US 7526368

Here's a concise summary of US Patent 7526368:

Title: Parking assist apparatus

Assignee: Toyota Motor Corp and Aisin Corp [cite: "Current Assignee" section, Toyota Motor Corp and Aisin Corp]

Inventors: Tomohiko Endo, Hisashi Satonaka, Yuichi Kubota, Akira Matsui, Hideyuki Iwakiri, Toru Sugiyama, Seiji Kawakami, Katsuhiko Iwazaki, Hiroaki Kataoka, and Yuu Tanaka [cite: "Inventor" section]

Filing Date: August 27, 2004 [cite: "Filing date" section]

Issue Date: April 28, 2009 [cite: "Publication date" section]

Abstract: A parking assist apparatus guides a vehicle toward a target parking position, even after the guidance has been canceled. The target parking position is initially set by a driver's operation on a display screen showing the vehicle's surroundings. If a cancellation condition (e.g., excessive speed, driver intervention) is established, stopping the guidance, a memory continuously holds the target parking position information. This allows the driver to easily resume or reset guidance to the same parking position with a simple operation, reducing the burden on the driver. [cite: "Abstract" section]

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claim 1:

Independent Claim 1 describes a parking assist apparatus that helps a vehicle park at a desired spot. It includes:

1. Target Parking Position Setting Means: This is how you tell the system where you want to park. You interact with a display on a screen showing the area around your vehicle, and based on your input, the system sets the target parking spot.
2. Cancellation Condition Determining Means: The apparatus constantly checks if something has happened that should stop the parking assistance, like the vehicle going too fast or the driver taking over the steering wheel.
3. Memory Holding Means: Even if the parking assistance is stopped because of a cancellation condition, the system remembers the exact location (absolute position) of the parking spot you originally set. It keeps this information.
4. Path Computation Determining Means: If the assistance stops and the vehicle also comes to a halt, the system immediately figures out if there's a workable path from the vehicle's current stopped location to the remembered target parking spot.
5. Screen Controlling Means: Based on whether a path can be calculated or not:
   • If no path can be easily calculated to the saved parking spot, the screen will revert to an initial display (like the main menu for parking assist modes).
   • If a path can be calculated, the screen will switch directly to a "setting screen" where you can easily re-select or adjust the previously saved target parking position.

Essentially, this claim is about a parking assist system that "remembers" your intended parking spot even if the process is interrupted, and then intelligently presents options to resume or re-initiate parking to that same spot, making it easier for the driver.

No relevant dockets for US patent 7526368 were found in the CAFC 2026 dockets during the search.

As a patent attorney, I have conducted a search for known litigation involving US patent 7526368 using the specified resources, including Unified Patents and general information about PACER and CAFC.

Based on the performed searches, no specific litigation cases directly involving US patent 7526368 were identified in the provided search results. While Unified Patents offers a database for patent litigations, and PACER provides access to federal court records, the snippets returned do not contain any dockets or case information for US7526368. Similarly, recent CAFC decisions discussed in the search results do not pertain to this particular patent.

Therefore, as of April 26, 2026, no known litigation for US patent 7526368 can be reported from the information available through these search queries. Accessing the full details of litigation databases like PACER would typically require a registered account and direct interaction with their search interfaces.

Proceedings overview

There are no AIA trial proceedings on file for US patent 7526368.

Strategic summary

As of the current date, US patent 7526368 has not been subject to any Inter Partes Review (IPR), Post-Grant Review (PGR), or Covered Business Method (CBM) patent proceedings at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). All claims of the patent remain untested by these AIA trial mechanisms.

This absence of PTAB activity is noteworthy, especially for a patent granted in 2009. Patents that are actively asserted or licensed often become targets for IPRs, particularly as they approach expiration. The fact that US7526368 is currently listed as "Active" and expires on 2027-04-29 suggests that it may still be considered valuable by its owners (Toyota Motor Corp and Aisin Corp). The lack of PTAB challenges could indicate several things: either the patent has not been extensively asserted, potential petitioners have found the claims robust against prior art, or any challenges have been resolved privately without initiating PTAB proceedings.

Recommended next steps

Since there is no PTAB activity on file for US7526368, the recommended next steps for a potential defendant would be to conduct a thorough prior art search and invalidity analysis to assess the strength of the patent's claims. If facing assertion, initiating a PTAB proceeding (such as an IPR, assuming statutory deadlines and grounds are met) could be a viable defense strategy, as the claims have not yet been scrutinized by the PTAB. The absence of prior PTAB challenges means there is no estoppel preventing a new petitioner from raising any ground that could be raised under §§ 102 or 103 based on patents or printed publications.

Inventors

• Tomohiko Endo (Toyota Motor Corp)
• Hisashi Satonaka (Toyota Motor Corp)
• Yuichi Kubota (Toyota Motor Corp)
• Akira Matsui (Toyota Motor Corp)
• Hideyuki Iwakiri (Toyota Motor Corp)
• Toru Sugiyama (Toyota Motor Corp)
• Seiji Kawakami (Toyota Motor Corp)
• Katsuhiko Iwazaki (Toyota Motor Corp)
• Hiroaki Kataoka (Toyota Motor Corp)
• Yuu Tanaka (Toyota Motor Corp)

All inventors were employed by Toyota Motor Corp at the time of filing, which is the original assignee. No unusual patterns are immediately apparent.

Original assignee

Toyota Motor Corp. Toyota Motor Corp. is a multinational automotive manufacturer that ships a wide variety of vehicles globally, many of which embody advanced driver-assistance systems including parking assist features. Their primary line of business is the design, manufacture, and sale of automobiles. Toyota Motor Corp. is currently operating.

Assignment timeline

• 2004-08-24 (executed) / recorded 2004-08-27 — Reel 015744/0784
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: ENDO, TOMOHIKO, et al. (referring to all named inventors)
  • Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
  • Correspondent: MILES AND STOCKBRIDGE PC, 1751 PINNACLE DRIVE, SUITE 500, MCLEAN, VA 22102.
  • Context: Transfer of inventor rights to the original co-assignees.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 7526368
    2004 : Assigned to Toyota and Aisin
    2009 : Patent Issued

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — not present. The initial assignment is to known operating companies, Toyota and Aisin. No subsequent transfers to shell entities are recorded in the provided information.
2. Known asserter in the chain — not present. Neither Toyota Motor Corp nor Aisin Corp appear on common NPE lists.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — not present. Only one assignment is recorded with a single correspondent firm.
4. Cascading transfers — not present. Only one assignment is recorded.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — not present. There is no indication of litigation immediately following an assignment.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. Toyota Motor Corp and Aisin Corp are both currently operating companies.
7. Privateering — unclear. Without further SEC filings or specific reporting, it is impossible to determine if this patent is part of a privateering arrangement.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain ends with Toyota and Aisin, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

Insufficient data. Only the initial assignment from the inventors to the original corporate assignees (Toyota Motor Corp and Aisin Corp) is recorded in the provided information, dated 2004-08-24 (executed) / recorded 2004-08-27 (Reel 015744/0784). There are no subsequent assignments that would indicate transfer to an NPE or a defensive aggregator.

USPTO Assignment Center search for US7526368

The most relevant prior art for US patent 7526368, based on its own description and cited references, is provided below. It is important to note that a full legal anticipation analysis under 35 U.S.C. § 102 would require a detailed review of the entire specification and claims of each cited patent, which is beyond the scope of this analysis. The assessment below focuses on the information available within US7526368 itself.

Prior Art Analysis for US7526368

US Patent 7526368 (Parking assist apparatus)

• Inventive Concept (Summary): The invention provides a parking assist apparatus that can perform guidance to a target parking position, even after the guidance has been canceled, by a simple operation. This is achieved by continuously holding target parking position information after a cancellation condition is established and intelligently controlling the screen display based on the computability of a path from the vehicle's current position to the held target parking position.

1. JPH11208420A

• Full Citation: JPH11208420A - Parking guidance device and automatic parking device - Nissan Motor Co Ltd
• Publication/Filing Date: Priority Date: 1998-01-27; Publication Date: 1999-08-03
• Brief Description: This Japanese Laid-Open Application describes a conventional parking assist apparatus. It involves displaying a target parking position designation display on a screen showing the vehicle's surrounding area, allowing the driver to designate a target parking position. The apparatus then computes a path to this position and guides the vehicle along it. If the designated target parking position is changed, a new path is computed, and the vehicle is guided along the recomputed path. US7526368 explicitly states that a problem with such conventional systems is that if vehicle guidance is stopped due to an inappropriate condition (e.g., excessive speed, driver intervention), the target parking position information might be deleted, requiring the driver to re-designate the position from scratch.
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This reference potentially anticipates the general elements of a "parking assist apparatus for guiding a vehicle toward a target parking position," including "target parking position setting means for setting the target parking position in accordance with an operation applied to a target parking position designation display that is displayed on a screen showing a periphery of said vehicle." This means it likely anticipates the preamble of Claim 1 of US7526368. However, based on the problem description in US7526368, JPH11208420A does not appear to anticipate the key distinguishing features of US7526368, such as the "memory holding means for continuously holding said target parking position information... after the cancellation condition is established" or the "path computation determining means" and "screen controlling means" that adapt the display based on path computability from the stopped position to the retained target parking position.

2. US20020128750A1

• Full Citation: US20020128750A1 - Parking assisting apparatus - Toshiaki Kakinami
• Publication/Filing Date: Priority Date: 1999-03-31; Publication Date: 2002-09-12
• Brief Description: Based on the title, this patent application generally relates to a parking assisting apparatus. Without further details from the US7526368 text, a specific description of its mechanisms is not available. It is presumed to cover aspects of vehicle parking assistance.
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Given its general title, US20020128750A1 likely anticipates broad aspects of parking assist systems, similar to JPH11208420A, relating to guiding a vehicle and setting a target parking position. However, without access to its full content, it is not possible to definitively assess its anticipation of the specific inventive features of US7526368 related to continuous memory holding and intelligent screen control after guidance cancellation (the "wherein" and "characterized by" clauses of Claim 1 and subsequent dependent claims).

3. US7227515B2

• Full Citation: US7227515B2 - System and method for forming images for display in a vehicle - L-3 Communications Corporation
• Publication/Filing Date: Priority Date: 2000-10-13; Publication Date: 2007-06-05
• Brief Description: This patent describes a system and method for forming images for display within a vehicle. This suggests its focus is on the imaging and display technologies used in vehicle systems, which could include rearview cameras and in-cabin displays that form part of the "screen showing a periphery of said vehicle" in US7526368.
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): US7227515B2 may anticipate aspects of the hardware components related to image acquisition (e.g., cameras) and display mechanisms (e.g., touch screen) mentioned in US7526368. Specifically, it could potentially anticipate the "screen showing a periphery of said vehicle" as a general component. However, it is unlikely to anticipate the unique parking assistance logic for memory holding and adaptive screen control upon cancellation as claimed in US7526368.

4. JP2003212073A

• Full Citation: JP2003212073A - Parking assistance device - Toyota Motor Corp
• Publication/Filing Date: Priority Date: 2002-01-23; Publication Date: 2003-07-30
• Brief Description: As a "Parking assistance device" from Toyota Motor Corp, the original assignee of US7526368, this is an invention in the same technological domain. It likely describes an earlier version or related work by the same entity concerning parking assistance, including aspects of target position setting and vehicle guidance.
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): This patent, similar to JPH11208420A, may anticipate the foundational aspects of a parking assist apparatus, including the basic means for setting a target parking position and guiding a vehicle. Its relevance is high due to the shared assignee and field. Whether it anticipates the specific improvements related to continuous memory holding of target parking position information after cancellation and the intelligent screen control based on path computability (as defined in the "wherein" and "characterized by" clauses of Claim 1 and its dependent claims) would require a detailed examination of its disclosed claims and figures. It could represent prior art that US7526368 seeks to improve upon.

5. EP1332948A1

• Full Citation: EP1332948A1 - Parking assist device and method for assisting parking - Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
• Publication/Filing Date: Priority Date: 2002-01-23; Publication Date: 2003-08-06
• Brief Description: This European patent application has the same priority date and assignee as JP2003212073A, suggesting it is a foreign counterpart or closely related patent family member. Therefore, its description and subject matter are likely similar to JP2003212073A, covering a parking assist device and method.
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): Given its likely identical content to JP2003212073A, this patent would have similar potential anticipation implications. It would likely anticipate the general elements of a parking assist system for setting a target position and guiding a vehicle (preamble of Claim 1). However, its specific disclosure regarding continuous memory holding of target parking position information after cancellation and the adaptive screen control (the distinguishing features of US7526368's claims) would need to be reviewed to determine if they are anticipated.

6. US7265656B2

• Full Citation: US7265656B2 - Vehicle imaging system - Donnelly Corporation
• Publication/Filing Date: Priority Date: 2002-04-19; Publication Date: 2007-09-04
• Brief Description: This patent's title, "Vehicle imaging system," indicates its focus is on systems related to capturing and possibly displaying images within a vehicle. Similar to US7227515B2, this could involve camera systems and in-vehicle displays.
• Potential Anticipation (35 U.S.C. § 102): US7265656B2 likely anticipates aspects of the underlying imaging and display hardware that US7526368 utilizes, specifically components related to the "screen showing a periphery of said vehicle." It is not expected to anticipate the novel logical steps and means claimed in US7526368 for continuously holding target parking position data after cancellation and adaptively controlling the user interface based on path computation.

Obviousness Analysis of US Patent 7526368 under 35 U.S.C. § 103

This analysis addresses the obviousness of US patent 7526368, titled "Parking assist apparatus," by examining combinations of prior art references that would render its claims obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art (POSITA). The core inventive concept of US7526368, as described in its abstract and detailed description, is to enable a driver to easily resume a parking assistance operation to a previously designated target parking position even after the guidance has been canceled due to various conditions. This is achieved by continuously holding the target parking position information in memory after cancellation and providing an intuitive interface for resetting the target and resuming guidance.

Background of the Invention and Problem Addressed by US7526368

The patent US7526368 notes that conventional parking assist systems, such as that disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Application No. 11-208420 (JPH11208420A), allow a driver to designate a target parking position on a screen displaying the vehicle's surroundings, compute a path, and guide the vehicle along it. These systems also allow for changing the target parking position and recomputing a new path.

However, US7526368 identifies a specific problem: if vehicle guidance is stopped due to an "inappropriate condition" (e.g., excessive speed, driver intervention), the information regarding the target parking position "may be eliminated." This forces the driver to "redo the designation of the target parking position from the beginning again," leading to inconvenience. US7526368 aims to solve this by continuously holding the target parking position information and allowing for easy resumption of guidance.

Claim 1 Analysis

Claim 1 of US7526368 describes:

1. A parking assist apparatus for guiding a vehicle toward a target parking position, comprising:
   • Target parking position setting means for setting the target parking position in accordance with an operation applied to a target parking position designation display that is displayed on a screen showing a periphery of said vehicle;
   • Cancellation condition determining means for determining whether a cancellation condition of canceling a guidance of said vehicle toward the target parking position is established;
   • Wherein: said target parking position setting means is capable of setting an absolute position represented by a target parking position information held by a memory holding means as a new target parking position;
   • And: said memory holding means is adapted to continuously hold said target parking position information regarding the absolute position of the target parking position set by said target parking position setting means after the cancellation condition is established;
   • Characterized by the parking assist apparatus further comprising:
     • Path computation determining means adapted to determine, in a state where the cancellation condition is established and the guidance of said vehicle is stopped and said vehicle is stopped at a stop position, whether or not a path from the stop position to the absolute position is defined by computation; and
     • Screen controlling means adapted to shift the screen to an initial screen when the path is not defined by computation, and to a setting screen for setting the target parking position when the path is defined by computation.

Prior Art References

The following prior art references are considered for this analysis, based on the "Prior art keywords" and the "Citations" section of US7526368:

• JPH11208420A (Nissan Motor Co Ltd): This Japanese Laid-Open Application is explicitly mentioned in US7526368 as conventional art. It discloses a parking assist apparatus that displays a target parking position designation display on a picture of the vehicle's surrounding area, allowing the driver to designate a target position. It generates a path and guides the vehicle. It also allows for changing (resetting) a designated target parking position and recomputing a new path.
• JP2003212073A (Toyota Motor Corp): This patent describes a parking assistance device that displays a parking frame on a rear image, allows adjustment of the parking frame, and then automatically steers the vehicle to the designated position. Critically, it describes detecting external disturbances (e.g., driver steering wheel operation, excessive vehicle speed) and stopping the automatic steering. Upon cancellation, it stores the target parking position information (coordinates) in a storage unit.

Obviousness Combination and Rationale

A combination of JPH11208420A and JP2003212073A would render Claim 1 of US7526368 obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art (POSITA).

Motivation for Combination:
A POSITA would be motivated to combine JP2003212073A with JPH11208420A to enhance the safety and user convenience of the parking assist system. JPH11208420A provides a fundamental parking assist system, but lacks robust handling of interrupted guidance. JP2003212073A specifically addresses safety by stopping automatic steering upon detecting external disturbances, a desirable feature in any parking assist system. Furthermore, the act of storing the target parking position coordinates upon cancellation in JP2003212073A directly suggests an intent to make this information available for potential future use, thereby improving user experience by avoiding the need to re-designate the target from scratch.

Analysis of Claim 1 Elements in Combination:

1. Target parking position setting means for setting the target parking position in accordance with an operation applied to a target parking position designation display that is displayed on a screen showing a periphery of said vehicle: JPH11208420A explicitly discloses this feature, stating a "target parking position designation display on a picture which displays a surrounding area of a vehicle so that a driver of the vehicle can designate the a target position". JP2003212073A also describes displaying a parking frame on a rear image for setting a target parking position.
2. Cancellation condition determining means for determining whether a cancellation condition of canceling a guidance of said vehicle toward the target parking position is established: JP2003212073A discloses detecting external disturbances such as steering wheel operation or vehicle speed, and stopping the automatic steering, which serves as a cancellation condition determining means.
3. Said target parking position setting means is capable of setting an absolute position represented by a target parking position information held by a memory holding means as a new target parking position: JPH11208420A describes that if a target parking position is designated and then changed, a path to the changed target parking position is recomputed. JP2003212073A stores the target parking position information (coordinates) when the automatic steering is stopped due to a cancellation condition. A POSITA, seeking to allow for easy resumption, would find it obvious to use the stored absolute position information from JP2003212073A to pre-fill or directly set the "new target parking position" for resetting within the JPH11208420A system, thus avoiding manual re-designation.
4. Said memory holding means is adapted to continuously hold said target parking position information regarding the absolute position of the target parking position set by said target parking position setting means after the cancellation condition is established: JP2003212073A teaches storing target parking position information (coordinates) when the automatic steering is stopped (i.e., after the cancellation condition is established). The term "continuously hold" simply means that this stored information is not immediately deleted, but remains available for subsequent use. Given the motivation to enable resumption, a POSITA would logically ensure the stored information is continuously held until it is explicitly superseded or no longer relevant. The problem statement of US7526368 highlights the issue of information being "eliminated", implying that simply "storing" might not equate to "continuously holding" for easy reuse. However, to a POSITA seeking to enable resumption, retaining the stored data is an obvious step to solve the identified problem.
5. Path computation determining means adapted to determine, in a state where the cancellation condition is established and the guidance of said vehicle is stopped and said vehicle is stopped at a stop position, whether or not a path from the stop position to the absolute position is defined by computation: JPH11208420A describes generating a path by computation and guiding the vehicle along it, and recomputing a path if the target is changed. When a vehicle's guidance is cancelled and it comes to a stop, and the driver desires to resume parking to the previously stored (now re-set) target position, it is an inherent and obvious step for any path-based guidance system to re-compute a new path from the vehicle's current stop position to the designated target. Determining if such a path is "defined by computation" (i.e., feasible) is a standard functionality of path planning algorithms.
6. Screen controlling means adapted to shift the screen to an initial screen when the path is not defined by computation, and to a setting screen for setting the target parking position when the path is defined by computation: JPH11208420A includes a display for designating the target position. US7526368 itself describes an "initial screen" (FIG. 2) and a "setting screen" (FIG. 3). If, after re-computation (as per point 5), a path cannot be found, it is a logical and common user interface design principle to revert to a more general "initial" screen where other options (like selecting a different parking mode) can be presented. Conversely, if a path is successfully defined, presenting a "setting screen" with the pre-filled target position (from the continuously held information) allows the driver to confirm or fine-tune the target before resuming, thus facilitating the parking process. This intelligent screen adaptation based on path computation results is an obvious UI choice for improving usability.

Conclusion

The combination of JPH11208420A and JP2003212073A teaches all elements of Claim 1 of US7526368. A person of ordinary skill in the art, motivated to improve the user experience and safety of parking assist systems, would find it obvious to integrate the cancellation and data storage features of JP2003212073A into the general parking assist framework of JPH11208420A. Specifically, continuously holding the stored target parking position information from JP2003212073A to enable quick resetting of the target (as allowed by JPH11208420A), recomputing a path from the current vehicle stop position, and providing logical screen feedback based on the feasibility of the recomputed path, represent obvious advancements and design choices for such a combined system. The dependent claims (2-9) are also considered obvious as they represent logical refinements or applications of the principles already made obvious by this combination.