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 .
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.
Claim(s) 1-3 and 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ooji et al (US 2019/0176762) in view of Usami et al (US 2017/0295610).
With respect to claim 1, Ooji discloses the heating device (30) including an opening (shown by an opening of a bracket 12) located ahead of a light receiver (lens 32), a heating section having a sheet form (shown by a heating sheet 18) located on a side opposite to an attachment subject (10; a vehicle windowpane or windshield; para 0004) wherein the heating section at least partially overlaps a part of the opening in a width direction wherein a width of the heating section is greater than a width of the opening as the heating section expands greater than an opening within which the light receiver (lens) is received, and the opening is defined by a pair of wall portions extending from a bracket (12) wherein at least a portion of the wall portions is between the attachment subject (windowpane 10) and the light receiver (lens) as the bracket is positioned between the windowpane and the light receiver of the camera (20) with the wall portions being a part or integral with the bracket. Also, see Figures 1, 2 and 4. But, Ooji does not clearly illustrate the opening is widened along a direction away from the light receiving portion.
Usami shows it is known to provide a bracket (12) having an opening where a light receiver (lens) of a camera is received therein, and Usami shows that the opening has a width that is widens along a direction away from the light receiving portion that provides a widened filed of lens view. Also see annotated drawing Figure 3.
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In view Usami, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to adapt Ooji with the bracket that is located ahead of the light receiver (lens) of a camera wherein the bracket further includes an opening that is widening along a direction away from the light receiving portion to predictably create a widened field of the view for the light receiver of a camera that also corresponds to the widened field of the camera as shown in Figure 2 of Ooji.
With respect to claim 2, Ooji discloses the pair of wall portions (shown the pair of wall portions of the bracket) that sandwiches the light receiver (lens) in a width direction as the camera is supported by the bracket and defines the opening as shown in Figure 1.
With respect to claim 3, Ooji discloses the heating section including a protection circuit (50) located outside (below) the opening portion in a view opposite to the opening portion relative to the attachment subject. Also, see Figures 9A-9B.
With respect to claim 7, Usami shows a lens hood (39) with a plurality of projections (also, see Figure 5) wherein the lens hood is fitted into a support section (13) of a bracket (12; para 0070-0071; also, see Figures 2 and 3), and it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to adapt Ooji with the lens hood having engagement projections which would predicably allow the lens hood to be more securely engaged and supported by the bracket as Usami discloses that the lens hood shown with the engagement projections is fitted into a support section of a bracket.
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ooji in view of Usami as applied to claims 1-3 and 7 above and further in view of Tokunaga (US 2020/0247330).
Ooji in view of Usami discloses the heating device claimed including Ooji further showing a felt member/sheet (14) covering the heating section wherein the felt member prevents incidence of scattering light into the camera lens or absorb the light incident from the outside of the vehicle (para 0032) wherein Ooji shows the plate shape portion (shown by a trapezoidal shaped) including the felt member (14; also, see Figure 1), but does not explicitly show that the felt member/sheet has a reflection rate that is lower than the heating section.
Tokunaga discloses it is known to provide a reflection suppression sheet (shown by a hood 46) made of black color (para 0046) covering a heating section (58; para 0047; also, see Figure 2) wherein Tokunaga discloses that the reflection suppression sheet inhibits or prevents the reflection of light (para 0046).
In view of Tokunaga, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to adapt Ooji, as modified by Usami, with the felt member that is further made of a black colored sheet that would have a reflection rate lower than that of the heating sheet to predictably suppress or prevent light reflection of light toward the camera lens to prevent potential glares into the camera.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5, 6 and 8 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Claim 5, and its dependent claims are allowed for the recited plate having an opening which opens ahead of a light receiver of a camera wherein the recited heating section has a width that is greater than a width of the plate.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 have been considered but are moot in view of the new ground of rejection based on Usami as stated in the ground of rejection.
Applicant argues Ooji does not show the claimed opening that is “widening along a direction away from the light receiving portion”. It is noted that the bracket 12 of Ooji accommodates the camera including its light receiver (i.e., lens), and while the figure drawing does not clearly illustrate the widened opening, the Usami reference is further applied to show the bracket opening that would have an widened opening that creates a wide field of view that corresponds to the widened field of view of the camera.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Ohsumi et al (US 2019/0381953) discloses for an opening that is widened to accommodate a lens of a camera.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SANG Y PAIK whose telephone number is (571)272-4783. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00-5:30; M-F.
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/SANG Y PAIK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3761
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