9DETAILED 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. 18/520,055, filed on 11/27/2023. Claim 1 is currently pending and has been examined. Claim 1 has been rejected as follows.
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.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hidefumi (JP 3707707 B2) in view of Jeong et al (US 2023/0339552).
Regarding claim 1, Hidefumi discloses a vehicle-body front structure (Fig. 1, [0009]) comprising a toe board (1, Fig. 1) interposed ([0007], lines 1-2) between a vehicle-body front part (frame 2 front engine area, Fig. 1) and a vehicle interior (behind windshield/passenger compartment area, Fig. 1) in a vehicle (Fig. 1) and comprising an upper toe board (11, Fig. 2A/B-3; [0010], lines 1-3) disposed on an upper side of the vehicle and a lower toe board (12, Fig. 2A/B-3; [0010], lines 1-3) disposed on a lower side of the vehicle, the upper toe board (11, Fig. 2A/B-3) and the lower toe board (12, Fig. 2A/B-3) being joined to each other with a vehicle lower-side edge (11 near 2b, Fig. 2B & 3) of the upper toe board (11, Fig. 2B & 3) overlapping ([0010], lines 3-5) a vehicle upper-side edge (12 near 2a, Fig. 2B & 3) of the lower toe board (12, Fig. 2B & 3); main frames (2, Fig. 1) provided on opposite sides of the vehicle-body front part in a vehicle width direction (2, Fig. 1) of the vehicle and extending in a vehicle front-rear direction (2, Fig. 1) of the vehicle; and front pillars (Fig. 1) extending in a vehicle up-down direction of the vehicle on opposite outer sides of the toe board (1, Fig. 1) in the vehicle width direction, wherein the toe board (1, Fig. 2A) has a closed cross section (13, Fig. 2A/B-3) at a position where the upper toe board (11, Fig. 2A/B-3) and the lower toe board (12, Fig. 2A/B-3) are overlapped (12a, Fig. 2A/B-3; [0011]) with each other, the closed cross section (13, Fig. 2A/B-3) having an area larger (13, Fig. 2A) than a cross-sectional area of a welding joint (at left & right flanges 2c, Fig. 2A; [0012], lines 4-10) between one of the main frames (2, Fig. 2A) and the toe board (1, Fig. 2A), protruding (12a, Fig. 2B & 3) in the vehicle front-rear direction, and extending toward the opposite sides (toward 14, Fig. 2A), the closed cross section (13, Fig. 2A) comprises opposite ends in the vehicle width direction being joined to wheelhouse portions (14, Fig. 1 & 2A), and the main frames (2, Fig. 2A/B-3) are joined (2c, Fig. 2A) to the toe board (1, Fig. 2A/B-3) at positions overlapping the closed cross section (13, Fig. 2A/B-3) in a vehicle front view (Fig. 2A) of the vehicle. However, Hidefumi does not expressly disclose the closed cross section opposite ends in the vehicle width direction being joined to the front pillars.
Jeong et al teaches a toe board (1, Fig. 1) with a closed cross section (3, Fig. 1) having opposite ends in the vehicle width direction being joined to the vehicle front pillars (19, Fig. 1) in the analogous field of the claimed invention of vehicle body front structures.
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 closed cross section by providing attachment to the vehicle pillars as taught by Jeong et al. Doing so would improve strength and rigidity of the vehicle front frame and dash, especially under compressive force from a collision load. Collision performance, durability performance, and noise vibration harshness of the vehicle would be maximized ([0010]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Terada (US 2024/0166272) discloses a toe board panel (3, Fig. 3) with upper (3a) and lower (3b) toe boards having a closed cross section (14) that extends along the vehicle width and is joined to front pillars (5 via 9). Muller et al (US Patent No. 3,321,235) discloses a toe board panel (2, Fig. 1), closed cross section (4), frames (1’, 1’’) and pillars (6). Utsunomiya (US 2010/0140978) discloses a toe board panel (1, Fig. 1) with upper (5) and lower (6) toe boards having a closed cross section (4) and frames (2).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Denise L Esquivel whose telephone number is (703)756-5825. The examiner can normally be reached Monday- Thursday 7:30 am-5:00 pm, alternate Fridays 7:30 am-4:00 pm.
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/D.L.E./Examiner, Art Unit 3612
/AMY R WEISBERG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3612