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
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) 1-4, 6, 9 and 12-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Pub No. 2020/0079189 to Kito in view of WO-2019/225304 to Ueda and further in view of JP-2022-14515 to Ueda, hereinafter referred to as Ueda-515.
Regarding Claims 1-4, 6, 9 and 12-14
Kito teaches a vehicular interior component comprising a base extending in a front-rear direction and adjacent to a window glass portion (not pictured) including a body portion and a structural portion that includes a projection portion and a recessed portion and a skin portion on the vehicular interior side of the base which may be a woven fabric in which necessarily due to the nature of woven fabrics includes first threads extending in a first direction and second threads extending in a second direction that crosses the first direction (Kito, abstract, fig 1-12, paragraph [0167]). Kito teaches that the interior component may comprise multiple skin portions, structural portions and base portions which may be overlapping, and which would necessarily include third and fourth threads in the claimed configuration (Kito, fig. 1-12, paragraph [0167]).
Kito does not appear to teach that the first threads have a triangular cross section. However, Ueda teaches a skin material for an automotive interior which may comprise a woven fabric containing fibers having a triangular cross section to improve reflectivity (Ueda, abstract, background, paragraphs [0033] and [0051]). Ueda teaches that the diameter of the triangular fiber is between 1 and 5 micrometers (Id.). Ueda taches that additional fibers may be included which comprise diameters greater than 5 micrometers and possess lower light reflectivity than the smaller fibers but provide structural properties (Id., paragraph [0026]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to form the vehicular interior component of Kito, and to utilize as the warp and weft yarns the triangular reflective yarns and structural “other yarns” of Ueda, motivated by the desire to form a conventional vehicular interior component having improved light reflectivity without sacrificing durability and longevity of the interior trim.
The prior art combination does not appear to specifically teach that the reflective yarns are oriented 90 degrees relative to the lower edge of the window glass and the other yarns are oriented to cross the reflective threads. However, Ueda-515 teaches a skin material comprises a reflective warp yarn woven with a standard weft yarn which would meet the limitations such as by having a vertical reflective yarn and a perpendicular “other” yarn (Ueda-515, abstract, paragraph [0022]). Ueda-515 teaches that this configuration provides easier manufacturing (Id.). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to form the interior component of the prior art combination and to utilize the orientation of Ueda-515 motivated by the desire to form a conventional interior component having improved ease of manufacturing.
Kito teaches the skin may be placed adjacent to an edge of window glass extending in the front-rear direction (Id.). Kito does not specifically teach the orientation of the woven fabric. However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to orient the skin layer woven fabric in any desired manner such as wherein the first threads extend in an upper-bottom direction and the second threads extend in a front-rear (extending) direction, motivated by the desire to form a conventional interior fabric for an automobile having any desired aesthetic design qualities. Furthermore, a woven fabric typically necessarily includes a 90 degree angle between first and second (weft and warp) fiber types and thus this orientation is achieved by simple rotation of the fabric.
Claim(s) 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Pub No. 2020/0079189 to Kito in view of US Pub. No. 20120238167 to Ban.
Regarding Claim 14
The limitations of the prior art have been set forth above. Kito does not teach that the fabric comprises first threads of smaller diameter and higher light reflectivity and second threads of larger diameter and lower light reflectivity. However, Ban teaches an automotive interior material comprising warp yarns having a thinner diameter and weft yarns having a thicker diameter (Ban, abstract, paragraph [0047]-[0048]). Ban teaches that the warp yarns may comprise general PET yarn as a warp yarn and Korean paper yarn as the weft yarn which results in a higher reflectivity in the warp rather than the weft (Id.). Ban teaches the combination of these threads provides strength, texture, air permeability, moisture absorbing ability and durability (Id., paragraphs [0005]-[0008]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to form the interior component comprising the skin of Ban, motivated by the desire to form a conventional interior component having improved physical properties.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments 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.
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.
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/VINCENT TATESURE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1786
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