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 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.
Claims 1-4, 7-8, and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Iwamoto, Taro (US Pub 2010/0060441).
Regarding claim 1, Iwamoto discloses a mobile body notification apparatus that provides a notification to a driver of a mobile body, the apparatus comprising: an approaching target object recognition section configured to recognize a target object that is approaching the mobile body (para 0050-0051); and a notification sound control section configured to, when the target object is recognized by the approaching target object recognition section, output a first notification sound from a first speaker located forward of a driver seat of the mobile body (para 0017, 0047, 0054; see fig. 1) and output a second notification sound from a second speaker located rearward of a seated position of the driver in the driver seat (para 0069-70; see fig. 12).
Regarding claim 2, Iwamoto discloses wherein the approaching target object recognition section recognizes an approaching direction of the target object toward the mobile body (para 0007- “direction detecting means to detect a direction of the object which has a critical state in the degree of danger of collision or contact with the vehicle which is detected by the danger-degree detecting means”), and the notification sound control section outputs the second notification sound from a second speaker among a plurality of second speakers, the plurality of second speakers being located on a right-hand side and a left-hand side of the driver seat, the second speaker being located on one side of the right-hand side and the left-hand side, the one side including the approaching direction of the target object toward the mobile body (para 0074-0076).
Regarding claim 3, Iwamoto discloses wherein, when the approaching direction of the target object toward the mobile body recognized by the approaching target object recognition section is from front of the mobile body, the notification sound control section inhibits output of the second notification sound from the second speaker and outputs only the first notification sound from the first speaker (para 0074 –“the alarm sound is emitted only or mainly from the front speaker 7 f so that the sound image can be positioned in the forward direction ‘1.’”).
Regarding claim 4, Iwamoto discloses wherein the notification sound control section outputs the first notification sound from the first speaker located in a position forward of the driver seat and opposite the driver seat (see para 0047 – “reference numeral 3 denotes a passenger's seat (assistant's seat)” 7B and 0054 – “which are emitted from the speakers 7A-7D respectively”).
Regarding claim 7, Iwamoto discloses wherein the notification sound control section outputs the first notification sound and the second notification sound on a basis of a setting in which the second notification sound includes a first frequency component that is not included in the first notification sound (para 0057 – the alarm and reference sounds are spectrally distinct and played from different speakers).
Regarding claim 8, Iwamoto discloses wherein the notification sound control section outputs the first notification sound and the second notification sound on the basis of a setting in which the first notification sound includes a second frequency component (para 0052 – alarm sound such as puppu) and the second notification sound includes the first frequency component and the second frequency component (see para 0015).
Regarding claim 11, see rejection of claim 1.
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 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Iwamoto, Taro (US Pub 2010/0060441) in view of Farmer et al. (US Patent 5,979,586).
Regarding claim 5, Iwamoto discloses wherein the approaching target object recognition section recognizes degree of approaching of the target object toward the mobile body (para 0052 – “the distance which are calculated by the processing portion 33, and sets a specified sound volume according the distance to the dangerous object (the sound volume is set to be greater in case the dangerous object is located more closely)”).
Iwamoto does not disclose wherein the approaching target object recognition section recognizes degree of approaching of the target object toward the mobile body, and the notification sound control section changes a frequency component of the second notification sound in accordance with the degree of approaching of the target object toward the mobile body.
Farmer discloses wherein the approaching target object recognition section recognizes degree of approaching of the target object toward the mobile body, and the notification sound control section changes a frequency component of the second notification sound in accordance with the degree of approaching of the target object toward the mobile body (col. 4, lines 37-43 and col. 5, lines 65-66).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Iwamoto with the teachings of Farmer in order to change the pitch or timbre depending upon the seriousness of the threat (Farmer, col. 5, lines 65-66).
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Iwamoto, Taro (US Pub 2010/0060441) in view of Reppas et al. (US Patent 5,598,164).
Regarding claim 6, Iwamoto discloses wherein, after the notification sound control section starts outputting the first notification sound from the first speaker and the second notification sound from the second speaker (para 0077-0079).
Iwamoto does not disclose further comprising a driving operation recognition section configured to recognize a driving operation situation of the mobile body, and when the driving operation recognition section recognizes that an operation for avoiding a risk posed by the target object is performed, the notification sound control section stops outputting the first notification sound from the first speaker and the second notification sound from the second speaker.
Reppas discloses further comprising a driving operation recognition section configured to recognize a driving operation situation of the mobile body, and when the driving operation recognition section recognizes that an operation for avoiding a risk posed by the target object is performed, the notification sound control section stops outputting the first notification sound from the first speaker and the second notification sound from the second speaker (col. 6, line 1-30).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Iwamoto with the teachings of Reppas in order to have added benefit of alerting the driver who either fails to use his turn signal, or who has begun dozing off and is unaware that he has begun swerving into the adjacent lane (Reppas, col. 6, line 1-30).
Claims 9-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Iwamoto, Taro (US Pub 2010/0060441) in view of Danz, Christian (US Pub 2016/0101732).
Regarding claim 9, Iwamoto discloses the apparatus of claim 1.
Iwamoto does not disclose a communication section configured to communicate with a mobile device, wherein, when the approaching target object recognition section recognizes the target object and the notification sound control section recognizes that the driver has the mobile device on the driver, the notification sound control section transmits a signal of the second notification sound from the communication section to the mobile device to output the second notification sound from a speaker included in the mobile device.
Danz discloses a communication section configured to communicate with a mobile device, wherein, when the approaching target object recognition section recognizes the target object and the notification sound control section recognizes that the driver has the mobile device on the driver, the notification sound control section transmits a signal of the second notification sound from the communication section to the mobile device to output the second notification sound from a speaker included in the mobile device (para 0047).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Iwamoto with the teachings of Danz in order to provide a warning signal to the driver’s mobile device in order to avoid a crash (Danz, para 0047).
Regarding claim 10, Iwamoto discloses a mobile body notification apparatus that provides a notification to a driver of a mobile body, the apparatus comprising: an approaching target object recognition section configured to recognize a target object that is approaching the mobile body (para 0050-0051); and a notification sound control section configured to, when the approaching target object recognition section recognizes the target object, output a first notification sound from a speaker located forward of the driver seat (para 0017, 0047, 0054; see fig. 1).
Iwamoto does not disclose a communication section configured to communicate with a mobile device; and the notification sound control section recognizes that a driver seated in a driver seat of the mobile body has the mobile device on the driver; and transmit a signal of a second notification sound from the communication section to the mobile device to output the second notification sound from a speaker included in the mobile device.
Danz discloses a communication section configured to communicate with a mobile device (para 0020-0021); and the notification sound control section recognizes that a driver seated in a driver seat of the mobile body has the mobile device on the driver (para 0033); and transmit a signal of a second notification sound from the communication section to the mobile device to output the second notification sound from a speaker included in the mobile device (para 0047).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Iwamoto with the teachings of Danz in order to provide a warning signal to the driver’s mobile device in order to avoid a crash (Danz, para 0047).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NAFIZ E HOQUE whose telephone number is (571)270-1811. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5.
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/NAFIZ E HOQUE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2693
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