DETAILED ACTION
The preliminary amendments filed 06/24/2026 have been entered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
(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.
Claims 1, 4-5 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Gibeau et al. (WO2020225766).
Regarding claim 1, Gibeau discloses an internal structure of a side sill, comprising: an outer member (10) extending in a front-rear direction of an automotive body and having a hat-shaped cross section that is open toward an inside of a vehicle in a width direction of the automotive body (fig 2); an inner member (68) having a hat-shaped cross section that is open toward an outside of the vehicle in the width direction of the automotive body (fig 2); a closed cross-sectional structure (closed cross-sectional structure created by joining 10 and 68, fig 2) formed by joining an end portion of each of the outer member and the inner member on an upper side of the automotive body and an end portion of each of the outer member and the inner member on a lower side of the automotive body while an open side of the outer member and an open side of the inner member facing each other (fig 2); a connecting member (12) disposed so as to connect the end portion of each of the outer member and the inner member on the upper side of the automotive body and the end portion of each of the outer member and the inner member on the lower side of the automotive body (fig 2); and a collision energy-absorbing member configured to absorb collision energy while transmitting a crashworthiness load input to the outer member to the inner member side, the collision energy-absorbing member including: a pair of first collision energy-absorbing members (104, 108) configured to form a linear load transfer path inclined with respect to a horizontal plane of the automotive body to transmit the crashworthiness load input to the outer member toward a corner portion of the inner member in both an upper direction of the automotive body and a lower direction of the automotive body or a vicinity of the corner portion, and absorb the collision energy (fig 2); and a second collision energy-absorbing member (100,112) disposed in the first collision energy-absorbing member on each of an upper side of the automotive body and a lower side of the automotive body (fig 20, and configured to connect the inner member and the connecting member or the end portion, and absorb the collision energy (fig 2);
the collision energy-absorbing member is formed by bending one plate member (88), and is a member in which the first collision energy-absorbing member and the second collision energy-absorbing member are integrated (fig 2), and the first collision energy-absorbing member (104, 108) has a hat-shaped cross section that is open toward the inside of the vehicle in the width direction of the automotive body (fig 2), and includes a pair of vertical wall portions (portions of 104 and 108 inclined with respect to horizontal plane) inclined with respect to the horizontal plane of the automotive body (fig 2).
Regarding claim 4, the second collision energy-absorbing member includes two members having a hat- shaped cross section (100,112) that are open toward the outside of the vehicle in the width direction of the automotive body and arranged side by side in a vertical direction of the automotive body (fig 2), two vertical wall portions (110, 90) on a center side in the vertical direction of the automotive body (fig 2), among vertical wall portions of the two members having a hat-shaped cross section, form a part of the first collision energy-absorbing member (fig 2), and two vertical wall portions on the upper direction of the automotive body and the lower direction of the automotive body, among the vertical wall portions of the two members having a hat-shaped cross section, form the second collision energy-absorbing member (fig 2).
Regarding claim 5, Gibeau further discloses that the connecting member is made of one plate member (12), and is joined to the first collision energy-absorbing member to divide the load transfer path into the outer member side and the inner member side (fig 2).
Regarding claim 7, Gibeau further discloses that the first collision energy-absorbing member (104, 108) has a groove-shaped portion (groove @ 104, 108, fig 3) formed along the load transfer path (fig 3).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 6 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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
The applicant states that the plate member for the walls 104, 108 is not the same plate member for the contact portion 110, 112. The Examiner respectfully disagrees. In fact, fig 2 clearly shows that 104, 108, 110, and 112 are part of the same plate.
Conclusion
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANY E AKAKPO whose telephone number is (469)295-9255. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am - 5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Nicole Coy can be reached on (571) 272-5405. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DANY E AKAKPO/Examiner, Art Unit 3672
09/22/2026
