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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), based on an application filed in Taiwan on 10/21/2022. The Applicant has filed a certified copy of the TW111211477 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55, which has been placed of record in the file.
Drawings
The drawings received on 9/11/2023 are accepted to by the Examiner.
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.
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Snow et al. (US 8331038) in view of DU (CN 210416843, Examiner provided machine translation), and further in view of Lei et al. (CN 103802730, the Examiner provided machine translation of CN 103802730).
Regarding claim 1, Snow teaches a rear-view mirror steering structure (refer to US 8331,038, reflective element adjustment assembly 440), wherein
a lens (mirror 420; rearview mirror assembly comprising an optical assembly, including a lens assembly illustrated as an interior view lens, [C-7, L-21-25]) is embedded on one side of a mirror shell (tilt plate 444, [C-10, L-28-29]) of the rear-view mirror, the mirror shell is configured with a plurality of through holes (plurality of mounting ears 500 for mounting the reflective element 420, 500 shows holes, [C-11, L-5-8) and
an arch recessed slot (opening 496, Figs. 24-26 shows the opening 496 is arch recessed slot; partially funnel-like concave transition wall 498 to an opening 496, [C-11, 1st and the second para]) is configured on the outside of the mirror shell (see Figs. 25-26, 496 ends outside of 444),
a screw (mounting ears 500 for mounting the reflective element 420 to the tilt plate 444, doesn’t teach a screw; see Figs. 24-26) is used to go through the through hole to secure the mirror shell on a screw hole of a hollow fixing base (Fig. 26 shows hollow fixing base 496/498/492; hollow inside concave transition wall 498, 492, 494 of tilt pate 444; mounting ears 500 for mounting the reflective element 420 to the tilt plate 444), a wear-resistant gasket is accommodated inside the hollow fixing base (Snow shows fastener bearing 514/ shaft 512) and one end of a universal shaft rod (universal fastener shaft 512; [C-11, L-33-35) is used to joint with the wear-resistant gasket and the hollow fixing base to pivotally fix with a frame (frame is equivalent to annular outer flange 494; universal fastener 446 couples the mounting plate 442 with flange 494 of the tilt plate 444, Fig. 25-26), the top end of the ball head (ball shaped 514, [Figs. 24-26]) is tightly abutted upon the top of the arch recessed slot (slot 498, [Figs. 24-26]) of the mirror shell (element 444) and the side end is attached to an inner ring wall (side 512 is attached to ring wall of 496), the end of the universal shaft rod (512) is configured with a ball head (Figs. 24-26 show that 514 is ball shaped),
Snow doesn’t explicitly teach a screw is used in holes; a wear-resistant gasket is accommodated inside the hollow fixing base; one end of a universal shaft rod is used to joint with the gasket and the top end of the ball head is tightly abutted upon the top of the arch recessed slot of the mirror shell, the top end of the ball head is tightly abutted upon the top of the arch recessed slot of the mirror shell and the side end is attached to an inner ring wall of the wear-resistant gasket.
Snow and Du are related as rear-view mirrors.
Du teaches a screw is used in holes (the mounting cover 7 … provided with a thread hole matched with the screw 72; the thread hole 72 and screwed by screw driver, connected with the mirror frame 3 and mirror 2 [page 6 of the machine translation]; see screw in Fig. 3; screw connects mirror frame 7 with mounting cover 7, Figs. 3 and 6),
a gasket is accommodated inside the fixing base (gasket 14 can be embedded between the two side arms [page 5 of the machine translation]; gasket 16 are provided with a hole for the screw 111 therethrough, [page 5 of MT]; Figs. 1-2), one end of a universal shaft rod is used to joint with the gasket and the top end of the ball head is tightly abutted upon the top of the arch recessed slot of the mirror shell, the top end of the ball head is tightly abutted upon the top of the arch recessed slot of the mirror shell and the side end is attached to an inner ring wall of the gasket (rod 2 moved to contacted with the mirror 2, the mirror 2 mounted on the mounting base 1, [page 5 of MT]; Figs. 1-2 show one end of rod 2 provided with a ball 5 and mirror frame 3 is fixedly provided with a ball 5, [page 5 of MT], Figs. 1-2 show the other end mounting base 1 comprises a bolt 11, other end is connected to slot 112. See Figs. 1-2 and 6 and the description in page 5 of MT).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to modify the structure of Snow to include a gasket is accommodated inside the hollow fixing base; one end of a universal shaft rod is used to joint with the gasket and the top end of the ball head is tightly abutted upon the top of the arch recessed slot of the mirror shell, the top end of the ball head is tightly abutted upon the top of the arch recessed slot of the mirror shell and the side end is attached to an inner ring wall of the gasket, as taught by DU for the predictable advantage of such set can make the rear-view mirror adjusting angle is more convenient, which can make the rotating angle of the rearview mirror is greatly increased, increasing the view range of the rearview mirror can be observed on a certain degree and increase the safety of the driver.as taught by DU in [page 3 of MT].
The modified Snow doesn’t explicitly teach the gasket is wear-resistant gasket.
Snow and Lei are related as rear-view mirrors.
Lei teaches the gasket is wear-resistant gasket (exterior rear-view mirror gear gasket for heat treatment. to improve the rotating shaft with the gear gasket wear-resisting property, [0037]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to modify the modified structure of Snow to include a wear-resistant gasket, as taught by Lei for the predictable advantage of improving the reliability and stability by improving heat treatment property, as taught by Lei in [para 37].
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Snow et al. in view of DU and Lei et al., as applied to claim 1 and further in view of Zhang (CN 209617016).
Regarding claim 2, the modified Snow teaches the structure according to claim 1 (see above), The modified Snow doesn’t explicitly teach wherein the wear-resistant gasket is made of a nylon material.
Zhang teaches wherein the wear-resistant gasket is made of a nylon material (automobile rear-view mirror, wherein the gasket is made of nylon or polyfluortetraethylene, [page 2 of machine translation]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to modify the modified structure of Snow to include a gasket made of a nylon material, as taught by Zhang for the predictable advantage of improving the reliability by to avoiding the excessive wear at the same time reducing the friction force, as taught by Zhang teaches in [page 3 of machine translation].
Conclusion
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/R.A/Examiner, Art Unit 2872
/BALRAM T PARBADIA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2872