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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers on 05/07/2025. However, an attempt by the Office to electronically retrieve, under the priority document exchange program, the foreign application 10-2024-0032558 to which priority is claimed has FAILED on 08/07/2025.
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.
Claims 1-5, 8-13, and 16-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fu (US 20250153641 A1) and in view of Watanabe (US 20170092234 A1).
Regarding to claim 1, Fu discloses an electronic device of a vehicle ([0064]: the camera is mounted on the vehicle; Fig. 1; [0067]: a display system for compensating a blind area of a field of view in a rearview mirror of a tractor-trailer;
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; [0070]: the display control apparatus is respectively connected to the acquisition apparatus and the sensing apparatus and includes a processor and a storage unit, wherein the processor and the storage unit are connected to each other; the processor is used for starting a corresponding acquisition apparatus on the trailer via angle data between the vehicle head and the trailer acquired by the sensing apparatus, and clipping and synthesizing the real-time picture acquired by the acquisition apparatus), comprising:
memory storing instructions (Fig. 1; [0070]: the display control apparatus includes a processor and a storage unit; [0079]: the clipped video picture are cached via a storage unit; [0095]: transmit the video pictures to a storage unit for caching);
a communication interface (Fig. 1; [0070]: includes a processor and a storage unit; [0094]: the video pictures synthesized by the left front camera and the left rear camera is transferred to a display system where the left video pictures are displayed; [0095]: transmit the video pictures to a storage unit for caching); and
a processor (Fig. 1; [0070]: the display control apparatus includes a processor and a storage unit; [0094]: a processor acquires video pictures acquired by a left front camera and a left rear camera),
wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic device to ([0035]: in the no-trailer mode, the processor provides the display apparatus with pictures acquired by the left front camera and the right front camera; [0069]: the sensing apparatus is realized by software integrated in the processing apparatus; [0070]: the processor is used for starting a corresponding acquisition apparatus on the trailer via angle data between the vehicle head and the trailer acquired by the sensing apparatus, and clipping and synthesizing the real-time picture acquired by the acquisition apparatus; [0087]: a software algorithm loaded by a processor are used for determining the angle by which the axis of a trailer deviates from the axis of a vehicle head through video pictures in each camera; [0094]: a processor acquires video pictures acquired by a left front camera and a left rear camera):
obtain first images of cameras through the communication interface ([0017]: obtain and reserve the pictures with a pre-set width or a fixed width on a trailer side which pictures acquired by the rear camera on a side that vehicle head is turning opposite to or towards; [0035]: in the no-trailer mode, the processor provides the display apparatus with pictures acquired by the left front camera and the right front camera; [0036]: when it is in the trailer mode and the driving state is a straight driving, the processor provides pictures acquired by the left front camera and the right front camera to the display apparatus; [0068]: acquire Class II and IV fields of view; acquire the rear-side real-time pictures of the both sides of the trailer of the tractor-trailer; [0069]: acquire the picture by the camera arranged at the vehicle head; acquire the picture by the camera arranged at the trailer; Fig. 15; [0084]: obtain, by a processor, video pictures acquired by a plurality of cameras in real time), wherein the cameras are respectively positioned on portions of the vehicle which are rotatably coupled to each other (Fig. 4; [0068]: the acquisition apparatus includes a left front camera, a right front camera, a left rear camera, and a right rear camera; a left front camera and a right front camera are respectively arranged on the left and right sides outside a cab of the tractor-trailer; a left rear camera and a right rear camera are respectively arranged on the left and right sides of one end of the tractor-trailer close to the cab;
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);
transmit, to a display connected through the communication interface, a first composite image which is composited to provide an aerial view of the vehicle at a first moment when the first images were obtained ([0017]: reserve the pictures with a pre-set width or a fixed width on a trailer side which pictures acquired by the rear camera on a side that vehicle head is turning opposite to or towards; [0038]: during a process of clipping and synthesizing the pictures at a side opposite to the vehicle head turning direction, remove a pre-set width on a trailer shielding side from the pictures acquired by a front camera; Fig. 6; [0071]: display the picture observed by the driver on the left side is C shown in FIG. 6;
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; [0072]: firstly, the processor determines the width of the right compensated picture based on an angle by which the axis of a trailer deviates from the axis of a vehicle head; secondly, a picture with a corresponding width on the left side of the right rear camera picture close to the trailer side is acquired according to the width of the compensated picture; [0079]: during a process of straight driving of the tractor-trailer, the display apparatus displays the rearview pictures showing the left and right sides of the tractor-trailer; when the tractor-trailer starts turning or reversing during driving, the processor respectively clips the video pictures acquired by the front camera and the rear camera on both sides);
when synthesizing second images obtained from the cameras at a second moment, determine, using locations of the cameras at the second moment, whether a second composite image to which the second images are composited includes a blind area ([0017]: places the reserved pictures at positions where the pictures are removed for synthesizing new pictures; Fig. 7; [0071]: the picture observed by the driver on the right side is D shown in FIG. 7; since a large area of the left-side field of view is filled by the trailer, and the right-side field of view has a large blind area, a certain extent of picture compensation needs to be performed;
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; [0072]: firstly, the processor determines the width of the right compensated picture based on an angle by which the axis of a trailer deviates from the axis of a vehicle head; secondly, a picture with a corresponding width on the left side of the right rear camera picture close to the trailer side is acquired, at second moment, according to the width of the compensated picture); and
based on determining that the second composite image includes the blind area, transmit, to the display, the second composite image with which a portion of the first composite image corresponding to the blind area is combined ([0038]: the reserved pictures are placed at positions where the pictures are removed for synthesizing new pictures; Fig. 8; Fig. 9; [0071]: since a large area of the left-side field of view is filled by the trailer, and the right-side field of view has a large blind area, a certain extent of picture compensation needs to be performed; after the compensation, the picture on the left-side observed by driver is C+E shown in FIG. 8, and the picture on the right-side observed by driver is D+F shown in FIG. 9;
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; [0072]: a picture with a corresponding width on the left side of the right rear camera picture close to the trailer side is acquired according to the width of the compensated picture; the right rear camera picture is filled to the clipped position in the right front camera picture to synthesize an image with blind area being compensated; [0073]: the picture acquired by the right rear camera is filled to the position where the picture acquired by the right front camera is clipped out, to synthesize an image with blind area being compensated).
Fu fails to explicitly disclose a second moment after the first moment.
In same field of endeavor, Watanabe teaches:
a second moment after the first moment ([0042]: the surroundings image generation unit 811 repeatedly generates and updates the surroundings image with the lapse of the time, i.e. a second moment after the first moment).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Fu to include a second moment after the first moment as taught by Watanabe. The motivation for doing so would have been to generate and update the surroundings image with the lapse of the time; to set the coordinates indicating the relative position of the blind area with respect to a vehicle image, and then, generate the blind area; to generate a synthesized image in which the surroundings image, the vehicle image, and the blind area are included as taught by Watanabe in paragraphs [0042] and [0044-0045].
Regarding to claim 2, Fu in view of Watanabe discloses the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic device to:
receive, from an electronic control unit (ECU) of the vehicle connected through the communication interface, information indicating a location relationship between the portions (Fu; Fig. 7; [0057]: an uncompensated picture provided by a display apparatus on a side opposite to turning in a turning state of a tractor-trailer in a display system; a car is near the tractor-trailer;
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;Fig. 9; [0059]: a relationship between a car, a human, and tractor-trailer; [0072]: a picture with a corresponding width on the left side of the right rear camera picture close to the trailer side is acquired); and
detect the locations of the cameras using the information (Fu; [0036]: the processor provides pictures acquired by the left front camera and the right front camera to the display apparatus; left front and right front are locations; [0037]: the processor provides the display apparatus with pictures acquired by the front camera on its turning side or a clipped and synthesized picture on a side opposite to the turning according to an angle between the central axis of the vehicle head and the central axis of the trailer; [0079]: the processor respectively clips the video pictures acquired by the front camera and the rear camera, i.e. locations of cameras).
Regarding to claim 3, Fu in view of Watanabe discloses the electronic device of claim 2, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic device to (same as rejected in claim 1):
receive the information obtained using a sensor of a rotational axis of the portions respectively corresponding to a tractor and a trailer of the vehicle (Fu; [0037]: an angle between the central axis of the vehicle head and the central axis of the trailer; [0072]: determine a turning angle of the vehicle by an angle by which the axis of a trailer deviates from the axis of a vehicle head; [0073]: the processor determines a turning angle of the vehicle based on an angle by which the axis of a trailer deviates from the axis of a vehicle head).
Regarding to claim 4, Fu in view of Watanabe discloses the electronic device of claim 2, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic device to (same as rejected in claim 1):
detect, using the information including at least one of a driving direction or a driving speed of the vehicle, the locations of the cameras (or is optional; [0092]: when the processor determines that the tractor-trailer driving state is straight driving direction, the processor directly acquires the images in the left front camera and the right front camera and sends them to the display apparatus; the left front and the right front are locations).
Regarding to claim 5, Fu in view of Watanabe discloses the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic device to (same as rejected in claim 1):
generate the first composite image including visual objects respectively representing the portions (Fu; Fig. 6; [0071]: the picture observed by the driver on the left side is C shown in FIG. 6;
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; four tires and two sides of truck are displayed in Fig. 6), and
wherein a location relationship between the visual objects within the first composite image corresponds to a location relationship between the portions (Fu; Fig. 6; [0071]: the picture observed by the driver on the left side is C shown in FIG. 6;
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; relationship between tires and sides of the truck).
Regarding to claim 8, Fu in view of Watanabe discloses the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic device to:
transmit, to the display, the second composite image including a figure for highlighting the blind area (Fu; Fig. 8; Fig. 9; [0058-0059]: compensate a blind area of a field of view in a rearview mirror of a tractor-trailer; a blind area is circled and highlighted by dark lines as illustrated in Fig. 8 and Fig. 9;
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; [0071]: the picture on the left-side observed by driver is C+E shown in FIG. 8, and the picture on the right-side observed by driver is D+F shown in FIG. 9).
Regarding to claim 9, Fu discloses a method of an electronic device of a vehicle ([0064]: the camera is mounted on the vehicle; Fig. 1; [0067]: a display system for compensating a blind area of a field of view in a rearview mirror of a tractor-trailer;
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; [0070]: the display control apparatus is respectively connected to the acquisition apparatus and the sensing apparatus and includes a processor and a storage unit, wherein the processor and the storage unit are connected to each other; the processor is used for starting a corresponding acquisition apparatus on the trailer via angle data between the vehicle head and the trailer acquired by the sensing apparatus, and clipping and synthesizing the real-time picture acquired by the acquisition apparatus), comprising:
The rest claim limitations are similar to claim limitations recited in claim 1. Therefore, same rational used to reject claim 1 is also used to reject claim 9.
Regarding to claim 10, Fu in view of Watanabe discloses the method of claim 9, further comprising,
The rest claim limitations are similar to claim limitations recited in claim 2. Therefore, same rational used to reject claim 2 is also used to reject claim 10.
Regarding to claim 11, Fu in view of Watanabe discloses the method of claim 10, wherein the receiving comprises
The rest claim limitations are similar to claim limitations recited in claim 3. Therefore, same rational used to reject claim 3 is also used to reject claim 11.
Regarding to claim 12, Fu in view of Watanabe discloses the method of claim 10, further comprising,
The rest claim limitations are similar to claim limitations recited in claim 4. Therefore, same rational used to reject claim 4 is also used to reject claim 12.
Regarding to claim 13, Fu in view of Watanabe discloses the method of claim 9, further comprising,
The rest claim limitations are similar to claim limitations recited in claim 5. Therefore, same rational used to reject claim 5 is also used to reject claim 13.
Regarding to claim 16, Fu in view of Watanabe discloses the method of claim 9, wherein the transmitting the second composite image comprises (same as reject claim 9)
The rest claim limitations are similar to claim limitations recited in claim 8. Therefore, same rational used to reject claim 8 is also used to reject claim 16.
Regarding to claim 17, Fu discloses a non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by a processor of an electronic device of a vehicle, cause the electronic device to ([0064]: the camera is mounted on the vehicle; Fig. 1; [0067]: a display system for compensating a blind area of a field of view in a rearview mirror of a tractor-trailer;
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; [0069]: the sensing apparatus is realized by software integrated in the processing apparatus; [0070]: the display control apparatus is respectively connected to the acquisition apparatus and the sensing apparatus and includes a processor and a storage unit, wherein the processor and the storage unit are connected to each other; the processor is used for starting a corresponding acquisition apparatus on the trailer via angle data between the vehicle head and the trailer acquired by the sensing apparatus, and clipping and synthesizing the real-time picture acquired by the acquisition apparatus; [0079]: the clipped video picture are cached via a storage unit; [0087]: a software algorithm loaded by a processor are used for determining the angle by which the axis of a trailer deviates from the axis of a vehicle head through video pictures in each camera; [0094]: a processor acquires video pictures acquired by a left front camera and a left rear camera; [0095]: transmit the video pictures to a storage unit for caching):
The rest claim limitations are similar to claim limitations recited in claim 1. Therefore, same rational used to reject claim 1 is also used to reject claim 17.
Regarding to claim 18, Fu in view of Watanabe discloses the non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic device to (same as rejected in claim 17):
The rest claim limitations are similar to claim limitations recited in claim 2. Therefore, same rational used to reject claim 2 is also used to reject claim 18.
Regarding to claim 19, Fu in view of Watanabe discloses the non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic device to (same as rejected in claim 17):
The rest claim limitations are similar to claim limitations recited in claim 3. Therefore, same rational used to reject claim 3 is also used to reject claim 19.
Regarding to claim 20, Fu in view of Watanabe discloses the non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic device to (same as rejected in claim 17):
The rest claim limitations are similar to claim limitations recited in claim 4. Therefore, same rational used to reject claim 4 is also used to reject claim 20.
Claims 6 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fu (US 20250153641 A1) in view of Watanabe (US 20170092234 A1), and further in view of Miyoshi (US 20130010118 A1).
Regarding to claim 6, Fu in view of Watanabe discloses the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic device to (same as rejected in claim 1):
Fu in view of Watanabe fails to explicitly disclose:
transmit, to the display, the first composite image including one or more lines representing a driving direction of the vehicle at the first moment.
In same field of endeavor, Miyoshi teaches:
transmit, to the display, the first composite image including one or more lines representing a driving direction of the vehicle at the first moment (Fig. 6; [0052]: the parking assistance controller 37 displays an estimated route image Y, see FIG. 6(a), which leads the vehicle 1 to a parking position, superimposed over the image displayed on the monitor 21 by the image processor 39;
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; multiple lines indicate the vehicle direction as illustrated in Fig. 6).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Fu in view of Watanabe to include “transmit, to the display, the first composite image including one or more lines representing a driving direction of the vehicle at the first moment” as taught by Miyoshi. The motivation for doing so would have been superimpose route image with lines over the image displayed on the monitor 21; to confirm the positional relationship between the vehicle 1 and an obstacle X in proximity to the vehicle when the obstacle X is in the driver's blind spot; as taught by Miyoshi in paragraphs [0052] and [0094].
Regarding to claim 14, Fu in view of Watanabe discloses the method of claim 9, wherein the transmitting the first composite image comprises (same as rejected in claim 9)
The rest claim limitations are similar to claim limitations recited in claim 6. Therefore, same rotational used to reject claim 6 is also used to reject claim 14.
Claims 7 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fu (US 20250153641 A1) in view of Watanabe (US 20170092234 A1), and further in view of Song (US 20150154802 A1).
Regarding to claim 7, Fu in view of Watanabe discloses the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic device to:
Fu in view of Watanabe fails to explicitly disclose:
transmit, to the display, the second composite image which a visual object including a text for guiding a direction of the blind area with respect to the vehicle overlaps.
In same field of endeavor, Song teaches:
transmit, to the display, the second composite image which a visual object including a text for guiding a direction of the blind area with respect to the vehicle overlaps ([0059]: the graphic image includes a text saying the speed of the objective vehicle 20; Fig. 8; [0067]: FIG. 8 shows the location relationship between the vehicle 10 and the objective vehicle 20, at the left side in the graphic image G, in which the speed of the objective vehicle 20 is shown by a text under the location relationship;
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; claim 14: creates the graphic image simultaneously including the location relationship, the warning text, and the warning image, when the objective vehicle is in or close to the blind spot of the outside mirror of the vehicle).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Fu in view of Watanabe to include transmit, to the display, the second composite image which a visual object including a text for guiding a direction of the blind area with respect to the vehicle overlaps as taught by Song. The motivation for doing so would have been to superimpose text into an image; to improve convenience and stability in driving for the driver by showing more information; to provide augmented reality overlapping an image on an outside mirror by projecting a graphic image as taught by Song in Fig. 8 and paragraphs [0067] and [0068].
Regarding to claim 15, Fu in view of Watanabe discloses the method of claim 9, wherein the transmitting the second composite image comprises (same as rejected in claim 9)
The rest claim limitations are similar to claim limitations recited in claim 7. Therefore, same rational used to reject 7 is also used to reject claim 15.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Hai Tao Sun whose telephone number is (571)272-5630. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00AM-6:00PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Daniel Hajnik can be reached at 5712727642. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/HAI TAO SUN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2616
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