be different for each traffic light).
Claim 15, the combination teaches wherein the step (b) comprises: photographing a traffic light area by using a camera mounted on a vehicle or a mobile terminal within the vehicle, and recognizing the pattern (Yu par. 93: The camera 210 photographs an intersection traffic light and a crosswalk traffic light and transmits turn-on image data of the traffic light to the traffic light information providing apparatus 100).
Claim 16, the combination teaches wherein the step (c) comprises issuing decision making on whether to pass through an intersection (Kamakura par. 30: On the other hand, the driving derivation unit 22 calculates a range of the target vehicle speed for the vehicle to stop smoothly in front of the traffic light when it is determined that the vehicle cannot pass through the intersection without stopping at the vehicle speed equal to or lower than the legal vehicle speed. Then, the driving derivation unit 22 derives a deceleration instruction including the range of the target vehicle speed as the recommended driving when the vehicle speed of the vehicle included in the vehicle speed information exceeds the target vehicle speed).
Claim(s) 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yu (US 2022/0189300) in view of Kamakura (US 2023/0069211), and further in view of Bolotin.
Claim 14, the combination does not teach wherein the step (a) comprises displaying the pattern in a shape according to a time flow that appears as the plurality of LED devices is turned on.
In the field of endeavor, Bolotin teaches control means with a microprocessor allows selection of a desired pattern/shape, according to which the selected light indicator will display the remaining time (par. 10&34).
It would have been obvious at the time of filing to modify the combination’s traffic signal output to display pattern in a shape with countdown timer as taught by Bolotin in order to let the user known the remaining time on the currently displayed traffic indicator.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 10 and 11 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 An T Nguyen whose telephone number is (571)270-5167. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9-5 ET.
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/AN T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2686