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 .
DETAILED ACTION
The preliminary amendment filed 22 September 2025 has been entered. Currently Claims 1-17 are pending.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because the character of the lines, numbers and letters are not suitable for satisfactory reproduction per 37 CFR 1.84.
All drawings must be made by a process which will give them satisfactory reproduction characteristics. Every line, number, and letter must be durable, clean, black (except for color drawings), sufficiently dense and dark, and uniformly thick and well-defined. The weight of all lines and letters must be heavy enough to permit adequate reproduction. This requirement applies to all lines however fine, to shading, and to lines representing cut surfaces in sectional views. Lines and strokes of different thicknesses may be used in the same drawing where different thicknesses have a different meaning.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Every line, number, and letter must be durable, clean, black (except for color drawings), sufficiently dense and dark, and uniformly thick and well-defined. The weight of all lines and letters must be heavy enough to permit adequate reproduction. This requirement applies to all lines however fine, to shading, and to lines representing cut surfaces in sectional views. Lines and strokes of different thicknesses may be used in the same drawing where different thicknesses have a different meaning.
Claim Objections
Claim 6 is objected to because of the following informalities: “to either claim 4” should be replaced by --to claim 4--.
Claim 13 is objected to because “an end face of the belt buckle” on line 3 is already introduced in Claim 1 and should be rephrased as –the end face--.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the radial outer face" and “the end face” in lines 9-10. There is insufficient antecedent basis for these limitations in the claim.
Claims 2-17 are rejected for their dependency on Claim 1.
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.
The applicant is respectfully advised that in examining a pending application, the claims are interpreted as broadly as their terms reasonably convey. In re American Academy of Science Tech Center, 70 USPQ2d. 1827, 1834 (Fed. Cir. May 13, 2004). MPEP § 2111.01.
Claims 1-2, 4-8, 10-14 and 16-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Betz (U.S. Patent No. 10,631,597).
Regarding Claim 1, Betz discloses in Figures 1-14, an illuminated seat belt buckle 10 for a seat belt device of a motor vehicle, comprising
- a housing (casing 12) , a push button 17 which is displaceable in the housing 12,
- an insertion slot (insertion opening 14) for the insertion of a belt tongue which can be locked in the seat belt buckle 10, and
- at least one annular light source (illuminations system 24 having a light conductor 26 Col 7, lines 4-7) comprising the insertion slot 14 and the push button 17, and
- a cover element (front panel 22 comprising diffuser 58, Figures 1 and 14) which covers the annular light source 24, 26 towards a radial outer face and towards an end face of the seat belt buckle 10 , wherein (Col 8, lines 55-60)
- the cover element 22, 58 is formed integrally from a translucent material (the front panel 22 has a diffuser 58 with a roughened translucent texture Col 8, lines 40-45).
Regarding Claim 2, Betz discloses in Figures 1-14, the Illuminated seat belt buckle (1) according to claim 1 wherein the cover element 22 has an integrally formed fastening attachment (locking gluing or welding to the light conductor which is attached to the casing members Col 8, lines 30-35), by means of which it is fastened to the housing 12 of the seat belt buckle 10.
Regarding Claim 4, Betz discloses in Figures 1-14, the illuminated seat belt buckle 10 according to claim 1, wherein the housing 12 has a closed annular portion comprising the insertion slot 14 and the push button 17, which portion delimits an annular cavity towards the radial inner face, wherein - the annular cavity is delimited by the cover element 22, 58 towards the radial outer face and towards the end face of the seat belt buckle 10, and the light source 26 is arranged in the annular cavity.
Regarding Claim 5, Betz discloses in Figure 14, the Illuminated seat belt buckle 10 according to claim 4, wherein - the cover element 22, 58 in the region of the end face of the seat belt buckle rests against the annular portion of the housing 12.
Regarding Claim 6, Betz discloses in Figures 4 and 14, the illuminated seat belt buckle according to either claim 4, wherein - the annular portion (8) projects from a base surface of the housing 12 (the housing 12 and projection 54 forms a base surface of housing 12 Figure 4) , and- the cover element 22, 58 radially outwardly abuts a portion of the housing 12 forming the base surface.
Regarding Claim 7, Betz discloses in Figures 1-14, the illuminated seat belt buckle 10 according to claim 6, wherein - the light source 26 is arranged on the base surface 54 radially on the outside with respect to the annular portion of the housing 12.
Regarding Claim 8, Betz discloses in Figures 1-14, the illuminated seat belt buckle according to Claim 7, wherein - the cover element 22, 58 has an integrally formed light-conducting portion 26 which has a light-entry surface arranged parallel and opposite to a light-emitting surface of the light source 24, 26.
Regarding Claim 10, Betz discloses in Figures 7-9, the illuminated seat belt buckle according to claim 6, wherein - the light source 24, 26 is formed by an annular light conductor 26 which rests against the radial outer face of the annular portion (of housing 12) and has a light exit surface (end face 48 Col 8, lines 40-47).
Regarding Claim 11, Betz discloses in Figures 1-14, the illuminated seat belt buckle 10 according to claim 10, wherein - the light conductor 26 is partially circular in cross section, and- the light exits from the light conductor 26 both towards the radial outer face of the seat belt buckle 10 and towards the end face of the seat belt buckle 10.
Regarding Claim 12, Betz discloses in Figures 1 and 14, the illuminated seat belt buckle according to claim 1 wherein - the cover element 22, 58 is arranged without contact with the light source 24, 26 (the parts of the cover 22, 58 do not contact the light source 24 as shown in Figure 14).
Regarding Claim 13, Betz discloses in Figures 1 and 14, the illuminated seat belt buckle 10 according to claim 1 wherein- the cover element 22, 58 has a first portion which extends in the direction of an end face of the seat belt buckle 10, and- the cover element 10, 58 has a second portion which extends on the end face of the seat belt buckle 10 in the direction of the push button 17 and the insertion slot 14.
Regarding Claim 14, Betz discloses in Figures 11-12 seat belt buckle according to claim 13, wherein - the second portion has a greater thickness than the first portion (in Figure 10, the first portion is proximate 58 and the other end comprising has a thicker wider portion).
Regarding Claim 16, the Illuminated seat belt buckle 10 according to claim 13 wherein - the cover element 22 has a different surface finish on the outer face of the first portion (20) than on the outer face of the second portion (the front panel 22 can have opaque chrome portions that vary Col 8, lines 34-45).
Regarding Claim 17, Betz discloses in Figures 1-14, the seat belt buckle 10 according to claim 13 wherein the cover element 22 in the region of the first portion is locally opaque due to a coating, printing or surface treatment (Col 8, lines 34-45).
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 (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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
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.
The applicant is respectfully advised that in examining a pending application, the claims are interpreted as broadly as their terms reasonably convey. In re American Academy of Science Tech Center, 70 USPQ2d. 1827, 1834 (Fed. Cir. May 13, 2004). MPEP § 2111.01.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Betz (U.S. Patent No. 10,631,597) in view Haberl (DE 102020127760A).
Betz does not disclose the fastening attachment has at least one latching hook by means of which it is latched to an undercut of the housing.
Haberl discloses a cover 10 for a belt buckle having a latch 22 hook that is configured to latch to an undercut of a buckle assembly.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to configure a latch with hook configuration for attaching eh cover 22 of Betz to the housing 12.
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Betz (U.S. Patent No. 10,631,597).
Betz does not explicitly disclose a marking , preferably an information symbol, is provided on the first portion and/or the second portion.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to use a symbol, marking, logo with the first or second portions of the cover 22, 58. The claim would have been obvious because the technique using insignia, symbols, or logo formed on a belt buckle cover was part of the ordinary capabilities of a person of ordinary skill in the art, in view of the teaching of the technique for improvement as taught by Betz. See KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 9 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include 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: the closest art Betz does not teach or suggest alone or combination a gap is provided between the integrally formed light-conducting portion 26 and a radially outer edge of the cover element 22, 58.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. SÖHNCHEN (DE102015215254) discloses an illuminated belt buckle for a vehicle.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROBERT J MAY whose telephone number is (571)272-5919. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10AM-3:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jong-Suk (James) Lee can be reached at 571-272-7044. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ROBERT J MAY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875
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