3Notice 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 § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more. The claim(s) recite(s) “obtaining observation data of a vehicle, where the observation data comprises observed respective distances between a plurality of anchor points on the vehicle and the vehicle key”, which a person can observe and gather distance data using a measuring tape the distances from the key to the anchor points and distance between plurality of anchor points. The claim additionally recites, “determining a first position region of the vehicle key … based on respective distances between two adjacent first anchor points … and a predetermined distance between the two adjacent first anchor points”, similar to above a person can utilize a ruler to measure and calculate the distance between the sensors to the key, and assigning different regions possibility which the key be presence, then calculate the key region position using known triangle and trigonometry theorem. Finally, the claims recite “ determining a position coordinate of the vehicle key based on the first position region, the respective distances between the plurality of anchor points and the vehicle key, and a predetermined position of each anchor point on the vehicle”, by knowing the determined distances and area the key is relative to the vehicle anchor points from the previous steps, the user can utilize known geometry and trigonometric function to convert the calculated position to a position representation in coordinate pair. This judicial exception is not integrated into a practical application because the generically recited computer elements (i.e. vehicle key, anchor points, processor, and memory) do not add a meaningful limitation to the abstract idea because they amount to simply implementing the abstract idea on a computer. The claim(s) does/do not include additional elements that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception. The dependent claims further recited various steps further calculating different position of the vehicle key relative to the vehicle without adding any addition elements that would sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception therefore they are also rejected.
Conclusion
Analogous prior art: The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. CHEN (US 2026/0219382 A1); Korta et al. (US 2024/0385280 A1); and Yun et al. (US 2022/0139134 A1).
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/AN T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2686