Appeal No. 2002-2067
Application No. 09/411,730
(emphasis added). In our view, it would not be fair to say that
the remote transmitter key fob, and its components, of Doyle
constitutes electronic components “of a vehicle” since it is not
part of, or attached to, the vehicle.
However, having said that, we agree that Doyle anticipates
claims 1-4, 7, 8, 15 and 17 under 35 U.S.C. § 102(e). Rather
than focusing on the diagnostic check request from the remote key
fob transmitter, we focus on the command request in Doyle,
wherein the transmitter acts as a conventional remote control
device for locking/unlocking the doors of a vehicle. When the
command request is activated, the doors of the vehicle will
lock/unlock. These locks are clearly “electrical components of a
vehicle,” as claimed. Further, a “plurality of electrical
components on the vehicle” are actuated in response to this
signal from the transmitter since all of the doors will be
locked/unlocked. Further, the user can usually inspect this
actuation of the door locks from a remote distance as the door
lock buttons on the inside of the doors will typically move.
This is a “visual” inspection. Moreover, as is well known, such
remote transmitters, upon actuation of the door locks, will also
cause lights on the vehicle to blink to inform the user of an
actuation. This, too, is a “visual” inspection. Any
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