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 .
This Office Action is in response to applicant’s RCE filed on 1/6/26.
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(s) 1 and 6-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Pat No 12,196,016 o Guerin et al (Guerin) in view of KR 20070031496 (KR 496), US Pat No 6,901,630 to Liang et al (Liang) and US Pat No 2,541,179 to Sponsler.
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Regarding claim 1, Guerin discloses a vehicle door handle assembly that comprises a bracket (4); a handle (3) including a first extremity (11a) and a second extremity (12b) opposed to the first extremity, wherein the first extremity is configured to move between a rest position (fig 1), a deployed position (fig 3) outside the bracket, and an opening position (not shown) configured to open a latch of a vehicle door, wherein the second extremity is configured to move between a rest position (fig 1), an activation position (fig 3) where the second extremity is lowered into the bracket, and a deployed position (not shown) outside the bracket.
The assembly further comprises a deployment element (5) configured to move both the first extremity and the second extremity to the deployed position upon the activation position of the second extremity being reached; and at least one elastic element (13) configured to passively move back both the first extremity and the second extremity to the rest position.
Guerin fails to disclose that the assembly comprises a shock absorber attached to a rest portion of the bracket and that cooperates with the handle and that is deformable.
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KR 496 teaches that it is well known in the art to provide a handle (110) with a “shock absorber” element configured to reduce noise during movement of a handle (by reducing friction). The element is configured to provide a “soft” stop for the handle when the handle comes back to the rest position by reducing friction and noise.
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Liang teaches that it is well known in the art to provide a shock absorber element (56, 58) positioned on a “rest portion” of a base (52, 54), that interacts with an extremity (22) of a movable member (16).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the handle described by Guerin with a shock absorber element, as taught by KR 496, in order to reduce noise of the handle elements during movement of the assembly.
Furthermore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the shock absorber on a portion of a base, as taught by Liang, in order to mount the element in any desired position.
Sponsler teaches that it is well known in the art to provide a shock absorber element (5) that comprises a deformable material.
it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the shock absorber with a deformable material, as taught by Sponsler, in order to absorb the contact forces with the handle.
KR 496 teaches that the handle (110) includes an internal side (at 111) that faces the shock absorber.
Guerin, as modified by KR 496 and Liang, will teach that the internal side faces the rest portion of the bracket in the deployed position, the internal side being configured to cooperate with the rest portion at least when the second extremity is moving from the rest position toward the activation position, and the shock absorber protruding from the rest portion.
KR 496 teaches that the rest portion comprises a receiving part (114), and wherein the shock absorber comprises a fixing part (113a) configured to be mounted on the receiving part of the rest portion; and a damping part (112, 113).
KR 496 teaches that the damping part is made of a resilient material (112).
KR 496 teaches that the fixing part is an axle (113a) provided with two ends configured to cooperate with corresponding bearings of the rest portion.
As to claim 6, Liang teaches that bearings are cavities (82, 84) configured to receive the two ends of the axle (86) and being configured to removably clip the two ends.
As to claim 7, KR 496 teaches that the rest portion comprises two transverse fractions; and an angled fraction joining the two transverse fractions of the rest portion, wherein the shock absorber is provided in or attached to the angled fraction of the rest portion.
As to claim 8, Guerin discloses that the second extremity of the handle is configured to be pushed into the bracket for being displaced from the rest position to the activation position.
Guerin, as modified by KR 496 and Liang, will teach that the internal side is configured to rotate taking support on the shock absorber when moving from the rest position to the activation position.
As to claim 9, Guerin, as modified by KR 496 and Liang, teaches that the internal side of the handle rests on the rest portion of the bracket when the first extremity and the second extremity are both in the rest position, the internal side of the handle also resting on the shock absorber.
As to claim 10, Guerin discloses that the handle is configured to be pushed in a rectilinear manner into the bracket, both the first extremity and the second extremity moving together from the rest position to the activation position.
As to claim 11, Guerin, as modified by KR 496 and Liang, teaches that the handle is configured to abut on the rest portion of the bracket in the activation position, the handle being distant from the rest portion when the first extremity and the second extremity are both in the rest position.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the previous rejection to the claims have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
However, in order to expedite prosecution, the examiner is proposing the following amendment to overcome the rejection and put the application in allowance condition:
Propose amendment to claim1:
-A vehicle door handle assembly comprising:
a bracket including a rest portion;
a handle including a first extremity and a second extremity opposed to the first extremity, wherein the first extremity is configured to move between a rest position, a deployed position outside the bracket, and an opening position configured to open a latch of a vehicle door, wherein the second extremity is configured to move between a rest position, an activation position where the second extremity is lowered into the bracket, and a deployed position outside the bracket;
a deployment element configured to move both the first extremity and the second extremity to the deployed position upon the activation position of the second extremity being reached; and
at least one elastic element configured to passively move back both the first extremity and the second extremity to the rest position,
wherein the bracket includes a shock absorber attached to the rest portion of the bracket, and
wherein the shock absorber cooperating with the handle when the second extremity is moved from the rest position to the activation position by smoothening a movement of the handle towards the activation position and when the first extremity and the second extremity are moved together from the deployed position to the rest position by providing a soft stop for the handle when the handle returns to the rest position;
wherein the handle defines an internal grasping area that includes an internal side facing the rest portion of the bracket in the deployed position, the internal side being configured to cooperate with the rest portion at least when the second extremity is moving from the rest position toward the activation position, and the shock absorber protruding from the rest portion,
Add new claims 12-14 as follows:
12. The vehicle door handle assembly according to claim 1, wherein the rest portion comprises a receiving part, and
wherein the shock absorber comprises:
a fixing part configured to be mounted on the receiving part of the rest portion; and
a damping part configured to cooperate with the handle.
13. The vehicle door handle assembly according to claim 3, wherein the damping part is made of a resilient material.
14. The vehicle door handle assembly according to claim 3, wherein the fixing part is an axle provided with two ends configured to cooperate with corresponding bearings of the rest portion.
Remarks in view of the propose amendment by the examiner:
Here is the current application:
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As shown, the internal side is part of the internal grasping area of the handle. The current prior art shows the internal side as another internal side of the handle, but not capable of being grasped by the user.
As to the crossed limitations, which correspond to previous claims 3-5, applicant has to choices: 1) keep it or 2) presented as new depending claims. At the instant, with the propose amendment by the examiner, those limitations are not required in claim 1, that is why the proposing of the new depending claims. But, as previously mention, that will be the applicant’s choice.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CARLOS LUGO whose telephone number is (571)272-7058. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-6pm.
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/Carlos Lugo/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3675
February 13, 2026