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 .
DETAILED CORRESPONDENCE
This is the first Office Action on the merits of Application 18/865,141 filed on 11/12/24. Claims 1-17 are pending.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 11/12/24 & 9/24/25 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claims 1-10 & 13-17 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1
Lines 1 & 2: “an automobile door” should be amended as -- the automobile door --.
Claims 2-6
Line 1: “an automobile door” should be amended as -- the automobile door --.
Claim 7
Line 2: “an automobile door” should be amended as -- the automobile door --.
Line 3: “an automobile door” should be amended as -- the automobile door --.
Claim 8
Line 2: “an automobile door” should be amended as -- the automobile door --.
Claim 9
Line 5: “an automobile door” should be amended as -- the automobile door --.
Claim 10
Line 2: “an automobile door” should be amended as -- the automobile door --.
Claim 13
Line 3: “the vicinity” should be amended as -- a vicinity --.
Claim 14
Line 2: “an automobile door” should be amended as -- the automobile door --.
Line 15: “an automobile door” should be amended as -- the automobile door --.
Claim 15
Line 1: “an impact” should be amended as -- the impact --.
Lines 1 & 2: “an automobile door” should be amended as -- the automobile door --.
Claim 16
Line 1: “an impact” should be amended as -- the impact --.
Lines 1 & 2: “an automobile door” should be amended as -- the automobile door --.
Claim 17
Line 1: “an impact” should be amended as -- the impact --.
Lines 1 & 2: “an automobile door” should be amended as -- the automobile door --.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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 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, 5 & 7-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by WO 2020/149305 to Suzuki et al (applicant cited reference, U.S. Patent Application Publication 2022/0097497 equivalent being used in the rejection below).
Claim 1
Suzuki teaches in Figs 1-9,
An impact-absorbing member for an automobile door (e.g. 600) formed from a blank, which is a single-piece blank or a tailored blank (see Fig 2), the impact-absorbing member for an automobile door comprising: a connection band portion (e.g. 300) extending in a first direction (e.g. along horizontal direction); and at least three connected portions (e.g. 122) each having one end connected to the connection band portion and extending in a second direction (e.g. along vertical axis) intersecting the first direction, wherein the connected portion has an impact-absorbing portion (e.g. 120, Fig 5) that is a closed cross-sectional structure (paragraph 40, a gap or no gap can be formed).
Claim 2
The impact-absorbing member for an automobile door according to claim 1, wherein the blank is the tailored blank, and the connection band portion and the connected portion are integrated and connected at a joint portion (see Fig 6, via 122b).
Claim 3
The impact-absorbing member for an automobile door according to claim 2, wherein the connected portion has an overlapping surface (e.g. see 122b, Fig 6 with overlap) that overlaps with a part of the connection band portion, and the joint portion is formed in the overlapping surface such that the connection band portion and the connected portion are integrated and connected.
Claim 5
The impact-absorbing member for an automobile door according to claim 1, wherein a tensile strength of the connected portion is 1,100 MPa or more (paragraph 39).
Claim 7
An automobile door comprising: the impact-absorbing member for an automobile door according to claim 1; and an exterior panel (e.g. 100) to which the impact-absorbing member for an automobile door is attached.
Claim 8
The automobile door according to claim 7, wherein the impact-absorbing member for an automobile door is attached to a reinforcing member (e.g. 320).
Claim 9
The automobile door according to claim 8 wherein the reinforcing member has an open cross section in a cross section perpendicular to an extension direction of the reinforcing member, and a closed cross-sectional structure is formed by attaching the connection band portion of the impact-absorbing member for an automobile door to the reinforcing member (see Fig 3).
Claim 10
A blank for forming an impact-absorbing member for an automobile door, the impact-absorbing member for an automobile door (e.g. 600) including a connection band portion (e.g. 300) extending in a first direction and at least three connected portions (e.g. 122) each having one end connected to the connection band portion and extending in a second direction intersecting the first direction, the connected portion having an impact-absorbing portion (e.g. 120, Fig 5) that is a closed cross-sectional structure, the blank comprising: a connection band portion forming region (e.g. 300) that extends in the first direction and is formed into the connection band portion; and at least three connected portion forming regions (e.g. 122) that extend in the second direction and are formed into the at least three connected portions, each of the at least three connected portion forming regions having one end connected to the connection band portion forming region, wherein the blank is a single-piece blank or a tailored blank (see Fig 2 & 6)
Claim 11
The blank according to claim 10, wherein the blank is the tailored blank, and the connection band portion forming region and the connected portion forming region are integrated and connected at a joint portion (see Fig 6, via 122b).
Claim 12
The blank according to claim 11wherein the connected portion forming region has an overlapping surface forming region that overlaps with a part of the connection band portion forming region (e.g. see 122b, Fig 6 with overlap), and the joint portion is formed in the overlapping surface such that the connection band portion forming region and the connected portion forming region are integrated and connected at the joint portion.
Claim 13
The blank according to claim 10 wherein a cutout (Fig. 3, see gap between 300 & 122) is formed in the vicinity of a portion where the connection band portion forming region and the connected portion forming region are connected.
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Application Publication 2022/0097497 to Suzuki et al in view of JP2013189173 to Nakada et al (applicant cited reference).
Claim 4
Suzuki teaches an impact absorbing member for an automobile door with a connection band portion, at least three connected portions with an impact-absorbing portion that is a closed cross-sectional structure. Suzuki however, does not explicitly disclose that the joint portion is a welded portion that has no HAZ-softened portion. Nakada however teaches in paragraph 115, quench-hardening to have no HAZ-softening when hot press-forming a component. Therefore it would have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the claims were effectively filed to apply quench-hardening as taught by Nakada, to the invention of Suzuki for the benefit of having the base material and welded portion to have the same strength or hardness.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Application Publication 2022/0097497 to Suzuki et al in view of JP 2002102980 to Ishiguro et al. (applicant cited reference).
Claim 6
Suzuki teaches an impact absorbing member for an automobile door with a connection band portion, at least three connected portions with an impact-absorbing portion that is a closed cross-sectional structure. Suzuki however, does not explicitly disclose that a Vickers hardness of the connection portion is 350 HV or more. Ishiguro however teaches that the tensile strength to be at least 425 HV (paragraph 18). Therefore it would have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the claims were effectively filed to have the Vickers hardness of the connection portion to be 350 HV or more as taught by Ishiguro and applied to the invention of Suzuki for the benefit of making the vehicle crashworthiness high in order to protect the occupants inside.
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Application Publication 2022/0097497 to Suzuki et al in view of JP2013189173 to Nakada et al (applicant cited reference).
Claim 14
Suzuki discloses in Figs 1-9,
A method for manufacturing an impact-absorbing member for an automobile door (e.g. 600), the impact-absorbing member for an automobile door including a connection band portion (e.g. 300) extending in a first direction and at least three connected portions (e.g. 122) each having one end connected to the connection band portion and extending in a second direction intersecting the first direction, the connected portion having an impact-absorbing portion (e.g. 120, Fig 5) that is a closed cross-sectional structure (paragraph 40, a gap or no gap can be formed), the method comprising: a first step of press-forming a blank, which includes a connection band portion forming region that extends in the first direction and is formed into the connection band portion, and at least three connected portion forming regions that extend in the second direction and are formed into the at least three connected portions, each of the at least three connected portion forming regions having one end connected to the connection band portion forming region, and is a single-piece blank or a tailored blank (e.g. Figs 1 & 6), in a cold state to obtain an intermediate press-formed article; and a second step of press-forming the intermediate press-formed article to obtain the impact-absorbing member for an automobile door.
Suzuki does not explicitly disclose that wherein, in the second step, in a case where the blank is the single-piece blank, the intermediate press-formed article is press-formed in a state of being heated to a temperature of an Ac3 point or higher, and in a case where the blank is the tailored blank, the intermediate press-formed article is press-formed in a cold state or in a state of being heated to a temperature of the Ac3 point or higher. Nakada however teaches press forming the article in a state of being heated to a temperature of Ac3 (paragraph 27 & 114). Therefore it would have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the claims were effectively filed to press from the article in a state of being heated to a temperature of Ac3 as taught by Nakada and applying it to Suzuki for the benefit of having a hot-pressed formed part with a higher strength while improving press formability.
Claim 15
Suzuki teaches, the method for manufacturing an impact-absorbing member for an automobile door according to claim 14, wherein the blank is the tailored blank (see Figs 1 & 6), and the connection band portion forming region and the connected portion forming region are integrated and connected at a joint portion (see Fig 6, via 122b).
Claim 16
Suzuki teaches, the method for manufacturing an impact-absorbing member for an automobile door according to claim 15 wherein the connected portion forming region has an overlapping surface forming region that overlaps with a part of the connection band portion forming region, and the joint portion is formed in the overlapping surface (e.g. see 122b, Fig 6 with overlap) such that the connection band portion forming region and the connected portion forming region are integrated and connected at the joint portion.
Claim 17
The method for manufacturing an impact-absorbing member for an automobile door according to wherein, in the second step, the intermediate press-formed article is press- formed in a state of being heated to a temperature of the Ac3 point or higher (Nakada paragraph 27 & 114).
Conclusion
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/HUAN LE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3655
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