DETAILED 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 .
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 (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 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.
Claim(s) 1-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Herczeg (11,458,835).
Herczeg discloses a motor vehicle 3 comprising a rechargeable electric power source via 7; a body portion 2; a charging compartment 35 located on the body portion; an electric charging socket 7 located inside the charging compartment and connected to the rechargeable electric power source; a door or access panel 4 coupled to the body portion in a movable manner between a closed position, in which the door closes the charging compartment, and an open position (Figures 19 and 20), in which the door is concealed internally by the body portion, thereby making the charging compartment accessible from the outside, such that an external charging source can be connected to the electric charging socket to enable a charging process of the rechargeable electric power source; and a motorized mechanism 29 configured to drive the door from the closed position to the open position along a path, wherein the path comprises a first section starting from the closed position having at least one component directed toward the electric charging socket and a second section 31 terminating at the open position and directed transversely with respect to the component. The second section 31 is directed along a forward direction of the motor vehicle. The mechanism comprises a guiding device 8 in turn comprising at least one guide extending along the path, the door comprising at least one slide engaging the guide slidingly along the path. The guiding device 8 comprises an additional guide 22 parallel to the guide, the door comprising an additional slide 21 engaging the additional guide in a sliding manner. The mechanism further comprises a motor via 29 and a movable member 14 driven by the motor in a translating manner along a rectilinear direction, the mechanism further comprising for each slide a connecting rod 18, 19 having opposite ends respectively hinged to the movable member and the corresponding slide. The rectilinear direction is parallel to the second section, see Figure 2. The guiding device 8 is arranged above or below the door. The mechanism is configured to drive the door with a fixed orientation along the path, see Figures 3-5. The door is concealed in the closed position behind a fender of the motor vehicle, see Figure 9. The door 4 comprises an outer door face, wherein the outer body panel comprises an outer surface face surrounding the door when the door is in the closed position, and wherein the outer door face is flush with the outer surface face when the door is in the closed position, as shown in Figure 9.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The prior art recited discloses common inventive concepts as the claimed present invention.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Faye M. Fleming whose telephone number is (571)272-6672. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30am-5:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Vivek Koppikar can be reached at (571) 272-5109. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/FAYE M FLEMING/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3612
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