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 .
This office action is response to the restriction requirement filed on 2/11/2026.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group II, claims 10-20, in the reply filed on 2/11/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 1-9 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 2/11/2026.
Drawings
New corrected drawings in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in this application because the figures, such as Fig. 1, Fig. 6, Fig. 10, Fig. 12, and Fig. 1, are not clear enough to be examined. Applicant is advised to employ the services of a competent patent draftsperson outside the Office, as the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office no longer prepares new drawings. The corrected drawings are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. The requirement for corrected drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
Applicant is reminded of the proper language and format for an abstract of the disclosure.
The language should be clear and concise and should not repeat information given in the title. It should avoid using phrases which can be implied, such as, “The disclosure concerns,” “The disclosure defined by this invention,” “The disclosure describes,” etc. In addition, the form and legal phraseology often used in patent claims, such as “means” and “said,” should be avoided.
Claim Objections
Claims 12-14 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Re. claim 12: The phrase “an upper and lower direction,” as recited in lines 2-3 appears to be --an upper and a lower direction;--.
The phrase “the core passes therethrough,” as recited in line 5 appears to be --the core passes therethrough;--.
The phrase “in a movement direction of the core, and” as recited in line 7 appears to be --in a movement direction of the core; and--.
Re. claim 16: The phrase “in the upper and lower direction” as recited in lines 2-3 appears to be --in an upper and a lower direction--.
Re. claim 18: The phrase “in the longitudinal direction,” as recited in line 3 appears to be --in the longitudinal direction;--.
The phrase “the core guide member, and” as recited in line 5 appears to be --the core guide member; and--.
Re. claim 20: The phrase “in the second jig frame, and” as recited in line 3 appears to be --in the second jig frame; and--.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 12-14 and 17-20 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.
Re. claim 12: The phrase “wherein each core guide unit includes” as recited in line 1 renders the claim vague and indefinite. According to the limitation as recited in line 11, there is only one core guide unit. It is unclear as to what the each core guide unit is indicated.
The phrase “therethrough” as recited in line 5 renders the claim vague and indefinite. It is unclear as to what the therethrough is meant.
Re. claim 15: The phrase “pressed by each core guide unit” as recited in line 3 renders the claim vague and indefinite. According to the limitation as recited in line 11, there is only one core guide unit. It is unclear as to what the each core guide unit is indicated.
Re. claim 17: The phrase “a core supply jig installed in a second jig frame” as recited in line 2 renders the claim vague and indefinite. It is unclear as to where the second jig frame is located.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 10, 11, 15 and 16 are allowed.
Claims 12-14 and 17-20 would be allowable if rewritten 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 and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: The prior art of record fails to disclose the claimed invention such as a system of assembling a cross member for a battery case, which inserts a core into the cross member with a closed section and laser-welds a part to be assembled to an outer surface of the cross member, the system comprising: a mounting frame installed in a first jig frame; a plurality of first clampers installed in the mounting frame to clamp the part to be assembled which is provisionally coupled to the cross member at both sides of the cross member; at least one second clamper installed in the mounting frame to clamp an upper portion of the cross member; and a core guide unit supporting each of both end portions of the core in a longitudinal direction which is inserted into the closed section of the cross member and installed in the mounting frame to press the core in a lower direction. It is not obvious taken alone or in combination of other references fairly to suggest the claimed invention.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
The Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. CHA et al. (PGPub 2022/0393286 A1), Sohn et al. (US PAT. 12,431,526), KIM et al. (PGPub 2014/0287280 A1), and PARK et al. (PGPub 2022/0194197 A1) are cited to further show the state of the art with respect to an assemble structure of a battery case for an electric vehicle.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PAUL D KIM whose telephone number is (571)272-4565. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday: 6:00 AM-2:00 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, Thomas Hong can be reached at 571-272-0993. 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.
/PAUL D KIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3729
Prosecution Insights