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 communication is in response to application No. 18/385,151, filed on 10/30/2023. Claims 1-14 are currently pending and have been examined. Claims 1-2, 6-9 and 13-14 have been rejected as follows. Claims 3-5 and 10-12 are objected to.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claims 13-14 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.
In claim 13, which depends from claim 8, lines 4-5 recite “a second front bolt and a second front nut”; however, there is no recitation of a first front bolt and a first front nut rendering this claim unclear. For examination purposes, claim 13 is interpreted as depending from claim 10 which recites “a first front bolt and a first front nut” in line 4.
Claim 14 is rejected by virtue of dependency from claim 13 that is rejected under 35 USC 112(b).
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.
Claims 1-2 and 6-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Komiya et al (US 2019/0300059).
Regarding claim 1, Komiya et al discloses a vehicle front subframe (1, Fig. 1; [0027]), comprising a pair of longitudinal members (3, 1A/1B, right and left sides, Fig. 1-3; [0035], lines 1-4; [0036]) each extending in a longitudinal direction of a vehicle (V, Fig. 1-3; [0013], lines 4-5) and having a mounting recess (area 17, S5, Fig. 4-5; [0046], lines 3-9); an inner reinforcing member (21, Fig. 4-5; [0061], lines 5-6) mounted in an inner cavity of each longitudinal member (3, 1A/1B, Fig. 4-5; [0036]); and a suspension arm (50, Fig. 4-5) having a mount (55, Fig. 4-5, [0046], lines 4-5) mounted in the mounting recess (17, S5, Fig. 4-5) of each longitudinal member (3, 1A/1B, Fig. 4-5) through a mount member (18, Fig. 4-5; [0047], line 3). See annotated figure below.
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Regarding claim 2, Komiya et al further discloses wherein the inner reinforcing member (21, Fig. 4-5) extends from the mounting recess (area 17, S5, Fig. 4-5) toward a front of the longitudinal member (3, 1A/1B, Fig. 4-5), and wherein the inner reinforcing member (21, Fig. 4-5) is fixed (at 21d, Fig. 5) to the longitudinal member (3, 1A/1B, via 7, Fig. 4-5) together with the mount member (18 at 18b, Fig. 5) through a fastener (flange 21d joined to 18b, Fig. 4-5; [0062], lines 7-11; [0071]).
Regarding claim 6, Komiya et al further discloses an outer reinforcing member (joint 31, Fig. 5) fixed to an exterior surface of the longitudinal member (3, 1A/1B, Fig. 5) and aligned with at least a portion of the inner reinforcing member (21, Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 7, Komiya et al discloses all of the claimed limitations of the invention as claimed in claim 6 above, and further discloses wherein the outer reinforcing member (joint 31, Fig. 5; [0039], lines 7-11) is configured to connect the longitudinal member (3, 1A/1B, Fig. 5) and the mount member (18, Fig. 5; joint 31 couples 3 and 17).
Regarding claim 8, Komiya et al discloses all of the claimed limitations of the invention as claimed in claim 6 above, and further discloses wherein the outer reinforcing member (31, Fig. 5) includes a front portion and a rear portion located behind the front portion (see annotated figure above).
Regarding claim 9, Komiya et al discloses all of the claimed limitations of the invention as claimed in claim 6 above, and further discloses wherein the outer reinforcing member (31, Fig. 5) has a bent portion bent at least one edge thereof (see annotated figure above).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-5 and 10-12 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.
Claims 13-14 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 a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The primary reason for indication of allowable subject matter in claim 3 is the inclusion of the limitations defining the inner reinforcement member including “an upper wall, a lower wall spaced apart from the upper wall, a flange extending along an edge of the upper wall, and a connection wall connecting the upper wall and the lower wall”. Such limitations, in combination with the rest of the limitations of the claim, are not disclosed or suggested by the prior art of record; in particular the closest prior art of Komiya et al does not have these features. Applicant’s inner reinforcement member is shaped such that bending stiffness may be improved resulting in reduced buckling of the longitudinal member in the event of a frontal collision.
The primary reason for indication of allowable subject matter in claim 10 and 13 is the inclusion of the limitations of “the front portion of the outer reinforcing member is fixed to the longitudinal member together with the inner reinforcing member through a first front bolt and a first front nut” and “the rear portion of the outer reinforcing member is fixed to the longitudinal member together with the mount member and the inner reinforcing member through a second front bolt and a second front nut”. Such limitations, in combination with the rest of the limitations of the claim, are not disclosed or suggested by the prior art of record; in particular the closest prior art of Komiya et al does not have these features. Applicant’s configuration and connection of the outer reinforcement member, longitudinal member, mount member and inner reinforcement member improves the bending stiffness and moment of inertia of the longitudinal member so that buckling may be significantly reduced or suppressed, thereby transferring impact energy to the rear mounts while ensuring structural stiffness of the vehicle during a collision.
Claims 4-5, 11-12 and 14 contain allowable subject matter by virtue of dependency from claims 3, 10 and 13.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Yamamoto (US 2002/0033594) discloses a vehicle front subframe (201, Fig. 10-11), comprising a pair of longitudinal members (208 + 203, right and left sides, Fig. 10-11) each extending in a longitudinal direction of a vehicle and having a mounting recess (218, Fig. 10); an inner reinforcing member (222, Fig. 10 & 12) mounted in an inner cavity of each longitudinal member; and a suspension arm (202, Fig. 10-11) having a mount mounted in the mounting recess (218, Fig. 10) of each longitudinal member through a mount member (219, 220, 221, Fig. 12). Atsumi (US Patent No.11,459,033) discloses reinforcement members (50, Fig. 5) in the front inner cavity of longitudinal members (22R, Fig. 2 & 5). Tomikuda (DE-112014005658) discloses longitudinal members (180, 170, Fig. 2) having a mounting recess (S1, Fig. 2) with reinforcing flanges (154, 134; Fig. 2), reinforcing elements (40, 70, Fig. 1-2) and suspension arm (SA, Fig. 4). Goellner et al (US 2014/0110925) discloses a front subframe (100) with longitudinal members (210, 212, Fig. 2) with outer reinforcing members (150, 152, Fig. 6).
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/D.L.E./Examiner, Art Unit 3612
/AMY R WEISBERG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3612