DETAILED ACTION
This Action is responsive to the Application filed on 08/19/2025.
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 Status
Claims 1-20 are presented. Claims 1-20 are pending and have been examined.
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.
Claims 1-3 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee et al. (US 20200394851 A1)(hereafter referred to as Lee).
Regarding Claim 1,
Lee anticipates the following limitations:
A storage device (Electronic Device 101, Fig. 1) comprising:
a non-volatile memory device (Non-Volatile Memory 134, Fig. 1) comprising a software memory region (Internal Memory 136, Fig. 1) configured to store first instructions (¶0212); and
a storage controller (Processor 120, Fig. 1) configured to implement a message manager (Main Processor 121, Fig. 1 // Fig. 8) by executing the first instructions (¶¶0074; 0140; 0212) – Processor 120 executes instructions stored in Internal Memory 136. A main processor 121 performs the overall operation of electronic device 101, including the method of Fig. 8. Examiner considers a processor, such as main processor 121, which executes a method relating to message generation (see below), as “a message manager”--,
wherein the message manager is configured to (¶0140):
receive (Fig. 8, step 801) environment data (¶0141) of a vehicle (Vehicle 220, Fig. 2) from a sensor device (Sensor Module 176, Fig. 1) mounted on the vehicle (“in operation 801, an electronic device … may collect information or data form at least one sensor … the information collected by the sensor of the electronic device may include … information about the state of a road … and information about weather” [0140-141] // ¶0074) – Electronic device 101 is located within a vehicle and includes a sensor module 176. During step 801 of Fig. 8, information about a road state and weather (i.e., “environment data”) is received from the sensor module--; and
generate (Fig. 8, steps 809) message data (“BSM” [0147] // Fig. 7) configured to contribute to driving of the vehicle based on the environment data. (“the electronic device may generate a general V2X message or BSM based at least on the data acquired from the at least one sensor” [0147] // ¶0005) – During step 809, the electronic device generates a “basic safety message (BSM)” based on the data acquired during step 801.
Regarding Claim 2,
Lee anticipates the following limitations:
The storage device of claim 1, wherein the storage controller comprises:
a volatile memory device (Volatile Memory 132, Fig. 1) configured to temporarily store the first instructions (“The memory 130 may store various pieces of data used by at least component … for example software (e.g., the program 140) … The memory 130 may include the volatile memory 132 or the non-volatile memory 132” [0038]); and
a processor (Processor 120, Fig. 1) configured to implement the message manager by executing the first instructions. (¶¶0074; 0140; 0212) – As previously discussed (see Claim 1 limitation mappings above), a processor executes software to perform the processes performed by electronic device 101.
Regarding Claim 3,
Lee anticipates the following limitations:
The storage device of claim 1, wherein the environment data comprise at least one of (¶0141) -- ¶0141 provides several examples of information received during step 801--
image information (“data collected through the image sensor” [0141]),
sensing information indicating an external object (“information about at least one external moving means (e.g., vehicle) adjacent to the electronic device” [0141]),
position information of the vehicle, moving direction information of the vehicle, speed information of the vehicle, and brake system status of the vehicle. (see MPEP 2143.03; selection from list of alternatives)
Regarding Claim 10,
Lee anticipates the following limitations:
The storage device of claim 1, wherein the software memory region (Internal Memory 136, Fig. 1) is further configured to store third instructions (¶0212), wherein the storage controller is further configured to implement a service manager (Main Processor 121, Fig. 1 // ¶0074) by executing the third instructions (¶0212), and wherein the service manager is configured to -- Main processor 121 performs the overall operation of the electronic device 101. Examiner considers a processor which performs operation such as that described in Lee ¶¶0085-86 (see below) as reading on the claimed concept of “a service manager”--
provide a driver or passenger of the vehicle with at least one of an emergency situation guidance service (¶¶0085-86),
a construction section guidance service, a blind spot guidance service, a weather guidance service, a lane control system (LCS) guidance service, and a point of interest (POI) guidance service, (see MPEP 2143.03; selection from list of alternatives)
based on the message data. (“In various embodiments, the processor 120 may display, on th display device 160, a content indicating at least one of the movement and location of another vehicle, which is generated based on at least a portion of information included in the BSM received from the other vehicle … the processor 120 may display, on the display device 160, information (e.g., notification message) associated with a relay message received from another external vehicle in the form of, for example, text or image, or may notify a driver of the information associated with the relay message in various methods (e.g., sound or warning sound) through the audio module 170” [0085-86])
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.
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 4-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee further in view of Mach (US 20220217568 A1)(hereafter referred to as Mach).
Regarding Claim 4,
Lee discloses the following limitations:
The storage device of claim 1 (see Claim 1 limitation mappings above), wherein the message data comprises: a header (BSM Header 710, Fig. 7) …; and
a field (BSM Data Part 720, Fig. 7) describing contents (Message Content 725, Fig. 7) corresponding to the message type and comprising period information (Relay Condition 724, Fig. 7) indicating a maximally allowed response time. (“the BSM 700 may be configured to include a BSM header 710 and a BSM data part 720 … the BSM data part 2 field 720 may include a relay condition 724, a message content 725” [0136] // “The vehicle 220 … may enable the generated BSM to be included in the communication signal 231 to transmit the resulting data … the vehicle 220 may transmit the communication signal 231 based, for example and without limitation, on the transmission period, transmission frequency, and/or transmission intensity … there is no limitation on transmission conditions” [0060-61]) – The generated BSM includes both a header 710 and a data field 720. The data field includes a relay condition 724 and message content 725. A generated BSM is transmitted out from the vehicle according to “transmission conditions” including “transmission period”. In the context of transmitting a generated BSM according to a transmission period, the relay condition 724 corresponds to “a maximally allowed response time of the message data” (i.e., a maximal amount of time until a next BSM must be transmit according to the transmission period).
Lee is silent regarding the contents of header 710 and thus is silent regarding the following limitations:
a header indicating a message type
However, Mach discloses the following limitations:
a header (ITS PDU Header, Fig. 2) indicating a message type (“FIG. 2 schematically depicts a Cooperative Perception Message (CPM) protocol data unit (PDU) … As shown in FIG. 2, the ITS PDU header is a common header that includes … the message type” [0374-379] // ¶¶0006; 0080) – Examiner considers the CPM message depicted in Mach Fig. 2 as analogous to the BSM depicted in Lee Fig. 7 because both are messages generated and broadcast between vehicles according to V2X protocols to support vehicle safety applications (see Mach ¶¶0006; 0080). As taught in Mach, the header of the CPM message includes message type.
Lee and Mach are considered analogous to the claimed invention because they all relate to the same field of generating and broadcasting periodic V2X messages for vehicle safety applications. Therefore, it would have been obvious for someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Lee with the teachings of Mach and realize a message header which indicates a message type. Such a message header is a feature of Cooperative Perception Messages which enable vehicles to predict upcoming coverage, as disclosed in Mach ¶0080: “By combining cell measurements in the source vehicle with its georeferenced parameters (location, speed, heading) and broadcasting it via V2V messages (CPM), receiving vehicles (e.g., those following the source vehicle within the V2V direct communication range) could predict the mobile coverage up to a few seconds ahead (vehicle speed dependent).” [0080]
Regarding Claim 5,
The same motivation to combine provided in Claim 4 is equally applicable to Claim 5. The combined teachings of Lee and Mach disclose the following limitations:
The storage device of claim 4, wherein the message type corresponds to a basic safety message, (Lee, “a basic safety message (BSM)” [0008])
a common safety request, an emergency vehicle alert, or probe vehicle data. (see MPEP 2143.03; selection from list of alternatives)
Regarding Claim 6,
The same motivation to combine provided in Claim 4 is equally applicable to Claim 6. The combined teachings of Lee and Mach disclose the following limitations:
The storage device of claim 4, wherein the message type corresponds to a basic safety message (Lee, “a basic safety message (BSM)” [0008]), and wherein the field (Lee, BSM data part 720, Fig. 7) further comprises (Lee, Fig. 7 // ¶0137) – As shown in Lee Fig. 7, data field 720 of the BSM includes several pieces of information--
identification information of the vehicle (Lee, Information 726, Fig. 7), latitude information of the vehicle (Lee, Information 721, Fig. 7 // “latitude” [0137]), longitude information of the vehicle (Lee, Information 721, Fig. 7 // “longitude” [0137]), altitude information of the vehicle (Lee, Information 721, Fig. 7 // “altitude” [0137]), moving direction information of the vehicle (Lee, Information 722, Fig. 7 // “heading” [0137]), speed information of the vehicle (Lee, Information 722, Fig. 7 // “speed” [0137]), brake system status information of the vehicle (Lee, Fig. 7 // “control information (e.g., brake status)” [0137]), and size information of the vehicle. (Lee, Fig. 7 // “basic information of a basic transportation means (e.g., size of the transportation means” [0137])(Lee, “the BSM data part 1 field 720a may include information 721 associated with the location of a vehicle (e.g., latitude, longitude, altitude, or location accuracy), information 722 associated with the movement of a vehicle (e.g., speed or heading), a steering wheel angle 723, acceleration setting, control information (e.g., brake status), or basic information of a basic transportation means (e.g., size of the transportation means) … the BSM data part 2 field 720b may include … emergency vehicle location information 726” [0137-139])
Claims 7, 9, 13-14, 16, and 18-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee further in view of Park et al. (US 20200346663 A1)(hereafter referred to as Park) further in view of Tanriover et al. (US 20200192603 A1)(hereafter referred to as Tanriover).
Regarding Claim 7,
Lee discloses the following limitations:
The storage device of claim 1 (see Claim 1 limitation mappings above), wherein the non-volatile memory device further comprises a user memory region (Non-Volatile Memory 134, Fig. 1 // “The processor 120 may load and process commands or data received from other components (e.g., the sensor module 176 or the communication 190) into a volatile memory 132, and may store the resulting data in a non-volatile memory 134” [0037]) – Non-volatile memory 134 stores data received from sensor modules (i.e., “a user memory region” storing data received from other modules)--,
…
wherein the message manager is configured to: determine … a maximally allowed response time corresponding to period information (Relay Condition 724, Fig. 7) of a field (BSM Data Part 720, Fig. 7) of the message data (“the BSM 700 may be configured to include a BSM header 710 and a BSM data part 720 … the BSM data part 2 field 720 may include a relay condition 724, a message content 725” [0136] // “The vehicle 220 … may enable the generated BSM to be included in the communication signal 231 to transmit the resulting data … the vehicle 220 may transmit the communication signal 231 based, for example and without limitation, on the transmission period, transmission frequency, and/or transmission intensity … there is no limitation on transmission conditions” [0060-61]) – The generated BSM includes both a header 710 and a data field 720. The data field includes a relay condition 724. A generated BSM is transmitted out from the vehicle according to “transmission conditions” including “transmission period”. In the context of transmitting a generated BSM according to a transmission period, the relay condition 724 corresponds to “a maximally allowed response time of the message data” (i.e., a maximal amount of time until a next BSM must be transmit according to the transmission period).
Lee is silent regarding a threshold time related to the transmission period and accordingly does not disclose the following limitations:
determine whether a maximally allowed response time corresponding to period information is shorter than a threshold time;
However, Park discloses the following limitations:
determine whether a maximally allowed response time corresponding to period information is shorter than a threshold time (“When it is determined that the object situation is a dangerous situation, the electronic device 100 may generate an emergency message including information about the dangerous situation and transmit the emergency message to the vehicle … Also, when it is determined that the object situation is not a dangerous situation, the electronic device 100 may generate a default message and transmit the default message” [0077-80] // “when the electronic device 100 determines a message type as an emergency message, the electronic device 100 may generate and transmit the emergency message without delay. Alternatively, when the electronic device 100 determines the message type as a general message, the electronic device 100 may generate and transmit the general message after standing by for a pre-set time period (for example, 100 ms).” [0135-136] // Fig. 16) – Examiner considers Electronic Device 100 depicted in Park Fig. 16 as analogous to Electronic Device 101 depicted in Lee Fig. 1 because both generate and transmit V2X safety messages. As taught in Park, the electronic device classifies safety messages as “emergency” or “general”; whereby emergency messages are transmit immediately, whereas general messages are transmit according to a pre-set 100ms time period. Classifying a message into “emergency” or “general” amounts to classifying whether a message should be transmit immediately or according to a 100ms pre-set period. Accordingly, in the context of Park, classifying a message as either “emergency” or “general” amounts to classifying either an immediate (i.e., less than a 100ms) or a pre-set (i.e., equal to 100ms) period for the message.
Lee and Park are considered analogous to the claimed invention because they all relate to the same field of generating and broadcasting periodic V2X messages for vehicle safety applications. Therefore, it would have been obvious for someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Lee with the teachings of Park and realize a storage device whereby a message manager determines whether period information for a V2X message is within a pre-set threshold time. Doing so improves safety by enabling notification of drivers to risks needing immediate attention, as disclosed in Park ¶0138: “when it requires an immediate attention of the driver to avoid a collision, a plurality of emergency messages may be generated and transmitted to the object at a predetermined cycle, the predetermined cycle being relatively shorter in time” [0138]
The combined teachings of Lee and Park are silent regarding first and second regions within the user memory region, and additionally do not clarify separate regions for emergency or general messages. Accordingly, Lee and Park do not disclose the following limitations:
wherein the user memory region comprises a first memory region and a second memory region, wherein a first read speed corresponding to the first memory region is faster than a second read speed corresponding to the second memory region, and …
store the field of the message data in the first memory region of the user memory region in response to determining that the maximally allowed response time is shorter than the threshold time; and
store the field of the message data in the second memory region of the user memory region in response to determining that the maximally allowed response time is not shorter than the threshold time.
However, Tanriover discloses the following limitations:
wherein the user memory region (Storage Devices 308-310, Fig. 3) comprises (Fig. 3) – Examiner considers the vehicle-embedded computer device (VECD) 300 and Storage Devices 308-310 depicted in Tanriover Fig. 3 as analogous to Electronic Device 101 and Non-Volatile Memory 134, respectively, depicted in Lee Fig. 1--
a first memory region (Storage 308, Fig. 3) and a second memory region (Storage 309,Fig. 3), wherein a first read speed corresponding to the first memory region is faster than a second read speed corresponding to the second memory region, (“According to various embodiments, the memory 304, and storage device 308, 309, 310 may be classified into a storage hierarchy (also referred to as a “non-volatile storage hierarchy”) in the vehicle 105 … Each of the storage hierarchy sections may include one or more storage devices varying according to their … speed” [0051]) – The VECD includes multiple storage tiers which vary according to speed. One of ordinary skill in the art would accordingly understand that “a first read speed” corresponding to Storage Device 308 would be “faster than” “a second read speed” corresponding to Storage Device 309-- and …
store (Fig. 4, step 435) the field of the message data in the first memory region of the user memory region in response to determining (Fig. 4, step 420) that the maximally allowed response time is shorter than the threshold time (“interface circuitry of VECD 300 (e.g., I/O interface 318) may monitor for, and obtain data from a from a plurality of sources … sensor data from one or more sensors … At operation 420, a classification engine .. may assign classification to the data according to … time delivery requirements of the data … At operation 430, a decision engine … may determine to store the data in a data storage tier based on a corresponding classification” [0072-77] // Fig. 4) – As shown in Fig. 4, data received from a sensor (step 405) is classified according to “time delivery requirements” (step 420) which establishes a particular storage tier for subsequent storage of the classified data (steps 430 + 435). As discussed above, storage tiers vary according to read speed, whereby storage device 308 has a faster read speed than storage device 309. Such a classification method effectively establishes a time delivery threshold (i.e., “the threshold time”) for classifying data into storage 308 and 309. As discussed above with respect to Park, messages (i.e., at least including “the field of the message data”) which are classified as “emergency” are determined as needing to be transmit immediately (i.e., in a time less than 100ms). Accordingly, classifying data into a first storage 308 as taught in Tanriover is analogous to “determining that the maximally allowed response time is shorter than the threshold time”. --; and
store (Fig. 4, step 420) the field of the message data in the second memory region of the user memory region in response to determining (Fig. 4, step 420) that the maximally allowed response time is not shorter than the threshold time. – As previously discussed with respect to Park, messages which are classified as “general” are determined as needing to be transmit according to a 100ms periodic cycle. Accordingly, classifying data into a second storage 309 as taught in Tanriover is analogous to “determining that the maximally allowed response time is not shorter than the threshold time”.
Lee, Park, and Tanriover are considered analogous to the claimed invention because they all relate to the same field of generating and broadcasting periodic V2X messages for vehicle safety applications. Therefore, it would have been obvious for someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Lee and Park with the teachings of Tanriover and realize a storage device which classifies and stores message data into storage tiers based on time delivery requirements for the message data. Doing so is a proposed solution which enables vehicle safety applications to process large amounts of data according to rapid response time expectations for vehicle safety applications in view of network usage constraints, as disclosed in Tanriover ¶¶0009-10: “Due to constraints on network usage and rapid response time expectations for certain applications or services (e.g., vehicle-to-everything (V2X), etc.), VECDs may be required to handle collected data locally. However, current storage solutions for VECDs may not be capable of handling such large quantities of data. In order to solve such issues, embodiments include a data hierarchy, which classifies data based on the data source, data destination, the intended use of the data or a target application, data processing requirements of the data, and/or delivery time requirements of the data.” [0009-10]
Regarding Claim 9,
The same motivation to combine provided in Claim 7 is equally appliable to Claim 9. The combined teachings of Lee, Park, and Tanriover disclose the following limitations:
The storage device of claim 7, wherein the software memory region (Lee, ¶0212) is further configured to store second instructions (Tanriover, ¶0016), wherein the storage controller is further configured to implement a memory region manager (Tanriover, Processor 302, Fig. 3) by executing the second instructions (Tanriover, ¶0046) – Examiner considers a processor which executes the methods of Tanriover as “a memory region manager”--, and
wherein the memory region manager is configured to: identify the first memory region and the second memory region of the user memory region of the non-volatile memory device; (Tanriover, “Data storage devices 308, 309, and 310 … may provide for persistent storage of information … The storage device 308, 309, 310 may be implemented as … on-die memory or registers associated with the processor 302” [0050]) – Processor 302 associates registers on (i.e., at least “identif[ies]”) storage devices 308-310--
allocate a first logical region of the non-volatile memory device to the first memory region; allocate a second logical region of the non-volatile memory device to the second memory region (Tanriover, “storage device 308, 309, 310 may be classified into a storage hierarchy … organized into two or more sections.” [0051]) – Storage devices are organized into storage tiers (i.e., are allocated into respective logical regions)--; and
manage the first memory region and the second memory region. (Tanriover, Fig. 4) – Examiner considers the method of Tanriover Fig. 4 as an example of “manag[ing]” data storage into storage devices 308 and 309.
Regarding Claim 13,
Lee discloses the following limitations:
A storage device (Electronic Device 101, Fig. 1) comprising:
a non-volatile memory device (Non-Volatile Memory 134, Fig. 1) comprising a first memory region, a second memory region, and
a software memory region (Internal Memory 136, Fig. 1) configured to store instructions (¶0212); and
a storage controller (Processor 120, Fig. 1) configured to implement a message manager (Main Processor 121, Fig. 1 // Fig. 8) by executing the instructions (¶¶0074; 0140; 0212) – Processor 120 executes instructions stored in Internal Memory 136. A main processor 121 performs the overall operation of electronic device 101, including the method of Fig. 8. Examiner considers a processor, such as main processor 121, which executes a method relating to message generation (see below), as “a message manager”--,
…, and
wherein the message manager is configured to:
identify (Fig. 8, steps 809) message data (“BSM” [0147] // Fig. 7) configured to contribute to driving of a vehicle(Vehicle 220, Fig. 2) (“the electronic device may generate a general V2X message or BSM based at least on the data acquired from the at least one sensor” [0147] // ¶0005) – During step 809, the electronic device generates (i.e., at least “identif[ies]”) a “basic safety message (BSM)” based on sensor data acquired during step 801.;
determine … a maximally allowed response time corresponding to period information (Relay Condition 724, Fig. 7) of a field (BSM Data Part 720, Fig. 7) of the message data … (“the BSM 700 may be configured to include a BSM header 710 and a BSM data part 720 … the BSM data part 2 field 720 may include a relay condition 724, a message content 725” [0136] // “The vehicle 220 … may enable the generated BSM to be included in the communication signal 231 to transmit the resulting data … the vehicle 220 may transmit the communication signal 231 based, for example and without limitation, on the transmission period, transmission frequency, and/or transmission intensity … there is no limitation on transmission conditions” [0060-61]) – The generated BSM includes both a header 710 and a data field 720. The data field includes a relay condition 724. A generated BSM is transmitted out from the vehicle according to “transmission conditions” including “transmission period”. In the context of transmitting a generated BSM according to a transmission period, the relay condition 724 corresponds to “a maximally allowed response time of the message data” (i.e., a maximal amount of time until a next BSM must be transmit according to the transmission period).;
Lee is silent regarding a threshold time related to the transmission period and accordingly does not disclose the following limitations:
determine whether a maximally allowed response time corresponding to period information … is shorter than a threshold time;
However, Park discloses the following limitations:
determine whether a maximally allowed response time corresponding to period information … is shorter than a threshold time (“When it is determined that the object situation is a dangerous situation, the electronic device 100 may generate an emergency message including information about the dangerous situation and transmit the emergency message to the vehicle … Also, when it is determined that the object situation is not a dangerous situation, the electronic device 100 may generate a default message and transmit the default message” [0077-80] // “when the electronic device 100 determines a message type as an emergency message, the electronic device 100 may generate and transmit the emergency message without delay. Alternatively, when the electronic device 100 determines the message type as a general message, the electronic device 100 may generate and transmit the general message after standing by for a pre-set time period (for example, 100 ms).” [0135-136] // Fig. 16) – Examiner considers Electronic Device 100 depicted in Park Fig. 16 as analogous to Electronic Device 101 depicted in Lee Fig. 1 because both generate and transmit V2X safety messages. As taught in Park, the electronic device classifies safety messages as “emergency” or “general”; whereby emergency messages are transmit immediately, whereas general messages are transmit according to a pre-set 100ms time period. Classifying a message into “emergency” or “general” amounts to classifying whether a message should be transmit immediately or according to a 100ms pre-set period. Accordingly, in the context of Park, classifying a message as either “emergency” or “general” amounts to classifying either an immediate (i.e., less than a 100ms) or a pre-set (i.e., equal to 100ms) period for the message.
Lee and Park are considered analogous to the claimed invention because they all relate to the same field of generating and broadcasting periodic V2X messages for vehicle safety applications. Therefore, it would have been obvious for someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Lee with the teachings of Park and realize a storage device whereby a message manager determines whether period information for a V2X message is within a pre-set threshold time. Doing so improves safety by enabling notification of drivers to risks needing immediate attention, as disclosed in Park ¶0138: “when it requires an immediate attention of the driver to avoid a collision, a plurality of emergency messages may be generated and transmitted to the object at a predetermined cycle, the predetermined cycle being relatively shorter in time” [0138]
The combined teachings of Lee and Park are silent regarding first and second regions within the non-volatile memory, and additionally do not clarify separate regions for emergency or general messages. Accordingly, Lee and Park do not disclose the following limitations:
a non-volatile memory device comprising a first memory region, a second memory region…
wherein a first read speed corresponding to the first memory region is faster than a second read speed corresponding to the second memory region …
store the field of the message data in the first memory region in response to determining that the maximally allowed response time is shorter than the threshold time; and
store the field of the message data in the second memory region in response to determining that the maximally allowed response time is not shorter than the threshold time.
However, Tanriover discloses the following limitations:
a non-volatile memory device (Storage 308-310, Fig. 3) comprising a first memory region (Storage 308, Fig. 3), a second memory region (Storage 309, Fig. 3) -- Examiner considers the vehicle-embedded computer device (VECD) 300 and Storage Devices 308-310 depicted in Tanriover Fig. 3 as analogous to Electronic Device 101 and Non-Volatile Memory 134, respectively, depicted in Lee Fig. 1--…
wherein a first read speed corresponding to the first memory region is faster than a second read speed corresponding to the second memory region (“According to various embodiments, the memory 304, and storage device 308, 309, 310 may be classified into a storage hierarchy (also referred to as a “non-volatile storage hierarchy”) in the vehicle 105 … Each of the storage hierarchy sections may include one or more storage devices varying according to their … speed” [0051]) – The VECD includes multiple storage tiers which vary according to speed. One of ordinary skill in the art would accordingly understand that “a first read speed” corresponding to Storage Device 308 would be “faster than” “a second read speed” corresponding to Storage Device 309-- …
store (Fig. 4, step 435) the field of the message data in the first memory region in response to determining (Fig. 4, step 420) that the maximally allowed response time is shorter than the threshold time (“interface circuitry of VECD 300 (e.g., I/O interface 318) may monitor for, and obtain data from a from a plurality of sources … sensor data from one or more sensors … At operation 420, a classification engine .. may assign classification to the data according to … time delivery requirements of the data … At operation 430, a decision engine … may determine to store the data in a data storage tier based on a corresponding classification” [0072-77] // Fig. 4) – As shown in Fig. 4, data received from a sensor (step 405) is classified according to “time delivery requirements” (step 420) which establishes a particular storage tier for subsequent storage of the classified data (steps 430 + 435). As discussed above, storage tiers vary according to read speed, whereby storage device 308 has a faster read speed than storage device 309. Such a classification method effectively establishes a time delivery threshold (i.e., “the threshold time”) for classifying data into storage 308 and 309. As discussed above with respect to Park, messages (i.e., at least including “the field of the message data”) which are classified as “emergency” are determined as needing to be transmit immediately (i.e., in a time less than 100ms). Accordingly, classifying data into a first storage 308 as taught in Tanriover is analogous to “determining that the maximally allowed response time is shorter than the threshold time”.--; and
store (Fig. 4, step 435) the field of the message data in the second memory region in response to determining (Fig. 4, step 420) that the maximally allowed response time is not shorter than the threshold time. -- As previously discussed with respect to Park, messages which are classified as “general” are determined as needing to be transmit according to a 100ms periodic cycle. Accordingly, classifying data into a second storage 309 as taught in Tanriover is analogous to “determining that the maximally allowed response time is not shorter than the threshold time”.
Lee, Park, and Tanriover are considered analogous to the claimed invention because they all relate to the same field of generating and broadcasting periodic V2X messages for vehicle safety applications. Therefore, it would have been obvious for someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Lee and Park with the teachings of Tanriover and realize a storage device which classifies and stores message data into storage tiers based on time delivery requirements for the message data. Doing so is a proposed solution which enables vehicle safety applications to process large amounts of data according to rapid response time expectations for vehicle safety applications in view of network usage constraints, as disclosed in Tanriover ¶¶0009-10: “Due to constraints on network usage and rapid response time expectations for certain applications or services (e.g., vehicle-to-everything (V2X), etc.), VECDs may be required to handle collected data locally. However, current storage solutions for VECDs may not be capable of handling such large quantities of data. In order to solve such issues, embodiments include a data hierarchy, which classifies data based on the data source, data destination, the intended use of the data or a target application, data processing requirements of the data, and/or delivery time requirements of the data.” [0009-10]
Regarding Claim 14,
The same motivation to combine provided in Claim 13 is equally applicable to Claim 16. The combined teachings of Lee, Park, and Tanriover disclose the following limitations:
The storage device of claim 13, wherein the storage controller comprises:
a volatile memory device (Volatile Memory 132, Fig. 1) configured to temporarily store the instructions (“The memory 130 may store various pieces of data used by at least component … for example software (e.g., the program 140) … The memory 130 may include the volatile memory 132 or the non-volatile memory 132” [0038]); and
a processor (Processor 120, Fig. 1) configured to implement the message manager by executing the instructions. (¶¶0074; 0140; 0212) – As previously discussed (see Claim 13 limitation mappings above), a processor executes software to perform the processes performed by electronic device 101.
Regarding Claim 16,
The same motivation to combine provided in Claim 13 is equally applicable to Claim 16. The combined teachings of Lee, Park, and Tanriover disclose the following limitations:
The storage device of claim 13, wherein the message manager is configured to:
generate (Lee, Fig. 8, step 809) the message data based on environment data received (Lee, Fig. 8, step 801) from a sensor device (Lee, Sensor Module 176, Fig. 1) mounted on the vehicle (Lee, “in operation 801, an electronic device … may collect information or data form at least one sensor … the information collected by the sensor of the electronic device may include … information about the state of a road … and information about weather” [0140-141] // Fig. 8 // ¶0074) – Electronic device 101 is located within a vehicle and includes a sensor module 176. During step 801 of Fig. 8, information about a road state and weather (i.e., “environment data”) is received from the sensor module and informs generation of the message during step 809--; and
receive (Lee, Fig. 9, step 901) the message data from
an external host device,
another vehicle (Lee, “in operation 901, an electronic device may receive a V2X message or a BSM transmitted from an external vehicle” [0148]),
roadside equipment (RSE), or a user terminal of a pedestrian --(see MPEP 2143.03; selection from list of alternatives)
through a communication device (Lee, Communication Module 190, Fig. 1) of the vehicle. (Lee, “The communication module 190 may support establishment of a wired or wireless communication channel between the electronic device 101 and an external electronic device” [0051]) – As taught in Lee Fig. 9, electronic device 101 receives BSMs from external vehicles. As clarified in ¶0051, electronic device 101 communicates with external devices using Communication Module 190.
Regarding Claim 18,
Lee discloses the following limitations:
A method of operating a storage device (Electronic Device 101, Fig. 1) which is mounted on a vehicle (Vehicle 220, Fig. 2) // ¶0074, the method comprising:
receiving (Fig. 8, step 801) environment data of the vehicle from a sensor device (Sensor Module 176, Fig. 1) mounted on the vehicle (“in operation 801, an electronic device … may collect information or data form at least one sensor … the information collected by the sensor of the electronic device may include … information about the state of a road … and information about weather” [0140-141] // ¶0074) – Electronic device 101 is located within a vehicle and includes a sensor module 176. During step 801 of Fig. 8, information about a road state and weather (i.e., “environment data”) is received from the sensor module--;
generating (Fig. 8, steps 809) message data (“BSM” [0147] // Fig. 7) configured to contribute to driving of the vehicle based on the environment data, (“the electronic device may generate a general V2X message or BSM based at least on the data acquired from the at least one sensor” [0147] // ¶0005) – During step 809, the electronic device generates a “basic safety message (BSM)” based on the data acquired during step 801.
wherein the message data comprises a header (BSM Header 710, Fig. 7) and a field (BSM Data Part 720, Fig. 7)(“The BSM 700 may be configured to include a BSM header 710 and a BSM data part 720” [0136]);
determining … a maximally allowed response time corresponding to period information (Relay Condition 724, Fig. 7) of the field of the message data … (“the BSM 700 may be configured to include a BSM header 710 and a BSM data part 720 … the BSM data part 2 field 720 may include a relay condition 724, a message content 725” [0136] // “The vehicle 220 … may enable the generated BSM to be included in the communication signal 231 to transmit the resulting data … the vehicle 220 may transmit the communication signal 231 based, for example and without limitation, on the transmission period, transmission frequency, and/or transmission intensity … there is no limitation on transmission conditions” [0060-61]) – The generated BSM includes both a header 710 and a data field 720. The data field includes a relay condition 724. A generated BSM is transmitted out from the vehicle according to “transmission conditions” including “transmission period”. In the context of transmitting a generated BSM according to a transmission period, the relay condition 724 corresponds to “a maximally allowed response time of the message data” (i.e., a maximal amount of time until a next BSM must be transmit according to the transmission period).
Lee is silent regarding a threshold time related to the transmission period and accordingly does not disclose the following limitations:
determining whether a maximally allowed response time corresponding to period information … is shorter than a threshold time;
However, Park discloses the following limitations:
determining whether a maximally allowed response time corresponding to period information … is shorter than a threshold time (“When it is determined that the object situation is a dangerous situation, the electronic device 100 may generate an emergency message including information about the dangerous situation and transmit the emergency message to the vehicle … Also, when it is determined that the object situation is not a dangerous situation, the electronic device 100 may generate a default message and transmit the default message” [0077-80] // “when the electronic device 100 determines a message type as an emergency message, the electronic device 100 may generate and transmit the emergency message without delay. Alternatively, when the electronic device 100 determines the message type as a general message, the electronic device 100 may generate and transmit the general message after standing by for a pre-set time period (for example, 100 ms).” [0135-136] // Fig. 16) – Examiner considers Electronic Device 100 depicted in Park Fig. 16 as analogous to Electronic Device 101 depicted in Lee Fig. 1 because both generate and transmit V2X safety messages. As taught in Park, the electronic device classifies safety messages as “emergency” or “general”; whereby emergency messages are transmit immediately, whereas general messages are transmit according to a pre-set 100ms time period. Classifying a message into “emergency” or “general” amounts to classifying whether a message should be transmit immediately or according to a 100ms pre-set period. Accordingly, in the context of Park, classifying a message as either “emergency” or “general” amounts to classifying either an immediate (i.e., less than a 100ms) or a pre-set (i.e., equal to 100ms) period for the message.
Lee and Park are considered analogous to the claimed invention because they all relate to the same field of generating and broadcasting periodic V2X messages for vehicle safety applications. Therefore, it would have been obvious for someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Lee with the teachings of Park and realize a storage device whereby a message manager determines whether period information for a V2X message is within a pre-set threshold time. Doing so improves safety by enabling notification of drivers to risks needing immediate attention, as disclosed in Park ¶0138: “when it requires an immediate attention of the driver to avoid a collision, a plurality of emergency messages may be generated and transmitted to the object at a predetermined cycle, the predetermined cycle being relatively shorter in time” [0138]
The combined teachings of Lee and Park are silent regarding first and second regions within the user memory region, and additionally do not clarify separate regions for emergency or general messages. Accordingly, Lee and Park do not disclose the following limitations:
storing the field of the message data in a first memory region among the first memory region and a second memory region of the storage device in response to determining that the maximally allowed response time is shorter than the threshold time, wherein a first read speed corresponding to the first memory region is faster than a second read speed corresponding to the second memory region.
However, Tanriover discloses the following limitations:
storing (Fig. 4, step 435) the field of the message data in a first memory region (Storage 308, Fig. 3) among the first memory region and a second memory region (Storage 309,Fig. 3) of the storage device(VECD 300, Fig. 3) -- Examiner considers the vehicle-embedded computer device (VECD) 300 and Storage Devices 308-310 depicted in Tanriover Fig. 3 as analogous to Electronic Device 101 and Non-Volatile Memory 134, respectively, depicted in Lee Fig. 1--
in response to determining (Fig. 4, step 420) that the maximally allowed response time is shorter than the threshold time(“interface circuitry of VECD 300 (e.g., I/O interface 318) may monitor for, and obtain data from a from a plurality of sources … sensor data from one or more sensors … At operation 420, a classification engine .. may assign classification to the data according to … time delivery requirements of the data … At operation 430, a decision engine … may determine to store the data in a data storage tier based on a corresponding classification” [0072-77] // Fig. 4) – As shown in Fig. 4, data received from a sensor (step 405) is classified according to “time delivery requirements” (step 420) which establishes a particular storage tier for subsequent storage of the classified data (steps 430 + 435). As discussed below, storage tiers vary according to read speed, whereby storage device 308 has a faster read speed than storage device 309. Such a classification method effectively establishes a time delivery threshold (i.e., “the threshold time”) for classifying data into storage 308 and 309. As discussed above with respect to Park, messages (i.e., at least including “the field of the message data”) which are classified as “emergency” are determined as needing to be transmit immediately (i.e., in a time less than 100ms). Accordingly, classifying data into a first storage 308 as taught in Tanriover is analogous to “determining that the maximally allowed response time is shorter than the threshold time”. --,
wherein a first read speed corresponding to the first memory region is faster than a second read speed corresponding to the second memory region. (“According to various embodiments, the memory 304, and storage device 308, 309, 310 may be classified into a storage hierarchy (also referred to as a “non-volatile storage hierarchy”) in the vehicle 105 … Each of the storage hierarchy sections may include one or more storage devices varying according to their … speed” [0051]) – The VECD includes multiple storage tiers which vary according to speed. One of ordinary skill in the art would accordingly understand that “a first read speed” corresponding to Storage Device 308 would be “faster than” “a second read speed” corresponding to Storage Device 309--
Lee, Park, and Tanriover are considered analogous to the claimed invention because they all relate to the same field of generating and broadcasting periodic V2X messages for vehicle safety applications. Therefore, it would have been obvious for someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Lee and Park with the teachings of Tanriover and realize a storage device which classifies and stores message data into storage tiers based on time delivery requirements for the message data. Doing so is a proposed solution which enables vehicle safety applications to process large amounts of data according to rapid response time expectations for vehicle safety applications in view of network usage constraints, as disclosed in Tanriover ¶¶0009-10: “Due to constraints on network usage and rapid response time expectations for certain applications or services (e.g., vehicle-to-everything (V2X), etc.), VECDs may be required to handle collected data locally. However, current storage solutions for VECDs may not be capable of handling such large quantities of data. In order to solve such issues, embodiments include a data hierarchy, which classifies data based on the data source, data destination, the intended use of the data or a target application, data processing requirements of the data, and/or delivery time requirements of the data.” [0009-10]
Regarding Claim 19,
The same motivation to combine provided in Claim 18 is equally applicable to Claim 19. The combined teachings of Lee, Park, and Tanriover disclose the following limitations:
The method of claim 18, further comprising storing (Tanriover, Fig. 4, step 435) the field of the message data in the second memory region (Tanriover, Storage 309, Fig. 3) of the storage device in response to determining (Tanriover, Fig. 4, step 420) that the maximally allowed response time is not shorter than the threshold time. (Tanriover, ¶¶0072-77; Fig. 4) – As previously discussed (see Claim 18 limitation mappings above) with respect to Park, messages which are classified as “general” are determined as needing to be transmit according to a 100ms periodic cycle. Accordingly, classifying data into a second storage 309 as taught in Tanriover is analogous to “determining that the maximally allowed response time is not shorter than the threshold time”.
Claims 8 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee further in view of Park, Tanriover, and Yang (US 20220164111 A1)(hereafter referred to as Yang).
Regarding Claim 8,
The same motivation to combine provided in Claim 7 is equally applicable to Claim 8. The combined teachings of Lee, Park, and Tanriover disclose the following limitations:
The storage device of claim 7 (see Claim 7 limitation mappings above),
Although Tanriover discloses that storages 308 and 309 are classified according to speed, the combined teachings of Lee, Park, and Tanriover do not explicitly disclose the following limitations:
wherein the first memory region comprises a plurality of first memory cell transistors, each of which is configured to store N-bit information,
wherein the second memory region comprises a plurality of second memory cell transistors, each of which is configured to store M-bit information, and wherein "N" and "M" are natural numbers, and "M" is greater than "N".
However, Yang discloses the following limitations:
wherein the first memory region (High-access Memory 110, Fig. 1) comprises a plurality of first memory cell transistors, each of which is configured to store N-bit information,
wherein the second memory region (Normal-access Memory 122, Fig. 1) comprises a plurality of second memory cell transistors, each of which is configured to store M-bit information, and wherein "N" and "M" are natural numbers, and "M" is greater than "N". (“Each of the high-access and normal-access memories 110 and 120 are flash memory devise having single-level cell (SLC), multi-level cell (MLC), triple-level cell (TLC), or quad-level cell (QLC) architectures. The high-access memory 110 has higher endurance … and/or has higher access speeds (e.g., higher read and write speeds” [0042] // “SLC SSDs store one bit in each memory cell … This provides SLC NAND flash memory with enhanced … performance (e.g., high read/write speeds), relative to TLC/QLC flash.” [0004]) – Examiner considers high-access memory 110 and normal-access memory 120 depicted in Yang Fig. 1 as analogous to storage 308 and storage 309, respectively, depicted in Tanriover Fig. 3. As taught in Yang, SLC memory cells have higher read speeds as opposed to TLC/QLC cells. SLC memory stores 1 bit per cell, whereas TLC cells store 3 bits per cell.
Lee, Park, Tanriover, and Yang are considered analogous to the claimed invention because they all relate to the same field of generating and broadcasting periodic V2X messages for vehicle safety applications. Therefore, it would have been obvious for someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Lee, Park, and Tanriover with the teachings of Yang and realize a storage device which comprises both N-bit and M-bit storage regions. Doing so is a feature of a multi-stream SSD which provides improved memory utilization without divulging internal details of SSD operations, as disclosed in Yang ¶0037: “aspects of the present disclosure provide a multi-stream SSD … including a high-access memory and a normal-access memory, both of which are accessible to (e.g., freely accessible to) external applications … This stream-based application control of where to write data may lead to better utilization of the different memory areas of the SSD without divulging internal details of SSD operations.” [0037]
Regarding Claim 15,
The same motivation to combine provided in Claim 13 is equally applicable to Claim 15. The combined teachings of Lee, Park, and Tanriover disclose the following limitations:
The storage device of claim 13 (see Claim 13 limitation mappings above),
Although Tanriover discloses that storages 308 and 309 are classified according to speed, the combined teachings of Lee, Park, and Tanriover do not explicitly disclose the following limitations:
wherein the first memory region comprises a plurality of first memory cell transistors, each of which stores N-bit information,
wherein the second memory region comprises a plurality of second memory cell transistors, each of which stores M-bit information, and wherein "N" and "M" are natural numbers, and "M" is greater than "N".
However, Yang discloses the following limitations:
wherein the first memory region (High-access Memory 110, Fig. 1) comprises a plurality of first memory cell transistors, each of which stores N-bit information,
wherein the second memory region (Normal-access Memory 122, Fig. 1) comprises a plurality of second memory cell transistors, each of which stores M-bit information, and wherein "N" and "M" are natural numbers, and "M" is greater than "N". (“Each of the high-access and normal-access memories 110 and 120 are flash memory devise having single-level cell (SLC), multi-level cell (MLC), triple-level cell (TLC), or quad-level cell (QLC) architectures. The high-access memory 110 has higher endurance … and/or has higher access speeds (e.g., higher read and write speeds” [0042] // “SLC SSDs store one bit in each memory cell … This provides SLC NAND flash memory with enhanced … performance (e.g., high read/write speeds), relative to TLC/QLC flash.” [0004]) – Examiner considers high-access memory 110 and normal-access memory 120 depicted in Yang Fig. 1 as analogous to storage 308 and storage 309, respectively, depicted in Tanriover Fig. 3. As taught in Yang, SLC memory cells have higher read speeds as opposed to TLC/QLC cells. SLC memory stores 1 bit per cell, whereas TLC cells store 3 bits per cell.
Lee, Park, Tanriover, and Yang are considered analogous to the claimed invention because they all relate to the same field of generating and broadcasting periodic V2X messages for vehicle safety applications. Therefore, it would have been obvious for someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Lee, Park, and Tanriover with the teachings of Yang and realize a storage device which comprises both N-bit and M-bit storage regions. Doing so is a feature of a multi-stream SSD which provides improved memory utilization without divulging internal details of SSD operations, as disclosed in Yang ¶0037: “aspects of the present disclosure provide a multi-stream SSD … including a high-access memory and a normal-access memory, both of which are accessible to (e.g., freely accessible to) external applications … This stream-based application control of where to write data may lead to better utilization of the different memory areas of the SSD without divulging internal details of SSD operations.” [0037]
Claims 11 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee further in view of Hwang et al. (US 20240422615 A1)(hereafter referred to as Hwang).
Regarding Claim 11,
Lee discloses the following limitations:
The storage device of claim 1, wherein the message manager comprises: a period manager (Main Processor 121, Fig. 1 // ¶0074) configured to determine period information (“transmission period” [0061]) indicating a maximally allowed response time of the message data (“The vehicle 220 … may enable the generated BSM to be included in the communication signal 231 to transmit the resulting data … the vehicle 220 may transmit the communication signal 231 based, for example and without limitation, on the transmission period, transmission frequency, and/or transmission intensity … there is no limitation on transmission conditions” [0060-61]) – Main processor 121 performs the overall operation of the electronic device 101. A generated BSM is transmitted out from the vehicle according to “transmission conditions” including “transmission period”. In the context of transmitting a generated BSM according to a transmission period, the transmission period corresponds to “a maximally allowed response time of the message data” (i.e., a maximal amount of time until a next BSM must be transmit according to the transmission period);
a message generator (Main Processor 121, Fig. 1) configured to receive the period information from the period manager and to generate the message data comprising a header (BSM Header 710, Fig. 7) and a field (BSM Data 720, Fig. 7) based on the period information (Main Processor 121, Fig. 1)(“According to various embodiments, when the electronic device satisfies the relay message condition, the electronic device may generate and transmit a relay message to an external vehicle, or relay-related information may be included in a message (e.g., a BSM)” [0034] // “the BSM 700 may be configured to include a BSM header 710 and a BSM data part 720” [0136]) – Main processor 121 performs the overall operation of the electronic device 101. When the transmission period is satisfied (i.e., at least after “receiv[ing] the period information”), a BSM including both a header and a data field is generated.--;
Lee is silent regarding the contents of the BSM header and thus is silent regarding the following limitations:
a header analyzer configured to analyze the header.
However, Hwang discloses the following limitations:
a header analyzer (UE, Fig. 12) configured to analyze the header (“A V2N message consists of a V2N header and a V2N payload. The V2N header may include … Extension Flag for extension, and Extension Data corresponding to a flag. When the UE uploads a message to the server, the message type may be a soft V2X message (basic safety message (BSM)). In this case, information about QoS priority levels may be transmitted through an extension field.” [0164-165]) – Examiner considers the UE depicted in Hwang Fig. 12 as analogous to electronic device 101 depicted in Lee Fig. 1. As taught in Hwang, when a BSM is transmit to a server, the UE encodes a particular QoS associated with the message within an extension filed of the header. Examiner accordingly considers the UE of Hwang as “a header analyzer” which determines (i.e., at least “analyze[s]”) a particular header for a BSM.
Lee and Hwang are considered analogous to the claimed invention because they all relate to the same field of generating and broadcasting periodic V2X messages for vehicle safety applications. Therefore, it would have been obvious for someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Lee with the teachings of Hwang and realize a storage device which includes a header analyzer to analyze a BSM header. Doing so saves processing resources by enabling a QoS associated with a particular message to be communicated to a server without requiring the server to decode the payload, as disclosed in Hwang ¶0022: “According to an embodiment, the information on the QoS level of the second device may be obtained based on the header without decoding the payload.” [0022].
Regarding Claim 12,
The same motivation to combine provided in Claim 11 is equally applicable to Claim 12. The combined teachings of Lee and Hwang disclose the following limitations:
The storage device of claim 11, wherein the period manager (Lee, Main Processor 121, Fig. 1) is configured to:
identify at least one other vehicle within a communication range (Lee, “a BSM reach range” [0192]) through a communication device (Lee, Communication Module 190, Fig. 1) of the vehicle (Lee, Fig. 14 // “As illustrated in FIG. 14, a plurality of vehicles 1421, 1422, and 1423 located within a BSM reach range of an accident vehicle may simultaneously receive the relay message transmitted by the first vehicle 1410” [0192] // “The communication module 190 may support establishment of a wired or wireless communication channel between the electronic device 101 and an external electronic device” [0051]) – As taught in Lee, an electronic device receives messages from external vehicles within “a BSM reach range”. Messages are received using a communication module.--
and
determine the period information based on information about the at least one other vehicle, (Lee, Fig. 14) – As previously discussed (see Claim 11 limitation mappings above), the period information associated with a BSM is included within the data part of the BSM. Accordingly, as shown in Lee Fig. 14, a vehicle such as vehicle 1421 would receive a message including period information from an external vehicle. Such a message received from an external vehicle corresponds to “information about the at least one other vehicle”.-- and
wherein the message generator is further configured to broadcast the message data through the communication device based on the period information. (Lee, Fig. 14 // “When the plurality of vehicles (the second vehicle 1421, the third vehicle 1422, and the fourth vehicle 1423) simultaneously receive the relay message and simultaneously retransmit the received relay message” [0192] // ¶0052) – As taught in Lee, the message received by vehicle 1421 is retransmit by vehicle 1421. As previously discussed (see Claim 11 limitation mappings above), messages are generated and are transmit according to the respective period information.
Claims 17 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee further in view of Park, Tanriover, and Mach.
Regarding Claim 17,
The same motivation to combine provided in Claim 13 is equally applicable to Claim 17. The combined teachings of Lee, Park, and Tanriover disclose the following limitations:
The storage device of claim 13 (see Claim 13 limitation mappings above), wherein the message data comprises:
a header (Lee, BSM Header 710, Fig. 7) …; and
a field (Lee, BSM Data Part 720, Fig. 7) describing contents (Lee, Message Content 725, Fig. 7) corresponding to the message type and comprising period information (Lee, Relay Condition 724, Fig. 7) indicating the maximally allowed response time. (Lee, “the BSM 700 may be configured to include a BSM header 710 and a BSM data part 720 … the BSM data part 2 field 720 may include a relay condition 724, a message content 725” [0136] // “The vehicle 220 … may enable the generated BSM to be included in the communication signal 231 to transmit the resulting data … the vehicle 220 may transmit the communication signal 231 based, for example and without limitation, on the transmission period, transmission frequency, and/or transmission intensity … there is no limitation on transmission conditions” [0060-61]) – The generated BSM includes both a header 710 and a data field 720. The data field includes a relay condition 724 and message content 725.--, and
wherein the message type corresponds to a basic safety message (Lee, “a basic safety message (BSM)” [0008]),
a common safety request, an emergency vehicle alert, a personal safety message, probe data management, probe vehicle data, roadside alert, or a traveler information message. --(see MPEP 2143.03; selection from list of alternatives)
Lee, Park, and Tanriover do not explicitly disclose the following limitations:
a header indicating a message type
However, Mach discloses the following limitations:
a header (ITS PDU Header, Fig. 2) indicating a message type (“FIG. 2 schematically depicts a Cooperative Perception Message (CPM) protocol data unit (PDU) … As shown in FIG. 2, the ITS PDU header is a common header that includes … the message type” [0374-379] // ¶¶0006; 0080) – Examiner considers the CPM message depicted in Mach Fig. 2 as analogous to the BSM depicted in Lee Fig. 7 because both are messages generated and broadcast between vehicles according to V2X protocols to support vehicle safety applications (see Mach ¶¶0006; 0080). As taught in Mach, the header of the CPM message includes message type.
Lee, Park, Tanriover, and Mach are considered analogous to the claimed invention because they all relate to the same field of generating and broadcasting periodic V2X messages for vehicle safety applications. Therefore, it would have been obvious for someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Lee, Park, and Tanriover with the teachings of Mach and realize a message header which indicates a message type. Such a message header is a feature of Cooperative Perception Messages which enable vehicles to predict upcoming coverage, as disclosed in Mach ¶0080: “By combining cell measurements in the source vehicle with its georeferenced parameters (location, speed, heading) and broadcasting it via V2V messages (CPM), receiving vehicles (e.g., those following the source vehicle within the V2V direct communication range) could predict the mobile coverage up to a few seconds ahead (vehicle speed dependent).” [0080]
Regarding Claim 20,
The same motivation to combine provided in Claim 19 is equally applicable to Claim 20. The combined teachings of Lee, Park, and Tanriover disclose the following limitations:
The method of claim 18 (see Claim 18 limitation mappings above), … wherein the message type corresponds to a basic safety message (Lee, “a basic safety message (BSM)” [0008]),
a common safety request, an emergency vehicle alert, or probe vehicle data. (see MPEP 2143.03; selection from list of alternatives)
The combined teachings of Lee, Park, and Tanriover do not explicitly disclose the following limitations:
wherein the header of the message data indicates a message type,
However, Mach discloses the following limitations:
wherein the header (ITS PDU Header, Fig. 2) of the message data indicates a message type, (“FIG. 2 schematically depicts a Cooperative Perception Message (CPM) protocol data unit (PDU) … As shown in FIG. 2, the ITS PDU header is a common header that includes … the message type” [0374-379] // ¶¶0006; 0080) – Examiner considers the CPM message depicted in Mach Fig. 2 as analogous to the BSM depicted in Lee Fig. 7 because both are messages generated and broadcast between vehicles according to V2X protocols to support vehicle safety applications (see Mach ¶¶0006; 0080). As taught in Mach, the header of the CPM message includes message type.
Lee, Park, Tanriover, and Mach are considered analogous to the claimed invention because they all relate to the same field of generating and broadcasting periodic V2X messages for vehicle safety applications. Therefore, it would have been obvious for someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Lee, Park, and Tanriover with the teachings of Mach and realize a message header which indicates a message type. Such a message header is a feature of Cooperative Perception Messages which enable vehicles to predict upcoming coverage, as disclosed in Mach ¶0080: “By combining cell measurements in the source vehicle with its georeferenced parameters (location, speed, heading) and broadcasting it via V2V messages (CPM), receiving vehicles (e.g., those following the source vehicle within the V2V direct communication range) could predict the mobile coverage up to a few seconds ahead (vehicle speed dependent).” [0080]
Conclusion
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/J.S.M./Examiner, Art Unit 2133
/SEAN D ROSSITER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2133
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