Appeal No. 1999-1055 Page 7
Application No. 08/571,342
allows voice commands to be entered by the vehicle operator. In this regard, we do not
subscribe to the examiner’s finding (Answer, page 4), that Secor “inherently discloses a
personal computer with its program input device connected between said plurality of video
cameras and said LCD video display device to provide interactive control,” for the
examiner has not provided any basis for this finding, and we find no support for it in the
reference on our own. It therefore follows that the claimed microphone is not taught by
these two references and, in addition, neither discloses or teaches a speaker located
close to the operator at ear level.
The Gazis reference is directed to a vehicle route planning system “for determining
optimal vehicle routes using current traffic flow information received from individual
vehicles” (column 1, lines 58-60). This system plans a vehicle route between two points,
based upon a database in a computer. By keeping track of the vehicle through GPS, and
considering traffic data that continuously is supplied to the computer through means that
can include movement input information received from other vehicles in the area, such as
the speed they are making through traffic, the subject vehicle’s route is altered as
necessary to optimize it as conditions change. The computer also is provided with an in-
vehicle keyboard and a speaker and microphone system whereby the operator can
interact with the system, for example, to communicate a desired destination, route, speed,
etc., and to receive updated instructions. No cameras are used, and no safety information
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007