DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is in response to an application that was filed on 09/05/2024. Claims 1-20 are presented for examination consideration.
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 .
Drawings Objections
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the following features must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s):
The limitation phrase “web portion” in the limitation “herein the front bracket is composed of a metal plate comprising a web portion, a plurality of arm portions, and a flange portion, and having a substantially hat shape in a side view of the vehicle, the plurality of arm portions are connected to the vehicle, the web portion is connected to the front stay, the front stay is composed of a metal plate comprising a web portion” claimed in claim 3 needs to be designate as different item designation to differentiate “the front bracket is composed of a metal plate comprising a web portion” from “the front stay is composed of a metal plate comprising a web portion”.
The limitation phrase “connection portion” in the limitation “wherein in the front stay, a connection portion with the suspended object and a connection portion with the front bracket are offset in a vehicle lateral direction” claimed in claim 7 must be shown. In addition, the same item description of “connection portion” needs to be designate as different item designation to differentiate “a connection portion with the suspended object” from “a connection portion with the front bracket”.
No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification Objections
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
The specification is not properly item designation to differentiate the description of the limitation structures indicated in “Drawing Objections” in claim 3, “the front bracket is composed of a metal plate comprising a web portion” from “the front stay is composed of a metal plate comprising a web portion”.
The specification is not properly item designation to differentiate the description of the limitation structures indicated in “Drawing Objections” in claim 7, “a connection portion with the suspended object” from “a connection portion with the front bracket”.
Appropriate correction is required as well as no new matter should be entered.
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 3-7 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Claim 3 recites the limitation phrases “metal plate” and “web portion” in the limitation “herein the front bracket is composed of a metal plate comprising a web portion, a plurality of arm portions, and a flange portion, and having a substantially hat shape in a side view of the vehicle, the plurality of arm portions are connected to the vehicle, the web portion is connected to the front stay, the front stay is composed of a metal plate comprising a web portion”, where the cited limitation phrases are confusing. Specifically, the cited limitation phrases have the same item description to designate different limitation structures and NOT providing separate item description within the claim to designation different limitation structures.
Claims 4-6 are rejected since base claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph.
Claim 7 recites the limitation phrase “connection portion” in the limitation “wherein in the front stay, a connection portion with the suspended object and a connection portion with the front bracket are offset in a vehicle lateral direction”, where the cited limitation phrase is confusing. Specifically, the cited limitation phrase have the same item description to designate different limitation structures and NOT providing separate item description within the claim to designation different limitation structures. In addition, there is NO item designations for "connection portion".
Examiner’s Reason for Allowance of Independent Claim 1 and Depended Claims 2 and 8-20
Claim 1 has been fully considered and is allowed due to defining the following structurally limitations:
“Where the rear structure is configured to guard the suspended object from the rear of the vehicle and detach from the lower part of the vehicle in response to a predetermined pushing force being applied from the rear of the vehicle”.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-2 and 8-20 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding independent claim 1, the prior art taken either singularity or in combination fails to anticipate or fairly suggest the limitations of the independent claim, in such a manner that a rejection under 35 U.S.C. 102 or 103 would be improper. The prior art fails to teach a suspended structure of a lower part of a vehicle for suspending a suspended object from the lower part of the vehicle, the suspended structure: …wherein the rear structure is configured to guard the suspended object from a rear of the vehicle and detach from the lower part of the vehicle in response to a predetermined pushing force being applied from the rear of the vehicle…, as recited in combination in independent claim 1. After careful review of the specification and the claim in the application and a search of the prior art, considering the claim as a whole, the aforementioned recited limitations in combination in the independent claim 1, it is believed to render the claim individually patentable and the claims respectively dependent thereto patentable over the prior art of record. Therefore, claims 2-and 8-20 are allowed.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GUILLERMO J EGOAVIL whose telephone number is (571)270-1325. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8:00-5:00.
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/GUILLERMO J EGOAVIL/Examiner, Art Unit 2847
/TIMOTHY J THOMPSON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2847
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