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
`
`ART UNIT
`
`3662
`
`NOTIFICATION DATE
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`DELIVERY MODE
`
`04/12/2019
`
`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 01/22/2019.
`[:1 A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/were filed on
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`2a). This action is FINAL.
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`2b) C] 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.
`
`Disposition of Claims*
`5)
`Claim(s)
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`1—12 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)
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`is/are allowed.
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`Claim(s) fl is/are rejected.
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`[:1 Claim(s) _ is/are objected to.
`
`) ) ) )
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`6 7
`
`8
`
`
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`are subject to restriction and/or election requirement
`[j Claim(s)
`9
`* If any claims have been determined aflowabie. 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.jsp or send an inquiry to PPeredback@uspto.gov.
`
`Application Papers
`10)[:] The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`
`11). The drawing(s) filed on 05/17/2017 is/are: a). accepted or b)[:] objected to by the Examiner.
`
`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)[:] 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:I All
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`b)D Some**
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`C)D None of the:
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`1.[:] Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
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`2.[:] Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No.
`
`3:] 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)).
`
`** See the attached detailed Office action for a list of the certified copies not received.
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`Attachment(s)
`
`1)
`
`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 20190407
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 15/597,745
`Art Unit: 3662
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`Page 2
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`01/22/2019Detailed Actions
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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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`This Office Action is in response to the remarks filed 01/22/2019 in which claims
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`1-12 are pending for examination.
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`Response to Arguments
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`2.
`
`Applicant's arguments filed 01/22/2019 have been fully considered and are moot
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`in view new grounds of rejection. Applicant's arguments with respect to the claims have
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`been considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to any of the
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`references being used in the current rejection.
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
`
`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
`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 notbe
`negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
`
`3.
`
`Claims 1-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over
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`OBA (20180151066) in view of Tashiro (20130345954).
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`With regard to claims 1 & 12, OBA discloses an object detection apparatus comprising:
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`an input port, which, in operation, receives information on a plurality of objects in
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`surroundings of a vehicle and information on a traliio environment oi the vehicle, the
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`plurality of objects being deieoted by a sensor installed on the vehiole (driving support
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`unit 60 receives information of objects and trellis environment surround oi a vehicle
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`

`

`Application/Control Number: 15/597,745
`Art Unit: 3662
`
`Page 3
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`trern ehvtrehrneht unit 3% such as time interrnatten travei err react that has; St’tOW, read
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`cenditten, tandrharh (ihtereectten), eee at teaet [Gt Hit—[Gt t8]+};
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`a centretter, which, in eperatteng determines whether er hat a tetat amount of the
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`irtterrnatien en the eturatity ct ehjeete ie greater than a predetermined vaiue {driving
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`etippertihg unit 60, see at teet [(3131], eeterrnihee tirrie intermatien driving en the ehiecte
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`is greater than the ease times “rear see at teaet [Gtfitfijifitfitflt
`
`, and,
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`th reepcnee te the tetat antcttnt Q? the intermetieh en the eiuraitty et ehjecte being
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`greater their: the predetermined Statue; determines, haeett era the interrnatien on the
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`pturatity of ehjéecte and the inierrrratten en the tratttc envirenrnentfi prierity ter each or the
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`ptcratity of ehjecte, and
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`art euteut pert, which, in eperattcn, eutpute the first information te an ihw vehtcte
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`apearatce that centrete the vehtcte (traveting eehtrei ereceeeihg unit 62, see at teaet
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`[Gt28]—[Gt:?afi}+ & [Qt7i3]~tt)t?5t).
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`OBA taite te teach eeiecting tiret intermatien trerh the thtermatteh en the pitiretity of
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`ehjeete haeed en the prierity ter each at the ettiratity et ehteete;
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`Taehire teaches; a system tor regutatieh irtterrhatieh anaiyeie {eee the abstract). The
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`syetem eetects first intermatten trerh the thtermatien en the pttaratity of ehjecte hatred en
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`the prterity tcr each of the piuraitty et ehjecte
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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 OBA by including to eetectirtg tiret
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`tetermatteh trerrr the tetermatteh er: the pteratity et ehfieete haeeri err the hrterity
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`her each et the pttrretity et ehfieete ter eetety eerterrrrehee by the vehtete
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 15/597,745
`Art Unit: 3662
`
`Page 4
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`With regard to claim 2, OBA teaches that the information on the traffic environment is
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`received from at least one of a navigation apparatus used in the vehicie, a traffic
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`envirenment recognition apparatus inetaiied on a read an which the vehicie runs, and
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`the senser {see at ieaet {Gt1§i~{0118]+)
`
`.
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`With regard to claim 3, OBA teaches that the innveiticie apparatus is at ieast one of a
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`device that eentteis running of the vehicle and 3 device that centreis one er more
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`centerits displayed en a diepiay apparatus used in the vehicie {display unit 44, See at
`
`ieast [0125]),
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`With regard to claim 4, Tashiro teaches that the output port outputs the first information
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`to the in-vehicle apparatus sequentially in order of priority from high to low (see at least
`
`[0132]-[0133]).
`
`With regard to claim 5, OBA teaches that information on each object detected by the
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`sensor includes a plurality of items associated with the object, wherein the output port,
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`in operation, outputs, to the in-vehicle apparatus,
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`information on the plurality of objects
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`belonging to a first information group and information on the plurality of objects
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`belonging to a second information group that is lower in priority than the first information
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`group, the first information group and the second information group being included in
`
`the first information, and wherein a number of items included in the first information
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`group is larger than a number of items included in the second information group (see at
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`least (see at least [0031]—[0060]+ & Fig.2).
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 15/597,745
`Art Unit: 3662
`
`Page 5
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`With regard to claim 6, OBA teaches that the controller,
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`in operation, removes one or
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`more items from the second information group based on the information on the traffic
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`environment (see at least [0192]+).
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`With regard to claim 7, Tashiro teaches that information on the plurality of objects
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`belonging to a first information group and information on the plurality of objects
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`belonging to a second information group that is lower in priority than the first
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`information group, the first information group and the second information group being
`
`included in the first information, and wherein afrequency of outputting the second
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`information group is lower than a frequency of outputting the first information group (see
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`at least [0130]-[0133]).
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`With regard to claim 8, Tashiro teaches that:
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`wherein the input port receives the information on the plurality of objects time-
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`sequentially (see at least [0055]),
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`wherein the controller,
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`in operation, attempts to repeatedly perform atarget
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`tracking process on the plurality of objects based on the information on the plurality of
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`objects, and wherein the controller,
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`in operation, determines the priority based on the
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`information on the plurality of objects, the information on the traffic environment, and a
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`result of the target tracking process (see at least [0055]-[0059]).
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 15/597,745
`Art Unit: 3662
`
`Page 6
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`With regard to claim 9, Tashiro teaches that the object detection apparatus comprising a
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`memory, wherein the controller,
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`in operation, repeatedly detects second information on
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`a first object selected by the target tracking process on the plurality of objects, and
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`repeatedly stores the second information in the memory, the second information
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`including a plurality of second items associated with the first object (see at toast
`
`{ocean},
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`With regard to claim 10, OBA teaches that the controller,
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`in operation, detects, by
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`comparing the detected second information with the stored second information, one or
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`more differential second items among the plurality of second items;, and wherein the
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`output port, in operation, outputs the one or more differential second items to the in-
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`vehicle apparatus (see at least [0116] & [0072]-[0076]+).
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`With regard to claim 11, OBA teaches that the object detection apparatus comprising a
`
`memory,
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`wherein the output port, in operation, outputs, to the in-vehicle apparatus,
`
`information on the plurality of objects belonging to a first information group and
`
`information on the plurality of objects belonging to a second information group that is
`
`lower in priority than the first information group, the first information group and the
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`second information group being included in the first information (see at least [0072]-
`
`[0074]),
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`wherein the controller,
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`in operation, repeatedly detects second information on a
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`first object among the second information group seiceted by the target tracking process
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 15/597,745
`Art Unit: 3662
`
`Page 7
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`en the pitiraiity ef ehieete, arid repeatediy eteree the eecend internia‘iien in the nieinery,
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`the seeend intermatien iheiuding a piuraiity et eeeend items aeseciated with the first
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`abject (see at teast {@1291},
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`wherein the centreiler,
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`in apera‘tien, detecte, by eemparihg the eeeehd
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`intermatien with the stared seeehd information, one or mere differentiat second items
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`among the piuratity at second items {see at feast [0128143113th and
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`wherein the eutput pert, in eperetien, eutpute the ene pr more difterehtiai eeeehd
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`items te the iii-vehieie apparatus; {see at teaet {fifZSh}.
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`Conclusion
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`4.
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`Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in
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`this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP
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`§ 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37
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`CFR1.136(a).
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`A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE
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`MONTHS from the mailing date of this action.
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`In the event a first reply is filed within
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`TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not
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`mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the
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`shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any
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`extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of
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`the advisory action.
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`In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later
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`than SIX MONTHS from the date of this final action.
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 15/597,745
`Art Unit: 3662
`
`Page 8
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`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
`
`examiner should be directed to NGA X NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-
`
`5217. The examiner can normally be reached on M—F 5:30AM - 2:30PM.
`
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`
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`
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`
`(AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
`
`If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s
`
`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.
`
`Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the
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`Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for
`
`published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR.
`
`Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only.
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`
`/NGA X NGUYEN/
`
`Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3662
`
`