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 § 102
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Davis et al. (US 6220650 B1).
Regarding Claim 1, Davis teaches a vehicle door structure comprising a door sash provided on an upper portion of a vehicle door and surrounding a door window, the door sash comprising: an outer door sash (Fig. 6A element 32) provided on an outer side of the door sash in a vehicle width direction, the outer door sash forming a glass guide for the door window (Fig. 6A element 18); an inner door sash (Fig. 6A element 126) provided on an inner side of the door sash in the vehicle width direction, the inner door sash being coupled to an inner side of the outer door sash in the vehicle width direction; and an auxiliary bracket (Fig. 6A element 33) extending in a vehicle vertical direction on a rear portion of the door sash and interposed and coupled between the outer door sash and the inner door sash, wherein the auxiliary bracket is provided so as to cover a gap between the outer door sash and the inner door sash at an upper rear corner of the door sash (Fig. 6A shows bracket 33 coupling outer door sash 32 to inner door sash 126 and covering the gap between the sashes).
Regarding Claim 2, Davis teaches the limitations set forth in Claim 1 and further discloses an inner space surrounded by the auxiliary bracket and the inner door sash is formed between at least one first coupling site at which the outer door sash is coupled to the auxiliary bracket and at least one second coupling site at which the inner door sash is coupled to the auxiliary bracket in the vehicle width direction (Fig. 6A shows bracket 33 coupled to both the inner door sash 126 and the outer door sash 32).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 3 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.
Conclusion
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/E.A./Examiner, Art Unit 3644
/Nicholas McFall/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3644