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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 4-9, filed 11/7/2025, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-7 under U.S.C. 102 and 103, have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Oxley (US-20140377484-A1).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 6 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 6 line 4 recites the limitation "the upper plate". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 6 line 6 recites the limitation "the flat upper plate". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 7 is rejected by virtue of depending from claim 6.
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 5-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Oxley (US-20140377484-A1), henceforth referred to as Oxley.
Regarding claim 5, Oxley discloses a method for manufacturing an impact reinforcement component, comprising: a roll stamping operation of continuously repeating roll stamping in which a stamping roll rotates multiple times and presses a material in a longitudinal direction (Claim 1: "a roll form apparatus comprising: an uncoiler device for unrolling an elongated sheet of material from a roll of the material; an embossing device for embossing a series of crush initiating embossments into the sheet; a roll former with rolls configured to deform the sheet into a continuous tubular beam defined by walls, each wall defining a plane with some of the embossments extending from the plane in at least one of the walls"), and a flange forming operation of bending each of both ends of the material to form an end flange (Figures 1A and 2: end flange 40 formed from rolls 26 bending lateral ends of sheet 22 to form walls 28 and 30), wherein in the roll stamping operation, a plurality of bead regions are formed in the material, a middle beadless region is formed between the plurality of bead regions, and an end beadless region is formed at each of both ends (Figure 2: embossments 24 formed in crush tube 41, with a middle beadless region, and end beadless regions).
Regarding claim 6, Oxley discloses the roll stamping operation comprises a full bending process in which the stamping roll rotates multiple times and presses the material, to bend the material to form side walls on both sides and an upper plate (Claim 1: "a roll form apparatus comprising: an uncoiler device for unrolling an elongated sheet of material from a roll of the material; an embossing device for embossing a series of crush initiating embossments into the sheet; a roll former with rolls configured to deform the sheet into a continuous tubular beam defined by walls, each wall defining a plane with some of the embossments extending from the plane in at least one of the walls"), a first end beadless process of forming a flat upper plate at one end of the material in a longitudinal direction to form the end beadless region (Figures 1A and 2: end beadless region formed at first end of material opposite flange 40 via uncoiling device 21), a bead process of forming a plurality of beads on the upper plate of the material to be spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction to form the plurality of bead regions (Figures 1A and 2: embossments formed on upper wall 28 via embossing device 23), a middle beadless process of forming the flat upper plate between the plurality of beads to form the middle beadless region (Figures 1A and 2: flat middle beadless region formed between embossments on upper wall 28 via embossing device 23), and a second end beadless process of forming the flat upper plate at the other end of the material in the longitudinal direction to form the end beadless region (Figures 1A and 2: end beadless region formed at second end of tube 41 at flange 40 via uncoiling device 21), wherein the first end beadless process, bead process, middle beadless process, and second end beadless process are performed during the full bending process and the middle beadless process is performed during the bead process (Figure 1A: all processes are formed during the full bending process, and the beadless portion is performed when the embossments 24 are formed).
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 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 and 3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Oxley (US-20140377484-A1), henceforth referred to as Oxley, in view of Tanaka (US-20180133778-A1), henceforth referred to as Tanaka.
Regarding claim 1, Oxley discloses an impact reinforcement component comprising a component body having side walls of both sides thereof in a longitudinal direction (Figure 2: crush tube 41 comprises longitudinal walls 29 and 31), and an upper plate connecting upper ends of the side walls on both sides (Figure 2: crush tube 41 comprises upper plate 28 connecting longitudinal walls 29 and 31), wherein the component body is formed by continuous repetition of roll stamping in which a stamping roll rotates multiple times and presses a material (Claim 1: "a roll former with rolls configured to deform the sheet into a continuous tubular beam defined by walls, each wall defining a plane with some of the embossments extending from the plane in at least one of the walls"), wherein the component body includes a body portion having a plurality of beads formed on an upper plate in a longitudinal direction (Figure 2: embossments 24 formed on upper plate 28 in a longitudinal direction), a boundary portion which is integrated with the body portion and the end flange as a connecting portion between the body portion and the end flange, and has a flat upper plate (Figure 4: boundary portion formed between flange 40 and bead 24 comprising a flat upper surface), the body portion comprises a plurality of bead regions located to be spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction and have the beads formed on the upper plate thereof, and a middle beadless region located between the plurality of bead regions and having a flat upper plate (Figure 2: embossments 24 formed on upper plate 28 in a longitudinal direction, with a middle beadless region therebetween). Oxley discloses an end flange (Figure 2: flange 40), but does not teach that it is formed by being bent at longitudinal ends. Tanaka discloses and an end flange formed by being bent at each of both ends of the component body in the longitudinal direction (Figure 21: flanges 16-1 and 16-2 formed at both ends of the body). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention for one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the crush tube of Oxley with the bent flange of Tanaka, as it would have been an obvious matter of design choice to make the end flange of whatever form or shape was desired or expedient. A change in form or shape is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art, absent any showing of unexpected results. In re Dailey et al., 149 USPQ 47.
Regarding claim 3, Oxley as modified discloses the bead region has the plurality of beads disposed on the upper plate of the component body to be spaced apart from each other in a width direction (Figure 2: embossments 24 formed on upper plate 28 spaced apart from each other).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 4 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 7 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the “longitudinal length of the middle beadless region is equal to or greater than twice a longitudinal length obtained by adding the boundary portion and the end flange” as found in dependent claims 4 and 7 is not an obvious combination of prior art.
Cited Prior Art not Relied Upon
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure includes Kim (US-20190009319-A1), which discloses a continuous roll forming process.
Conclusion
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/MATTHEW JAMES O'NEILL/Examiner, Art Unit 3614
/JASON D SHANSKE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3614