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
Status of Claims
The following is a non-final office action in response to the communication filed on 04/25/2025.
Claims 1-20 are pending and have been examined.
Claims 1-20 are rejected.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 04/25/2025, 08/05/2025, and 02/24/2026 were filed. The submissions are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
Claims 1-2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Huang et al. (CN 106274759 A, hereinafter Huang)
Claim 1 Discloses:
“A method for adjusting a seat in a vehicle,”
Huang teaches an, (Paragraph [0002]) “invention [which] relates to the field of vehicle technology, and more specifically to a seat system that automatically adjusts the seating posture.”
“wherein the method comprises: obtaining a first position of eyes of a user in a vehicle and a position of a first point in the vehicle, wherein a position relationship between the first point and a seat in which the user is located is preset; determining a first value of a distance between the first point and the eyes of the user based on the first position and the position of the first point;”
Huang teaches, (Paragraph [0021], Lines 4-6) “After a passenger gets in, the camera scans the passenger, identifies the coordinates of the passenger's eyes, calculates the relationship between the passenger's eye coordinates and the H-point coordinates of the seat,” wherein, (Paragraph [0028], Lines 3-5) “The algorithm module calculates the difference in the vertical direction between the passenger's eye coordinates and the known seat H-point coordinates, thereby obtaining the passenger's height percentile parameters,” further wherein, (Paragraph [0029], Lines 5-6) “The algorithm module pre-stores a table showing the correspondence between H1 and body percentile parameters.”
“determining adjustment information of the seat based on the first value; and performing an adjustment operation on the seat based on the adjustment information of the seat.”
Huang teaches, (Paragraph [0030], Lines 1-5) “After determining the passenger's body percentile, the main control module selects the corresponding seat position from the locally stored table of correspondence between body percentiles and seat positions. This seat position is the sitting posture in which the current passenger is most likely to feel high comfort. Finally, the seat control module is notified to begin adjusting the seat to achieve this position.”
Claim 2 Discloses:
“The method according to claim 1, wherein the first point represents a position of a tailbone when the user sits in the seat, the first value represents an eye height of the user in a sitting posture,”
Huang teaches, (Paragraph [0024], Line 1) “The camera is used to acquire the current eye coordinate information of the passenger,” and that, (Paragraph [0022], Line 6) “Referring to Figure 2, the seat H point is usually located at the bottom of the seat.” A person of ordinary skill in the art would understand the user’s tailbone would be located at the bottom of the seat when in a sitting position.
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“the position of the first point is calculated based on a movement parameter of the seat, and the movement parameter of the seat comprises a movement parameter of a current position of the seat relative to a preset position.”
Huang teaches, (Paragraph [0028], Lines 3-5) “The algorithm module calculates the difference in the vertical direction between the passenger's eye coordinates and the known seat H-point coordinates, thereby obtaining the passenger's height percentile parameters,” further wherein, (Paragraph [0029], Lines 5-6) “The algorithm module pre-stores a table showing the correspondence between H1 and body percentile parameters.”
Huang additionally teaches, (Paragraph [0031]) “Figure 3 schematically illustrates the correspondence between different body size percentile parameters and seat positions in an embodiment of the present invention. Yes, when the passenger's height percentile is 5th%, the seat should be adjusted to the highest position; when the passenger's height percentile is 50th%, the seat should be adjusted to the center position; and when the passenger's height percentile is 95th%, the seat should be adjusted to the lowest position.”
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 3-5, 8, 11-14, 17, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang in view of Otsubo et al. (JP2021160644A, hereinafter Otsubo)
Claim 3 Discloses:
“The method according to claim 1, wherein: a first mapping relationship is configured in the vehicle, … “the first distance indicates the distance between the first point and the eyes of the user;”
Huang teaches, (Paragraph [0021], Lines 4-6) “After a passenger gets in, the camera scans the passenger, identifies the coordinates of the passenger's eyes, calculates the relationship between the passenger's eye coordinates and the H-point coordinates of the seat,” wherein, (Paragraph [0028], Lines 3-5) “The algorithm module calculates the difference in the vertical direction between the passenger's eye coordinates and the known seat H-point coordinates, thereby obtaining the passenger's height percentile parameters,” further wherein, (Paragraph [0029], Lines 5-6) “The algorithm module pre-stores a table showing the correspondence between H1 and body percentile parameters.”
“the first mapping relationship indicates a lower limb size corresponding to each of a plurality of value parameters of a first distance, … and the determining adjustment information of the seat based on the first value of the distance between the first point and the eyes of the user comprises: obtaining, based on the first mapping relationship, a lower limb size corresponding to the first value; and determining the adjustment information of the seat based on the first value of the distance between the first point and the eyes of the user and the lower limb size corresponding to the first value.”
Huang does not explicitly indicate a lower limb size as part of its calculations to determine proper seat adjustment.
Otsubo does explicitly indicate a lower limb size as part of its calculations to determine proper seat adjustment in the context of, (Paragraph [0008], Lines 9-13) “a posture control unit that extracts posture range information corresponding to the body type information input to the input unit from the body type posture range correspondence information stored in the correspondence information storage unit and controls the seat drive unit so that the posture of the vehicle seat falls within the posture range of the vehicle seat represented by the extracted posture range information.”
Otsubo teaches, (Paragraph [0076], Lines 1-10) “the sitting height and leg length (assumed leg length) are determined assuming the occupant has a standard build, based on the height and the ratio for a standard build input into the first input unit 11. Next, the occupant's sitting height is determined from the eye level measured by the measurement unit 2a, and the occupant's actual leg length is determined from this determined sitting height and the height entered into the first input unit 11. If the actual leg length is shorter than the assumed leg length, the assumed posture of the vehicle seat ST is corrected to a posture that is in the direction of the shorter person's height, for example by a first predetermined value, within the ranges of the reclining range, slide range, lift range, and tilt range extracted in process S2 (within the posture range of the vehicle seat ST represented by the posture range information extracted in process S2).”
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine the seat adjustment system of Huang which explicitly identifies the relative positioning of an occupant’s eyes, with that of Otsubo which explicitly incorporates lower body features such as a lower limb size to achieve an ergonomic configuration, in order to yield predictable results.
Combining the references would yield the known benefits of incorporating both upper and lower body features of an occupant in order to more accurately achieve the ideal ergonomic configuration. As Otsubo describes, the system (Paragraph [0013]) “can automatically control the equipment more appropriately according to the occupant seated in a vehicle seat whose posture is controlled,” because, (Paragraph [0083], lines 1-2) “Sitting height and leg length vary from person to person, and driving posture depends on sitting height and leg length.”
Claim 4 Discloses:
“The method according to claim 2, wherein: a first mapping relationship is configured in the vehicle, … the first distance indicates the distance between the first point and the eyes of the user;
Huang teaches, (Paragraph [0021], Lines 4-6) “After a passenger gets in, the camera scans the passenger, identifies the coordinates of the passenger's eyes, calculates the relationship between the passenger's eye coordinates and the H-point coordinates of the seat,” wherein, (Paragraph [0028], Lines 3-5) “The algorithm module calculates the difference in the vertical direction between the passenger's eye coordinates and the known seat H-point coordinates, thereby obtaining the passenger's height percentile parameters,” further wherein, (Paragraph [0029], Lines 5-6) “The algorithm module pre-stores a table showing the correspondence between H1 and body percentile parameters.”
“the first mapping relationship indicates a lower limb size corresponding to each of a plurality of value parameters of a first distance, … and the determining adjustment information of the seat based on the first value of the distance between the first point and the eyes of the user comprises: obtaining, based on the first mapping relationship, a lower limb size corresponding to the first value; and determining the adjustment information of the seat based on the first value of the distance between the first point and the eyes of the user and the lower limb size corresponding to the first value.”
Huang does not explicitly indicate a lower limb size as part of its calculations to determine proper seat adjustment.
Otsubo does explicitly indicate a lower limb size as part of its calculations to determine proper seat adjustment in the context of, (Paragraph [0008], Lines 9-13) “a posture control unit that extracts posture range information corresponding to the body type information input to the input unit from the body type posture range correspondence information stored in the correspondence information storage unit and controls the seat drive unit so that the posture of the vehicle seat falls within the posture range of the vehicle seat represented by the extracted posture range information.”
Otsubo teaches, (Paragraph [0076], Lines 1-10) “the sitting height and leg length (assumed leg length) are determined assuming the occupant has a standard build, based on the height and the ratio for a standard build input into the first input unit 11. Next, the occupant's sitting height is determined from the eye level measured by the measurement unit 2a, and the occupant's actual leg length is determined from this determined sitting height and the height entered into the first input unit 11. If the actual leg length is shorter than the assumed leg length, the assumed posture of the vehicle seat ST is corrected to a posture that is in the direction of the shorter person's height, for example by a first predetermined value, within the ranges of the reclining range, slide range, lift range, and tilt range extracted in process S2 (within the posture range of the vehicle seat ST represented by the posture range information extracted in process S2).”
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine the seat adjustment system of Huang which explicitly identifies the relative positioning of an occupant’s eyes, with that of Otsubo which explicitly incorporates lower body features such as a lower limb size to achieve an ergonomic configuration, in order to yield predictable results.
Combining the references would yield the known benefits of incorporating both upper and lower body features of an occupant in order to more accurately achieve the ideal ergonomic configuration. As Otsubo describes, the system (Paragraph [0013]) “can automatically control the equipment more appropriately according to the occupant seated in a vehicle seat whose posture is controlled,” because, (Paragraph [0083], lines 1-2) “Sitting height and leg length vary from person to person, and driving posture depends on sitting height and leg length.”
Claim 5 Discloses:
“The method according to claim 3, wherein the user is a driver, and wherein when the user is located in the seat on which the adjustment operation has been performed, and when a foot of the user is placed on an accelerator pedal in the vehicle, at least one of the following is satisfied: an included angle between a calf and an instep of the user is within a first preset range; or an included angle between the calf of the user and a first straight line is within a second preset range, wherein the first straight line is perpendicular to a vehicle body floor of the vehicle.”
Huang does not teach the first preset range or second preset range.
However, it would have been obvious to arrive at the first preset range in light of Otsubo.
Otsubo teaches, (Paragraph [0008], Lines 9-13) “a posture control unit that extracts posture range information corresponding to the body type information input to the input unit from the body type posture range correspondence information stored in the correspondence information storage unit and controls the seat drive unit so that the posture of the vehicle seat falls within the posture range of the vehicle seat represented by the extracted posture range information.”
Otsubo additionally teaches, (Paragraph [0047], Lines 1-7) “The position range R1 of the hip point HI for achieving a proper driving posture is, as described above, the range when the inclination of the seat surface is fixed and the ankle angle A and knee angle B are both within the appropriate range. Here, the appropriate range for ankle angle A is defined as between the first ankle angle A1 and the second ankle angle A2 (90° to 100° in the above example), and the appropriate range for knee angle B is defined as between the first knee angle B1 and the second knee angle B2 (119° to 132° in the above example),” wherein, (Paragraph [0043], Lines 4-6) “The appropriate range for ankle angle A is, for example, 90° to 100° when the foot is simply resting on the accelerator pedal and the accelerator pedal is not being pressed (when the accelerator opening is zero).”
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine to combine the seat adjustment system of Huang which explicitly identifies the relative positioning of an occupant’s eyes, with that of Otsubo which explicitly incorporates lower body features such as measuring whether an included angle between a calf and an instep of the user is within a first preset range, in order to yield predictable results.
Combining the references would yield the known benefits of incorporating both upper and lower body features of an occupant in order to more accurately achieve the ideal ergonomic configuration. As Otsubo describes, the system (Paragraph [0013]) “can automatically control the equipment more appropriately according to the occupant seated in a vehicle seat whose posture is controlled,” because, (Paragraph [0083], lines 1-2) “Sitting height and leg length vary from person to person, and driving posture depends on sitting height and leg length.”
Claim 8 Discloses:
“The method according to claim 1, wherein the user is a driver, and wherein after the performing an adjustment operation on the seat based on the adjustment information of the seat, the method further comprises: determining adjustment information of a steering wheel of the vehicle based on a second position of the eyes of the user, wherein the second position is a position of the eyes when the user is located in the seat on which the adjustment operation has been performed, and the first position is a position of the eyes of the user when the adjustment operation has not been performed;
Huang does not teach determining adjustment information of a steering wheel.
However, it would have been obvious to arrive at the preceding limitations in light of Otsubo.
Otsubo teaches, (Paragraph [0040], Lines 14-17) “an eye height processing program that determines the eye height of the occupant by processing the predetermined data acquired by the eye height data acquisition unit 21, and an equipment control program that controls the equipment based on the posture range of the vehicle seat ST represented by the posture range information extracted by the posture control program.” A person of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the eye height processing program would acquire measurements during multiple subsequent moments in time.
Otsubo additionally teaches that, (Paragraph [0063], Lines 1-3) “The equipment control unit 35a controls the equipment, in this embodiment, the mirror 6, steering device 7, HUD 8, and audio device 9, based on the attitude range of the vehicle seat ST represented by the attitude range information extracted by the attitude control unit 32,” wherein, (Paragraph [0063], Lines 10-14) “the equipment control unit 35a determines the position of a specific body part within the determined position range of the body part, corresponding to the posture of a specific vehicle seat determined by the posture control unit 32, and controls the equipment based on at least one of the determined position of the specific body part and the size of the body part.”
“and performing an adjustment operation on the steering wheel of the vehicle based on the adjustment information of the steering wheel, wherein after the adjustment operation is performed on the steering wheel, at least one of the following is satisfied: a field of view of the user satisfies a first constraint condition, wherein the first constraint condition is related to driving safety of the user; or an upper limb of the user satisfies a second constraint condition, wherein the second constraint condition is related to driving comfort of the upper limb of the user.”
Otsubo teaches, (Paragraph [0067], Lines 1-8) “For example, if the equipment is a steering device 7, when the occupant uses it directly, the way the occupant holds the steering wheel SH (forward-backward position and up-down position of the steering wheel SH) changes according to the size (dimensions, length) of the occupant's upper limbs and the forward-backward position and height of the base of the upper limbs (third forward-backward position and second height of the shoulder). Therefore, at least one of the positional range and size of the body parts involved in controlling the equipment is the third forward-backward position and second height of the occupant's shoulder and the size of the upper limbs,” in order to meet a posture constraint.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine the ergonomic seat adjustment system of Huang with capability to perform an adjustment operation on the steering wheel as taught by Otsubo, in order to yield predictable results.
Combining the references would yield the comfort and posture benefits of properly adjusting an steering wheel to account for an occupant’s limbs. As Otsubo describes, (Paragraph [0003], Lines 1-2) “an appropriate driving position for the occupants is generally recommended for safe, secure, and comfortable driving of the vehicle,” and further describes implementing telescopic steering wheel adjustments, (Paragraph [0067], Lines 37-38) “In order to enable the occupant to properly grip the steering wheel.”
Claim 11 Discloses:
“An apparatus for adjusting a seat in a vehicle,”
Huang teaches an, (Paragraph [0002]) “invention [which] relates to the field of vehicle technology, and more specifically to a seat system that automatically adjusts the seating posture.”
“… obtain a first position of eyes of a user in a vehicle and a position of a first point in the vehicle, wherein a position relationship between the first point and a seat in which the user is located is preset; determine a first value of a distance between the first point and the eyes of the user based on the first position and the position of the first point;”
Huang teaches, (Paragraph [0021], Lines 4-6) “After a passenger gets in, the camera scans the passenger, identifies the coordinates of the passenger's eyes, calculates the relationship between the passenger's eye coordinates and the H-point coordinates of the seat,” wherein, (Paragraph [0028], Lines 3-5) “The algorithm module calculates the difference in the vertical direction between the passenger's eye coordinates and the known seat H-point coordinates, thereby obtaining the passenger's height percentile parameters,” further wherein, (Paragraph [0029], Lines 5-6) “The algorithm module pre-stores a table showing the correspondence between H1 and body percentile parameters.”
“determine adjustment information of the seat based on the first value; and perform an adjustment operation on the seat based on the adjustment information of the seat.”
Huang teaches, (Paragraph [0030], Lines 1-5) “After determining the passenger's body percentile, the main control module selects the corresponding seat position from the locally stored table of correspondence between body percentiles and seat positions. This seat position is the sitting posture in which the current passenger is most likely to feel high comfort. Finally, the seat control module is notified to begin adjusting the seat to achieve this position.”
“wherein the apparatus comprises: at least one processor; and one or more memories coupled to the at least one processor and storing programming instructions for execution by the at least one processor to:”
Huang does not explicitly teach the preceding limitations. However it would have been obvious to arrive at the preceding limitations in light of, for example, Otsubo.
Otsubo teaches, “a posture control unit that extracts posture range information corresponding to the body type information input to the input unit from the body type posture range correspondence information stored in the correspondence information storage unit and controls the seat drive unit so that the posture of the vehicle seat falls within the posture range of the vehicle seat represented by the extracted posture range information,” wherein, (Paragraph [0054], Lines 6-10) “The control processing unit 3a is configured, for example, with a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and its peripheral circuits. When the control processing program is executed, the control unit 31, attitude control unit 32, memory processing unit 33, eye level processing unit 34a (22a), and equipment control unit 35 are functionally configured in the control processing unit 3a.”
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine the seat adjustment system of Huang with the seat adjustment system of Otsubo which explicitly comprises a at least one processor; and one or more memories coupled to the at least one processor and storing programming instructions for execution by the at least one processor, in order to yield predictable results.
Combining the references would yield the well-known benefits of a processor and memory stored instructions to carry out control steps.
Claim 12 Discloses:
“The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the first point represents a position of a tailbone when the user sits in the seat, the first value represents an eye height of the user in a sitting posture,”
Huang teaches, (Paragraph [0024], Line 1) “The camera is used to acquire the current eye coordinate information of the passenger,” and that, (Paragraph [0022], Line 6) “Referring to Figure 2, the seat H point is usually located at the bottom of the seat.” A person of ordinary skill in the art would understand the user’s tailbone would be located at the bottom of the seat when in a sitting position.
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“the position of the first point is calculated based on a movement parameter of the seat, and the movement parameter of the seat comprises a movement parameter of a current position of the seat relative to a preset position.”
Huang teaches, (Paragraph [0028], Lines 3-5) “The algorithm module calculates the difference in the vertical direction between the passenger's eye coordinates and the known seat H-point coordinates, thereby obtaining the passenger's height percentile parameters,” further wherein, (Paragraph [0029], Lines 5-6) “The algorithm module pre-stores a table showing the correspondence between H1 and body percentile parameters.”
Huang additionally teaches, (Paragraph [0031]) “Figure 3 schematically illustrates the correspondence between different body size percentile parameters and seat positions in an embodiment of the present invention. Yes, when the passenger's height percentile is 5th%, the seat should be adjusted to the highest position; when the passenger's height percentile is 50th%, the seat should be adjusted to the center position; and when the passenger's height percentile is 95th%, the seat should be adjusted to the lowest position.”
Claim 13 Discloses:
“The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein: a first mapping relationship is configured in the vehicle, … the first distance indicates the distance between the first point and the eyes of the user;”
Huang teaches, (Paragraph [0021], Lines 4-6) “After a passenger gets in, the camera scans the passenger, identifies the coordinates of the passenger's eyes, calculates the relationship between the passenger's eye coordinates and the H-point coordinates of the seat,” wherein, (Paragraph [0028], Lines 3-5) “The algorithm module calculates the difference in the vertical direction between the passenger's eye coordinates and the known seat H-point coordinates, thereby obtaining the passenger's height percentile parameters,” further wherein, (Paragraph [0029], Lines 5-6) “The algorithm module pre-stores a table showing the correspondence between H1 and body percentile parameters.”
“the first mapping relationship indicates a lower limb size corresponding to each of a plurality of value parameters of a first distance, … and the one or more memories store the programming instructions for execution by the at least one processor to: obtain, based on the first mapping relationship, a lower limb size corresponding to the first value; and determine the adjustment information of the seat based on the first value of the distance between the first point and the eyes of the user and the lower limb size corresponding to the first value.”
Huang does not explicitly indicate a lower limb size as part of its calculations to determine proper seat adjustment.
Otsubo does explicitly indicate a lower limb size as part of its calculations to determine proper seat adjustment in the context of, (Paragraph [0008], Lines 9-13) “a posture control unit that extracts posture range information corresponding to the body type information input to the input unit from the body type posture range correspondence information stored in the correspondence information storage unit and controls the seat drive unit so that the posture of the vehicle seat falls within the posture range of the vehicle seat represented by the extracted posture range information.”
Otsubo teaches, (Paragraph [0076], Lines 1-10) “the sitting height and leg length (assumed leg length) are determined assuming the occupant has a standard build, based on the height and the ratio for a standard build input into the first input unit 11. Next, the occupant's sitting height is determined from the eye level measured by the measurement unit 2a, and the occupant's actual leg length is determined from this determined sitting height and the height entered into the first input unit 11. If the actual leg length is shorter than the assumed leg length, the assumed posture of the vehicle seat ST is corrected to a posture that is in the direction of the shorter person's height, for example by a first predetermined value, within the ranges of the reclining range, slide range, lift range, and tilt range extracted in process S2 (within the posture range of the vehicle seat ST represented by the posture range information extracted in process S2).”
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine the seat adjustment system of Huang which explicitly identifies the relative positioning of an occupant’s eyes, with that of Otsubo which explicitly incorporates lower body features such as a lower limb size to achieve an ergonomic configuration, in order to yield predictable results.
Combining the references would yield the known benefits of incorporating both upper and lower body features of an occupant in order to more accurately achieve the ideal ergonomic configuration. As Otsubo describes, the system (Paragraph [0013]) “can automatically control the equipment more appropriately according to the occupant seated in a vehicle seat whose posture is controlled,” because, (Paragraph [0083], lines 1-2) “Sitting height and leg length vary from person to person, and driving posture depends on sitting height and leg length.”
Claim 14 Discloses:
“The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the user is a driver, and wherein when the user is located in the seat on which the adjustment operation has been performed, and when a foot of the user is placed on an accelerator pedal in the vehicle, at least one of the following is satisfied: an included angle between a calf and an instep of the user is within a first preset range; or an included angle between the calf of the user and a first straight line is within a second preset range, wherein the first straight line is perpendicular to a vehicle body floor of the vehicle.”
Huang does not teach the first preset range or second preset range.
However, it would have been obvious to arrive at the first preset range in light of Otsubo.
Otsubo teaches, (Paragraph [0008], Lines 9-13) “a posture control unit that extracts posture range information corresponding to the body type information input to the input unit from the body type posture range correspondence information stored in the correspondence information storage unit and controls the seat drive unit so that the posture of the vehicle seat falls within the posture range of the vehicle seat represented by the extracted posture range information.”
Otsubo additionally teaches, (Paragraph [0047], Lines 1-7) “The position range R1 of the hip point HI for achieving a proper driving posture is, as described above, the range when the inclination of the seat surface is fixed and the ankle angle A and knee angle B are both within the appropriate range. Here, the appropriate range for ankle angle A is defined as between the first ankle angle A1 and the second ankle angle A2 (90° to 100° in the above example), and the appropriate range for knee angle B is defined as between the first knee angle B1 and the second knee angle B2 (119° to 132° in the above example),” wherein, (Paragraph [0043], Lines 4-6) “The appropriate range for ankle angle A is, for example, 90° to 100° when the foot is simply resting on the accelerator pedal and the accelerator pedal is not being pressed (when the accelerator opening is zero).”
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine to combine the seat adjustment system of Huang which explicitly identifies the relative positioning of an occupant’s eyes, with that of Otsubo which explicitly incorporates lower body features such as measuring whether an included angle between a calf and an instep of the user is within a first preset range, in order to yield predictable results.
Combining the references would yield the known benefits of incorporating both upper and lower body features of an occupant in order to more accurately achieve the ideal ergonomic configuration. As Otsubo describes, the system (Paragraph [0013]) “can automatically control the equipment more appropriately according to the occupant seated in a vehicle seat whose posture is controlled,” because, (Paragraph [0083], lines 1-2) “Sitting height and leg length vary from person to person, and driving posture depends on sitting height and leg length.”
Claim 17 Discloses:
“The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the user is a driver, and wherein the one or more memories store the programming instructions for execution by the at least one processor to: determine adjustment information of a steering wheel of the vehicle based on a second position of the eyes of the user, wherein the second position is a position of the eyes when the user is located in the seat on which the adjustment operation has been performed, and the first position is a position of the eyes of the user when the adjustment operation has not been performed;”
Huang does not teach determining adjustment information of a steering wheel.
However, it would have been obvious to arrive at the preceding limitations in light of Otsubo.
Otsubo teaches, (Paragraph [0040], Lines 14-17) “an eye height processing program that determines the eye height of the occupant by processing the predetermined data acquired by the eye height data acquisition unit 21, and an equipment control program that controls the equipment based on the posture range of the vehicle seat ST represented by the posture range information extracted by the posture control program.” A person of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the eye height processing program would acquire measurements during multiple subsequent moments in time.
Otsubo additionally teaches that, (Paragraph [0063], Lines 1-3) “The equipment control unit 35a controls the equipment, in this embodiment, the mirror 6, steering device 7, HUD 8, and audio device 9, based on the attitude range of the vehicle seat ST represented by the attitude range information extracted by the attitude control unit 32,” wherein, (Paragraph [0063], Lines 10-14) “the equipment control unit 35a determines the position of a specific body part within the determined position range of the body part, corresponding to the posture of a specific vehicle seat determined by the posture control unit 32, and controls the equipment based on at least one of the determined position of the specific body part and the size of the body part.”
“and perform an adjustment operation on the steering wheel of the vehicle based on the adjustment information of the steering wheel, wherein after the adjustment operation is performed on the steering wheel, at least one of the following is satisfied: a field of view of the user satisfies a first constraint condition, wherein the first constraint condition is related to driving safety of the user; or an upper limb of the user satisfies a second constraint condition, wherein the second constraint condition is related to driving comfort of the upper limb of the user.”
Otsubo teaches, (Paragraph [0067], Lines 1-8) “For example, if the equipment is a steering device 7, when the occupant uses it directly, the way the occupant holds the steering wheel SH (forward-backward position and up-down position of the steering wheel SH) changes according to the size (dimensions, length) of the occupant's upper limbs and the forward-backward position and height of the base of the upper limbs (third forward-backward position and second height of the shoulder). Therefore, at least one of the positional range and size of the body parts involved in controlling the equipment is the third forward-backward position and second height of the occupant's shoulder and the size of the upper limbs,” in order to meet a posture constraint.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine the ergonomic seat adjustment system of Huang with capability to perform an adjustment operation on the steering wheel as taught by Otsubo, in order to yield predictable results.
Combining the references would yield the comfort and posture benefits of properly adjusting an steering wheel to account for an occupant’s limbs. As Otsubo describes, (Paragraph [0003], Lines 1-2) “an appropriate driving position for the occupants is generally recommended for safe, secure, and comfortable driving of the vehicle,” and further describes implementing telescopic steering wheel adjustments, (Paragraph [0067], Lines 37-38) “In order to enable the occupant to properly grip the steering wheel.”
Claim 20 Discloses:
“ … obtaining a first position of eyes of a user in a vehicle and a position of a first point in the vehicle, wherein a position relationship between the first point and a seat in which the user is located is preset; determining a first value of a distance between the first point and the eyes of the user based on the first position and the position of the first point;”
Huang teaches, (Paragraph [0021], Lines 4-6) “After a passenger gets in, the camera scans the passenger, identifies the coordinates of the passenger's eyes, calculates the relationship between the passenger's eye coordinates and the H-point coordinates of the seat,” wherein, (Paragraph [0028], Lines 3-5) “The algorithm module calculates the difference in the vertical direction between the passenger's eye coordinates and the known seat H-point coordinates, thereby obtaining the passenger's height percentile parameters,” further wherein, (Paragraph [0029], Lines 5-6) “The algorithm module pre-stores a table showing the correspondence between H1 and body percentile parameters.”
“determining adjustment information of the seat based on the first value; and performing an adjustment operation on the seat based on the adjustment information of the seat.”
Huang teaches, (Paragraph [0030], Lines 1-5) “After determining the passenger's body percentile, the main control module selects the corresponding seat position from the locally stored table of correspondence between body percentiles and seat positions. This seat position is the sitting posture in which the current passenger is most likely to feel high comfort. Finally, the seat control module is notified to begin adjusting the seat to achieve this position.”
“A non-transitory computer readable medium, wherein the non-transitory computer readable medium stores computer-executable instructions for execution by at least one processor of a first network device to perform operations comprising:”
Otsubo teaches, “a posture control unit that extracts posture range information corresponding to the body type information input to the input unit from the body type posture range correspondence information stored in the correspondence information storage unit and controls the seat drive unit so that the posture of the vehicle seat falls within the posture range of the vehicle seat represented by the extracted posture range information,” wherein, (Paragraph [0054], Lines 6-10) “The control processing unit 3a is configured, for example, with a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and its peripheral circuits. When the control processing program is executed, the control unit 31, attitude control unit 32, memory processing unit 33, eye level processing unit 34a (22a), and equipment control unit 35 are functionally configured in the control processing unit 3a.”
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine the seat adjustment system of Huang with the seat adjustment system of Otsubo which explicitly comprises a non-transitory computer readable medium which stores computer-executable instructions for execution by at least one processor of a first network device, in order to yield predictable results.
Combining the references would yield the well-known benefits of a processor and memory stored instructions to carry out control steps.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang in view of Xia et al. (CN114801903A, hereinafter Xia)
Claim 6 Discloses:
“The method according to claim 1, wherein the user is a driver, and wherein: the method further comprises: determining a first area in the vehicle, wherein when the eyes of the user are in the first area, a field of view of the user satisfies a first constraint condition, and the first constraint condition is related to driving safety of the user;”
Huang does not explicitly teach checking when the eyes of the user are in the first area.
However, it would have been obvious to arrive at the preceding limitation in light of Xia.
Xia teaches, (Description) “A method and device for adjusting the position of a driver's seat,” wherein a, (Paragraph [n0041]) “preset eye area is a specific spatial area calculated based on the internal structural parameters of different vehicle models, when the driver is seated with both hands on the steering wheel and the right foot on the brake, and in conjunction with a database of the driver's best field of vision, while also taking into account the driver's driving comfort.”
Xia additionally teaches capability to, (Paragraph [n0007]) “Obtain the driver's position status information on the driver's seat, calculate the driver's actual eye position based on the position status information, determine whether the actual eye position is within the preset eye area, and if not, calculate the difference between the actual eye position and the preset eye area,” and can additionally, (Paragraph [n0011]) “Determine whether the overlap percentage is less than a preset percentage. If so, issue a warning signal until the overlap percentage is greater than or equal to the preset percentage.”
“and the determining adjustment information of the seat based on the first value of the distance between the first point and the eyes of the user comprises: determining the adjustment information of the seat based on the first value and the first area, wherein when the user is located in the seat on which the adjustment operation has been performed, the eyes of the user are in the first area.”
Xia teaches, (Paragraph [n0019]) “If the actual eye position is located within the preset eye area, the minimum height difference and minimum horizontal distance between the actual eye position and the boundary of the preset eye area along the vehicle height direction and length direction are calculated respectively. It is then determined whether the minimum height difference and minimum horizontal distance are greater than the minimum preset distance. If not, the actual eye position is adjusted in the corresponding direction until both the minimum height difference and minimum horizontal distance are greater than the minimum preset distance,” and that, (Paragraph [n0023]) “In some embodiments, a camera is used to acquire the driver's position status information on the driver's seat.”
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to combine the ergonomic seat adjustment system Huang with capability to determine the adjustment information of the seat based on the first value and the first area in reference to the occupant’s eyes as taught by Xia, in order to yield predictable results.
Combining the references would yield the comfort benefits of being able to adapt to the body type of each individual seat occupant, ensuring each driver has proper visibility along with an ergonomic seat configuration. As Xia describes, (Paragraph [n0030], Lines 6-13) “adjustment is repeated multiple times in a gradually approximating manner based on the changes in the difference during the adjustment process, until the actual eye position is within the preset eye area. Therefore, this adjustment method not only eliminates the differences in active adjustment by different drivers but also fully considers the individual differences of different drivers. It can make targeted adjustments based on the current driver's body shape characteristics, ensuring that any driver can see the best driving vision while driving. It has the advantages of good adjustment accuracy and versatility.”
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang in view of Qi. (CN114074607A, hereinafter Qi)
Claim 7 Discloses:
“The method according to claim 1, wherein after the performing an adjustment operation on the seat based on the adjustment information of the seat, the method further comprises: obtaining a second position of the eyes of the user, wherein the second position is a position of the eyes when the user is located in the seat on which the adjustment operation has been performed, the first position is a position of the eyes of the user when the adjustment operation has not been performed, and the second position is calculated based on the first position; and determining adjustment information of a rear view mirror of the vehicle based on the second position of the eyes of the user.”
Huang does not teach determining adjustment information of a rear view mirror of the vehicle based on the second position of the eyes of the user.
However, it would have been obvious to arrive at the preceding limitation in light of Qi.
Qi teaches a system with capability to, (Paragraph [n0008]) “Determine the driver's eye position, which is the position of the driver's eyes relative to a preset reference point on the vehicle;” and that, (Paragraph [n0009]) “Based on the eye position and the parameter information, determine the target angle of the rearview mirror that meets the preset field of view conditions,” wherein the system can, (Paragraph [n0013]) “Obtain the driver's characteristic information;” and that, [n0014]) “The initial coordinates are verified based on the feature information and the seat position information.” A person of ordinary skill in the art would understand the system would acquire measurements during multiple subsequent moments in time.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine the system capability of identifying a relative eye position in order to implement ergonomic vehicle changes as taught by Huang, with the system which measures a driver’s eye position through multiple instances in time in order to effectuate changing the orientation of a rear view mirror, in order to yield predictable results.
Combining the references would yield the benefits of iteratively adapting to different driver’s eye position so they may maintain rearview visibility. As Qi describes, (Paragraph [n0003], Lines 5-7) “due to the differences in driving habits and physical characteristics among different drivers, each time a driver changes, the rearview mirrors need to be readjusted according to the driver's own characteristics.”
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang in view of Tokai. (JP 2020093575 A, hereinafter Tokai)
Claim 9 Discloses:
“The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises: obtaining a body thickness of the user; and determining at least one of the following: a distance threshold between a first door of the vehicle and a closest obstacle; or a minimum angle threshold of the first door of the vehicle based on the body thickness of the user,”
Huang does not teach the preceding limitations.
However, it would have been obvious to arrive at the preceding limitations in light of Tokai.
Tokai teaches a system wherein a, (Paragraph [0022], Lines 4-7) “occupant sensor 200 can be, for example, a camera installed inside the vehicle 600 that takes images of the inside of the vehicle and takes images of the occupants. Then, by analyzing the captured images with the ECU400 (described later), it is possible to identify the occupants and determine their seating positions,” further wherein, (Paragraph [0054]) “the control system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention makes it possible for passengers to disembark more smoothly. In detail, according to this embodiment, since the determination of whether the vehicle 600 can be parked is made by considering the opening of the vehicle door 602 according to the occupant, a suitable disembarking space can be secured for each individual, and the occupant 700 can disembark more smoothly.”
Tokai additionally teaches, (Paragraph [0055], Lines 10-15) “by using an angle sensor 300 attached to the vehicle, the opening angle of the vehicle door when each passenger gets off or on is detected, and the detected opening angle is associated with each passenger and stored. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the parking area 802 can be calculated based on the opening angle associated with each occupant that has been stowed, taking into account the space required for occupants to disembark.”
Tokai additionally teaches, (Paragraph [0055], Lines 17-21)“by using the obstacle sensor 100, it is possible to detect information such as the location and size of obstacles that hinder the parking of a vehicle, to detect information such as the location and size of obstacles that hinder the opening of a vehicle door when an occupant opens the door to get out of the vehicle, and to detect obstacles that hinder an occupant from getting out of the vehicle,” and for example, (Paragraph [0047], Lines 6-10) “As shown in Figure 6, the determination unit 450 determines whether the vehicle 600 can park in the available space, taking into account the opening angle at which the vehicle door 602, which it has identified as likely to be opened when the occupant 700 disembarks, will be opened when the occupant 700 disembarks.” Therefore, a person of ordinary skill in the art would understand a minimum clearance distance in relation to the thickness of the occupant between the door and obstacle would need to be maintained by system.
“wherein the first door comprises a door closest to the user in a plurality of doors of the vehicle,”
Tokai teaches, (Paragraph [0011]) “The environmental information may include information on a first obstacle that obstructs the parking of the mobile vehicle in the designated area, information on a second obstacle that obstructs the door when the door is opened, and information on a third obstacle that obstructs the crew when the crew disembarks.”
“and the distance threshold indicates a minimum distance between the first door and the closest obstacle after a parking operation is completed.”
Tokai teaches an example wherein, (Paragraph [[0053]) “if it is estimated that the opening angle of the vehicle door 602b will be smaller than that of the vehicle door 602a, depending on the identified occupant 700, the guide unit will guide the vehicle 600 to a stopping position slightly to the left, so that the vehicle door 602a can be opened wider than that of the vehicle door 602b, while avoiding the puddle 904.”
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention combine the occupant sensing system of Huang with the occupant sensing system of Tokai which is additionally capable of maintaining a door opening threshold for the user to get in an out of a vehicle, in order to yield predictable results.
Combining the references will yield the comfort benefits of allowing each different occupant to disembark a vehicle smoothly. As Tokai describes, (Paragraph [0053], Lines 7-12) “it is possible to avoid the passenger's shoes getting wet due to the presence of the puddle 904, allowing the passenger to disembark more smoothly. Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the determination of whether the vehicle 600 can be parked is made by considering the opening of the vehicle doors 602 according to the occupants 700, a suitable disembarking space can be secured for each individual, and the occupants 700 can disembark more smoothly.”
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang in view of Tokai, further in view of Breed et al. (US 2003/0209893 A1, hereinafter Breed)
Claim 10 Discloses:
“The method according to claim 9, wherein the obtaining a body thickness of the user comprises: obtaining the body thickness of the user based on the first value.”
Huang and Tokai do not explicitly obtain the thickness of a user based upon a first value, the first value being a distance between the first point and the eyes of the user.
However, Huang does teach, (Paragraph [0021], Lines 4-6) “After a passenger gets in, the camera scans the passenger, identifies the coordinates of the passenger's eyes, calculates the relationship between the passenger's eye coordinates and the H-point coordinates of the seat,” wherein, (Paragraph [0028], Lines 3-5) “The algorithm module calculates the difference in the vertical direction between the passenger's eye coordinates and the known seat H-point coordinates, thereby obtaining the passenger's height percentile parameters,” further wherein, (Paragraph [0029], Lines 5-6) “The algorithm module pre-stores a table showing the correspondence between H1 and body percentile parameters.”
It would have been obvious to arrive at the preceding limitations in light of, for example, Breed.
Breed teaches an, (Abstract, Lines 1-2) “Optical classification method for classifying an occupant in a vehicle,” wherein, (Paragraph [0163], Lines 1-9) “As discussed more fully below, in a preferred implementation, once at least one and preferably two of the morphological characteristics of a driver are determined, for example by measuring his or her height and weight, the component such as the seat can be adjusted and other features or components can be incorporated into the system including, for example, the automatic adjustment of the rear view and/or side mirrors based on seat position and occupant height,” and further wherein, (Paragraph [1560], Lines 1-4) “The eye ellipse discussed above is illustrated at 358 in FIG. 67, which is a view showing the occupant's eyes and the seat adjusted to place the eyes at a particular vertical position for proper viewing through the windshield and rear view mirror.”
Breed additionally teaches, (Paragraph [1403], Lines 1-7) “Other methods of continuous tracking include placing an ultrasonic transducer in the seatback and also on the airbag each giving a measure of the displacement of the occupant. Knowledge of vehicle geometry is required here such as the position of the seat. The thickness of the occupant can then be calculated and two measures of position are available,” and further that, (Paragraph [1557], Lines 1-2) “An initial table is provided based on the optimum positions for various segments of the population.”
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine the body percentile parameter table of Huang which comprises morphological characteristics of drivers that are referenced based upon the relative eye position of occupant, with an explicit occupant thickness measurement and optimum seat position table look up system such as taught by Breed, in order to yield predictable results.
Combining the references would yield the well-known benefits of measuring an occupant’s thickness in order to provide optimal seat and/or vehicle component position. As Breed describes, (Paragraph [1567], Lines 1-7) “the present invention involves the measurement of one or more morphological characteristics of a vehicle occupant and the use of these measurements to classify the occupant as to size and weight, and then to use this classification to position a vehicle component, such as the seat, to a near optimum position for that class of occupant.”
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang in view of Otsubo, further in view of Xia.
Claim 15 Discloses:
“The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the user is a driver, and wherein one or more memories store the programming instructions for execution by the at least one processor to: determine a first area in the vehicle, wherein when the eyes of the user are in the first area, a field of view of the user satisfies a first constraint condition, and the first constraint condition is related to driving safety of the user;”
Huang and Otsubo do not explicitly teach checking when the eyes of the user are in the first area.
However, it would have been obvious to arrive at the preceding limitation in light of Xia.
Xia teaches, (Description) “A method and device for adjusting the position of a driver's seat,” wherein a, (Paragraph [n0041]) “preset eye area is a specific spatial area calculated based on the internal structural parameters of different vehicle models, when the driver is seated with both hands on the steering wheel and the right foot on the brake, and in conjunction with a database of the driver's best field of vision, while also taking into account the driver's driving comfort.”
Xia additionally teaches capability to, (Paragraph [n0007]) “Obtain the driver's position status information on the driver's seat, calculate the driver's actual eye position based on the position status information, determine whether the actual eye position is within the preset eye area, and if not, calculate the difference between the actual eye position and the preset eye area,” and can additionally, (Paragraph [n0011]) “Determine whether the overlap percentage is less than a preset percentage. If so, issue a warning signal until the overlap percentage is greater than or equal to the preset percentage.”
“and determine the adjustment information of the seat based on the first value and the first area, wherein when the user is located in the seat on which the adjustment operation has been performed, the eyes of the user are in the first area.”
Xia teaches, (Paragraph [n0019]) “If the actual eye position is located within the preset eye area, the minimum height difference and minimum horizontal distance between the actual eye position and the boundary of the preset eye area along the vehicle height direction and length direction are calculated respectively. It is then determined whether the minimum height difference and minimum horizontal distance are greater than the minimum preset distance. If not, the actual eye position is adjusted in the corresponding direction until both the minimum height difference and minimum horizontal distance are greater than the minimum preset distance,” and that, (Paragraph [n0023]) “In some embodiments, a camera is used to acquire the driver's position status information on the driver's seat.”
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to combine the ergonomic seat adjustment system of Huang with capability to determine the adjustment information of the seat based on the first value and the first area in reference to the occupant’s eyes as taught by Xia, in order to yield predictable results.
Combining the references would yield the comfort benefits of being able to adapt to the body type of each individual seat occupant, ensuring each driver has proper visibility along with an ergonomic seat configuration. As Xia describes, (Paragraph [n0030], Lines 6-13) “adjustment is repeated multiple times in a gradually approximating manner based on the changes in the difference during the adjustment process, until the actual eye position is within the preset eye area. Therefore, this adjustment method not only eliminates the differences in active adjustment by different drivers but also fully considers the individual differences of different drivers. It can make targeted adjustments based on the current driver's body shape characteristics, ensuring that any driver can see the best driving vision while driving. It has the advantages of good adjustment accuracy and versatility.”
Claim 16 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang in view of Otsubo, further in view of Qi.
Claim 16 Discloses:
“The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the one or more memories store the programming instructions for execution by the at least one processor to: obtain a second position of the eyes of the user, wherein the second position is a position of the eyes when the user is located in the seat on which the adjustment operation has been performed, the first position is a position of the eyes of the user when the adjustment operation has not been performed, and the second position is calculated based on the first position; and determine adjustment information of a rear view mirror of the vehicle based on the second position of the eyes of the user.”
Huang and Otsubo do not teach determining adjustment information of a rear view mirror of the vehicle based on the second position of the eyes of the user.
However, it would have been obvious to arrive at the preceding limitations in light of Qi.
Qi teaches a system with capability to, (Paragraph [n0008]) “Determine the driver's eye position, which is the position of the driver's eyes relative to a preset reference point on the vehicle;” and that, (Paragraph [n0009]) “Based on the eye position and the parameter information, determine the target angle of the rearview mirror that meets the preset field of view conditions,” wherein the system can, (Paragraph [n0013]) “Obtain the driver's characteristic information;” and that, [n0014]) “The initial coordinates are verified based on the feature information and the seat position information.” A person of ordinary skill in the art would understand the system would acquire measurements during multiple subsequent moments in time.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine the system capability of identifying a relative eye position in order to implement ergonomic vehicle changes as taught by Huang, with the system which measures a driver’s eye position through multiple instances in time in order to effectuate changing the orientation of a rear view mirror, in order to yield predictable results.
Combining the references would yield the benefits of iteratively adapting to different driver’s eye position so they may maintain rearview visibility. As Qi describes, (Paragraph [n0003], Lines 5-7) “due to the differences in driving habits and physical characteristics among different drivers, each time a driver changes, the rearview mirrors need to be readjusted according to the driver's own characteristics.”
Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang in view of Otsubo, further in view of Tokai.
Claim 18 Discloses:
“The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the one or more memories store the programming instructions for execution by the at least one processor to: obtain a body thickness of the user; and determine at least one of the following: a distance threshold between a first door of the vehicle and a closest obstacle; or a minimum angle threshold of the first door of the vehicle based on the body thickness of the user,”
Huang and Otsubo do not teach the preceding limitations.
However, it would have been obvious to arrive at the preceding limitations in light of Tokai.
Tokai teaches a system wherein a, (Paragraph [0022], Lines 4-7) “occupant sensor 200 can be, for example, a camera installed inside the vehicle 600 that takes images of the inside of the vehicle and takes images of the occupants. Then, by analyzing the captured images with the ECU400 (described later), it is possible to identify the occupants and determine their seating positions,” further wherein, (Paragraph [0054]) “the control system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention makes it possible for passengers to disembark more smoothly. In detail, according to this embodiment, since the determination of whether the vehicle 600 can be parked is made by considering the opening of the vehicle door 602 according to the occupant, a suitable disembarking space can be secured for each individual, and the occupant 700 can disembark more smoothly.”
Tokai additionally teaches, (Paragraph [0055], Lines 10-15) “by using an angle sensor 300 attached to the vehicle, the opening angle of the vehicle door when each passenger gets off or on is detected, and the detected opening angle is associated with each passenger and stored. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the parking area 802 can be calculated based on the opening angle associated with each occupant that has been stowed, taking into account the space required for occupants to disembark.”
Tokai additionally teaches, (Paragraph [0055], Lines 17-21)“by using the obstacle sensor 100, it is possible to detect information such as the location and size of obstacles that hinder the parking of a vehicle, to detect information such as the location and size of obstacles that hinder the opening of a vehicle door when an occupant opens the door to get out of the vehicle, and to detect obstacles that hinder an occupant from getting out of the vehicle,” and for example, (Paragraph [0047], Lines 6-10) “As shown in Figure 6, the determination unit 450 determines whether the vehicle 600 can park in the available space, taking into account the opening angle at which the vehicle door 602, which it has identified as likely to be opened when the occupant 700 disembarks, will be opened when the occupant 700 disembarks.” Therefore, a person of ordinary skill in the art would understand a minimum clearance distance in relation to the thickness of the occupant between the door and obstacle would need to be maintained by system.
“wherein the first door comprises a door closest to the user in a plurality of doors of the vehicle,”
Tokai teaches, (Paragraph [0011]) “The environmental information may include information on a first obstacle that obstructs the parking of the mobile vehicle in the designated area, information on a second obstacle that obstructs the door when the door is opened, and information on a third obstacle that obstructs the crew when the crew disembarks.”
“and the distance threshold indicates a minimum distance between the first door and the closest obstacle after a parking operation is completed.”
Tokai teaches an example wherein, (Paragraph [[0053]) “if it is estimated that the opening angle of the vehicle door 602b will be smaller than that of the vehicle door 602a, depending on the identified occupant 700, the guide unit will guide the vehicle 600 to a stopping position slightly to the left, so that the vehicle door 602a can be opened wider than that of the vehicle door 602b, while avoiding the puddle 904.”
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention combine the occupant sensing system of Huang with the occupant sensing system of Tokai which is additionally capable of maintaining a door opening threshold for the user to get in and out of a vehicle, in order to yield predictable results.
Combining the references will yield the comfort benefits of allowing each different occupant to disembark a vehicle smoothly. As Tokai describes, (Paragraph [0053], Lines 7-12) “it is possible to avoid the passenger's shoes getting wet due to the presence of the puddle 904, allowing the passenger to disembark more smoothly. Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the determination of whether the vehicle 600 can be parked is made by considering the opening of the vehicle doors 602 according to the occupants 700, a suitable disembarking space can be secured for each individual, and the occupants 700 can disembark more smoothly.”
Claim 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang in view of Otsubo, further in view of Tokai, further in view of Breed.
Claim 19 Discloses:
“The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the one or more memories store the programming instructions for execution by the at least one processor to: obtain the body thickness of the user based on the first value.”
Huang, Otsubo, and Tokai do not explicitly obtain the thickness of a user based upon a first value, the first value being a distance between the first point and the eyes of the user.
However, Huang does teach, (Paragraph [0021], Lines 4-6) “After a passenger gets in, the camera scans the passenger, identifies the coordinates of the passenger's eyes, calculates the relationship between the passenger's eye coordinates and the H-point coordinates of the seat,” wherein, (Paragraph [0028], Lines 3-5) “The algorithm module calculates the difference in the vertical direction between the passenger's eye coordinates and the known seat H-point coordinates, thereby obtaining the passenger's height percentile parameters,” further wherein, (Paragraph [0029], Lines 5-6) “The algorithm module pre-stores a table showing the correspondence between H1 and body percentile parameters.”
It would have been obvious to arrive at the preceding limitations in light of, for example, Breed.
Breed teaches an, (Abstract, Lines 1-2) “Optical classification method for classifying an occupant in a vehicle,” wherein, (Paragraph [0163], Lines 1-9) “As discussed more fully below, in a preferred implementation, once at least one and preferably two of the morphological characteristics of a driver are determined, for example by measuring his or her height and weight, the component such as the seat can be adjusted and other features or components can be incorporated into the system including, for example, the automatic adjustment of the rear view and/or side mirrors based on seat position and occupant height,” and further wherein, (Paragraph [1560], Lines 1-4) “The eye ellipse discussed above is illustrated at 358 in FIG. 67, which is a view showing the occupant's eyes and the seat adjusted to place the eyes at a particular vertical position for proper viewing through the windshield and rear view mirror.”
Breed additionally teaches, (Paragraph [1403], Lines 1-7) “Other methods of continuous tracking include placing an ultrasonic transducer in the seatback and also on the airbag each giving a measure of the displacement of the occupant. Knowledge of vehicle geometry is required here such as the position of the seat. The thickness of the occupant can then be calculated and two measures of position are available,” and further that, (Paragraph [1557], Lines 1-2) “An initial table is provided based on the optimum positions for various segments of the population.”
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to combine the body percentile parameter table of Huang which comprises morphological characteristics of drivers that are referenced based upon the relative eye position of occupant, with an explicit occupant thickness measurement and optimum seat position table look up system such as taught by Breed, in order to yield predictable results.
Combining the references would yield the well-known benefits of measuring an occupant’s thickness in order to provide optimal seat and/or vehicle component position. As Breed describes, (Paragraph [1567], Lines 1-7) “the present invention involves the measurement of one or more morphological characteristics of a vehicle occupant and the use of these measurements to classify the occupant as to size and weight, and then to use this classification to position a vehicle component, such as the seat, to a near optimum position for that class of occupant.”
RELEVANT, BUT NOT CITED PRIOR ART
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to Applicant’s disclosure.
Frasher et al. (US 6,614,344 B1) discloses that, (Technical Field) “The present invention relates generally to an adjustable seating system for a vehicle, and more particularly to an optical sensor for an automatically adjustable seating system that provides optimum visibility for the driver.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEXANDER V. GENTILE whose telephone number is (703)756-1501. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9-5.
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, Kito R. Robinson can be reached at (571)270-3921. 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.
/ALEXANDER V GENTILE/Examiner, Art Unit 3664
/KITO R ROBINSON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3664
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