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 .
Acknowledgement
Examiner acknowledges receipt of Applicant’s Amendment to the Claims (filed 5/14/2026).
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: in paragraph [0026] line 11, “41B” should be changed to --41B5--.
Appropriate correction is required.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species A (Figs. 1-5) in the reply filed on 10/17/2025 is acknowledged.
No claim remains withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 10/17/2025.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-4, 6, and 8-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nagayama (JP 2003-237492 A), previously cited by Applicant.
Regarding claims 1-4, 6, and 8-12, Nagayama (at least Figs. 1-4; Abstract) discloses
(claim 1) a vehicular interior component (at least Figs. 2-3) to be mounted on a body panel 5, the vehicular interior component comprising:
a core layer 2 having a vehicular exterior side surface; and
a cover layer 1, 4 covering the vehicular exterior side surface of the core layer 2 and having a cover layer vehicular exterior surface, the cover layer 1, 4 including
a first section (at least Fig. 2) having a first vehicular exterior side surface
that is flat and is a portion of the cover layer vehicular exterior surface; and
a second section (at least Fig. 3) having a second vehicular exterior side
surface that is an uneven surface (Fig. 3) and is another portion of the cover layer vehicular exterior surface, the second section including projection portions (Fig. 3) that are to be contacted with the body panel 5, 6 or a vehicular component 5, 6 and recesses (Fig. 3) between the projection portions,
wherein the vehicular exterior side surface of the core layer 2 is completely covered by the cover layer 1, 4 in the recesses (Fig. 3);
(claim 2) wherein the cover layer 1, 4 includes a reflective layer that reflects at least infrared light, and the second section (at least Fig. 3) is included in the reflective layer;
(claim 3) wherein the cover layer 1, 4 includes an air blocking layer 1 between the reflective layer and the core layer 2, the air blocking layer 1 is for restricting movement of air in a thickness direction of the cover layer;
(claim 4) wherein the cover layer 1, 4 includes an air blocking layer 1 for restricting movement of air in a thickness direction of the cover layer, and the second section (at least Fig. 3) is included in the air blocking layer;
(claim 6) wherein the core layer 2 includes first recesses (Fig. 3) corresponding to the recesses (Fig. 3) of the cover layer 1, 4, respectively, and the first recesses are recessed from the vehicular exterior side surface of the core layer 2 (Fig. 3);
(claim 8) wherein the vehicular interior component 5, 6 is configured as a ceiling of a vehicle (at least Fig. 3, Abstract);
(claim 9) wherein the projection portions (Fig. 3) have contact surfaces that are portions of the second vehicular exterior side surface;
(claim 10) wherein the recesses (Fig. 3) are in the cover layer 1, 4 and recessed toward a vehicular interior side from the second vehicular exterior side surface (Fig. 3);
(claim 11) wherein the recesses (Fig. 3) have bottom surfaces and the bottom surfaces are on the vehicular interior side with respect to the vehicular exterior side surface of the core layer 2 (Fig. 3);
(claim 12) wherein the recesses (Fig. 3) have bottom surfaces that are away from contact portions of the body panel 5, 6 or the vehicular component 5, 6 that are to be contacted with the projection portions of the second section (at least Fig. 3).
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 7 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nagayama (JP 2003-237492 A) in view of Ono et al. (US 7,661,703 B2), previously cited by Examiner.
Regarding claims 7 and 13, Nagayama (at least Figs. 1-4; Abstract) discloses the claimed invention but does not explicitly disclose
(claim 7) wherein the vehicular component 5, 6 is a curtain airbag that extends in a vehicular front-rear direction and the curtain airbag includes at least two curtain airbags, the second section includes at least two second sections that extend in the vehicular front-rear direction and the at least two second sections are disposed to sandwich the first section with respect to a vehicular width direction, and the at least two second sections are opposite the at least two curtain airbags, respectively;
(claim 13) wherein the vehicular interior component is a plate member, the first section (at least Fig. 2) is included in a middle section of the plate member, and the second section (at least Fig. 3) is included in an edge section of the plate member.
But Ono et al. (at least Figs. 1-10) discloses that it is known in the art to provide
(claim 7) wherein the vehicular component 70, 80 is a curtain airbag 80 that extends in a vehicular front-rear direction and the curtain airbag includes at least two curtain airbags, the second section (part of 12 including 30) includes at least two second sections (at least Fig. 3) that extend in the vehicular front-rear direction and the at least two second sections are disposed to sandwich the first section (at least 11) with respect to a vehicular width direction D1, and the at least two second sections are opposite the at least two curtain airbags, respectively;
(claim 13) wherein the vehicular interior component 10 is a plate member, the first section (at least 11) is included in a middle section of the plate member, and the second section (part of 12 including 30) is included in an edge section of the plate member (at least Figs. 1-10).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Nagayama according to the teachings of Ono et al., in order to achieve the desirable result of being utilized in a vehicle ceiling with and without airbag curtains.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the claims have been considered but are moot because the new grounds of rejection do not rely on any combination of references applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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 nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) 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 mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOSELYNN Y SLITERIS whose telephone number is (571)272-6675. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:30am - 5:00pm EST.
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/JOSELYNN Y SLITERIS/Examiner, Art Unit 3614
/JASON D SHANSKE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3614
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