Appeal No. 2006-0743 6
Reexamination Control No. 90/006,690
Federspiel, with the system of Gager, to ensure that only a person is detected
within the trunk and prevent a false alarm that may be given by the detection of
any other object moving within the vehicle’s trunk.
Gager also discloses an illuminated internal latch release within the trunk. Upon
detection of an individual in the trunk, the presence detector causes the internal latch release to
be illuminated with a white light and a red hand superimposed thereon to indicate that pressing
the latch release will cause the trunk compartment lid to be unlatched. See col. 3, lines 18-23.
Gager does not disclose that the latch release is a “touch sensitive pad” as recited in appellant’s
claim 1.
Marrazzo discloses a release mechanism for an automobile trunk that enables the trunk to
be opened from within the trunk. The release mechanism contains an illuminated activation
device that must be manually manipulated by a person within the trunk in order to activate the
release mechanism and open the trunk. See Abstract. In one embodiment, the activation device
is an illuminated activation button which is coupled to the circuitry of an electric solenoid within
the trunk latch mechanism. When the activation button is contacted, the trunk latch solenoid is
activated and the trunk of the automobile opens. See col. 3, lines 4-8. Marrazzo further explains
(col. 3, lines 9-22):
An illuminated activation button 20, in an otherwise dark trunk 14, would
attract the attention of a child 10. However, a child 10 may not know that they
should touch the illuminated activation button 20 to escape from the trunk 14.
Referring to FIG. 2, it will be understood that to help induce a child to touch the
illuminated activation button 20, an indicia 22 can be printed on the face of the
button 20. The indicia 22 can be any image that is determined to prompt a small
child to touch that indicia 22. For example, the indicia could be a smiling face.
However, in the shown embodiment, the indicia 22 is the image of a hand. A
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