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
In the response to this office action, the Examiner respectfully requests that support be shown for language added to any original claims on amendment and any new claims. That is, indicate support for newly added claim language by specifically pointing to page(s) and line numbers in the specification and/or drawing figure(s). This will assist the Examiner in prosecuting this application.
INFORMATION DISCLOSURE STATEMENT
The information disclosure statement filed 06/05/2026, has been acknowledged and considered by the examiner. An initialed copy of the PTO-1449 is included in this correspondence.
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.
1. Claims 1-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nallani et al. US 11718314 in view of Hattori US 20230311753.
Consider claim 1. Nallani discloses a vehicle control system configured to be applied to a vehicle fig. 1 fig. 2 200, the vehicle control system comprising:
one or more processors fig. 2 204 processor ; and
a storage medium storing a program fig. 2 204 computer readable storage media 206 configured to be executed by the one or more processors, wherein the program comprises one or more instructions fig. 2 Col. 4 lines 44-46 processor can execute instructions stored in the CRM 206, and the one or more instructions are configured to cause the one or more processors to perform:
a designating process of designating a light-emission reporting zone figs. 4-1-4-6 e.g. light bar 208 in dashboard region in a vehicle interior of the vehicle according to a direction or a position related to reporting fig. 5 506 control a light bar to provide an indication and
a control process of causing an ambient light to emit light in the light-emission reporting zone designated by the designating process see figs. 4-1-4-6 404-1-404-6 visual indicator, the ambient light having a linear portion extending at least in a vehicle transverse direction in the vehicle interior figs. 4-1-4-6 e.g. light bar 208 in dashboard region extends from left to right, the display being disposed in a dashboard of the vehicle so as to divide or cover a part of the linear portion of the ambient light. figs. 4-1-4-4 the display console below the light bar 208 is in the middle of the light bar.
Nallani however does not disclose ambient light and a display of the vehicle to perform cooperative light emission.
Hattori however discloses ambient light and a display of the vehicle to perform cooperative light emission see [0132-0133] fig. 15 the display ECU 23 cooperates with the light ECU 22 such that light flows so as to move toward the vehicle front from a start end on the console light 46L, via the center display 56.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the Vehicle light control system of Nallani to include ambient light and a display of the vehicle to perform cooperative light emission, as taught by Hattori, to enables light emission to be performed by a path that looks natural by, in addition to the light emitting units 40 utilizing display of an image on the display section 50 to supplement the path along which to propagate the light emission of the light emitting units [0133].
Consider claim 2. Nallani as modified by Hattori disclose the vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more instructions are configured to cause the one or more processors to perform, as the control process, causing the display in an area included in the light-emission reporting zone to perform light emission in a same light emission mode as the ambient light in an area included in the light-emission reporting zone see Hattori [0132-0133] fig. 15 the display ECU 23 cooperates with the light ECU 22 such that light flows so as to move toward the vehicle front from a start end on the console light 46L, via the center display 56.
Motivation to combine is similar to motivation in claim 1.
Consider claim 3. Nallani as modified by Hattori disclose the vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more instructions are configured to cause the one or more processors to perform, as the control process, causing the display in an area included in the light-emission reporting zone to perform light emission in a linear region extended from a linear portion of the ambient light in a same light emission mode as the ambient light in an area included in the light-emission reporting zone see Hattori [0132-0133] fig. 15 the display ECU 23 cooperates with the light ECU 22 such that light flows so as to move toward the vehicle front from a start end on the console light 46L, via the center display 56. note that light path in fig. 15 is linear.
Motivation to combine is similar to motivation in claim 1.
Consider claim 4. Nallani as modified by Hattori disclose the vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more instructions are configured to cause the one or more processors to perform the designating process, in response to an event to be reported being detected outside a vehicle see Nallani fig. 4-1-4-6 the lights 404-1-404-6 correspond to a pedestrian Infront of the vehicle. Also see Hattori fig. 15 pedestrian Infront of vehicle, designating as the light-emission reporting zone a zone in the vehicle interior corresponding to a direction of the event as viewed from the vehicle see Nallani fig. 4-1-4-6 the lights 404-1-404-6 correspond to a pedestrian Infront of the vehicle, the direction of the event being regarded as the direction or the position related to the reporting see Nallani fig. 4-1-4-6 the lights 404-1-404-6 correspond to a pedestrian Infront of the vehicle fig. 3 and fig. 5. also see Hattori fig. 7 fig. 13 fig. 15 [0132-0133].
Motivation to combine is similar to motivation in claim 1.
Consider claim 5. Nallani as modified by Hattori disclose the vehicle control system according to claim 2, wherein the one or more instructions are configured to cause the one or more processors to perform the designating process, in response to an event to be reported being detected outside a vehicle see Nallani fig. 4-1-4-6 the lights 404-1-404-6 correspond to a pedestrian Infront of the vehicle. Also see Hattori fig. 15 pedestrian Infront of vehicle, designating as the light-emission reporting zone a zone in the vehicle interior corresponding to a direction of the event as viewed from the vehicle, the direction of the event being regarded as the direction or the position related to the reporting see Nallani fig. 4-1-4-6 the lights 404-1-404-6 correspond to a pedestrian Infront of the vehicle fig. 3 and fig. 5. also see Hattori fig. 7 fig. 13 fig. 15 [0132-0133].
Motivation to combine is similar to motivation in claim 1.
Consider claim 6. Nallani as modified by Hattori disclose the vehicle control system according to claim 3, wherein the one or more instructions are configured to cause the one or more processors to perform the designating process, in response to an event to be reported being detected outside a vehicle see Nallani fig. 4-1-4-6 the lights 404-1-404-6 correspond to a pedestrian Infront of the vehicle. Also see Hattori fig. 15 pedestrian Infront of vehicle, designating as the light-emission reporting zone a zone in the vehicle interior corresponding to a direction of the event as viewed from the vehicle, the direction of the event being regarded as the direction or the position related to the reporting see Nallani fig. 4-1-4-6 the lights 404-1-404-6 correspond to a pedestrian Infront of the vehicle fig. 3 and fig. 5. also see Hattori fig. 7 fig. 13 fig. 15 [0132-0133].
Motivation to combine is similar to motivation in claim 1.
Consider claim 7. Nallani as modified by Hattori disclose the vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more instructions are configured to cause the one or more processors to perform, as the designating process, designating as the light-emission reporting zone a zone in the vehicle interior corresponding to a seat in which an occupant to receive the reporting is seated in the vehicle, the seat being regarded as the direction or the position related to the reporting Nallani fig. 4-1-4-6 the lights 404-1-404-6 correspond to a pedestrian Infront of the vehicle on the driver’s side. also see Hattori fig. 7-8 fig. 13 fig. 15 lighting in the driver side [0132-0133].
Motivation to combine is similar to motivation in claim 1.
Consider claim 8. Nallani as modified by Hattori disclose the vehicle control system according to claim 2, wherein the one or more instructions are configured to cause the one or more processors to perform, as the designating process, designating as the light-emission reporting zone a zone in the vehicle interior corresponding to a seat in which an occupant to receive the reporting is seated in the vehicle, the seat being regarded as the direction or the position related to the reporting Nallani fig. 4-1-4-6 the lights 404-1-404-6 correspond to a pedestrian Infront of the vehicle on the driver’s side. also see Hattori fig. 7-8 fig. 13 fig. 15 lighting in the driver side [0132-0133].
Motivation to combine is similar to motivation in claim 1.
Consider claim 9. Nallani as modified by Hattori disclose the vehicle control system according to claim 3, wherein the one or more instructions are configured to cause the one or more processors to perform, as the designating process, designating as the light-emission reporting zone a zone in the vehicle interior corresponding to a seat in which an occupant to receive the reporting is seated in the vehicle, the seat being regarded as the direction or the position related to the reporting Nallani fig. 4-1-4-6 the lights 404-1-404-6 correspond to a pedestrian Infront of the vehicle on the driver’s side. also see Hattori fig. 7-8 fig. 13 fig. 15 lighting in the driver side [0132-0133].
Motivation to combine is similar to motivation in claim 1.
CONCLUSION
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to IBRAHIM A KHAN whose telephone number is (571)270-7998. The examiner can normally be reached on 10am-6pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Nitin Patel can be reached on 571-272-7677. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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IBRAHIM A. KHAN
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2628
/IBRAHIM A KHAN/ 05/14/2026Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2628
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