DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Inventorship
2. This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
3. 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.
4. Claims 1, 2, 6-10 and 14-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN 111605527 A [hereinafter ‘527 invention] in view of CN 11352513 A [hereinafter ‘513 invention].
Regarding claim 1, notes Figure 1, ‘527 invention teaches a vehicle braking method applied to a vehicle [abstract], the method comprising: obtaining a total braking force [abstract teaches acquiring required braking force], wherein the total braking force is a braking force required for braking a vehicle [abstract teaches distributing the braking force to the front axle motor, the rear axle motor, the front axle hydraulic brake and the rear axle hydraulic brake according to the braking mode and the required braking force]; and controlling, based on the total braking force, a hydraulic efficiency gear in the vehicle to provide a first target hydraulic pressure (braking hydraulic pressure) for a front axle and a rear axle [para. 0084-0095 describes a hydraulic pressure of front and rear axle are able determined; and further see para. 0097 teaches a braking hydraulic pressure is needed for compensation], and controlling a motor apparatus in the vehicle to provide a first electric braking force for the front axle and a second electric braking force for the rear axle [Figure 1, S101], wherein a sum of a first hydraulic braking force (front-axle hydraulic braking force) generated by the first target hydraulic pressure on the front axle, a second hydraulic braking force (rear-axle hydraulic braking force) generated by the first target hydraulic pressure on the rear axle, the first electric braking force (electric-front axle braking force), and the second electric braking force (electric-rear axle braking force) is equal to the total braking force [see at least Figures 1-2, abstract; and furthermore, see description which is correspondence to the drawings].
FUKASAWA invention does not specifically teach a ratio of a first sum of the first hydraulic braking force and the first electric braking force to a second sum of the second hydraulic braking force and the second electric braking force is equal to a ratio of a first vertical load of the front axle of the vehicle to a second vertical load of the rear axle of the vehicle.
Notes para. 0021, ‘513 invention teaches a ratio of a first sum of the first hydraulic braking force and the first electric braking force [front axle braking force] to a second sum of the second hydraulic braking force and the second electric braking force [rear axle braking force] is equal to a ratio of a first vertical load [front axle dynamic load] of the front axle of the vehicle to a second vertical load [rear axle dynamic load] of the rear axle of the vehicle
Since the prior art references are both from the same field of endeavor, the purpose disclosed by ‘513 invention would have been recognized in the pertinent art of ‘517 invention.
It would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to have modified the vehicle brake control method and apparatus of ‘517 invention which included the teaching of comparing the ratio of front braking force to a rear braking force to be equal to a ratio of front load to a rear load of vehicle for the purpose of helping avoid instability of the vehicle during braking, that is stability of vehicle during braking is improved.
Regarding claim 2, as discussed and motivated in claim 1, the modified ‘517 invention further teaches wherein the first target hydraulic pressure is a smallest hydraulic pressure in a first hydraulic pressure and a second hydraulic pressure [see at least Figure 8, ‘517 invention], wherein the first hydraulic pressure is a hydraulic pressure that needs to be provided by the hydraulic efficiency gear to enable the front axle to generate a first braking force [see at least Figure 8, ‘517 invention], wherein the second hydraulic pressure is a hydraulic pressure that needs to be provided by the hydraulic efficiency gear to enable the rear axle to generate a second braking force [see at least Figure 8, ‘517 invention], and wherein the first braking force and the second braking force are braking forces that need to be respectively allocated to the front axle and the rear axle when based on the total braking force being allocated to the front axle and the rear axle based on the first vertical load and the second vertical load [see at least Figure 8, ‘517 invention; and para. 0021; ‘513 invention]; and wherein an electric braking force provided by the motor apparatus for a first axle in the front axle and the rear axle is zero, and the first axle is an axle corresponding to the smallest hydraulic pressure [see at least Figure 8, ‘517 invention; and furthermore, see description which is correspondence to the drawings].
Regarding claim 6, as discussed and motivated in claim 1, the modified ‘517 invention further teaches wherein the controlling, based on the total braking force, the hydraulic efficiency gear in the vehicle to provide the first target hydraulic pressure for the front axle and the rear axle, and controlling the motor apparatus in the vehicle to provide the first electric braking force for the front axle and the second electric braking force for the rear axle comprises: when based on a preset condition being met, controlling, further based on the total braking force, the hydraulic efficiency gear in the vehicle to provide the first target hydraulic pressure for the front axle and the rear axle, and controlling the motor apparatus in the vehicle to provide the first electric braking force for the front axle and the second electric braking force for the rear axle [see discussion and motivation in claim 1], and wherein the preset condition comprises: a change rate of a brake pedal (the travel of brake pedal) in the vehicle is greater than a preset first threshold [Figure 4 describes obtaining the required braking force according to the travel of the brake pedal], an opening of the brake pedal is greater than a preset second threshold [Figure 4], and a slip rate of the vehicle is greater than a preset third threshold [Figure 3].
Regarding claim 7, as discussed and motivated in above claimed, the modified ‘517 invention further teaches wherein the controlling, based on the total braking force, the hydraulic efficiency gear in the vehicle to provide the first target hydraulic pressure for the front axle and a-the rear axle, and controlling the motor apparatus in the vehicle to provide the first electric braking force for the front axle and the second electric braking force for the rear axle comprises: obtaining mode setting information in the vehicle, wherein the mode setting information comprises first mode information and/or second mode information, wherein the first mode information indicates that a ratio of a braking force of the front axle to a braking force of the rear axle is equal to a ratio of the first vertical load to the second vertical load when based on the total braking force remains remaining unchanged, and wherein the second mode information indicates that the motor apparatus is enabled to provide a maximum electric braking force for the rear axle when based on the total braking force remaining unchanged; and when based on the mode setting information being the first mode information and the vehicle does not meeting a preset condition, controlling, further based on the total braking force, the hydraulic efficiency gear in the vehicle to provide the first target hydraulic pressure for the front axle and the rear axle, and controlling the motor apparatus in the vehicle to provide the first electric braking force for the front axle and the second electric braking force for the rear axle, wherein the preset condition comprises any one or more of the following conditions: a change rate of a brake pedal in the vehicle is greater than a preset first threshold, an opening of the brake pedal is greater than a preset second threshold, or a slip rate of the vehicle is greater than a preset third threshold [‘517 invention also teaches the electro-hydraulic braking mode comprises a first electro-hydraulic braking mode, a second hydraulic braking mode, a third electro-hydraulic braking mode, a fourth electro-hydraulic braking mode which would have been well-known to define above mentioned limitations].
Regarding claim 8, as discussed and motivated in above claimed, wherein when based on the mode setting information being the second mode information, the method further comprises: determining a maximum electric braking force that can be provided by the motor apparatus for the rear axle; determining a third target hydraulic pressure, wherein a fourth sum of a fifth hydraulic braking force generated by the third target hydraulic pressure on the front axle and a sixth hydraulic braking force generated by the third target hydraulic pressure on the rear axle is equal to a difference between the total braking force and the maximum electric braking force that can be provided for the rear axle; and controlling the hydraulic efficiency gear in the vehicle to provide the third target hydraulic pressure for the front axle and the rear axle, and providing the maximum electric braking force for the rear axle through the motor apparatus [see at least Figure 8, ‘517 invention; and furthermore, see description which is correspondence to the drawings].
Regarding claim 9, as discussed and motivated in claim 1, the modified ‘517 invention also teaches a processor, a memory, and a computer program [see para. 0059-0060].
Regarding claim 10, see discussion and motivation in claim 2.
Regarding claims 14-16, see discussion and motivation in claims 6-8.
Regarding claims 17-18, see discussion and motivation in claims 1-2.
Allowable Subject Matter
5. Claims 3-5, 11-13 and 19-20 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: determining the first braking force that needs to be allocated to the front axle and the second braking force that needs to be allocated to the rear axle when based on the total braking force being allocated to the front axle and the rear axle and based on the first vertical load and the second vertical load; determining the first hydraulic pressure that needs to be provided by the hydraulic efficiency gear to enable the front axle to generate the first braking force; determining the second hydraulic pressure that needs to be provided by the hydraulic efficiency gear to enable the rear axle to generate the second braking force; determining the smallest hydraulic pressure in the first hydraulic pressure and the second hydraulic pressure as the first target hydraulic pressure; determining a hydraulic braking force generated by a second axle in the front axle and the rear axle when based on the hydraulic efficiency gear providing the first target hydraulic pressure for the second axle; and determining a difference between a braking force that needs to be allocated to the second axle in the total braking force and the hydraulic braking force generated by the second axle as a target electric braking force that the motor apparatus needs to provide for the second axle.
No particular single feature of the claim renders the claim as a whole patentable. Only the claim taken as a whole combination is deem new and unobvious.
Conclusion
6. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHNNY H HOANG whose telephone number is (571) 272-4843. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday [Maxi-Flex].
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February 20, 2026
/JHH/
/Johnny H. Hoang/
Examiner, Art Unit 3747
/LOGAN M KRAFT/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3747