DETAILED ACTION
Remarks
This final office action is in response to the amendments filled on 07/16/2026. Claims 1, 5 and 6 are amended. Claims 7-14 are newly added. Claims 1-14 are pending and examined below.
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.
Claim(s) 1 and 3-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2018/0330526 (“Corcoran”), and in view of US 2023/0286497 (“Hiramoto”), and further in view of US 2023/0219484 (“Hanchett”).
Regarding claim 1 (and similarly claim 6), Corcoran discloses an information presentation device comprising (see at least [0007], where “A display of the road map data is generated with the object type and location information overlaid on the road map data to indicate object location relative to the vehicle.”; see also fig 5, where a display screen showing positions of detected objects):
a light emitter disposed in front of a driver's seat and comprising light emission areas arranged along a width direction of a vehicle (see at least fig 2G, where light emitter (camera) disposed in front of a vehicle, which is in front of a driver’s seat. The light emission areas also arranged along the width direction of the vehicle);
a static (see at least [0031], where “the vision system 8 provides overlays of object information for images acquired about stationary or mobile structures or about a perimeter, a boundary or other form of border for enhanced situational awareness in a region monitored with multiple imaging devices.”; see also fig 5 and [0010]); and
an information presentation controller configured to:
generate a radial grid map including cells radially expanding from a position corresponding to a position of a driver (see at least [0007], where “generating a map about a moving vehicle. Frames of image data are provided with a series of cameras extending along a surface of the vehicle…A display of the road map data is generated with the object type and location information overlaid on the road map data to indicate object location relative to the vehicle.”; the monitoring regions is converted to map. see also fig 2G, where radial grid radially expanding from a position, A);
associate presence of the static three-dimensional objects with the cells of the radial grid map (see at least [0008], where “control unit to apply the information to generate an overlay indicative of object type or position on a real time map of the roadway.”; see also [0013], [0026] and [0088]);
select cell rows of the radial grid map sequentially from a farthest cell row from the vehicle to a nearest cell row to the vehicle (see at least fig 2G, where rows of the radial grid sequentially from farthest row from the vehicle to nearest row to the vehicle); and
flash the light emission areas corresponding to positions of the static present in the selected cell rows sequentially from a far side to a near side (see at least [0035], where “The image acquisition devices 18 are grouped in four exemplary series 20a-20d where devices 18 in each series generate video information for a different image detection zone 46a, 46b, 46c, 46d in a sequence of detection zones extending away from the vehicle.”; see also [0024], [0047], fig 1A and fig 5, detection zones (0 and 1) are created initially which is near side of the vehicle. Then the detection extends to ring 2, 3 and so on which is far side of the vehicle. The area near the vehicle is scanned and objects are detected first then far side objects are detected. So, objects are sequentially scanned based on the positions. see also [0107]).
Corcoran does not disclose the following limitations:
a light bar; and
a static three-dimensional object detector configured to detect static three-dimensional objects.
However, Hiramoto discloses a device wherein a static three-dimensional object detector configured to detect static three-dimensional objects (see at least [0040], where “The radar sensors 14 as radar devices include five radar sensors for acquiring target information of three-dimensional objects existing in the front area, the right front area, the left front area, the right rear area, and the left rear area, but are not limited to five. The camera sensors 12 and the radar sensors 14 function as ambient information acquisition devices that acquire information such as targets around the vehicle 102.”; see also [0059], where “When at least the radar sensor 14 detects a stationary object on the trajectory of the own vehicle 102”).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Corcoran to incorporate the teachings of Hiramoto by including the above feature for increasing situational awareness by accurately calculating an object’s precise size, distance, orientation.
Corcoran in view of Hiramoto does not disclose the following limitation:
a light bar.
However, Hanchett discloses a device wherein a light bar (see at least fig [0039], where “A vehicle may include one or more light bars.”; see also fig 8).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Corcoran in view of Hiramoto to incorporate the teachings of Hanchett by including the above feature for providing alternate or another option of peripheral observation for safe navigation.
Regarding claim 3, Corcoran further discloses a device comprising a dynamic (see at least [0041], where “Applying vehicle location information provided by the GPS receiver and processing unit 30f, the microprocessor 30g assimilates the map information into a time varying plan view of the region 12 about the vehicle 10, showing roadway intersections and the position of the moving vehicle relative to the surroundings. Applying object classification and location data received over the CAN bus, the microprocessor 30g overlays icons 15 of detected objects on the plan view of detection zones 46 in the region 12 surrounding the vehicle. See the exemplary display screen of FIG. 5 which illustrates pedestrians 15-1, a cyclist 15-2, and vehicles 15-3 traveling in several directions.”).
Hiramoto further discloses a device configured to detect dynamic three-dimensional objects (see citation above).
Corcoran in view of Hiramoto does not disclose the following limitation:
the information presentation controller is configured to flash, in different light emission modes, the light emission areas corresponding to positions of the dynamic three-dimensional objects and the light emission areas corresponding to the positions of the static three-dimensional objects.
However, Hanchett further discloses a device wherein the information presentation controller is configured to flash, in different light emission modes, the light emission areas corresponding to positions of the dynamic three-dimensional objects and the light emission areas corresponding to the positions of the static three-dimensional objects (see at least [0084], [0097-98] and [0104]).
Regarding claim 4, Hanchett further discloses a device configured to blink the light emission areas corresponding to the positions of the dynamic three-dimensional objects (see at least [0103-104] and [0112]). Corcoran in view of Hiramoto further discloses a device wherein flash the light emission areas corresponding to the positions of the static three-dimensional objects (see citation above).
Regarding claim 5, Corcoran further discloses a device configured to cause a display to display a predetermined content image and to display an image simulating the light bar so that the image simulating the light bar overlaps the content image (see at least [0096] and [0101]). Rejection relied on Hanchett for light bar, see citation above.
Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2018/0330526 (“Corcoran”), and in view of US 2023/0286497 (“Hiramoto”), and in view of US 2023/0219484 (“Hanchett”), as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of US 2014/0293264 (“Miyazaki”).
Regarding claim 2, Corcoran in view of Hiramoto and Hanchett does not disclose claim 2. However, Miyazaki discloses a device configured to, when any of the static three-dimensional objects is no longer present, flash one of the light emission areas corresponding to a position of the any of the static three-dimensional objects at a brightness attenuated along with an elapse of time (see at least [0092], where “the light is not projected to the object (only the extremely weak light is projected) even if the object is present ahead of the shading area B, and the reflected light is not generated (only the extremely weak light is obtained), which results in the generation of a blind angle at which not only the distance to the object but also the presence of the object cannot be detected (hardly detected).”; see also [0095]).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified Corcoran in view of Hiramoto and Hanchett to incorporate the teachings of Miyazaki by including the above feature for increasing safety during travelling and reducing energy use.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-14 is/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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim 1-6 have been considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to the new combination used in the current rejection that is due to the newly added claim amendments.
Conclusion
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 extension fee 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 date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SOHANA TANJU KHAYER whose telephone number is (408)918-7597. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Thursday, 7 am-5.30 pm, PT.
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/SOHANA TANJU KHAYER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3657
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