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
1. The following is a non-Final Office Action in response to applicant’s arguments/filing filed on June 5, 2025
claims 1-16 are pending Examiner’s Note: Paragraph 0046 of the specification discloses that an apparatus, module, server, etc embodies a processor and memory. Therefore, they are interpreted as hardware.
Foreign Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in the instant Application, filed on 6/5/2025.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 7/14/2025 was filed prior to the mailing date of the first office action. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 6/5/2025 was filed prior to the mailing date of the first office action. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s drawings submitted on 6/5/2025.
Oath/Declaration
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s oath submitted on 6/5/2025
Application Data Sheet
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s application data sheet submitted on 6/5/2025.
Claim Interpretation 112(f)
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) ELEMENT IN CLAIM FOR A COMBINATION.—An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The claims in this application are given their broadest reasonable interpretation using the plain meaning of the claim language in light of the specification as it would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The broadest reasonable interpretation of a claim element (also commonly referred to as a claim limitation) is limited by the description in the specification when 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is invoked.
As explained in MPEP 2181, subsection I, claim limitations that meet the following three-prong test will be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
(A) the claim limitation uses the term “means” or “step” or a term used as a substitute for “means” that is a generic placeholder (also called a nonce term or a non-structural term having no specific structural meaning) for performing the claimed function;
(B) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is modified by functional language, typically, but not always linked by the transition word “for” (e.g., “means for”) or another linking word or phrase, such as "configured to" or "so that"; and (C) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is not modified by sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function. Use of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim with functional language creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites sufficient structure, material, or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Absence of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is not to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is not interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites function without reciting sufficient structure, material or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Claim limitations in this application that use the word “means” (or “step”) are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action. Conversely, claim limitations in this application that do not use the word “means” (or “step”) are not being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or preAIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are: claim 6 recites a …system comprising: management apparatus configured to transmit…; transmit …information for…; receive a result…; A review of the specification discloses that the apparatus may comprise a processor and memory. Therefore, sufficient structure exists to perform the claimed functions.Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof. If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or preAIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
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 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 of this title, 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 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over EP 4654498, Becker in view of US 20230027195, Tanaka
In regards to claim 1, Becker teaches a certificate management apparatus comprising: a memory configured to store computer-executable instructions(EP 4654498, Becker, para. 0031, the internet browser 125, the memory 126 and the resource manager 124 may be integrated within a single System on a Chip (SoC) or processor.); and a processor configured to execute the computer-executable instructions(EP 4654498, Becker, para. 0020, the controller comprises a processor operable to execute the SDR and/or the controller software.), wherein the processor is configured to:generate a first target Feature on Demand (FoD) certificate according to first subscription information for a FoD service based on receiving the first subscription information, generate a second target FoD certificate according to second subscription information different from the first subscription information based on receiving the second subscription information(EP 4654498, Becker, para. 0052, Step 508 comprises acquiring[e.g. note: generating] the selected features [i.e. note: FoD certificate] for the selected period of time. The user may for example tap on a "shopping cart" icon and discover all the selected features in the "FoD shopping cart" menu and use the OEM's ordering process to either buy a feature immediately for the life of the vehicle, for a certain period of time, or just the trial Activate subscription.[i.e. note: where a plurality of subscription options are available: 1st – for the life of the vehicle, or 2nd – for a certain period of time, etc]), and Becker does not teach determine whether to transmit the second target FoD certificate to a vehicle based on determining whether the first target FoD certificate has been transmitted to the vehicle However, Tanaka teaches determine whether to transmit the second target FoD certificate to a vehicle based on determining whether the first target FoD certificate has been transmitted to the vehicle (US 20230027195, Tanaka, para. 0006, store feature data indicating the position of the feature in the memory whenever receiving the feature data from any of one or more vehicles via a communication circuit capable of communicating with the vehicles, update the probability distribution indicating how likely the feature exists as a function of position, based on the position of the feature indicated by each of one or more pieces of received feature data, and transmit an instruction to stop collecting the feature data to the one or more vehicles via the communication circuit when the extent of the updated probability distribution is not greater than a predetermined threshold.). 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 teaching of Becker with the teaching of Tanaka because a user would have been motivated to determine the likelihood of the existence of a feature, taught by Tanaka, before being allowed to downloading the feature to the vehicle taught by Becker(Tanaka, para. 0006)
In regards to claim 9, Becker teaches a certificate management method comprising: generating a first target Feature on Demand (FoD)5 certificate according to first subscription information for a FoD service based on receiving the first subscription information(EP 4654498, Becker, para. 0052, Step 508 comprises acquiring[e.g. note: generating] the selected features [i.e. note: FoD certificate] for the selected period of time. The user may for example tap on a "shopping cart" icon and discover all the selected features[e.g. note: 1st and 2nd FoD] in the "FoD shopping cart" menu and use the OEM's ordering process to either buy a feature immediately for the life of the vehicle, for a certain period of time, or just the trial Activate subscription.[i.e. note: where a plurality of subscription options are available: 1st – for the life of the vehicle, or 2nd – for a certain period of time, etc]); generating a second target FoD certificate according to second subscription information different from the first subscription information based on receiving the second subscription information(EP 4654498, Becker, para. 0052, Step 508 comprises acquiring[e.g. note: generating] the selected features [i.e. note: FoD certificate] for the selected period of time. The user may for example tap on a "shopping cart" icon and discover all the selected features[e.g. note: 1st and 2nd FoD] in the "FoD shopping cart" menu and use the OEM's ordering process to either buy a feature immediately for the life of the vehicle, for a certain period of time, or just the trial Activate subscription.[i.e. note: where a plurality of subscription options are available: 1st – for the life of the vehicle, or 2nd – for a certain period of time, etc]); and Becker does not teach determining whether to transmit the second target FoD certificate to a vehicle based on determining whether the first target FoD certificate has been transmitted to the vehicle However, Tanaka teaches determining whether to transmit the second target FoD certificate to a vehicle based on determining whether the first target FoD certificate has been transmitted to the vehicle (US 20230027195, Tanaka, para. 0006, store feature data indicating the position of the feature in the memory whenever receiving the feature data from any of one or more vehicles via a communication circuit capable of communicating with the vehicles, update the probability distribution indicating how likely the feature exists as a function of position, based on the position of the feature indicated by each of one or more pieces of received feature data, and transmit an instruction to stop collecting the feature data to the one or more vehicles via the communication circuit when the extent of the updated probability distribution is not greater than a predetermined threshold.). 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 teaching of Becker with the teaching of Tanaka because a user would have been motivated to determine the likelihood of the existence of a feature, taught by Tanaka, before being allowed to downloading the feature to the vehicle taught by Becker(Tanaka, para. 0006)
2.) Claims 2 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over EP 4654498, Becker in view of US 20230027195, Tanaka and further in view of WO 2025063979, Olla
In regards to claim 2, the combination of Becker and Tanaka teach the certificate management apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:transmit a result of generation of the first target FoD certificate and a result of generation of the second target FoD certificate to a FoD purchase server based on receiving the first subscription information and the second subscription information from the FoD purchase server(EP 4654498, Becker, para. 0039, Step 402 comprises selecting one or more features (for example, features on demand (FOD)) of the multi-band multi-standard re-configurable media receiver (for example, tuner hardware and/or of the SDR algorithm stack and/or of the internet browser). This selecting may be done by a customer or an OEM. For example, a set of features may be selected at the time the vehicle is purchased or ordered.); determine a history of the first target FoD certificate being installed in the vehicle based on the vehicle status information based on determining that the first subscription information relates to purchase of the FoD service(EP 4654498, Becker, para. 0049, Selecting a FoD may be done by presenting one or more FoD for selecting on a user interface (which may be a display unit or an audio system for presenting features) of the media receiver or before purchasing a vehicle. In some arrangements, it may be beneficial when features (FoD) are bundled in feature packages and the packages are presented for acquiring.); the combination of Becker and Tanaka does not teach receive vehicle status information that includes information on a FoD activation status of the vehicle and whether a FoD certificate is installed;determine whether an ignition of the vehicle is activated based on determining that there is no history of the first target FoD certificate being installed in the vehicle; and transmit the first target FoD certificate to the vehicle based on the ignition of the vehicle being activated; However, Olla teaches receive vehicle status information that includes information on a FoD activation status of the vehicle and whether a FoD certificate is installed (WO 2025063979, Olla, para. 0058, In some embodiments, the vehicle controller 210 can be illuminated to indicate which vehicle functions or features are installed in a specific utility vehicle 100 and to indicate which vehicle functions or features are initiated. A plurality of function status sensors can be configured to communicate with the processor to provide feedback to the processor related to the features that are installed and the functions that have been initiated.);determine whether an ignition of the vehicle is activated based on determining that there is no history of the first target FoD certificate being installed in the vehicle(WO 2025063979, Olla, para. 0011, The operator control system can include a function status sensor configured to detect an availability of one or more vehicle functions[i.e. note: an ignition], and a vehicle controller includes a user interface and a control circuit.); and transmit the first target FoD certificate to the vehicle based on the ignition of the vehicle being activated(WO 2025063979, Olla, para. 0062, Each interactive indicator 220 is associated with a vehicle function or feature, such that when the operator presses an interactive indicator 220, which corresponds to a vehicle function, the processor, in step 430, receives the user input and sends a signal in step 440 to the control circuit to initiate the vehicle function associated with the interactive indicator via a corresponding actuator.). 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 teaching of the combination Becker and Tanaka with the teaching of Olla because a user would have been motivated to use sensory indicators, taught by Olla, in order to provide convenience to a vehicle operator for determining the availability of features in the vehicle taught by the combination of Becker and Tanaka(Olla, para. 0030)
In regards to claim 10, the combination of Becker and Tanaka teach the certificate management method of claim 9, wherein determining whether to transmit the second target FoD certificate includes: transmitting a result of generation of the first target FoD certificate and a result of generation of the second target FoD certificate to a FoD purchase server based on receiving the first subscription information and the second subscription information from the FoD purchase server(EP 4654498, Becker, para. 0039, Step 402 comprises selecting one or more features (for example, features on demand (FOD)) of the multi-band multi-standard re-configurable media receiver (for example, tuner hardware and/or of the SDR algorithm stack and/or of the internet browser). This selecting may be done by a customer or an OEM. For example, a set of features may be selected at the time the vehicle is purchased or ordered.); determining a history of the first target FoD certificate being installed in the vehicle based on the vehicle status information based on determining that the first subscription information is information related to purchase of the FoD service(EP 4654498, Becker, para. 0049, Selecting a FoD may be done by presenting one or more FoD for selecting on a user interface (which may be a display unit or an audio system for presenting features) of the media receiver or before purchasing a vehicle. In some arrangements, it may be beneficial when features (FoD) are bundled in feature packages and the packages are presented for acquiring.); the combination of Becker and Tanaka do not teach receiving vehicle status information that includes information on a FoD activation status of the vehicle and whether a FoD certificate is installed; determining whether an ignition of the vehicle is activated based on determining that there is no history of the first target FoD certificate being installed in the vehicle; and transmitting the first target FoD certificate to the vehicle based on the ignition of the vehicle being activated However, Olla teaches receiving vehicle status information that includes information on a FoD activation status of the vehicle and whether a FoD certificate is installed(WO 2025063979, Olla, para. 0058, In some embodiments, the vehicle controller 210 can be illuminated to indicate which vehicle functions or features are installed in a specific utility vehicle 100 and to indicate which vehicle functions or features are initiated. A plurality of function status sensors can be configured to communicate with the processor to provide feedback to the processor related to the features that are installed and the functions that have been initiated.); determining whether an ignition of the vehicle is activated based on determining that there is no history of the first target FoD certificate being installed in the vehicle(WO 2025063979, Olla, para. 0011, The operator control system can include a function status sensor configured to detect an availability of one or more vehicle functions[i.e. note: an ignition], and a vehicle controller includes a user interface and a control circuit.); and transmitting the first target FoD certificate to the vehicle based on the ignition of the vehicle being activated(WO 2025063979, Olla, para. 0062, Each interactive indicator 220 is associated with a vehicle function or feature, such that when the operator presses an interactive indicator 220, which corresponds to a vehicle function, the processor, in step 430, receives the user input and sends a signal in step 440 to the control circuit to initiate the vehicle function associated with the interactive indicator via a corresponding actuator.). 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 teaching of the combination Becker and Tanaka with the teaching of Olla because a user would have been motivated to use sensory indicators, taught by Olla, in order to provide convenience to a vehicle operator for determining the availability of features in the vehicle taught by the combination of Becker and Tanaka(Olla, para. 0030)
3.) Claims 3 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over EP 4654498, Becker in view of US 20230027195, Tanaka and further in view of WO 2025063979, Olla and further in view of US 20140277828, Bullister
In regards to claim 3, the combination of Becker, Tanaka and Olla teach the certificate management apparatus of claim 2. The combination of Becker, Tanaka and Olla do not teach wherein the processor is configured to: receive a result of installation from the vehicle based on the first target FoD certificate being transmitted to the vehicle and installed in the vehicle; transmit a request to change a status of the first target FoD certificate to a FoD certification server based on determining that the result of installation indicates that the installation of the first target FoD certificate is successful; and transmit a request to reissue the first target FoD certificate to the FoD certification server based on determining 2 that the result of installation indicates that the installation of the first target FoD certificate failed However, Bullister teaches wherein the processor is configured to: receive a result of installation from the vehicle based on the first target FoD certificate being transmitted to the vehicle and installed in the vehicle(US 20140277828, Bullister, para. 0005, The system may transmit to a server a signal indicating the enabled vehicle features installed in the vehicle.); transmit a request to change a status of the first target FoD certificate to a FoD certification server based on determining that the result of installation indicates that the installation of the first target FoD certificate is successful(US 20140277828, Bullister, para. 0033, Every time route status changes (e.g. from garage out to pickup arrival or route started) VCS 110 triggers the backend system to stamp the time and save the GPS location for the status change. After the service is completed, every important step in the route is recorded. VCS 110 may also provide a set of Mobile Kiosk functionalities, which can automatically log tolls, fees and can manually log extra passengers, requested stops and passenger rating/feedbacks.); and transmit a request to reissue the first target FoD certificate to the FoD certification server based on determining 2 that the result of installation indicates that the installation of the first target FoD certificate failed(US 20140277828, Bullister, para. 0055, the VCS may receive a wireless request to initiate the bus master to begin a module and/or device discovery procedure querying for features and functions enabled on the module/device. The wireless request may be transmitted from a server and received by the VCS using one or more wireless technology including, but not limited to, WiFi, cellular, and/or BLUETOOTH communication.). 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 teaching of the combination Becker, Tanaka and Olla with the teaching of Bullister because a user would have been motivated to use a fleet management system, taught by Bullister, in order to customize providing features to a fleet of vehicle taught by the combination of Becker, Tanaka, and Olla(Bullister, para. 0005)
In regards to claim 11, the combination of Becker, Tanaka and Olla teach the certificate management method of claim 10. The combination of Becker, Tanaka and Olla do not teach wherein the determining of whether to transmit the second target FoD certificate includes: receiving a result of installation from the vehicle based on the first target FoD certificate being transmitted to the vehicle and installed in the vehicle; transmitting a request to change a status of the first target FoD certificate to a FoD certification server based on determining that the result of installation indicates that the installation of the first target FoD certificate is successful; and transmitting a request to reissue the first target FoD certificate to the FoD certification server based on determining that the result of installation indicates that the installation of the first target FoD certificate is failed However, Bullister teaches wherein the determining of whether to transmit the second target FoD certificate includes: receiving a result of installation from the vehicle based on the first target FoD certificate being transmitted to the vehicle and installed in the vehicle(US 20140277828, Bullister, para. 0005, The system may transmit to a server a signal indicating the enabled vehicle features installed in the vehicle.); transmitting a request to change a status of the first target FoD certificate to a FoD certification server based on determining that the result of installation indicates that the installation of the first target FoD certificate is successful(US 20140277828, Bullister, para. 0033, Every time route status changes (e.g. from garage out to pickup arrival or route started) VCS 110 triggers the backend system to stamp the time and save the GPS location for the status change. After the service is completed, every important step in the route is recorded. VCS 110 may also provide a set of Mobile Kiosk functionalities, which can automatically log tolls, fees and can manually log extra passengers, requested stops and passenger rating/feedbacks.); and transmitting a request to reissue the first target FoD certificate to the FoD certification server based on determining that the result of installation indicates that the installation of the first target FoD certificate is failed(US 20140277828, Bullister, para. 0055, the VCS may receive a wireless request to initiate the bus master to begin a module and/or device discovery procedure querying for features and functions enabled on the module/device. The wireless request may be transmitted from a server and received by the VCS using one or more wireless technology including, but not limited to, WiFi, cellular, and/or BLUETOOTH communication.). 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 teaching of the combination Becker, Tanaka and Olla with the teaching of Bullister because a user would have been motivated to use a fleet management system, taught by Bullister, in order to customize providing features to a fleet of vehicle taught by the combination of Becker, Tanaka, and Olla(Bullister, para. 0005)
4.) Claims 4 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over EP 4654498, Becker in view of US 20230027195, Tanaka and further in view of US 20210362735, Nagao
In regards to claim 4, the combination of Becker and Tanaka teach the certificate management apparatus of claim 1. the combination of Becker and Tanaka do not teach wherein the processor is configured to determine to not transmit the second target FoD certificate to the vehicle based on determining that the second subscription information is received before the first target FoD certificate is transmitted to the vehicle based on the first subscription information relating to purchase of the FoD service and the second subscription information relating to cancellation of the FoD service However, Nagao teaches wherein the processor is configured to determine to not transmit the second target FoD certificate to the vehicle based on determining that the second subscription information is received before the first target FoD certificate is transmitted to the vehicle based on the first subscription information relating to purchase of the FoD service and the second subscription information relating to cancellation of the FoD service (US 20210362735, Nagao, para. 0116, a vehicle manufacturer may implement monthly subscriptions to particular vehicle features and/or operating modes that may terminate if the subscription is cancelled.). 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 teaching of the combination Becker and Tanaka with the teaching of Nagao because a user would have been motivated to use a policy management system, taught by Nagao, in order to ensure the vehicle, taught by the combination of Becker and Tanako, may safely engage in autonomous and/or assisted driving control actions(Nagao, para. 0006)
In regards to claim 12, the combination of Becker and Tanaka teach the certificate management method of claim 9. The combination of Becker and Tanaka do not teach wherein determining whether to transmit the second target FoD certificate includes determining to not transmit the second target FoD certificate to the vehicle based on determining that the second 7 subscription information is received before the first target FoD certificate is transmitted to the vehicle based on the first subscription information relating to purchase of the FoD service and the second subscription information relating to cancellation of the FoD service However, Nagao teaches wherein determining whether to transmit the second target FoD certificate includes determining to not transmit the second target FoD certificate to the vehicle based on determining that the second 7 subscription information is received before the first target FoD certificate is transmitted to the vehicle based on the first subscription information relating to purchase of the FoD service and the second subscription information relating to cancellation of the FoD service (US 20210362735, Nagao, para. 0116, a vehicle manufacturer may implement monthly subscriptions to particular vehicle features and/or operating modes that may terminate if the subscription is cancelled.). 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 teaching of the combination Becker and Tanaka with the teaching of Nagao because a user would have been motivated to use a policy management system, taught by Nagao, in order to ensure the vehicle, taught by the combination of Becker and Tanako, may safely engage in autonomous and/or assisted driving control actions(Nagao, para. 0006)
5.) Claims 5 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over EP 4654498, Becker in view of US 20230027195, Tanaka and further in view of US 20210362735, Nagao and further in view of US 20140277828, Bullister
In regards to claim 5, the combination of Becker, Tanaka and Nagao teach the certificate management apparatus of claim 4. the combination of Becker, Tanaka and Nagao do not teach wherein the processor is configured to:receive vehicle status information that includes information on a FoD activation status of the vehicle and whether a FoD certificate is installed;determine whether the first target FoD certificate is installed in the vehicle through the vehicle status information based on determining that the second subscription information is received after the first target FoD certificate has been transmitted to the vehicle;transmit the second target FoD certificate to the vehicle based on determining that the first target FoD certificate has been installed in the vehicle; anddetermine to not transmit the second target FoD certificate to the vehicle based on determining that the first target FoD certificate has not been installed in the vehicle However, Bullister teaches teach wherein the processor is configured to:receive vehicle status information that includes information on a FoD activation status of the vehicle and whether a FoD certificate is installed(US 20140277828, Bullister, para. 0005, The system may transmit to a server a signal indicating the enabled vehicle features installed in the vehicle.);determine whether the first target FoD certificate is installed in the vehicle through the vehicle status information based on determining that the second subscription information is received after the first target FoD certificate has been transmitted to the vehicle(US 20140277828, Bullister, para. 0007, The method may establish communication of one or more vehicle modules using a vehicle data bus and being to perform a query of the one or more vehicle modules for enabled features installed in a vehicle. The query process may begin in response to the initialization signal received by the vehicle computing system.);transmit the second target FoD certificate to the vehicle based on determining that the first target FoD certificate has been installed in the vehicle(US 20140277828, Bullister, para. 0005, The system may transmit to a server a signal indicating the enabled vehicle features installed in the vehicle. The system may output the enabled vehicle features to a user while tailoring the user screen data based on the enabled features.); anddetermine to not transmit the second target FoD certificate to the vehicle based on determining that the first target FoD certificate has not been installed in the vehicle(US 20140277828, Bullister, fig. 5, steps 310 and 314, when a feature is not detected, the transmit step is not performed). 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 teaching of the combination Becker, Tanaka and Nagao with the teaching of Bullister because a user would have been motivated to use a fleet management system, taught by Bullister, in order to customize providing features to a fleet of vehicle taught by the combination of Becker, Tanaka, and Nagao(Bullister, para. 0005)
In regards to claim 13, the combination of Becker, Tanaka and Nagao teach the certificate management method of claim 12. The combination of Becker, Tanaka and Nagao do not teach wherein determining whether to transmit the second target FoD certificate includes: receiving vehicle status information that includes information on a FoD activation status of the vehicle and whether a FoD certificate is installed; identifying whether the first target FoD certificate is installed in the vehicle through the vehicle status information based on determining that the second subscription information is received after the first target FoD certificate has been transmitted to the vehicle; transmitting the second target FoD certificate to the vehicle based on determining that the first target FoD certificate has been installed in the vehicle; and determining to not transmit the second target FoD certificate to the vehicle based on determining that the first target FoD certificate has not been installed in the vehicle However, Bullister teaches wherein determining whether to transmit the second target FoD certificate includes: receiving vehicle status information that includes information on a FoD activation status of the vehicle and whether a FoD certificate is installed(US 20140277828, Bullister, para. 0005, The system may transmit to a server a signal indicating the enabled vehicle features installed in the vehicle.); identifying whether the first target FoD certificate is installed in the vehicle through the vehicle status information based on determining that the second subscription information is received after the first target FoD certificate has been transmitted to the vehicle(US 20140277828, Bullister, para. 0007, The method may establish communication of one or more vehicle modules using a vehicle data bus and being to perform a query of the one or more vehicle modules for enabled features installed in a vehicle. The query process may begin in response to the initialization signal received by the vehicle computing system.); transmitting the second target FoD certificate to the vehicle based on determining that the first target FoD certificate has been installed in the vehicle(US 20140277828, Bullister, para. 0005, The system may transmit to a server a signal indicating the enabled vehicle features installed in the vehicle. The system may output the enabled vehicle features to a user while tailoring the user screen data based on the enabled features.); and determining to not transmit the second target FoD certificate to the vehicle based on determining that the first target FoD certificate has not been installed in the vehicle(US 20140277828, Bullister, fig. 5, steps 310 and 314, when a feature is not detected, the transmit step is not performed). 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 teaching of the combination Becker, Tanaka and Nagao with the teaching of Bullister because a user would have been motivated to use a fleet management system, taught by Bullister, in order to customize providing features to a fleet of vehicle taught by the combination of Becker, Tanaka, and Nagao(Bullister, para. 0005)
6.) Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over EP 4654498, Becker in view of US 20230020214, Puchalski
In regards to claim 6, Becker teaches a certificate management system comprising: an FoD purchase server configured to receive information, provided by a user, on purchase and cancellation of purchase of an FoD service(EP 4654498, Becker, para. 0037, a reporting server 308 that is coupled to the controller part 220 via for example a mobile radio connection 310.
0039, Step 402 comprises selecting one or more features (for example, features on demand (FOD)) of the multi-band multi-standard re-configurable media receiver (for example, tuner hardware and/or of the SDR algorithm stack and/or of the internet browser). This selecting may be done by a customer or an OEM. For example, a set of features may be selected at the time the vehicle is purchased or ordered. ); an FoD certification server configured to generate a FoD certificate for the FoD service(EP 4654498, Becker, para. 0052, Step 508 comprises acquiring[e.g. note: generating] the selected features [i.e. note: FoD certificate] for the selected period of time. The user may for example tap on a "shopping cart" icon and discover all the selected features in the "FoD shopping cart" menu and use the OEM's ordering process to either buy a feature immediately for the life of the vehicle, for a certain period of time, or just the trial Activate subscription.[i.e. note: where a plurality of subscription options are available: 1st – for the life of the vehicle, or 2nd – for a certain period of time, etc]); and Becker does not teach a certificate management apparatus configured to transmit the FoD certificate to a vehicle based on information received from the FoD purchase server and the FoD certification server, wherein the FoD purchase server is configured to:transmit subscription information for the FoD service to the certificate management apparatus based on receiving the subscription information from the user(US 20230020214, Puchalski, para. 0129, setting preferences, including subscription services for navigation, weather, traffic, insurance purchase, feature purchase[i.e. note: FoD], vehicle preferences and settings, and/or the like; …downloading[i.e. note: transmitting] preferences and settings, including subscription download, vehicle settings download, purchased feature[i.e. note: FoD] download,), andreceive a result regarding whether the FoD certificate according to the subscription information has been generated, from the certificate management apparatus(US 20230020214, Puchalski, para. 0010, transmitting an initiating message from a global manager cloud to an external service cloud via an on-vehicle modem to invoke a transportation as a service (TaaS) message provided by the external service cloud via a TaaS link to an on-vehicle modem, including confirmation data[i.e. note: result information] of the global manager cloud for the TaaS message as a part of a TaaS update to an on-vehicle TaaS component of an on-vehicle black-box processor;), and wherein the FoD certification server is configured to:receive a request to generate the FoD certificate according to the subscription information from the certificate management apparatus, generate the FoD certificate based on the request to 4 generate the FoD certificate, the FoD certificate including at least one of a serial number, a tag, or information on the vehicle, or any combination thereof, and transmit the FoD certificate to the certificate management apparatus(US 20230020214, Puchalski, para. 0129, user enrollment, including account registration, billing, and account preferences, and/or the like; setting preferences, including subscription services for navigation, weather, traffic, insurance purchase, feature purchase, vehicle preferences and settings, and/or the like; finding a car, locate nearby car, select car types and preferences, car health status, directions to car, metering data, and/or the like; accessing a car, including, user authorization and validation, lock/unlock doors, validate vehicle health, billing initialization, and/or the like; downloading preferences and settings, including subscription download, vehicle settings download, purchased feature download, and/or the like; vehicle services, including starting a car, insurance activation, driver behavioral data upload, GPS and metering data upload, vehicle diagnostic data upload, notifications and alerts, and/or the like; [i.e. note: where vehicle information may be downloaded and uploaded]). 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 teaching of the combination Becker with the teaching of Puchalski because a user would have been motivated to use an on-vehicle modem, taught by Puchalski, in order to enable protection for a TaaS link for autonomous vehicles(Puchalski, para. 0010)
7.) Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over EP 4654498, Becker in view of US 20230020214, Puchalski and further in view of US 20140277828, Bullister
In regards to claim 7, the combination of Becker and Puchalski teach the certificate management system of claim 6, wherein the FoD certification server is configured to: generate information on the FoD certificate being installed in the vehicle based on the request to change the certificate status(EP 4654498, Becker, para. 0039, Comfort features (FoD) may be for example background station list, station list updates[i.e. note: changes],); and the combination of Becker and Puchalski do not teach receive a request to change a certificate status from the certificate management apparatus after the FoD certificate is installed in the vehicle However, Bullister teaches receive a request to change a certificate status from the certificate management apparatus after the FoD certificate is installed in the vehicle(US 20140277828, Bullister, para. 0033, Every time route status changes (e.g. from garage out to pickup arrival or route started) VCS 110 triggers the backend system to stamp the time and save the GPS location for the status change. After the service is completed, every important step in the route is recorded. VCS 110 may also provide a set of Mobile Kiosk functionalities, which can automatically log tolls, fees and can manually log extra passengers, requested stops and passenger rating/feedbacks.). 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 teaching of the combination Becker and Puchalski with the teaching of Bullister because a user would have been motivated to use a fleet management system, taught by Bullister, in order to customize providing features to a fleet of vehicle taught by the combination of Becker and Puchalski(Bullister, para. 0005)
8.) Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over EP 4654498, Becker in view of US 20230020214, Puchalski and further in view of US 20150363988, Van Wiemeersch
In regards to claim 8, the combination of Becker and Puchalski teach the certificate management system of claim 6. The combination of Becker and Puchalski do not teach wherein the certificate management apparatus is configured to transmit a target link for downloading the FoD certificate to the vehicle, and wherein the FoD certification server is configured to transmit the FoD certificate to the vehicle based on identifying a request to transmit the FoD certificate through the target link However, Van Wiemeersch teaches wherein the certificate management apparatus is configured to transmit a target link for downloading the FoD certificate to the vehicle, and wherein the FoD certification server is configured to transmit the FoD certificate to the vehicle based on identifying a request to transmit the FoD certificate through the target link (US 20150363988, Van Wiemeersch, para. 0038, over the air vehicle programming, MP3 downloading to a vehicle, home link transmitter control, vehicle health status, remote access of camera images, vehicle personalization settings, media mode control, media volume control, radio station selection, listening via Sync® microphone and enabling various application link features.). 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 teaching of the combination Becker and Puchalski with the teaching of Van Wiemeersch because a user would have been motivated to use a fob in the sleeve of a mobile device, taught by Van Wiemeersch, in order to allow a user to conveniently control the unlocking and starting of a vehicle taught by the combination of Becker and Puchalski(Van Wiemeersch, para. 0035 and 0036)
9.) Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over EP 4654498, Becker in view of US 20230027195, Tanaka and further in view of US 20230020214, Puchalski
In regards to claim 14, the combination of Becker and Tanaka teach the certificate management method of claim 9. The combination of Becker and Tanaka do not teach wherein the determining of whether to transmit the second target FoD certificate includes: transmitting subscription information for the FoD service to a certificate management apparatus based on receiving the subscription information provided by a user; receiving a result regarding whether the FoD certificate has been generated according to the subscription information from the certificate management apparatus; receiving a request to generate the FoD certificate according to the subscription information from the certificate management apparatus; generating the FoD certificate based on the request to generate the FoD certificate, the FoD certificate including at least one of a serial number, a tag, or information on the vehicle, or any combination thereof; and transmitting the FoD certificate to the certificate management apparatus However, Puchalski teaches wherein the determining of whether to transmit the second target FoD certificate includes: transmitting subscription information for the FoD service to a certificate management apparatus based on receiving the subscription information provided by a user(US 20230020214, Puchalski, para. 0129, setting preferences, including subscription services for navigation, weather, traffic, insurance purchase, feature purchase[i.e. note: FoD], vehicle preferences and settings, and/or the like; …downloading[i.e. note: transmitting] preferences and settings, including subscription download, vehicle settings download, purchased feature[i.e. note: FoD] download,); receiving a result regarding whether the FoD certificate has been generated according to the subscription information from the certificate management apparatus(US 20230020214, Puchalski, para. 0010, transmitting an initiating message from a global manager cloud to an external service cloud via an on-vehicle modem to invoke a transportation as a service (TaaS) message provided by the external service cloud via a TaaS link to an on-vehicle modem, including confirmation data[i.e. note: result information] of the global manager cloud for the TaaS message as a part of a TaaS update to an on-vehicle TaaS component of an on-vehicle black-box processor;); receiving a request to generate the FoD certificate according to the subscription information from the certificate management apparatus; generating the FoD certificate based on the request to generate the FoD certificate, the FoD certificate including at least one of a serial number, a tag, or information on the vehicle, or any combination thereof; and transmitting the FoD certificate to the certificate management apparatus(US 20230020214, Puchalski, para. 0129, user enrollment, including account registration, billing, and account preferences, and/or the like; setting preferences, including subscription services for navigation, weather, traffic, insurance purchase, feature purchase, vehicle preferences and settings, and/or the like; finding a car, locate nearby car, select car types and preferences, car health status, directions to car, metering data, and/or the like; accessing a car, including, user authorization and validation, lock/unlock doors, validate vehicle health, billing initialization, and/or the like; downloading preferences and settings, including subscription download, vehicle settings download, purchased feature download, and/or the like; vehicle services, including starting a car, insurance activation, driver behavioral data upload, GPS and metering data upload, vehicle diagnostic data upload, notifications and alerts, and/or the like; [i.e. note: where vehicle information may be downloaded and uploaded]). 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 teaching of the combination Becker and Tanaka with the teaching of Puchalski because a user would have been motivated to use an on-vehicle modem, taught by Puchalski, in order to enable protection for a TaaS link for autonomous vehicles(Puchalski, para. 0010)
10.) Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over EP 4654498, Becker in view of US 20230027195, Tanaka and further in view of US 20230020214, Puchalski and further in view of US 20140277828, Bullister
In regards to claim 15, the combination of Becker, Tanaka and Puchalski teach the certificate management method of claim 14, wherein determining whether to transmit the second target FoD certificate includes: generating information on the FoD certificate being 9 installed in the vehicle based on the request to change the certificate status(EP 4654498, Becker, para. 0039, Comfort features (FoD) may be for example background station list, station list updates[i.e. note: changes],); and the combination of Becker, Tanaka and Puchalski do not teach receiving a request to change a certificate status from the certificate management apparatus after the FoD certificate is installed in the vehicle However, Bullister teaches receiving a request to change a certificate status from the certificate management apparatus after the FoD certificate is installed in the vehicle (US 20140277828, Bullister, para. 0033, Every time route status changes (e.g. from garage out to pickup arrival or route started) VCS 110 triggers the backend system to stamp the time and save the GPS location for the status change. After the service is completed, every important step in the route is recorded. VCS 110 may also provide a set of Mobile Kiosk functionalities, which can automatically log tolls, fees and can manually log extra passengers, requested stops and passenger rating/feedbacks.). 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 teaching of the combination Becker, Tanaka and Puchalski with the teaching of Bullister because a user would have been motivated to use a fleet management system, taught by Bullister, in order to customize providing features to a fleet of vehicle taught by the combination of Becker, Tanaka, and Puchalski(Bullister, para. 0005)
11.) Claim 16 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over EP 4654498, Becker in view of US 20230027195, Tanaka and further in view of US 20230020214, Puchalski and further in view of US 20150363988, Van Wiemeersch
In regards to claim 16, the combination of Becker, Tanaka and Puchalski teach the certificate management method of claim 14. the combination of Becker, Tanaka and Puchalski do not teach wherein determining whether to transmit the second target FoD certificate includes: transmitting a target link for downloading the FoD certificate to the vehicle; and transmitting the FoD certificate to the vehicle based on identifying a request to transmit the FoD certificate through the target link However, Van Wiemeersch teaches wherein determining whether to transmit the second target FoD certificate includes: transmitting a target link for downloading the FoD certificate to the vehicle(US 20150363988, Van Wiemeersch, para. 0038, over the air vehicle programming, MP3 downloading to a vehicle, home link transmitter control,); and transmitting the FoD certificate to the vehicle based on identifying a request to transmit the FoD certificate through the target link (US 20150363988, Van Wiemeersch, para. 0038, over the air vehicle programming, MP3 downloading to a vehicle, home link transmitter control, vehicle health status, remote access of camera images, vehicle personalization settings, media mode control, media volume control, radio station selection, listening via Sync® microphone and enabling various application link features.[i.e. note: feature information is downloaded{i.e. transmitted}]). 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 teaching of the combination Becker, Tanaka and Puchalski with the teaching of Van Wiemeersch because a user would have been motivated to use a fob in the sleeve of a mobile device, taught by Van Wiemeersch, in order to allow a user to conveniently control the unlocking and starting of a vehicle taught by the combination of Becker, Tanaka and Puchalski(Van Wiemeersch, para. 0035 and 0036)
CONCLUSION
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GREGORY LANE whose telephone number is (571)270-7469. The examiner can normally be reached on 571 270 7469 from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Taghi Arani, can be reached on 571 272 3787. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free).
/GREGORY A LANE/Examiner, Art Unit 2438
/TAGHI T ARANI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2438
Prosecution Insights