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 .
Status of Claims
This action is in reply to the Applicant’s claims, filed on 07/15/2026.
Claim 1 has been amended.
Claim 3 has been cancelled.
Claim 6 has been added.
Claims 1-2 and 4-6 are currently pending and have been examined.
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed 07/15/2026 has been entered. Claims 1-2 and 4-6 remain pending in the application. Applicant’s amendments to the specification and claims have overcome each objection and rejection previously set forth in the Non-Final Office Action filed 07/15/2026.
Regarding the previously presented prior art rejections of claims 1-2 and 4-5, Applicant argues that Tanaka fails to disclose a cross member defined by the newly amended limitations. Examiner finds this argument persuasive, therefore the rejections have been withdrawn.
However, upon further consideration, the amendments raise new issues and a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Kano as shown below.
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 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kano et al. (US9,623,911) in view of Shigihara (US9,227,669).
Claim 1. Kano discloses: A lower vehicle body structure (Fig. 1) comprising:
a pair of side frames extending substantially in a vehicle body front-rear direction at a rear side or a front side of a center in the vehicle body front-rear direction (23 rear sides, Fig. 1);
a cross member connected to the pair of side frames (structure of 1 sub frame is coupled to 23, Fig. 1, 3); and
a floor panel structure joined to the pair of side frames and the cross member (implicit floor panel coupled to 24 floor side members, 25 rear floor cross member, 1 and 23; Fig. 1), wherein
the cross member includes a central extension potion extending in a vehicle width direction (structure of 12 sub frame center member and 14 sub frame cross member, Fig. 3), and,
a pair of inclined extension portions (11 sub frame side members, Fig. 3) that are a part of the cross member (structure of 1, Fig. 1, 3) bent at an obtuse angle and extending from both end parts of a central region in a vehicle width direction toward a center side (Examiner is reading “center side” as a direction toward the front of the vehicle as recited in para [0028]) in the vehicle body front-rear direction (11 angled toward the center of the vehicle, Fig. 3).
Kano does not recite: the floor panel structure includes a reinforcing bead extending from a position on an outer side of the cross member in the vehicle body front-rear direction toward the center side in the vehicle body front-rear direction to be in contact with the cross member, and the reinforcing bead extends to a position that does not reach a joint portion of the cross member with the floor panel structure on the center side in the vehicle body front-rear direction.
Shigihara discloses a bead portion that is formed in the rear floor panel while having a lengthwise direction of the vehicle body that extends to an installation region of the rear crossmember.
Shigihara teaches: the floor panel structure (10 floor panels Fig. 1) includes a reinforcing bead (50 bead, Fig. 1) extending from a position on an outer side of the cross member (20 cross member, Fig. 1) in the vehicle body front-rear direction toward the center side in the vehicle body front-rear direction (50 extends from the rear toward the center of the body) to be in contact with the cross member (50 contact 20, Fig. 1), and the reinforcing bead extends to a position that does not reach a joint portion of the cross member with the floor panel structure on the center side (joint of 21a, 22a and 10 at the front of 23, Fig. 2) in the vehicle body front-rear direction (50 does not abut to a front side joint between the 21a, 22a and 10, Fig. 1-2).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the lower body structure of Kano by including the reinforcing bead as taught by Shigihara with a reasonable expectation of success in order improve the rigidity of the floor panel and control vibration as taught by Shigihara (Col. 1, lines 41-61).
Claim 4. Kano in view of Shigihara teaches: The lower vehicle body structure according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing bead extends to the center side in the vehicle body front-rear direction beyond the joint portion of the cross member with the floor panel structure on an outer side in the vehicle body front-rear direction (Shigihara: 50 extends toward the front side of 20 past the rear side joint of 20 and 11; Fig. 2).
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kano et al. (US9,623,911) in view of Shigihara (US9,227,669) and further in view of Funk et al (US6,382,710).
Claim 2. Kano in view of Shigihara teach: The lower vehicle body structure according to claim 1.
Kano in view of Shigihara does not teach: an installation portion of a part disposed below a vehicle body is fixed to the central region of the cross member, and the reinforcing bead is disposed at a position intersecting the installation portion in the vehicle width direction.
Funk discloses a connection element coupled to the cross member coupling to a drive shaft.
Funk teaches: an installation portion (18 screw connections, Fig. 1-2) of a part (12 connecting element, Fig. 1-2) disposed below a vehicle body (Fig. 1-2) is fixed to the central region of the cross member (12 is coupled to the central region of 10 and 11 cross members, Fig. 1-2).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the lower body structure of Kano in view of Shigihara by including the centralized connection element as taught by Funk with a reasonable expectation of success in order couple a drive shaft to the cross member as taught by Funk (Fig. 1-3).
Regarding the limitation: the reinforcing bead is disposed at a position intersecting the installation portion in the vehicle width direction, Kano in view of Shigihara and further in view of Funk is silent. However, Kano in view of Shigihara teaches the bead intersects the cross member at the center (Shigihara: Fig. 1). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have the bead of Kano in view of Shigihara intersecting the screw connections as taught by Funk with a reasonable expectation of success in order to reinforce the location of a load bearing connection as instantly claimed based on choosing from a finite number of identified, predictable solutions, with a reasonable expectation of success. KSR Int'l Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 415-421, 82 USPQ2d 1385, 1395-97 (2007).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim 6 is allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Claim 6 reads on a apparatus for a lower body structure comprising a pair of side frames, a cross member with angled extensions, a floor panel including a reinforcement bead, an installation portion of a part disposed below body and fixed to the central member of the cross member wherein the installation portion straddles a bent portion between the central member and each of the angular members of the cross member.
The claimed invention has been examined in light of prior art, including relevant searches of published patent documents, non-patent literature and other sources. Based upon this examination, no prior art has been identified that discloses or teaches the claimed invention in its entirety.
Specifically, none of the references disclosed in the prior art show or suggest the combination of an installation portion of a part disposed below body and fixed to the central member of the cross member wherein the installation portion straddles a bent portion between the central member and each of the angular members of the cross member. Therefore, these limitations in combination with the remainder of the claim, is deemed allowable.
For example, Kano in view of Shigihara and further in view of Funk discloses a lower body structure comprising a pair of side frames, a cross member with angled extensions, a floor panel including a reinforcement bead, and an installation portion of a part disposed below body and fixed to the central member of the cross member. The prior art references do not disclose the installation portion straddles a bent portion between the central member and each of the angular members of the cross member. The unique combination of elements recited in the claims results in a new and non-obvious solution that is not anticipated or rendered obvious by the cited references.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Daniel Craig whose telephone number is (571)270-0747. The examiner can normally be reached M-Thurs 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM CST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Tara Schimpf can be reached at (571)270-7741. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DANIEL T CRAIG/Examiner, Art Unit 3676
/TARA SCHIMPF/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3676
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