DETAILED ACTION
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 .
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 2, 13-16 and 19 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.
Regarding claim 2, the phrase “the bell crank has a pivot rod and bushings positioned therein having respective ends mounted in the plurality of apertures” is indefinite because it is unclear whether “therein” is referring to the pivot rod and bushings being positioned in the bell crank or alternatively the bushings positioned in the pivot rod. Furthermore, it is unclear which element comprises the “respective ends.”
Regarding claims 13 and 14, the phrase “the bump stop pad” lacks antecedent basis, thereby rendering it unclear which element is being referenced.
Regarding claim 19, the phrase “adjusting the bell crank linkage motion ratio based on a desired bump-stop effect” is indefinite because it is unclear whether there is an adjustable structure that allows the ratio to be changed, or alternatively, that the ratio is adjusted during the “determining” step of the method.
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.
Claims 1, 3, 4, 8, 12 and 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Bartolozzi et al. (US 2015/0367697).
Regarding independent claim 1, Bartolozzi discloses a vehicle (see Abstract, FIGS. 8a, 8b), comprising: a lower control arm (32); a frame (28) (see e.g. FIG. 7a for identification of element (28)) positioned above the lower control arm (see FIG. 8a); and a reverse slapper hydraulic bump stop assembly (64), comprising: an upper mounting bracket (A) (see Annotated FIG. 8b, below) affixed to the frame (see FIG. 8b); a lower mounting bracket (B) (see Annotated FIG. 8b, below) affixed to the lower control arm (see Annotated FIG. 4); a bell crank (64) (see Annotated FIG. 8b, below) pivotably coupled to the upper mounting bracket (see FIGS. 8a, 8b), the bell crank comprising a bump stop surface (C) configured to contact the upper mounting bracket (see Annotated FIG. 8b, below; see also FIG. 8a); and a hydraulic member (40) having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of the hydraulic member is coupled to the lower mounting bracket (see Annotated FIG. 8b, below), and the second end of the hydraulic member is coupled to the bell crank (see Annotated FIG. 8b, below), wherein the hydraulic member is oriented vertically relative to the lower control arm (see FIG. 8b).
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Regarding claim 3, Bartolozzi discloses a suspension device proximal (16) to the reverse slapper hydraulic bump stop assembly that defines a ride height of the vehicle (see ¶¶ 0039, 0040), the suspension device being different and distinct from the reverse slapper hydraulic bump stop assembly (see FIG. 8b).
Regarding claim 4, Bartolozzi discloses a hydraulic bump stop assembly (see Abstract, FIGS. 8a, 8b), comprising: an upper mounting bracket (A), the upper mounting bracket being configured to affix to a frame of a vehicle (28); a bell crank (64) movably coupled to the upper mounting bracket (see Annotated FIG. 8b, above), the bell crank comprising a bump stop surface (C) (see Annotated FIG. 8b, above) configured to contact the upper mounting bracket (see FIGS. 8a, 8b); and a hydraulic member (40) comprising a first end and a second end, wherein the second end of the hydraulic member is coupled to the bell crank (see FIGS. 8a, 8b).
Regarding claim 8, Bartolozzi discloses that the hydraulic member further comprises a cylinder housing, a piston, and a rod (see FIGS. 8a, 8b)
Regarding claim 12, Bartolozzi discloses that the bump stop assembly defines a bell crank motion ratio determined as a function of at least one of: a distance (S) between an upper mounting bracket and a bell crank (see FIG. 8b); a distance between a coupling point of the upper mounting bracket and a top of the bell crank; a distance between a top end of the bell crank and a bottom end of the bell crank; a distance between a lower mounting bracket and a bottom end of a hydraulic member; an overall height of the hydraulic bump stop assembly; and a position of the lower mounting bracket.
Regarding claim 17, Bartolozzi discloses a method, comprising: determining a bell crank linkage motion ratio as a function of at least one of: a distance (S) (see FIG. 8b) between an upper mounting bracket (A) (see Annotated FIG. 8b, above) and a bell crank (64); a distance between a coupling point of the upper mounting bracket and a top of the bell crank; a distance between a top end of the bell crank and a bottom end of the bell crank; a distance between a lower mounting bracket and a bottom end of a hydraulic member; an overall height of the hydraulic bump stop assembly; and a position of the lower mounting bracket; providing the hydraulic bump stop assembly in accordance with the bell crank linkage motion ratio (see FIG. 8b), the hydraulic bump stop assembly comprising the upper mounting bracket (A) (see Annotated FIG. 8b, above), the lower mounting bracket (B) (see Annotated FIG. 8b, above), the bell crank (64), and the hydraulic member (40), wherein: the bell crank is movably coupled to the upper mounting bracket (see FIGS. 8a, 8b), the bell crank comprises a bump stop surface (C) (see Annotated FIG. 8b, above) configured to contact the upper mounting bracket (see FIG. 8a), and the hydraulic member comprises a first end and a second end (see FIGS. 8a, 8b), the first end of the hydraulic member being coupled to the lower mounting bracket (see FIGS. 8a, 8b), and the second end of the hydraulic member being coupled to the bell crank (see FIGS. 8a, 8b).
Regarding claim 18, Bartolozzi discloses affixing the upper mounting bracket to the frame, and affixing the lower mounting bracket to a lower control arm (see FIGS. 8a, 8b).
Regarding claim 19, Bartolozzi discloses adjusting the bell crank linkage motion ratio based on a desired bump-stop effect (see e.g. ¶ 0045, ratio determines “supplementary stroke S”; see also FIGS. 8a, 8b).
Regarding claim 20, Bartolozzi discloses in a first lower control arm compression stage, pivoting the bell crank about the upper mounting bracket until the until the bump stop pad contacts a striking surface of the upper mounting bracket (see FIG. 8a); and in a second lower control arm compression stage after the first lower control arm compression stage, compressing a hydraulic rod of the hydraulic member relative to a cylinder housing of the hydraulic member (see FIG. 8a).
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 14-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bartolozzi et al. (US 2015/0367697), as applied to claim 1, above, and further in view of Appelblatt et al. (US 4,484,765).
Regarding claim 14, Bartolozzi discloses that the hydraulic bump stop assembly is configured to, in a first lower control arm compression stage, pivot the bell crank about the upper mounting bracket until the bump stop contacts a striking surface of the upper mounting bracket (see FIGS. 8a, 8b).
Bartolozzi does not disclose a bump stop pad.
Appelblatt discloses a bump stop (see Abstract, FIG. 4), wherein the bump stop comprises a pad (132) (see col. 7, lines 12-15).
It would have been obvious to combine the pad of Appelblatt with the bump stop of Bartolozzi to prevent metal on metal contact, thereby preventing the generation of noise and preventing rapid wear of the contact points.
Regarding claim 15, Bartolozzi discloses that the hydraulic bump stop assembly is configured to, in a second lower control arm compression stage after the first lower control arm compression stage, compress a hydraulic rod of the hydraulic member relative to a cylinder housing of the hydraulic member (see FIG. 8a).
Regarding claim 16, Bartolozzi discloses that the first end of the hydraulic member comprises a bottom bump surface (44’’) sized and positioned to bump against a lower component of the vehicle (see FIGS. 11a, 11b).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2 and 13 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.
Claims 5-7, 9-11 are 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NICHOLAS J LANE whose telephone number is (571)270-5988. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Robert Siconolfi can be reached at (571)272-7124. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/NICHOLAS J LANE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3616
August 5, 2026
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