CTFR 18/888,569 CTFR 95550 DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. Claims Claims 1-5 are pending in the application. Priority 02-26 AIA Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55. Drawings The objections to the drawings have been addressed and are removed. Response to Arguments 07-38-02 AIA Applicant’s arguments, see pgs. 6-7 , filed 3/30/2026 , with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-3 under 35 U.S.C. 101 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of . DE 10 2019 001 389 A1 (Hiermer, Tobias et al., hence Hiermer.) Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-06 AIA 15-10-15 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. 07-103 AIA The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action. 07-23-aia AIA 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. 07-21-aia AIA Claim (s) 1-2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over DE 10 2019 001 389 A1 (Hiermer et al., hence Hiermer) in light of Wikipedia “Artificial Muscle”, (attached to the Office Action sent out 12/29/2025 as NPL-Wiki-artificial-muscles.pdf, henceforth “Artificial” ) . As for claim 1, Hiermer teaches a steering wheel comprising a rim configured to be gripped by a driver (Hiermer: Fig. 1, vehicle steering wheel 12, steering wheel rim 10a) , the rim comprising: a core that serves as a frame of the rim (Hiermer: 2A and 2B (which shows a slice through the wheel taken along the dotted line of Fig. 1) have a "carrier material 14" at the center of the steering wheel rim which can be considered the core) ; and a surface layer that covers the core, the rim comprising a first region, the first region being disposed along all or a part of a circumference of the rim and comprising an artificial muscle layer, the artificial muscle layer being disposed between the core and the surface layer, and configured to expand and contract by energization. (Hiermer: 2A and 2B (which shows a slice through the wheel taken along the dotted line of Fig. 1), where the carrier material 14 is covered by an electroactive polymer 16 lay, which in turn is surrounded by an outer material 18. Figs. 2A and 2B have had different voltages applied to the electroactive polymer, showing the expansion and contraction. See last paragraph on page 3. Hiermer does not specifically state that this electroactive polymer 16 construction is “an artificial muscle”, but the use of electroactive polymers as an artificial muscle is known in the art. See Artificial, in the section under “Types” describing the use of electroactive polymers as one of the three major groups of artificial muscles, based on their actuation mechanism. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the method of Artificial with the technique of Hiermer to more precisely define what materials and actuation methods are considered to be an artificial muscle. Therefore, the design incentives of defined materials provided a reason to make an adaptation, and the invention resulted from application of the prior knowledge in a predictable manner. As for claim 2, Hiermer, in light of Artificial, teaches wherein the artificial muscle layer comprises: a first electrode (Artificial: as mentioned above, the use of electroactive polymers as artificial muscles is known in the art. Hiermer: "The conductors, unless they are optional within the electroactive polymer, may be disposed between the support material and the electroactive polymer and / or between the electroactive polymer and the outer material" (page 2)) ; a dielectric configured to expand and contract by the energization (this is the electroactive polymer) ; and a second electrode, the first region comprises the first electrode, the dielectric, the second electrode, and the surface layer stacked in order around the core. (Hiermer: "According to a further development, the steering wheel element consists of the carrier material, an electroactive polymer immediately adjoining radially outward, and an outer elastic material which further adjoins the outside, wherein optionally conductors which optionally terminate in electrodes are present for applying voltage to the electroactive polymer. The conductors, unless they are optional within the electroactive polymer, may be disposed between the support material and the electroactive polymer and / or between the electroactive polymer and the outer material"(page 5)) As for claim 3, Hiermer, in light of Artificial, teaches wherein expanding and contracting the dielectric by the energization (Hiermer: this would be carried out by applying a voltage; see page 5) causes a change in at least a thickness of the artificial muscle layer. (Artificial: as mentioned above, the use of electroactive polymers as artificial muscles is known in the art. Hiermer: "The object is achieved in a first aspect by steering wheel element of a vehicle steering wheel, wherein the steering wheel element is selected from a steering wheel rim and a steering wheel spoke of the vehicle steering wheel, comprising, based on the cross section of the steering wheel member from the inside to at least one direction radially outwardly a carrier material, an electroactive Polymer and an elastic outer material, wherein the shape of the electroactive polymer is variable depending on the voltage ."(underlining added) (page 2); also see Figs. 2A and 2B, which shows a change in thickness in the dielectric.) Allowable Subject Matter 12-151-07 AIA 07-97 12-51-07 Claim s 4 and 5 are allowed. Conclusion 07-40 AIA 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 TANYA CHRISTINE SIENKO whose telephone number is (571)272-5816. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 8:00-5:00. 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, Kito Robinson can be reached at 571-270-3912. 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. /TANYA C SIENKO/Examiner, Art Unit 3664 /KITO R ROBINSON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3664 Application/Control Number: 18/888,569 Page 2 Art Unit: 3664 Application/Control Number: 18/888,569 Page 3 Art Unit: 3664 Application/Control Number: 18/888,569 Page 4 Art Unit: 3664 Application/Control Number: 18/888,569 Page 5 Art Unit: 3664
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