CTNF 18/883,515 CTNF 87094 Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. DETAILED ACTION Information Disclosure Statement 1. The information disclosure statement submitted on (9/12/24) is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 07-06 AIA 15-10-15 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 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: 07-08-aia AIA 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. 07-15 AIA Claim s 1-2 and are 8-16 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102( a)(1 ) as being anticipated by Letendre (US 12,037,048) . [CLAIM 1] Regarding claim 1, Letendre discloses a driving module (14) configured to be separable from or couplable to an end portion of a cabin (12) including an internal side and to supply driving force (Module 140 powers the bus) to the cabin when the driving module is coupled to the end portion of the cabin (Letendre, FIG 1), the driving module comprising: a wheel (26) provided in contact with a ground and configured to supply the driving force (Letendre, FIG 1 and fuel cell 140); and a housing (Letendre, FIG 1, illustrates exemplary front module/housing) including the wheel accommodated in the housing (Letendre, FIG 1) and a floor (Letendre, FIG 1) formed on an internal side of the housing, the housing being selectively coupled to the end portion of the cabin (Letendre, FIG 1), wherein the housing includes an independent space formed on the internal side of the housing in a state of being separated from the cabin (Letendre discloses “he low-floor bus 10 comprises a front module 12, a rear module 14, a central module 16 therebetween” which is exemplary and can be oriented/assembled/separated as desired in addition to making an independent space for storage, etc.). PNG media_image1.png 742 727 media_image1.png Greyscale [CLAIM 2] Regarding claim 2, Letendre discloses the driving module of claim 1, wherein the housing further includes: a wheel housing portion (Letendre, FIG 1) configured to accommodate the wheel on an internal side of the wheel housing portion (Letendre, FIG 1); and a roof portion (Letendre, FIG 1) formed to extend upwards from the wheel housing portion (Letendre, FIG 1). [CLAIM 8] Regarding claim 8, Letendre discloses the driving module of claim 1, wherein the housing further includes a sittable seat (42) provided on the internal side of the housing (Letendre, FIG 1). [CLAIM 9] Regarding claim 9, Letendre discloses the driving module of claim 8, wherein the seat is rotatably provided on the internal side of the housing through a hinge (Seats conventional recline and rotate via hinges/pivots (FIG 1 illustrates a post seat mount which conventionally rotates if the rider turns) for access particularly in a cockpit with limited space to move). [CLAIM 10] Regarding claim 10, Letendre discloses the driving module of claim 1, wherein the floor includes a flange panel (Lower platform 38 of Latendre which is identified at the front driver’s module but extends through the passenger module) provided on an internal side of the floor (38 can be positioned as desired with respect to the floors), and wherein the flange panel is configured to slide from the internal side of the floor and protrude to an external side of the floor (38 can be positioned as desired with respect to the floors). [CLAIM 11] Regarding claim 11, Letendre discloses the driving module of claim 10, wherein the flange panel protrudes to the external side of the floor in response that the driving module and the cabin are separated from each other, expanding the independent space, and is inserted into the cabin in response that the driving module and the cabin are coupled to each other (Letendre illustrates a disassembled view which is ready to be assembled and can employ a flange panel). [CLAIM 12] Regarding claim 12, Letendre discloses the driving module of claim 2, wherein the wheel housing portion includes a shape protruding toward the cabin (Letendre, FIG 1), and the wheel housing portion is coupled to the cabin from an external side of the cabin (Letendre, FIG 1). [CLAIM 13] Regarding claim 13, Letendre discloses a vehicle comprising: a cabin (Letendre, FIG 1) including an internal space formed on an internal side of the cabin and an opening formed at an end portion (Letendre, FIG 1) of the cabin; and a driving module (Letendre, FIG 1) selectively coupled to the opening of the cabin (Letendre, FIG 1) and configured to supply driving force (Fuel cell 140) to the cabin, wherein the driving module includes an independent space formed on an internal side of the driving module in a state of being separated from the cabin (Letendre, FIG 1, each module includes independent space). [CLAIM 14] Regarding claim 14, Letendre discloses the vehicle of claim 13, wherein the driving module further includes: a wheel (Letendre, FIG 1) provided to be in contact with a ground and configured to supply the driving force (Letendre, FIG 1, fuel cell 140); and a housing including the wheel accommodated in the housing (Letendre, FIG 1) and a floor (50) formed on an internal side of the housing, the housing being selectively coupled to the opening of the cabin (Letendre, FIG 1, each front and rear module/housing mate with the passenger area/cabin 300 and the floors connect for continuity and safety during assembly). [CLAIM 15] Regarding claim 15, Letendre discloses the vehicle of claim 14, wherein the floor includes a flange panel (Lower platform 38 of Latendre which is identified at the front driver’s module but extends through the passenger/cabin module) provided on an internal side of the floor (50) and configured to slide from the internal side of the floor to protrude to an external side of the floor (The modules of Letendre are designed to slide or roll to mate during assembly), and wherein the flange panel is inserted into the cabin in a state in which the driving module is coupled to the cabin (The modules of Letendre are designed to slide or roll to mate during assembly and can butt up to each other or be inserted longitudinally for additional strength using a flange panel). [CLAIM 16] Regarding claim 16, Letendre discloses the vehicle of claim 14, wherein the housing further includes: a wheel housing portion (Letendre, FIG 1 illustrates exemplary wheels on the end modules which can be duplicated beneath the cabin if desired so it can be moved without the end modules attached) configured to accommodate the wheel (26) on an internal side of the wheel housing portion; and a roof portion (Letendre, FIG 1) formed to extend upwards from the wheel housing portion (Letendre, FIG 1, the roof of each module is opposite the wheels). [CLAIM 18] Regarding claim 18, Letendre discloses the vehicle of claim 16, wherein the wheel housing portion includes a shape protruding toward the cabin (Letendre, FIG 1), the cabin includes an indented groove indented inwards and formed at a lower portion of the opening (Letendre illustrates a wheel well/large indented groove/recess at a lower portion and adjacent the cabin area when assembled), and the wheel housing portion is inserted into the indented groove of the cabin, enabling the driving module to be coupled to the cabin (Letendre, FIG 1) . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-20-aia AIA 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 of this title, 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. 07-23-aia AIA The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co. , 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows: 1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art. 2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue. 3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art. 4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness. 07-21-aia AIA 1. Claim 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Letendre (US 12,037,048) in view of Xin et al. (US 11,845,504) . [CLAIM 19] Regarding claim 19, Letendre discloses the vehicle of claim 13. -However, it fails to disclose a lifting portion wherein the cabin includes a lifting portion provided at a lower portion of the cabin and configured to separate the cabin from a ground. -Nevertheless, Xin discloses lift (5200) for vehicle separation assistance and assembly alignment in FIG 17. - Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to have modified Letendre to have lifting means to assist separation and alignment during assembly as taught by Xin with a reasonable expectation of success in order to assist separation and assembly. -Regarding the remaining limitations: wherein the lifting portion protrudes, in response that the driving module and the cabin are separated from each other, toward the ground to lift the cabin and is accommodated in the cabin in response that the driving module and the cabin are coupled to each other (FIG 17 of Xin is exemplary and any desired module can incorporate a lift to reduce assembly and disassembly difficulty) . PNG media_image2.png 733 759 media_image2.png Greyscale 07-21-aia AIA 2. Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Letendre (US 12,037,048) . [CLAIM 20] Regarding claim 20, Letendre discloses the vehicle of claim 13, wherein the driving module is in a pair (Letendre discloses a single drive module but can be split or independent from each other if desired, regarding a duplication of parts, see In re Harza, 274 F.2d 669, 124 USPQ 378 (CCPA 1960) Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to have modified Letendre with a reasonable expectation of success in order to provide for example a hybrid drive housing a motor structure and an ICE structure adjacently to increase vehicle utility) and the opening of the cabin is in pair (Doors are conventionally paired on a cabin body for driver access), and wherein the pair of openings is formed at opposite end portions of the cabin (Doors will be opposite each other on the cabin side body but can be modified if desired to mate with the end portions if desired), and each of the pair of driving modules is coupled to a corresponding one of the opposite end portions of the cabin to supply the driving force to the cabin (Letendre shows the drive and cabin/housing facing each other at the rear end of the vehicle which when assembled, drive to haul passengers) . 07-21-aia AIA Claim s 3-7 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Letendre (US 12,037,048) in view of Guffey (US PG PUB NO 2023/0406191) . [CLAIM 3] Regarding claim 3, Letendre discloses the driving module of claim 2, wherein the housing further includes a sliding rail (Letendre discloses longitudinal beams (96) in FIG 5) provided on an internal side of the roof portion (63). -However, it fails to disclose wherein a display that is movably mounted on the sliding rail and configured to transmit an image. -Nevertheless, Guffey discloses exemplary viewing display 68 and discloses “In some embodiments, the video display screen 68 may be mounted to a bracket secured to a roof portion of the cab 14, as shown. Further, the video display screen 68 of Guffey (and the bracket) may be pivotably coupled such that the video display screen 68 can be adjusted into a stowed position while driving as to not obstruct a view of a driver of the vehicle 12”. Pivotably coupled and adjustable, taught by Guffey can be modified readily to slide on the longitudinal beams (96) if desired. -Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to have modified Letendre to have display screens (Mounted substantially at the roof) for entertainment and advertising as taught by Guffey with a reasonable expectation of success in order to provide information and amuse the riders and block sun or other light if desired. PNG media_image3.png 713 585 media_image3.png Greyscale [CLAIM 4] Regarding claim 4, Letendre/Guffey disclose the driving module of claim 3, wherein the display is hinged to an end portion of the sliding rail to be rotatable about the end portion of the sliding rail (Guffey discloses selectively “stowing” the display 68, as such a hinge would need to be employed with the Guffey coupling to a portion of the Letendre roof rails). [CLAIM 5] Regarding claim 5, Letendre/Guffey disclose the driving module of claim 3, wherein the display serves, when being located at a first end portion of the sliding rail, as a light blocking film (Any suspended surface like a display blocks sun or street lights if desired) and serves, when being located at a second end portion of the sliding rail, as an electronic display board configured to allow the image to be viewed from outside thereof (The screen of Guffey can be slide via the Letendre rails (96)). [CLAIM 6] Regarding claim 6, Letendre discloses the driving module of claim 1, wherein the housing further includes an accommodation space provided at an upper end portion of the housing and configured to allow a display to be accommodated in the accommodation space (Any space that does not preclude rider movement is accommodating and can have a display therein). -However, Letendre fails to disclose the display is configured to slide in the accommodation space. -Nevertheless, Guffey discloses a display mounting arrangement at the roof of a display vehicle and combined with Letendre’s longitudinal beams 96 may slidably position the display 68 of Guffey as desired and go between stow and view modes and protrude out of the housing to serve as a light blocking film to inhibit daily sun and street light. - Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to have modified Letendre to have displays near the roof and mounted below the roof as taught by Guffey with a reasonable expectation of success in order to provide entertainment, ads, and light block. [CLAIM 7] Regarding claim 7, Letendre/Guffey disclose the driving module of claim 6, Letendre/Guffey disclose the wherein the display is a curved display (Curved screens are conventional in the art of screens for enhanced viewing). [CLAIM 17] Regarding claim 17, Letendre discloses the vehicle of claim 16, wherein the housing further includes a sliding rail (Letendre, longitudinal beams 96 can receive sliding entertainment if desired) provided on an internal side of the roof portion (Letendre, FIG 5). -However, it fails to disclose a display that is movably mounted on the sliding rail and configured to transmit an image. -Nevertheless, Guffey discloses exemplary viewing display 68 and discloses “In some embodiments, the video display screen 68 may be mounted to a bracket secured to a roof portion of the cab 14, as shown. Further, the video display screen 68 (and the bracket) may be pivotably coupled such that the video display screen 68 can be adjusted into a stowed position while driving as to not obstruct a view of a driver of the vehicle 12”. Pivotably coupled and adjustable taught by Guffey can be modified readily to slide on the longitudinal beams (96). -Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to have modified Letendre to have display screens for entertainment and advertising as taught by Guffey with a reasonable expectation of success in order to provide information and amuse the riders and block sun or other light if desired . Conclusion 07-96 AIA The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure and can be found on the attached Notice of References Cited . Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to whose telephone number is (571)270-3411. The examiner can normally be reached on 9AM-6PM PST. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Marc Jimenez can be reached on (571)272-.4530. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /JAMES J TRIGGS/Examiner, Art Unit 3615 /MARC Q JIMENEZ/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3615 Application/Control Number: 18/883,515 Page 2 Art Unit: 3615 Application/Control Number: 18/883,515 Page 3 Art Unit: 3615 Application/Control Number: 18/883,515 Page 4 Art Unit: 3615 Application/Control Number: 18/883,515 Page 5 Art Unit: 3615 Application/Control Number: 18/883,515 Page 6 Art Unit: 3615 Application/Control Number: 18/883,515 Page 7 Art Unit: 3615 Application/Control Number: 18/883,515 Page 8 Art Unit: 3615 Application/Control Number: 18/883,515 Page 9 Art Unit: 3615 Application/Control Number: 18/883,515 Page 10 Art Unit: 3615 Application/Control Number: 18/883,515 Page 11 Art Unit: 3615 Application/Control Number: 18/883,515 Page 12 Art Unit: 3615 Application/Control Number: 18/883,515 Page 13 Art Unit: 3615 Application/Control Number: 18/883,515 Page 14 Art Unit: 3615
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