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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This Office action is in response to the amendment filed on April 27, 2026. Claims 1-13 are currently pending with claims 1, 3, 4, 6, and 13 being amended.
Response to Amendments and Arguments
The amendments to the claims overcome the claim objections set forth in the previous Office action.
The amendments to the claims overcome the claim rejections under 35 USC 112(b) set forth in the previous Office action.
The amendments to claim 1 overcomes the claim rejections under 35 USC 102 and 103 set forth in the previous Office action. Consequently, the 35 USC 102 and 103 rejections against claims 1-2, and 6-12 are withdrawn.
The amendments to claim 13 do not overcome the 35 USC 103 rejection of claim 13. Applicant argues that incorporating language from claim 4 into claim 13 renders claim 13 allowable. The limitations of claim 4 are taught by Choi US 2005/0258630. See the detailed rejection below. It is the incorporation of all of claim 2 along with claim 4 that would render claim 13 allowable.
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) 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi US 2005/0258630, previously cited.
Claim 13, Choi discloses
A vehicle (see Abstract and Figs. )comprising:
a vehicle body frame (see Abstract); and
a mounting device for a liquified petroleum gas (LPG) storage tank (20), wherein the mounting device includes a storage tank mounting frame (40 )mounted at a rear position of the vehicle body frame([0015], [0016]), a plurality of mounting brackets mounted on the storage tank mounting frame (42, 50), and the LPG storage tank mounted on the plurality of mounting brackets (as shown the tank 20 is attached to the bracket assembly 42/50 which connects to frame 40 and body frame/floor) and disposed in a space below the storage tank mounting frame to be protected from collision (see the position below in Figs. 1-3b and protection from collision shown in Fig. 3b),
wherein the storage tank mounting frame (40) includes at least two first mounting frame parts (see Fig. 2, the mounting frame aka guide plates are the two first mounting frame parts, see para [0014] which describes ‘a couple of guide plates 40 are attached to the floor panel”), and wherein the plurality of mounting brackets (42/50) are mounted on the at least two first mounting frame parts at predetermined intervals (see the mounting of 42/50 to guide plates 40 in Figs. 1, 3a,b; as shown there is an interval or distance between where each of the mounting bracket assemblies 42/50 are mounted to plates 40; “predetermined interval” is interpretated as any spacing/distance that one of ordinary could choose in the process of design; the claim does not provide any specific or unique predetermination of interval spacing; also, it is implied that the storage tank 20 is supported on both sides and that too has a predetermined interval) and configured to mount the LPG storage tank (see tank 20 mounted via brackets 42/50 to guides 40).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-12 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: none of the prior art discloses or renders obvious a vehicle tank mounting device as recited in claim 1, and particularly the mounting frame details “the storage tank mounting frame has a "C"-shaped bent portion configured to avoid interference with a fuel pump mounted on an upper portion of the LPG storage tank.”
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JACOB S. SCOTT whose telephone number is (571)270-3415. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 10am-6pm.
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/JACOB S. SCOTT/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3655
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