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) 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Debroucke (US 20200263459 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Debroucke teaches a door closing restriction device for restricting closing of a door of a vehicle, which is provided on the door, the door closing restriction device comprising:
a stopper (38) provided on a door edge portion of the door (fig. 6) and configured to be moveable between a storage position (fig. 6) where the stopper is stored inside the door and a protruding position (fig. 7) where the stopper protrudes from the door edge portion;
an operation unit (28) provided on the door; and
a transmission unit (26) configured to transmit an operation force of the operation unit to the stopper, wherein the stopper moves to the protruding position by operating the operation unit (para. 0079).
Regarding claim 2, Debroucke teaches the door closing restriction device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission unit includes a cam mechanism configured to alternate, by operating the operation unit, between a pushing state in which the stopper is caused to protrude and a retraction state in which the stopper is retracted (the direction that 26 is turned causes the transmission unit to alternate between either a pushing state or a retraction state; para. 0089).
Regarding claim 3, Debroucke teaches the door closing restriction device according to claim 1, wherein the operation unit can be operated from at least one of the inside and the outside of the door (through control interface described in claim 7).
Regarding claim 4, Debroucke teaches the door closing restriction device according to claim 2, wherein the operation unit can be operated from at least one of the inside and the outside of the door (through control interface described in claim 7).
Regarding claim 5, Debroucke teaches a door device of a vehicle, comprising:
a door (12) including a door glass (fig. 1) and capable of being opened and closed with respect to a vehicle opening (fig. 2), the door glass being provided to be capable of being raised and lowered and being capable of being fitted to a weather strip provided at the vehicle opening at a highest position (please note that the examiner is taking official notice that most of today’s vehicle doors are equipped with glass that is able to be raised and lowered into a weather strip provided at the top of the window);
a raising and lowering device configured to raise and lower the door glass (motor provided to raise and lower the window);
a door lock device capable of holding the door in a closed state (door latch device not explicitly shown but required to keep door shut during operation of the vehicle);a door control unit configured to control the raising and lowering device and the door lock device (door inner panel with unlock switch and switch to control window opening);
a first operation unit (inside door handle) configured to transmit a control signal to the door control unit to cause the door lock device to release the holding in the closed state when a door opening operation for the door performed by a user is received (user operates outside door handle);
a second operation unit (outside door handle) mechanically coupled to the door lock device and configured to mechanically release the holding in the closed state performed by the door lock device when the door opening operation for the door performed by the user is received (user operates inside door handle); and
a door closing restriction device (38) configured to restrict closing of the door, wherein the door closing restriction device does not restrict the closing of the door when an operation for the first operation unit is received (inside door handle just causes the door to be openable by a user), and restricts the closing of the door when an operation for the second operation unit is received (para. 0104 discusses the door closing restriction device operating in response to a user operating outside handle 42).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES EDWARD IGNACZEWSKI whose telephone number is (571)272-2732. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5 EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kristina Fulton can be reached at (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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/J.E.I./ Examiner, Art Unit 3675 /KRISTINA R FULTON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3675
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