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 .
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 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.
Status of Claims
Claims 1 – 10 are pending.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 12/17/2024 was filed before the first office action. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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.
Claims 1 – 5 and 7 – 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Moneyron et al. (U. S. Patent Publication No. 2017/0113657 A1).
Regarding Independent Claim 1, Moneyron teaches adapter (adapter, 3; Fig. 2) for a windshield wiper (Fig. 1) designed to join a windshield wiper to a first (wiper arm, C’; Fig. 10) or a second wiper arm (wiper arm C; Fig. 9) with a lateral pivot axis (Y as shown in Fig. 8), the wiper arms (C’ and C) having an axis (51) and a bridge (520’ and 520; Figs. 9 and 10) respectively, the bridge (520’) of the first wiper arm (C’) being narrower (Fig. 10) than the bridge (520) of the second wiper arm (C; it is further noted that the claims are directed toward an adapter of a windshield wiper and the recitation in the preamble of the intended used does not define of the structure of the prior art. Further, the wipers arms in the preamble are not positively claimed and therefore, the adapter needs to be capable is used in the manner claimed), the adapter (3) comprising a retaining clip (rotational bearings, 37a and 37b) extended at one end by a yoke (upper face, 31) having a first and a second leg (Annotated Fig. 2), the retaining clip (37a and b) being designed to be snap-fitted onto the end of the axis (522) of the first or second wiper arm (Fig. 8) so as to prevent the axial movement of the windshield wiper on the axis and so that (Figs. 9 and 10), in the position in which the windshield wiper is joined to the first wiper arm (Fig. 10), a first leg of the yoke is
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engaged under the bridge of the first wiper arm (Fig. 10), an end wall of the bridge of the first wiper arm being inserted between the legs of the yoke (Paragraph [0138]), and in the position in which the windshield wiper is joined to the second wiper arm, the two legs of the yoke are engaged under the bridge of the second wiper arm (Figs. 9 and 10 – two legs of the yoke are capable of being engaged under the bridge of the second wiper arm).
Regarding Claim 2, Moneyron teaches the adapter (adapter, 3; Fig. 2) wherein the position in which the windshield wiper is joined to the first wiper arm, the adapter (3) has a wedging zone (formed by cavities, 41) on the one hand with the windshield wiper and on the other hand with an inner surface of the end wall of the bridge of the first wiper arm.
Regarding Claim 3, Moneyron teaches the adapter (adapter, 3; Fig. 2) wherein the wedging zone (41) with the first wiper arm is formed by the inner face of the first leg (Annotated Fig. 2), in the slot in the yoke (Fig. 2).
Regarding Claim 4, Moneyron teaches the adapter (adapter, 3; Fig. 2) wherein the first leg (Annotated Fig. 2) of the yoke (31) has a transverse dimension corresponding to the distance between the two wedging zones of the adapter (Fig. 2).
Regarding Claim 5, Moneyron teaches the adapter (adapter, 3; Fig. 2) wherein an outer face of the first leg (Annotated Fig. 2) is extended by an additional wedging surface (Annotated Fig. 2).
Regarding Claim 7, Moneyron teaches the adapter (adapter, 3; Fig. 2) wherein the position in which the windshield wiper (Fig. 1) is joined to the second wiper arm (C), the adapter (3) has a wedging zone (formed by cavities, 41) on the one hand with the windshield wiper and on the other hand with an inner surface of the end wall of the bridge of the second wiper arm.
Regarding Claim 8, Moneyron teaches the adapter (adapter, 3; Fig. 2) wherein the wedging zone (41) with the second wiper arm is formed by the outer face of the second leg (Annotated Fig. 2).
Regarding Independent Claim 9, Moneyron teaches a wiper device (Fig. 1) wherein it comprises a windshield wiper (Fig. 1) and an adapter (adapter, 3; Fig. 2) the adapter (3) including a retaining clip (37a and b) being designed to be snap-fitted onto the end of the axis (522) of the first or second wiper arm (Fig. 8) so as to prevent the axial movement of the windshield wiper on the axis and so that (Figs. 9 and 10), in the position in which the windshield wiper is joined to the first wiper arm (Fig. 10), a first leg of the yoke is engaged under the bridge of the first wiper arm (Fig. 10), an end wall of the bridge of the first wiper arm being inserted between the legs of the yoke (Paragraph [0138]), and in the position in which the windshield wiper is joined to the second wiper arm, the two legs of the yoke are engaged under the bridge of the second wiper arm (Figs. 9 and 10 – two legs of the yoke are capable of being engaged under the bridge of the second wiper arm).
Regarding Independent Claim 10, Moneyron teaches a method for joining a windshield wiper (Fig. 1) to a first (Fig. 10) or second wiper arm (Fig. 9) wherein: the windshield wiper (Fig. 1) is mounted on the axis (51) of the first or second wiper arm (Fig. 8), an adapter (3) is then snap-fitted onto the end of the axis (51) to prevent the axial movement of the windshield wiper (Figs. 8 and 9), with the adapter (3) including a retaining clip (37a and b) extended at one end by a yoke (31) having a first and a second leg (Annotated Fig. 2), the retaining clip (Fig. 2) being designed to be snap-fitted onto the end of the axis (51) of the first or second wiper arm so as to prevent the axial movement of the windshield wiper on the axis and so that (Figs. 8 and 9), in the position in which the windshield wiper (Fig. 1) is joined to the first wiper arm (Fig. 10), a first leg (annotated Fig. 2) of the yoke (31) is engaged under the bridge of the first wiper arm (Fig. 10), an end wall of the bridge (521’) of the first wiper arm being inserted between the legs of the yoke (Paragraph [0138]), and in the position in which the windshield wiper (Fig. 1) is joined to the second wiper arm (Fig. 9), the two legs (Annotated Fig. 2) of the yoke are engaged under the bridge of the second wiper arm (Fig. 9).
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.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Moneyron et al. (U. S. Patent Publication No. 2017/0113657 A1).
Regarding Claim 6, Moneyron teaches the adapter as claimed in claim 5, as discussed above.
Moneyron does not explicitly teach wherein the additional wedging surface has a circular-segment shape; however, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the adapter of Moneyron to further include the additional wedging surface has a circular-segment shape, as claimed, since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the size of a component. A change in size is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art (MPEP 2144.04).
Conclusion
Art made of record, however, not relied upon for the current rejection is as follows: U. S. Patent Publication No. 2013/0212825 A1 to Lee teaches a retaining clip being configured to clip onto the shaft end of the first or second wiper arm in such a way that in the position in which the wiper blade is joined to the first wiper arm, a first tab of the bracket slots beneath the bridge, an end wall of the bridge being inserted between the tabs of the bracket and in the position in which the wiper blade is joined to the second wiper arm, the two tabs of the bracket slot beneath the bridge.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KATINA N HENSON whose telephone number is (571)272-8024. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday; 5:30am to 3:30pm.
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/KATINA N. HENSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723
