Prior art

To identify the most relevant prior art for US Patent 9147297, we need to examine the citations made within the patent itself, as these are the documents the examiners and inventors considered during the patent's prosecution. Prior art refers to any information that has been made available to the public in any form before the effective filing date of a patent application, which can impact the patentability of an invention under 35 U.S.C. § 102.

US9147297B2, titled "Infotainment system based on user profile," claims priority from several provisional and non-provisional applications. These related applications, while not prior art in the traditional sense for this specific patent (due to shared inventorship and priority claims), represent the evolution of the invention and are important to note.

Directly Cited Patent References (Prior Art Candidates for US9147297B2):

The provided patent abstract and information gateway do not list the "References Cited" section directly. To perform a thorough prior art analysis, one would typically access the full patent document from the USPTO or a patent database (like Google Patents or Patent Public Search) and examine the "References Cited" section.

However, the "Priority date" and "Priority claimed from" sections of US9147297B2 provide crucial information about related applications that serve as the basis for the current patent. While these are often not considered "prior art" against the claims of the patent they directly support (due to common inventorship and the grace period provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 102(b)(1)), they represent the closest related technology by the same inventor(s) and are foundational to the patent's claims.

Here are the applications from which US9147297B2 claims priority:

• U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/811,981:

  • Filing Date: Apr. 15, 2013
  • Title: “Functional Specification for a Next Generation Automobile”
  • Brief Description: This provisional application likely describes the foundational concepts for advanced automotive systems, potentially including aspects of infotainment, user interaction, and vehicle functionalities that would be further developed in later applications.
  • Potential Anticipated Claims: Given its broad title, this could potentially anticipate fundamental system claims (e.g., system architecture, basic functionality of an infotainment system, or general vehicle control aspects) in US9147297B2, depending on the specific disclosures within.

• U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/865,954:

  • Filing Date: Aug. 14, 2013
  • Title: “Gesture Control of Vehicle Features”
  • Brief Description: This application likely details methods and systems for controlling various vehicle features through gestures.
  • Potential Anticipated Claims: This could anticipate claims in US9147297B2 related to gesture-based user input for controlling infotainment or other vehicle functions.

• U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/870,698:

  • Filing Date: Aug. 27, 2013
  • Title: “Gesture Control and User Profiles Associated with Vehicle Features”
  • Brief Description: This application likely expands on the previous one by integrating user profiles with gesture control for vehicle features.
  • Potential Anticipated Claims: This is highly relevant to US9147297B2's core concept of an "infotainment system based on user profile" and could anticipate claims that involve using user profiles to customize or control vehicle features, especially via gestures.

• U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/891,217:

  • Filing Date: Oct. 15, 2013
  • Title: “Gesture Control and User Profiles Associated with Vehicle Features”
  • Brief Description: Similar to the above, this likely provides further details or refinements on gesture control and user profiles in a vehicle context.
  • Potential Anticipated Claims: Could anticipate claims related to user profiles, gesture control, and their interaction within the infotainment system.

• U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/904,205:

  • Filing Date: Nov. 14, 2013
  • Title: “Gesture Control and User Profiles Associated with Vehicle Features”
  • Brief Description: Another iteration or continuation of the gesture control and user profile concepts.
  • Potential Anticipated Claims: Similar to the previous provisional applications, it could anticipate claims regarding the integration and use of user profiles and gesture control.

• U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/924,572:

  • Filing Date: Jan. 7, 2014
  • Title: “Gesture Control and User Profiles Associated with Vehicle Features”
  • Brief Description: Further development or specific embodiments related to gesture control and user profiles.
  • Potential Anticipated Claims: Likely anticipates claims related to the specific implementations of user profiles and gesture control in the infotainment system.

• U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/926,749:

  • Filing Date: Jan. 13, 2014
  • Title: “Method and System for Providing Infotainment in a Vehicle.”
  • Brief Description: This application focuses specifically on the infotainment system itself.
  • Potential Anticipated Claims: This is highly likely to anticipate many, if not all, of the claims in US9147297B2, particularly those defining the core "infotainment system" and its general functionalities, as this appears to be a direct predecessor for the infotainment aspect.

• U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/420,236:

  • Filing Date: Mar. 14, 2012
  • Title: “Configurable Vehicle Console”
  • Brief Description: This application likely describes a vehicle console that can be configured or customized.
  • Potential Anticipated Claims: Could anticipate claims in US9147297B2 related to the configurable aspects of the vehicle's interior or user interface, particularly if the infotainment system is integrated with or delivered through such a console.

• U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/420,240:

  • Filing Date: Mar. 14, 2012
  • Title: “Removable, [Content not provided, but likely related to vehicle components or interfaces]”
  • Brief Description: The full title is not provided, but it pertains to removable components within a vehicle.
  • Potential Anticipated Claims: Depending on the full disclosure, this could anticipate claims related to the modularity or removability of components within the infotainment system or vehicle interior.

Important Note on 35 U.S.C. § 102 and Priority Claims:

Under 35 U.S.C. § 102, a claimed invention cannot be patented if it was publicly disclosed before the effective filing date of the patent application. However, when a patent claims priority to earlier filed applications by the same inventor(s), those earlier applications are generally not considered prior art against the claims of the later-filed patent, provided the later-filed patent claims support from the earlier applications and meets the requirements for priority. This is because the invention disclosed in the earlier applications is considered to be "by the inventor or a joint inventor" and falls within exceptions or grace periods. The purpose of listing these here is to show the evolutionary path of the invention and the closest related disclosures by the same entity, which are crucial for understanding the patent's scope and novelty.

To determine the most relevant prior art that could potentially anticipate claims under 35 U.S.C. § 102 from different inventors or public disclosures not covered by the grace period, one would need to analyze the "References Cited" section of US9147297B2, which typically lists patents, publications, and other materials considered by the patent examiner. This information is not directly available in the provided snippets.