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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on March 17, 2025 was filed in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement has been considered by the examiner.
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.
Claims 1-2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Bezeault et al. (FR 3045529 A1), hereinafter "Bezeault”.
Regarding claim 1, Bezeault discloses a vehicle step device attached to a vehicle (step 10 shown attached to a vehicle in fig. 1, p. 4, lines 27-33), the vehicle step device comprising: a step (support plate 1, figs. 1-5) provided to be movable with respect to the vehicle (“plate mounted so as to slide relative to the vehicle”, p. 1, lines 36-37); a step side contact unit provided in the step; and a vehicle side contact unit provided on the vehicle and configured to come into contact with the step side contact unit (see side contact units in annotated fig. 3 below), wherein when the step is moved from the vehicle to a deployed position, the step side contact unit and the vehicle side contact unit overlap each other in a plan view such that at least a part of the vehicle side contact unit is positioned below the step side contact unit (deployed state of support plate 1 shown in fig. 3 with the vehicle side contact unit positioned partially below the step side contact unit).
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Regarding claim 2, Bezeault discloses the vehicle step device according to claim 1, wherein the step side contact unit is provided on a vehicle side in a vehicle width direction in the step (“moving the plate parallel to the transverse direction Y of the vehicle, in the case of a side door of the vehicle”, p. 5, lines 43-44, figure 3 shows step side contact unit on the vehicle side and away from door leaf 7).
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kim et al. (KR 102090029 B1), hereinafter "Kim".
Regarding claim 5, Kim discloses the vehicle step device according to claim 1 as a vehicle step device (electric step device 10, fig. 1, ¶[0032]) attached to a vehicle (“frame portion 100 is installed on the lower side of the vehicle”, ¶[0033]), the vehicle step device comprising: a step provided to be movable with respect to the vehicle (footrest 210 of step portion 200 “sliding in or out in the frame part 100 to assist the getting on and off”, ¶[0060], fig. 4); a step side contact unit provided in the step (sliding bars 220 “installed on both sides of the footrest 210”, fig. 4); and a vehicle side contact unit (lower flange of sliding rail 140 labeled 140a in annotated fig. 3 of Kim below) provided on the vehicle and configured to come into contact with the step side contact unit (“sliding rail 140 is formed along the inner surface of the side frame 110 so that both sides (i.e. the sliding bar 220) of the step portion 200 can be fastened and slid”, ¶[0055]), wherein when the step is moved from the vehicle to a deployed position (state of step device 10 shown in fig. 2), the step side contact unit and the vehicle side contact unit overlap each other in a plan view such that at least a part of the vehicle side contact unit is positioned below the step side contact unit (lower flange 140a positioned below sliding bar 220 as shown in annotated fig. 3 below).
Specifically relevant to claim 5, Kim further discloses the step side contact unit (sliding bar 220) includes a first contactable portion with which the vehicle side contact unit (lower flange 140a) comes into contact in a state where the step is positioned at the deployed position, the vehicle side contact unit includes a first contact portion positioned below the first contactable portion of the step side contact unit in the state where the step is positioned at the deployed position (lower flange 140a in contact with and positioned below sliding bar 220, annotated fig. 3), and the vehicle side contact unit includes a second contact portion (upper flange 140b of sliding rail 140, annotated fig. 3) positioned above the first contactable portion of the step side contact unit in the state where the step is positioned at the deployed position (upper flange 140b positioned above sliding bar 220 as shown in annotated fig. 3), or the step side contact unit includes a second contactable portion positioned below the first contact portion of the vehicle side contact unit in the state where the step is positioned at the deployed position.
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Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3 and 4 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.
Regarding claim 3, Kim discloses the vehicle step device according to claim 1, as described relevant to claim 5, further comprising: two arms (first connecting pin 330 and second connecting pin 340, figs. 5-7, ¶[0070]) connected to the vehicle and the step and configured to move the step in a vehicle width direction with respect to the vehicle in the plan view (connecting pins 330 and 340 connected to rotating gears 310 and 320 of the vehicle and step portion 200 and configured to slide the step in and out “where the door of the vehicle is formed”, ¶[0033], figs. 6a-b), wherein the step includes two step support portions supported by the arms (sections of step portion 200 in pivotal contact with connecting pins 330 and 340, figs. 6a-b). Neither Kim nor any other prior art reference recite the step side contact unit (sliding bar 220) is provided at a position between the two step support portions in a vehicle front-rear direction in the step, and the step side contact unit and the vehicle side contact unit (lower flange 140a) overlap each other in the plan view at a position between the two step support portions in the vehicle front-rear direction in a state where the step is positioned at the deployed position, in combination with all other limitations of claim 3. In fact, as clearly evident from figure 3 of Kim, sliding bar 220 and lower flange 140a are positioned outside the step support portions in the vehicle front-rear direction. The closest reference, Iwasaki et al. (JP 2007008307 A), hereinafter “Iwasaki”, teaches a movable step (figs. 13-14) wherein contact units (stopper claws 48, 49 and stoppers 13, 14) engage when step 50 is deployed. However, stopper claws 48 and 49 of Iwasaki are positioned on arm members 46 and therefore are not between support portions, as recited in claim 3, and also not provided in the step, as recited in claim 1.
Regarding claim 4, Kim discloses the step side contact unit is provided on a vehicle side in the vehicle width direction in the step, and the two step support portions are respectively provided at positions in the step farther from the vehicle in the vehicle width direction than the step side contact unit and at an equal distance from the step side contact unit (support sections within step portion 200 are closer to the vehicle side than sliding bar 220 and lower flange 140a and equidistant from them). However, as stated above, Kim does not recite all limitations of claim 3. Claim 4 is therefore allowed by virtue of its dependence on claim 3.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Additional art of record relates to vehicle steps having features relevant to the claimed invention.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MOHAMMAD OMID NEYZARI whose telephone number is (571)272-9530. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8 AM-5 PM.
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, Allen Shriver can be reached at (303) 297-4337. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MOHAMMAD OMID NEYZARI/Examiner, Art Unit 3613
/JAMES A SHRIVER II/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3613
