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 .
This Office Action is in response to the claims filed on 09/24/2025.
Claims 1-20 are currently pending and have been examined below.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 10/17/2025 has been entered.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims.
Claim 3 - “only the rail mounting portion of the flange portion is mounted to a top end of the first guide rail”; “wherein the motor is closer to the top end of the first guide rail than the bottom end of the first guide rail”. Figure 11 only shows one configuration where the flange portion, along with its associated parts, are mounted at the bottom of the first guide rail. The drawings fail to show the configuration in claim 3 where the flange portion is located at the top end of the first guide rail.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Objections
Claims 3 and 9 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In line 11 of claim 3, “the bottom end of the first guide rail” should read --a bottom end of the first guide rail--. Examiner notes that it seems that applicant intended this to read --the top end of the first guide rail-- since this is directed to the top-mounted rail mounting portion. It is noted that since the recitations are relatively broad, no clarity issues are set forth regarding this recitation.
In line 12 of claim 3, “a bottom end of the first guide rail” should read --the bottom end of the first guide rail--. Note that this correction is moot if applicant amended line 11 to recite -- the top end of the first guide rail-- as discussed above.
In line 2 of claim 9, “the arm portion extending and the mounting portion” should read -- the arm portion and the mounting portion --.
Appropriate correction is required. Above provides non-limiting examples, the applicant(s) must find and correct all issues similar to those discussed above.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1
Recitations such as “a flange portion comprising a rail mounting portion, an arm portion and a mounting portion, only the rail mounting portion of the flange portion is mounted to a bottom end of the first guide rail” on lines 7-9 render the claims indefinite. Examiner directs the attention to figure 11 which shows the rail mounting portion 240, arm portion 242, and the mounting portion 244 which are all mounted to a bottom end of the first guide rail. Examiner notes that the recitation “only the rail mounting portion of the flange portion” was being interpreted as excluding the other portions of the flange portion (i.e., the arm portion and mounting portion), however figure 11 shows both arm portion and mounting portion are also mounted to the bottom end of the first guide rail. This clarity issue is set forth because the scope of the term “mounted” is unclear.
Note that this indefinite issue is also present in claim 3 regarding “only the rail mounting portion of the flange portion is mounted to a top end of the first guide rail”. Note that the top-mounted rail mounting portion is not shown by the drawings, however the arm portion and mounting portion are both comprised by the same flange portion (as recited in claim 3) such that if the rail mounting portion is mounted at the top end of the first guide rail, it would seem that the arm portion and mounting portion are also mounted at the top end similar to the configuration shown in figure 11.
All claims depending from a rejected claim are rejected for including the 112 issues of the claim from which it depends.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-2, 4, 9, 11, and 15-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sun et al. (CN 203129828) (hereinafter “Sun”).
Claim 1
(Sun discloses) A window regulator (figures 2-4) for raising and lowering a window (12) of a vehicle (not shown, but abstract discusses the invention is directed to lifting vehicular windows), comprising:
a first guide rail (13a);
a first cursor (left 11) slidably mounted to the first guide rail;
a second guide rail (13b) spaced from the first guide rail;
a second cursor (right cursor on guide rail 13b) slidably mounted to the second guide rail;
a flange portion (Annotated figure 2 below) comprising a rail mounting portion, an arm portion and a mounting portion (all three shown in Annotated figure 2 below), only the rail mounting portion of the flange portion is mounted to a bottom end of the first guide rail (Annotated figure 2 below; similar to applicant’s invention, since the arm portion and mounting portion are spaced apart from the first rail, figure 2 shows that only the rail mounting portion is mounted to the bottom end), and the arm portion and the mounting portion extend from a portion of the rail mounting portion that is spaced from the bottom end of the first guide rail (Annotated figure 2 below), the mounting portion terminating at a distal end of the mounting portion that is spaced from a top end of the first guide rail (Annotated figure 2 below), the arm portion and the mounting portion themselves do not directly contact the first guide rail (Annotated figure 2 below); and
a motor (4) operably coupled to the first cursor and the second cursor such that operation of the motor causes the first cursor to slide along the first guide rail and the second cursor to slide along the second guide rail (par. 31), the motor being mounted to the mounting portion (figure 3), wherein the motor when mounted to the mounting portion is located adjacent to a side of the first guide rail located between the bottom end of the first guide rail and the top end of the first guide rail (figure 2) and the first cursor being capable of sliding along a portion of the first guide rail that is adjacent to the arm portion and the mounting portion (Annotated figure 2 below) such that a portion of the first cursor can be located between the first guide rail and the mounting portion and at least a portion of the arm portion (Annotated figure 2 below), and wherein the motor is closer to the bottom end of the first guide rail than the top end of the first guide rail (Annotated figure 2 below).
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Claim 2
(Sun discloses) The window regulator as in claim 1, further comprising a cable drum (15; figure 4) rotationally mounted to the flange portion, the cable drum being operably coupled to the motor and at least one cable (9) secured to the cable drum at one end and the first cursor and the second cursor at another end (figure 2).
Claim 4
(Sun discloses) The window regulator as in claim 1, further comprising a lower pulley (lower pulley shown in figure 4) rotationally mounted to the rail mounting portion and an upper pulley (14) rotationally secured to the top end of the first guide rail by a housing (housing of 14).
Claim 9
(Sun discloses) The window regulator as in claim 1, wherein the rail mounting portion, the arm portion extending and the mounting portion are all formed as a single piece (figure 3).
Claim 11
(Sun discloses) The window regulator as in claim 1, wherein a pair of cables (9; applicant’s invention in figure 11 uses the same cable 222 as the pair of cables as such this claim was also interpreted similarly; as an alternative interpretation the pair of cables can be interpreted as 9 and 91) are secured to a cable drum (15; figure 4) rotationally mounted to the flange portion at one end and one of the pair of cables is secured to the first cursor at another end (figure 2) and the other one of the pair of cables is secured to the second cursor at another end (figure 2; either cables 9 or 91 are secured to the second cursor).
Claim 15
(Sun discloses) The window regulator as in claim 1, further comprising a lower pulley (lower left pulley 7 in figure 2) rotationally mounted to the rail mounting portion and an upper pulley (upper left pulley 14 in figure 2) rotationally secured to the top end of the first guide rail by a first housing (housing of pulley 14) and a lower pulley (lower right pulley at the second guide rail 13b) rotationally mounted to a bottom end of the second guide rail by a second housing (housing of the lower right pulley), the first housing and the second housing having the same configuration (figure 2).
Claim 16
(Sun discloses) The window regulator as in claim 15, further comprising a pulley (upper right pulley at the second guide rail 13b) rotationally secured to a top end of the second guide rail (figure 2) by a third housing (housing of the upper right pulley), the third housing being a mirror image of the first housing (figure 2).
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Marscholl (DE 19836705).
Claim 3
(Marscholl discloses) A window regulator (regulator shown in the single figure) for raising and lowering a window of a vehicle (not shown, but abstract discusses the invention is directed to lifting vehicular windows), comprising:
a first guide rail (left 6);
a first cursor (left 7) slidably mounted to the first guide rail;
a second guide rail (right 6) spaced from the first guide rail;
a second cursor (right 7) slidably mounted to the second guide rail;
a flange portion (1) comprising a rail mounting portion, an arm portion and a mounting portion (all three portions shown in Annotated figure A below), only the rail mounting portion of the flange portion is mounted to a top end of the first guide rail (Annotated figure A below; similar to the interpretation in claim 1 above), and the arm portion and the mounting portion extend from a portion of the rail mounting portion that is spaced from the bottom end of the first guide rail (Annotated figure A below), the mounting portion terminating at a distal end that is spaced from a bottom end of the first guide rail (Annotated figure A below), the arm portion and the mounting portion themselves do not directly contact the first guide rail (Annotated figure A below shows only the rail mounting portion is in direct contact with the first guide rail), wherein the mounting portion is only secured to the top end of the first guide rail via the rail mounting portion (Annotated figure A below); and
a motor (Annotated figure A below) operably coupled to the first cursor and the second cursor such that operation of the motor causes the first cursor to slide along the first guide rail and the second cursor to slide along the second guide rail (Annotated figure A below), the motor being mounted to the mounting portion (Annotated figure A below), wherein the motor when mounted to the mounting portion is located adjacent to a side of the first guide rail located between the bottom end of the first guide rail and the top end of the first guide rail (Annotated figure A below) and the first cursor being capable of sliding along a portion of the first guide rail that is adjacent to the arm portion and the mounting portion such that a portion of the first cursor (Annotated figure A below) can be located between the first guide rail and the mounting portion and at least a portion of the arm portion (Annotated figure A below) and wherein the motor is closer to the top end of the first guide rail than the bottom end of the first guide rail (Annotated figure A below).
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Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sun, as applied to claims 1-2, 4, 9, 11, and 15-16 above, in view of Kanehara (JP H1136712).
Claim 5
(Sun discloses) The window regulator as in claim 1.
Sun is silent regarding wherein the first guide rail is a three sided structure with an opening and the first guide rail is insert molded onto the flange portion, the flange portion has a structural member that extends into the opening.
(However, Kanehara teaches) wherein a first guide rail (6; Kanehara figures 1 and 4) is a three sided structure with an opening (Kanehara figure 4) and the first guide rail is insert molded onto a flange portion (8), the flange portion has a structural member (the structure of 8 inside the first guide rail) that extends into the opening (Kanehara figure 4).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the structure of the first guide rail of Sun such that it is a three sided structure and to provide the flange portion with the structural member to be received by the first guide rail as taught by Kanehara, with a reasonable expectation of success, to improve the attachment of the flange portion to the first guide rail without introducing any fasteners or screws which would increase the complexity and the tools required for the assembly.
Claims 6-7, 12, and 17-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sun, as applied to claims 1-2, 4, 9, 11, and 15-16 above, in view of Pickles (US 4420906).
Claim 6
(Sun discloses) The window regulator as in claim 1, wherein the first guide rail
has a rectangular periphery and the second guide rail has a rectangular periphery (rectangular periphery of the guide rails shown in figure 2).
Sun fails to disclose wherein a portion of the first cursor completely surrounds the first guide rail and wherein a portion of the second cursor completely surrounds the second guide rail.
(However, Pickles teaches) wherein a portion (24; Pickles figure 2) of a first cursor (20) completely surrounds a first guide rail (rail 18; Pickles figure 3).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to provide the first and second guide rails of Sun with the rail of Pickles and to provide the first cursor and second cursor of Sun with the structure to completely surround their respective guide rails similar to the teachings of Pickles, with a reasonable expectation of success, for improving the stability of both cursors as they move up and down along their respective guide rails.
Claim 7
(Sun, as modified above, discloses) The window regulator as in claim 6, wherein the first guide rail and the second guide rail are hollow (detailed figure 3 shows the guide rail being hollow; note that “hollow” was interpreted as --recessed or deeply set--).
Claim 8
(Sun, as modified above, discloses) The window regulator as in claim 6, wherein the portion of the first cursor surrounding the first guide rail has multiple contact points with the first guide rail (Pickles figures 2-3 shows the first cursor having a 360° contact points with respect to its guide rail, therefore this is taught by the combination above) in order to prevent undesired movement of the first cursor as the first cursor slides up and down the first guide rail (Pickles figures 2-3), and wherein the portion of the second cursor surrounding the second guide rail has multiple contact points with the second guide rail in order to prevent undesired movement of the second cursor as the second cursor slides up and down the second guide rail (similar to the explanation above and as taught in light of the combination above).
Claim 12
(Sun, as modified above, discloses) The window regulator as in claim 6, wherein the first cursor has an insert (the modified first cursor has an insert 32; Pickles figure 9) that defines an opening (32 has a 360° loop which defines an opening for the rail 18; this is taught in light of the modification in claim 6 above) for the first guide rail to slide therethrough and the second cursor has an insert that defines an opening for the second guide rail to slide therethrough (as explained above; both first cursor and second cursor have this insert in light of the combination above).
Claim 17
(Sun discloses) The window regulator as in claim 16, wherein the first guide rail
has a rectangular periphery and wherein the second guide rail has a rectangular periphery (rectangular configuration of the guide rails shown in figure 2) and wherein the first guide rail and the second guide rail are hollow (detailed figure 3 shows the guide rail being hollow; note that “hollow” was interpreted as --recessed or deeply set--).
Sun fails to disclose wherein a portion of the first cursor completely surrounds the first guide rail and wherein a portion of the second cursor completely surrounds the second guide rail.
(However, Pickles teaches) wherein a portion (24; Pickles figure 2) of a first cursor (20) completely surrounds a first guide rail (rail 18; Pickles figure 3).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to provide the first and second guide rails of Sun with the rail of Pickles and to provide the first cursor and second cursor of Sun with the structure to completely surround their respective guide rails similar to the teachings of Pickles, with a reasonable expectation of success, for improving the stability of both cursors as they move up and down along their respective guide rails.
Claim 18
(Sun discloses) The window regulator as in claim 1.
Sun fails to disclose wherein the first cursor has an insert that defines an opening for the first guide rail to slide therethrough and the second cursor has an insert that defines an opening for the second guide rail to slide therethrough.
(However, Pickles teaches) wherein a first cursor (20; Pickles figure 9) has an insert (32) that defines an opening for a first guide rail (18) to slide therethrough (32 has a 360° loop which defines an opening for the rail 18).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to provide the first cursor and second cursor with the insert of the cursor of Pickles, with a reasonable expectation of success, for improving the fitting and to provide as much contact for the cursors to their respective guide rails thereby improving their attachment and the robustness of the assembly.
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sun, as applied to claims 1-2, 4, 9, 11, and 15-16 above, in view of Lee (KR 20070101728).
Claim 10
(Sun discloses) The window regulator as in claim 1, wherein the motor extends in a direction generally parallel to the first guide rail.
(However, Lee teaches) wherein a motor (20; Lee figure 1) extends in a direction generally parallel to a first guide rail (the rail to which 20 is mounted).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to orient the motor of Sun such that it is parallel to the rail as taught by Lee, with a reasonable expectation of success, for the predictable and expected benefits of improved and optimized adjustments within the vehicle door to fit in more parts.
Claims 13 -14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sun in view of Pickles, as applied to claims 6-7, 12, and 17-18 above, in further view of Shah et al. (US 20090265993) (hereinafter “Shah”).
Claim 13
(Sun, as modified above discloses) The window regulator as in claim 12, wherein the first cursor is over-molded onto the insert of the first cursor and the second cursor is over-molded onto the insert of the second cursor (the modified first cursor and second cursor are over-molded over their respective inserts 32 as shown in Pickles figure 9; these are taught in light of the modification in claim 6 above).
Modified Sun fails to disclose wherein the insert of the first cursor is formed from polyoxymethylene (POM) and the insert of the second cursor is formed from polyoxymethylene (POM);
(However, Shah teaches) wherein an insert (12; Shah figure 2) of a cursor (10) is formed from polyoxymethylene (POM) (Excerpt 1 from par. 33 below).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to provide the inserts of the respective first and second cursors to be made from POM as taught by Shah, with a reasonable expectation of success, to reduce weight and to simplify integration with and provide support for other components in the window regulator assembly.
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Claim 14
(Sun, as modified above discloses) The window regulator as in claim 13.
Sun fails to disclose wherein the first cursor and the second cursor are formed from nylon.
(However, Shah teaches) wherein a cursor (10) is formed from nylon (Excerpt 1 above).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to provide the respective first and second cursors to be made from nylon as taught by Shah, with a reasonable expectation of success, to reduce weight and to simplify integration with and provide support for other components in the window regulator assembly.
Claim 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kriese et al. (US 7877932) (hereinafter “Kriese”) in view of Pickles.
Claim 19
(Kriese discloses) A window regulator (figure 1) for raising and lowering a window (3) of a vehicle (discloses in the abstract), comprising:
a first guide rail (2);
a first cursor (14) slidably mounted to the first guide rail;
a second guide rail (1) spaced from the first guide rail;
a second cursor (13) slidably mounted to the second guide rail;
a motor (42) operably coupled to the first cursor and the second cursor such that operation of the motor causes the first cursor to slide along the first guide rail and the second cursor to slide along the second guide rail (Excerpt 2 from col. 5 below), the motor being mounted to a mounting portion (40) that is not secured to either the first guide rail or the second guide rail (figure 1 showing 40 not secured or fastened to either guide rails), wherein the motor when mounted to the mounting portion is located adjacent to a side of the first guide rail located between a bottom end (bottom end at 2a) of the first guide rail and a top end (top end at 2b) of the first guide rail (figure 1).
Kriese fails to disclose wherein the first guide rail has a rectangular periphery and a portion of the first cursor completely surrounds the first guide rail and wherein the second guide rail has a rectangular periphery and a portion of the second cursor completely surrounds the second guide rail, and the first guide rail and the second guide rail are hollow, and the first cursor has an insert that defines an opening for the first guide rail to slide therethrough and the second cursor has an insert that defines an opening for the second guide rail to slide therethrough.
(However, Pickles teaches) wherein a guide rail (18; Pickles figure 1) has a rectangular periphery (when viewed in figure 1, the 2D representation of 18 shows that it has a relatively rectangular periphery) and a portion (24) of a cursor (20) completely surrounds the guide rail (Pickles figure 3), and the guide rail is hollow (shown in figure 6), and the cursor has an insert (32) that defines an opening for the guide rail to slide therethrough (Pickles figure 9).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to provide the first and second guide rails of Kriese with the rail of Pickles and to provide the first cursor and second cursor of Kriese with the structure to completely surround their respective guide rails similar to the teachings of Pickles, with a reasonable expectation of success, for improving the stability of both cursors as they move up and down along their respective guide rails.
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Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kriese et al. (US 7877932) (hereinafter “Kriese”) in view of Simonneau et al. (US 20160047411) (hereinafter “Simonneau”).
Claim 20
(Kriese discloses) A window regulator (figure 1), comprising:
a first guide rail (2);
a first cursor (14) slidably mounted to the first guide rail;
a second guide rail (1) spaced from the first guide rail;
a second cursor (13) slidably mounted to the second guide rail;
a housing (40) that is not mounted to either the first guide rail or the second guide rail (figure 1);
a motor (42) mounted to the housing and operably coupled to the first cursor and the second cursor such that operation of the motor causes the first cursor to slide along the first guide rail and the second cursor to slide along the second guide rail (Excerpt 2 above);
a cable drum (Annotated figure 1 below) rotationally mounted to the housing, the cable drum being operably coupled to the motor (Annotated figure 1 below);
a first cable secured to the cable drum at one end and the first cursor at another end (Annotated figure 1 below);
a second cable secured to the cable drum at one end and the second cursor at another end (Annotated figure 1 below);
a third cable secured to the first cursor at one end and the second cursor at another end (Annotated figure 1 below);
a first cable sheath (Annotated figure 1 below) surrounding the first cable that extends from a first feature (2a) of the first guide rail to the housing (Annotated figure 1 below);
a second cable sheath (Annotated figure 1 below) surrounding the second cable that extends from the housing to a second feature (1b) of the second guide rail; and
a third cable sheath (Annotated figure 1 below) surrounding the third cable that extends from a second feature (2b) of the first guide rail to a first feature (1a) of the second guide rail, wherein the window regulator is configured for raising and lowering a window (3) of a frameless door assembly of a vehicle (disclosed in the abstract).
Kriese fails to disclose a cable tensioner associated with the first cable sheath.
(However, Simonneau teaches) a cable tensioner (36; Simonneau figures 2-5; last 7 lines of par. 60) associated with a first cable sheath (78).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to provide the window regulator of Kriese with the cable tensioner of Simonneau, with a reasonable expectation of success, for the predictable benefit of keeping the first cable tensioned thereby maintaining operation of the first cable and the entire assembly.
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Response to Arguments
Applicant argues that “With regard to the request that the flange portion only mounted to a top end of the first guide rail recited in claim 3 must be shown in the drawings”, examiner respectfully asks applicant which of the figures show these recitations of claim 3.
Regarding applicant citing 37 CFR §1.81(a) directed to "applicant shall furnish a drawing where necessary for the understanding of the subject matter to be patented..." under the drawing arguments, examiner notes that the configuration in which “the rail mounting portion of the flange portion is mounted to a top end of the first guide rail” is deemed necessary for many reasons. As a non-limiting example, the flange portion may be oriented differently than the orientation shown in the bottom-mounted configuration in figure 11 therefore this configuration must be shown by the drawings.
Regarding applicant’s notes directed to par. 91, examiner notes that par. 91 only discloses “the housing or flange portion 30 may be secured to an upper portion of the guide rail (e.g., the portion closest to the window opening in the door when the guide rail 18 is secured to the vehicle door) as opposed to the bottom portion”. Par. 91 does not disclose how exactly is the flange portion being mounted at the upper portion of the guide rail. Here are some of the non-limiting examples on why par. 91 does not provide sufficient support for the top-mounted flange portion: (i) is the bottom-mounted flange portion merely relocated at the top end while still facing upwards or is it flipped to face downwards, (ii) is the top-mounted flange portion still extends to the right relative to the guide rail or does it extend to the left?, (iii) where would the motor 32 located relative to the cable 22 (i.e., is the motor now located above the cable or is the motor adjusted to extend downwards and next to the cable)?
Applicant's arguments filed on 09/24/2025 have been fully considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on Kinoshita (US 6,910,730) which was applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PATRICK B PONCIANO whose telephone number is (571)272-9910. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 6:30-4:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Daniel Cahn can be reached at (571) 270-5616. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PATRICK B. PONCIANO/Examiner, Art Unit 3634
/CATHERINE A KELLY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3619