Obviousness

To analyze the obviousness of US patent 12240458 under 35 U.S.C. § 103, we will identify combinations of prior art references that would render the claims obvious and explain the motivation for a person having ordinary skill in the art (POSITA) to combine them. The core inventive concept of US12240458, as seen in independent claims 1 and 11, is a vehicle controller operable to select a direction for driving the wheels in response to a pattern of steering angle movements, without requiring operator indication of a direction.

Combination of Prior Art for Obviousness

The most compelling argument for obviousness arises from combining prior art related to automated vehicle direction adjustment with prior art detailing parking/unparking assistance systems.

Primary Combination:

1. US20240051558A1 (Tesla, Inc.): "Automated adjustment of vehicle direction based on environment analysis"
2. US20130110342A1 (Volkswagen Ag): "Method for pulling a vehicle into or out of a parking space and corresponding assistance system and vehicle"
   • Alternatively, or in addition to, US20130110342A1, other parking/unparking assist systems like US9085321B2 (Mando Corporation, "Unparking control system and unparking control method using the same") or US20160075329A1 (Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, "Parking assist system and path determination method") could be used.

Detailed Analysis of the Combination

1. Teachings of the References:

• US20240051558A1 (Tesla, Inc.): This patent teaches an "automated adjustment of vehicle direction based on environment analysis". A POSITA would understand "adjustment of vehicle direction" to be broad enough to encompass changes in the vehicle's primary direction of travel, including switching between forward (Drive) and reverse (Reverse) gears, in order to execute a desired path. The term "automated adjustment" implies that this process is performed with reduced or eliminated explicit manual input from the driver for the direction itself. The "environment analysis" could certainly include interpreting driver inputs such as steering.
• US20130110342A1 (Volkswagen Ag): This patent teaches a "method for pulling a vehicle into or out of a parking space and corresponding assistance system and vehicle". Parking and unparking maneuvers are inherently complex, often requiring multiple changes in the direction of travel (e.g., backing up, stopping, then moving forward) coupled with significant steering adjustments. This reference clearly establishes the context where such automated directional changes are highly relevant.

2. Motivation to Combine:
A person having ordinary skill in the art in vehicle control systems or driver assistance technology would be strongly motivated to combine the automated directional adjustment capabilities taught by US20240051558A1 with a parking/unparking assistance system like US20130110342A1. The primary motivation would be to enhance the level of automation, convenience, and safety of parking and unparking maneuvers by reducing driver distraction and simplifying the gear selection process.

The background section of US12240458 itself highlights a problem: "The screen swipe may be a distraction, require visual observation to reach a small area, and may be a non-intuitive direction for some users. The distractions may arise when in a parking lot context when traffic may come from different direction, when other drivers may have distracted attention, and in which pedestrians and obstacles may be present." This explicitly states the desirability of eliminating distracting manual directional inputs during parking.

A POSITA, seeking to solve this problem within an existing parking assist system (US20130110342A1) by integrating automated directional control (US20240051558A1), would naturally look for intuitive and non-distracting ways to infer the driver's intent for gear changes.

3. Obviousness of "response to steering angle movements, without operator indication of a direction" (Claims 1 and 11):
In the specific context of parking and unparking maneuvers, a driver's steering angle movements are a fundamental and highly intuitive indicator of their intended path and, consequently, their desired direction of travel. For example, when a driver backs out of a perpendicular parking space and then prepares to move forward, their steering wheel actions typically involve steering sharply while reversing, followed by counter-steering (often past the straight-ahead position) as they slow or stop, anticipating a forward turn. This "pattern of steering angle movements" is a characteristic and consistent signal during such maneuvers.

Therefore, it would be obvious for a POSITA, striving to implement the "automated adjustment of vehicle direction" (from US20240051558A1) within an unparking scenario (from US20130110342A1) while eliminating explicit directional input, to monitor these characteristic steering angle patterns. Using these patterns as a direct trigger for automatically selecting the appropriate gear (forward or reverse) would be a logical and intuitive design choice. The steering wheel is the primary interface for directional control during these maneuvers, making its movements a clear proxy for the desired gear direction, thereby inherently eliminating the need for a separate, explicit directional input from the operator.

Obviousness of Dependent Claims

The dependent claims of US12240458 describe various conditions and approval mechanisms that would also be obvious implementations in light of the combined prior art and general knowledge in the field:

• Claims 2, 8, 9, 10 (Approval via non-directional input like brake tap, no selector operation): The concept of driver confirmation via a non-directional input (e.g., a brake tap or button click) in an automated or proposed system is a known safety feature. US12240458's description acknowledges that existing "automated vehicle-proposed direction system[s]" (for starting from parked) offer a 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." [cite: The provided patent text] It would be obvious for a POSITA to incorporate a similar non-directional approval mechanism into an automated gear shift system during unparking, especially since the driver is often already interacting with the brake pedal to slow or stop the vehicle.
• Claim 3 (Foot shifting from accelerator to brake for approval): Given the prevalence of "one-pedal driving" systems where releasing the accelerator slows the vehicle, it would be an obvious ergonomic design choice for a POSITA to use the brake pedal for confirmation after the vehicle has slowed to a stop, as the driver's foot would naturally shift to or be near the brake.
• Claims 4, 5 (Steering input > threshold, velocity < threshold): These are standard control parameters for differentiating intentional maneuvers from minor corrections and for ensuring safe operation. Parking maneuvers inherently involve significant steering angles and low speeds. It would be obvious to a POSITA to implement such thresholds to define the conditions under which an auto-shift is offered or enacted. The patent description itself notes, "Parking operation normally takes place at slow speeds, so the operation and functions disclosed herein may be limited to circumstances below a selected speed." [cite: The provided patent text]
• Claim 6 (Steering in first direction, then opposite direction): This describes a characteristic steering pattern for unparking maneuvers (e.g., reversing with wheels turned one way, then turning them the other way to move forward). This pattern is a clear and well-recognized indicator of an impending change in the primary direction of travel during a multi-point turn, making it an obvious algorithmic trigger for an automated gear change for a POSITA working on parking assist systems.
• Claim 7 (Based on distance traveled): Using distance traveled (e.g., reversing for a certain distance) as a criterion to infer the context of an unparking maneuver is also an obvious parameter for a POSITA to incorporate into the control logic, as it helps determine if the vehicle has adequately cleared the parking space.

Conclusion

The independent claims (1 and 11) of US12240458 would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art by combining US20240051558A1 (automated adjustment of vehicle direction) with US20130110342A1 (parking/unparking assistance system). The motivation to combine these references stems from the desire to enhance automation, convenience, and safety in parking maneuvers by eliminating distracting manual gear selections. A POSITA would find it obvious to use characteristic steering angle movements, which are integral to parking/unparking, as the input to automatically infer and select the desired driving direction, thereby achieving a system that selects direction "without operator indication of a direction." The various features claimed in the dependent claims are either well-known safety and control considerations or obvious implementations within such a combined system.