DETAILED ACTION
This non-final Office action is in response to the claims filed on March 12, 2026.
The amendment to the specification filed March 12, 2026 has not been entered.
Status of claims: claims 9, 11 and 12 are cancelled; claims 1-8 and 10 are hereby examined below.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on March 25, 2026 has been entered.
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 .
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: Paragraphs [0078] – [0080] include incorrect numerical identifiers. Appropriate correct is required.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they include the following reference characters not mentioned in the description: 93 and 94 illustrated in replacement FIG. 11.
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 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 1-8 and 10 are 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. More specifically, which portions of the pressure plate remains parallel to the holding surface “during operation of the window regulator assembly,” as recited in claims 1 and 10?
Further, claims dependent upon a rejected claim are rejected for at least being dependent upon a rejected claim.
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 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.
Claims 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 11162291 to Reames et al. (hereinafter “Reames”).
Reames discloses a window regulator assembly of a motor vehicle, the window regulator assembly comprising:
a guide rail 102; (see FIG. 1)
a slide shoe 108 longitudinally movably mounted on said guide rail, said slide shoe having a main bracket mounted on said guide rail; (see annotated FIG. 2 below)
a clamping arrangement including a clamping bracket 110 connected to said main bracket; (see FIGS. 2 and 4)
a pressure plate 156 disposed parallel to said clamping bracket; (see FIG. 2 below)
a clamping component 116 clamped between said clamping bracket and said pressure plate;
said clamping component having a holding surface remaining parallel to said pressure plate during operation of the window regulator assembly; (see annotated FIGS. 2 and 5 below – note the holding surface extends below element 134 in FIG. 5 and “remains parallel to said pressure plate during operation of the window regulator assembly”)
said holding surface and said clamping bracket defining an adjustable spacing therebetween, said holding surface and said clamping bracket remaining parallel to one another during an adjustment of said adjusting spacing; (see columns 4 and 5; note at least the portion of the holding surface below element 134 illustrated in Fig. 5 below “remains parallel” with the clamping bracket “during an adjustment of said adjusting spacing.” The tilting of the top of the holding surface 116 illustrated in FIG. 5 reads on “adjustable spacing.”) and
a window pane W held by said clamping component. (see FIG. 5) (claim 1)
[AltContent: textbox (Holding surface)][AltContent: textbox (Further holding surface)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Main bracket)]
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Reames further discloses wherein said holding surface is mounted on said clamping bracket. (see annotated FIG. 2 above) (claim 2)
Reames further discloses an adjusting screw 120 mounted on said clamping bracket and acting on said holding surface. (see FIG. 2 above and columns 4 and 5) (claim 3)
Reames further discloses an angular gearing (includes housing around element 120 and element 122) having said adjusting screw, said angular gearing being connected to said clamping bracket, and said adjusting screw being disposed parallel to said clamping bracket. (see annotated FIG. 2 above) (claim 4)
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 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.
Claims 1-3 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 6050560 to Schuetteler in view of Reames.
Schuetteler discloses a window regulator assembly of a motor vehicle, the window regulator assembly comprising:
a slide shoe (illustrated in Fig. 1 holding window pane 6), said slide shoe having a main bracket 1;
a clamping arrangement including a clamping bracket 2 connected to said main bracket;
a pressure plate 3 disposed parallel to said clamping bracket; (see FIG. 1)
a clamping component 4,5 clamped between said clamping bracket and said pressure plate;
said clamping component having a holding surface 18 remains parallel to said pressure plate during operation of the window regulator assembly;
said holding surface and said clamping bracket defining an adjustable spacing therebetween, (see FIG. 1) said holding surface and said clamping bracket remaining parallel to one another during an adjustment of said adjustable spacing; and
a window pane 6 held by said clamping component.
Schuetteler fails to disclose a guide rail and wherein the slide show is longitudinally movably mounted on said guide rail, wherein the main bracket is mounted on said guide rail.
Reames teaches of a guide rail 102 and wherein the slide shoe is longitudinally movably mounted on said guide rail, wherein the main bracket (see annotated FIG. 2 above) is mounted on said guide rail.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the slide shoe disclosed in Schuetteler with the guide rail and taught in Schuetteler with a reasonable expectation of success in order to facilitate movement of the window pane in the motor vehicle. (claim 1)
Schuetteler, as applied above, further discloses wherein said holding surface is mounted on said clamping bracket. (see FIG. 1)(claim 2)
Schuetteler, as applied above, further discloses an adjusting screw 7 mounted on said clamping bracket and acting on said holding surface. (claim 3)
Schuetteler, as applied above, further discloses wherein said clamping component has a further holding surface 17 connected to said pressure plate. (see FIG. 1) (claim 6)
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Schuetteler.
Schuetteler discloses a slide shoe of a window regulator assembly, the slide shoe comprising:
a main bracket 1 configured to be mounted on a guide rail, said main bracket having a clamping arrangement, said clamping arrangement including a clamping bracket 2 connected to said main bracket;
a pressure plate 3 disposed parallel to said clamping bracket;
a clamping component disposed between said clamping bracket and said pressure plate for holding a window pane 6;
said clamping component having a holding surface 18 remaining parallel to said pressure plate during operation of the window regulator assembly; and
said holding surface and said clamping bracket defining an adjustable spacing therebetween, said holding surface and said clamping bracket remaining parallel to one another during an adjustment of said adjustable spacing. (see FIG. 1) (claim 10)
Claims 5 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Schuetteler in view of Reames, as applied to claims 2 and 1 above.
Schuetteler fails to disclose bearing wings connected to said holding surface, said bearing wings each being inserted into a respective one of a plurality of guide slots formed in said clamping bracket, said guide slots being inclined relative to said holding surface.
Reames teaches of bearing wings 236 connected to said holding surface, said bearing wings each being inserted into a respective one of a plurality of guide slots 234 formed in said clamping bracket, said guide slots being inclined relative to said holding surface. (see FIG. 6)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the holding surface disclosed in Schuetteler with the bearing wings taught in Reames with a reasonable expectation of success in order to facilitate engagement between the holding surface and the clamping bracket. (claim 5)
Schuetteler, as applied above, fails to disclose wherein said clamping arrangement is mounted adjustably on said main bracket.
Reames teaches of a clamping arrangement 110 is mounted adjustably on said main bracket. (see FIG. 2 of Reames above)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the clamping arrangement disclosed in Schuetteler with adjustable clamping arrangement taught in Reames with a reasonable expectation of success in order to allow for adjustment between the main bracket and clamping arrangement; thus allowing for further adjustment of the position of the window pane along the window regulator assembly. (claim 7)
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Schuetteler in view of Reames, as applied to claim 7 above, in further view of US 5987820 to Shibanushi.
Schuetteler, as applied above, fails to disclose wherein said clamping arrangement is mounted rotatably relative to said main bracket about an axis of rotation extending parallel to said guide rail.
Shibanushi teaches of a similar device wherein the clamping arrangement 30 is mounted rotatably relative to a main bracket 12 about an axis of rotation extending parallel to a rail 24. (see FIGS. 1-3)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the clamping arrangement and main bracket disclosed in Schuetteler such that the clamping arrangement is mounted rotatably relative to the main bracket about an axis of rotation extending parallel to the guide rail, as taught by Shibanushi with a reasonable expectation of success in order to provide additional adjustability to the slide shoe; thus facilitating assembly of the window regulator and improving the adjustability of the window on the window regulator as well as facilitate correcting any misalignment between the clamping arrangement and the main bracket. (claim 8)
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s remarks regarding the objection to the specification are not persuasive. The amendment to the specification filed 12/12/2025 was not entered, as noted on page 8 of the prior final Office action mailed on January 16, 2026. Therefore, revision of paragraphs [0078] – [0080] and perhaps [0088] must be resubmitted and include review of incorrect numerical identifiers. Also, since the amendment to the specification filed 12/12/2025 was not entered and the amendment to the specification filed 3/12/2026 is based in part off the amendment to the specification filed 12/12/2025, the amendment to the specification filed 3/12/2026 has also not been entered.
Since the amendment to the specification filed 3/12/2026 was not entered, the prior drawing objection remains.
Applicant's arguments filed March 12, 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. More specifically, applicant states, regarding claim 1, on page 9 of the applicant’s response filled March 12, 2026:
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The examiner respectfully disagrees. As noted above, the Reames clamping component has a holding surface that remains parallel to said pressure plate during operation of the window regulator assembly. Please see annotated FIGS. 2 and 5 under the rejection of claim 1 above.
Note: the holding surface extends below element 134 in FIG. 5 and “remains parallel to said pressure plate during operation of the window regulator assembly.” Also note that “operation of the window regulator assembly may constitute, among other things, movement of the window along the guide rail.
Additionally, Reames discloses “said holding surface and said clamping bracket defining an adjustable spacing therebetween, said holding surface and said clamping bracket remaining parallel to one another during an adjustment of said adjusting spacing,” as recited in claim 1.
At least the portion of the holding surface below element 134 illustrated in Fig. 5 below “remains parallel” with the surface of the clamping bracket between the two ramped surfaces 112 illustrated in FIG. 4 “during an adjustment of said adjusting spacing.” The tilting of the top of the holding surface 116 illustrated in FIG. 5 reads on “adjustable spacing.”
Also, col. 5, lines 4-5 of Reames states “the translatable member 122 and the engagement member 116 moves along the ramped surface 112.” The ramped surface 112 is part of clamping bracket 110. Thus, the engagement member 116 does not just tilt along the clamping bracket, but translates and a portion of which remains parallel to the clamping bracket “during an adjustment of said adjusting spacing.”
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARCUS MENEZES whose telephone number is (571)272-5225. The examiner can normally be reached on M - F 7:30 -4 PST.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor Daniel Cahn can be reached on 571-270-5616. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Marcus Menezes/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3634
Prosecution Insights