DETAILED ACTION
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office 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 .
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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments from the response filed on 2 July 2026 have been fully considered and will be addressed below in the order in which they appeared.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Stapf (US 2010/0171324) in view of Pauken (US 2018/0117811).
Regarding claim 1, Stapf (discloses a method for producing an interior door handle arrangement (abstract), wherein the interior door handle arrangement includes a housing and an actuating section which is movably arranged on the housing, wherein the actuating section is formed by a handle lever, wherein the handle section has a carrier section ([0016] first plastic) made from a first plastic and a decoration section (second plastic, [0016]) made from a second plastic which is different (any two identifiable things two component; Abstract are “different” in some way) from the first plastic and connected to the carrier section in an integrally joined manner (forming single element 10; Fig.1), wherein the handle lever is produced using a multi-component injection molding process (abstract, by two-component injection molding into one unit).
Stapf does not disclose: in which the decoration section of the molded part is produced of the first plastic during a first plastic injection molding shot and the carrier section of the molded part is produced of the second plastic during a second plastic injection molding shot resulting in direct integral joining of the first plastic and the second plastic.
Pauken teaches in which the decoration section of the molded part is produced of the first plastic during a first plastic injection molding shot and the carrier section of the handle lever is produced of the second plastic during a second plastic injection molding shot resulting in direct integral joining of the first plastic and the second plastic for the purpose of providing A-surface two shot plastic injection molded parts with reduced cycle time and lower cost of manufacture.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the time the invention was effectively filed to modify Stapf with the decoration section of the molded part is produced of the first plastic during a first plastic injection molding shot and the carrier section of the molded part is produced of the second plastic during a second plastic injection molding shot resulting in direct integral joining of the first plastic and the second plastic as taught by Pauken for the expected benefit of A-surface two shot plastic injection molded parts with reduced cycle time and lower cost of manufacture.
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Figure taken from Stapf (US 2010/0171324)
Claim(s) 16-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Stapf (US 2010/0171324) in view of Wagner et al. (US 2020/0157699).
Regarding claim 16; Stapf discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the second plastic has a color that is different than a color of the first plastic.
Stapf does not disclose: second plastic has a color that is different than a color of the first plastic.
Wagner et al. teaches adding colorant to plastic for the purpose of adding suitable antioxidants, color stabilizers and agents for increasing resistance to ultraviolet light.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the time the invention was effectively filed to modify Stapf with second plastic has a color that is different than a color of the first plastic as taught by Wagner et al. for the expected benefit of adding suitable antioxidants, color stabilizers and agents for increasing resistance to ultraviolet light.
Regarding claim 17; Stapf as modified by Wagner et al. discloses the method of claim 16, wherein the method involves producing the carrier section of the first plastic in one injection molding shot ([0016]; Stapf) and producing the decoration section of the second plastic in another injection molding shot (two component injection molding; Stapf).
Regarding claim 18; Stapf as modified by Wagner et al. discloses the method of claim 17, wherein the second plastic is present.
Stapf discloses the claimed invention except for the second plastic has a thickness of less than 1 mm.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to the second plastic has a thickness of less than 1 mm, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art.
Regarding claim 19; Stapf as modified by Wagner et al. discloses the method of claim 17, wherein the one injection molding shot takes place prior to another injection molding shot ([0016]; Stapf).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9-15 are allowed.
Claims 2-10 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Yonemochi et al. (US 2006/00767712) in view of Stapf (US 2010/0171324) discloses a method for producing an interior door handle arrangement except for: a magnet is applied to a surface of the carrier section in a still flowable state of the plastic, causing ferromagnetic metal particles in the first plastic approach the surface.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure as it may affect the patentability of applicant’s claimed invention is listed on the attached PTO-892.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Thomas L. Neubauer whose telephone number is 571.272.4864. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM through 5:00 PM EST.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kristina R. Fulton can be reached on 571.272.7376. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/T. L. N./
Examiner, Art Unit 3675
/KRISTINA R FULTON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3675
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