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. 18/413,027, filed on 1/16/2024. Claims 1-5 are currently pending and have been examined. Claims 1 and 3-5 have been rejected as follows. Claim 2 is objected to.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1 and 3-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Rai et al (US Patent No. 12,503,165) in view of Chung et al (US 2021/0316793).
Regarding claim 1, Rai et al discloses a front side member (110, Fig. 1-3) that extends in a vehicle front-rear direction at each of both left (120B, Fig. 1-3) and right sides (120A, Fig. 1-3) in a vehicle width direction (column 5, lines 49-54), that has an open cross-sectional shape (140A/140B, Fig. 1-3) in which an opening (column 5, lines 61-65; column 6, lines 5-9) is provided at least one side thereof in the vehicle width direction (Fig. 1-3), and that is integrally molded by die casting (column 6, lines 10-12), wherein the front side member comprises a plurality of ribs (Fig. 1-3, 7 & 11; column 8, lines 5-8) that connect a bottom surface (column 8, lines 8-10) at a side opposite from the opening, a lower surface of an upper wall (column 8, lines 8-10) in a vehicle up- down direction, and an upper surface of a lower wall (column 8, lines 8-10) in the vehicle up-down direction. Rai et al discloses that the size of the rib sections may be varied to increase or decrease the crush strength of the casting section; however, Rai et al does not expressly disclose a minimum rib height of the ribs along the vehicle width direction is set to be equal to or greater than half of a width direction dimension of the upper wall and the lower wall.
Chung et al teaches a front side member with a minimum rib height (width of reinforcing ribs 26, Fig. 3-4) of the ribs (26, Fig. 3-4) along the vehicle width direction set to be equal to or greater than half of a width direction dimension of the upper wall (vertical wall 25, Fig. 3-4) and the lower wall (25, Fig. 3-4) in the analogous field of the claimed invention of vehicle front side frame members. Chung et al teaches the rib height to be greater than half of the width of the connecting walls as the rib height 26 extends to the full width of walls 25.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the ribs of Rai et al by incorporating the rib dimension as taught by Chung et al. Doing so would improve the ability to more easily distribute and absorb impact load transmitted from a front impact ([0033], lines 12-14).
Regarding claim 3, Rai et al in view of Chung et al discloses all of the claimed limitations of the invention as claimed in claim 1 above, and Rai et al further discloses wherein the open cross-sectional shape is a U-shaped (Fig. 7-8; column 8, lines 5-19; column 9, lines 65-67) cross-sectional shape, and the opening is provided at an outer side (Fig. 1-3) in the vehicle width direction.
Regarding claim 4, Rai et al in view of Chung et al discloses all of the claimed limitations of the invention as claimed in claim 1 above, and Rai et al further discloses wherein the open cross-sectional shape is an H-shaped (Fig. 11-12; column 8, lines 20-24) cross-sectional shape, and the opening is provided at each of an inner side and an outer side in the vehicle width direction.
Regarding claim 5, Rai et al in view of Chung et al discloses all of the claimed limitations of the invention as claimed in claim 1 above, and Rai et al further discloses wherein the ribs (Fig. 7-8 & 11-12) comprise hollowed- out portions (scallop shape, Fig. 7-8 & 11-12; column 8, lines 5-15 & 47-48; column 10, lines 8-14) in which a leading end is hollowed out in an arc shape (column 10, lines 8-14) from an opening side in the vehicle width direction.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 2 is 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 primary reason for indication of allowable subject matter in claim 2 is the inclusion of the limitations that “the minimum rib height is set so as to increase toward a vehicle rear”. Since the crushing load increases from the vehicle front side of the front side member toward the rear, the crushing can be made easier to occur in order from the vehicle front side to rear, and robustness of deformation during a collision can be improved in applicant’s device. The closest prior art of Rai et al discloses the technique of progressively increasing wall thickness (column 9, lines 1-6) to improve crash performance; however, Rai et al does not expressly disclose increasing the rib height toward a vehicle rear. Applicant’s structure suppresses the occurrence of deformation in a concave shape thus an intended energy absorption amount can be secured and a decrease in energy absorption efficiency due to incomplete crushing can be reduced. Applicant’s minimum rib height increasing toward the vehicle rear in combination with the structure as defined in claim 1 are not disclosed or suggested by the prior art of record.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Saeki (US Patent No. 6,893,078) discloses a pair of side members (11) with strength adjusting mechanism (50) from front to rear of vehicle using increased wall thicknesses (Fig. 11). Nishiuchi (JP 2876872) discloses a minimum rib height of the ribs (10, Fig. 7) along the vehicle width direction is set to be greater than half of a width direction dimension of the upper wall (8, Fig. 7) and the lower wall (9, Fig. 7). Watanabe (JP 2004249807 A) discloses a minimum rib height of the ribs (36, Fig. 8) along the vehicle width direction is set to be greater than half of a width direction dimension of the upper wall and the lower wall. Nusier et al (US 2008/0238146) and Renegar (US 2022/0055692) disclose front rails with front to back energy absorption control. Kasuga (US 2004/0119321) discloses a vehicle body frame with ribs (53) in a hollow frame member to absorb crash energy.
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/D.L.E./Examiner, Art Unit 3612
/AMY R WEISBERG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3612