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 .
DETAILED ACTION
The application of Daniel Kuelzer for Method and Control Unit for Operating a Digital Key Device of a Vehicle Control System filed 5/07/25 has been examined. Claims 15-33.
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.
Claim(s) 15,17-18,28,32-33 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kashiyama et al. US Patent Application Publication 20070224967.
Regarding claim 15, Kashiyama teaches a control unit for a digital key device operated within a system including a vehicle and a set of portable digital key devices, each of which is configured to set up a communication link with the vehicle for controlling a function of the vehicle (paragraph 0057-060), wherein the control unit is configured to:
detect a redundancy situation of the system, within which a plurality of portable digital key devices from the set of portable digital key devices is within a communication range for setting up a communication link with the vehicle or has already set up a communication link with the vehicle (response is received from two or more portable device, paragraph 060-068), and the plurality of portable digital key devices is carried by a same user (paragraph 016,019);
in response to detecting the redundancy situation, select a first portable digital key
device from the plurality of portable digital key devices (ECU specify the portable device, paragraph 088-091); and
apply an energy reduction measure for reducing an energy consumption related to the
communication link between the first portable digital key device and the vehicle (specify only one portable device to respond, the other portable device conserve energy by not responding, paragraph 092-093).
Regarding claim 17, Kashiyama teaches the energy reduction measure comprises
shutting down or preventing set up of the communication link between the first portable
digital key device and the vehicle (specify only one portable device to respond, the other portable device conserve energy by not responding, paragraph 092-093).
Regarding claim 18, Kashiyama teaches the energy reduction measure comprises
shutting down or preventing set up of the communication link between the first portable
digital key device and the vehicle (specify only one portable device to respond, the other portable device conserve energy by not responding, paragraph 092-093).
Regarding 28, Kashiyama teaches the control unit is configured to detect the redundancy situation of the system based on signals transmitted via the communication links between the vehicle and individual devices from the plurality of portable digital key devices (response is received from two or more portable device, paragraph 060-068).
Regarding claim 32, Kashiyama teaches a digital key authorizing the portable digital key device to control a function of a vehicle (paragraph 057,059);
a communication unit configured to set up a communication link with the vehicle for
controlling the function; and a control unit (paragraph 059).
Regarding claim 33, Kashiyama teaches a method for operating a digital key device within a system including a vehicle and a set of portable digital key devices, each of which is configured to set up a communication link with the vehicle for controlling a function of the vehicle, the method
comprising:
detecting a redundancy situation of the system, within which a plurality of portable digital key devices from the set of portable digital key devices is within a communication range for setting up a communication link with the vehicle or has already set up a communication link with the vehicle (response is received from two or more portable device, paragraph 060-068), and the plurality of portable digital key devices is carried by a same user (response is received from two or more portable device, paragraph 060-068), and the plurality of portable digital key devices is carried by a same user (paragraph 016,019);
in response to detecting the redundancy situation, selecting a first portable digital key
device from the plurality of portable digital key devices (ECU specify the portable device, paragraph 088-091); and applying an energy reduction measure for reducing an energy consumption related to the communication link between the first portable digital key device and the vehicle specify only one portable device to respond, the other portable device conserve energy by not responding, paragraph 092-093).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 16,19-20,21-27, and 30-31 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.
Regarding claim 16, the prior art of record is silent on teaching the communication link comprises a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication link, and the energy reduction measure comprises increasing a BLE connection interval;
and/or the communication link comprises an Ultrawideband (UWB) communication link,
and the energy reduction measure comprises decreasing an UWB ranging frequency.
Regarding claim 19-20, the prior art of record is silent on teaching the control unit is configured to: determine a device type for each of the plurality of portable digital key devices; and select the first portable digital key device based on the device types of the plurality of portable digital key devices, wherein the device type indicates that the first portable digital key device is a wearable smart device.
Regarding claim 21, the prior art of record is silent on teaching the control unit is configured to:
determine a charge level and/or a capacity of batteries of the plurality of portable digital key devices; and select, as the first portable digital key device, one of the plurality of portable digital key devices having a lowest charge level and/or lowest capacity.
Regarding claim 22, the prior art of record is silent on teaching the control unit is configured to:
determine a charge level and/or a capacity of batteries of the plurality of portable digital key devices; and select, as the first portable digital key device, one of the plurality of portable digital key devices having a lowest charge level and/or lowest capacity.
Regarding claims 23-24, the prior art of record is silent on teaching the control unit is configured to: determine for each of the plurality of portable digital key devices whether a respective device is known or unknown to an infotainment system of the vehicle; and select the respective device, as the first portable digital key device, which is unknown to the infotainment system of the vehicle.
Regarding claim 25-27, the prior art of record is silent on teaching the control unit is configured to: select a second portable digital key device from the plurality of portable digital key
devices; and maintain the communication link between the second portable digital key device and
the vehicle unchanged.
Regarding claim 29, the prior art of record is silent on teaching the control unit is configured to:
detect that a distance between the first portable digital key device and a second
portable digital key device from the plurality of portable digital key devices has increased;
and in response to detecting that the distance has increased, stop the energy reduction
measure for reducing the energy consumption of the communication link between the first
portable digital key device and the vehicle.
Regarding claim 30, the prior art of record is silent on teaching each of the portable digital key devices from the set of portable digital key devices comprises a digital key; and
the control unit is configured to:
verify whether the plurality of portable digital key devices comprises digital
keys belonging to and/or associated with the same user; and detect the redundance situation involving the plurality of portable digital key devices only if the plurality of portable digital key devices comprises digital keys belonging to and/or associated with the same user.
Regarding claim 31, the prior art of record is silent on teaching the control unit is configured to:
determine that two different portable digital key devices from the set of portable
digital key devices are carried by two different users; and prevent the application of the energy reduction measure to the communication links of the two different portable digital key devices.
Conclusion
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/VERNAL U BROWN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2686
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