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 Status
Claims 1-9 are currently pending.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 11/04/2024 has been considered by the examiner.
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, 2, 4, 5, 8 and 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) or (a)(2) as being anticipated by KIM (US Pub. 2022/0297634).
Regarding claim 1,
KIM teaches a vehicle (16) configured to utilize a digital key registered in a mobile information terminal (11) of a user, the vehicle comprising a processor configured to transmit, to a management server for the digital key, log information of an event occurring in the vehicle when the digital key is registered to the mobile information terminal ([0036] teaches, "In order for the mobile key management server 12 to receive the authentication number directly from the vehicle, a screen which includes a confirmation button for transmitting the mobile key is displayed on a display device in the vehicle, and a screen that guides the user to press the confirmation button on the display device of the vehicle is displayed on the user's smartphone 11 (FIG. 1(i-1))" - thus teaching that the vehicle transmits the authentication number (see, "log information ") following actuation of a confirmation button (see, "an event occurring in the vehicle") for transmission of a mobile key (see, "when the digital key is registered").
Regarding claim 2,
Kim teaches that the processor is configured to transmit, to the management server, information indicating that key exchange with the mobile information terminal is completed, as the log information ([0037], [0038] teaches that the authentication number is displayed on the display device of the vehicle along with guidance information. [0038] teaches that when the vehicle authentication is completed, a message informing the completion of the mobile key service registration (or subscription) is displayed on the smartphone via communication network; [0041] teaches that following addition processing, If the user is confirmed, a completion message is transmitted to the mobile key management server 12; note that [0035] teaches that authentication comprises key exchange between server 12, vehicle and mobile information terminal 11 ).
Regarding claims 4, 8 and 9,
Kim teaches an information management device (and associated method of operation) configured to manage information regarding progress of registration of a digital key for a vehicle to a mobile information terminal of a user, the information management device comprising:
a processor ([0028] teaches that the mobile key management server 12 is able to provide any required information in response to the requests of the devices within the mobile key service system);
and data storage ([0028] teaches that the mobile key management server 12 comprises a server which is configured to store and update all the information for a mobile key service), wherein the processor is configured to
acquire, from the vehicle, log information of an event occurring in the vehicle when the digital key is registered, and record the log information in the data storage ([0036] teaches, "In order for the mobile key management server 12 to receive the authentication number directly from the vehicle, a screen which includes a confirmation button for transmitting the mobile key is displayed on a display device in the vehicle, and a screen that guides the user to press the confirmation button on the display device of the vehicle is displayed on the user's smartphone 11 (FIG. 1(i-1))" - thus teaching that the vehicle transmits the authentication number (see, "log information") following actuation of a confirmation button (see, "an event occurring in the vehicle") for transmission of a mobile key (see, "when the digital key is registered"), and
acquire, from the mobile information terminal, log information of processing carried out at the mobile information terminal when registering the digital key, and record the log information in the data storage ([0040] teaches that when the user installs the smart key application on the user's smartphone 11 for the mobile key registration (see, "processing carried out at the mobile information terminal when regerstering the digital key") and inputs the member information for the subscription for the mobile key service, the user's smartphone 11 transmits the member information to the mobile key management server 12 (see, "acquire, from the mobile information terminal"). The mobile key management server 12 stores the member information received from the user's smartphone 11 (see, "and record the log information in the data storage").
Regarding claim 5,
Kim teaches that the log information of the event includes one or more of completion of pairing between the vehicle and the mobile information terminal, ([0037], [0038] teaches that the authentication number is displayed on the display device of the vehicle along with guidance information; [0038] teaches that when the vehicle authentication is completed, a message informing the completion of the mobile key service registration (or subscription) is displayed on the smartphone via communication network; [0041] teaches that following addition processing, if the user is confirmed, a completion message is transmitted to the mobile key management server 12; note that [0035] teaches that authentication comprises key exchange between server 12, vehicle and mobile information terminal 11), completion of exchange of a temporary key generated in the vehicle and a temporary key generated in the mobile information terminal, and completion of exchange of mutual authentication data generated in the vehicle using the temporary key that is exchanged, and mutual authentication data generated in the mobile information terminal using the temporary key that is exchanged; and registration of the digital key is completed in accordance with the vehicle and the mobile information terminal each completing generation of an encryption key using the mutual authentication data that is exchanged, the encryption key being used for mutual authentication between the vehicle and the mobile information terminal when the digital key is used.
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) 3, 6 and 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KIM (US Pub. 2022/0297634) in view of MATSUSHITA (US Pub. 2024/0227733).
Regarding claims 3 and 6,
KIM teaches the vehicle according to claim 1, but fails to expressly teach that the processor is configured to transmit, to the management server, log information of an event that occurred in the vehicle when the digital key is deleted.
MATSUSHITA teaches a vehicular digital key system comprising a processor which is configured to transmit, to a management server, log information of an event that occurred in a vehicle when the digital key is deleted ([0268] and [0269] teach, with regard to the vehicular ECU 4, deletion of data related to the service key from the vehicle side memory 45. When the data deletion from the vehicle side memory 45 is completed, the authentication ECU 4 transmits a deletion completion notification signal indicating that the service key deletion sequence is completed to the DKS (Digital Key Server) 3; claim 5 teaches a vehicular device configured to: delete all the service keys from a predetermined vehicle-side memory device in which the service keys are stored; and transmit a deletion completion notification to the server indicating that a deletion sequence of all the service keys has been completed.)
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to modify the system of KIM in view of the teachings of MATSUSHITA such that the vehicle of KIM is configured to transmit information to a server regarding the deletion of a digital key. This modification would have offered clear security and operational advantages by providing system-wide confirmation that unauthorized access is permanently removed.
Regarding claim 7,
The information management device according to claim 6, wherein: the data storage is configured to store information related to the digital key (Kim teaches in [0055] that server 12 generates and stores mobile key issuance of generation algorithm for issuing or generating a mobile key upon request; [0063] teaches server 12 stores information for managing a key); and
the processor is configured to delete a part of information relating to the digital key from the data storage in response to the completion of deleting the encryption key being recorded as the log information ([0268] and [0269] teach, with regard to the vehicular ECU 4, deletion of data related to the service key from the vehicle side memory 45. When the data deletion from the vehicle side memory 45 is completed, the authentication ECU 4 transmits a deletion completion notification signal indicating that the service key deletion sequence is completed to the DKS (Digital Key Server) 3; claim 5 teaches a vehicular device configured to: delete all the service keys from a predetermined vehicle-side memory device in which the service keys are stored; and transmit a deletion completion notification to the server indicating that a deletion sequence of all the service keys has been completed.)
Before the effective filing date of the invention, it would have been obvious to modify the system of KIM in view of the teachings of MATSUSHITA such that the vehicle of KIM is configured to transmit information to a server regarding the deletion of a digital key. This modification would have offered clear security and operational advantages by providing system-wide confirmation that unauthorized access is permanently removed.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DIONNE PENDLETON whose telephone number is (571)272-7497. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9a-5pm.
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/DIONNE PENDLETON/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2689
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