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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the limitations of claim 23 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
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
Claim 22 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 22 line 1, change “claim 11” to -claim 12-, since claim 11 was cancelled by the applicant.
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) 12-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by US Pat No 10,941,593 to Krishnan et al (Krishnan).
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Regarding claim 12, Krishnan discloses a motor vehicle (10) that comprises an arrangement for unlocking a lock (24) of a bonnet (14).
The arrangement comprises a gripping means (32) and a cable (34) connecting the lock of the bonnet to the gripping means.
Wherein, the gripping means is accessible to a user from outside a passenger compartment of the motor vehicle and the cable is positioned entirely outside the passenger compartment of the motor vehicle.
As to claim 13, Krishnan discloses that the bonnet (14) is a front bonnet of the motor vehicle.
As to claim 14, Krishnan discloses that the gripping means (32) is located on the front or rear bonnet, or on a front or rear wing, or a front or rear bumper, or a front grille (front wing).
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.
Claim(s) 15, 16 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Pat No 10,941,593 to Krishnan et al (Krishnan) in view of US Pat No 4,102,164 to Barbush.
As to claim 15, Krishnan fails to disclose that the motor vehicle further comprises a security device configured to prevent use of the gripping means to unlock the lock of the bonnet by an unauthorized person.
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Barbush teaches that it is well known in the art to provide a security device configured to prevent use of a gripping means (63) to unlock the lock (35) of the bonnet by an unauthorized person.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the vehicle described by Krishnan with a security device, as taught by Barbush, in order to prevent the use of the gripping means.
As to claim 16, Barbush teaches that the arrangement comprises an authentication means (63, 64) which interacts with the security device such that the gripping means is configured to be used only when an identification object identifying a user is authenticated by the authentication means (only the user with the key).
As to claim 20, Barbush teaches an identification object (ignition key) configured to interact with a locking/unlocking device of the motor vehicle to allow or prevent access to the passenger compartment of the motor vehicle, and the identification object is configured to interact with the authentication means of the arrangement to make it possible to unlock the lock of the bonnet by pivoting a flap and/or said locking device of a charging port of the motor vehicle (the ignition key will operate the latch 77, allowing the authentication means to unlock the hood lock).
Claim(s) 17, and 21-23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Pat No 10,941,593 to Krishnan et al (Krishnan) in view of WO 2015050516 to Ozkan et al (Ozkan).
As to claim 17, Krishnan discloses that the motor vehicle is an electric vehicle and the gripping means is located on a charging port of the electric vehicle.
Krishnan fails to disclose that the gripping means is the flap of the charging port. Krishnan discloses that the gripping means (32) is a handle secured within the charging port.
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Ozkan teaches that it is well known in the art to provide an arrangement to for unlocking a lock (2) of a bonnet, that comprises a gripping means as a flap (7) that is pivotably moved to operate a cable (10) connected to the lock.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the gripping means described by Krishnan directly connected to the flap, as taught by Ozkan, in order to provide a simpler way to operate the lock of the bonnet with less members.
As to claim 21, Krishnan discloses that the vehicle further comprises a charging cable (not shown) for charging the battery of the electric motor vehicle positioned in a housing (battery housing) located under the bonnet of the vehicle.
As to claim 22, Krishnan, as modified by Ozkan, teaches a method for unlocking the bonnet of the motor vehicle that comprises rotating the gripping means (Ozkan 7) of the arrangement, the gripping means being located outside the passenger compartment (Krishnan 32).
As to claim 23, Krishnan, as modified by Ozkan, teaches the arrangement for unlocking a hood as claimed. Krishnan discloses that the vehicle is an electric vehicle with a flap of a charging port.
At the instant, Krishnan, as modified by Ozkan, is capable of charging the motor vehicle by opening the flap of the charging port of the vehicle between a closed position and a stable locking position in which the charging cable is rigidly secured to the charging port;
pulling on the gripping means of the arrangement for unlocking the bonnet of the vehicle, the gripping means being the flap of the charging port;
taking hold of the charging cable in the housing located under the bonnet of the vehicle;
connecting an electric vehicle charging terminal to a charging interface of the port via the charging cable; and immobilizing the cable while the vehicle is charging (with his hand or when the charging cable is connected to the port).
Wherein all steps of the method take place outside the passenger compartment of the motor vehicle.
Claim(s) 18 and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Pat No 10,941,593 to Krishnan et al (Krishnan) in view of US Pat No 4,102,164 to Barbush and WO 2015050516 to Ozkan et al (Ozkan).
As to claim 18, Krishnan discloses that the motor vehicle is an electric vehicle with a flap of a charging port.
Ozkan teaches that it is well known in the art to provide an arrangement to for unlocking a lock (2) of a bonnet, that comprises a gripping means as a flap (7) that is pivotably moved to operate a cable (10) connected to the lock.
Barbush teaches that it is well known in the art to provide a security device configured to prevent use of a gripping means (63) to unlock the lock (35) of the bonnet by an unauthorized person.
As to claim 19, Barbush teaches that the authentication means interacts with the security element of the lock of the motor vehicle such that the authentication means is configured to unlock the cable after authentication of the identification object by releasing a mechanical connection (engagement of latch 77 with slider 13). Krishnan discloses that the motor vehicle is an electric vehicle with a flap of a charging port.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CARLOS LUGO whose telephone number is (571)272-7058. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-6pm.
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/Carlos Lugo/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3675
March 2, 2026