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 .
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.
Claim(s) 1, 2 and 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kay, et al. (11,352,076).
Kay discloses a front aerodynamic structure for vehicle comprising an airflow inlet 21 formed on a front portion of a vehicle 1; an airflow outlet 22 formed on a hood of the vehicle; and an acceleration aerodynamic channel 20 disposed in the vehicle, wherein the airflow inlet 21 is connected to the airflow outlet 22 through the acceleration aerodynamic channel; wherein the airflow inlet 21 is configured to guide an airflow into the front portion of the vehicle and allow the airflow to enter the acceleration aerodynamic channel 20; wherein the acceleration aerodynamic channel 20 is configured to accelerate the airflow to pass through the vehicle; and wherein the airflow outlet 22 is configured to guide the airflow in the acceleration aerodynamic channel 20 away from the vehicle, so as to reduce an airflow resistance when the vehicle is in a driving state. A ratio of an outlet cross-sectional area of the airflow outlet to an inlet cross-sectional area of the airflow inlet ranges from 1:1 to 1:1.3. The vehicle is an electric vehicle.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-7 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The prior art recited discloses common inventive concepts as the claimed present invention.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Faye M. Fleming whose telephone number is (571)272-6672. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30am-5:00pm.
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/FAYE M FLEMING/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3614