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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1 and 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a2 as being anticipated by Oyama (US Pat. No. 11,434,981).
Regarding claim 1, Oyama discloses A utility vehicle comprising: an engine (11); an exhaust pipe (19) connected to the engine and through which exhaust gas from the engine is discharged; a heat generating component (21) that generates heat during driving of the engine; and an air guide that guides outside air from the heat generating component toward the exhaust pipe, wherein the air guide includes: an intake opening (generally at 32) that is arranged facing the heat generating component and through which outside air is introduced; a fan (generally at 31) that draws outside air into the intake opening; and an exhaust port (at least 36, 37) through which outside air drawn in by the fan is discharged toward the exhaust pipe (claim 1, figs 1-6).
Regarding claim 6, Oyama discloses the utility vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising: a cargo bed; and a frame that supports the cargo bed and extends in a front-rear direction, wherein the heat generating component is attached to an inner side of the frame in a vehicle width direction (at least figs 1, 2).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-5 and 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the prior art when taken alone or in combination does not appear to teach or fairly suggest at this time The utility vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the intake opening is opened in a left-right direction, and the intake opening and the heat generating component are arranged side by side in a left- right direction and overlap in a front-rear direction and a vertical direction; OR The utility vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the engine includes a crankshaft, the utility vehicle includes a generator that is rotationally driven in accordance with rotation of the crankshaft to generate electric power, and the heat generating component is a regulator that is arranged away from the generator, is electrically connected to the generator, and controls voltage of power generated by the generator.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JACOB B MEYER whose telephone number is (571)270-3535. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9-7.
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JACOB B. MEYER
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3613
/JACOB B MEYER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3613