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 .
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 01/26/2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
Claims 1-10 and 12 are currently pending in the present application. Claim 1 is currently amended; claims 2 and 6 are original; claims 3-5, 7-10 and 12 are previously presented; and claim 11 is canceled. The amendment dated January 26, 2026 has been entered into the record.
Response to Arguments
Regarding the newly amended claim 1, the applicant argues that Kaji does not explicitly disclose the heat generator transmitting light (Remarks, Pages 5-6).
Applicant's arguments with respect to claim 1 have been fully considered, but are moot in light of the new ground of rejection set forth below. The new ground of rejection cites Ching et al. (US 20190193079) for teaching using a transparent conductive film for heating.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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 1-7 and 9-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kaji (WO 2020004351 A1), of record, in view of Ochiai (US 2020/0275533), of record, and in further view of Ching et al. (US 20190193079, hereinafter “Ching”).
Regarding claim 1, Kaji discloses a vehicle camera system (Figures 1-5) comprising:
a camera mechanism (C; Paragraph [0017]) provided with a transmissive member (1; Paragraph [0029]) that transmits light, the camera mechanism being configured to capture an image of a front side of the transmissive member (Figure 1 and Paragraph [0064]) through a predetermined area (Ca1; Paragraph [0019]) of the transmissive member;
a heat generator (R2 in A in Figure 1; Paragraph [0024] “the heating wire part R2 to generate heat”) disposed integrally in the predetermined area of the transmissive member, the heat generator being configured to generate heat by supply of a current (Paragraph [0024]), the camera mechanism being configured to capture an image of a front side of the transmissive member through the heat generator (see Figure 1 above and Paragraph [0064] teaching C captures an image of a front side of 1 through the heat generator A, comprising a transmissive member 1 and a heating wire section R2),
a resistor (4; Paragraph [0046]) electrically connected to the heat generator (Paragraph [0061]); and
an electrode unit (2, 3 in Figure 3) electrically connected to the resistor (Paragraph [0061]), the electrode unit being configured to supply a current to the heat generator through the resistor (Figure 2 and Paragraph [0047]).
Kaji does not explicitly disclose the heat generator disposed in an entirety of the predetermined area.
However, Ochiai teaches disposing a heat generator in an entirety of the predetermined area (Figures 2 and 4 and Paragraph [0033] “heating device 100 heats the window glass portion Wa located in the viewing field 5” teaching the heating device 100 comprising a PTC heater layer 21 covers the entirety of the window glass portion Wa).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at a time before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the heat generator as disclosed by Kaji with the teachings of Ochiai, to have the heat generator disposed in an entirety of the predetermined area, for the purpose of utilizing a high degree of freedom for layout of the PTC heater and obtaining the high heating efficiency (Ochiai: Paragraph [0011]).
Kaji does not explicitly disclose the heat generator transmitting light.
However, Ching teaches a known heating element comprises a transparent conductive film (Paragraph [0096]).
Because Kaji suggests the camera mechanism receive light from outside the vehicle via the windshield and the heater device (Figure 1; Paragraph [0032]), it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at a time before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the heat generator as disclosed by Kaji with the teachings of Ching, to have the heat generator transmit light, for the purpose of using a heat generating material which is transparent to receive light (Ching: Paragraph [0096]).
Regarding claim 2, Kaji as modified by Ochiai and Ching discloses the limitations of claim 1 above, and Kaji further discloses wherein the resistor has a resistance that changes according to temperature change of the resistor (Paragraph [0046]).
Regarding claim 3, Kaji as modified by Ochiai and Ching discloses the limitations of claim 1 above, and Kaji further discloses wherein the heat generator and the electrode unit have a constant separation distance (2 has a constant separation distance along T1 in Figure 3).
Regarding claim 4, Kaji as modified by Ochiai and Ching discloses the limitations of claim 1 above, and Kaji further discloses wherein the heat generator and the electrode unit have a varying separation distance (2 has a various separation distance along the direction orthogonal to T1 in Figure 3).
Regarding claim 5, Kaji as modified by Ochiai and Ching discloses the limitations of claim 1 above, and Kaji further discloses a cover configured to cover at least one of the heat generator, the resistor, or the electrode unit (Figure 1; B disposed on A).
Regarding claim 6, Kaji as modified by Ochiai and Ching discloses the limitations of claim 5 above, and Kaji further discloses wherein the cover is disposed in an area other than the predetermined area of the transmissive member (Figure 1; B disposed on A and outside Ca1).
Regarding claim 7, Kaji as modified by Ochiai and Ching discloses the limitations of claim 1 above, and Kaji further discloses a communication portion configured to allow a hollow portion in the transmissive member to communicate with an outside of the transmissive member (Figures 3 and 5 and Paragraphs [0090]-[0091] teaching the base material 1 having through holes to communicate with an outside of the base material).
Regarding claim 9, Kaji as modified by Ochiai and Ching discloses the limitations of claim 1 above, and Kaji further discloses wherein the resistor has a resistance that changes according to a change in a current passing through the resistor (Paragraphs [0008], [0024] and [0042] teaching the sheet resistance of the resistor is changed based on the current flow).
Regarding claim 10, Kaji as modified by Ochiai and Ching discloses the limitations of claim 1 above, and Kaji further discloses wherein a change in resistance at each part of the resistor causes a current change at each position between the heat generator and the electrode unit (Paragraph [0051]).
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kaji in view of Ochiai and Ching, and in further view of Hirata (US 2021/0294066), of record.
Regarding claim 8, Kaji as modified by Ching and Ochiai discloses the limitations of claim 1 above.
Kaji does not necessarily disclose a restriction unit configured to restrict deformation of at least one of the heat generator, the resistor, or the electrode unit.
However, Hirata teaches providing a heat insulating sheet on a heater unit to suppress a heat conduction on the heater unit (Paragraph [0209]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at a time before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the heat generator, the resistor, or the electrode unit as disclosed by Kaji with the teachings of Hirata, to have a restriction unit configured to restrict deformation of at least one of the heat generator, the resistor, or the electrode unit, for the purpose of protecting a camera having a heater generator (Hirata: Paragraph [0209]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 12 is allowable over prior art.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 12, Kaji discloses a vehicle camera system (Figures 1-5) comprising:
a camera mechanism (C; Paragraph [0017]) provided with a transmissive member (1; Paragraph [0029]) that transmits light, the camera mechanism being configured to capture an image of a front side of the transmissive member (Figure 1; Paragraph [0064]) through a predetermined area (Ca1 in Figure 3) of the transmissive member; a heat generator (R2 in A in Figure 1; Paragraph [0024] “the heating wire part R2 to generate heat”) disposed in the predetermined area of the transmissive member, the heat generator being configured to generate heat by supply of a current (Paragraph [0024]); a resistor (4; Paragraph [0046]) electrically connected to the heat generator (Paragraph [0061]); and an electrode unit (2, 3 in Figure 3) electrically connected to the resistor (Paragraph [0061]), the electrode unit being configured to supply a current to the heat generator through the resistor (Figure 2 and Paragraph [0047]), wherein the resistor is disposed at opposite side of the predetermined area (see Figure 3 above, wherein the resistor 4 is disposed in Ca2, at opposite side of the predetermined area Ca1).
Watanabe (US 2021/0235551, hereinafter “Watanabe”) further discloses a known a heater device for a vehicle (30 in Figure 2; Paragraph [0109]) comprises: a pair of electrode units electrically connected to a resistor respectively, one of the pair of electrode units being configured to supply a current to the heat generator through one side of the resistor, another of the pair of electrode units being configured to be supplied the current from the heat generator through another side of resistors (Paragraphs [0028] “The heat ray heater 38 generates heat due to Joule heat generated when an electric current flows through the heat ray heater 38” and [0034] “When the predetermined voltage is applied between the first electrode 31 and the second electrode 32 of the light transmissive film heater 30 by the control unit 50, the heating portion 35 generates heat”).
However, Kaji and Watanabe fail to explicitly disclose, in light of the specification, “a pair of resistors electrically connected to the heat generator; and a pair of electrode units electrically connected to the pair of resistors respectively, one of the pair of electrode units being configured to supply a current to the heat generator through one of the pair of resistors, another of the pair of electrode units being configured to be supplied the current from the heat generator through another of the pair of resistors, wherein the pair of resistors are disposed opposite to each other with respect to the predetermined area”. The examiner further considered Kasetani (US 2021/0263305) and Ichimura et al. (US 2020/0137277, hereinafter “Ichimura”). However, the prior art of Kaji, Ching, Watanabe, Ochiai, Kasetani and Ichimura, applied alone or in combination fails to teach or suggest the combination and arrangement of elements recited in Applicant's claim 12.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JONATHAN Y JUNG whose telephone number is (469)295-9076. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Friday, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm.
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/JONATHAN Y JUNG/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2871