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 CORRESPONDENCE
This is the first Office Action on the merits of Application 18/594,542 filed on 3/4/24. Claims 1-20 are pending.
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.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent 10,549,620 to Maier.
Claims 1 & 17
Maier discloses in Figs 1-7,
An apparatus, comprising: an elongated cross member (e.g. 206 or 208); a first sleeve (e.g. 214) coupled with a first end portion of the elongated cross member and configured to couple with a vehicle (e.g. 100); and a second sleeve (see Fig 2, end adjacent 110 or alternatively driver’s side with identical sleeve) coupled with a second end portion of the elongated cross member and configured to couple with the vehicle.
Maier discloses ribs (e.g. 210) that enhance the cross member but does not explicitly disclose that the ribs are inserts that are inserted into the cross member. It would have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the claims were effectively filed to make the ribs insertable into a cross member for the benefit of simplifying the manufacturing process of a cross member and inserting a desired number of ribs to meet strength requirements while minimizing weight.
Claims 2 & 18
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the structural insert is a first structural insert, comprising: the first structural insert disposed at a first end of the elongated cross member; and a second structural insert disposed at a second end of the elongated cross member (as modified, the ribs 210 would be inserted on either end).
Claims 3 & 19
The apparatus of claim 1, comprising: the structural insert comprising a plurality of ribs (e.g. 210, see Fig 3).
Claims 4 & 20
Maier does not explicitly disclose that the structural insert comprising a first rib, a second rib, and a third rib, wherein a distance between the first rib and the second rib is greater than the distance between the second rib and the third rib. It would have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the claims were effectively filed to have the structural insert comprising a first rib, a second rib, and a third rib, wherein a distance between the first rib and the second rib is greater than the distance between the second rib and the third rib, since it has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art. In re Boesch, 617 F.2d 272, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980).
Claim 5
It would have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the claims were effectively filed to use an adhesive for structural insert, since it is a known technique for fixing two elements together.
Claim 6
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the elongated cross member is configured to couple with a battery pack (Column 8, lines 24-48, battery 104 mounted underneath beams 206 and 208 via fasteners).
Claim 7
The apparatus of claim 1, comprising: a floor engagement feature (Fig. 3, beams secured to the floor 106) to secure the apparatus to the floor of the vehicle.
Claim 8
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the apparatus is configured to be positioned underneath a seat of the vehicle (Fig. 3, seats attached to rail 164).
Claim 9
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the first sleeve or the second sleeve is configured to attach to a door frame of the vehicle (Fig. 4, 214 attached to 124 and the door frame of Fig 3).
Claim 10
The apparatus of claim 1, comprising: a third sleeve (e.g. 110) coupled with the elongated cross member and configured to couple with a vehicle, wherein the third sleeve provides an attachment point (e.g. 110 connects the cross beam 206 with the firewall 112 of vehicle) between the apparatus and the vehicle.
Claim 11
Maier discloses in Figs 1-7,
A method, comprising: coupling a first sleeve (e.g. 214) with a first end portion of the elongated cross member (e.g. 206 or 208), the first sleeve configured to couple with a vehicle (e.g. 100); and coupling a second sleeve (see Fig 2, end adjacent 110 or alternatively driver’s side with identical sleeve) with a second end portion of the elongated cross member, the second sleeve configured to couple with the vehicle.
Maier discloses ribs (e.g. 210) that enhance the cross member but does not explicitly disclose that the ribs are inserts that are inserted into the cross member. It would have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the claims were effectively filed to make the ribs insertable into a cross member for the benefit of simplifying the manufacturing process of a cross member and inserting a desired number of ribs to meet strength requirements while minimizing weight.
Claim 12
The method of claim 11, comprising: the structural insert comprising a plurality of ribs (e.g. 210).
Claim 13
The method of claim 11, comprising: inserting at least one of the first sleeve or the second sleeve (e.g. 214) into the elongated cross member.
Claim 14
The method of claim 11, comprising: coupling the elongated cross member with a battery pack (Column 8, lines 24-48, battery 104 mounted underneath beams 206 and 208 via fasteners).
Claim 15
The method of claim 11, comprising: attaching at least one of the first sleeve or the second sleeve to a door frame of the vehicle (Fig. 4, 214 attached to 124 and the door frame of Fig 3).
Claim 16
The method of claim 11, comprising: coupling a third sleeve (e.g. 110) with the elongated cross member, the third sleeve including an attachment point between an apparatus and the vehicle (e.g. 110 connects the cross beam 206 with the firewall 112 of vehicle)
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HUAN LE whose telephone number is (571)270-3122. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Friday 9:00am - 5:00pm PST.
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/HUAN LE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3655
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