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 .
Status of Claims
Claims 1-20 are currently pending and have been examined.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 05/02/2024 and 02/26/2025 have been considered by the examiner and initialed copies of the IDS are hereby attached.
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 7-10 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 7 recites the limitation "the retracted position" in "the clip of the telescopic nozzle in the retracted position is elastically deformed and snapped into the slot". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim as the telescopic nozzle retracts into the retraced position and the clip having a retracted position has not be introduce.
The term “close to” in claim 8 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “close to” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention.
Claim 9 recites the limitation "the retracted position" in " and the two clips in the retracted position are simultaneously snapped into the two slots.". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim as the telescopic nozzle retracts into the retraced position and the two clips having retracted positions has not be introduce.
Claim 8-10 are also rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) due to their dependency on a claim rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b).
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-3, 6-8 and 13-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by BRETAGNOL et al. (US 20220048523 A1), hereinafter BRETAGNOL.
Regarding claim 1, BRETAGNOL discloses
A radar decorative cover assembly (see paragraph 0013, “According to another solution that is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, a sensor/emitter, and by way of illustration a camera 13, of a driver assistance system is associated with a protective device 3 that comprises a protective casing 6 accommodating the sensor/emitter 13, protecting it from the exterior environment.”, further see paragraph 0050, “The sensor/emitter 13 is for example an image-capturing optical sensor such as a camera. It may be a CCD (charge-coupled device) sensor or a CMOS sensor including a matrix array of miniature photodiodes. According to another variant, without this list otherwise being exhaustive, it may be an infrared-radiation sensor such as an infrared camera, a light emitter such as a headlamp, an optoelectronic device such as an LED (light-emitting diode), an electromagnetic-radiation sensor/emitter such as a LIDAR (laser imaging, detection and ranging) or RADAR (radio detection and ranging).”), comprising:
a mounting base having a first mounting hole extending in a preset direction (see Fig. 1, further see paragraph 0053, “The sensor/emitter 13 is mounted at least partially in a protective casing 6 forming a first subassembly B of the protective device 3. To this end, the protective casing 6 has a housing limited by a wall 21. This wall 21 is preferably centered about the emission-reception axis 15 of the sensor/emitter 13. In the example illustrated, the wall 21 has a substantially cylindrical shape.”, where proactive casing 6 is the mounting base have a “first mounting hole”); and
a nozzle assembly comprising a telescopic nozzle and a nozzle decorative lid, the nozzle decorative lid being coupled to a free end of the telescopic nozzle (see telescopic nozzle apparatus of Figs. 1 and 2, further see paragraph 0054, “The protective casing 6 also comprises a detection/emission element 9 that is formed by a transparent wall and is disposed downstream of the surface 14 of the sensor/emitter 13 through which the signal passes. This detection/emission element 9 is advantageously dimensioned so as to cover the entire surface 14. In other words, the detection/emission element 9 is arranged in the emission-detection field of the sensor/emitter 13, the transparent wall making it possible for the effectiveness of the sensor/emitter 13 not to be impaired. The detection/emission element 9 may be formed in one piece with the protective casing 6.”), the nozzle decorative lid being configured to fit with a through hole of a radar decorative cover (see Figs. 5, where the 9 is fit with a through hole of the casing 6), and the telescopic nozzle being movably arranged between a retracted position and an extended position in the preset direction (see Fig. 5, where the elastic springs 26 provide a retracted and extended position for the telescopic nozzle), wherein at least part of the telescopic nozzle in the retracted position is located in the first mounting hole (see Fig. 5, where the nozzle in retracted position via the springs is located in the first mounting hole of casing 6), and at least part of an outer peripheral surface of the telescopic nozzle in the retracted position fits with at least part of a peripheral wall surface of the first mounting hole (see Fig. 5, further see paragraphs 0053-0054, “The protective casing 6 also comprises a detection/emission element 9 that is formed by a transparent wall and is disposed downstream of the surface 14 of the sensor/emitter 13 through which the signal passes. This detection/emission element 9 is advantageously dimensioned so as to cover the entire surface 14. In other words, the detection/emission element 9 is arranged in the emission-detection field of the sensor/emitter 13, the transparent wall making it possible for the effectiveness of the sensor/emitter 13 not to be impaired. The detection/emission element 9 may be formed in one piece with the protective casing 6. As an alternative, the protective casing 6 and the detection/emission element 9 may be two separate parts that are secured together.”).
Regarding claim 2, BRETAGNOL further discloses
The radar decorative cover assembly according to claim 1, wherein the first mounting hole is a cylindrical hole, a first part of the outer peripheral surface of the telescopic nozzle is at least part of a cylindrical surface (see Fig. 1, further see paragraph 0053, “The sensor/emitter 13 is mounted at least partially in a protective casing 6 forming a first subassembly B of the protective device 3. To this end, the protective casing 6 has a housing limited by a wall 21. This wall 21 is preferably centered about the emission-reception axis 15 of the sensor/emitter 13. In the example illustrated, the wall 21 has a substantially cylindrical shape.”, where wall 21 forms a “first mounting hole” and is a cylindrical hole), the first part of the outer peripheral surface of the telescopic nozzle in the retracted position fits with at least part of the peripheral wall surface of the first mounting hole (see Fig. 5, further see paragraphs 0053-0054, “The protective casing 6 also comprises a detection/emission element 9 that is formed by a transparent wall and is disposed downstream of the surface 14 of the sensor/emitter 13 through which the signal passes. This detection/emission element 9 is advantageously dimensioned so as to cover the entire surface 14. In other words, the detection/emission element 9 is arranged in the emission-detection field of the sensor/emitter 13, the transparent wall making it possible for the effectiveness of the sensor/emitter 13 not to be impaired. The detection/emission element 9 may be formed in one piece with the protective casing 6. As an alternative, the protective casing 6 and the detection/emission element 9 may be two separate parts that are secured together.”).
Regarding claim 3, BRETAGNOL further discloses
The radar decorative cover assembly according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral wall surface of the first mounting hole defines a guide groove extending along the preset direction, the outer peripheral surface of the telescopic nozzle is provided with a first guide key extending along the preset direction, and the first guide key is movably fitted in the guide groove in the preset direction (see Figs. 4 and 5 where the assembly provides protrusion which is guidance for the nozzle and which is a “guide groove” and indeed a “first guide key” that allows for the nozzle to move axially into the fixed frame under it’s BRI, further see paragraphs 0082-0083, “The base 250 and the uprights 252 form a fixed frame for the holder, which is able to cooperate with a movable assembly of the holder that is configured to move axially along the emission-reception axis by virtue of guidance effected by the fixed frame.”).
Regarding claim 6, BRETAGNOL further discloses
The radar decorative cover assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a radar decorative cover having an accommodating cavity and the through hole in communication with the accommodating cavity, wherein the mounting base is arranged in the accommodating cavity (see Fig. 5, where holder 25 provides an accommodating cavity where the mounting base is arranged), a shape and a size of the nozzle decorative lid is adapted to a shape and a size of the through hole (see Fig. 5, where lid 9 has a shape which is adapted to the shape of the through hole, further see paragraph 0059, “The detection/emission element 9 extends at least partially into the opening 2 in the protective casing 6. In the example illustrated, the detection/emission element 9 is disposed in the plane defined by the internal face 70 of the accessory 7 fixed to the body, it being understood that this detection/emission element 9 could, without departing from the context of the invention, be disposed in the thickness of the accessory fixed to the body, provided that a space 79 is provided radially to form an operating clearance allowing the rotation of the protective device without impairing the accessory fixed to the body.”), and when the telescopic nozzle is in the retracted position and the telescopic nozzle is retracted to the shortest, an outer surface of the nozzle decorative lid is flush with an outer surface of the radar decorative cover (see Fig. 5, further see paragraph 0087, “As described above, the elastic means comprise springs that are mounted under compression so as to allow the disk 27 to press the heating element 12 against a wall of the body of a motor vehicle, for example the internal face 70 of the accessory 7 fixed to the body illustrated in FIG. 4, when the protective assembly 1, formed by the protective device 3 and the heating element 12, approaches the accessory 7 fixed to the body.”).
Regarding claim 7, BRETAGNOL further discloses
The radar decorative cover assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a support defining a second mounting hole coaxial with the first mounting hole (see Fig. 5, where heating element 12 provides a support and “a second mounting hole”), wherein the outer peripheral surface of the telescopic nozzle is provided with a clip, a peripheral wall surface of the second mounting hole defines a slot, the clip of the telescopic nozzle in the retracted position is elastically deformed and snapped into the slot (see paragraph 0067, “In order to ensure the contact of the heating element 12 with the accessory 7 fixed to the body and thus to ensure the best possible conduction and convection of heat, the heating element 12 is preferably held against the internal face 70 of this accessory fixed to the body by appropriate fixing means. By way of example, the heating element may be adhesively bonded to this internal face, or be held by fastening clips secured to the internal face 70 of the accessory fixed to the body, the heating element being able to be fitted in the cavity by snap-fastening.”), and the clip of the telescopic nozzle in the extended position is detached from the slot (see paragraph 0045, “FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a protective device for a sensor/emitter of a driver assistance system, according to a second embodiment of the invention in which a heating element is secured to the protective casing via a spring link involved in pressing the heating element against an accessory fixed to the body, facing which the shown protective device is positioned;”, with support from paragraph 0067 where the “snap-fastening” is provided via the spring link and is indeed “a clip of the telescopic nozzle”).
Regarding claim 8, BRETAGNOL further discloses
The radar decorative cover assembly according to claim 7, wherein the clip is located at an end of a first guide key close to the nozzle decorative lid (see paragraph 0045, “FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a protective device for a sensor/emitter of a driver assistance system, according to a second embodiment of the invention in which a heating element is secured to the protective casing via a spring link involved in pressing the heating element against an accessory fixed to the body, facing which the shown protective device is positioned;”, with support from paragraph 0067 where the “snap-fastening” is provided via the spring link and is indeed “a clip of the telescopic nozzle”).
Regarding claim 13, the same cited section and rationale as claims 1 and 6 is applied, where a the entire assembly of Fig. 1 is “a lidar device” and comprises a lidar (see paragraph 0050).
Regarding claim 14, the same cited section and rationale as claims 1 and 6 is applied where a the entire assembly of Fig. 1 is “a lidar device” and comprises a lidar (see paragraph 0050). Furthermore, the assembly of Fig. 1 is vehicle-mounted (see Abstract).
Regarding claim 15, the same cited section and rationale as claim 2 is applied.
Regarding claim 16, the same cited section and rationale as claim 6 is applied.
Regarding claim 17, the same cited section and rationale as claim 2 is applied.
Regarding claim 18, the same cited section and rationale as claim 3 is applied.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 11 and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over BRETAGNOL et al. (US 20220048523 A1) in view of Grasso et al. (US 20200001834 A1), hereinafter Grasso.
Regarding claim 11, BRETAGNOL discloses [Note: what BRETAGNOL fails to disclose is strike-through]
The radar decorative cover assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a cleaning cover (see paragraph 0055, “In order to allow the surface of the detection/emission element 9 to be cleaned by a centrifugal effect, as described above, the protective device 3 has a motor 5 forming a second subassembly C. The motor 5 is coupled to the protective casing 6 so as drive the protective casing 6, and therefore the detection/emission element 9, in rotation about an axis of rotation Al coincident with the emission-reception axis 15 of the sensor/emitter 13. The motor is controlled by a control unit 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 4.”),
Grasso discloses,
wherein an outer surface of the radar decorative cover defines a third mounting hole, the cleaning cover is arranged at the third mounting hole, two nozzle assemblies are provided, and the two nozzle assemblies are arranged at two sides of the cleaning cover (see paragraphs 0056-0058, “As illustrated in particular on FIG. 4, the distribution element 9 of bent form is attached to the terminal distribution part 36 of the piston 7, and extends in a direction which is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (A), such that the spray nozzle(s) 10 arranged at the free end of the distribution element 9 is(are) directly adjacent to a peripheral zone of the optical sensor 5…In other words, the bent form of the distribution element 9 allows the spray nozzle(s) to be arranged between the extension axis (X′) of the cleaning device and the extension axis (X) of the detection device; in the context of the arrangement of a cleaning device parallel to the detection device, this allows the spray nozzle 10 to be moved closer to the optical sensor 5 to be cleaned. The distribution element 9 is formed from two separate parts, namely a first part 16 comprising at least one base 16a and a second part 17 comprising at least one cover 17a, wherein these two parts are able to define between them a distribution channel 12 which is fluidically connected to the distribution conduit 11 of the piston 7 and to the spray nozzle 10. The latter may be provided in the base 16a or in the cover 17a, or formed at the junction of these two parts.”).
It would have been obvious to someone with ordinary skill in the art prior to the
effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the features as disclosed by Grasso into the invention of BRETAGNOL. Both references are considered analogous arts to the claimed invention as they both disclose the a radar decorative assembly with a nozzle that retracts and provides cleaning for the sensor. The combination would be obvious with a reasonable expectation of success in order to provide efficient cleaning for the sensor cover and therefore leading to more accurate results.
Regarding claim 12, BRETAGNOL discloses [Note: what BRETAGNOL fails to disclose is strike-through]
The radar decorative cover assembly according to claim 11,
Grasso discloses,
wherein an outer peripheral wall of the radar decorative cover defines a groove, the third mounting hole is located in the groove, and a depth of the groove is equal to a thickness of the cleaning cover (see paragraphs 0052, “Also, on said front face 40, the common casing 4 has a cavity 15 arranged around the second bore 42, the shape and dimensions of which are slightly larger than those of the distribution element 9, so as to form a receiving cavity for this distribution element 9 when the movable piston 7 is in the rest position. It is thus possible to fully retract the distribution element 9 into the common casing 4 when the cleaning device 3 is not operational, and hence to avoid hindering the acquisition of data by the detection device 2. This is made possible in particular because of the bent shape and hence the substantially parallel arrangement of the distribution element 9 with the front face 40 of the common casing, which allows formation of a recess of constant thickness equal to the thickness of the distribution element 9 in order to form the cavity 15.”, further see 0067, “A recess 174 is provided in the cover 17a, here at the level of the sleeve 171, on the free end face 173. This recess 174 extends from a proximal end 175, arranged in the thickness of the cover, to a distal end 176 forming part of the spray nozzle(s) 10.”).
It would have been obvious to someone with ordinary skill in the art prior to the
effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the features as disclosed by Grasso into the invention of BRETAGNOL. Both references are considered analogous arts to the claimed invention as they both disclose the a radar decorative assembly with a nozzle that retracts and provides cleaning for the sensor. The combination would be obvious with a reasonable expectation of success in order to provide a more compact assembly.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 4-5 and 19-20 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.
Claims 9 and 10 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include 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:
In reference to claim 4-5, 9-10 and 19-20, the prior arts made of record individually or in any combination, failed to teach, render obvious, or fairly suggest to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing the combination of the claimed features of claims 4-5, 9-10 and 19-20.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Regarding claim 1, EHRMANN (US 20240367619 A1) discloses
A radar decorative cover assembly (see Fig. 2, further see paragraph 0023, “In principle, the environment sensor of the roof module according to the invention can be designed in a variety of ways and comprise a lidar sensor, a radar sensor, an optical sensor, such as a camera, and/or the like.”), comprising:
a mounting base having a first mounting hole extending in a preset direction (see paragraph 0058, “A cleaning apparatus 22 is also disposed on the panel component 12 according to the invention. The cleaning apparatus 22 comprises an essentially oblong nozzle body 24 having a plurality of ejection nozzles 26. The nozzle body 24 is shown in isolated form in FIG. 5, whereby it can be seen that the plurality of ejection nozzles 26 can be provided in the form of holes, for example. The nozzle body 24 is essentially tubular in shape and has a hollow cross section. Alternatively, it can also be tubular or in the form of a porous membrane.”); and
a nozzle assembly comprising a telescopic nozzle and a nozzle decorative lid, the nozzle decorative lid being coupled to a free end of the telescopic nozzle (see Fig. 5, further see paragraph 0060, “For the arrangement of the nozzle body 24, the panel component according to the invention comprises a guide channel 36. In the case of FIGS. 1 to 3, the panel component 12 has the guide channel 36, as viewed along the optical axis 20 of the environment sensor 16, in the movement direction 34 in front of the see-through area 18.”), the nozzle decorative lid being configured to fit with a through hole of a radar decorative cover (see Fig. 2 and Fig. 3), and the telescopic nozzle being movably arranged between a retracted position and an extended position in the preset direction, wherein at least part of the telescopic nozzle in the retracted position is located in the first mounting hole (see paragraph 0070, “In the event of cleaning, the nozzle body 24 or the nozzle bodies 24 can be extended in order to clean the see-through area 18. The extended position of the nozzle body 24 or the support elements 54 is indicated by a dashed line. In the case shown, the nozzle body 24 can be telescopically retracted and extended. A displacement mechanism 56 is only shown schematically.”), and at least part of an outer peripheral surface of the telescopic nozzle in the retracted position fits with at least part of a peripheral wall surface of the first mounting hole (see Fig. 12).
Picot et al. (US 20180370499 A1) discloses a telescope cleaning device which is provided with a snap fitting means.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NAZRA N. WAHEED whose telephone number is (571)272-6713. The examiner can normally be reached M-F (8 AM - 4:30 PM).
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, Vladimir Magloire can be reached at (571)270-5144. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/NAZRA NUR WAHEED/Examiner, Art Unit 3648
Prosecution Insights