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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-4, 8, 10-14, and 17-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Truman (WO 2019/096680 A1).
Regarding claims 1 and 12, Truman teaches a motorcycle (vehicle 100) comprising a monocoque (monocoque 204, Figures 1-2), the monocoque comprising:
a shear wall (cover plate 208) that forms an outer wall of the monocoque (Figures 3A to 3E and Figure 4); and
a cooling channel (plurality of apertures 250) running through the shear wall (Figures 3A to 3E and Figure 4).
Regarding claims 2 and 13, Truman teaches an electric component (page 13, lines 33-37) thermally connected to the shear wall inside the monocoque (page 18, line 30- page 19, line 5).
Regarding claims 3-4, and 14, Truman teaches that the electric component is a battery (BMS) and an electronic circuit (other electronic systems of the vehicle, page 13, lines 33-37).
Regarding claims 8 and 17, Truman teaches that the shear wall is planar (Figures 3A to 3E and Figure 4) or non-planar or is of non- uniform thickness.
Regarding claims 10 and 18, Truman teaches that the cooling channel is uniformly distributed (Figure 4) or non- uniformly distributed within the shear plate.
Regarding claims 11 and 19, Truman teaches a first shell (first clamshell part 700a) and a second shell (second clamshell part 700b), wherein the shear wall closes an open face formed by the first and second shells when the first and second shells are connected to each other (Figure 7).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-7, 9, 15-16, and 20-22 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including 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 prior art of record fails to teach all limitations of the following claims, particularly as follows:
Claims 5 and 15 recite an electric component thermally connected to the shear wall outside the monocoque.
Claims 6-7 and 16 recite that the shear wall is a front wall of the monocoque or a bottom front wall of the monocoque.
Claims 9 and 20 recite a cover over the shear wall.
Since the prior art (e.g. Truman) teaches monocoque that lack said features, the prior art does not anticipate the claimed subject matter.
For illustration purposes, Fig 5 and 10 of the examined disclosure shows the shear wall, which is different than the shear wall taught by the prior art of record (Fig. 3A-D of Truman).
Furthermore, it would not have been obvious to a skilled artisan to have modified the prior art in order to arrive at the claimed invention without resorting to impermissible hindsight.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The references noted on the attached PTO-892 form teach monocoques of interest.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HOSAM SHABARA whose telephone number is (571)272-5495. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8 am-5 pm.
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, VALENTIN NEACSU can be reached at (571) 272-6265. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/H.S./Examiner, Art Unit 3611
/VALENTIN NEACSU/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3611