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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The references cited in the IDS have been considered by examiner.
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, 4-7 and 9-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yoon et al (U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2019/0079540).
Regarding claim 1, Yoon discloses a display control device (170, 200 and 300) including a processor (270 and 370), (fig. 7, [0096 and 0154]), the processor causing a display unit (251) to display (fig. 7, [0101 and 0111]), based on detection information (i.e. object information) detectable by a vehicle (i.e. object detection unit 300 for sensing an object positioned outside the vehicle 100) (fig. 7, [0054 and 0116]), a vehicle image (100) representing the vehicle as viewed from a virtual viewpoint (i.e. fig. 5 shows a virtual representation of the vehicle 100) and causing the display unit to display a specific object image (i.e. pedestrian OB12 and two-wheeler OB13), representing a specific object that is present in a vicinity of the vehicle (i.e. pedestrian OB12 and two-wheeler OB13 may be positioned within a certain distance from the vehicle 100) (fig. 5, [0118 and 0121-0122]), in a predetermined color simulating a characteristic color derived from an outward appearance of the specific object (i.e. the object information may be information about a shape, position, size, color, and the like of the object), (fig. 5, [0054]).
Regarding claim 4, Yoon discloses wherein the specific object (OB12 and OB13) is an object having a predetermined attribute (i.e. attributes such as pedestrian OB12 or two-wheeler OB13), (fig. 5, [0121-0122]).
Regarding claim 5, Yoon discloses wherein the processor (270 and 370) causes the display unit (251) to display the specific object image in a mode (i.e. autonomous mode may be based on information, data or a signal generated in a travelling system 710) according to the attribute that the specific object (OB12 and OB13) has, (figs. 5 and 7, [0071, 0096 and 0154]).
Regarding claim 6, Yoon discloses wherein, when the processor (270 and 370) causes the display unit (251) to display, based on the detection information (object information) and together with the specific object image (OB12 and OB13), another object image (OB14) representing another object different from the specific object, the processor causes the display unit to display the other object image (OB14) in a predetermined mode (autonomous mode), (figs. 5 and 7, [0071, 0096 and 0121-0123]).
Regarding claim 7, Yoon discloses wherein the display unit (251) is a meter display provided on a vehicle front side of a driver's seat of the vehicle (i.e. fig. 3 shows display unit 251a is an instrument panel having a meter in front of the driver’s seat), [0108].
Regarding claim 9, please refer to claim 1 for details.
Regarding claim 10, please refer to claim 1 for details.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 2-3 and 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yoon in view of Tsuchiya et al (U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2005/0086000).
Regarding claim 2, Yoon discloses wherein the processor (270 and 370) causes the display unit (251) to display one part of the specific object (OB12) image in the predetermined color (i.e. the object information may be information about a shape, position, size, color, and the like of the object), (fig. 5, [0054 and 0121]).
However, Yoon does not mention display parts other than the one part in a predetermined mode.
In a similar field of endeavor, Tsuchiya teaches wherein the processor (5) causes the display unit (6) to display one part of the specific object image in the predetermined color and display parts other than the one part in a predetermined mode (i.e. display the pedestrian in red color and display the other part such as the two-wheeled vehicle in yellow color), (figs. 1 and 4, [0078 and 0099-0101]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art at the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Yoon, by specifically providing the different color, as taught by Tsuchiya, for the purpose of improved user friendly characteristic of the information display apparatus, [0008].
Regarding claim 3, Tsuchiya discloses wherein the processor (5) chooses, for the predetermined color (i.e. red and yellow) from among plural colors (i.e. red, yellow or blue) prepared beforehand, a color whose color difference from the characteristic color is smallest (i.e. color difference between red and yellow for the pedestrian and the two-wheeled vehicle), (fig. 4, [0078, 0099 and 0102]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art at the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Yoon, by specifically providing the color difference, as taught by Tsuchiya, for the purpose of improved user friendly characteristic of the information display apparatus, [0008].
Regarding claim 8, Tsuchiya discloses wherein the processor (5) causes the display unit (6) to display, in the predetermined color (red), a specific object image (pedestrian) representing an object whose cautionary level is highest among specific objects (i.e. fig. 4 shows the pedestrian is colored RED, which has the highest attention to be paid among the other objects such as the yellow two-wheeled and the blue car), (figs. 1 and 4, [0078 and 0099]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art at the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Yoon, by specifically providing the different color, as taught by Tsuchiya, for the purpose of improved user friendly characteristic of the information display apparatus, [0008].
Inquiries
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LONG D PHAM whose telephone number is (571)270-5573. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday: 9am-5pm EST.
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, Chanh D Nguyen can be reached at 571-272-7772. 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.
/LONG D PHAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2623
Prosecution Insights