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 Objections
Claim 12 is objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 12, line 6, “the supporting motor vehicle structure” has no antecedent basis in the claims. This objection could be overcome by replacing the noted language with --a supporting motor vehicle structure--
In each of claims 12 and 22, in the second to last line of each claim, “the structural component side” has no antecedent basis in the claims. This objection could be overcome by replacing the noted language with --a structural component side--.
In claim 21, “the vehicle opening panels” has no antecedent basis in the claims. This objection could be overcome by deleting the term “the” in the noted language.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim 22 is 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 22 is largely a double recitation of all the structure recited in claim 12. Additionally, the step of joining the structural modules together using cold joining techniques” is a double recitation.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(d):
(d) REFERENCE IN DEPENDENT FORMS.—Subject to subsection (e), a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, fourth paragraph:
Subject to the following paragraph [i.e., the fifth paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112], a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
Claim 22 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(d) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, 4th paragraph, as being of improper dependent form for failing to further limit the subject matter of the claim upon which it depends, or for failing to include all the limitations of the claim upon which it depends.
Claim 12 is a method claim and claim 22 which is directed to an apparatus is dependent on claim 12. However, an apparatus claim does not require the method step limitations of how the apparatus is made (see MPEP s§ 2123, I). Thus, claim 22 does not required any of the method steps recited in claim 12 and therefore claim 22 does not include all the limitations of claim 12.
Applicant may cancel the claim(s), amend the claim(s) to place the claim(s) in proper dependent form, rewrite the claim(s) in independent form, or present a sufficient showing that the dependent claim(s) complies with the statutory requirements.
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 12-16, 18-19, and 21-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yabushita et al. (US 2021/0155146).
With respect to claim 12, Yabushita et al. disclose a method for producing a motor vehicle, comprising:
producing multiple structural modules 10/20, wherein each structural module 10/20 contains at least one structural component of a vehicle body and at least one vehicle component (module 20 includes housing and a battery 23 and modules 10 includes a housing 11 and a door, 12 as shown in Figs. 5-6 of Yabushita et al.), and
assembling the multiple structural modules 10/20 to produce the motor vehicle (as shown in Fig. 13 of Yabushita et al.),
whereby the motor vehicle is already equipped with a plurality of vehicle components upon completion of the supporting motor vehicle structure (as shown in Fig. 1 of Yabushita et al.), and
wherein the structural modules 10/20 are joined together on the structural component side exclusively using cold joining techniques (using joints 250 which are the same as joints 14, Yabushita et al., paragraphs [0077]-[0079]; Fig. 10).
With respect to claim 13, Yabushita et al. disclose that the supporting structure of the motor vehicle is formed exclusively from structural modules 10/20 (as shown in Fig. 1 of Yabushita et al.).
With respect to claim 14, Yabushita et al. disclose that the motor vehicle is constructed such that a first structural module 20 serves as a construction platform for all further modules 10 (as shown in Figs. 1-2 of Yabushita et al.).
With respect to claim 15, Yabushita et al. disclose that the structural modules 10/20 have component-integrated geometric features (joining rods 142, lug units 144, and adjacent portions of the joint frame body 141) which are configured to allow a precise positioning of the structural modules relative to one another as shown in Fig. 10 of Yabushita et al.).
With respect to claim 16, Yabushita et al. disclose that the first structural module 20 forms an energy-storage module 23 of the vehicle (as shown in Fig. 5 of Yabushita et al.).
With respect to claim 18, Yabushita et al. disclose that a front bulkhead module 10 is used as a further structural module (a front most upper unit 10 includes a bulkhead 11C as shown in Fig. 4 of Yabushita et al.).
With respect to claim 19, Yabushita et al. disclose a side frame module 10 is used as a further structural module (either side frame module 10 as shown in the lower portion of Fig. 13 of Yabushita et al.)
With respect to claim 21, Yabushita et al. disclose that the vehicle opening panels and/or vehicle doors 12 are also fitted as pre-assembled modules 10 (as shown in Fig. 3 of Yabushita et al.).
With respect to claim 22, Yabushita disclose a motor vehicle, produced using a method according to claim 12 (note, an apparatus claim is not limited by any particular method steps), comprising:
a construction which is composed of multiple structural modules 10/20, wherein each structural module contains at least one structural component of a vehicle body and at least one vehicle component (module 20 includes housing and a battery 23 and modules 10 includes a housing 11 and a door, 12 as shown in Figs. 5-6 of Yabushita et al.), and the structural modules 10/20 are joined together on the structural component side exclusively using cold joining techniques (using joints 250 which are the same as joints 14, Yabushita et al., paragraphs [0077]-[0079]; Fig. 10).
Claims 12, 14, and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Cha et al. (US 2020/0180706) .
With respect to claim 12, Cha et al. disclose a method for producing a motor vehicle, comprising:
producing multiple structural modules 100/400, wherein each structural module 100/400 contains at least one structural component of a vehicle body and at least one vehicle component (“platform module 100 forming a bottom surface of the vehicle as shown in FIG. 1, and including a floor part 120 provided with a power driving part and front and rear wheel parts 140 and 160 provided on front and rear parts of the floor part 120,” Cha et al., paragraph [0038]; and module 400 includes at least doors and windows as shown in Fig. 1 of Cha et al. ), and
assembling the multiple structural modules 100/400 to produce the motor vehicle (“The platform module 100, the front module 200, the rear module 300, and the cabin module 400 are coupled to each other to form a single integrated vehicle,” Cha et al., paragraph [0038]),
whereby the motor vehicle is already equipped with a plurality of vehicle components upon completion of the supporting motor vehicle structure (as shown in Figs. 1 and 4 of Cha et al.), and
wherein the structural modules 100/400 are joined together on the structural component side exclusively using cold joining techniques (“The present invention is assembled by sliding the cabin module 400 from a side to an opposite side of the vehicle” Cha et al. paragraphs [0039] and [0054]-[0055]; Figs. 3 and 5-6; ).
With respect to claim 14, Cha et al. disclose that the motor vehicle is constructed such that a first structural module 100 serves as a construction platform for all further modules (Cha et al., paragraph [0038]; Fig. 1).
With respect to claim 17, Cha et al. disclose that the first structural module 100 forms a floor unit of the vehicle (“including a floor part 120,” Cha et al. paragraph [0038]).
Claims 12 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Goeke (EP 2927105) .
With respect to claim 12, Goeke discloses a method for producing a motor vehicle, comprising:
producing multiple structural modules 6/10, wherein each structural module 6/4 contains at least one structural component of a vehicle body and at least one vehicle component (module 6 includes housing, lights 14 and indicators 15, as mentioned at the top of pg. 14 of the machine translation of Goeke., and module 10 includes a floor, wheel wells, and a drive unit as mentioned at the top of pg. 14 of the machine translation of Goeke), and
assembling the multiple structural modules 6/10 to produce the motor vehicle (as shown in Fig. 1 of Goeke),
whereby the motor vehicle is already equipped with a plurality of vehicle components upon completion of the supporting motor vehicle structure (as shown in Fig. 1 of Goeke), and
wherein the structural modules 6/10 are joined together on the structural component side exclusively using cold joining techniques (“mechanically detachably fastened,” see top of pg. 11 of the machine translation of Goeke).
With respect to claim 20, Goeke discloses that the structural modules 6/10 are mechanically pre-fixed and bonded for connection to further structural modules (“Also an adhesion is possible, for example, a gluing,” see top of pg. 11 of the machine translation of Goeke).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL J COLILLA whose telephone number is (571)272-2157. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30 - 4:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Amy Weisberg can be reached at 571-270-5500. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Daniel J Colilla/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3612
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