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. 18/544,434, filed on 12/19/2023. Claims 1-5 are currently pending and have been examined. Claims 1-5 have 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.
Claims 1-2 and 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 Iwata et al (JP 2015171825 A).
Regarding claim 1, Rai et al discloses a vehicle skeleton structure (Fig. 1-2 & 4), comprising a die-cast skeleton body (115, Fig. 4; column 7, lines 31-32) formed integrally and including a floor part (165, 170, Fig. 1-2 & 4) configuring a vehicle cabin floor portion and a side member (150A/150B, Fig. 4) disposed at both sides (column 7, lines 32-34), in a vehicle width direction, of the floor part and extending in a vehicle front-rear direction. However, Rai et al does not expressly disclose a severance origin point being formed at the skeleton body, and the severance origin point configuring a starting point when at least a part of the side member is severed.
Iwata et al teaches that it is well known to have a severance origin point (notches 11 & 12, Fig. 1-4) being formed at the skeleton body rear side members (3, Fig. 1-4) in the analogous field of the claimed invention of vehicle body frames.
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 skeleton body of Rai et al to include the type of severance origin point as taught by Iwata et al. Doing so would control the bending direction of the side member in order to protect the floor portion in the event of a collision.
Regarding claim 2, Rai et al in view of Iwata et al further discloses wherein the side member (150A/150B, Fig. 4) is provided with an energy absorbing part (405A/405B, Fig. 4) configured to absorb energy by collapsing at a time of a vehicle collision (column 7, lines 44-55), and the severance origin point is formed between the energy absorbing part and the floor part (Iwata et al – notches 11 & 12 are between energy absorbing bumper stay 5 and floor panel 1).
Regarding claim 5, Rai et al in view of Iwata et al further discloses wherein the floor part (165, 170, Fig. 1-2 & 4) configures a floor portion of a rear part of the vehicle cabin (Fig. 1-2), and the side member comprises a rear side member (150A/150B, Fig. 4; column 7, lines 31-36) extending from the floor part (165, 179, Fig. 4; column 7, lines 40-43) toward a rear side (bumper, column 7, lines 34-35) of the vehicle (100, Fig. 1-2).
Claims 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nishii et al (US 2019/0176898) in view of Rai et al (US Patent No. 12,503,165).
Regarding claim 1, Nishii et al discloses a vehicle skeleton structure (200, Fig. 1), comprising a die-cast side member (20, Fig. 2; [0025], lines 5-6) disposed at both sides, in a vehicle width direction, and extending in a vehicle front-rear direction; and a severance origin point (as broadly claimed interpreted as “strength lowering portion 25”, Fig. 2; [0030]), the severance origin point being formed at the skeleton body (20, Fig. 2), and the severance origin point configuring a starting point ([0035]) when at least a part of the side member is severed (20, Fig. 6). However, Nishii et al does not expressly disclose a die-cast skeleton body formed integrally and including a floor part configuring a vehicle cabin floor portion.
Rai et al teaches that it is known to manufacture a die-cast skeleton body (110, Fig. 1-3) formed integrally and including a floor part (floor defined by side sills, Fig. 1) configuring a vehicle cabin (within 100, 105, Fig. 1) floor portion with the side member (120A/120B, Fig. 1-3) disposed at both sides (column 5, lines 51-63) in the analogous field of the claimed invention of vehicle body frames.
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 skeleton body by incorporating the die-cast manufacturing as taught by Rai et al. Doing so would provide reduced vehicle weight, faster production and improved structural rigidity.
Regarding claim 2, Nishii et al in view of Rai et al further discloses wherein the side member (20, Fig. 2 & 6) is provided with an energy absorbing part (50, Fig. 2 & 6, [0028], lines 9-13) configured to absorb energy by collapsing at a time of a vehicle collision ([0028]), and the severance origin point (25, Fig. 2) is formed between the energy absorbing part (50, Fig. 2 & 6) and the floor part (toward rear of 150, Fig. 1-2).
Regarding claim 3, Nishii et al in view of Rai et al discloses all of the claimed limitations of the invention as claimed in claim 2 above, and Nishii et al further discloses wherein a flange part (upper and lower flanges 23, 24, Fig. 2 & 4) extending from the side member (20, Fig. 2) toward an outer side in an axial direction is provided in a vicinity (near connecting portion 26, Fig. 2) of the severance origin point (25, Fig. 2; [0031]).
Regarding claim 4, Nishii et al in view of Rai et al discloses all of the claimed limitations of the invention as claimed in claim 3 above, and Nishii et al further discloses wherein an attachment hole (surrounding 45, Fig. 4) is formed at the flange part (23, 24, Fig. 4), the attachment hole (45, Fig. 4) being configured to receive a bolt (45, Fig. 4; [0032], lines 10-11) to be inserted therethrough.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Kasuga (US 2004/0119321) discloses a cast hollow front or rear side frame member for crash energy absorption. Tatsuwaki et al (US Patent No. 9,751,565) discloses side members with severance point (35) and energy absorbing part (22) in Figure 15. Sano et al (US 2001/0033094) discloses a vehicle body structure that has cutouts (21b, Fig. 8) for promoting inward bending of the rear side member (13R) due to collision impact and braces (22, 25, Fig. 10) for absorbing energy.
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/D.L.E./Examiner, Art Unit 3612
/AMY R WEISBERG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3612