DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 8/4/26 has been entered.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 23-32 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP06170883 (English machine translation provided herewith) in view of SU1707781 (English machine translation provided herewith) and DE102008015853 (English translation provided with the Office action mailed 5/13/24).
Regarding claim 23, JP06170883 teaches:
A method for producing a surface heater for heating a sub-region of a vehicle, the method comprising:
a first step of arranging heating wires onto a film, the film becoming part of a finished injection-molded part (JP06170883: paras. 0008 and 0015; figs 2 and 7; heat wires 4; sheet material 3 constitutes the film that becomes part of the final injection molded part);
a second step, after the first step, of forming the film into a predefined shape, corresponding to the sub-region of the vehicle, such that edges of the film are adapted to a predefined structure (JP06170883: paras. 0009 and 0016; figs 2 and 7; sheet material 3 is preformed to the shape of the final injection molded article; the edges of sheet material 3 of window member 1 is adapted to be placed adjacent to a molding 8 of a window opening within a vehicle body panel 6);
a third step, after the second step, of inserting the formed film, having the heating wires, into an injection-molding tool, wherein the heating wires either point toward a wall of the injection-molding tool, or point toward a hollow space of the injection-molding tool (JP06170883: paras. 0008,0017, and 0023-0024; figs 2 and 7; preformed sheet material 3 with the heating wires 4 thereon is placed within an injection mold such that the wires point toward the wall of the injection mold); and
a fourth step, after the third step, of overmolding the formed film having the heating wires with a predefined material to form the finished injection-molded part (JP06170883: paras. 0008,0018, and 0023-0024; figs 2 and 7; preformed sheet material 3 with the heating wires 4 thereon is placed within an injection mold such that the wires point toward the wall of the injection mold); and
a fifth step, after the fourth step, of applying a hardcoat layer to the finished injection-molded part, wherein the predefined structure integrates the edges of the film into the predefined shape so as to visually conceal the edges of the film (JP06170883: paras. 0014 and 0019; figs 2, 6, and 7; a hardcoat is applied to the outer surface of the window 1 opposite to the sheet material 3; as shown in fig 6 and described in para. 0014, molding 8 or together molding 8 and vehicle body panel 6, which constitutes the claimed predefined structure, visually conceals the edges of the window member 1).
However, JP06170883 does not teach gluing the heating wires onto the film; and applying a lacquer layer to the finished injection molded part.
Regarding gluing the heating wires onto the film, SU1707781 teaches gluing heating elements/wires 5 onto a substrate provides for improved heater quality and more accurate positioning of the heating element/wires on the substrate (SU1707781: abstract; figs 1-4). Since JP06170883 and SU1707781 are analogous with respect to arranging heating wires on a substrate; it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to glue the heating wires of JP06170883 on the film of JP06170883 as taught by SU1707781 in order to provide a high quality heater by positioning the wires in a more accurate manner.
Regarding applying a lacquer layer to the finished injection molded part, DE102008015853 teaches applying a transparent lacquer layer as a protective layer to the finished injection molded part (DE102008015853: fig 2). Since JP06170883 and DE102008015853 are analogous with respect to providing a protective layer to a window having heating elements therein, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to apply the lacquer layer of DE102008015853 onto the injection molded part of JP06170883 in order to reduce costs by using a conventional protective material and applying post-molding to reduce damaging the protective layer during preforming or molding.
Regarding claim 24, JP06170883 (modified) does not teach the thickness of the lacquer layer. The desired thickness are obvious mere matter of choice dependent on the desired final product. Since layer thickness is well-known in the plastic pane and automotive arts, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to design the protective covering of JP06170883 to have the claimed thickness in order to form plastic panes having desired characteristics.
Regarding claim 25, JP06170883 does not teach the total thickness of the composite and the thickness being a multiple of half the wavelength of the radar beams in the material. The desired thickness and wavelength are obvious mere matter of choice dependent on the desired final product. Since the thickness and wavelength are well-known in the plastic pane and automotive arts, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to design the window of JP06170883 to have the claimed thickness and wavelength in order to form plastic windows having the desired characteristics.
Regarding claim 26, JP06170883 (modified) does not teach the thickness of the lacquer. The desired thickness is an obvious mere matter of choice dependent on the desired final product. Since the claimed lacquer thickness is well-known in the plastic window and automotive arts, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to design the lacquer layer of JP06170883 (modified) with the claimed thickness in order to form diverse plastic windows having the desired characteristics.
Regarding claim 27, such is taught by the above prior art combination since DE102008015853 teach the applying the lacquer layer by flooding.
Regarding claim 28, such is taught by the back injection molding step of JP06170883 (figs 2 and 7).
Regarding claim 29, JP06170883 does not teach the colored heating wire in the color of the material. Since it is well-known in the composite art to color match inserts and layers in order to hide the inserts, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to color match the heating wires of JP06170883 in order to create an article having enhanced aesthetic appeal.
Regarding claim 30, such is taught by JP06170883 since the injected window base portion 2 is a structural portion of the window (JP06170883: figs 2 and 7).
Regarding claim 31, such is taught by JP06170883 since the injected plastic is made of polycarbonate (JP06170883: para. 0012).
Regarding claim 32, such is taught by JP06170883 since the plastic disc/window can be a windshield and it is well-known in the automotive art to place sensors or radar components on windshields.
Claim(s) 34 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP06170883 (English machine translation provided herewith) in view of SU1707781 (English machine translation provided herewith) and DE102008015853 (English translation provided with the Office action mailed 5/13/24) as applied to claim 23 above and further in view of JP3820332 (machine English translation provided herewith).
JP06170883 teaches a film heater having heating wires disposed thereon since sheet material 3 is a film having heating wires thereon; however, JP06170883 does not teach the lacquer layer being applied while the finished injection molded part with the film heater remains in the injection molded tool. JP3820332 teaches applying an in-mold coating like lacquer onto an injection molded product while the product remains in the mold (para. 0034; and figs 1-5). Since JP06170883 and JP3820332 are analogous with regard to coating an injection molded product with a protective layer, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to apply the lacquer layer of JP06170883 (modified) while the injected part and film of JP06170883 remains in the mold as taught by JP3820332 in order to reduce mold cycle time.
Applicant's arguments filed 8/4/26 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues none of the prior art references teach the predefined structure integrates the edges of the film into the predefined shape so as to visually conceal the edges of the film. This argument is misplaced since molding 8 of JP06170883 or together molding 8 and vehicle body panel 6 of JP06170883, which constitutes the claimed predefined structure, visually conceals the edges of the sheet material 3 of the window member 1. See para. 0014 and fig 6 of JP06170883.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EDMUND H LEE whose telephone number is (571)272-1204. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 9AM-4PM.
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EHL
/EDMUND H LEE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1744
