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 § 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.
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(s) 1-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Slocum US 5836638 and further in view of Young et al. US 6241294 (hereinafter referred to Slocum and Young respectively).
Regarding claim 1, Slocum teaches flush door handle (12 acts as a handle), comprising:
a driving device (24);
a handle body (body of 12), the handle body having a flush position (fig1) and a deployed position (fig3), and being movable between the flush position and the deployed position under the drive of the driving device;
an elastic component (biasing member), the elastic component being configured to provide the handle body with a pretension force for moving the handle body toward the deployed position (col.2 lines 28-36); and
Slocum does not teach an electromagnetic device.
Young teaches a flushed door handle device further comprising:
an electromagnetic device (100), the electromagnetic device being configured in such a way that the electromagnetic device attracts (by creating a magnetic flux), when energized (i.e. when magnetic flux force field is generated), the handle body such that the handle body is subjected to an acting force opposite to the force (force used to move the handle), to prevent the force from moving the handle body toward the deployed position; and
that the electromagnetic device releases, when deenergized (when electromagnet ceases energization, col.6 lines 24-40), the handle body such that the handle body is moved to the deployed position under the action of the force of the elastic component.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the device of Slocum with the addition of the electromagnetic device which energizes in order to provide an acting force to prevent movement of the handle toward the deployed position, as taught by Young, in order to provide a means for locking the movement of the handle in the event of a collision (Young col.1 lines 14-30).
The combined device of Slocum and Young further teaches the handle body such that the handle body is subjected to an acting force (provided by Young) opposite to the pretension force (provided by Slocum), to prevent the pretension force from moving the handle body toward the deployed position.
Regarding claim 2, the combination of Slocum and Young further teaches the flush door handle according to claim 1, wherein the driving device comprises an output end (Slocum 34);
the electromagnetic device is disposed on one of the output end (NOTE: Based on how in Young, the electromagnetic device 100 is disposed on 34 of driving device of Young, Young’s electromagnetic device would also be disposed on the output end of the driving device of Slocum when in combination.) of the driving device (Slocum) and the handle body; and
the flush door handle further comprises an attracted portion (Young 102), the attracted portion being disposed on the other of the output end of the driving device and the handle body (on the handle body, based on Young fig10-11), wherein the electromagnetic device attracts the attracted portion when energized, and is separated from the attracted portion when deenergized (when deenergized, it no longer attracts 102 so it is considered “separated”); and
wherein when the electromagnetic device (Young) attracts the attracted portion, the handle body is magnetically engaged with the output end (Slocum) of the driving device (Slocum) such that the handle body (Slocum) is movable between the flush position and the deployed position under the drive of the driving device, and when the electromagnetic device (Young) is separated from the attracted portion, the handle body is disengaged from the output end of the driving device such that the handle body is movable to the deployed position under the action of the pretension force (Slocum) of the elastic component (Slocum). (Slocum fig1-3, Young col.1 lines 14-30, col.6 lines 24-40)
Regarding claim 3, the combination of Slocum and Young further teaches the flush door handle according to claim 2, wherein the output end of the driving device comprises a push rod (Slocum 28), the push rod being capable of extending or retracting (see Slocum fig1-3), and wherein the handle body is configured to be driven to the deployed position or the flush position (Slocum fig 1-3) respectively during the extension or retraction of the push rod. (Slocum fig1-3, Young col.1 lines 14-30, col.6 lines 24-40)
Regarding claim 4, the combination of Slocum and Young further teaches the flush door handle according to claim 3, wherein the handle body further comprises a driven portion (Slocum 22), the driven portion being magnetically engagable (when in combination with Young’s 102) with the push rod (Slocum) when the electromagnetic device is energized (Young), and being disengagable from the push rod when the electromagnetic device is deenergized. (Slocum fig1-3, Young col.1 lines 14-30, col.6 lines 24-40)
Regarding claim 5, the combination of Slocum and Young further teaches the flush door handle according to claim 4, wherein the electromagnetic device (Young) is disposed on the push rod (Slocum), and the attracted portion (Young) is disposed on the driven portion (Slocum) of the handle body (Slocum). (Slocum fig1-3, Young col.1 lines 14-30, col.6 lines 24-40)
Regarding claim 6, the combination of Slocum and Young further teaches the flush door handle according to claim 4, wherein the electromagnetic device (Young) is disposed on the driven portion (Slocum) of the handle body (Slocum), and the attracted portion (Young) is disposed on the push rod (Slocum). (Slocum fig1-3, Young col.1 lines 14-30, col.6 lines 24-40)
Regarding claim 7, the combination of Slocum and Young further teaches the flush door handle according to claim 5, with the attracted portion (Young). However, does not explicitly teach the attracted portion is made of a ferromagnetic material. However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the material of the attracted portion to be explicitly of ferromagnetic material in order to provide strong magnetism, since it has been held that the selection of a known material for its suitability is a design consideration that is of routine skill in the art. MPEP 2144.
Regarding claim 8, the combined device of Slocum and Young further teaches the flush door handle according to claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic device (Young) is controllably connected to a power supply system (Young 70) of the vehicle so as to be energized or deenergized.
Regarding claim 9, the combined device of Slocum and Young further teaches a vehicle (abstract), comprising:
a power supply system (Young 70);
a control device (Young 68); and
a flush door handle (Slocum) according to claim 1 wherein the control device is configured to electrically connect the power supply system and the electromagnetic device in a controllable manner to energize or deenergize the electromagnetic device.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the device of Slocum with the addition of the electromagnetic device which energizes in order to provide an acting force to prevent movement of the handle toward the deployed position, as taught by Young, in order to provide a means for locking the movement of the handle in the event of a collision (Young col.1 lines 14-30).
Regarding claim 10, the combined device of Slocum and Young further teaches the vehicle according to claim 9, wherein the power supply system is a system for supplying power to the driving device. (Young col. 4 lines 17-68)
Regarding claim 11, Neither Slocum or Young specifically teach a method process however, they do teach the combined device for a vehicle, therefore the combination of Slocum and Young further teaches control method for a vehicle of claim 9, comprising:
receiving an abnormality signal (Young i.e. impact is sensed, impact signal; col.6 lines 11-40) indicating an abnormal state (Young, when in collision) of the vehicle; and
deenergizing the electromagnetic device in response to the abnormality signal (Young, deenergizing occurs after the impact force is terminated, therefore this is still considered ‘in response to the abnormality signal’ see col. 6 lines 30-40, wherein the handle returns to usual manner of deployment) to release the handle body, whereby the handle body is moved to a deployed position thereof under the action of a pretension force (Slocum) of the elastic component (Slocum).
Regarding claim 12, the combination of Slocum and Young further teaches the control method according to claim 11, wherein deenergizing the electromagnetic device comprises:
shutting down the power supply system of the vehicle or electrically disconnecting the power supply system from the electromagnetic device. (Young, col.1 lines 14-30 and col.6 lines 11-40)
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Art is related to handles.
Related but not relied upon prior art: US 5556145, US 7775567, US 12044045.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FARIA F. AHMAD whose telephone number is (571)270-1334. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:30 am - 5:30 pm.
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/F.F.A./
Examiner
Art Unit 3675
/CHRISTINE M MILLS/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3675
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