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
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kumamoto et al (US 2019/0111859 A1) in view of Liu (CN 208085165 U), Matsunaga (JP 2014-218052 A) and Zhao (CN 111591230 A).
Regarding Claim 1, Kumamoto teaches a headliner (Abstract) comprising a base material (Fig. 5, Item 31), a skin material layer arranged on the base material and a vehicle interior side and forming the ceiling surface of a vehicle interior (Fig. 5, Item 22), an adhesive layer between the base material and the skin material layer (Paragraph 0039), and a back surface layer arranged on the base material and a vehicle roof side. (Fig. 5, Item 33). Kumamoto teaches the back surface layer is the layered film, a second layered film (Fig. 5, Items 35,36) comprising a laminate of a metal foil and a resin film used for infrared and thermal control. (Paragraph 0002, 0005)
Kumamoto does not specifically teach the adhesive layer comprises a first layered film, where the first layered film includes a laminate of a first metal foil, the first metal film having a thickness of 10 to 100 microns, and the first resin film has an elongation percentage higher than the of the first metal foil.
Liu teaches a headliner (Paragraph 0004), where the base material has two reflective structures on both sides of the base substrate (Fig. 1). Liu teaches adding double aluminum/metal composite layers improves the heat insulation properties of the resulting headliner material. (Paragraph 0021). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art to apply a metal foil to the
Kumamoto does not specifically teach the claimed metal thickness range or the layered film has an elongation percentage higher than of the metal aluminum foil. However, given that Kumamoto teaches the adhesive layer can a polyolefin adhesive and Liu teaches the metal foil can be aluminum, then the first resin layer will inherently have an elongation percentage higher than that of the first metal foil.
Kumamoto and Liu do not specifically teach the claimed range of the metal foil.
Matsunaga teaches a headliner, where the aluminum foil is used as heat reflecting layer and laminated to a resin film (Abstract; Paragraph 0024). Matsunaga teaches a thickness of 0.01 to 1 mm is suitable for thickness of the aluminum with regard to formability and weight. (Paragraph 0024). Thus, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art to set the foil thickness in Kumamoto and Liu to the claimed thickness range.
Kumamoto, Liu, Matsunaga, and Zhao do not specifically teach the first layered film includes a plurality of holes connecting the skin material layer and the base material layer to each other.
Zhao teaches forming holes through headliner material (Fig. 3). Zhao teaches this allows for ventilation through the headliner, which allows for better cooling of the vehicle. (Page 2). Thus, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art to apply through holes through the entire headliner, including the first layered film of Kumamoto.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 2 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments have been fully considered.
The prior §112 rejections have been withdrawn, due to Applicant’s amendments.
A new grounds of rejection has been made in view of Applicant’s amendments
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.
Correspondence
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/Michael Zhang/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1781