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 .
The following final office action is in response to the reply filed August 12, 2026.
Drawings
The drawing correction filed August 12, 2026 has been approved.
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 and 4 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.
Recitations such as “positioned on a vehicle-interior side of the automobile” on line 10 of claim 1 render the claims indefinite because it is unclear what the applicant is attempting to set forth. What comprises the interior side of the automobile? Is the applicant referring to the interior of the vehicle or is the applicant referring to the core removal hole being on a side of the molded portion which faces an interior of the vehicle?
Recitations such as “a glass-run body” on line 8 of claim 4 render the claims indefinite because it is unclear if the applicant is referring to the glass run or is attempting to set forth another element of the invention in addition to the glass run.
Recitations such as “a molded portion” on line 10 of claim 4 render the claims indefinite because it is unclear if the applicant is referring to the corner structure or is attempting to set forth another element of the invention in addition to the corner structure. Note that it appears that the molded portion forms at least a portion of the corner structure.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Morihara (US 2021/0229539) in view of Samanci et al. (US 2016/0144697).
Morihara discloses a corner structure (labeled below) of a glass run 20 (fig. 1) configured to be attached to an automobile having a front door 200 (fig. 11) and a rear door 300 (fig. 11), the structure comprising:
a glass-run body (labeled below) configured to be attached to a periphery of a door of the automobile, the door being one of the front door 200 or the rear door 300; and
a sealing part (labeled below) configured to fill a parting portion which is present between the front door 200 and the rear door 300 of the automobile, as shown in figure 11, or a parting portion which is present between the rear door and a vehicle body of the automobile,
wherein the glass-run body and the sealing part are integrally molded as set forth on lines 3-8 of paragraph 67, wherein the glass-run body includes a molded portion (labeled below).
Morihara is silent concerning a hollow sealing part, a core removal hole, and a slit.
However, Samanci et al. discloses a corner structure (labeled below) of a seal (labeled below), comprising a hollow sealing part 6 (fig. 1), a molded portion 1 having a core removal hole 12 (fig. 1) configured to be positioned on a vehicle-interior side of an automobile, the core removal hole 12 being configured to allow removal of a core inserted in the sealing part 6 as set forth in paragraph 30, and wherein the sealing part 6 has a slit 9 (fig. 1) configured to be positioned on the vehicle-interior side of the automobile, the slit 9 extending in a longitudinal direction of the sealing part 6, and the slit and the core removal hole are connected as shown in figure 1.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to provide Morihara with hollow sealing part, a core removal hole, and a slit, as taught by Samanci et al., with a reasonable expectation of success to increase the flexibility of the sealing part so as to form a more effective seal between the sealing part and the vehicle (hollow sealing part) and to provide for the use of a core part of an injection molding tool during the step of molding the corner molded portion (core removal hole and slit).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 4 would be allowable if rewritten or amended 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the prior art of record, absent applicant’s own disclosure, fails to teach the entire combination of elements set forth in the claimed invention. Specifically, the prior art of record fails to teach a method of manufacturing a corner structure of a glass run wherein the molded portion has a core removal hole configured to be positioned on a vehicle interior side of the automobile, the core removal hole configured to allow removal of a core inserted in the sealing part and the sealing part has a slit configured to be positioned on the vehicle interior side of the automobile, the slit extending in a longitudinal direction of the sealing part, and the slit and the core removal hole are connected. See claim 4, lines 10-12 and 14-16.
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Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed August 12, 2026 have been fully considered but they are moot in view of the new grounds of rejection.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GREGORY J STRIMBU whose telephone number is (571)272-6836. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00-4:30 Monday-Friday.
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, Daniel Cahn can be reached at 571-270-5616. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/GREGORY J STRIMBU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3634
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