Obviousness

Obviousness Analysis of US Patent 11932230 under 35 U.S.C. § 103

This analysis examines whether the claims of US Patent 11932230 would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art (POSITA) at the time of the invention, based on the provided prior art references.

Claim 1 Obviousness

Claim 1: A motor vehicle comprising: a frame having wheels; a motor connected to the frame; a steering control connected to the wheels to establish a steering angle; a controller operably connected to the steering control, to the motor, and to the wheels; the controller operable to selectably drive the wheels in a forward direction in a drive mode and in a rearward direction in a reverse mode; and the controller operable to select a direction for driving the wheels in response to a pattern of steering angle movements, without operator indication of a direction.

Combination of Prior Art: US20160075329A1 (Toyota) in combination with general knowledge in the art regarding driver assistance systems and the motivation to reduce driver workload.

Reasoning:

1. Toyota (US20160075329A1) Disclosure: The Toyota reference describes a parking assist system that automatically steers a vehicle into a parking spot. This system uses sensors to detect obstacles and calculates "optimum steering angles" to guide the vehicle during parking maneuvers. While the driver retains control over acceleration and braking, the steering itself is automated. This demonstrates a controller that processes environmental information to determine and execute a "pattern of steering angle movements" without direct, continuous operator steering input. The system is designed to perform maneuvers that often involve reversing and then moving forward to adjust, inherently managing directional changes through steering.
2. Missing Element in Toyota: Toyota's system automates steering, but it does not explicitly state that the gear selection (e.g., shifting from reverse to drive) is made automatically "without operator indication of a direction" based on these steering patterns.
3. Motivation to Combine: A Person of Ordinary Skill in the Art (POSITA) would be motivated to combine the automated steering capabilities of the Toyota system with the goal of further reducing driver workload and distraction during complex parking maneuvers. The '230 patent itself highlights that manual screen swipes for gear selection can be a "distraction, require visual observation to reach a small area, and may be a non-intuitive direction for some users," especially in busy parking lot contexts.
   During unparking, a driver typically backs out with a significant steering angle, stops, and then shifts to drive while simultaneously adjusting the steering angle in the opposite direction to proceed forward. This sequence of steering movements is highly characteristic and predictable. A POSITA, having recognized the benefits of automated steering from Toyota, would find it obvious to extend this automation to the gear selection. If the vehicle's controller detects a steering pattern (e.g., a large steering angle in reverse, followed by a stop, and then a reversal of the steering angle) that is highly indicative of an imminent shift from reverse to drive during an unparking maneuver, it would be an obvious design choice to automatically select the drive direction, thereby eliminating the need for the driver to manually indicate the gear direction. This would further enhance the driver's comfort and safety by streamlining a common, multi-step operation.

Therefore, the combination of US20160075329A1 and general knowledge in the art regarding reducing driver workload in vehicle assistance systems would render Claim 1 obvious.

Claim 18 Obviousness

Claim 18: A motor vehicle for operation by a driver, comprising: a frame having wheels; a motor connected to the frame; a steering control connected to the wheels to establish a steering angle; a controller operably connected to the steering control, to the motor, and to the wheels; the controller operable to selectably drive the wheels in a forward direction in a drive mode and in a rearward direction in a reverse mode; and the controller operable when the vehicle has been operated in reverse to offer the driver an auto-shift to drive; and the offer of an auto-shift being based on at least one of time traveled from a parked position, distance traveled from a parked position, velocity of travel since parked, steering angle, and vehicle location.

Combination of Prior Art: US20160075329A1 (Toyota) in combination with existing systems offering automatic gear selection (as acknowledged in the '230 patent's background) and the motivation to extend known functionalities to common scenarios.

Reasoning:

1. Toyota (US20160075329A1) Disclosure: The Toyota parking assist system employs "sonar warning systems, backup cameras, and forward sensors" to "detect obstacles and calculate optimum steering angles during parking." To achieve its functionality, such a system inherently monitors and utilizes data related to the vehicle's movement and environment. This includes, but is not limited to, the vehicle's position, its speed (velocity), the distance it has traveled during a maneuver, its steering angle, and its location within the parking environment. Therefore, the Toyota system discloses the collection and processing of data corresponding to "time traveled from a parked position, distance traveled from a parked position, velocity of travel since parked, steering angle, and vehicle location."
2. Acknowledged Prior Art in '230 Patent Background: The background of US11932230 explicitly states that "Some vehicles have advanced gear or direction selection is special circumstances. Some may select a direction automatically when initially proceeding from a parked condition." It further notes that such systems "may then offer the driver that proposed direction, and the driver then for safety reasons indicates (such as by a tap on the brake) that the proposed direction is safe and correct." This clearly indicates that the concept of a vehicle controller offering an automatic gear shift (or direction selection) to the driver, based on contextual information, was already known in the art.
3. Motivation to Combine: A POSITA would be motivated to combine the robust sensing and contextual awareness of a parking assist system like Toyota's with the known functionality of offering automatic gear shifts. The '230 patent itself identifies a specific problem that motivates this combination: "This especially occurs during routine parking when backing out of a parking space, stopping, then selecting the forward drive direction. This may be the only frequent need for a screen swipe to indicate direction in vehicles with sensor initial direction proposals."
   Given that systems already existed to offer automatic shifts when initially proceeding from a parked condition, it would be an obvious extension for a POSITA to apply this "offer" functionality to the common and repetitive "unparking" scenario. By utilizing the very same parameters (time/distance/velocity from parked position, steering angle, and vehicle location) that a sophisticated parking assist system (like Toyota's) would already be collecting to understand the vehicle's state during an unparking maneuver, the controller could effectively determine the appropriate moment to offer a shift from reverse to drive. This combination directly addresses the identified need to reduce manual intervention and distraction during a routine maneuver where a directional shift is highly predictable.

Therefore, the combination of US20160075329A1, the acknowledged prior art systems offering automatic gear selection, and the clear motivation to extend driver assistance and reduce workload during common unparking maneuvers, would render Claim 18 obvious.