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 .
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-4, 6-12, 14-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Anderson (US 20190049251 A1).
Regarding claim 1. Anderson discloses A system for identifying and verifying that a vehicle is genuine (abstract, a system to receive image data from one or more video cameras located in a location vicinity of the CA/AD vehicle emitting a pattern of light, and to analyze the received image data to determine a physical location of the vehicle), the system comprises:
a lighting device arranged at the vehicle configured emit light ([0013] The system may then identify the vehicles in the vicinity by requesting that each vehicle emit its unique light pattern);
an electronic device with a camera configured to capture at least any of an image and a video of the vehicle ([0012] image data of the vehicle captured from the video cameras);
a processing circuitry operatively connected to the lighting device and the electronic device ([0012]-[0014]) configured to:
initiate identity emitting light by the lighting device ([0013] The system may then identify the vehicles in the vicinity by requesting that each vehicle emit its unique light pattern; [0014] The system may send a request to the vehicle to emit its identifying light pattern);
capture at least any of an image and a video of the vehicle by the electronic device ([0012] image data of the vehicle captured from the video cameras; [0014] determine one or more video cameras that may be able to capture image data of the vehicle); and
process the captured image and/or video to identify the identity emitting light to verify that the vehicle in the captured image and/or video is genuinely the vehicle with the lighting device ([0014] Based upon the identifying light pattern of the vehicle in the image data, the system may identify the vehicle).
Regarding claim 2. Anderson discloses The system according to claim 1, wherein the identity emitting light is at least any of a visible light and an infrared light ([0012] A visual identifier, such as a light pattern, e.g., a blinking pattern, emitted from the vehicle, may be used to identify the vehicle on the image data).
Regarding claim 3. Anderson discloses The system according to claim 1, wherein the processing of the captured image and/or video to identify the identity emitting light comprising comparing the obtained identity emitting light with a predefined identity emitting light ([0013] The system may then compare the light patterns to a list of vehicle identifiers), and in a determination that the obtained identity emitting light corresponds to the predefined identity emitting light, determining that the vehicle in the captured image and/or video is genuinely the vehicle with the lighting device ([0013] The system may then determine, from captured image data of the vehicles, an accurate physical location of each vehicle).
Regarding claim 4. Anderson discloses The system according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:
store the captured image and/or video together with the determination that the vehicle in the captured image and/or video is genuinely the vehicle with the lighting device ([0046] The communication interface 430 component may also receive blinking light pattern information from one or more vehicles 102, which may be stored in a light pattern identifiers 435 component. The communication interface 430 may also receive video image data from one or more video cameras, such as video cameras 122, 124 of FIG. 1. In embodiments, the analyzer module 432 may transmit a request for image data from video cameras 122, 124, that may be proximate to the vehicle 102 based upon information in the GPS reports 434 component; [0066] System memory 604 and/or mass storage devices 606, may also include data such as data that may be found in the GPS reports 434 component or in the light pattern identifiers 435 component of FIG. 4).
Regarding claim 6. Anderson discloses The system according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:
generate an instruction message to the electronic device indicative of a request to capture at least any of an image and a video of the vehicle by the camera of the electronic device ([0036] determine which infrastructure video cameras 122, 124 may capture image data of the identifying light pattern emitted from vehicle 202; [0046] the analyzer module 432 may transmit a request for image data from video cameras 122, 124).
Regarding claim 7. The same analysis has been stated in claim 1.
Regarding claim 8. Anderson discloses The method according to claim 7, wherein the identity emitting light is emitted according to a predefined blinking sequence ([0012] A visual identifier, such as a light pattern, e.g., a blinking pattern, emitted from the vehicle, may be used to identify the vehicle on the image data).
Regarding claim 9. Anderson discloses The method according to claim 7, wherein the identity emitting light is emitted according to a predefined light intensity sequence ([0042] The identifying light pattern may be a simple flash of lights, or may be a code to identify the vehicle 202 on the image data captured from video cameras 122, 124 of FIG. 1. The pattern of light emitting may continue for a determined period of time, or until a command is received by the controller 206 to stop the emitting).
Regarding claim 10. Anderson discloses The method according to claim 7, wherein the identity emitting light is emitted by at least a first predefined lighting device arranged at the vehicle ([0013] The system may then identify the vehicles in the vicinity by requesting that each vehicle emit its unique light pattern; [0027] The vehicle 102 may include a light source such as headlights 104a or a separate light emitter 104b to emit a light pattern, e.g., a blinking light pattern or a strobing).
Regarding claim 11. The same analysis has been stated in claim 3.
Regarding claim 12. The same analysis has been stated in claim 4.
Regarding claim 14. The same analysis has been stated in claim 6.
Regarding claim 15. The same analysis has been stated in claim 1.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 5, 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Anderson (US 20190049251 A1) in view of OTA et al. (US 20230401494 A1).
Regarding claim 5. OTA discloses
receive a request indicative of initiation or termination of usage of a vehicle ([0024] when the management server 1 receives a lending request from the user US (the user terminal 4), a vehicle VH in which a usage condition desired by the user US matches a lending condition desired by the owner OW is selected. The selected vehicle VH is transmitted from the management server 1 to the user terminal 4. When the use of the vehicle VH is started, the user US authenticates with the vehicle VH using, for example, short-range communication or the like. This allows the user US to use the vehicle VH. When the use of the vehicle VH is terminated, the user US authenticates with the vehicle VH).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the inventions of Anderson and OTA, to include features of requesting initiation or termination of usage of a vehicle.
Regarding claim 13. The same analysis has been stated in claim 5.
Conclusion
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/XIAOLAN XU/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2488
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