DETAILED ACTION
This Action addresses the communication received on 24 Nov 2025. Applicant has amended Claims 1 and 3, and added Claims 7-10. The Office rejects pending Claims 1-10 as detailed below.
Response to Amendments
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.
Claims 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fukuda et al. (U.S. Pub. 20200391698 [prev. IDS ref.]) in view of Okumura et al. (U.S. Pub. 20170352938 [prev. IDS ref.]).
As for Claim 1, Fukuda teaches an electromagnetic wave transmission cover comprising: a design portion disposed on a front side of a vehicular electromagnetic wave device and exposed to an outside of a passenger compartment of a vehicle (Fig. 2, glass windshield 1, disposed on front side of vehicle electromagnetic wave device 100, ¶29 L5); a housing integrated with the design portion and disposed on a back side of the design portion (Fig. 2, collectively 10, 101, and 3, which comprises a vacuum, ¶32 L5); and a heating element provided integrally with the design portion (Fig. 2. Heating element 11, shown attached to inner housing glass, but can be attached to outer windshield 1, ¶36 L3), wherein the housing is lower in thermal conductivity than the design portion (Fig. 2, housing element 3 comprises a vacuum with lower thermal conductivity than windshield 1.) Fukuda does not explicitly teach the remaining claim elements.
But Okumura teaches and wherein the heating element is wired on the design portion to extend from a middle portion of the design portion toward an upper portion of the design portion (¶108|1: “For example, the heater 35 may be shaped as a straight line. Also when a straight-line heater 35 is employed, it is desirable that the heater 35 be arranged in a section on the outer side of the millimeter wave transmittance area Z1 of the decorative body portion 21, so that the transmittance of millimeter waves are not hindered. (¶109) For example, if a heater extending in a straight line in the lateral direction is employed as the heater 35, the heater 35 may be arranged in at least one of the upper section and the lower section of the heating sheet 33.”)
It 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 to combine Fukuda and Okumura because moving the heater to upper section of the design portion prevents the heating element from interfering with the emitted waves.
As for Claim 2, which depends on Claim 1, Fukuda teaches wherein a difference in thermal conductivity between the housing and the design portion is 0.01 W/(m·K) or more (Fig. 2, housing element 3 is a vacuum (near zero thermal conductivity) or aerogel (very low <.05 W/(m·K)), with lower thermal conductivity than outer glass (1.38-0.5 W/(m·K) (see Schott (P9/10) PTO-892 reference detailing various windshield glass properties including thermal conductivity for more information).)
As for Claim 3, Fukuda teaches an electromagnetic wave transmission cover comprising: a design portion disposed on a front side of a vehicular electromagnetic wave device and exposed to an outside of a passenger compartment of a vehicle (Fig. 2, glass windshield 1, disposed on front side of vehicle electromagnetic wave device 100, ¶29 L5); a housing disposed on a back side of the design portion (Fig. 2, collectively 10, 101, and 3, which comprises a vacuum, ¶32 L5); an intermediate member integrated with the design portion and the housing and interposed between the design portion and the housing (Fig. 2, element 3, which comprises a vacuum, ¶32 L5, is disposed between the outer [design portion] and inner [housing] windshields); and a heating element provided integrally with the design portion (Fig. 2. Heating element 11, shown attached to inner housing glass, but can be attached to outer windshield 1, ¶36 L3), wherein the intermediate member is lower in thermal conductivity than the housing (Fig. 2, intermediate element 3 comprises a vacuum with lower thermal conductivity than windshield 1.) Fukuda does not explicitly teach the remaining claim elements.
But Okumura teaches and wherein the heating element is wired on the design portion to extend from a middle portion of the design portion toward an upper portion of the design portion (¶108|1: “For example, the heater 35 may be shaped as a straight line. Also when a straight-line heater 35 is employed, it is desirable that the heater 35 be arranged in a section on the outer side of the millimeter wave transmittance area Z1 of the decorative body portion 21, so that the transmittance of millimeter waves are not hindered. (¶109) For example, if a heater extending in a straight line in the lateral direction is employed as the heater 35, the heater 35 may be arranged in at least one of the upper section and the lower section of the heating sheet 33.”)
It 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 to combine Fukuda and Okumura because moving the heater to upper section of the design portion prevents the heating element from interfering with the emitted waves.
As for Claim 4, which depends on Claim 3, Fukuda teaches wherein a difference in thermal conductivity between the intermediate member and the housing is 0.01 W/(m·K) or more (Fig. 2, housing element 3 comprises a vacuum (near zero thermal conductivity), with lower thermal conductivity than outer glass (1.38-0.5 W/(m·K) (see Schott (P9/10) previous PTO-892 reference detailing various windshield glass properties including thermal conductivity for more information)).)
As for Claim 5, which depends on Claim 3, Fukuda teaches wherein the intermediate member is 20 μm or more in thickness (Fig. 2, housing element 3 comprises a vacuum disposed between two layers of glass. (See NSG (P1/10) previous PTO-892 reference showing commercial example of similar vacuum layer between glass indicating a 0.2 mm thickness for more information.))
As for Claim 6, which depends on Claim 3, Fukuda teaches wherein the intermediate member is lower in thermal conductivity than the design portion (Fig. 2, housing element 3 comprises a vacuum (near zero thermal conductivity), with lower thermal conductivity than outer glass (1.38-0.5 W/(m·K) (see Schott P9/10, previous PTO-892 reference detailing various windshield glass properties including thermal conductivity for more information)).)
As for Claim 7, which depends on Claim 1, Okumura teaches wherein the heating element is wired on the design portion to extend only from the middle portion of the design portion toward the upper portion of the design portion (¶108|1: “For example, the heater 35 may be shaped as a straight line. Also when a straight-line heater 35 is employed, it is desirable that the heater 35 be arranged in a section on the outer side of the millimeter wave transmittance area Z1 of the decorative body portion 21, so that the transmittance of millimeter waves are not hindered. (¶109) For example, if a heater extending in a straight line in the lateral direction is employed as the heater 35, the heater 35 may be arranged in at least one of the upper section and the lower section of the heating sheet 33.”)
As for Claim 8, which depends on Claim 1, Fukuda teaches wherein the vehicular electromagnetic wave device includes an emission unit for emitting an electromagnetic wave (¶62|1: “The laser device 20 includes a laser transmitter 201, a housing 202, and a cover 203. The laser transmitter 201 is a device that irradiates a laser beam and detects an object and measures a distance to the object by receiving the laser beam reflected back from the object.” Further, (¶79|1) “The above-described embodiments can be appropriately combined with each other.”)
Claims 9-10 recite substantially the same subject matter as Claims 7-8, respectively, and stand rejected on the same basis accordingly.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 24 Nov 2025 relate to newly amended claims and are not addressed in this section; the rejections above, however, address the latest version of the claims in detail.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the date of this final action.
Applicants should direct any inquiry concerning this or earlier communications to CLINT THATCHER at phone 571.270.3588. Examiner is normally available Mon-Fri, 9am to 5:30pm ET and generally keeps a daily 2:30pm timeslot open for interviews.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, Examiner’s supervisor, Yuqing Xiao, can be reached at (571) 270-3603.
Though not relied on, the Office considers the additional prior art listed in the Notice of Reference Cited form (PTO-892) pertinent to Applicant's disclosure.
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/Clint Thatcher/
Examiner, Art Unit 3645
/LUKE D RATCLIFFE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3645