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 .
This is the first office action for application number 18/846,466, MOUNTING UNIT AND SENSOR ASSEMBLY HAVING THE SAME, filed on April 22, 2025.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because the lead lines for reference characters "10" in Figs. 1 & 2, "200" in Fig. 3, and "30" in Fig. 7 are incorrect, see 37 CFR 1.84(q) regarding lead lines and their usage. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Objections
Claims 1 and 12 are objected to because of the following informalities: in line 2 of claim 1, "A" should be changed to --a--; and in line 2 of claim 12, "A" should be changed to --a--. Appropriate correction is required.
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) 1, 6, 7, 12, and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chinese Publication No. CN218628365 to Wu et al., hereinafter, Wu. Wu discloses a mounting unit, comprising: a base bracket (12) having a plurality of fastening bosses (23) extending therefrom; a tilt bracket (21) tiltably coupled to the base bracket, and having a surface that a sensor (3) is coupled to; at least one fixing screw (20) having an end passing through the tilt bracket to closely contact the base bracket; a plurality of tilt screws (22) penetrating the tilt bracket and inserted into the fastening bosses respectively, to connect the tilt bracket to the base bracket; and a tilt spring (24) inserted on outer circumferences of the tilt screw and the fastening boss; wherein the base bracket is formed with a plurality of fastening holes; and wherein the plurality of fastening holes are spaced apart at regular intervals in a circumferential direction of an imaginary circle having a predetermined radius.
In regards to claims 12 and 14, Wu discloses a sensor assembly, comprising: a base bracket (12) having a plurality of fastening bosses (23) extending therefrom; a tilt bracket (21) tiltably coupled to the base bracket, and having a surface that a sensor (3) is coupled to; at least one fixing screw (20) having an end passing through the tilt bracket to closely contact the base bracket; a plurality of tilt screws (22) penetrating the tilt bracket and inserted into the fastening bosses respectively, to connect the tilt bracket to the base bracket; and a tilt spring (24) inserted on outer circumferences of the tilt screw and the fastening boss; and the sensor coupled to a surface of the tilt bracket.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-5, 8-11, 13, and 15 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. U.S. Patent No. 12,092,260 to Kim is directed to radar device mounting bracket assembly. U.S. Patent No. 11,914,032 to Hong is directed to a radar support device that supports a radar, including a bracket that is mounted to a vehicle and a plurality of guide rods that extending from the radar and a plurality of fastening members fastened to the guide rods from a rear surface of the bracket and one or more springs installed between the radar and bracket. U.S. Patent No. 9,956,993 to Klop et al. is directed to a vehicular radar assembly including a radar mount and a radar carriage slidably coupled to the mount. U.S. Patent No. 9,765,920 to Hastings is directed to an apparatus for positioning at least one optical element, wherein the apparatus has at least one movable carrier for holding eh element, at least one fixed support portion, connecting means and actuating means.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANITA M KING whose telephone number is (571)272-6817. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30am-4:00pm.
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, Terrell Mckinnon can be reached at 571-272-4797. 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.
/ANITA M KING/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3632 July 25, 2026