DETAILED ACTION
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: “the vehicle” is believed to be in error for --the motor vehicle--. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 3 is objected to because of the following informalities: “the at least one guide lever” is believed to be in error for --the guide lever--; “its one end” is believed to be in error for --one end--; and “its other end” is believed to be in error for --an other end--. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 5 is objected to because of the following informalities: “the vehicle” is believed to be in error for --the motor vehicle--. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 11 and 14 are 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 11 recites the limitation "the second movement axis". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. A second movement axis is recited in claim 5, upon which claim 11 does not depend, making it unclear whether claim 11 is meant to depend from claim 5, or from independent claim 1 as claimed, rendering the claim vague and indefinite.
Claim 14 recites the limitation “A motor vehicle having at least one sensor module according to claim 1 and/or a roof module having a panel component”. It is unclear from the claim whether the claim is a dependent claim depending from claim 1, or is an independent claim, because the claim’s dependency upon claim 1 is recited in the alternative, rendering the claim vague and indefinite.
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.
Claim(s) 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Krishnan 2019/0003895.
In regards to Independent Claim 14, Krishnan teaches a motor vehicle (14) having at least one sensor module according to claim 1 and/or a roof module having a panel component (roof module 10 with a panel component 14, where the limitations are claimed in the alternative such that when the sensor module according to claim 1 is not selected through the use of “or”, the claim acts as an independent claim because it does not depend from claim 1), which forms at least a section of a roof skin of the vehicle roof (24 forms the skin of roof 10 of vehicle 14), the roof skin functioning as an outer sealing surface of the roof module (24 acts as a sealing surface of roof 10, where it is the outermost layer of the roof), the roof module having at least one sensor module (sensors 18 within 10 in figures 3 and 4).
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, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 12-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Krishnan 2019/0003895 in view of Jenkins 2003/0066909.
In regards to Independent Claims 1 and 5 and Dependent Claims 2, 6, 8-9, 12, Krishnan teaches a sensor module for being fixed to a motor vehicle (sensor pod 10 fixed to roof 12 of vehicle 14 in figure 1), the sensor module comprising: at least one environment sensor (camera 18), a panel component having a viewing area (window 62 is a viewing area of a panel that includes the shell 24 of 10 shown in figures 1 and 2), through which the at least one environment sensor transmits and/or receives electromagnetic signals for charting an environment of the vehicle (paragraph [0025]), and at least one cleaning apparatus (apparatus including nozzle 60), which has at least one cleaning nozzle by which the viewing area is cleanable (nozzle 60, paragraph [0025]). However, Krishnan does not teach that the at least one cleaning apparatus has a guide lever which is rotationally connected to the at least one cleaning nozzle and which guides the at least one cleaning nozzle for a combined longitudinal movement along a movement axis and a rotational movement about a rotational axis. Jenkins teaches a cleaning apparatus (apparatus shown in figure 3, actuated via fluid pressure of cleaning fluid, paragraph [0061]) that has a guide lever (18) which is rotationally connected to a cleaning nozzle (7, where rotation of 18 also rotates nozzle 7) and which guides the at least one cleaning nozzle for a combined longitudinal movement along a movement axis (7 moves along a longitudinal axis upwards from retracted position in figure 3 to extended position in figure 4) and a rotational movement about a rotational axis (nozzle 7 rotates about axis at pivot point 8 between closed position in figure 3 and open position in figure 4) for cleaning a panel component of a vehicle (component 3 cleaned with nozzle 7 when open in figure 4, abstract), where the cleaning apparatus comprises a cover (5) that is flush with the panel component when closed (cover 5 is flush with panel component comprising 2 and window 3 in figure 3 showing the closed position, wherein cover 5 will act to deflect wind from entering area with nozzle 7 as shown in figure 3, where the outer surface of cover 5 acts as the wind deflector). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the filing date of the invention to replace the cleaning nozzle of Krishnan with the deployable nozzle of Jenkins, in order to conceal the nozzle when not in use so that it cannot be seen (paragraph [0015]) with an actuation system that uses less cleaning fluid (paragraph [0008]) and takes up less space (paragraph [0006]).
Regarding Dependent Claim 13, Krishnan in view of Jenkins teaches the invention as claimed and discussed above, and Krishnan further teaches a roof module (10) for forming a vehicle roof on a vehicle (10 acts as the roof of vehicle 14), the roof module having a panel component (panel 24), which forms at least a section of a roof skin of the vehicle roof (24 forms at least a portion of the skin of roof 10 of vehicle 14), the roof skin functioning as an outer sealing surface of the roof module (24 is on the outside of 10, making up roof of 14), the roof module having at least one sensor module according to claim 1 (see rejection of claim 1 above).
Regarding Dependent Claim 14, Krishnan in view of Jenkins teaches the invention as claimed and discussed above, and Krishnan further teaches a motor vehicle (14) having at least one sensor module according to claim 1 (see rejection of claim 1 above) and/or a roof module (10) having a panel component (24), which forms at least a section of a roof skin (24 makes up the outer skin of roof 10 as shown in figure 1) of the vehicle roof, the roof skin functioning as an outer sealing surface of the roof module (24 is the outer layer of roof 10 of vehicle 14), the roof module having at least one sensor module (sensors 18 shown in figure 1).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 4, 7 and 10 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: prior art fails to teach, in combination with the other limitations of dependent claim 3, at least two telescopic segments movable relative to each other and a guide lever mounted at one end to the telescopic segments; prior art fails to teach, in combination with the other limitations of dependent claim 7, that the rotational axis of the guide lever is aligned essentially parallel to the optical axis; and prior art fails to teach, in combination with the other limitations of dependent claim 10, that the wind deflector is made of a flexible mat-shaped material extending between the cover and the panel component.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEVEN M SUTHERLAND whose telephone number is (571)270-1902. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5.
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/STEVEN M SUTHERLAND/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3752