Obviousness

Upon reviewing the available information, the "Prior Art" section explicitly states that the "References Cited" section is not present in the provided authoritative patent text, preventing a direct listing of prior art considered by the patent examiner.

However, the "PTAB challenges" section for IPR2024-01445 indicates that "All 20 claims of US10890925B2 were challenged based on obviousness, citing prior art including Thorpe, Clark, and Garceau. Dependent claims 7, 14, and 20 faced additional obviousness challenges related to temperature calibration lookup tables."

Therefore, for the purpose of this obviousness analysis, I will consider Thorpe, Clark, and Garceau as the relevant prior art references. To analyze their combination, I need to understand their teachings.

The provided search results allow for an analysis of the cited prior art:

Prior Art References:

1. Thorpe: The search results indicate several patents associated with "Thorpe."

   • US6584385B1 (Motor vehicle leveling assembly): This patent, identified as "Thorpe Leveling system for recreational vehicles," describes a leveling assembly that analyzes the attitude of a motor vehicle in two axes (longitudinal pitch and lateral roll) and uses leveling devices (jacks) to correct the vehicle's attitude to a calibrated reference. It includes a controller connected to the leveling devices and a proportional two-axis tilt sensor providing analog signals. The prior art section of this document notes existing automatic motor vehicle leveling systems that require only a single switch actuation to level an RV. It also mentions a level unit with level sensing mechanisms (preferably a dual-axis accelerometer) to determine pitch and roll, and a control unit with a display panel that shows the amount of pitch and roll correction needed. It explicitly mentions a calibration procedure to set the zero or level condition.
   • Other "Thorpe" patents like D995570, D982042, 11834810, and 11732436 are design patents or relate to specific components (e.g., lift arms, anchors), and are less directly relevant to the core leveling system as described in US10890925B2 compared to US6584385B1.

2. Clark: The search results present "US20210395058A1 - Leveling system for lift device" associated with Clark. This patent describes a leveling system for a lift device (e.g., a fire apparatus, boom truck) configured to maintain a chassis level relative to gravity, both stationary and while moving. The system includes front and rear leveling assemblies providing two degrees of movement (pitch and roll). It mentions a controller, various modes of operation (e.g., calibration mode), and actuators for adjusting pitch and roll. It uses terms like "semi-independent suspension system" to provide pitch and roll movement.

   • US20120211301A1 (Platform leveling system): This application, also associated with Clark (assignors include Clark, Brian), discloses a leveling system for a vehicle with a structure to be leveled (e.g., aerial work platform). It features at least one linear accelerometer and an angular rate sensor (gyroscope) mounted to measure platform acceleration and angular velocity. An electronic control module uses these measurements to produce a level angle output, which is used to adjust and control the angle of the structure. It mentions leveling to gravity and using an accelerometer-based sensor.

3. Garceau: The search results for "Garceau" directly mention "US6050573A - Automatic leveling system for vehicles" and "US5143386A - Automatic leveling system".

   • US6050573A (Automatic leveling system for vehicles): This patent describes an automatic leveling system for a vehicle (e.g., an RV) with four hydraulically actuated leveling jacks. A level sensor calculates the chassis plane's location and sends it to an onboard computer. The computer determines the difference from a level plane and calculates which jacks need to be extended and their proportion of extension to level the vehicle in unison. It uses solenoid valves to achieve proportional fluid flow to the jacks.
   • US5143386A (Automatic leveling system): This patent also describes a system for automatically leveling a vehicle, such as an RV, using a plurality of extensible jacks. It senses the tilt of the vehicle along multiple axes and simultaneously expands jacks at the lowest corners at a rate proportional to the tilt. It mentions saving maximum proportional sensor values and jack extensions for reference during leveling.

Obviousness Analysis of US10890925B2 under 35 U.S.C. § 103:

US10890925B2's core invention, as described in its abstract, is a vehicle leveling system comprising a sensor device (sensing inclination/orientation in pitch and roll) and a smart device (communicating with the sensor, processing information, displaying measurements, and determining adjustments). [cite: US10890925B2]

Combination of Thorpe (US6584385B1) and the general knowledge of smart devices/wireless communication:

• Thorpe (US6584385B1) already teaches a leveling system for recreational vehicles with a dual-axis tilt sensor (accelerometer) to determine pitch and roll, a controller, and a display panel that shows the amount of pitch and roll correction needed. It also describes a "level unit" and a "control unit" that wirelessly communicate using transceivers and have their own controllers and power supplies. It includes a calibration procedure.
• At the priority date of US10890925B2 (December 5, 2014) [cite: US10890925B2], smart devices (smartphones, tablets) with integrated sensors (accelerometers, gyroscopes, GPS) and wireless communication capabilities (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi) were ubiquitous. It was well-known in the art to use software applications (apps) on smart devices to control external hardware, process sensor data, and display information to a user.

Motivation to Combine: A person having ordinary skill in the art (POSITA) would have been motivated to replace the dedicated "control unit" of Thorpe with a readily available and more versatile smart device (e.g., a smartphone or tablet) running a specialized application. This combination would offer numerous advantages:

1. Cost Reduction: Leveraging an existing smart device eliminates the need for a dedicated, separate control unit, reducing manufacturing costs.
2. Enhanced User Interface: Smart devices offer advanced graphical user interfaces, touchscreens, and processing power, providing a richer and more intuitive user experience for displaying leveling information and receiving user input compared to a simple display panel.
3. Additional Functionality: A smart device could easily integrate additional features such as storing vehicle profiles (length, width), providing historical leveling data, connecting to other RV systems (holding tank levels, battery status, generator control, as described in US10890925B2), and utilizing the smart device's own sensors for initial calibration (as suggested in US10890925B2). [cite: US10890925B2]
4. Connectivity: Smart devices provide internet connectivity for software updates, remote monitoring, or sharing usage data with manufacturers, as envisioned by US10890925B2. [cite: US10890925B2]

Therefore, it would have been obvious to a POSITA to adapt the wireless communication and sensing capabilities of Thorpe's leveling system to interface with a smart device running an application to perform the control, calculation, and display functions described in US10890925B2.

Considering Clark and Garceau in combination with Thorpe:

• Clark (US20120211301A1 and US20210395058A1) further reinforces the use of accelerometers and angular rate sensors (gyroscopes) in leveling systems for vehicles, including those with boom structures and lift devices, to maintain a level chassis and control pitch and roll. This demonstrates that using multiple types of angle measurement sensors and processors for calculations (including temperature correction) was known in the art for achieving accurate leveling.
• Garceau (US6050573A and US5143386A) explicitly teaches automatic leveling systems for recreational vehicles using multiple hydraulically actuated jacks, level sensors (calculating chassis plane location), and an onboard computer to determine necessary jack extensions and achieve a level position. These patents detail the control mechanisms for physically adjusting the vehicle's level.

Motivation to Combine with Clark and Garceau:
A POSITA, seeking to improve upon Thorpe's system or create a more comprehensive leveling solution, would naturally look to other known leveling technologies.

• The teachings of Clark would motivate the use of a more robust sensor suite (accelerometer + gyroscope) as also described in US10890925B2 for increased accuracy and to potentially handle dynamic leveling situations (though US10890925B2 focuses on stationary leveling, the sensors are broadly applicable). [cite: US10890925B2, 2, 3]
• The Garceau patents would inform the implementation details of the "leveling mechanisms" (e.g., jacks) and the algorithms for calculating and executing the necessary adjustments to achieve a level position, particularly in a multi-jack RV system. This provides the underlying mechanical and algorithmic foundation for the "amount of adjustments needed in height" functionality of US10890925B2.

The overall combination of Thorpe's wireless sensor/control concept (adapted to a smart device) with the advanced sensing of Clark and the detailed jack control of Garceau would have been obvious to a POSITA by the priority date, driven by the desire for a more accurate, user-friendly, and comprehensive vehicle leveling system that leverages readily available smart device technology and established leveling mechanisms. The elements of US10890925B2, such as the sensor device (with accelerometers, gyroscopes, temperature sensors), communication with a smart device, software for calculations and display, user input for vehicle dimensions, calibration, and determination of height adjustments in pitch and roll, are all either explicitly taught or would have been obvious variations/combinations of these prior art references in light of the prevalent smart device technology. The additional obviousness challenges for claims 7, 14, and 20 related to temperature calibration lookup tables, as noted in the IPR, further demonstrate that this particular refinement was also considered non-inventive over the art. [cite: US10890925B2]