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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 02/13/2026 with respect to claim 7 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
On page 6, Applicant argues that,
“Regarding claim 7, the Office Action asserts that Fukuda also discloses where the holding member is fixed to the second window panel, and is fixed to the first window panel via the second window panel (FIG. 2).
However, in the structure shown in FIG. 2 of Fukuda, the housing 101 holding the camera 100 is directly fixed to the windshield 1 (asserted to correspond to the claimed first window panel), and is not fixed to the windshield 1 via the inner glass 2 (asserted to correspond to the claimed second window panel).
In the structure shown in FIG. 2 of Fukuda, a heat insulating portion 3 is formed between the inner glass 2 and the windshield 1. The heat insulating portion 3 may be vacuum (paragraph [0032]), air (paragraph [0080]), or liquid (paragraph [0081]), and thus, the housing 101 (holding member) cannot be fixed to the windshield 1 (first window panel) via the inner glass 2 (second window panel).”
In response, Examiner respectfully disagrees and submits that, “via” could be reasonably interpreted as “passing through” or “going through”, or “reaching a place on the way to another place”. In Fukuda, the holding member is fixed to the first window panel by extending through the second window panel or meeting the second window panel on the way to a point where it is fixed to the first window panel. As such, Fukuda teaches the holding member is fixed to the first window panel via the second window panel.
Therefore, Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim 7 are not persuasive.
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.
Claims 1-3, 5-6, and 8-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Remacle et al. (US 2024/0424766 A1 – hereinafter Remacle).
Regarding claim 1, Remacle discloses a vehicle ([0058] – a vehicle with a glazing 100), comprising a front window (Fig. 1; [0058]-[0059] – a front window of a motor vehicle with a windshield 102), a camera disposed on a cabin side of the front window to capture an image of an external environment through the front window (Fig. 1 – camera 300), and a heater for raising a temperature of an area of the front window including a region inside a field of view of the camera ([0020]; [0065]; [0072] – heating elements embedded inside the second window panel 140), wherein the front window comprises: a first window panel fitted into a window frame of a vehicle body, an upper edge of the first window panel being formed with a recessed part in the area including the region inside the field of view of the camera (Figs. 1-2; [0059]-[0061] – the upper edge of the first window 110 forming a recessed part 126 in the area including the region inside the field of view of the camera as shown in Fig. 1); and a second window panel formed as a separate member from the first window panel and provided in the recessed part such that the second window panel is disposed in the area including the region inside the field of view of the camera (Figs. 1-2; [0061] – second window panel 140), and wherein a heat insulation member is disposed between the first window panel and the second window panel (Fig. 1; [0067]-[0069]; [0073] – thermoplastic polymer, which is a heat insulation member, is applied to junction 186 disposed between the first window panel 110 and the second window panel 140).
Regarding claim 2, Remacle also discloses the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the heater is disposed to surround a region of the second window panel inside the field of view of the camera ([0020] – the heater comprising heating elements applied directly on the surface of the second window panel 140 thus disposed to surround a region overlapped with the second window panel inside the field of view of camera 100).
Regarding claim 3, Remacle also discloses the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the heater is disposed on a region of the second window panel inside the field of view of the camera ([0020] – the heater comprising heating elements applied directly on the surface of the second window panel 140 thus disposed to surround a region overlapped with the second window panel inside the field of view of camera 100).
Regarding claim 5, Remacle also discloses the vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a holding member that holds the camera to fix the camera to the vehicle body (Fig. 1 – holding member 180), wherein the second window panel is united with the first window panel together with the holding member (Fig. 12 – second window panel 140 is united with the first window panel 110 together with holding member 180).
Regarding claim 6, Remacle also discloses the vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the holding member is fixed to both of the first window panel and the second window panel (Fig. 1 – holding member 180 is fixed to both the first window panel 110 and the second window panel 140 at function 186).
Regarding claim 8, Remacle also discloses the vehicle according to claim 5, comprising, as the holding member, a first holding member fixed to the first window panel and a second holding member fixed to the second window panel, wherein the first holding member and the second holding member are joined and fixed to each other so that the first window panel and the second window panel are united with each other (Fig. 1; Fig. 7 – a first holding member is the lower part of first end 182 fixed to first window panel 110 and a second holding member is the upper part of the first end 182 fixed to the second window panel 140 so that the first window panel and the second window panel are united with each other via the first end 182).
Regarding claim 9, Remacle also discloses the vehicle according to claim 1 above, wherein light shielding layers are formed on a part of the first window panel adjacent to the second window panel and a part of the second window panel excluding the region inside the field of view (Figs. 3-4; [0063]-[0064] – layers of black print 160).
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Fukuda et al. (US 2020/0391698 A1 – hereinafter Fukuda).
Regarding claim 7, Fukuda discloses a vehicle (Fig. 1; [0028]), comprising a front window (Fig. 1; [0028] – windshield 1), a camera disposed on a cabin side of the front window to capture an image of an external environment through the front window (Figs. 1-2; [0028]-[0029] – camera 100), and a heater for raising a temperature of an area of the front window including a region inside a field of view of the camera (Fig. 2; [0035]-[0036] – heater 11), wherein the front window comprises: a first window panel fitted into a window frame of a vehicle body (Figs. 1-2 – first window panel 1); and a second window panel formed as a separate member from the first window panel and disposed in the area including the region inside the field of view of the camera (Fig. 2; [0030]-[0032] – inner glass 2), and wherein a heat insulation member is disposed between the first window panel and the second window panel (Fig. 2; [0032] – heat insulating portion 3 formed between the inner glass 2 and the windshield 1), the vehicle further comprising a holding member that holds the camera to fix the camera to the vehicle body, wherein the heater is disposed on the holding member (Fig. 2 – inner glass 2 is disposed with the windshield 1 together with holding member 10), wherein the holding member is fixed to the second window panel, and is fixed to the first window panel via the second window panel (Fig. 2 – also see “Response to Arguments” above).
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 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Remacle as applied to claims 1-3, 5-6, and 8-9 above, and further in view of Ochiai (US 2020/0275533 A1 – hereinafter Ochiai).
Regarding claim 4, Remacle also discloses the vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a holding member that holds the camera to fix the camera to the vehicle body (Fig. 1 – holding member 180).
However, Remacle does not disclose the heater is disposed on a holding member.
Ochiai discloses a heater is disposed on a holding member (Fig. 2; [0033] – heater 100 is disposed on holding member 60).
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to incorporate the teachings of Ochiai into the vehicle taught by Remacle so that the heater can be repaired or replaced without replacing the second window panel.
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HUNG Q DANG whose telephone number is (571)270-1116. The examiner can normally be reached IFT.
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/HUNG Q DANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2484