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U.S. Patent 6,526,460

The ’460 Patent (“Dauner”) (filed on August 30, 1999 with a foreign priority claim from
German Patent DE 198 39 254), discloses a vehicle communications system. Claim 1 of the
alleged invention recites a system that contains a plurality of equipment units for transmitting,
receiving, acquiring, and/or processing data for executing applications. The equipment units are
connected to a common data bus via associated hardware interfaces. The applications are
assigned flexibly controllable functions, each function being respectively assigned a software
interface for exchanging data with other software interfaces and/or hardware interfaces, and the
functions being executed within any desired equipment unit. However, the concept of assigning
functions to be executed by various equipment units over a common data bus in a vehicle was
known, as demonstrated by U.S. Patent 4,715,031 (“Crawford”) below.

Crawford (published on December 22, 1987, filed on September 23, 1985) relates to a data
transfer communication system, particularly for vehicles, that is capable of handling both node-
to-node data transfer messages originating at any transmitter and transmitted to a specific
receiver on the network and functional command messages originating at any transmitter and
broadcast transmitted to an unspecified number of receivers on the network. The network
consists of a plurality of control modules which are linked together by a common data bus. Each
control module contains an interface circuit, a control processor, and a node processor. The
control processor is responsible for recognition and decoding of formatted messages from the
bus. In this system, all nodes are capable of receiving and initiating commands, and
informational data transfers can occur on either a node-to-node basis or a global network
transmission basis. A sample claim chart comparing the Dauner patent to the Crawford reference
is below.

U.S. 6,536,460 (“Dauner”) U.S. 4,715,031 (“Crawford”)

[1.pre.] A vehicle communications Crawford discloses a “data transfer communications
system, comprising: system.” Crawford at 11:32. “The present invention is
viewed as being ideally suited for installation in an
automotive vehicle.” See id. at 4:51-52.

[1.a.] a plurality of equipment units Claim 1 of Crawford includes a “plurality of

for transmitting, receiving, communication control modules” with “each containing
acquiring and/or processing data means for receiving and means for transmitting data
for executing applications; messages from or to other control modules.” See id. at
11:34-41.

[1.b.] a plurality of hardware Crawford discloses that “each control module contains an

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interfaces each associated with one interface circuit…which includes a differential driver…
of said plurality of equipment
units;
[1.c.] a common vehicle data bus,
each of the plurality of equipment
units being connected to the
common vehicle data bus via said
associated one of said hardware
interfaces; and
[1.d.] wherein the applications are
assigned flexibly controllable
functions having respective
software interfaces, each function
being respectively assigned one of
said software interfaces for
exchanging data with other ones of
software interfaces and/or said
hardware interfaces,
and a differential receiver.” See id. at 6:5-8.
Crawford suggests the combination of various hardware
interfaces (“inputs”) in conjunction with different control
modules, such as a brake pedal, an instrument panel,
controls on the steering column, controls on the vehicle
doors, or “various switches.” See id. at 5:8-33.
Some of the control modules in Crawford correspond to
multiple hardware interfaces, and some none at all. Id.
However, “it should be seen that the system is flexible
enough to accommodate additional control modules…
without reprogramming the unaffected control modules.”
See id. at 5:40-46.
Claim 1 of Crawford includes “a common data bus” with
“each control module being connected to said data bus
and each containing means for receiving and means for
transmitting data messages from or to other control
modules on said common data bus.” See id. at 11:33-41.
“The control processor…communicat[es] with the
network through the interface circuit.” See id. at 6:21-24.
“Each control module includes a control processor…and
node processor.” See id. at 6:8-9.
Crawford discloses a system that “is flexible enough to
accommodate additional control modules or added
functions to present modules, including diagnostic
capabilities without reprogramming the unaffected
control modules.” See id. at 5:40-46.
“Resident software in each node processor gives the
particular processor a specific ‘personality’ since each
node processor controls or responds to different elements
in the vehicle.” See id. at 6:28-31. “Each control module
includes a control processor…and node processor.” See
id. at 6:8-9.
“While the control microprocessors on the network all
utilize identical programming to accomplish the network
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 control task, each contains a unique address to identify
that particular control module and unique function codes
stored in its memory that correspond to the particular
functions handled by its associated node processor.” See
id. at 6:15-21.

[1.e.] wherein the functions are Crawford discloses a system where “all nodes are capable
executed within any desired one of of receiving and initiating commands, and informational
said equipment units. data transfers on either a node-to-node basis or a global
network transmission basis.” See id. at 3:14-20. “The
protocol employed by the present invention allows each
node to be treated as equal participants.” Id.

“Each control module includes a control processor…and

node processor.” See id. at 6:8-9.

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