DETAILED ACTION
The following action is in response to application 18/555,430 filed on October 13, 2025.
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) 1-5 and 10-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Peng ‘292 (from IDS). With regard to claims 1 and 10, Peng teaches a tailgate emergency opening cover, comprising: a cover body 2 configured to match an emergency opening (Fig. 1) on a tailgate trim panel 1 (paragraph 4); a connecting mechanism (bottom of Fig. 6) arranged on the cover body and configured to fix a first side of the cover body with the tailgate trim panel; and a knob engagement mechanism 3 rotatably arranged on the cover body, wherein when the knob engagement mechanism is in a first position, a second side of the cover body is locked with the tailgate trim panel ( (Fig. 11)), when the knob engagement mechanism is in a second position, the second side of the cover body is unlocked from the tailgate trim panel, and the cover body can move away from the emergency opening to open the emergency opening (Fig. 11). With regard to claims 2 and 13, Peng teaches the cover, wherein the knob engagement mechanism comprises a knob 3 and a cantilever 13, the knob is connected with the cantilever, and the knob is rotated to drive the cantilever to rotate synchronously; when the knob engagement mechanism is in the first position 242, the cantilever contacts the tailgate trim panel to lock the cover body with the tailgate trim panel (Fig. 4); and when the knob engagement mechanism is in the second position 241, the cantilever is separated from the tailgate trim panel (Fig. 4). With regard to claims 3 and 14, Peng teaches the cover, wherein the cover body 2 has a mounting part 21, and the mounting part defines a recessed part on a side of the cover body, and correspondingly forms a boss the other side of the cover body (Figs. 7 & 8), the boss is provided with a mounting hole 211, and the boss and the cantilever are located at a same side of the cover body; and the recessed part is communicated with the mounting hole, and a diameter of the recessed part is larger than a diameter of the mounting hole (Fig. 8). With regard to claims 4 and 15, Peng teaches the cover, wherein the knob comprises an operating part 31 and a rotating sleeve 33, an end of the rotating sleeve is connected with the operating part, and the operating part is rotatably arranged in the recessed part 21, and the rotating sleeve 33 passes through the mounting hole 211, and the cantilever 34 is connected with the rotating sleeve 33. With regard to claims 5 and 16, Peng teaches the cover, wherein an outer circumferential surface of the rotating sleeve 33 is provided with guide blocks 331, and the guide blocks are fixedly connected with the rotating sleeve 33 and arranged at intervals in a circumferential direction of the rotating sleeve (Fig. 12); the guide block comprises a guide surface and an abutment surface, the guide surface is configured to guide insertion of the rotating sleeve 33 into the mounting hole 211, and the abutment surface is in contact with an end surface of the boss facing away from the recessed part (Fig. 8; paragraph 59); and the guide surface is an inclined surface, the guide surface is adjacent to the abutment surface, and a distance from an axis of the rotating sleeve to the guide surface gradually increases along the axis towards an end close to the abutment surface (Figs. 8 and 12). With regard to claim 11, Peng teaches the cover, wherein the other end of the rotating sleeve 33 far away from the operating part is exposed from the mounting part 21, the cantilever 34 is connected with an outer circumferential surface of the rotating sleeve 33, and the cantilever 34 and the operating part 31 are located at the two sides of the cover body 2, respectively. With regard to claim 12, Peng teaches the cover, wherein the cross section of the guide surface is gradually increased along the axis of the rotating sleeve, and the abutment surface is the largest end surface and faces the operating part 31, the boss is clamped between the operating part and the abutment surface to axially limit the knob engagement mechanism (Fig. 8; paragraph 59).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-9 and 17-20 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the prior art of record fails to show or render obvious the cover as claimed, and particularly wherein the outer circumferential surface of the rotating sleeve is provided with a limiting rib, the limiting rib is fixedly connected with the rotating sleeve, the limiting rib is rotatably fitted with a hole wall of the mounting hole, and the limiting rib and the guide blocks are arranged alternately in the circumferential direction of the mounting hole, and including the remaining structures of claims 6 and 17, respectively. Claims 7-9 are dependent upon claim 6. Claims 18-20 are dependent upon claim 17.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Zhou ‘971 has been cited to show a similar cover comprising: a cover body 5, a trim panel 6, a knob 2, a cantilever 3, a rotating sleeve 32 and a mounting part 1.
Huang ‘323 has been cited to show a similar cover comprising: a cover body 100, a trim panel 200, a knob 14, a cantilever 11 and a rotating sleeve 111.
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Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROGER L PANG whose telephone number is (571)272-7096. The examiner can normally be reached M-TH 05:30-16:00.
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/ROGER L PANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3655
/ROGER L. PANG/
Examiner
Art Unit 3655B
November 26, 2025