DETAILED ACTION
The Information Disclosure Statements filed on July 25, 2023 and November 13, 2024 have both been reviewed and considered by the Examiner.
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
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.
Claim(s) 15-28 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Umebayashi et al (US 2012/0042805).
Umebayashi et al discloses a wall structure for forming a wall of a rail vehicle car body, shown generally in figure 1, the wall structure is comprised of a metal panel 2 having a window aperture 2c, 2d formed therein a fibre-reinforced-plastic (FRP) strengthening system 7a-7d attached to the metal panel at a corner of the aperture, as shown in figure 4, wherein the FRP strengthening system comprises a stack of FRP laminae arranged such that, progressing through the stack starting from a base lamina, the area of each lamina in the stack is less than that of the previous lamina, as shown in figure 9. The wall structure further forms a double skinned wall of a rail vehicle car body, as shown in figure 3, where the wall structure has spaced exterior and interior metal panels 4, the base lamina is attached to a side of the interior metal panel that faces into the car body and another lamina in the stack is attached to the interior metal panel on the opposite side thereof to the base lamina. The edge of the FRP strengthening system closest to the corner of the aperture is offset from the periphery 2f, shown in figure 4, to leave a margin of metal panel at the corner of the aperture which is uncovered by the FRP strengthening system.
Conclusion
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/Robert J McCarry Jr/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3615
RJM
January 22, 2026
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