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 .
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.
Claim(s) 1-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Moon (KR 102358698 B1) further in view of Fenten (US 20210178519 A1)
Claim 1 Moon teaches a housing part for a housing for a vehicle camera (Moon, Fig. 2, Paragraph 0013), the housing part comprises: at least one connecting portion for mechanical connection of the housing part to at least one other part of the vehicle camera (Moon, Fig. 2 , Paragraph 0073); and at least one projecting projection connecting element, which consists of at least at one end, is arranged on the at least one connecting portion (Moon, Fig. 2 – 535, Paragraph 0080).
However, Moon does not teach wherein the at least one projecting projection connecting element consists of a cold-deformable material at least at one end.
With reference to Fenten, it teaches a method of producing a welding assembly, such as a housing of an electric machine (Fenten, Fig. 1, Paragraph 0004 and 0007), in this case a first, cold-formed (such as cold-extruded) part to be joined is provided, formed from a first aluminum alloy with a low silicon content that can be cold-formed or is suitable for cold extrusion.
These arts are analogous, since they both teach how to forms a housing of an electric machine. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention (AIA ) to modify the invention of Moon with the teachings of Fenten to use cold-forming technique, wherein at least one projecting projection connecting element consists of a cold-deformable material at least at one end.
The motivation of this combination, is that the projection connecting element can be deformed when it is cold, without heating it, and thus it is expedient from an aspect of cost-effectiveness to produce them by cold forming. An outlay for the production of the connection can thus be reduced. The outlay on tools may be reduced in comparison with the hot stamping or vibration welding.
Claim 2 Moon teaches the housing part as claimed in claim 1, additionally it teaches wherein the at least one projection connecting element has a cylindrical shape (Moon, Fig. 2, object 535, Paragraph 0080),
This claim recites the term "and/or", which is selective language, For the purpose of this examination the examiner is selecting the "or" term from this selective language as explained in the claim objection.
Additionally, the claim language is in the alternative ‘or’ so only one of the limitations is used to reject the claim.
Claim 3 Moon teaches the housing part as claimed in claim 1. Additionally wherein the housing part is an optical module housing part for an optical module for a vehicle camera (Moon, Fig. 1, Paragraph 0031), or a main housing part for a vehicle camera and/or the at least one connecting portion serves for mechanical connection of the housing part to at least one other housing part of the vehicle camera (Moon, Fig. 2 and 8, Paragraph 0088).
Claim 4 Moon teaches the housing part as claimed in claim 1. or at least one connecting portion has at least one positioning element (Moon, Fig. 4 - first groove 232 , Paragraph 0023).
Claim 5 Moon teaches an optical module for a vehicle camera, the optical module comprises: at least one optical module housing part; at least one lens (Moon, Fig. 2 lens module 100, Paragraph 0062); at least one imager circuit board with at least one imager chip, wherein the at least one lens and the at least one imager circuit board are arranged on the at least one optical module housing part in such a way that the at least one lens is aligned with the at least one imager chip (Moon, Fig. 2 circuit board 520, 530, Paragraph 0064, 0085), wherein the at least one optical module housing part has at least one connecting portion for mechanical connection of the at least one optical module housing part to at least one other part of the vehicle camera; and at least one projecting projection connecting element (Moon, Fig 2 front fixing portion and rear fixing portion 250, 311 and fixing unit 400 and Fig. 8, Paragraph 00067),.
However, Moon does not teach that element which consists of a deformable material at least at one end, arranged on the at least one connecting portion, wherein the at least one projecting projection connecting element consists of a cold-deformable material at least at one end.
With reference to Fenten, it teaches a method of producing a welding assembly, such that element which consists of a deformable material at least at one end, arranged on the at least one connecting portion, wherein the at least one projecting projection connecting element consists of a cold-deformable material at least at one end. (Fenten, Fig. 1, Paragraph 0004 and 0007), in this case a first, cold-formed (such as cold-extruded) part to be joined is provided, formed from a first aluminum alloy with a low silicon content that can be cold-formed or is suitable for cold extrusion.
These arts are analogous, since they both teach how to forms a housing of an electric machine. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention (AIA ) to modify the invention of Moon with the teachings of Fenten to use cold-forming technique, wherein at least one projecting projection connecting element consists of a cold-deformable material at least at one end.
The motivation of this combination, is that the projection connecting element can be deformed when it is cold, without heating it. An outlay for the production of the connection can thus be reduced. The outlay on tools may be reduced in comparison with the hot stamping or vibration welding.
Claim 6 Moon teaches the optical module as claimed in claim 5. Additionally, wherein the at least one optical module housing part respectively has on opposite sides at least one connecting portion with at least one projection connecting element (Moon, Fig. 2, object 535, Paragraph 0080-85),
This claim recites the term "and/or", which is selective language, For the purpose of this examination the examiner is selecting the "or" term from this selective language as explained in the claim objection.
Additionally, the claim language is in the alternative ‘or’ so only one of the limitations is used to reject the claim.
Claim 7 Monn teaches a vehicle camera comprises a housing on which at least one lens (Moon, Fig. 2 lens module 100, Paragraph 0061), is arranged and in which at least one imager chip is arranged (Moon, Fig. 2 image sensor 510, Paragraph 0013), wherein the at least one lens is aligned with the at least one imager chip and the housing has at least two housing parts (Moon, Fig. 2 front housing and rear housing 200 and 300, Paragraph 0006), which are mechanically connected to one another, wherein the at least two housing parts each have at least one connecting portion, which are respectively mechanically connected to at least one corresponding connecting portion of the respective other housing part (Moon, Fig 2 front fixing portion and rear fixing portion 250, 311 and fixing unit 400 and Fig. 8, Paragraph 00067), wherein the connecting portions are connected by at least one projection connecting element (Moon, Fig. 2 and 8, Paragraph 0013), which consists of a deformable material at least at one end, and at least one reception connecting element, through which the at least one projection connecting element is fed, is arranged on at least one of the connecting portions, wherein the at least one projection connecting element has a grip portion, which engages behind the at least one connecting portion with the at least one reception connecting element, on at least one end which is fed through the at least one reception connecting element.
However, Moon does not teach that the connecting element wherein the at least one projecting projection connecting element has a cold-deformed grip portion on at least one.
With reference to Fenten, it teaches a method of producing a welding assembly, such as a housing of an electric machine (Fenten, Fig. 1, Paragraph 0004 and 0007), in this case a first, cold-formed (such as cold-extruded) part to be joined is provided, formed from a first aluminum alloy with a low silicon content that can be cold-formed or is suitable for cold extrusion.
These arts are analogous, since they both teach how to forms a housing of an electric machine. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention (AIA ) to modify the invention of Moon with the teachings of Fenten to use cold-forming technique, wherein at least one projecting projection connecting element consists of a cold-deformable material at least at one end.
The motivation of this combination, is that the projection connecting element can be deformed when it is cold, without heating it. An outlay for the production of the connection can thus be reduced. The outlay on tools may be reduced in comparison with the hot stamping or vibration welding.
Claim 8 Moon teaches the vehicle camera as claimed in claim 7. Additionally, it further comprising: at least one optical module, which has at least one optical module housing part; at least one lens; and at least one imager circuit board with at least one imager chip, and/or the vehicle camera comprises: at least one main housing part, which has a lens feed-through opening for at least one lens (Moon, Fig. 2 aperture 220, Paragraph 0085) ; and/or at least one lens reception socket of an optical module housing part of the vehicle camera (Moon, Fig. 2 and 8, Paragraph 0013).
Claim 9 Moon teaches the vehicle camera as claimed in claim 7. Additionally, it teaches wherein the at least one projection connecting element is arranged with a side facing away from a free end on a connecting portion of a main housing part of the housing (Moon, Fig. 6, Paragraph 0065), wherein the at least one corresponding reception connecting element is arranged on a connecting portion of an optical module housing part of the housing, and/or wherein the at least one projection connecting element is arranged with a side facing away from the free end on a connecting portion of an optical module housing part of the housing, wherein at least one corresponding reception connecting element is arranged on a connecting portion of a main housing part of the housing, and/or wherein the at least one projection connecting element is a separate component, both ends of which respectively have a cold-deformed grip portion (Fenten, Fig. 1, Paragraph 0004 and 0007). .
Claim 10 Moon discloses a vehicle with at least one vehicle camera (Moon, Fig. 1, Paragraph 0031), the vehicle has at least one vehicle camera as claimed in claim 7.
Claim 11 is a method claim, rejected as anticipated by the apparatus claim 7 and 9: please see MPEP 2112.02 Apparatus Anticipates Method
2112.02 Process Claims [R-01.2024]:
I. PROCESS CLAIMS — PRIOR ART DEVICE ANTICIPATES A CLAIMED PROCESS IF THE DEVICE CARRIES OUT THE PROCESS DURING NORMAL OPERATION
Under the principles of inherency, if a prior art device, in its normal and usual operation, would necessarily perform the method claimed, then the method claimed will be considered to be anticipated by the prior art device. When the prior art device is the same as a device described in the specification for carrying out the claimed method, it can be assumed the device will inherently perform the claimed process. In re King, 801 F.2d 1324, 231 USPQ 136 (Fed. Cir. 1986)
Claim 12 is a method claim, rejected as taught by apparatus claim 7.
Claim 13 is a method claim, rejected as taught by the combination of apparatus claims 7, 8 and 9.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MOUHAMMAD AWNI ALJUNDI whose telephone number is (571)270-0160. The examiner can normally be reached 9am - 5pm.
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/MOUHAMMAD AWNI ALJUNDI/Examiner, Art Unit 2639
/TWYLER L HASKINS/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2639
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