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 .
Status of the Claims
Claims 1-20 have been examined.
Note:- Present claims disclose “…receiving, from the computing device, a selection by the user that indicates a selected location from the one or more selectable locations; and providing for display, on the computing device, a navigation route to the selected location from the one or more selectable locations…”, receiving and providing function is/are implemented by or carried out by a computing device as mention in specification paragraph [0022], “…autonomous-vehicle UI device 148 may include a display screen…”, [0024], “…autonomous-vehicle UI device 148 may have an interactive touchscreen display and one or more other input/output (I/O) interfaces…”
Double Patenting
The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the "right to exclude" granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory obviousness-type double patenting rejection is appropriate where the claims at issue are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); and In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321 (c) or 1.321 (d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on a nonstatutory double patenting ground provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with this application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321 (b).
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Claims 1-20 of the instant application are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1-20 of US Patent No. (12264933B2). Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because following observation is made:
Instant Application (19079802)
US Patent No. (12264933)
1. A method comprising, by a computing system: receiving a transportation request that specifies an area to pick up or drop off a user; determining a plurality of available locations for a vehicle to pickup or drop off the user in the area based on sensor data that is captured by the vehicle:
calculating, for each of the plurality of available locations, a viability value based on historical data associated with past pick-up or drop-off events in the area; ranking the plurality of available locations according to the viability values of the plurality of available locations, wherein an available location with a higher viability value is ranked above an available location with a lower viability value; providing for display, on a computing device, one or more visual representations corresponding to one or more selectable locations of the plurality of available locations based on the ranking ; receiving, from the computing device, a selection by the user that indicates a selected location from the one or more selectable locations; and providing for display, on the computing device, a navigation route to the selected location from the one or more selectable locations.
1. A method comprising, by a computing system: receiving a transportation request that specifies an area to pick up or drop off a user; determining a plurality of available locations for a vehicle to pick up or drop off the user in the area based on sensor data that is captured by the vehicle and is associated with physical characteristics of the area: calculating a viability value for each of the plurality of available locations, wherein the viability value is calculated based on the physical characteristics of the area as determined from the sensor data: ranking the plurality of available locations according to the viability values of the plurality of available locations, wherein an available location with a higher viability value is ranked above an available location with a lower viability value; providing for display, on a computing device associated with the user, one or more visual representations that indicate one or more selectable locations of the plurality of available locations based on the ranking; receiving, by the computing device associated with the user, a selection by the user that indicates a selected location from the one or more selectable locations; and providing for display, on the computing device associated with the user, a navigation route to the selected location from the one or more selectable locations.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein, for each of the plurality of available locations, the viability value is calculated based on historical data associated with past pick-up or drop-off events in the area.
16. A system comprising: one or more processors; and one or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media in communication with the one or more processors and comprising instructions, that when executed by the one or more processors, are configured to cause the system to perform operations comprising: receiving a transportation request that specifies an area to pick up or drop off a user; determining a plurality of available locations for a vehicle to pick up or drop off the user in the area based on sensor data that is captured by the vehicle: calculating, for each of the plurality of available locations, a viability value based on historical data associated with past pick-up or drop-off events in the area; ranking the plurality of available locations according to the viability values of the plurality of available locations, wherein an available location with a higher viability value is ranged above an available location with a lower viability value; providing for display, on computing device, one or more visual representations corresponding to one or more selectable locations of the plurality of available locations based on the ranking; receiving, from the computing device, a selection by the user that includes a selected location from the one or more selectable locations; and providing for display, on the computing device, a navigation route to the selected location from the one or more selectable locations.
14. A system comprising: one or more processors; and one or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media in communication with the one or more processors and comprising instructions, that when executed by the one or more processors, are configured to cause the system to perform operations comprising: receiving a transportation request that specifies an area to pick up or drop off a user; determining a plurality of available locations for a vehicle to pick up or drop off the user in the area based on sensor data that is captured by the vehicle and is associated with physical characteristics of the area; calculating a viability value for each of the plurality of available locations, wherein the viability value is calculated based on the physical characteristics of the area as determined from the sensor data; ranking the plurality of available locations according to the viability values of the plurality of available locations, wherein an available location with a higher viability value is ranked above an available location with a lower viability value; providing for display, on a computing device associated with the user, one or more visual representations that indicate one or more selectable locations of the plurality of available locations based on the ranking; receiving, by the computing device associated with the user, a selection by the user that indicates a selected location from the one or more selectable locations; and providing for display, on the computing device associated with the user, a navigation route to the selected location from the one or more selectable locations.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein, for each of the plurality of available locations, the viability value is calculated based on historical data associated with past pick-up or drop-off events in the area.
20. One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media including instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing system, are configured to cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising: receiving a transportation request that specifies an area to pick up or drop off a user; determining a plurality of available locations for a vehicle to pick up or drop off the user in the area based on sensor data that is captured by the vehicle: calculating, for each of the plurality of available locations, a viability value based on historical data associated with past pick-up or drop-off events in the area; ranking the plurality of available locations according to the viability values of the plurality of available locations, wherein an available location with a higher viability value is ranked above an available location with a lower viability value; providing for display, on a computing device, one or more visual representations corresponding to one or more selectable locations of the plurality of available locations based on the ranking; receiving, from the computing device, a selection by the user that indicates a selected location from the one or more selectable locations; and providing for display, on the computing device, a navigation route to the selected location from the one or more selectable locations.
18. One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media including instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing system, are configured to cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising: receiving a transportation request that specifies an area to pick up or drop off a user; determining a plurality of available locations for a vehicle to pick up or drop off the user in the area based on sensor data that is captured by the vehicle and is associated with physical characteristics of the area; calculating a viability value for each of the plurality of available locations, wherein the viability value is calculated based on the physical characteristics of the area as determined from the sensor data; ranking the plurality of available locations according to the viability values of the plurality of available locations, wherein an available location with a higher viability value is ranked above an available location with a lower viability value; providing for display, on a computing device associated with the user, one or more visual representations that indicate one or more selectable locations of the plurality of available locations based on the ranking; receiving, by the computing device associated with the user, a selection by the user that indicates a selected location from the one or more selectable locations; and providing for display, on the computing device associated with the user, a navigation route to the selected location from the one or more selectable locations.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein, for each of the plurality of available locations, the viability value is calculated based on historical data associated with past pick-up or drop-off events in the area.
As demonstrated, the independent claims of US Patent No. (12264933) disclose the features of the independent claims of 19079802 while the claims are broader in scope and anticipate the claimed invention in the parent. From this comparison it shows that the present application discloses the similar/same/identical limitations with terminology, both method/system/apparatus claim discloses with broader or same but not narrow means as specially in present claim does not further define the method/system/apparatus while similar/same/identical limitations patented in claim. Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art having the claims of 19079802 to modify the claims to achieve the features of claims of US 12264933.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-20 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the non-statutory double patenting rejection in this office action.
The reason for indicating allowable subject matter is based on the combination limitations of the independent claims. These limitations are interpreted by the examiner, with the assumption of rewritten or amended to corrected the non-statutory double patenting rejection.
The reason for indicating allowable subject matter over prior art of record Colijn (US20160370194A1).
Colijn discloses one or more server computers each having one or more processors and that receive a request identifying a first location from a client computing device. The server computers select a set of suggested locations by comparing the predetermined locations to first location, determining whether first location corresponds to predetermined location of predetermined locations, and including predetermined location in the set when first location corresponds to predetermined location of predetermined locations, and provide the set of suggested locations to client computing device.
Conclusion
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/SHARDUL D PATEL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3664
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