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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments, see Remarks, filed 12/17/2025, with respect to 102 rejections of independent claim 1 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Specifically, regarding Applicant’s arguments that the prior art reference does not teach the newly amended limitations to claim 1, Examiner disagrees. See rejection below
Applicant's arguments, see Remarks, filed 12/17/2025, with respect to 112b rejections of claims 1-12 have been fully considered and is persuasive. The 112b rejections of claims 1-12 are withdrawn.
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.
Claim(s) 1, and 3-11, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Soonthornwinate US 20180163442 A1.
Regarding Claim 1, Soonthornwinate teaches: A vehicle door actuating apparatus (38), wherein the vehicle door actuating apparatus comprises an actuating surface (46, 48, 56), a sensor (146) and a mechanism for transmitting a compressive force applied by a user to the actuating surface into a movement that is detectable by the sensor (P0048), wherein the mechanism comprises: a first component (98) or a first component group on which the sensor is at least partially fixed (shown in Fig 10); and a transmission element (88), which is pivotally arranged on the first component (shown in Fig 10) or the first component group and is pivotable between a home position (Fig 10) in which the sensor is not triggered by the transmission element (P0039) and an actuating position (Fig 14-15) in which the sensor is triggered by the transmission element (P0041), and wherein the transmission element is movable relative to the actuating surface (P0041 describes how the transmission element 88 is moveable relative to the actuating surface 56. This is also shown going from Figs 12-13 and Figs 14-15 as actuating surface 56 is shown pivoting on axis 66 while transmission element is pivoting on its own axis perpendicular to axis 66), wherein the vehicle door actuating apparatus comprises a plurality of actuating elements (84, 86) arranged in relation to the transmission element, wherein the transmission element comprises a plurality of actuating apertures (See annotated Fig 13 below. Please note: an aperture is defined as an opening, as a hole, slit, crack, gap according to Dictionary.com, the apertures shown in annotated Fig 13 below meet this definition and therefore the limitation), wherein each of the actuating apertures is configured so as to receive one of the actuating elements upon actuation of the actuating surface to pivot the transmission element to the actuating position (this is shown going from Figs 12-13 to Figs 14-15),wherein the plurality of actuating elements are arranged in such a way that inserting a single one of the actuating elements relative to the transmission element is sufficient in order to transfer the transmission element from its home position into its actuating position (shown when going from Figs 12-13 to Figs 14-15)
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Regarding Claim 3, Soonthornwinate teaches: The vehicle door actuating apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the transmission element is plate-shaped (Fig 13 shows that at least a part of transmission element 88 flat and therefore plate shaped).
Regarding Claim 4, Soonthornwinate teaches: The vehicle door actuating apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the transmission element extends in a plane that is parallel to the actuating surface (Figs 12 and 13 show how the transmission element 88 has at least a part that extends radial outward from its mounting axis in a plane that is parallel to the plane of the actuating surface 56).
Regarding Claim 6, Soonthornwinate teaches: The vehicle door actuating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the actuating apertures are at least partially funnel-shaped (annotated Fig 13 shows that the V-esque shape of the apertures are at least partially funnel-shaped, the V-esque shape is shaped as a partial funnel).
Regarding Claim 7, Soonthornwinate teaches: The vehicle door actuating apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the actuating elements are at least partially cone-shaped (annotated Fig 13 above shows the actuating elements 84 and 86 curve to a point and are therefore partially cone shaped).
Regarding Claim 8, Soonthornwinate teaches: The vehicle door actuating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle door actuating apparatus comprises a resetting element (108) configured so as to bias the transmission element into its home position (P0039).
Regarding Claim 9 Soonthornwinate teaches: The vehicle door actuating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of actuating elements are arranged on a rear side of the actuating surface (this is shown in Fig 12, with the rear side being the side opposite from the side of the actuating surface).
Regarding Claim 10, Soonthornwinate teaches: A door handle module (38, 40), wherein the door handle module comprises a vehicle door actuating apparatus according to claim 1 (Fig 2 shows an exploded view of the door handle module 38 and 40, which contains the components of the vehicle door actuating apparatus 38).
Regarding Claim 11, Soonthornwinate teaches: A vehicle door (36), wherein the vehicle door comprises a vehicle door actuating apparatus according to claim 1 (shown in Fig 2) or a door handle module according to claim 10.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2 and 12 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding Claim 2, none of the prior art discloses or renders obvious a vehicle door actuating apparatus having the combination of features recited in claim 12. The closest prior art of record, Soonthornwinate US 20180163442 A1, teaches a vehicle door actuating apparatus having much of the claimed structure but fails to teach: wherein at least two of the actuating elements have a different shape.
Regarding Claim 12, none of the prior art discloses or renders obvious a vehicle door actuating apparatus having the combination of features recited in claim 12. The closest prior art of record, Soonthornwinate US 20180163442 A1, teaches a vehicle door actuating apparatus having much of the claimed structure but fails to teach: wherein the actuating elements are at least partially cone-shaped such that oblique surfaces of the actuating elements have substantially the same inclination as the funnel-shaped regions of the actuating apertures.
Claims 13-20 are allowed.
Regarding Claim 13, none of the prior art discloses or renders obvious a vehicle door actuating apparatus having the combination of features recited in claim 13. The closest prior art of record, Soonthornwinate US 20180163442 A1, teaches a vehicle door actuating apparatus having much of the claimed structure but fails to teach: wherein the actuating elements are at least partially cone-shaped such that oblique surfaces of the actuating elements have substantially the same inclination as the funnel-shaped regions of the actuating apertures.
Regarding Claims 14-20, these claims are allowed due to their dependency on claim 13.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 CHRISTOPHER F CALLAHAN whose telephone number is (571)272-5847. The examiner can normally be reached Mon through Thur 7:30am-5:30pm.
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/C.C./Examiner, Art Unit 3675
/CHRISTINE M MILLS/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3675