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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 4/1/2024 and 8/16/2024 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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 1-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Paule et al. (US 2022/0357021) in view of Fukui (JP 7188628).
(1) regarding Claim 1:
Paule discloses:
A radome cover (Fig 1) in a vehicle, which has a decorative film (5 in Figs 3 and 6), which is over-injected on an inner surface using a layer made of a first plastic to produce a light guiding layer (6 in Figs 3 and 6; [0039], [0044]-[0047]) and is back-injected on an outer surface using a cover layer (4 in Figs 3 and 6, [0044]),
However, Paule does not disclose the reflection ring specifics. Fukui, in the same field of endeavor, discloses:
a decorative film (40 in Fig 2), which is over-injected on an inner surface using a layer made of a first plastic to produce a light guiding layer (30 in Fig 2, [0065]), wherein a reflection ring (51) having at least one metallically reflective surface is introduced on the inner surface (42b) on the decorative film (40, 42), wherein the light propagates along the height of the light guiding elements (32) by total reflection and is coupled by the inclined plane of the reflection ring (51) into the light guiding layer ([0044-0046]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to incorporate the features of Fukui into the device of Paule in order to improve light coupling as taught by Fukui.
(2) regarding Claim 2:
The combination of Paule and Fukui further discloses:
wherein the light guiding layer is covered using a reflective film which reflects the visible light into the light guiding layer ([0044]).
(3) regarding Claim 3:
The combination of Paule and Fukui further discloses:
wherein the light guiding layer has light guiding elements directly connected to the reflection ring, which rise at least up to the height of the reflection ring (See 9 in Fig 6 and [0044] of Paule).
(4) regarding Claim 4:
The combination of Paule and Fukui further discloses:
wherein the light guiding elements either are a light guiding ring having an external diameter which corresponds to the internal diameter of the reflection ring or consist of light guiding domes (See 9 in Fig 6 and [0044] of Paule).
(5) regarding Claim 5:
The combination of Paule and Fukui further discloses:
wherein the light guiding elements guide light from LEDs (circuit board ring 8 with LEDs 8b of Paule), which are mounted on a circuit board that is installed between the radome cover and a radar sensor ([0042] of Paule).
(6) regarding Claim 6:
The combination of Paule and Fukui further discloses:
wherein the decorative film comprises a heating element or is used as a carrier for a heating element ([0023], [0039], [0044] of Paule).
(7) regarding Claim 7:
For method claim 7, note that under MPEP 2112.02, the principles of inherency, if a prior art device, in its normal and usual operation, would necessarily perform the method claimed, then the method claimed will be considered to be anticipated by the prior art device. When the prior art is the same as a device described in the specification for carrying out the claimed method, it can be assumed the device “1 inherently performs the claimed process. In re King, 801 F.2d 1324, 231 UPSQ 136 (Fed Cir. 1986). Therefore the previous rejections based on the apparatus will not be repeated.
Remarks
The Office has cited particular columns, line numbers, paragraph numbers, references, or figures in the references applied to the claims below for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings of the art and are applied to specific limitations within the individual claim, other passages and figures may apply as well. It is respectfully requested from the applicant in preparing responses to fully consider the reference in entirety, as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2141.02 and § 2123.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CRYSTAL L HAMMOND whose telephone number is (571)270-1682. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 12pm-4pm Alt Fridays.
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/CRYSTAL L HAMMOND/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2845