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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by FR 3004500 A1 to Mahoudeaux.
Mahoudeaux discloses a pad liner seated within a caliper body 14 and supporting a brake pad 18, the pad liner comprising: a first pad clip 32 surrounds and is coupled to a side protrusion 26 protruding in a direction lateral from the brake pad; a pad support 34 is located under the first pad clip and between a side surface of the brake pad and the caliper body, the pad support supports a braking torque (as best shown in figure 6, the pad support is the lower portion of clip 32, the clip portion 32 shown in figure 6 is the same as the clip shown in figure 1 minus the return spring portion 48, it is understood that this portion abuts against the brake pad and the caliper body); a return spring 48 pulls the brake pad in a return direction to restore the brake pad to an original location thereof, the return spring includes: a second pad clip positioned inwardly of the first pad clip and surrounds the side protrusion of the brake pad in a direction perpendicular to the first pad clip; a return elastic portion 62 extends from the second pad clip in the return direction of the brake pad, the return elastic portion has a U-shape such that an end 72 of the return elastic portion is seated on the caliper body. The return spring 48 is attached to the pad clip via the slot defined by legs 74 and 84, see page 4 paragraph 4 (“ the return member 48 overlaps the vertical bottom 34 of the slide 32”).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1, 3-9, 11, and 13-15 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The prior art fails to anticipate or render obvious an angle between the vertical elastic portion and the clip side portion is equal to or smaller than 90 degrees such that a distance between the vertical elastic portion and the reference surface is less than the length of the side protrusion in the vertical direction.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) May 6, 2026 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.
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 inquiries concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Thomas Williams whose telephone number is 571-272-7128. The examiner can normally be reached on Tuesday-Friday from 6:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Robert Siconolfi, can be reached at 571-272-7124. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Any inquiry of a general nature or relating to the status of this application or proceeding should be directed to the receptionist whose telephone number is 571-272-6584.
TJW
June 9, 2026
/THOMAS J WILLIAMS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3616
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