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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-16 and 21-24 in the reply filed on December 31st, 2025, is acknowledged. Applicant’s cancellation of nonelected claims 17-20 is noted.
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 1-16 and 21-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jeong (KR20200084479A) in view of Lockridge et al (US5,284,694A). Jeong is read from an English machine translation which has been placed in the application file.
With regards to claim 1, Jeong discloses a bicolor fake stitch skin for vehicle interior material made from thermoplastic olefin (i.e., a plastic article with faux stitching) comprising a light transmitting sheet 120 depicted as having a top surface and a bottom surface (i.e., an applique having a front side and a rear side) fused to a color sheet 110 via molding (i.e., including a plastic platform, such that the applique is insert-molded to the platform with the rear side of the applique bonded with the platform) (Jeong – Translation: abstract; page 3, “As shown in Figure 2 (a)… As shown in Figure 2 (b)…” and “The color sheet 110… are made of materials such as…; Figs. 2-4). The light transmitting sheet includes a plurality of first thickness reduction units 121A constituting fake stitching on its upper surface (i.e., at least one faux stitch line is formed on the front side of the applique, the at least one faux stitch line comprising a plurality of faux stitches) (Jeong: Figs. 2-4). Although Jeong does not appear to explicitly disclose its applique as formed of a thermoformed plastic sheet and its plastic preform as injection molded, it is noted that these limitations constitute product-by-process language. Such language does not limit the claimed invention to the material performance of the recited steps, but rather, only the structure implied, per MPEP 2113. In the present case, the claims require a plastic sheet and a plastic preform, and Jeong discloses such a product.
Jeong does not appear to disclose its stitching as comprising a stress-whitened region of the applique.
Lockridge is directed to an embossable sheet capable of being stress-whitened (Lock: abstract). As best understood from Lockridge, materials which stress-whiten are well-known in the art (Lock: col. 1, lines 4-36). According to Lockridge, stress-whitening characteristics enable a good contrast between a formed structure and its background (Lock: col. 1, lines 4-36). Jeong and Lockridge are analogous art in that they are related to the field of endeavor of multicolor plastic decorative materials. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to have formed the stitches of Lockridge from a stress-whitened material (and furthermore, to have induced stress-whitening in the stitches of Lockridge) in order to enable an improved visual contrast of the stitching of Lockridge with respect to its formed vehicle interior article (Lock: col. 1, lines 4-36).
With regards to claim 2, the upper surface (i.e., front side) of the applique of Jeong is further depicted as comprising a plurality of raised portions (i.e., a plurality of raised pleats) (Jeong: Fig. 2).
With regards to claim 3, Jeong depicts a plurality of faux stitch lines which partially surround at least one raised pleat of the plurality of raised pleats (Jeong: Fig. 2).
With regards to claim 4, the faux stitch lines of Jeong are depicted as disposed between adjacent pleats of the plurality of raised pleats (Jeong: Figs. 2-4).
With regards to claim 5, Jeong depicts the faux stitch lines as disposed in paths which are adjacent the raised pleats, such that the paths border the adjacent raised pleats (Jeong: Figs. 2-4).
With regards to claim 6, Jeong depicts the inclusion of multiple faux stitch lines which each comprise a plurality of faux stitches which surround the plurality of raised pleats (Jeong: Figs. 2-4). A person of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to have modified the faux stitches to include stress-whitened regions, in order to enhance the visual contrast of the faux stitches.
With regards to claim 7, each of the raised pleats has a square shape (i.e., a matching polygon shape) (Jeong: Figs. 2-4).
With regards to claim 8, each of the raised pleats has a square shape (i.e., the polygon shape is a quadrilateral shape) (Jeong: Figs. 2-4).
With regards to claim 9, the plurality of faux stitch lines are disposed on respective stitch paths which are disposed between respective adjacent raised pleats, such that the stitch paths completely border the respective adjacent raised pleats (Jeong: Figs. 2-4).
With regards to claim 10, the composition of Lockridge comprises an elastomer (Lockridge: col. 4, lines 12-15). A person of ordinary skill would have found it obvious to have used the composition of Lockridge for the plastic preform of Jeong, in order to enable the production of stress-whitened regions, thereby resulting in improved visual contrast within the article of Lockridge (Lock: col. 1, lines 4-36).
With regards to claim 11, Jeong discloses its plastic sheet as formed of a thermoplastic olefin (i.e., a thermoplastic) (Jeong: page 3, “The color sheet 110… are made of materials such as…).
With regards to claim 12, Jeong depicts its article as including outer face having a region provided by the front side of its plastic applique and a region provided on a front side of the injection molded plastic preform, adjacent the front side of the plastic applique (Jeong: Figs. 2-4). It is noted that the term “adjacent” is rather broad (i.e., the regions are adjacent one another as they constitute a same article).
With regards to claim 13, Jeong teaches that the shape of its stitches (i.e., which correspond to the stress-whitened regions) should be adjusted such that the visual appearance of a stitch is created (Jeong: page 4, “Although not shown, the high-frequency fusion…”). Therefore, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to have optimized the shape and dimensions (i.e., including a longitudinal length) of the stitches of Jeong, in order to achieve the visual appearance of a stitch.
With regards to claim 14, the pleats (i.e., bordering region) have a red or blue color, which is different from the stress-whitened (i.e., white) color of the faux stitches (Jeong: page 4, “As described above,… specific color such as red or blue…”).
With regards to claim 15, the plastic article is a crash pad or door trim of an automobile (i.e., an interior trim article of a motor vehicle) (Jeong: page 2, “The present invention relates to… A crash pad is attached…”).
With regards to claim 16, it is noted that the phrase “floor mat” constitutes an intended use. It is submitted that, structurally, the crash pad of Jeong and Lockridge meets the intended use of a floor mat (i.e., as a crash pad may be used as a floor mat) (Jeong: page 2, “The present invention relates to… A crash pad is attached…”).
With regards to claim 21, it is noted that the phrase “floor tray” constitutes an intended use. It is submitted that, structurally, the crash pad of Jeong and Lockridge meets the intended use of a floor tray (i.e., as a crash pad may be used as a floor tray) (Jeong: page 2, “The present invention relates to… A crash pad is attached…”).
With regards to claim 22, Jeong teaches that the shape its stitches (i.e., which correspond to the stress-whitened regions) should be adjusted such that the visual appearance of a stitch is created (Jeong: page 4, “Although not shown, the high-frequency fusion…”). Therefore, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to have optimized the shape (i.e., including a width perpendicular to a length) of the stitches of Jeong, in order to achieve the visual appearance of a stitch.
With regards to claim 23, Jeong teaches that the color and light transmittance of a given material is inversely proportional to its thickness (Jeong: page 4, “the transmittance… may be inversely proportional to the thickness…”). Therefore, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to have optimized the thickness of the plastic preform of Jeong, depending on the desired degree of light transmittance and color.
With regards to claim 24, Jeong teaches that the transmittance of its transparent sheet 120 (i.e., thermoformed plastic sheet) is inversely proportional to its thickness (Jeong: page 4, “the transmittance… may be inversely proportional to the thickness…”). Jeong expressly teaches adjusting the thickness of the transparent sheet based on the desired transmittance (Jeong: page 4, “the transmittance… may be inversely proportional to the thickness…”). Based on this explicit instruction to optimize, a person of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to have optimized the thickness of the transparent sheet of Jeong, in order to achieve a desired degree of light transmittance.
Conclusion
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/E.W./
Examiner, Art Unit 1783
/MARIA V EWALD/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1783