DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of group IV, Claims 1, 3, 13-14, 16 in the reply filed on 6/12/2026 is acknowledged. Claims 2, 4-12, 15, and 17-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Claims including all limitations of an allowable generic claim shall be rejoined.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112(b)
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1, 3, 13-14, 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. The phrase “planar axis” is unclear. An axis is a line; a line is not a plane. Therefore, “planar axis” is unclear.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112(a)
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 1, 3, 13, 14, 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
The claims recite “calibrating” the image based on size, shape, and curvature of the display. Calibrating is further described in the specification as “adjusting” and “converting.” Spec. at [0013], [0014]. The specification asserts that Figs. 6A-C demonstrate the calibration. In those figures, though, axes are drawn atop a display. Nowhere in the specification is there a description of how the captured planar axis image is calibrated, adjusted, or converted into a display of specific size, shape, and curvature.
This disclosure is proven insufficient by disclosures of the prior art: more detail needs to be disclosed to demonstrate possession of the claimed invention.
Sui depicts the association between the shape of the A-pillar, the blind spot, and the selection of field of view from the captured image to the A-pillar display:
PNG
media_image1.png
170
268
media_image1.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image2.png
177
292
media_image2.png
Greyscale
Equations describing the projection from one coordinate system to another are necessary:
PNG
media_image3.png
61
213
media_image3.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image4.png
58
132
media_image4.png
Greyscale
Regarding curvature, Lu depicts how two surfaces are mapped to each other and how to calculate the correspondence between coordinates.
PNG
media_image5.png
200
400
media_image5.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image6.png
50
217
media_image6.png
Greyscale
Subject to constraints
PNG
media_image7.png
20
184
media_image7.png
Greyscale
and a solution algorithm, such as least squares.
This is the level of disclosure demonstrating possession. Applicant has not provided an equivalent disclosure. Therefore there is no evidence that Applicant has possessed the invention.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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, 3, 13-14, 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jung (US PG Publication 2022/0185182) in view of Sui (NPL: “A-pillar Blind Spot Display Algorithm Based on Line of Sight,” IEEE 2022) and Lu (NPL: “Efficient Depth-aware Image Deformation Adaptation for Curved Screen Displays,” Thematic Workshops 2017).
Regarding Claim 1, Jung (US PG Publication 2022/0185182) discloses a display system (vehicle configured with a see-through system [0020]; system 100 [0021]) for displaying an image (see-through displays 102 positioned to provide a see-through effect relative to the automobile's A-Pillars [0024]) of an obscured object (view blocked by A-pillars [0021]), comprising:
a computation circuit (controller 106 [0022], Fig. 1; image processing logic 406, Fig. 4) configured to perform a virtual projection method (image processing logic 406 can process the captured images to determine what portion of the captured video is to be rendered on the see-through display 408 [0040]) for displaying the image (rendered on the see-through display 408 [0040]) of the obscured object (view blocked by A-pillars [0021], Fig. 2B);
a camera (cameras 104 [0023]) electrically connected (video from cameras 104 sent to [0023]) to the computation circuit (sent to the controller 106 [0023]);
wherein, based on a field of view of a person (depend, at least in part, on the eye position of the user [0023]), the camera is configured to capture a motion image (Video data from the cameras 104 [0023]) outside of a first side (coupled to the A-pillars outside of the automobile and oriented to face away from the automobile [0021]; camera 104 is disposed on the opposite side of the vehicle component 300 from the driver [0028]) of a blocking body (A-pillars [0021]; support structures have the potential to block the driver's view [0017]);
and a display device (displays 102 for rendering [0023]) electrically connected (video processed by controller sent from controller 106 to the display 102 [0023]) to the computation circuit (controller 106 [0023]), wherein the display device is disposed on a second side of the blocking body (see-through displays 102 positioned to provide a see-through effect relative to the automobile's A-Pillars [0024]), and the second side is oriented toward the person (positioned inside the vehicle over the A-pillars and oriented to face the interior of the vehicle so as to be visible the driver [0021]), so as to display (displays 102 for rendering [0023]) continuous virtual projection images (portion of the captured video is to be rendered [0040]) generated from processing of the motion image (process the captured images [0040]) by the virtual projection method (process the captured images to determine what portion of the captured video is to be rendered on the see-through display 408 [0040]);
wherein processing the motion image by the virtual projection method (process the captured images to determine what portion of the captured video is to be rendered on the see-through display 408 [0040]) includes:
calibrating (determine how to size [0040]) each frame of the motion image (captured video to be rendered [0040]) ….
Jung does not disclose, but Sui (NPL: “A-pillar Blind Spot Display Algorithm Based on Line of Sight,” IEEE 2022) teaches
calibrating (determine the horizontal and vertical position of the blind spot on the image, Section II.C, page 103) each frame of the motion image (wide-angle camera to capture a panoramic view outside the car, Abstract) … and a size and a shape (P1, P2, P3, P4: the four corners of the A-pillar display panel, Fig. 4, page 102) of a display panel (A-pillar display panel, Fig. 4, page 102) of the display device, such that each frame along a planar axis (scene plane AB, Fig. 5, page 102) is calibrated into a virtual projection image (image of the blind zone, Fig. 10 d, e, f) that matches the size, the shape (P1, P2, P3, P4: the four corners of the A-pillar display panel, Fig. 4, page 102) ….
Jung does not disclose, but Lu (NPL: “Efficient Depth-aware Image Deformation Adaptation for Curved Screen Displays,” Thematic Workshops 2017) teaches calibrating (find the desired image deformation for the curved screen display, Section I Introduction, page 442) each frame of the motion image (rectangular image, Section 3.1 page 444) according to a curvature (geometry dictated by curvature, Section 3.1 page 444) of a surface of the blocking body (the display surface, Section 3.1 page 444) … into a virtual projection image (image mapped onto the curved surface, Section 3.1 page 444) that matches the … curvature (geometry dictated by curvature, Section 3.1 page 444).
One of ordinary skill in the art before the application was filed would have been motivated to use the blind spot determination method of Sui to determine the region of the captured image to display on the A-pillar of Jung because Jung discloses that eye-position can be used to determine the portion of the captured image to display (Jung [0040]) and Sui’s method does so in real-time, giving the driver a better view while driving (Sui Section IV Conclusion), improving safety.
One or ordinary skill in the art before the application was filed would have been motivated to project the blind spot image of Jung based on the curvature of the display, as in Lu, because Lu teaches that displaying a rectangular image on a curved surface results in geometric distortion or loss of content, known problems in the art (Abstract), which can be solved by projecting pixels based on curvature, resulting in a better user experience (Section 4.2).
Regarding Claim 3, Jung (US PG Publication 2022/0185182) discloses the display system according to claim 1.
Jung does not disclose, but Sui (NPL: “A-pillar Blind Spot Display Algorithm Based on Line of Sight,” IEEE 2022) teaches wherein a visual point tracking technique (accurate pupil center detection, Section I Introduction) is operated to identify a visual point position of the person (pupil center, Section I Introduction);
wherein, during calibration (determination of blind spot position, position of A-pillar relative to head/eyes, Section II.B, page 101; describe the mapping relationship from eyes to A-pillar blind spots, Section II.C, page 102) of each frame of the motion image (panoramic image taken by the wide-angle camera, Fig. 9), the virtual projection image is adjusted (area EF is the area blocked by the A-pillar, Section II.C, page 102) according to the visual point position of the person (based on 3D coordinate of the center of the pupil, Section II.B, page 101; sight lines LC and RD, Section II.C, page 102).
One of ordinary skill in the art before the application was filed would have been motivated to use the blind spot determination method of Sui to determine the region of the captured image to display on the A-pillar of Jung because Jung discloses that eye-position can be used to determine the portion of the captured image to display (Jung [0040]) and Sui’s method does so in real-time, giving the driver a better view while driving (Sui Section IV Conclusion), improving safety.
Regarding Claim 13, Jung (US PG Publication 2022/0185182) discloses a virtual projection method (image processing logic 406 can process the captured images to determine what portion of the captured video is to be rendered on the see-through display 408 [0040]) for displaying an image (see-through displays 102 positioned to provide a see-through effect relative to the automobile's A-Pillars [0024]) of an obscured object (view blocked by A-pillars [0021], Fig. 2B), which is operated in a display system (vehicle configured with a see-through system [0020]; system 100 [0021]; system 400, Fig. 4), the virtual projection method comprising:
based on a field of view of a person (depend, at least in part, on the eye position of the user [0023]), capturing a motion image (video from cameras 104 sent to [0023]) at a first side (coupled to the A-pillars outside of the automobile and oriented to face away from the automobile [0021]; camera 104 is disposed on the opposite side of the vehicle component 300 from the driver [0028]) of a blocking body (view blocked by A-pillars [0021], Fig. 2B) by a camera of the display system (cameras 104 [0023]);
calibrating (determine how to size [0040]) each frame of the motion image (captured video to be rendered [0040]) …
and displaying, by the display device (displays 102 for rendering [0023]) that is disposed on a second side (positioned inside the vehicle over the A-pillars and oriented to face the interior of the vehicle so as to be visible the driver [0021]) of the blocking body (A-pillars [0021]), continuous virtual projection images (portion of the captured video is to be rendered [0040]) generated from processing of the motion image (process the captured images to determine what portion of the captured video is to be rendered on the see-through display 408 [0040]).
Jung does not disclose, but Sui (NPL: “A-pillar Blind Spot Display Algorithm Based on Line of Sight,” IEEE 2022) teaches calibrating (determine the horizontal and vertical position of the blind spot on the image, Section II.C, page 103) … according to … a size and a shape (P1, P2, P3, P4: the four corners of the A-pillar display panel, Fig. 4, page 102) of a display panel of a display device of the display system (A-pillar display panel, Fig. 4, page 102) such that each frame along a planar axis (scene plane AB, Fig. 5, page 102) is calibrated into a virtual projection image (image of the blind zone, Fig. 10 d, e, f) that matches the size, the shape (P1, P2, P3, P4: the four corners of the A-pillar display panel, Fig. 4, page 102).
Jung does not disclose, but Lu (NPL: “Efficient Depth-aware Image Deformation Adaptation for Curved Screen Displays,” Thematic Workshops 2017) teaches calibrating (find the desired image deformation for the curved screen display, Section I Introduction, page 442) … according to a curvature (geometry dictated by curvature, Section 3.1 page 444) of a surface of the blocking body (the display surface, Section 3.1 page 444) … such that each frame (rectangular image, Section 3.1 page 444) … is calibrated into a virtual projection image (image mapped onto the curved surface, Section 3.1 page 444) that matches … the curvature (geometry dictated by curvature, Section 3.1 page 444);
One of ordinary skill in the art before the application was filed would have been motivated to use the blind spot determination method of Sui to determine the region of the captured image to display on the A-pillar of Jung because Jung discloses that eye-position can be used to determine the portion of the captured image to display (Jung [0040]) and Sui’s method does so in real-time, giving the driver a better view while driving (Sui Section IV Conclusion), improving safety.
One or ordinary skill in the art before the application was filed would have been motivated to project the blind spot image of Jung based on the curvature of the display, as in Lu, because Lu teaches that displaying a rectangular image on a curved surface results in geometric distortion or loss of content, known problems in the art (Abstract), which can be solved by projecting pixels based on curvature, resulting in a better user experience (Section 4.2).
Regarding Claim 14, Jung (US PG Publication 2022/0185182) discloses the virtual projection method according to claim 13, wherein calibrating each frame of the motion image includes:
obtaining multiple frame images of the motion image (video from cameras 104 sent to [0023]) that are formed by imaging along the planar axis (the field of view of the camera 104 [0031]).
display panel (displays 102 for rendering [0023]) that is adhered to the second side (positioned inside the vehicle over the A-pillars and oriented to face the interior of the vehicle so as to be visible the driver [0021], Fig. 2B) of the blocking body (A-pillars [0021]);
wherein the calibrated motion image enables the person to view the image of the object obscured by the blocking body (provide a see-through effect relative to the automobile's A-Pillars [0024]; Fig. 2B).
Jung does not disclose, but Sui (NPL: “A-pillar Blind Spot Display Algorithm Based on Line of Sight,” IEEE 2022) teaches converting (determine the horizontal and vertical position of the blind spot on the image, Section II.C, page 103), according to the size and the shape of the display panel (P1, P2, P3, P4: the four corners of the A-pillar display panel, Fig. 4, page 102) … each of the frame images to match the size and the shape of the display panel (image of the blind zone, Fig. 10 d, e, f, matches P1, P2, P3, P4: the four corners of the A-pillar display panel, Fig. 4, page 102) to be used for the virtual projection image (image of the blind zone, Fig. 10 d, e, f).
Jung does not disclose, but Lu (NPL: “Efficient Depth-aware Image Deformation Adaptation for Curved Screen Displays,” Thematic Workshops 2017) teaches converting (find the desired image deformation for the curved screen display, Section I Introduction, page 442) … according to the curvature (geometry dictated by curvature, Section 3.1 page 444) each of the frame images (rectangular image, Section 3.1 page 444), … and then converting each of the frame images formed by imaging along the planar axis (rectangular image, Section 3.1 page 444 rectangular image, Section 3.1 page 444) into the virtual projection image having the curvature (image mapped onto the curved surface, Section 3.1 page 444).
One of ordinary skill in the art before the application was filed would have been motivated to use the blind spot determination method of Sui to determine the region of the captured image to display on the A-pillar of Jung because Jung discloses that eye-position can be used to determine the portion of the captured image to display (Jung [0040]) and Sui’s method does so in real-time, giving the driver a better view while driving (Sui Section IV Conclusion), improving safety.
One or ordinary skill in the art before the application was filed would have been motivated to project the blind spot image of Jung based on the curvature of the display, as in Lu, because Lu teaches that displaying a rectangular image on a curved surface results in geometric distortion or loss of content, known problems in the art (Abstract), which can be solved by projecting pixels based on curvature, resulting in a better user experience (Section 4.2).
Regarding Claim 16, the claim is rejected on the grounds provided in Claim 3.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Schubert (US PG Publication 2018/0129888) – making a wall appear invisible via a display displaying an image of the view behind the wall
Chuang (NPL: “Implementation of Image Warping with Application to Projection onto a Curved Display”, IEEE 2010) - projecting onto a curved display
Barlier (NPL: “OLCD: Manufacturing Glass-free Vehicle Displays”, SID 2018) – OLCDs used in A-pillar displays
Huggins (NPL: “OLCD in Automotive Applications – Enabling Curved and Non-Rectangular Form Factors with Conformable Displays,” The 29th International Workshop on Active-Matrix Flatpanel Displays and Devices 2022) – OLCDS used in A-pillar displays
Lung (NPL: “Real-Time Monitoring Combined with Virtual Projection Technology for A-Pillar See-Through Vision Improvement Study,” IEEE 2024) – Applicant’s NPL on the same topic
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHADAN E HAGHANI whose telephone number is (571)270-5631. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9AM - 5PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jay Patel can be reached at 571-272-2988. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/SHADAN E HAGHANI/Examiner, Art Unit 2485
Prosecution Insights