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 .
Response to Amendments
The amendments filed on 08/31/2026 have been received, to which the Applicant is thanked.
Response to Arguments
The arguments have been fully considered, but have not been found to be persuasive.
In response to Applicants argument on page 5 regarding Uhlenbusch and the Applicants argument that amended claim 1 requires that the insertion groove be included in the upper horizontal blade,
The examiner respectfully responds the Applicants arguments are spurious, as even if the Applicant disagrees with the rejection below establishing the broadest reasonable interpretation of the prior art as to what an element is, the prior art itself identifies element 54 (the insertion groove) as the longitudinal opening 54, or groove; MPEP 2112.01 states “It should be noted that a claim containing a “recitation with respect to the manner in which a claimed apparatus is intended to be employed does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from a prior art apparatus” if the prior art apparatus teaches all the structural limitations of the claim.”, as such, with ¶0048, Lines 8-11 establishing that the insertion portion 52 is accommodated in a corresponding opening of the upper horizontal blade 32, the limitations of “the upper horizontal blade (32, Fig. 3) includes an insertion groove (54, Fig. 3/4, ¶0048, Lines 8-11 – the insertion groove 54 extends in the horizontal direction to facilitate the space for the structure of element 56) extending in the horizontal direction (Fig. 1/3/4), being met, the Applicants argument is overcome.
In response to Applicants argument on pages 6-7 regarding Uhlenbusch and the Applicants arguments that Uhlenbusch lacks showing the insertion portion being able to slide in the horizontal direction within the insertion groove, as well as
Uhlenbusch does not disclose that the opening 54 would not accommodate the alleged insertion portion (i.e, the bearing 52) and would not allow the alleged insertion portion to slide in the horizontal direction within the opening 54”
The examiner respectfully responds the amended limitation first of need only be configured to accommodate the insertion portion 52, to allow the insertion portion to slide in the horizontal direction within the insertion groove, of which the Examiner would first point out that ¶0048, Lines 8-11 established that the insertion portion 52 is accommodated in a corresponding opening of the upper horizontal blade 32, so the limitation that the insertion groove 54 is configured to allow the insertion portion 52 to slide in a horizontal direction within the insertion groove is met by the insertion groove 52 facilitates the horizontal sliding action of the insertion portion in the horizontal direction along the vertical line representing an axis of element 52, further seen by the axial line protruding vertically through the opening of element 52, as when element 50 is pivoted and slides along that picot around the insertion portion 52, the driver follows this movement and causes the lamella 60 to pivot around the axis A, which from Fig. 3 can be seen any pivoting of element 60 about axis A, would constitute the insertion portion being displaced in a horizontal manner to cause elements 60 to pivot about axis A, overcoming the Applicants argument.
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),
wherein the adjustment knob includes an insertion portion (52, Fig. 3) protruding vertically (Fig. 3),
and wherein the upper horizontal blade (32, Fig. 3) includes an insertion groove (54, Fig. 3/4, ¶0048, Lines 8-11 – the insertion groove 54 extends in the horizontal direction to facilitate the space for the structure of element 56) extending in the horizontal direction (Fig. 1/3/4) and configured to accommodate the insertion portion (Fig. 3) to allow the insertion portion to slide in the horizontal direction within the insertion groove (¶0048, Lines 8-11 – Dictonary.com defines Slide: “to move along in continuous contact with a smooth or slippery surface”; the insertion groove 54 is configured to: accommodate the insertion portion 52, to allow the insertion portion to slide, of which the Examiner is taking the broadest reasonable interpretation of the sliding, or moving along in continuous contact with a smooth surface provided by element 52 , in the horizontal direction within the insertion groove, since the insertion portion 52 is accommodated in a corresponding groove of the upper horizontal blade 32,
so the limitation that the insertion groove 54 is configured to allow the insertion portion 52 to slide in a horizontal direction within the insertion groove is met by the insertion groove 54 being configured to allow the insertion portion 52, formed of the upper horizontal blade 32, to horizontally slide along the vertical pivot line, with Uhlenbusch explicitly stating that this movement occurs as “the control element 50 is therefore arranged on the drag plate 32 so as to be pivotable about the bearing 52”, as when element 50 is pivoted around the insertion portion 52, the driver follows this movement and causes the lamella 60 to pivot around the axis A as a resultant action, which from Fig. 3 can be seen any pivoting of element 60 about axis A, would constitute the insertion portion 52 being displaced in a horizontal manner or direction of the insertion groove to cause elements 60 to pivot about axis A).
Regarding claim 2, Uhlenbusch shows wherein the insertion groove (54, Fig. 3) is formed at a lower portion of the upper horizontal blade (Fig. 3) and accommodating the insertion portion (¶0048, Lines 8-11).
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 coupled to an accommodation groove that is formed in the insertion portion and is 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) coupled to an accommodation groove (see Annotated Figure 1/2) that is formed in the insertion portion (see Annotated Figure 1) and is 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure and is provided in the Notice of References Cited.
The following prior art teaches related horizontal blade arrangements:
US 2023/0025043 – Yang discloses an adjustment knob that moves in a horizontal fashion on a horizontal blade
US 5,338,252 – Bowler discloses an adjustment knob for a horizontal slat the moves in a horizontal direction.
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.
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, Michael Hoang can be reached at 571-272-6460. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/RYAN L FAULKNER/ Examiner, Art Unit 3762
/AVINASH A SAVANI/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3762
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