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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This is a non-final Office Action on the merits in response to communications filed by Applicant on December 17, 2024. Claims 1-20 are currently pending and examined below.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) (IDS) submitted on is/are being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention. Claim 1 recites presentation reduction information that reduces the anxiety felt by the users. It unclear what type of information is presented to the user with which renders the claim indefinite. Furthermore, the limitation as claimed in claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being incomplete for omitting essential elements, such omission amounting to a gap between the elements. See MPEP § 2172.01.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to a judicial exception (i.e., a law of nature, a natural phenomenon, or an abstract idea) without significantly more.
In January, 2019 (updated October 2019), the USPTO released new examination guidelines setting forth a two-step inquiry for determining whether a claim is directed to non-statutory subject matter. According to the guidelines, a claim is directed to non-statutory subject matter if:
STEP 1: the claim does not fall within one of the four statutory categories of invention (process, machine, manufacture or composition of matter), or
STEP 2: the claim recites a judicial exception, e.g. an abstract idea, without reciting additional elements that amount to significantly more than the judicial exception, as determined using the following analysis:
STEP 2A (PRONG 1): Does the claim recite an abstract idea, law of nature, or natural phenomenon?
STEP 2A (PRONG 2): Does the claim recite additional elements that integrate the judicial exception into a practical application?
STEP 2B: Does the claim recite additional elements that amount to significantly more than the judicial exception?
Using the two-step inquiry, the independent claim 1 is directed toward non-statutory subject matter, as shown below:
STEP 1: Does claim(s) fall within one of the statutory categories? Yes. The independent claim 1 is directed to a control device (e.g. an apparatus).
STEP 2A (PRONG 1): Is the claim directed to a law of nature, a natural phenomenon or an abstract idea? Yes, the claim(s) is/are directed to an abstract idea.
With regard to STEP 2A (PRONG 1), the guidelines provide three groupings of subject matter that are considered abstract ideas:
Mathematical concepts – mathematical relationships, mathematical formulas or equations, mathematical calculations;
Certain methods of organizing human activity – fundamental economic principles or practices (including hedging, insurance, mitigating risk); commercial or legal interactions (including agreements in the form of contracts; legal obligations; advertising, marketing or sales activities or behaviors; business relations); managing personal behavior or relationships or interactions between people (including social activities, teaching, and following rules or instructions); and
Mental processes – concepts that are practicably performed in the human mind (including an observation, evaluation, judgment, opinion).
Claim 1 recites a control device with a processing circuitry that present reduction information to the user to reduce the user anxiety level. Under its broadest reasonable interpretation, the limitation as recited encompasses a person looking at the presented information and forming a simple judgement. If a claim limitation, under its broadest reasonable interpretation, covers performance of the limitation in the mind but for the recitation of generic computer components, then it falls within the “Mental Processes” and “methods of organizing human activity” grouping of abstract ideas.
The Examiner notes that under MPEP 2106.04(a)(2)(III), the courts consider a mental process (thinking) that "can be performed in the human mind, or by a human using a pen and paper" to be an abstract idea. CyberSource Corp. v. Retail Decisions, Inc., 654 F.3d 1366, 1372, 99 USPQ2d 1690, 1695 (Fed. Cir. 2011). As the Federal Circuit explained, "methods which can be performed mentally, or which are the equivalent of human mental work, are unpatentable abstract ideas the ‘basic tools of scientific and technological work’ that are open to all.’" 654 F.3d at 1371, 99 USPQ2d at 1694 (citing Gottschalk v. Benson, 409 U.S. 63, 175 USPQ 673 (1972)). See also Mayo Collaborative Servs. v. Prometheus Labs. Inc., 566 U.S. 66, 71, 101 USPQ2d 1961, 1965 ("‘[M]ental processes[] and abstract intellectual concepts are not patentable, as they are the basic tools of scientific and technological work’" (quoting Benson, 409 U.S. at 67, 175 USPQ at 675)); Parker v. Flook, 437 U.S. 584, 589, 198 USPQ 193, 197 (1978) (same). As such, a person observing the traffic rule at an intersection could give directions to a driver based on the traffic light conditions. The mere nominal recitation that the transmitting is being executed does not take the limitation out of the mental process grouping. Thus, the claim recites a mental process.
STEP 2A (PRONG 2): Does the claim recite additional elements that integrate the judicial exception into a practical application? No, the claim does not recite additional elements that integrate the judicial exception into a practical application.
With regard to STEP 2A (prong 2), whether the claim recites additional elements that integrate the judicial exception into a practical application, the guidelines provide the following exemplary considerations that are indicative that an additional element (or combination of elements) may have integrated the judicial exception into a practical application:
an additional element reflects an improvement in the functioning of a computer, or an improvement to other technology or technical field;
an additional element that applies or uses a judicial exception to effect a particular treatment or prophylaxis for a disease or medical condition;
an additional element implements a judicial exception with, or uses a judicial exception in conjunction with, a particular machine or manufacture that is integral to the claim;
an additional element effects a transformation or reduction of a particular article to a different state or thing; and
an additional element applies or uses the judicial exception in some other meaningful way beyond generally linking the use of the judicial exception to a particular technological environment, such that the claim as a whole is more than a drafting effort designed to monopolize the exception.
While the guidelines further state that the exemplary considerations are not an exhaustive list and that there may be other examples of integrating the exception into a practical application, the guidelines also list examples in which a judicial exception has not been integrated into a practical application:
an additional element merely recites the words “apply it” (or an equivalent) with the judicial exception, or merely includes instructions to implement an abstract idea on a computer, or merely uses a computer as a tool to perform an abstract idea;
an additional element adds insignificant extra-solution activity to the judicial exception; and
an additional element does no more than generally link the use of a judicial exception to a particular technological environment or field of use.
Claim 1 recites additional elements of processing circuitry; however, the limitation is recited at a high level of generality and amounts to mere data gathering, which is a form of insignificant extra-solution activity. Accordingly, even in combination, these additional elements do not integrate the abstract idea into a practical application because they do not impose any meaningful limits on practicing the abstract idea.
STEP 2B: Does the claim recite additional elements that amount to significantly more than the judicial exception? No, the claim does not recite additional elements that amount to significantly more than the judicial exception.
With regard to STEP 2B, whether the claims recite additional elements that provide significantly more than the recited judicial exception, the guidelines specify that the pre-guideline procedure is still in effect. Specifically, that examiners should continue to consider whether an additional element or combination of elements:
adds a specific limitation or combination of limitations that are not well-understood, routine, conventional activity in the field, which is indicative that an inventive concept may be present; or
simply appends well-understood, routine, conventional activities previously known to the industry, specified at a high level of generality, to the judicial exception, which is indicative that an inventive concept may not be present.
The Claim(s) does not recite any specific limitation or combination of limitations that are not well-understood, routine, conventional (WURC) activity in the field. MPEP 2106.05(d)(II), and the cases cited therein, including Intellectual Ventures I, LLC v. Symantec Corp., 838 F.3d 1307, 1321 (Fed. Cir. 2016), TLI Communications LLC v. AV Auto. LLC, 823 F.3d 607, 610 (Fed. Cir. 2016), and OIP Techs., Inc., v. Amazon.com, Inc., 788 F.3d 1359, 1363 (Fed. Cir. 2015), indicate that mere performance of an action is a well‐understood, routine, and conventional function when it is claimed in a merely generic manner (as it is here). Further, the Federal Circuit in Trading Techs. Int’l v. IBG LLC, 921 F.3d 1084, 1093 (Fed. Cir. 2019), and Intellectual Ventures I LLC v. Erie Indemnity Co., 850 F.3d 1315, 1331 (Fed. Cir. 2017), for example, indicated that the mere displaying of data (which is one example listed in applicant’s disclosure as a remedial action) is a well understood, routine, and conventional function.
CONCLUSION
Since claim 1 is: (a) directed toward an abstract idea, (b) does not recite additional elements that integrate the judicial exception into a practical application, and (c) does not recite additional elements that amount to significantly more than the judicial exception, the claim(s) is directed towards non-statutory subject matter.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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 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 of this title, 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 set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied 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.
Claims 1-5, 10-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sasai et al. US2022/0105935 (“Sasai”) in view of Szubbocsev US2019/0293437 (“Szubbocsev”).
Regarding claim(s) 1. Sasai discloses a control device provided in an autonomous driving vehicle that travels autonomously with a user riding therein, the control device comprising (abstract, [0028] Operator 140 accepts a user operation. The user operation includes, for example, an operation instructing performance of platoon traveling or autonomous traveling and/or an operation setting the presence or absence of an occupant in vehicle 100. Note that, operator 140 is not an essential component of vehicle 100.):
processing circuitry to make an information presentation device (fig. 2) for presenting information to the user present anxiety reduction information that reduces the anxiety felt by the user (0106] Controller 160 may execute the acceleration or deceleration control depending on a degree of anxiety (tension) of the occupant in a case where an occupant is present in vehicle 100 during platoon traveling. [0107] In this case, controller 160 determines the degree of anxiety of the occupant based on biometric information (e.g., information indicating a pulse of the occupant, an opening degree of a pupil, or the amount of perspiration) obtained from a predetermined sensor. For example, when a value of the biometric information is greater than a predetermined threshold value, the degree of anxiety of the occupant is determined to be high, and when the value of the biometric information is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value, the degree of anxiety of the occupant is determined to be low.) when the autonomous driving vehicle reaches a presentation start position as a position before an anxiety start position where the user starts feeling anxiety ([0097] Vehicle 100 includes a current position detector for detecting a current position of vehicle 100 (not illustrated). The current position detector may be, for example, a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or a beacon receiver. In addition, storage 150 stores map information in which the speed is set for each position. In this map information, for example, the speed below the walking speed of human is determined for a place where many people are assumed to be present. [0098] Controller 160 identifies a position corresponding to the current position detected by the current position detector in the map information read from storage 150 and controls driver 130 such that vehicle 100 travels at a speed determined in the position.
Sasai does not explicitly discloses an anxiety factor that makes the user feel anxiety in a scheduled route to a destination of the autonomous driving vehicle.
Szubbocsev teaches autonomous vehicle guidance and an anxiety factor that makes the user feel anxiety in a scheduled route to a destination of the autonomous driving vehicle ([0037, 0061, 0103] an ADV on-board computer 204 may also begin monitoring the physiological states of one or more ADV occupants using occupant sensors 208 and transmit the processed physiological state data to the relevant border control agency if a stress event, anxiety event or other event that may be utilized to determine if a heightened security screening is to be requested. For example, the one or more sensors 208 can monitor the vital signs of one or more ADV occupants while the on-board computer 204 is navigating the ADV along a route R.sub.N across a secure border. In one or more embodiments, if the on-board computer determines that one or more relevant vital signs and/or additional detections, occurrences, measurements, readings or sensed data concerning either the ADV or one or more ADV occupants is indicative of an event (e.g., stress, destress, anxiety, heightened awareness, panic attack, etc.), the on-board computer is programmed to automatically transmit this information along with any other information requested (during or before the trip) to a designated border control agency via a network 608 (as described herein with reference to FIG. 6B). Thereafter, the security agency 650 may determine that a heightened security screening is warranted.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system and method of Sasai by incorporating the applied teaching of Szubbocsev to enable autonomous vehicle navigation based on user anxiety level and to improve user comfort and as such and one of ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have recognized that the results of the combination would have been predictable.
Regarding claim(s) 2, 18, 19, 20. Sasai discloses an autonomous driving vehicle that travels autonomously with a user riding therein, comprising: a vicinity sensor to detect at least a situation in front in a traveling direction; an information presentation device to present information to the user; an operation device; and processing circuitry to previously collect an anxiety start position (0106] Controller 160 may execute the acceleration or deceleration control depending on a degree of anxiety (tension) of the occupant in a case where an occupant is present in vehicle 100 during platoon traveling. [0107] In this case, controller 160 determines the degree of anxiety of the occupant based on biometric information (e.g., information indicating a pulse of the occupant, an opening degree of a pupil, or the amount of perspiration) obtained from a predetermined sensor. For example, when a value of the biometric information is greater than a predetermined threshold value, the degree of anxiety of the occupant is determined to be high, and when the value of the biometric information is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value, the degree of anxiety of the occupant is determined to be low.),
as a position before an anxiety factor that makes an experiment participant feel anxiety in a route of autonomous traveling of the autonomous driving vehicle with the experiment participant riding therein and a position where the experiment participant starts feeling anxiety about the anxiety factor, based on the experiment participant's operation on the operation device along the route ([0097] Vehicle 100 includes a current position detector for detecting a current position of vehicle 100 (not illustrated). The current position detector may be, for example, a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or a beacon receiver. In addition, storage 150 stores map information in which the speed is set for each position. In this map information, for example, the speed below the walking speed of human is determined for a place where many people are assumed to be present. [0098] Controller 160 identifies a position corresponding to the current position detected by the current position detector in the map information read from storage 150 and controls driver 130 such that vehicle 100 travels at a speed determined in the position.); and
Sasai does not explicitly disclose to control operation of the autonomous driving vehicle based on road information including a map of a scheduled route to a destination of the autonomous driving vehicle and a road attribute of the scheduled route, vehicle information regarding the autonomous driving vehicle, vicinity detection information outputted from the vicinity sensor, and the anxiety start position, wherein the processing circuitry sets a presentation start position, as a position where the information presentation device is made to start presenting anxiety reduction information, before the anxiety start position in the route of the autonomous traveling with the user riding therein, and makes the information presentation device start the presentation of the anxiety reduction information when the autonomous driving vehicle with the user riding therein reaches the presentation start position.
Szubbocsev teaches autonomous vehicle guidance and an anxiety factor that makes the user feel anxiety in a scheduled route to a destination of the autonomous driving vehicle ([0037, 0061, 0103] an ADV on-board computer 204 may also begin monitoring the physiological states of one or more ADV occupants using occupant sensors 208 and transmit the processed physiological state data to the relevant border control agency if a stress event, anxiety event or other event that may be utilized to determine if a heightened security screening is to be requested. For example, the one or more sensors 208 can monitor the vital signs of one or more ADV occupants while the on-board computer 204 is navigating the ADV along a route R.sub.N across a secure border. In one or more embodiments, if the on-board computer determines that one or more relevant vital signs and/or additional detections, occurrences, measurements, readings or sensed data concerning either the ADV or one or more ADV occupants is indicative of an event (e.g., stress, destress, anxiety, heightened awareness, panic attack, etc.), the on-board computer is programmed to automatically transmit this information along with any other information requested (during or before the trip) to a designated border control agency via a network 608 (as described herein with reference to FIG. 6B). Thereafter, the security agency 650 may determine that a heightened security screening is warranted.) vehicle information regarding the autonomous driving vehicle, vicinity detection information outputted from the vicinity sensor, and the anxiety start position, wherein the processing circuitry sets a presentation start position, as a position where the information presentation device is made to start presenting anxiety reduction information, before the anxiety start position in the route of the autonomous traveling with the user riding therein, and makes the information presentation device start the presentation of the anxiety reduction information when the autonomous driving vehicle with the user riding therein reaches the presentation start position ([0114] FIG. 10A. In each of these examples as described with one or more embodiments, upon the detection of one or more ADV factors matching at least one primary security factor SF.sub.P or the requisite secondary security factors SF.sub.S such that a predetermined numerical risk threshold is exceeded, as described herein with reference to FIG. 10C, the on-board computer 204 and/or one or more of the system control nodes 502 are programmed via the dynamic routing system 308 in case of the on-board computer 204 or the routing system 512 in case of the one or more control nodes to execute a dynamic routing algorithm that utilizes artificial intelligence to continuously generate the shortest temporal route from the ADV's current position to the new destination D.sub.N+1 (i.e., wherein the new destination D.sub.N+1 is the geographical location of the border security agency facility where the heightened security screening will take place) based upon information concerning the navigable pathways in the relevant geographical region.).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system and method of Sasai by incorporating the applied teaching of Szubbocsev to enable autonomous vehicle navigation based on user anxiety level and to improve user comfort and as such and one of ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have recognized that the results of the combination would have been predictable.
Regarding claim(s) 3. Sasai in view of Szubbocsev further teaches wherein the processing circuitry sets the presentation start position between a recognition start position as a position where the experiment participant starts visually recognizing existence of the anxiety factor and the anxiety start position or at a same position as the recognition start position (Szubbocsev: [0037, 0061, 0103, 0114] For example, during and/or after the ADV has determined a route R that requires an ADV to cross a secured international border, the on-board computer 204 can wirelessly transmit information concerning 1) the identification of the one or more ADV occupants, 2) information concerning any items that are being transported within the ADV, 3) any other trip details (e.g., geological point of origin, geological destination, identification of persons to be visited, lodging information, length of stay, reason for travel, other countries to be visited, etc.)).
Regarding claim(s) 4. Sasai in view of Szubbocsev further teaches wherein the processing circuitry previously collects the recognition start position based on the experiment participant's operation on the operation device in the route of the autonomous traveling of the autonomous driving vehicle with the experiment participant riding therein along the route (Szubbocsev: [0037, 0061, 0103, 0114], the one or more sensors 208 can monitor the vital signs of one or more ADV occupants while the on-board computer 204 is navigating the ADV along a route R.sub.N across a secure border. In one or more embodiments, if the on-board computer determines that one or more relevant vital signs and/or additional detections, occurrences, measurements, readings or sensed data concerning either the ADV or one or more ADV occupants is indicative of an event (e.g., stress, destress, anxiety, heightened awareness, panic attack, etc.), the on-board computer is programmed to automatically transmit this information along with any other information requested (during or before the trip) to a designated border control agency via a network 608 (as described herein with reference to FIG. 6B). Thereafter, the security agency 650 may determine that a heightened security screening is warranted)
Regarding claim(s) 5. Sasai in view of Szubbocsev further teaches further comprising a condition grasping sensor to detect condition of the user riding in the autonomous driving vehicle, wherein when it is judged that there exists a gaze target at which the user keeps on gazing for a time longer than or equal to a predetermined reference time based on the condition of the user detected by the condition grasping sensor, the processing circuitry handles a start position of the gazing as the recognition start position (Szubbocsev: [0037, 0061, 0103, 0101 0114], one or more wearable physiological sensors 270 worn by one or more ADV occupants can include one or more strain gauges that generate data while a relevant occupant breathes due to his/her chest expanding and contracting. One or more of the occupant sensors 208 may be a camera that measures facial expressions, movement, physical activity, etc., images of which can be indicative of one or more physiological states (e.g., anxiety, nervousness, stress, destress, heightened awareness, panic attack, epilepsy, heart attack, stroke, seizure, neurological conditions or episodes, illness due to temperature, etc.).).
Regarding claim(s) 10. Sasai in view of Szubbocsev further teaches wherein when the anxiety factor is judged to be a moving object based on the vicinity detection information from the vicinity sensor, the processing circuitry makes the information presentation device present a traveling position and a traveling speed of the autonomous driving vehicle as the anxiety reduction information (Sasai: [0025] Examples of information to be received by communicator 120 includes, for example, speed information and positional information on each of the preceding vehicle and following vehicle. Moreover, information to be transmitted by communicator 120 includes, for example, speed information and positional information on vehicle 100. Incidentally, communicator 120 can communicate with the external apparatus during either platoon traveling, automatic traveling by vehicle 100 alone, or stopping.).
Regarding claim(s) 11. Sasai in view of Szubbocsev further teaches wherein when the anxiety factor is judged to be an object moving in a direction of approaching the autonomous driving vehicle based on the vicinity detection information from the vicinity sensor, the processing circuitry makes the information presentation device present information regarding the object as the anxiety reduction information (Szubbocsev: [0037, 0061, 0103, 0101 0114], [0101] Once the occupant sensors 208 are calibrated, the on-board computer 204 initiates a monitoring mode at step 1002B wherein occupant sensors 208 generate data that is indicative of one or more of a relevant occupant's physiological and/or current state of being. In one embodiment, the occupant sensors 208 continuously monitor and generate data that is indicative of the current physiological state of the relevant occupants for the entirety of the travel time. In another embodiment, the occupant sensors 208 enter a monitoring mode at intermittent times during a trip and lie in a resting/dormant state for other times during a trip.).
Regarding claim(s) 12. Sasai in view of Szubbocsev further teaches wherein the processing circuitry increases an enhancement level of a display mode of the information regarding the object with an increase in speed of the object, with the increase in size of the object, or with a decrease in distance to the object (Szubbocsev: [0055, 0061, 0103, 0101 0114], In one embodiment, wearable sensor device(s) 270 includes a memory 278 that may be utilized to store data indicative of an ADV occupant's physiological state. In one or more embodiments, wearable sensor device(s) 270 is configured as a pass through device that transmits the sensor data to one or more wearable occupant sensor devices 250, or directly to an on-board computer 204 for processing via occupant state monitoring system 312. The measured sensory physiological data and/or sensor generated data is transmitted to an ADV on-board computer 204 that is communicatively coupled to occupant sensor device 250 via one or more interfaces 260. Occupant sensor device 250 can also include a display 254,).
Regarding claim(s) 13. Sasai in view of Szubbocsev further teaches wherein the processing circuitry changes the scheduled route based on a user operation through the operation device ().
Regarding claim(s) 14. Sasai in view of Szubbocsev further teaches wherein the processing circuitry collects an anxiety strength level inputted by the user through the operation device in the autonomous traveling of the autonomous driving vehicle with the user as the experiment participant riding therein, and the processing circuitry increases an enhancement level of a display mode of the information presented by the information presentation device with an increase in the anxiety strength level (Szubbocsev: [0055, 0061, 0103, 0101 0114], In one embodiment, wearable sensor device(s) 270 includes a memory 278 that may be utilized to store data indicative of an ADV occupant's physiological state. In one or more embodiments, wearable sensor device(s) 270 is configured as a pass through device that transmits the sensor data to one or more wearable occupant sensor devices 250, or directly to an on-board computer 204 for processing via occupant state monitoring system 312. The measured sensory physiological data and/or sensor generated data is transmitted to an ADV on-board computer 204 that is communicatively coupled to occupant sensor device 250 via one or more interfaces 260. Occupant sensor device 250 can also include a display 254,).
Regarding claim(s) 15. Sasai in view of Szubbocsev further teaches wherein the information presentation device includes at least one of a display device, a speaker, an indicator lamp and a vibration device (Szubbocsev: [0055, 0061, 0103, 0101 0114], In one embodiment, wearable sensor device(s) 270 includes a memory 278 that may be utilized to store data indicative of an ADV occupant's physiological state. In one or more embodiments, wearable sensor device(s) 270 is configured as a pass through device that transmits the sensor data to one or more wearable occupant sensor devices 250, or directly to an on-board computer 204 for processing via occupant state monitoring system 312. The measured sensory physiological data and/or sensor generated data is transmitted to an ADV on-board computer 204 that is communicatively coupled to occupant sensor device 250 via one or more interfaces 260. Occupant sensor device 250 can also include a display 254,).
Regarding claim(s) 16. Sasai in view of Szubbocsev further teaches wherein the processing circuitry makes the information presentation device present the information by audio when no person in a vicinity of the autonomous driving vehicle has been detected by the vicinity sensor, and the processing circuitry makes the information presentation device present the information by vibration when a person in the vicinity of the autonomous driving vehicle has been detected by the vicinity sensor (Szubbocsev: [0055, 0061, 0103, 0101 0114], In one embodiment, wearable sensor device(s) 270 includes a memory 278 that may be utilized to store data indicative of an ADV occupant's physiological state. In one or more embodiments, wearable sensor device(s) 270 is configured as a pass through device that transmits the sensor data to one or more wearable occupant sensor devices 250, or directly to an on-board computer 204 for processing via occupant state monitoring system 312. The measured sensory physiological data and/or sensor generated data is transmitted to an ADV on-board computer 204 that is communicatively coupled to occupant sensor device 250 via one or more interfaces 260. Occupant sensor device 250 can also include a display 254,).
Regarding claim(s) 17. Sasai in view of Szubbocsev further teaches wherein the autonomous driving vehicle is an autonomous driving wheelchair (Sasai: [0019] Vehicle 100 has a wheelchair-type structure on which a person can ride. Specifically, as illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B, vehicle 100 includes frame 101, sitting seat 102, backrest 103, armrests 104, and wheels 105.).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6, 7, 8-9,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.
Inquiry
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TRUC M DO whose telephone number is (571)270-5962. The examiner can normally be reached on 9AM-6PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ramón Mercado, Ph.D. can be reached on (571) 270-5744. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/TRUC M DO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3658
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