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 Amendment
Amendments to the claims, filed on 5/28/26, have been entered in the above-identified application.
Any rejections made in the previous action, and not repeated below, are hereby withdrawn.
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim Interpretation
The terms “larger and “small” of the instant claims are being interpreted in relation to one another, and therefore are not considered indefinite relative terms.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
Claims 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kikuchi (JP 2011-189697 A, see attached translation also including original document) in view of Vanluchene (US 2023/0011608 A1).
Regarding claims 1-6, Kikuchi teaches a coating structure (e.g., resin molded product) comprising a substrate that has a base surface at which base surface indentations and projections (e.g., embossed shape) are provided (e.g., molded article), and a coating material layer (e.g., paint) that is formed from a single coating material and that covers the base surface and its indentations and projections (abstract; page 1, 6; figs 2, 3, 5-6).
Kikuchi further teaches or would have rendered obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention first indentations and projections wherein a depth and/or spacing of the first indentations and projections being large; second indentations and projections wherein a depth and/or spacing of the second surface indentations and projections being small; and third indentations and projections wherein a depth and/or spacing of the third indentations and projections is smaller than the and/or spacing of the first indentations and projections and larger than the and/or spacing of the second indentations and projections (page 6; figs 2, 3, 5-6).
In addition, Kikuchi teaches the paint may either conform to the indentions and projections provided on the substrate or be thick enough to cover-up the indentations and projections provided on the substrate (i.e., surface indentations and projections not being provided on a surface of the coating material layer) (page 6; figs 5-6).
Kikuchi fails to teach the specific structures of the instant claims. However Kikuchi teaches adjusting the shape of the embossment (e.g., depth and pitch (i.e., spacing) the gloss and scratch resistance of the surface may be optimized (page 2, 3, 5); and the coating may be used to adjust the pitch, texture, and gloss of the surface.
Kikuchi fails to teach the structures of the specific claims.
Vanluchene teaches resin (e.g., thermoplastics or elastomers) moulded articles (e.g., a coating structure) (para 14) comprising a substrate (5) (e.g., skin layer) that has a base surface at which base surface indentations and projections are provided, a first area (12) and a second area (11) being provided on the base surface such that the first area is adjacent to the second area, and a depth of the base surface indentations and projections in the first area being different from the base surface indentations and projections in the second area, and a coating material layer that is formed from a single coating material and that covers the base surface, a depth of first indentations and projections corresponding to the base surface indentations and projections at a surface of the coating material layer; the single coating material layer covers the first area and the second area of the base surface such that a first section of the coating material layer corresponding to the first area, and is adjacent to a second section of the coating material layer corresponding to the second area (e.g., formed as an outer surface), wherein the first indentations and projections are adjacent to the second indentations and projections, wherein a parting portion is provided in the surface of the coating material layer between the first section and the second section of the coating material layer, wherein the first section and the second section are parted at the parting portion, wherein the first area and the second area are connected continuously, the first section and the second section are connected continuously, the first indentations and projections and the second indentations and projections are connected continuously, and wherein a glossiness of a surface of the first section of the coating material layer is lower than a glossiness of a surface of the second section of the coating material layer; wherein the area with the low gloss may be formed over a light source (abstract, fig 3-4, para 42, 56-59, 65-72).
Therefore, in arriving at the structures of the instant claims of the instant claims one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention would have been merely combining prior art elements (e.g., the first, second, and third base surface and areas at with base surface indentations and projections and associated areas as suggested or otherwise rendered obvious by Kikuchi; and the continuous patterns with different areas having different indentations and projections and different gloss values of Vanluchene) according to known methods (e.g., resin molding) to yield predictable results (e.g., the base surfaces of the instant claims).
In addition, in arriving the a single coating material and that covers the base surface, a depth of first indentations and projections corresponding to the base surface indentations and projections at a surface of the coating material layer, which surface corresponds to the first area, being large and a depth of second indentations and projections corresponding to the base surface indentations and projections at a surface of the coating material layer, which surface corresponds to the second area, being small such that the depth of the first indentations and projections is larger than the depth of the second indentations and projections, a depth of third indentations and projections corresponding to the base surface indentations and projections at a surface of the coating material layer, which surface corresponds to the third area, is intermediate between the depth of the first indentations and projections and the depth of the second indentations and projections, and/or the front indentations and projections corresponding to the base surface indentations and projections not being provided on a surface of the coating material layer, which surface corresponds to the second area of the instant claims, one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention would have been merely combining prior art elements (e.g., the paint may either conform to the indentions and projections provided on the substrate or be thick enough to cover-up the indentations and projections provided on the substrate as suggested or otherwise rendered obvious by Kikuchi) according to known methods to yield predictable results (e.g., the single coating layer of the instant claims).
Further motivation for optimizing the surface structure of the resin molded article is provided by Kikuchi that teaches adjusting the shape of the embossment (e.g., depth and pitch (i.e., spacing) the gloss and scratch resistance of the surface may be optimized (page 2, 3, 5); and the coating may be used to adjust the pitch, texture, and gloss of the surface; and Vanluchene teaches a resin molding or skin layer with a lower gloss area may be formed over a light source (para 69-72).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to adjust the placement or areas, and the shape of the projections and indentations (e.g., depth and pitch (i.e., spacing), as well as the coating and its thickness over the outer surface, to optimize the, gloss, and scratch resistance of certain areas of the skin molding, based upon the desired feel and aesthetics as well as whether or not a light source exists underneath the resin molding or skin molding.
Regarding claims 7-10, Kikuchi teaches the use of a paint and/or clear coat (page 3); and Vanluchene teaches the use of a single coating of paint (para 42, 59); and one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention would have known that paints and clear coats typically come in matt, semi-gloss, or gloss finishes; so, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to pick that of a matt paint or coating, since it is prima facie obvious to select a known material based on its suitability for its intended use (MPEP § 2144.07).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the instant claims have been considered but are moot due to the new grounds of rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103 in view of a new combination of prior art of record. The Applicant is directed to the 35 USC § 103 section above.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Hornburg et al teaches Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2011-189697 (prior art used in the rejection above) is drawn to a resin molded product that is applied to vehicles. Homburg et al (US 20060134381 A1) teaches trim panel cover skins for the interior of an automotive vehicle, in which different sections of the cover skin exhibit significantly different gloss levels and, in particular, high and low gloss levels (page 2).
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NATHAN L VAN SELL whose telephone number is (571)270-5152. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Thur, Generally 7am-6pm.
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NATHAN VAN SELL
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1783
/NATHAN L VAN SELL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1783
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