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 Objections
Claim 2 and 7 objected to because of the following informalities:
Re: claim 2, “The motor vehicle component of claim 2” should read “The motor vehicle component of claim 1”.
Re: claim 7, “in particular sill” should read “in particular a sill”.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
(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) 1-4, 6-12, and 14-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Dongyoon et al. (WO 2021/060660 A1).
Re: claim 1, Dongyoon et al. teaches a motor vehicle component (Fig. 1), comprising: a first profile (5) have a first bonding surface (P2 on 5) with at least one groove (P1 on 5); and a second profile (6) have a second bonding surface (P2 on 6) with at least one groove (P1 on 6), wherein the first bonding surface (5) and the second bonding surface (6) are adhesively bonded (B) in a manner that covers the first bonding surface and the second bonding surface in non-grooved regions and does not cover the at least one groove of the first bonding surface and the at least one groove of the second bonding surface (See Fig. 1).
Re: claim 2, Dongyoon et al. teaches wherein the at least one groove (P1 on 5) of the first bonding surface (5) are each arranged opposite (See Fig. 1) the at least one groove (P1 on 6) of the second bonding surface (6).
Re: claim 3, Dongyoon et al. teaches wherein the at least one groove (P1 on 5) of the first bonding surface (P2 on 5) is formed having a U-shape (See Fig. 1) in a manner such that on a surface opposite (6) to the first bonding surface (P2 on 5) in a region of the at least one groove (P1 on 6), the surface has an elevation oriented away from the first bonding surface (See Fig. 1 – Both P1 on 5 and P1 on 6 are elevated away from one another).
Re: claim 4, Dongyoon et al. teaches wherein the at least one groove (P1 on 6) of the second bonding surface (P2 on 6) is formed having a U-shape (See Fig. 1) in a manner such that on a surface opposite (5) to the second bonding surface (P2 on 6) in a region of the at least one groove (P1 on 5), the surface has an elevation oriented away from the second bonding surface (See Fig. 1 – Both P1 on 5 and P1 on 6 are elevated away from one another).
Re: claim 6, Dongyoon et al. teaches wherein the motor vehicle component (Fig. 1) comprises a sill (Fig. 1 – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6).
Re: claim 7, Dongyoon et al. teaches a motor vehicle component (Fig. 1), in particular sill (Fig. 1 – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6), comprising: a first profile (Fig. 1 – 5) have a first bonding surface (P2 on 5) with a plurality of grooves (P1 on 5); and a second profile (6) have a second bonding surface (P2 on 6) with a plurality of grooves (P1 on 6), wherein the first bonding surface (P2 on 5) and the second bonding surface (P2 on 6) are adhesively bonded (B) in a manner that covers the first bonding surface and the second bonding surface in non-grooved regions and does not cover the grooves of the first bonding surface and the grooves of the second bonding surface (See Fig. 1).
Re: claim 8, Dongyoon et al. teaches wherein the grooves (P1 on 5) of the first bonding surface (P2 on 5) are oriented parallel to one another (See Fig. 1).
Re: claim 9, Dongyoon et al. teaches wherein the grooves (P1 on 6) of the second bonding surface (P2 on 6) are oriented parallel to one another (See Fig. 1).
Re: claim 10, Dongyoon et al. teaches wherein the grooves (P1 on 5) of the first bonding surface (P2 on 5) are each arranged opposite the grooves (P1 on 6) of the second bonding surface (P2 on 6) (See Fig. 1).
Re: claim 11, Dongyoon et al. teaches wherein the grooves (P1 on 5) of the first bonding surface (P2 on 5) is formed having a U-shape (See Fig. 1) in a manner such that on a surface opposite (6) to the first bonding surface (P2 on 5) in a region of the grooves (P1 on 6), the surface has an elevation oriented away from the first bonding surface (See Fig. 1 – Both P1 on 5 and P1 on 6 are elevated away from one another).
Re: claim 12, Dongyoon et al. teaches wherein the grooves (P1 on 6) of the second bonding surface (P2 on 6) is formed having a U-shape (See Fig. 1) in a manner such that on a surface opposite (5) to the second bonding surface (P2 on 6) in a region of the grooves (P1 on 5), the surface has an elevation oriented away from the second bonding surface (See Fig. 1 – Both P1 on 5 and P1 on 6 are elevated away from one another).
Re: claim 14, Dongyoon et al. teaches wherein the motor vehicle component (Fig. 1) comprises a sill (Fig. 1 – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6).
Re: claim 15, Dongyoon et al. teaches a method for manufacturing a motor vehicle component (Fig. 1), the method comprising: providing a first profile (5) have a first bonding surface (P2 on 5) with at least one groove (P1 on 5), and a second profile (6) have a second bonding surface (P2 on 6) with at least one groove (P1 on 6); applying an adhesive (B) to the first bonding surface (P2 on 5) of the first profile (5) and/or to the second bonding surface (P2 on 6) of the second profile (6); pressing the first profile and the second profile together so that the adhesive completely covers the first bonding surface of the first profile in non-grooved regions and does not cover the first bonding surface in the grooved regions, and also completely covers the second bonding surface of the second profile in non-grooved regions and does not cover the second bonding surface in the grooved regions (See Fig. 3 for construction/installation and final product).
Re: claim 16, Dongyoon et al. teaches further comprising arranging the at least one groove (P1 on 5) of the first bonding surface (P2 on 5) opposite the at least one groove (P1 on 6) of the second bonding surface (P2 on 6) (See Fig. 1).
Re: claim 17, Dongyoon et al. teaches wherein the at least one groove (P1 on 5) of the first bonding surface (P2 on 5) is formed having a U-shape (See Fig. 1) in a manner such that on a surface opposite (6) to the first bonding surface (P2 on 5) in a region of the at least one groove (P1 on 6), the surface has an elevation oriented away from the first bonding surface (See Fig. 1 – Both P1 on 5 and P1 on 6 are elevated away from one another).
Re: claim 18, Dongyoon et al. teaches wherein the at least one groove (P1 on 6) of the second bonding surface (P2 on 6) is formed having a U-shape (See Fig. 1) in a manner such that on a surface opposite (5) to the second bonding surface (P2 on 6) in a region of the at least one groove (P1 on 5), the surface has an elevation oriented away from the second bonding surface (See Fig. 1 – Both P1 on 5 and P1 on 6 are elevated away from one another).
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.
Claim(s) 5, 13, and 19-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dongyoon et al. in view of Hofer (Patent No. 10,407,106).
Re: claim 5, Dongyoon et al. teaches a first profile (5) and a second profile (6). Dongyoon et al. is silent to the profiles being extruded.
However, Hofer teaches a profile (Fig. 1 - 1) being extruded (Col. 4 – lines 28-30).
Dongyoon et al. and Hofer are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same field of vehicle sills. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before to the effective filing date of the given invention to modify Dongyoon et al.’s profiles with those of Hofer’s extrusion method for the advantage of reducing the cost of construction and reducing material waste.
Re: claim 13, Dongyoon et al. teaches a first profile (5) and a second profile (6). Dongyoon et al. is silent to the profiles being extruded.
However, Hofer teaches a profile (Fig. 1 - 1) being extruded (Col. 4 – lines 28-30).
Dongyoon et al. and Hofer are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same field of vehicle sills. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before to the effective filing date of the given invention to modify Dongyoon et al.’s profiles with those of Hofer’s extrusion method for the advantage of reducing the cost of construction and reducing material waste.
Re: claim 19, Dongyoon et al. is silent on further comprising forming the first profile via a continuous extrusion process. However, Hofer teaches forming a profile (Fig. 1 – 1) via a continuous extrusion process (Col. 4 – lines 28-30).
Dongyoon et al. and Hofer are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same field of vehicle sills. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before to the effective filing date of the given invention to modify Dongyoon et al.’s first profile with those of Hofer’s extrusion method for the advantage of reducing the cost of construction and reducing material waste.
Re: claim 20, Dongyoon et al. is silent on further comprising forming the second profile via a continuous extrusion process. However, Hofer teaches forming a profile (Fig. 1 – 1) via a continuous extrusion process (Col. 4 – lines 28-30).
Dongyoon et al. and Hofer are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because both are in the same field of vehicle sills. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before to the effective filing date of the given invention to modify Dongyoon et al.’s second profile with those of Hofer’s extrusion method for the advantage of reducing the cost of construction and reducing material waste.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Mori (Patent No. 9,045,175) discloses a vehicle body rocker structure.
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/PHILIP CHARLES ADAMS/Examiner, Art Unit 3612
/AMY R WEISBERG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3612