Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 01, 2026
Application No. 18/631,071

VEHICLE BOTTOM STRUCTURE

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Apr 10, 2024
Priority
Jun 07, 2023 — CN 202310667582.8
Examiner
ZHUO, WENWEI
Art Unit
3612
Tech Center
3600 — Transportation & Electronic Commerce
Assignee
Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
79%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
86%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 79% — above average
79%
Career Allowance Rate
228 granted / 288 resolved
+27.2% vs TC avg
Moderate +7% lift
Without
With
+7.2%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 5m
Avg Prosecution
28 currently pending
Career history
309
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.5%
-39.5% vs TC avg
§103
51.3%
+11.3% vs TC avg
§102
22.0%
-18.0% vs TC avg
§112
24.1%
-15.9% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 288 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
CTNF 18/631,071 CTNF 96346 DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. Priority 02-26 AIA Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 07-07-aia AIA 07-07 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 – 07-08-aia AIA (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. 07-12-aia AIA (a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. 07-15 AIA Claim s 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102( a)(1 ) as being anticipated by Gonzalez (US 20140130658 A1) . Regarding claim 1, Gonzalez discloses a vehicle bottom structure (Fig. 3-4) comprising: a floor panel (32 in Fig. 3), and an undercover (Fig. 2) that covers a lower side of the floor panel in a vehicle up-down direction (Fig. 3 and paragraph 23, undercover is directly beneath floor), the undercover comprising: a bottom plate (Fig. 2 and paragraph 23) disposed on an outer side in the vehicle bottom structure (Fig. 3 and paragraph 23, attached below the vehicle bottom structure 20); and a reinforcement member (40 in Fig. 2) disposed at a position between the bottom plate and the floor panel (Fig. 3) in the vehicle up-down direction and close to a central side (Fig. 2, near the width center) of the bottom plate in a vehicle width direction, wherein the reinforcement member extends along a vehicle front-rear direction (Fig. 2). Regarding claim 2, Gonzalez discloses the vehicle bottom structure according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle bottom structure further comprises a drive device (Fig. 6 and paragraph 27, transmission, motor, batteries) and a transmission shaft (64 in Fig. 6 and paragraph 27), and the drive device and the transmission shaft are disposed inside the undercover (Fig. 6) and close to an inner side in the vehicle front-rear direction (Fig. 6, at least drive device 60 and shaft transmission shaft 64 are on the inner side), and the undercover further comprises a drive device contact part (38 in Fig. 6 next to drive device 60) and a transmission shaft contact part (Fig. 6, another one of the members 40 next to shaft 64, or the brackets supporting 62, indirectly contacts shaft), the drive device contact part and the transmission shaft contact part are disposed at positions close to the drive device and the transmission shaft (Fig. 6 and 2), and an interior of the undercover is formed into a recessed shape (Fig. 2) corresponding to the drive device and the transmission shaft. Regarding claim 3, Gonzalez discloses the vehicle bottom structure according to claim 2, wherein the undercover further comprises a drive device cover part (34 in Fig. 2) that covers a lower part of the drive device in the vehicle up-down direction (Fig. 2 and 6, 34 would be in the center same as the drive device), and the drive device cover part extends along the vehicle front-rear direction (Fig. 2). Regarding claim 4, Gonzalez discloses the vehicle bottom structure according to claim 1, wherein the undercover is a honeycomb structure (Fig. 5, at least part of the undercover has a honeycomb structure) . Conclusion 07-96 AIA The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The cited references that are not relied upon all disclose vehicle undercovers . Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Wenwei Zhuo whose telephone number is (571)272-5564. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. EST. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Vivek Koppikar can be reached at (571) 272-5109. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /WENWEI ZHUO/Examiner, Art Unit 3612 Application/Control Number: 18/631,071 Page 2 Art Unit: 3612 Application/Control Number: 18/631,071 Page 3 Art Unit: 3612 Application/Control Number: 18/631,071 Page 4 Art Unit: 3612
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Apr 10, 2024
Application Filed
Mar 25, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
79%
Grant Probability
86%
With Interview (+7.2%)
2y 5m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 288 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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