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 § 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.
Claim 6 recites the limitations of "the insertion portion" and “insertion groove” in Lines 2 & 4. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 6 depends from claim 1, of which the elements of “the insertion portion” and “insertion groove”, which are elements that are not invoked until claim 2. To obviate the rejection, the Examiner would suggest the Applicant either amend claim 1 to reflect the subject matter for dependency, or amend claim 6 to depend from claim 2. For examination purposes, and since the established subject matter appears to be in claim 2, claim 6 will be interpreted as depending from claim 2.
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)(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 1-2, & 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Uhlenbusch et al (DE102017128105), hereinafter referred to as Uhlenbusch.
Regarding claim 1, Uhlenbusch (DE102017128105) shows an air vent of a car, comprising:
a horizontal blade (30/32, Fig. 3) installed at a discharge port (20, Fig. 3) of a housing (12, Fig. 1) and including an upper horizontal blade (32, Fig. 3) and a lower horizontal blade (30, Fig. 3);
a link (¶0050, Lines 8-10 – connecting rod) having one end coupled to a longitudinal end of the upper horizontal blade and the other end coupled to a longitudinal end of the lower horizontal blade (¶0050, Lines 8-10);
a plurality of vertical blades (60, Fig. 2/3) rotatably coupled to the housing (Fig. 1) and arranged at rear of the horizontal blade (Fig. 3);
an adjustment knob (50, Fig. 1) coupled to the upper horizontal blade (Fig. 4) so as to be movable in a horizontal direction (¶0042); and a rotation bar (56, Fig. 4) coupled to the adjustment knob (Fig. 4) and connected to the vertical blades (Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 2, Uhlenbusch shows wherein the adjustment knob includes an insertion portion (52, Fig. 3) protruding upward, and the upper horizontal blade (32, Fig. 3) includes an insertion groove (¶0048, Line 8 – the insertion portion 52 is accommodated in a corresponding insertion groove, or opening, in the upper horizontal blade 32) formed at a lower portion of the upper horizontal blade (Fig. 3) and accommodating the insertion portion (¶0048, Line 8).
Regarding claim 5, Uhlenbusch shows wherein the upper horizontal blade (32, Fig. 3) includes an upper blade portion (Fig. 3) extending from a front end of the upper horizontal blade to a rear end of the upper horizontal blade (Fig. 3 – the upper horizontal blade 32 includes an upper blade portion, that which extends from a front end of the upper horizontal blade, generally located at in upstream end of element 32, to a rear end of the upper horizontal blade, generally located at a downstream end of element 32), and an upper blocking portion (36, Fig. 3) extending upward from the rear end of the upper blade portion (Fig. 3), and wherein the lower horizontal blade (30, Fig. 3) includes a lower blade portion (Fig. 3) extending from a front end of the lower horizontal blade to a rear end of the lower horizontal blade (Fig. 3 – the lower horizontal blade 30 includes a lower blade portion, that which extends from a front end of the lower horizontal blade, generally located at an upstream end of the lower horizontal blade, to a rear end of the lower horizontal blade, generally located at a downstream end of element 30), and a lower blocking portion (36, Fig. 3) extending downward from the rear end of the lower blade portion (Fig. 3)
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.
Claims 3-4 & 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Uhlenbusch et al (DE102017128105), hereinafter referred to as Uhlenbusch, in view of Oh et al (US 2020/0317030), hereinafter referred to as Oh.
Regarding claim 3, Uhlenbusch shows element of the claimed invention as stated above in claim 2 including the insertion portion and the upper horizontal blade.
However, Uhlenbusch lacks showing wherein the insertion portion includes a locking hook, and the upper horizontal blade includes a locking protrusion to which the locking hook is configured to be locked.
Oh (US 2020/0317030), an air vent with a movable handle, is in the same field of endeavor as Uhlenbusch which is an air vent with a movable handle.
Oh teaches wherein the insertion portion (see Annotated Figure 1) includes a locking hook (see Annotated Figure 1), and the upper horizontal blade (130, Fig. 2) includes a locking protrusion (see Annotated Figure 1) to which the locking hook is configured to be locked.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the insertion portion and upper horizontal blade of Uhlenbusch to incorporate the teachings of the insertion portion and the upper horizontal blade of Oh, which would provide a decorative element to ensure aesthetic stability by ensuring that the decorative element maintains a stable shape even under vertical air control (¶0008).
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Annotated Figure 1
Regarding claim 4, Uhlenbusch shows elements of the claimed invention as stated above in claim 2 including the upper horizontal blade, the insertion portion, and the insertion groove.
However, Uhlenbusch lacks showing a vane bracket coupled to the upper horizontal blade and configured to prevent the insertion portion from being separated from the insertion groove.
Oh teaches a vane bracket (142/143, Fig. 1) coupled to the upper horizontal blade (Fig. 2/3) and configured to prevent the insertion portion from being separated from the insertion groove (Fig. 3).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the insertion portion and upper horizontal blade of Uhlenbusch to incorporate the teachings of the vane bracket, insertion portion, and the upper horizontal blade of Oh, which would provide a decorative element to ensure aesthetic stability by ensuring that the decorative element maintains a stable shape even under vertical air control (¶0008).
Regarding claim 6, Uhlenbusch shows elements of the claimed invention as stated above in claim 2 including the insertion portion and the insertion groove.
However, Uhlenbusch lacks showing an elastic body formed in the insertion portion and coupled to an accommodation groove opened upward, wherein the elastic body has an upper surface in contact with a surface defining the insertion groove.
Oh teaches an elastic body (145, Fig. 5) formed in the insertion portion (see Annotated Figure 1) and coupled to an accommodation groove (see Annotated Figure 1/2) opened upward (see Annotated Figure 2), wherein the elastic body has an upper surface in contact with a surface defining the insertion groove (see Annotated Figure 1).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the insertion portion and upper horizontal blade of Uhlenbusch to incorporate the teachings of the accommodation groove, insertion portion, and the upper horizontal blade of Oh, which would provide a decorative element to ensure aesthetic stability by ensuring that the decorative element maintains a stable shape even under vertical air control (¶0008).
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Annotated Figure 2
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RYAN L FAULKNER whose telephone number is (469)295-9209. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9-7, Every other F: Flex.
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/RYAN L FAULKNER/Examiner, Art Unit 3762
/AVINASH A SAVANI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3762