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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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(s) 1 and claims bellow are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over D1 US 20190210436 A1 in view of D2 US 20190039531 A1.
Regarding claim 1 D1 teaches
(Currently amended) A roof module for forming a vehicle roof on a motor vehicle, the roof module having;
a panel component(105) whose external surface at least partially forms a roof skin of the vehicle roof [0017], the roof skin functioning as an outer sealing surface of the roof module(fig. 3) ,
the roof module having at least one module component (303),
the roof module having a drive kinematic unit which is configured to displace the at least one module component from a retracted position to an extended position in which the at least one module component protrudes over the roof skin [0021],
but does not explicitly teach
the roof module having at least one cleaning nozzle ,
wherein the drive kinematic unit is configured to also displace the at least one cleaning nozzle between a retracted position and an extended position.
D2 teaches
the module(20) having at least one cleaning nozzle(6) ,
wherein the drive kinematic unit is configured to also displace the at least one cleaning nozzle between a retracted position and an extended position. [0061-0064]
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skills in the art at the time of filing to modify teachings by D1 with teaching by D2 in order to provide the system with self cleaning mechanism and remove debris.
2. (Currently amended) The roof module according to claim 1, wherein the at least one module component comprises at least one environment sensor which sends and/or receives electromagnetic signals through a see-through portion for detecting a vehicle environment around its optical axis and which is displaceable from the retracted position to the extended position in which it protrudes over the roof skin to detect the vehicle environment(D1 [0014]), and the
at least one cleaning nozzle is configured to clean the see-through portion . (D2 Abstract)
3.(Currently amended) The roof module according to claim 1, wherein at least one module component comprises at least one of a cover flap, a housing [[or]] and a spoiler. (D1 fig. 3)
4. (Currently amended) The roof module according to claim1, wherein the at least one drive kinematic unit is configured to cause a first movement sequence, in which the at least one module component is displaceable at least between the retracted position and the extended position, and to cause at least one second movement sequence, [[0017]]
in which the at least one cleaning nozzle is displaceable from the retracted position to the extended position. (obvious over D1 and D2 as fig. 3 of D1 will include nozzles combined with sensors)
5. (Currently amended) The roof module according to claim 4, wherein, in the first movement sequence, the drive kinematic unit is configured to displace the at least one module component along a first axis of movement(D1 fig. 2 or 3) and/or around a first rotation axis and, in
the second movement sequence, the drive kinematic unit is configured to displace the at least one cleaning nozzle along a second axis of movement and/or around a second rotation axis. (obvious over D1 and D2 as fig. 3 of D1 will include nozzles combined with sensors)
6. (Currently amended) The roof module according to claim1, wherein the drive kinematic unit comprises a drive which is moveable along a drive axis and/or around the drive axis . (D1 fig. 2 and 3 implicit it raises structure up or retracts down [0017])
7. (Currently amended) The roof module according to claim5, wherein the drive axis is positioned in a direction different from the first axis of movement and/or the second axis of movement and/or the first rotation axis and/or the second rotation axis. (D1 Fig. 3)
15. (Currently amended) The roof module according to claim1, wherein the at least one cleaning nozzle comprises at least one lid piece and the at least one lid piece lines up flush with the external surface of the roof skin [0017] of the vehicle roof in the retracted position of the at least one cleaning nozzle and protrudes at least partly beyond the external surface of the roof skin of the vehicle roof in the extended position of the at least one cleaning nozzle . (if we consider the nozzle as integral part of the fig. 3 attached to sensor due to combination)
17. (Currently amended) The roof module according to claim1, wherein the at least one cleaning nozzle is disposed so as to be distanced from the at least one module component . (D2 fig. 3,4)
16. (Currently amended) The roof module according to claim 2, wherein the at least one environment sensor is formed in the manner of a lidar sensor and/or in the manner of a radar sensor and/or in the manner of a camera sensor and/or in the manner of a multi-camera sensor. [0002]
18. (Currently amended) A motor vehicle comprising a roof module according to claim1(D1 fig. 3)
9. (New) The roof module according to claim 1, wherein the drive kinematic unit is electromechanical.(implicit/obvious over D1)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8-14 objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HOVHANNES BAGHDASARYAN whose telephone number is (571)272-7845. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 7am - 5 pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Yuqing Xiao can be reached at (571) 270-3603. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/HOVHANNES BAGHDASARYAN/Examiner, Art Unit 3645