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
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, 2, 5-9, and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Urano et al [US 20180105184 A1].
As for claim 1, Urano discloses a vehicle control device configured to be used in a vehicle configured to start automated driving that assists steering, acceleration, and deceleration from a traveling start time (see Abstract and paragraphs 0082-0083), the vehicle control device comprising
at least one of (i) a circuit and (ii) a processor with a memory storing computer program code executable by the processor (paragraph 0033),
the at least one of the circuit and the processor configured to cause the vehicle control device to:
identify a traveling start state which is a state related to the automated driving that starts at the traveling start time (paragraph 0050);
cause a notification device for providing a notification to an occupant of the vehicle to provide the notification (paragraphs 0009 and 0011); and
change content of the notification by the notification device according to the identified traveling start state (paragraphs 0012, 0098-0099).
As for claim 2, Urano discloses that at least one of the circuit and the processor is further configured to cause the vehicle control device to:
cause the vehicle to perform the automated driving;
identify, as the traveling start state, at least whether a traveling start operation by the occupant is necessary to start traveling by the automated driving and a state of periphery monitoring by the occupant (paragraphs 0082-0085)
when determining that the traveling start operation by the occupant is necessary to start the traveling by the automated driving, cause the notification device to provide the notification that encourages the occupant to monitor a periphery of the vehicle; and when determining that the traveling start operation has been performed and that the occupant has performed the periphery monitoring, start traveling by the automated driving (paragraphs 0082-0085 and 0104-0107).
Claims 5 and 6 are interpreted and rejected using the same reasoning as claim 2 above.
Claim 7 is interpreted and rejected using the same reasoning as claim 1 above.
Claims 8-9 are interpreted and rejected using the same reasoning as claims 1-2 above.
Claim 11 is interpreted and rejected using the same reasoning as claim 1 above.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 4, and 10 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Each of the cited references discloses automated driving notification systems that were known in the art at the time of filing the instant application.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ERIC M BLOUNT whose telephone number is (571)272-2973. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00a - 5:30p.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Quan Wang can be reached at 571-272-3114. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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ERIC M. BLOUNT
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2685
/Eric Blount/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2685
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