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 .
Status of Claims
The Non-final Office action of 15 June 2026 is being superseded with the present Office action. At the original filing of this 371 (National Stage) application, translated claims 1-2 did not match claims 1-5 in the corresponding PCT application. On 2 October 2024 the applicant provided both (1) a corrected translated set of claims 1-5 and (2) a corresponding preliminary amendment. The corrected translated set of claims was deemed defective, however the preliminary amendment is proper. The applicant submitted a set of corrected translated claims on 22 November 2024 which was accepted, however the proper preliminary amendment to the claims is the pending set of claims. Claims 1 and 5 are currently pending, claims 2-4 are canceled.
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. Therefore, the package (claim 5) must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
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 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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP 3231475 U (also see English translation) in view of Nacamuli, DE 102009011722 (also see English translation).
Regarding claim 1, JP 3231475 discloses a vehicle flat wiper comprising a blade rubber that wipes a windshield (blade rubber 410, see English translation), a leaf spring that uniformly presses the blade rubber against the windshield (200); a frame that integrally supports the blade rubber and the leaf spring (300); and a clip that couples the frame to a wiper arm (clip 100 via cover 600 with port 610 to insert a wiper arm, English translation); wherein the frame is made up of first and second frames (each frame is 300, Figure 3), the leaf spring is made up of first and second leaf springs (each spring is 200, Figures 3-4), the first and second leaf springs contained in the first and second frames, respectively (see Figures and English translation paragraph that begins “With reference to FIGS. 3, 5, and 8…”), portions of the first and second leaf springs contained in the first and second frames, respectively, are exposed outside the frames (see Figures 3-4, the leaf springs 200 are exposed where they connect at clip 100), and the exposed portions are inserted into, fixed to, and coupled to opposite ends of the clip (Figures 3-4 and 7), and the first and second frames are coupled to opposite sides of the clip, respectively, and the blade rubber is adapted to be attached finally (assembly best shown in Figures 3, 5, and 7). Further regarding claim 1, discloses a corrosion-resistant stopper fixture is placed between each of the portions of the first and second leaf springs that are exposed outside the frame and each of the coupling portions at both ends of the clip (stopper 300a, see English translation stopper 300a can “prevent rainwater from accumulating between the connecting strips 300 or between ends of both elastic arms 200…”; Figure 4). The stopper fixture in JP 3231475 U does not form a tube in shape, rather it is open at the top with connecting tabs to receive the clip (Figures 3, 5, 7).
Nacamuli teaches a wiper assembly (1) comprising a blade rubber that wipes a windshield (5, see English translation), a leaf spring that uniformly presses the blade rubber against the windshield (metallic column; 4 or 25); a frame that integrally supports the blade rubber and the leaf spring (2, 3; Figure 13); and a clip that couples the frame to a wiper arm (10, English translation). Further regarding claim 1, the clip (10) is formed from two pieces that form a tube (best shown in Figure 10, two pieces on each side) that surround and wraps around the top of the leaf spring (4) in Figures 10 and 12 a tubular manner.
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the shape of stopper-fixture at the exposed ends of the leaf springs of JP 3231475 so that its sides extend over the top of the spring and forms a tube to wrap or encircle the perimeter of the leaf springs, as Nacamuli teaches so that the spring is enclosed within a tubular shape to secure the leaf spring to the frame and clip of a wiper blade.
Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP 3231475 U (also see English translation) and Nacamuli, DE 102009011722 (also see English translation) as applied to claim 1 in view of Yang, US 5,361,896.
Regarding claim 5, JP 3231475 and Nacamuli disclose all elements previously discussed above. JP 3231475 includes first and second frames (each 300) containing the first and second leaf springs (each 200), the clip (100), and the blade, and the blade rubber (blade rubber 410). JP 3231475 also describes a process of assembling the wiper (see English translation under the heading “Background Art” and under the heading of “Industrial Applicability”), with steps of fixing the first and second frames to the clip, subsequently attaching the blade rubber to obtain a finished product of a flat wiper (see English translation under the heading of “Industrial Applicability”).
Further regarding claim 5, Yang teaches a single package (9) that is in a divided state (as shown in Figure 1, divided for different wiper components), within the package there are first and second frames (2), first and second reinforcement strips (6), a clip (4), and blade rubber (7); the package is capable of being unpacked and assembled to form a finished product of a vehicle flat wiper (Figures 6-7 show finished wipers). Further regarding claim 5, there is a method step of a user unpacking the package, fixing and coupling the frames to the clip, and attaching the blade rubber to obtain a finished product of a vehicle flat wiper (column 3 line 66 to column 4 line 59). The package and kit taught by Yang allows a user to select an appropriate wiper component length, material, and other customization to achieve a precise windshield wiper blade (Abstract, column 1 line 67 to column 2 line 20).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify JP 3231475 and Nacamuli so that the vehicle flat wiper is formed in a method where a single package in a divided state containing the wiper components can be unpacked, fixed, and coupled to form a finished vehicle wiper as taught by Yang so that it can be assembled according to a user’s desired customizations and wiper specifications.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Zhang, CN 109094526 A (also see English translation) was previously discussed in the prior Non-final Office Action and discloses many aspects of claim 1 including: a vehicle flat wiper comprising a blade rubber that wipes a windshield (1, see English translation), a leaf spring that uniformly presses the blade rubber against the windshield (3); a frame that integrally supports the blade rubber and the leaf spring (4); and a clip that couples the frame to a wiper arm (bracket 2, see English translation); wherein the frame is made up of first and second frames (each frame is 4, Figure 1), the leaf spring is made up of first and second leaf springs (each spring is 3, Figure 1), the first and second leaf springs contained in the first and second frames, respectively (see Figure 1 and English translation of claims 1 and 4), portions of the first and second leaf springs contained in the first and second frames, respectively, are exposed outside the frames (see Figure 1, the leaf springs 3 are exposed where they connect at clip 2), and the exposed portions are inserted into, fixed to, and coupled to opposite ends of the clip (Figure 1 and English translation of claims 1-3), and the first and second frames are coupled to opposite sides of the clip, respectively, and the blade rubber is adapted to be attached finally (assembly best shown in Figure 1). Also, previously cited US 4,156,951 to Sharp is an example of a wiper blade having components made from corrosion-resistant material to improve the longevity of the wiper blade (in the clips, see column 2 lines 12-16).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Laura C Guidotti whose telephone number is (571)272-1272. The examiner can normally be reached typically M-F, 6am-9am, 10am-4:30pm.
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/LAURA C GUIDOTTI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723
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