UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`
`
`
`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and Trademark Office
`Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`PO. Box 1450
`Alexandria, Virginia 2231371450
`www.uspto.gov
`
`15/597,745
`
`05/17/2017
`
`YOSHINAO KAWAI
`
`731156.609
`
`2422
`
`Seed IP Law Group LLP/Panason1e
`701 Fifth Avenue, Suite 5400
`Seattle, WA 98104
`
`NGUYEN' NGA X
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`PAPER NUMBER
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`ART UNIT
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`3662
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`NOTIFICATION DATE
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`DELIVERY MODE
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`10/03/2019
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`ELECTRONIC
`
`Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
`
`The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
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`Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above—indicated "Notification Date" to the
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`following e—mail address(es):
`US PTOeACtion @ SeedIP .Com
`
`pairlinkdktg @ seedip .eom
`
`PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)
`
`

`

`0,7709 A0170” Summary
`
`Application No.
`15/597,745
`Examiner
`NGA X NGUYEN
`
`Applicant(s)
`KAWAI et al.
`Art Unit
`3662
`
`AIA (FITF) Status
`Yes
`
`- The MAILING DA TE of this communication appears on the cover sheet wit/7 the correspondence address -
`Period for Reply
`
`A SHORTENED STATUTORY PERIOD FOR REPLY IS SET TO EXPIRE g MONTHS FROM THE MAILING
`DATE OF THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensions of time may be available under the provisions of 37 CFR 1.136(a). In no event, however, may a reply be timely filed after SIX (6) MONTHS from the mailing
`date of this communication.
`|f NO period for reply is specified above, the maximum statutory period will apply and will expire SIX (6) MONTHS from the mailing date of this communication.
`-
`- Failure to reply within the set or extended period for reply will, by statute, cause the application to become ABANDONED (35 U.S.C. § 133).
`Any reply received by the Office later than three months after the mailing date of this communication, even if timely filed, may reduce any earned patent term
`adjustment. See 37 CFR 1.704(b).
`
`Status
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`1). Responsive to communication(s) filed on 07/09/2019.
`[:1 A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/were filed on
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`2a)D This action is FINAL.
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`2b)
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`This action is non-final.
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`3)[:] An election was made by the applicant in response to a restriction requirement set forth during the interview on
`; the restriction requirement and election have been incorporated into this action.
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`4)[:] Since this application is in condition for allowance except for formal matters, prosecution as to the merits is
`closed in accordance with the practice under Expat/7e Quay/e, 1935 CD. 11, 453 O.G. 213.
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`Disposition of Claims*
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`5)
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`Claim(s) fl is/are pending in the application.
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`5a) Of the above claim(s)
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`is/are withdrawn from consideration.
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`E] Claim(s) _ is/are allowed.
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`Claim(s) 1—4,7—9 and 12—13 is/are rejected.
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`Claim(s) 5—6 and 10—11 is/are objected to.
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`) ) ) )
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`6 7
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`8
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`
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`are subject to restriction and/or election requirement
`[:1 Claim(s)
`9
`* If any claims have been determined allowable, you may be eligible to benefit from the Patent Prosecution Highway program at a
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`participating intellectual property office for the corresponding application. For more information, please see
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`http://www.uspto.gov/patents/init events/pph/index.'sp or send an inquiry to PPeredback@uspto.gov.
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`Application Papers
`10):] The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`
`11). The drawing(s) filed on 5/17/2017 is/are: a). accepted or b)l:] objected to by the Examiner.
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`Applicant may not request that any objection to the drawing(s) be held in abeyance. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
`Replacement drawing sheet(s) including the correction is required if the drawing(s) is objected to. See 37 CFR 1.121 (d).
`
`Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119
`12)C] Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) or (f).
`Certified copies:
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`a)I:] All
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`b)|:] Some**
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`c)C] None of the:
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`1.|:] Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
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`21:] Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No.
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`3D Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been received in this National Stage
`application from the International Bureau (PCT Rule 17.2(a)).
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`** See the attached detailed Office action for a list of the certified copies not received.
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`Attachment(s)
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`1)
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`Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
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`2) D Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08a and/or PTO/SB/08b)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date_
`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
`
`3) C] Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`4) CI Other-
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`PTOL-326 (Rev. 11-13)
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`Office Action Summary
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`Part of Paper No./Mai| Date 20190927
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 15/597,745
`Art Unit: 3662
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`Page 2
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`Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
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`1.
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`The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013,
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`is being examined
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`under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA.
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`Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1. 114
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`2.
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`A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set
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`forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this
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`application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set
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`forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action
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`has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on
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`07/09/2017 has been entered. Claims 1-13 are pending examination. Wherein, claim
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`13 is a new adding claim).
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`Response to Amendment and Arguments
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`3.
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`Applicant's amendment & arguments filed 01/02/2014 have been fully considered
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`and are moot in view new grounds of rejection. Applicant's arguments with respect to
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`the claims have been considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to
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`any of the references being used in the current rejection.
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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`4.
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`The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all
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`obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
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`A patent for a claimed invention maynotbe obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed
`invention is not identicallydisclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the
`claimed invention and the priorartare such that the claimed invention as awhole would have
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 15/597,745
`Art Unit: 3662
`
`Page 3
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`been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having
`ordinaryskill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentabilityshall not be
`negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
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`5.
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`Claims 1-4, 7-9 & 12-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being
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`unpatentable over Kentley-Klay (20180134207) in view of Li (20160249180).
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`With regard to claims 1 & 12, Kentley—Klay discloses an object detection apparatus
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`ooi‘norieing:
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`on input port, wnion, in operation, reoeivee information on e oioreiity of oojeote in
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`surroundings of e vehioie and information on a traffic environment of the veiiiote (vehioie
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`tot} reoeivee information of objects, see at ieeet [0057]~j0059j+i
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`the information on the pioreiity of oojeots inoioding at ieest one of ofireotion
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`information, distance information, or refative speed information of the pioraiity of objects
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`with reference to the venicie (oath oaiouietor i 12 oeiouietes date motion of an object of
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`object in the eiwironntent, e kinematic oeiooietor ii5 oomootee data representing scatter
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`and veetor with motion of oojeot in the environment, see at tenet [0060]~[€)064j+),
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`the oiuraiity of objects being detected by a sensor insteiteo on the venioie (see at
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`ieest {0104]};
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`e oentroiier determines whether the venioie ie in at tnresnoio iooation nosed a
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`pfanner system estimate one or more tnresnoio iooetions, see at ieeet [01081401 “itij-i-i,
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`and,
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`in response to the threshold location, and selects first information from the
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`information on the plurality of objects based on the priority for each of the plurality of
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`objects (object prioritization by a planner system, see at least [0104]-[0107]+, & and
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`select a light pattern for the visual alert associated with the threshold location, see at
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`least [0144]+); and
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 15/597,745
`Art Unit: 3662
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`Page 4
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`art eeteut port, which; in eperatien, euteete the first thierrrratteri te an th—vehicie
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`aeearatee that eehtrete the vehiete {drive eyeterrt 326, see at teaat {Chew—[(30921 &
`
`[Ot62]u[ete8j+)t
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`Kentley-Klay fails to teach determining whether er net a tetat anteurit at the ihterrnatien
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`eh the eturatity at ehjeete ie greater thart a predetermined vatue,
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`Li dieetesee a reinete driving aeeietanee system (see the abstract)“ The system
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`determines whether er hat a tetai amount at the intermatieh ah the eturatity at ebjeete its
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`greater them a predeterrriihed vettie {See at Hearst {Stat-8%).
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`It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective
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`filling date of the claimed invention to modify Kentley—Klay by including to
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`determine whether er heat a tetat amettht et the Enterrhattert era the ptttreitty et
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`ehjeete te greater that": a ereeteterththeet vetee ae taught by Lt. The eemhthatteh et
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`Kehttywtttay amt Lt ta art attaeteet autehemeee vehiete tatteretree eerterrhthg
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`aatettr.
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`With regard to eiairn 2, Kentley-Klay teaches that the intermatieh era the traffic
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`ehvtrehmeht is received trem at teast ene at a navigatieh apparatus used th the vehiete,
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`a trattie envirehrnent reeeghitteh apparatus inetatted an a read an which the vehtete
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`rune, arid the aerieer {see at ieaet i3093}+i.
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`With regard to eiaim 3, Kentley-Klay teachee that the in~vehiete apparatus is at teaet one
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`at adevice that eentrete runrtthg at the vehieie arid a device that eehtreie ehe er mere
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`eehtenta dieetayed eh a dieptay aeparatee need Eh the vehiete (see at teaet {with}.
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 15/597,745
`Art Unit: 3662
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`Page 5
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`With regerei te eiairh 4, Kentley-Klay teeehee that the eutput pert outputs the tiret
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`intermetien to the ihuvehieie epeeratue sequehtietiy ih enter ei priority trern high te Sew
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`{see at teeet [Q123}~{Gt24t+).
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`With regard to eteim 7, teaches that:
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`the eutput pert, ih eperatieh, outputs te the ih~vehiete apperetue, tittermetieh en
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`the piuraiity et ehjeete heiehgihg to 3 first ihtertnetieh greet} fitted ihterrnatieh en the
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`pturetity et ehjéeete heiehgihg to e eeeehe ihtermetieh group that is tewer in prierity than
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`the
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`first irtiermetien greet)? the tiret intermatieh greue ehd the eeeehd intermatieh group
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`being iheiucied in the tiret interrhetien, end
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`wherein a frequency et euteuttihg the eeeehd ihr‘errhetieh greet) ie tower theh e
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`treeeeney et eutputtihg the first ihterrnetieh greuei
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`With regard te eieirh 8, Kentley-Klay teaches that:
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`the input pert reeeivee the ihterrnetieh en the piureiity et ehjeete time—
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`seeuentietiy {see at ieeet t0058]+),
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`wherein the eentretter,
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`in operation, etterttpte te repeetettty perterrrt aterget
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`tracking preeeee art the pitiraiity et‘ ehiecte heated en the ihterrhetien hit the pieretity er
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`chieete (see at teeet tiGOSGt—a—‘ii and
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`wherein the eentretter,
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`in operation, determihee the prierity teased en the
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`intermetien en the eiureiity or objects}; the intermetien en the ttettie erwirehmeht, and a
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`reeutt hi the target treekihg preeeee (see at ieeet {meet—[at 071+)"
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 15/597,745
`Art Unit: 3662
`
`Page 6
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`With regard to eiairh Sit, Kentley-Klay teaehes that the ebieet deteeted apparatus
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`comprising a memory, wherein the centreiter,
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`in operatieh, repeatedty detects second
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`iriiormatteh en a ttrat ehteet aetected by the target tracking preceas en the piuraiity oi
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`ebieets, arid repeatediy stores the eeeehd ihfermatieh in the memory, the seeehd
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`information thctudihg a pturatity ei second items associated with the first object {see at
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`teaet {Oti99HG‘t eat—2.}.
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`With regard to eiairh 13, Li teaches the ihterrreatieh on the traffic ehvirorimeht theiueies at
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`teast one oi information ihdieating a type at a read on which vehteie is traveithg,
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`information indicating a buttdihg abjeettoh to the read cm which the vehtcte is traveiihg,
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`er triterrreatteri Ehdieatthg a eurreht weather eeriditieh (see at teaet [titifitilmfiiflhi
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`Allowable Subject Matter
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`6.
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`Claims 5-6 & 10-11 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base
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`claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the
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`limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
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`Conclusion
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`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
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`examiner should be directed to NGA X NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-
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`5217. The examiner can normally be reached on M—F 5:30AM - 2:30PM.
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 15/597,745
`Art Unit: 3662
`
`Page 7
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`in-person, and video
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`conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an
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`
`(AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
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`If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s
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`supervisor, JELANI SMITH can be reached on 571-270-3969. The fax phone number
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`for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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`Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for
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`published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR.
`
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`
`/NGA X NGUYEN/
`
`Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3662
`
`