DETAILED ACTION
This action is in response to applicant's amendment received on 3/18/2026. New claims 28-29 are acknowledged and the following new grounds of rejection below are formulated.
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)(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.
Claim(s) 14-23, 25, and 27 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Fan (CN 205097915), hereinafter “Fan”.
Regarding claim 14, Fan discloses a motor vehicle, comprising: a body (shown in figure 1); and a drive energy accumulator (101), wherein the body has a floor assembly (202 and 203) with a left-hand longitudinal beam and a right-hand longitudinal beam (abstract), the drive energy accumulator has a drive energy accumulator housing (102), the drive energy accumulator housing is installed on the floor assembly from below (abstract), and the installed drive energy accumulator housing forms at least part of a floor of the floor assembly (shown in figure 1).
Regarding claim 15, Fan discloses the motor vehicle according to claim 14, wherein the drive energy accumulator housing (102) and the floor assembly interactively form a fluid-tight floor of a passenger compartment of the motor vehicle (inherent that a liquid would not leak from passenger compartment through the floor), the fluid-tightness of the floor of the passenger compartment is effected only by interaction of the drive energy accumulator housing (102) and the floor assembly (202 and 203, abstract).
Regarding claim 16, Fan discloses the motor vehicle according to claim 14, wherein the drive energy accumulator housing (102) has a peripheral sealing flange with a continuously peripheral sealing surface for sealing the drive energy accumulator housing with respect to the floor assembly (shown in figure 3).
Regarding claim 17, Fan discloses the motor vehicle according to claim 14, wherein the floor assembly has a front cross beam structure (202) and a rear cross beam structure (203), the drive energy accumulator housing is installed on the left-hand longitudinal beam and on the right-hand longitudinal beam as well as on the front cross beam structure and on the rear cross beam structure (shown in figure 1, abstract).
Regarding claim 18, Fan discloses the motor vehicle according to claim 17, wherein the floor assembly has, between the front cross beam structure (202) and the rear cross beam structure (203), at least one further cross beam (201) which is connected to the left-hand longitudinal beam and/or the right-hand longitudinal beam (shown in figure 1),
Regarding claim 19, Fan discloses the motor vehicle according to claim 18, wherein the further crossbeam is a seat cross beam and/or a heel plate cross beam.
Regarding claim 20, Fan discloses the motor vehicle according to claim 18, wherein the drive energy accumulator housing (102) is installed on the further cross beam (201) via a screw connection (3), and/or the drive energy accumulator housing is adhesively bonded to the further cross beam.
Regarding claim 21, Fan discloses the motor vehicle according to claim 17, wherein the floor assembly does not have a floor plate between the front cross beam structure (202) and the rear cross beam structure (203) or between the front cross beam structure and a further cross beam, whereby a large region of the floor assembly has an open form (shown in figure 1).
Regarding claim 22, Fan discloses the motor vehicle according to claim 21, wherein 40% to 85% of a surface area between the right-hand longitudinal beam and the left- hand longitudinal beam, as well as between the front cross beam structure and the rear cross beam structure, has an open form (shown in figure 1). Figure 1 shows that there are large open areas where the battery would connect to the beans 202, 201, and 203 and it shows that at least 40% is open area.
Regarding claim 23, Fan discloses the motor vehicle according to claim 14, wherein an upper wall (wall of 101) of the drive energy accumulator housing is formed as a heat exchanger for controlling a temperature of the drive energy accumulator, and the upper wall of the drive energy accumulator housing is formed additionally as a heat exchanger for controlling the temperature of the passenger compartment. Examiner notes that the battery would inherently work as a heat exchanger for the passenger compartment since no floor is in between the passenger compartment and the battery. Therefore, passenger compartment would work as a heat sink for the battery and the battery would work as a heat emitter for the passenger compartment.
Regarding claim 25, Fan discloses the motor vehicle according to claim 14, wherein an upper side of the drive energy accumulator housing (102) has an essentially planar form (shown in figure 3).
Regarding claim 27, Fan discloses the motor vehicle according to claim 14, wherein the drive energy accumulator is connected to the floor assembly so as to increase a strength of the body when the motor vehicle is being driven and so as to increase a strength of the body for a case where the vehicle is subject to an impact (shown in figure 1). Examiner notes that the battery pack and housing (102) would inherently increase the rigidity of the vehicle during an impact at least to some degree.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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) 26 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fan.
Regarding claim 26, Fan discloses the claimed invention such as the upper housing part having a flange (shown in figure 3), but is silent to disclose the lower housing part having a flange. It would have been an obvious matter of design choice to provide the lower housing part to have a flange, since applicant has not disclosed that such a configuration solves any stated problem or is for any particular purpose and it appears that the invention would perform equally well without the flange and through any sort of attachment means.
Claim(s) 24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fan in view of Okada et al. (U.S. Publication 20100081041), hereinafter “Okada”.
Regarding claim 24, Fan discloses the same invention substantially as claimed but is silent to disclose an additional housing arranged on the battery housing that holds the electrical/electronics system. However, Okada teaches the use of an additional electronic component case (40) attached to the battery block (2, paragraphs 52 and 54) for the purpose of reducing space. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Fan by incorporating attaching the electronics component casing to the battery casing as taught by Okada for the purpose of reducing space.
Claim(s) 28-29 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fan in view of Schilling (U.S. Publication 20247/0010063), hereinafter “Schilling” and further in view of Danneberg (U.S. Publication 2022/0250459), hereinafter “Danneberg”.
Regarding claim 28, Fan discloses the same invention substantially as claimed except for the floor assembly not having a floor plate and the battery housing extending from the front cross beam to the rear cross beam so as to extend underneath a rearmost seat. However, Schilling teaches the use of the floor assembly not having a floor plate but the battery housing upper parts (6) being provided as the direct floor in between the floor cross beams (2, paragraphs 36-37) for the purpose of providing a reduction in parts used. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Fan by incorporating a no floor plate assembly and having the battery housing be the floor as taught by Schilling for the purpose of providing a reduction in parts used.
Fan and Schilling disclose the same invention substantially as claimed except for the battery housing extending from the front cross beam to the rear cross beam so as to extend underneath a rearmost seat. However, Danneberg teaches the use of the battery housing (16 and 17) extending from the front cross beam to the rear cross beam (crossbeam behind 14) so as to extend underneath a rearmost seat (shown in figure 1, paragraph 38) for the purpose of providing a larger battery to allow for longer driving range. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Fan and Schilling by incorporating a battery that extends all the way up to the rearmost seat as taught by Danneberg for the purpose of providing a larger battery to allow for longer driving range.
Regarding claim 29, Fan, Schilling, and Danneberg disclose the motor vehicle according to claim 14, wherein the floor assembly has, between a front cross beam structure and a rear cross beam structure, at least one further cross beam therebetween which is connected to the left-hand longitudinal beam and/or the right-hand longitudinal beam, the further crossbeam is a heel plate cross beam (Dannenberg, 14), and the drive energy accumulator housing (Danneberg, 16 and 17) extends from the front cross beam structure to the rear cross beam structure (Danneberg, shown in figure 1).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed on 3/18/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant argues that Fan does not teach that the installed energy accumulator housing forms at least part of a floor of the floor assembly and that nothing in Fan shows openings between cross-beams. However, Fan teaches (1) as the power cell assembly that includes the battery within the cover. As shown in figure 3, it is still part of the floor since it is attached to the floor. The claim does not state that there has to be only one floor panel. Therefor arguments with respect to claims 14-27 are not persuasive.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 28-29 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejections relies on the new art of Schilling and Danneberg.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Refer to PTO-892.
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.
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/SYED O HASAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3747 5/26/2026
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