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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because:
The drawings have poor line quality and thus fail to meet the requirements of 37 CFR 1.84(L). Note that the drawings must be viewed in the USPTO Patent Center in order to see this problem. See example below, as well. The drawings likely contain grayscale elements, which cause image degradation in the USPTO electronic filing system. Drawings must be entirely bi-tonal, containing only black or white color values.
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The handwritten numerals are not “plain and legible” as required by 37 CFR 1.84(p)(1).
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
Applicant is reminded of the proper language and format for an abstract of the disclosure.
The abstract should be in narrative form and generally limited to a single paragraph on a separate sheet within the range of 50 to 150 words in length. The abstract should describe the disclosure sufficiently to assist readers in deciding whether there is a need for consulting the full patent text for details.
The language should be clear and concise and should not repeat information given in the title. It should avoid using phrases which can be implied, such as, “The disclosure concerns,” “The disclosure defined by this invention,” “The disclosure describes,” etc. In addition, the form and legal phraseology often used in patent claims, such as “means” and “said,” should be avoided.
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because of the use of the implied phrase “is provided” in line 1. The words “is provide and” should be deleted. A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
Paragraph 0002, line 1, “is” should be changed to --are--.
Paragraph 0032, it appears that “a one emblem unit” should be changed to --at least one emblem unit--.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
With regard to claim 6, the phrase “further including…a cable through which at least two of the components can be accessed” is confusing. It is not understood how a component can be accessed “through a cable.” A cable is a solid object and a component cannot be accessed through a solid object. Appropriate clarification and correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Cogswell et al. (US 2023/0076313, hereinafter Cogswell).
With regard to claim 1, Cogswell discloses a vehicle body panel (12+34) comprising:
a support structure (34); and
a plurality of components (38, 40, 41, etc.) fixedly attached to the support structure, the plurality of components comprising at least two components from the following list of components (note that examiner will only address the minimum number of components that are required by the claim. Components that are not identified with a reference numeral are not necessarily absent from Cogswell):
at least one navigation unit,
at least one communication unit,
at least one antenna unit,
at least one lighting unit,
at least one signalling light unit,
at least one illumination unit,
at least one heating unit,
at least one cleaning unit,
at least one design element (Paragraph 0025, “decorative lighting, texture, badges and finishes such as tints, paint or plating are incorporated”),
at least one lighting cover lens,
at least one sensor cover lens,
at least one sensor housing,
at least one radome,
at least one safety unit (33, 33’—note that these are “safety units” because they secure the panel to the vehicle, which provides some form of safety),
at least one camera unit,
at least one parking system unit,
at least one emblem unit and
at least one sensor unit, wherein the at least one sensor unit includes at least one radar sensor unit, at least one lidar unit, at least one ultrasonic sensor unit, and/or at least one parking sensor unit.
With regard to claim 2, Cogswell teaches that the components are fixedly attached to the support structure (via ledges 35, 35’ or by direct connection such as illustrated by 76 in Fig. 5B) and are at least partly integrated in the support structure (the mere connection of the components to the bumper is considered to meet the phrase “at least partly integrated”).
With regard to claim 3, Cogswell teaches that the support structure together with the components, which are fixedly attached to the support structure, are integrally formed as a single part (paragraph 0002, “a one-piece integrated front vision panel for a vehicle, that integrates several functional aspects of the vehicle into a single one piece seamless surface without visible joints or individual parts”).
With regard to claim 4, Cogswell teaches that at least two of the components, which are fixedly attached to the support structure, have different functions (for example, the badge mentioned in paragraph 0025 performs the function of identifying the vehicle brand, while the connecting elements 33 and 33’ perform the function of connecting the panel to the vehicle).
With regard to claim 5, Cogswell teaches that the support structure is a molded structure (paragraph 0006, “the present invention relates to a molded panel that encompasses all forward surfaces of a vehicle”).
With regard to claim 6, Cogswell teaches a socket and/or a cable through which at least two of the components can be accessed (see annotated Fig. below).
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With regard to claim 7, Cogswell teaches that the vehicle body panel is mounted on a front or a rear or a side or a top of a vehicle (paragraph 0021, “all forward surfaces” or “other locations such as, but not limited to panels on the side, rear and roof of the vehicle”).
With regard to claim 8, Cogswell discloses a vehicle comprising the vehicle body panel of claim 1 (see Figs. 2 and 4).
With regard to claim 9, Cogswell teaches that the vehicle body panel is mounted on a front or a rear or a side or a top of the vehicle (paragraph 0021, “all forward surfaces” or “other locations such as, but not limited to panels on the side, rear and roof of the vehicle”).
With regard to claim 10, Cogswell teaches a method for manufacturing the vehicle body panel of claim 1, the method comprising the steps of:
molding the support structure in a molding process to fixedly attach the plurality of components to the support structure (at least paragraph 0032 describes certain component panels being molded into the support structure, e.g. “the back side 32 of the molded panel 12 further includes an upper panel 81 that is a [sic] formed of multi-shot polycarbonate molding that includes the clear decorative zone 56 and the clear functional zones 58, 58’ as well as the sensor zone 62B with sensor 76 and decorative film zone 78.” Paragraph 0033 states “the outermost layer 66 of the molded panel 12 covers the entire exterior surface 16 of the front vision panel 10 facing an exterior of a vehicle and creates a seamless surface on the exterior surface. The outermost layer 66 is formed of a thermoplastic urethane that is overmolded to the upper panel 81, middle lower panel 82, 82′, and bridge panel 84, which is then connected to the structural carrier 34 to create the integrated front vision panel 10 that is a one piece panel connected to the frame of the vehicle”).
With regard to claim 11, the components are at least partially covered by a mold material during the molding process (component panels being “overmolded” as discussed in paragraphs 0032 and 0033 requires that these components will be contacted by mold material during the molding process).
With regard to claim 12, Cogswell discloses a method for manufacturing a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:
mounting the vehicle body panel of claim 1 to a vehicle (see vehicle in Figs. 2 and 4 with body panel attached).
With regard to claim 13, Cogswell teaches that the molding process is at least one of an inmolding process, an overmolding process, a 2K molding process, and more than 2K molding process (paragraph 0031: “all of which are panels formed by using multi-shot thermoplastics,” paragraph 0032: “the molded panel 12 further includes an upper panel 81 that is a [sic] formed of multi-shot polycarbonate molding,” i.e. at least 2K or two-shot molding).
With regard to claim 14, Cogswell teaches that the vehicle body panel is mounted on the vehicle as a single part (paragraph 0002, “a one-piece integrated front vision panel for a vehicle, that integrates several functional aspects of the vehicle into a single one piece seamless surface without visible joints or individual parts”).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The cited references provide further examples of bumpers and/or fascia having integrated sensor systems.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROBERT E FULLER whose telephone number is (571)272-6300. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30AM - 5:30PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Tara Schimpf can be reached at 571-270-7741. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ROBERT E FULLER/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3676