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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they do not include the following reference sign(s) mentioned in the description: 1. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Objections
Claim 6 is objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 6, the phrase “a first link grooves” should be changed to --a first link groove--.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (Korean Patent Publication 20210033181A) in view of Asai (US Patent Application Publication 2016/0089971A1).
Re claim 1, Kim discloses an air curtain apparatus (the device is capable of operating as an air curtain apparatus) disposed in a cover (20, figure 2) provided with an inlet hole (22, figure 2) through which headwind is introduced, the air curtain apparatus comprising a flap assembly (30, figure 2) disposed in the inlet hole to open and close the inlet hole; and an actuator (110) coupled to the flap assembly to operate the flap assembly, wherein the flap assembly includes a plurality of flaps disposed collinear with the cover to close the inlet hole (as shown in the configuration of figure 2) and rotated in a stepped manner (the stepped configuration can be seen in the second illustration of figure 9) to open the inlet hole.
Kim does not disclose the cover being a bumper cover.
Asai teaches using an air curtain apparatus (1, figure 1) in a bumper cover (101, figure 1).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify an air curtain apparatus, such as that disclosed by Kim, to have the air curtain apparatus disposed in a bumper cover, as taught by Asai, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to provide the device in a part of a vehicle that is in the front of the vehicle in a situation where there is limited front facing area of the vehicle besides the bumper area itself.
Re claim 9, Kim discloses a vehicle assembly comprising a cover (20, figure 2) provided with an inlet hole (22, figure 2) through which headwind is introduced; and an air curtain apparatus (10) disposed in the cover, wherein the air curtain apparatus includes a flap assembly (30, figure 2) disposed in the inlet hole to open and close the inlet hole and an actuator (110) coupled to the flap assembly to operate the flap assembly, and the flap assembly includes a plurality of flaps (30, figure 4) disposed collinear with the cover (20, figure 2) to close the inlet hole and rotated in a stepped manner (the stepped configuration can be seen in the second illustration of figure 9) to open the inlet hole.
Asai teaches using an air curtain apparatus (1, figure 1) in a bumper cover (101, figure 1).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify an air curtain apparatus, such as that disclosed by Kim, to have the air curtain apparatus disposed in a bumper cover, as taught by Asai, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to prove the device in a part of a vehicle that is in the front of the vehicle in a situation where there is limited front facing area of the vehicle besides the bumper area itself.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-8 and 10 are 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.
The primary reason for the indication of allowable subject matter in claims is the inclusion in the claims of the limitations directed to the first flap, the second flap, and the second flap having the same rotational center. Such limitations, in combination with the rest of the limitations of the claims, are not disclosed or suggested by the prior art of record.
Each of the flaps shown by the Kim reference rotates around a separate rotational center as shown in figure 4. The current invention, as shown in figure 7 at 2114, 2124, and 2134 rotate around the same rotational center.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The cited references all disclose vehicle opening flaps.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Jason S Morrow whose telephone number is (571)272-6663. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m..
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Amy Weisberg can be reached at (571) 270-5500. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/JASON S MORROW/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3612
January 24, 2026