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.
Claim(s) 1 and 5-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by the Japanese ‘619 reference (Japanese Reference No. JP 2008-110619 A).
4. Regarding claim 1, the Japanese ‘619 reference discloses:
a braking control device [Paragraph 0001] for executing, when a driver of a vehicle is operating a braking operation member of the vehicle to stop the vehicle while the vehicle is traveling [Paragraph 0001], a reduction correction control for applying, to the vehicle [Paragraph 0001], an instruction braking force smaller than a required braking force that is a braking force corresponding to an operation amount of the braking operation member by the driver [Paragraph 0005], in order to prevent an attitude change of the vehicle accompanying the stopping [Paragraph 0004—stop shock], the braking control device comprising:
an operation amount increase determination unit [Paragraph 0005—brake operation detection unit] configured to determine whether the operation amount is increasing while the reduction correction control is being executed [Paragraph 0005—during the braking force reduction control]; and
an instruction value increase unit [Paragraph 0005—control unit] configured to, when the operation amount increase determination unit determines that the operation amount is increasing [Paragraph 0005—additional pressing operation], increase the instruction braking force such that a difference between the instruction braking force and the required braking force decreases [Paragraph 0005—is suppressed].
5. Regarding claim 5, the Japanese reference further discloses:
which is applied to a vehicle including a wheel speed sensor (3) configured to output a pulse signal according to a rotation speed of a wheel [Paragraph 0016 & Paragraph 0018], the braking control device further comprising:
a stopping-related value acquisition unit (5) configured to acquire, as a stopping- related value, a distance over which the vehicle travels until the vehicle stops or a vehicle speed until the vehicle stops [Paragraph 0019]; and
a degeneration processing unit (5) configured to increase the instruction braking force when, under a situation in which the braking force is less than the required braking force [Paragraph 0038—braking force is rapidly increased], the number of pulses included in the pulse signal output by the wheel speed sensor from a time at which the stopping-related value becomes less than a determination stopping-related value [Paragraph 0038—distance until the vehicle stops is shorter directly relates to impulses] becomes equal to or greater than a determination number that is the number of pulses according to the determination stopping-related value [Paragraph 0038—implicit in a shorter distance is a determined distance that is based on the wheel pulses which is based on speed].
6. Regarding claim 6, the Japanese reference further discloses:
which is applied to a vehicle including a gradient detection sensor [Paragraph 0022] configured to detect a road surface gradient that is a gradient of a traveling road of the vehicle, the braking control device further comprising a degeneration processing unit [Paragraph 0022—ECU] configured to increase the instruction braking force when an output value corresponding to a detection signal of the gradient detection sensor is determined to deviate from a reference output value that is an output value corresponding to a detection signal of the gradient detection sensor before the reduction correction control is started [Paragraph 0022].
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
7. 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.
8. Claim(s) 2-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the Japanese reference No. JP 2008-110619 A).
9. Regarding claim 2, the Japanese reference fails to disclose:
an operation amount reduction determination unit configured to determine whether the operation amount is reducing while the reduction correction control is being executed; and
an instruction value reduction unit configured to, when the operation amount reduction determination unit determines that the operation amount is reducing, reduce the instruction braking force at a larger reduction speed of a predetermined reduction speed and a reduction speed of the required braking force. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use an operation amount reduction determination unit configured to determine whether the operation amount is reducing while the reduction correction control is being executed (versus increase determination unit, determines amount is reducing), reduce the instruction braking force at a larger reduction speed of a predetermined reduction speed and a reduction speed of the required braking force (versus increase the instruction braking force), since it has been held that a mere reversal of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art. MPEP 2144 (VI-A).
10. Regarding claim 3, the Japanese reference further discloses:
which is applied to a vehicle including a wheel speed sensor (3) configured to output a pulse signal according to a rotation speed of a wheel [Paragraph 0016 & Paragraph 0018], the braking control device further comprising:
a stopping-related value acquisition unit (5) configured to acquire, as a stopping- related value, a distance over which the vehicle travels until the vehicle stops or a vehicle speed until the vehicle stops [Paragraph 0019]; and
a degeneration processing unit (5) configured to increase the instruction braking force when, under a situation in which the braking force is less than the required braking force [Paragraph 0038—braking force is rapidly increased], the number of pulses included in the pulse signal output by the wheel speed sensor from a time at which the stopping-related value becomes less than a determination stopping-related value [Paragraph 0038—distance until the vehicle stops is shorter directly relates to impulses] becomes equal to or greater than a determination number that is the number of pulses according to the determination stopping-related value [Paragraph 0038—implicit in a shorter distance is a determined distance that is based on the wheel pulses which is based on speed].
11. Regarding claim 4, the Japanese reference further discloses:
which is applied to a vehicle including a gradient detection sensor [Paragraph 0022-0023] configured to detect a road surface gradient that is a gradient of a traveling road of the vehicle, the braking control device further comprising
a degeneration processing unit [Paragraph 0022—ECU] configured to increase the instruction braking force when an output value corresponding to a detection signal of the gradient detection sensor is determined to deviate from a reference output value that is an output value corresponding to a detection signal of the gradient detection sensor before the reduction correction control is started [Paragraph 0022].
Conclusion
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/CHARLES JOSEPH BRAUCH/
Examiner
Art Unit 3747
/LONG T TRAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3747
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