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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments filed 08/13/2026 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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 and 6 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ohkuma et al. (WO 2020/044792 A1 – hereinafter Ohkuma, references to annotated machine translated copy attached).
Regarding claim 1, Ohkuma discloses a lower structure of a vehicle body (Fig. 3 – a lower structure at bottom on a side of a vehicle), the lower structure comprising: a side sill mounted along a front-to-back direction of the vehicle body (Fig. 2 – side sill 14 extending in vehicle length direction); a center floor of the vehicle body (Figs. 2-3 – a center floor provided on the floor frame 15); a battery mounted on a lower part of the center floor (Fig. 2 – a battery pack 21 disposed below the center floor); and a side connecting member (Fig. 5; page 4 – a side connecting member comprising elements 31g and 31h) configured to transmit collision load between the side sill and the battery, wherein the side connecting member includes an outer protruding portion connected to a seat cross-member mounted on an upper part of the center floor along the width direction of the vehicle body to define an outer load path (Fig. 5; page 4 – the side connecting member includes an outer protruding portion 31g protruding outward in the vehicle width direction from the case side wall 31d of the case main body 31 is fixed to the floor frame 15 with the bolt 39 and the nut 40, which connect the portions 31g to seat cross-members 16 and 17 mounted on the upper part of the floor along the width direction of the vehicle body to define an outer load path as shown in Fig. 4 and described at least on page 3, so that the collision load of the side collision is reduced from the floor frame 15 to the case main body 31).
Regarding claim 6, Ohkuma also discloses the lower structure of claim 1, wherein the side connecting member further comprises an upper surface at an upper portion thereof to connect to the center floor (Figs. 4-5; page 4 - comprising an upper surface at an upper portion thereof to connect to the center floor via bolts).
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 2, 4-5, 7-10, and 12-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ohkuma as applied to claims 1 and 6 above, and further in view of Kawabe et al. (US 2018/0236863 A1 – hereinafter Kawabe).
Regarding claim 2, Ohkuma discloses the lower structure of claim 1. However, Ohkuma does not disclose the side connecting member comprises an inner protruding portion connected to a battery lateral member mounted along a width direction of the vehicle body to define an inner load path.
Kawabe discloses a lower structure of a vehicle, wherein a side connecting member comprises an inner protruding portion connected to a battery lateral member mounted along a width direction of the vehicle body to define an inner load path (Figs. 14A-14C, 15A-15C; [0110]-[0113] – the part 61 comprises an inner protruding portion which is connected to a batter lateral member of a battery pack 51, along a width direction of the vehicle body to define an inner load path).
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to incorporate the teachings of Kawabe into the side connecting member taught by Ohkuma to further reduce the load transferred to the battery pack.
Regarding claim 4, Ohkuma in view of Kawabe also discloses the lower structure of claim 2, wherein: the inner protruding portion is disposed to protrude toward an inside of the vehicle body (Figs. 14A-14C, 15A-15C; [0110]-[0113] – the part 61 comprises an inner protruding portion disposed to protrude toward an inside of the vehicle body); and the outer protruding portion is disposed on an outside of the vehicle body toward the side sill (Ohkuma: Fig. 5; page 4).
The motivation for incorporating the teachings of Kawabe into the structure has been discussed in claim 2 above.
Regarding claim 5, Ohkuma discloses the lower structure of claim 1. However, Ohkuma does not disclose the outer protruding portion comprises a side sill support supporting the side sill.
Kawabe discloses an outer protruding portion comprises a side sill support supporting the side sill (Figs. 14A-14C, 15A-15C – an outer protruding portion comprises a side sill support 61c support the side sill 11).
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to incorporate the teachings of Kawabe into the side connecting member taught by Ohkuma to further reduce the load transferred to the battery pack.
Regarding claim 7, Ohkuma in view of Kawabe also discloses the lower structure of claim 2, further comprising a vehicle body longitudinal member mounted along the front-to-back direction of the vehicle body on the inside of the vehicle body and not the side sill (Fig. 4; page 3 – floor frames 15).
Regarding claim 8, Ohkuma in view of Kawabe also discloses the lower structure of claim 7, wherein the side connecting member further comprises a connector member body surrounding the vehicle body longitudinal member (Fig. 5 – comprising connector member body 31h).
Regarding claim 9, Ohkuma in view of Kawabe also discloses the lower structure of claim 8, wherein the inner protruding portion and the outer protruding portion are connected with the connector member body (Ohkuma: Fig. 5; Kawabe: Figs. 14A-14C, 15A-15C).
The motivation for incorporating the teachings of Kawabe into the structure has been discussed in claim 2 above.
Regarding claim 10, Ohkuma in view of Kawabe also discloses the lower structure of claim 9, wherein the inner protruding portion, the outer protruding portion, and the connector member body are integrally formed (Ohkuma: Fig. 5; Saito: Figs. 14A-14C, 15A-15C).
The motivation for incorporating the teachings of Kawabe into the structure has been discussed in claim 2 above.
Regarding claim 12, Ohkuma in view of Kawabe also discloses the lower structure of claim 7, wherein the inner protruding portion and the outer protruding portion are connected to the vehicle body longitudinal member (Ohkuma: Figs. 4-5; page 4 – the outer protruding portions are connected to floor frames 15 via bolts, in view of Kawabe disclosing the inner protruding portion, the inner protruding portion and the outer protruding portion are integrally connected).
Regarding claim 13, Ohkuma in view of Kawabe also discloses the lower structure of claim 2, wherein: the inner protruding portion comprises a load transfer end formed inside the vehicle body (Kawabe: Figs. 14A-14C, 15A-15C; [0110]-[0113] – a load transfer end in contact with the battery frame wall of battery pack 51); and an imaginary extension of the battery lateral member is directed toward the load transfer end (Kawabe: Figs. 14A-14C, 15A-15C; [0110]-[0113] – an extension on the top the battery frame wall of battery pack 51).
The motivation for incorporating the teachings of Kawabe into the structure has been discussed in claim 2 above.
Regarding claim 14, Ohkuma in view of Kawabe also discloses the lower structure of claim 5, wherein an imaginary extension of the seat cross-member is directed toward the side sill support (Kawabe: Fig. 1 – an imaginary extension of the seat cross member 31 or 32 is directed toward the side sill support shown in Figs. 14A, 15A).
The motivation for incorporating the teachings of Kawabe into the structure has been discussed in claim 5 above.
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ohkuma and Kawabe as applied to claims 1-2, 4-10, and 12-14 above, and further in view of Tsuyuzaki et al. (US 20210221436 A1 – hereinafter Tsuyuzaki).
Regarding claim 11, Ohkuma in view of Kawabe discloses the lower structure of claim 7. However, Ohkuma and Kawabe do not disclose a longitudinal member bulk head mounted inside the vehicle body longitudinal member (Figs. 4-5 – a longitudinal member bulk head 31 or 32 mounted inside the floor frames 15).
Tsuyuzaki discloses a longitudinal member bulk head mounted inside a vehicle body longitudinal member (Fig. 12; [0326]; [0333] – a longitudinal member bulk head 152 mounted inside a longitudinal member 144).
One of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to incorporate the teachings of Tsuyuzaki into the structure taught by Ohkuma and Kawabe to further reduce the load transferred to the battery pack (Tsuyuzaki: [0333] – transmitting battery load).
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 HUNG Q DANG whose telephone number is (571)270-1116. The examiner can normally be reached IFT.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Thai Q Tran can be reached at 571-272-7382. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/HUNG Q DANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2484
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