Prior art — US Patent 7482916

Prior Art Analysis for U.S. Patent No. 7,482,916

The following analysis details the most relevant prior art cited during the prosecution of U.S. Patent No. 7,482,916. These references were considered by the USPTO examiner and/or cited by the applicant and are therefore material to the patentability of the claimed invention. The analysis focuses on the potential for these references to anticipate the patent's claims under 35 U.S.C. § 102, which requires that a single prior art reference disclose each and every element of a claimed invention.

Reference 1: U.S. Patent No. 5,712,618 ("the '618 patent")

Full Citation: U.S. Patent No. 5,712,618, "Automatic turn signal device," issued to Dale K. Pratt.
Dates: Filed August 15, 1995; Issued January 27, 1998.
Description: The '618 patent discloses a device that automatically activates a vehicle's turn signals. The system uses sensors to measure the steering wheel's angle of rotation, the vehicle's lateral speed, and its lateral acceleration. A microprocessor analyzes these inputs to determine if the driver is initiating a turn or lane change and, if so, automatically activates the appropriate turn signal. The '916 patent itself acknowledges this prior art in its background section (Col. 2, lines 1-5).
Potential Anticipation of Claims: This patent presents a strong case for anticipating the broadest claims of the '916 patent.
- Claim 1 & Claim 20: These claims broadly recite a system and method comprising a sensor, a processor, and the automatic activation of a turn signal based on the sensor's signal. The '618 patent appears to disclose every element of these claims. It uses multiple sensors (steering angle, speed, acceleration), a processor ("microprocessor"), and its explicit purpose is to "automatically activate" the turn signals. While the '916 patent's preferred embodiment uses a camera to detect lane markings, the language of independent claims 1 and 20 is not limited to a specific type of sensor and therefore reads on the system described in the '618 patent.

Reference 2: U.S. Patent No. 6,226,389 B1 ("the '389 patent")

Full Citation: U.S. Patent No. 6,226,389 B1, "Motor vehicle warning and control system," issued to Jerome H. Lemelson.
Dates: Filed June 3, 1999; Issued May 1, 2001.
Description: The '389 patent describes a comprehensive vehicle control system that uses a variety of sensors, including video cameras, to monitor the vehicle's surroundings and the driver's condition. The system uses a computer ("processor") to analyze sensor data, including detecting lane markings, to identify hazardous conditions. When a hazard is detected, such as an unintentional lane departure, the system can issue a warning to the driver or take automatic control of the vehicle (e.g., braking or steering). The '916 patent also acknowledges this reference in its background section (Col. 1, lines 47-53).
Potential Anticipation of Claims: The '389 patent does not appear to explicitly disclose the automatic activation of turn signals as a response. It focuses on warnings (e.g., audible alarms, visual alerts on the dashboard) and vehicle control actions. Therefore, it likely does not anticipate claim 1 or 20 under the strict requirements of § 102, because the specific element of "activating the turn signal light" is missing. However, it discloses the core technology of using a camera-based sensor and a processor to detect a vehicle's position relative to lane markings, making it a very strong reference for an obviousness rejection under 35 U.S.C. § 103, as discussed in the "Obviousness" section of this report.

Reference 3: U.S. Patent No. 6,321,159 B1 ("the '159 patent")

Full Citation: U.S. Patent No. 6,321,159 B1, "Driving lane tracking system," issued to Dirk van Buer and Karl-Heinz Gats-Kopp.
Dates: Filed February 17, 2000; Issued November 20, 2001.
Description: The '159 patent discloses a system for keeping a vehicle within its driving lane. It uses an optical sensor (camera) to detect lane markings and a control unit (processor) to determine the vehicle's position relative to those markings. Based on this determination, the system can automatically intervene in the vehicle's steering to maintain its position within the lane. This is commonly known as a Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS).
Potential Anticipation of Claims: Similar to the '389 patent, the '159 patent does not appear to teach the activation of turn signals. The stated purpose of the system is to prevent a lane departure by actively steering the vehicle back into the lane. Automatically signaling a turn would be contrary to the system's primary function of maintaining the current lane. Therefore, this reference does not anticipate the claims of the '916 patent, but it establishes that the use of cameras and processors for lane detection and vehicle position analysis was known in the art prior to 2004.

Reference 4: U.S. Patent No. 3,771,096 ("the '096 patent")

Full Citation: U.S. Patent No. 3,771,096, "Lane changing signaling device," issued to Shigeru Ono.
Dates: Filed May 1, 1972; Issued November 6, 1973.
Description: This early patent discloses a mechanical and electrical system that automatically activates the turn signal when the steering wheel is turned a certain amount, characteristic of a lane change. It employs a rotary electrical connector attached to the steering column to sense the steering action and trigger the signaling circuit.
Potential Anticipation of Claims: Much like the '618 patent, this reference discloses a system for automatically activating turn signals based on sensor input (in this case, a rotary sensor on the steering column). It therefore could be argued to anticipate the broad language of Claim 1 and Claim 20, which are not limited to a particular sensor technology. It provides further evidence that the general concept of automatic turn signal activation was well-established long before the '916 patent's filing date.