-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 Objections
Claims 19-20 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 19, line 4, it is thought that –first—should be added before the second instance of “glass layer’ in order to distinguish such glass layer from the “continuous layer of glass” recited on line 3.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 14, 15 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Huisman US 7,086,693.
Regarding claim 14, Huisman discloses:
A vehicle (26, Fig. 1) having an interior (the space occupied by a driver) and an exterior (the portions visible from outside the vehicle), comprising:
a canopy (12; Figs. 3 and 4; disclosed as a “glass roof” in col. 3, line 6) at the exterior;
first and second feature layers (as identified in annotated Figs. 3 and 4 below, where such “feature” layers are a support feature at 44; Fig. 4; disclosed as an outer roof panel) coupled (by adhesive; see col. 4, lines 36-38) to the canopy (12; Figs. 3 and 4) in first and second respective regions (as identified in annotated Figs. 3 and 4 below), wherein the first and second feature layers are separated by a first gap, (where the first gap is identified between annotated Fis. 3 and 4 below, and where the annotated Figs. 3 and 4 span the vehicle in a longitudinal direction thereof in that element 30 in Figure 3 is the rear window and element 28 in Fig. 4 is the front windshield).
first and second glass layers respectively coupled (at least indirectly as shown in Figs 3 and 4) to the first and second feature layers, wherein the first (28; Fig. 4; disclosed as a “front windshield” in col. 3 line 22) and second (28; Fig. 4; disclosed as a “rear window” in col. 3 line 22) glass layers are separated by a second gap (where the second gap is identified between annotated Fis. 3 and 4 below, and where the annotated Figs. 3 and 4 span the vehicle in a longitudinal direction thereof in that element 30 in Figure 3 is the rear window and element 28 in Fig. 4 is the front windshield) that overlaps the first gap (in a vertical direction as can be seen in annotated Figs. 3 and 4 below); and
trim (Fig. 4; disclosed as a headliner in col. 3, line 18) that at least partially fills, i.e., takes up a portion of, the first and second gaps (as illustrated between annotated Figs 3 and 4 below).
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Regarding claim 15, Huisman discloses:
The vehicle of claim 14, further comprising:
a third feature layer (14; annotated Fig. 3 above; disclosed as a “front trim member” in col. 3 line 8) coupled (at least indirectly as shown in Figs 3) to the canopy (12; Figs. 3 and 4) in a third region (as identified in annotated Fig. 3 above); and
a third glass layer (the lower glass layer as identified in annotated Fig. 3 above) coupled (at least indirectly as shown in Figs 3) to the third feature layer (14; Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 19, Huisman discloses:
In the instance that the second glass layer forms a windshield:
A vehicle (26, Fig. 1), comprising:
a continuous layer of glass (66; as identified in annotated Fig. 3 below) that forms a canopy;
a first feature layer (as identified in annotated Fig. 3 below, where such “first feature layer” is a support feature at 44; Fig. 3 below; disclosed as an outer roof panel) coupled (indirectly) to the continuous layer of glass (as identified in annotated Fig. 3 below);
a first glass layer (64; annotated Fig. 3 below) coupled to the first feature layer (as shown in annotated Fig. 3 below), wherein the [first] glass layer (64; annotated Fig. 4 below) forms a roof glass (in that it forms part of the canopy (12; Fig. 3 below)); and
a second glass layer (28; as identified in annotated Fig. 3 below) coupled (indirectly) to the continuous layer of glass (66; as identified in annotated Fig. 3 below), wherein the second glass layer (28; as identified in annotated Fig. 3 below) forms a windshield (28; Fig. 3; as disclosed in col. 3, line 21/22).
In the instance that the second glass layer forms a backlite:
A vehicle (26, Fig. 1), comprising:
a continuous layer of glass (66; as identified in annotated Fig. 4 below) that forms a canopy;
a first feature layer (as identified in annotated Fig. 4 below, where such “first feature layer” is a support feature at 44; Fig. 4 below; disclosed as an outer roof panel) coupled (indirectly) to the continuous layer of glass (as identified in annotated Fig. 4 below);
a first glass layer (64; annotated Fig. 4 below) coupled to the first feature layer (as shown in annotated Fig. 4 below), wherein the [first] glass layer (64; annotated Fig. 4 below) forms a roof glass (in that it forms part of the canopy (12; Fig. 4 below)); and
a second glass layer (30; as identified in annotated Fig. 4 below) coupled (indirectly) to the continuous layer of glass (66; as identified in annotated Fig. 4 below), wherein the second glass layer 308; as identified in annotated Fig. 4 below) forms a backlite (30; Fig. 4; as disclosed in col. 3, line 21/22).
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Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-13 are allowed.
Claim 16-18 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim 20 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims as well as rewritten to overcome the minor objection set forth in paragraph 2 above.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The recitation in claim 1 of A vehicle comprising: a canopy, wherein the canopy comprises a layer of glass; a first feature layer coupled to the layer of glass; a first window layer coupled to the first feature layer; a second feature layer coupled to the layer of glass; a second window layer coupled to the second feature layer, wherein the second window layer is separated from the first window layer by a gap; and material that fills the gap between the first window layer and the second window layer is not shown nor fairly suggested by the prior art. The gaps of Huisman US 7,086,693 identified in combined annotated Figs. 3 and 4 above with respect to claim 14 have a material (trim 25) which is within the gaps, however it cannot be said that the trim 25 “fills the gaps”, where the term “fill” is defined by merriamwebster.com as “to put into as much as can be held or conveniently contained”. The trim 25 is not as much as can be help by the gaps.
Claims 2-13 also contain allowable subject matter at least due to their dependence on parent claim 1 which contains allowable subject matter as explained above.
The recitation in claim 16 of wherein the first glass layer forms a windshield, the second glass layer forms a roof glass, and the third glass layer forms a backlite is not taught nor fairly suggested by the prior art of record. The canopy of Huisman US 7,086,693 cannot be interpreted based upon limitations in claims 14 and 15 as the “second glass layer” being a roof glass while another glass layer constitutes a windshield.
Claims 17 also contains allowable subject matter at least due to their dependence on claim 16 which contains allowable subject matter as explained above.
The recitation in claim 18, of wherein the first glass layer forms a roof glass, and wherein the first feature layer comprises a lighting layer configured to provide ambient lighting to the interior is not shown nor fairly suggested by the prior art. The canopy of Huisman US 7,086,693 cannot be interpreted based upon limitations in claim 14 such that first glass layer forms a roof glass while the first feature layer, which helps to define a first gap in parent claim 14, comprises a lighting layer. While an ambient lighting layer for a glass roof is known, there is no motivation to modify Huisman to have such an ambient lighting layer coupled to a glass roof layer so that such an ambient light layer forms a gap in conjunction with a second feature layer coupled to a second glass layer and such gap is at least partially filled by a trim. Any attempt at such a modification of Huisman would constitute hindsight reconstruction. Also, Huisman does not disclose a first gap between a glass roof layer and either of glass layers 28 or 30 (Figs. 3 and 4).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Chon et al. US 6,793,277 disclose a transparent roof with windshield and backlite sections.
Cocaign US 6,971,704 discloses a glass roof of a vehicle.
Masschelein US 11,180,005 discloses vehicle windows with optical layers.
Hahn US 6,682,132 discloses a roof module with a gap filler 22 between adjacent single pane glass roof sections. See Fig. 3
DE 10230443 discloses a one piece windshield and roof panel made from glass.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Joseph D. Pape whose telephone number is (571)272-6664. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday 7 AM-3:30 PM.
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/Joseph D. Pape/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3612