DETAILED ACTION
This final Office action is in response to the claims filed on July 22, 2026.
The amendment to the specification filed July 22, 2026 has been entered.
Status of claims: claims 5, 9, 11 and 12 are cancelled; claims 1-4, 6-8, 10 and 13 are hereby examined below.
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 § 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 and 13 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 with a portion 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.”)
bearing wings 236 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; (see annotated FIG. 2 below and FIG. 6 and col. 7; note: at least an upper portion of the Reames holding surface 116 is inclined relative to the guide slots 234.)
each respective one of said bearing wings and one of said guide slots being parallel to each other for keeping said holding surface and said clamping bracket parallel to each other; (see FIG. 6) and
a window pane W held by said clamping component. (see FIG. 5) (claim 1)
[AltContent: textbox (Holding surface (upper portion))][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Further holding surface)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Main bracket)]
PNG
media_image1.png
382
452
media_image1.png
Greyscale
[AltContent: textbox (Holding surface)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow]
PNG
media_image2.png
372
282
media_image2.png
Greyscale
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)
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 above)
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 above)
a clamping component 116 clamped between said clamping bracket and said pressure plate;
said clamping component having a holding surface with a portion 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 and after 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 above “remains parallel” with the clamping bracket “during and after 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 13)
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, 6 and 10 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 with a portion 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.
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;
each respective one of said bearing wings and one of said guide slots being parallel to each other for keeping said holding surface and said clamping bracket parallel to each other.
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 formed in said clamping bracket, said guide slots being inclined relative to said holding surface; (see annotated FIG. 2 below and FIG. 6 and col. 7; note: at least an upper portion of the Reames holding surface 116 is inclined relative to the guide slots 234.)
each respective one of said bearing wings and one of said guide slots being parallel to each other for keeping said holding surface and said clamping bracket parallel to each other. (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 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)
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 with a portion 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)
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 formed in said clamping bracket, said guide slots being inclined relative to said holding surface; (see annotated FIG. 2 below and FIG. 6 and col. 7; note: at least an upper portion of the Reames holding surface 116 is inclined relative to the guide slots 234.)
each respective one of said bearing wings and one of said guide slots being parallel to each other for keeping said holding surface and said clamping bracket parallel to each other. (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 10)
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Schuetteler in view of Reames, as applied to claim 1 above.
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 arguments filed July 22, 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
On page 14 of the applicant’s response filed July 22, 2026, the applicant contends
PNG
media_image3.png
336
616
media_image3.png
Greyscale
The examiner respectfully disagrees.
First, claims 1 and 13 recite “said guide slots being inclined relative to said holding surface” and not both the guide slots and the bearing wings being inclined to said holding surface, as indicated by the applicant above. Thus, only Reames guide slots 234, and not Reames bearing wings 236, must be “inclined relative to said holding surface.”
Second, as indicated in the annotated figure below, the Reames guide slots 234, formed in the clamping bracket 110, are being inclined relative to at least a portion of the Reames holding surface 116. More specifically, at least an upper portion of the Reames holding surface 116 is inclined relative to the guide slots 234.
Third, the applicant has failed to indicate the importance of the guide slots “being inclined relative to said holding surface.” Therefore, even if Reames didn’t teach the recitation in question, it would have been an obvious matter of design choice to make the modification to Reames since a change in form or shape is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art, absent any showing of unexpected results. In re Dailey et al., 149 USPQ 47.
[AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Holding surface)][AltContent: textbox (Guide slot 234)][AltContent: arrow]
PNG
media_image4.png
372
438
media_image4.png
Greyscale
[AltContent: textbox (Holding surface)][AltContent: arrow]
PNG
media_image5.png
382
320
media_image5.png
Greyscale
On page 14 of the applicant’s response filed July 22, 2026, the applicant contends:
PNG
media_image6.png
108
610
media_image6.png
Greyscale
The examiner respectfully disagrees with the applicant’s unsupported assertion. The Reames bearing wings 236 are certainly capable of the intended use recitation indicated by the applicant. More specifically, the Reames bearing wings 236 are capable of “keeping said holding surface and said clamping bracket parallel to each other,” as recited in claims 1 and 10.
On page 14 of the applicant’s response filed July 22, 2026, the applicant contends:
PNG
media_image7.png
108
610
media_image7.png
Greyscale
The examiner respectfully disagrees. As noted in the claim 13 rejection above, at least the portion of the holding surface below element 134 illustrated in Fig. 5 “remains parallel” with the clamping bracket “during and after an adjustment of said adjusting spacing.” The tilting of the top of the holding surface 116 illustrated in FIG. 5 reads on “adjustable spacing.” In other words, adjusting the spacing/positioning of the top of the holding surface may occur while a portion of the holding surface remains parallel to the clamping bracket.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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 M - F 7:30 -4 PST.
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, Daniel Cahn can be reached at 571-270-5616. 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.
/MARCUS MENEZES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3634
Prosecution Insights