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 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.
Claim 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Morgan (US 2014/144719 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Morgan discloses an electric automobile (RUV 10), in which a driver’s seat (left seat 18) and an assistant driver’s seat (right seat 18) are provided in line in a vehicle width direction, comprising: an assistant-driver’s-seat side battery unit (64E, 64F, 64C, 64D; Para. 0115) installed at an assistant-driver’s-seat side of a vehicle body (Fig. 5); and a motor (electric motor 50) operative to drive a driving wheel when receiving supply of electric power from the assistant-driver’s-seat side battery unit (Claim 1; Fig. 5), wherein said assistant-driver’s-seat side battery unit is positioned on a vehicle forward side of a hip point of a driver seated in the driver’s seat and also on the vehicle forward side of a cushion portion which forms a sitting face of the assistant driver’s seat (Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 2, Morgan discloses the electric automobile of claim 1. Morgan further discloses wherein said assistant-driver’s-seat side battery unit is installed detachably from the vehicle body (Para. 0121; see all Figures).
Regarding claim 3, Morgan discloses the electric automobile of claim 1. Morgan further discloses a tunnel portion provided at a central portion, in a vehicle width direction, of a floor panel, protruding upward and extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction, and a center battery installed in said tunnel portion and operative to supply electric power to said motor (Para. 0115).
Regarding claim 4, Morgan discloses the electric automobile of claim 1. Morgan further discloses wherein the hip point of the driver seated in the driver’s seat, a vehicle center, and a gravity center of said assistant-driver’s-seat side battery unit are positioned on an identical liner line in a top view (please review Morgan’s Figures that show a top view—for example Fig. 5; Para. 0120).
Regarding claim 5, Morgan discloses the electric automobile of claim 3. Morgan further discloses wherein said motor is provided on a vehicle rearward side of said center battery, a speed-changing gear or a speed-reducing gear, to which a rotational force of the motor is inputted, are provided on the vehicle rearward side of the motor and at a driver’s-seat side of the vehicle body, and a rear-side battery to supply the electric power to the motor is provided beside the motor which is positioned on the assistant-driver’s-seat side (Para. 0105; see Figs. 4-8).
Regarding claim 6, Morgan discloses the electric automobile of claim 1. Morgan further discloses wherein said assistant-driver’s-seat side battery unit (battery 64C) is provided at a vehicle rear-side portion of a floor panel of the vehicle body which is positioned on the assistant-driver’s-seat side (Fig. 7), and a vehicle front-side portion of the floor panel which is positioned on the assistant-driver’s-seat side is set as a foot-placement portion where feet of the passenger seated in the assistant driver’s seat are placed (Fig. 5; Para. 0105).
Regarding claim 7. The electric automobile of claim 1, wherein further comprising a floor panel forming a floor face of a cabin, a dash panel rising from a front-end portion of the floor panel and forming a front wall of the cabin, an inclined panel extending obliquely upward-and-rearward from a rear-end portion of the floor panel, and a tunnel portion provided at a central portion, in the vehicle width direction, of the floor panel, protruding upward, and extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction, a front-end portion of which is connected to said dash panel and a rear-end portion of thereof is connected to said inclined panel, wherein said motor is provided in said tunnel portion and below said inclined panel, a center battery to supply electric power to the motor is provided in the tunnel portion and between the motor and the dash panel, said assistant-driver’s-seat side battery unit is provided on the floor panel, and the hip point of the driver seated in the driver’s seat, a center, in a longitudinal direction and in a width direction, of the tunnel portion, and a gravity center of the assistant-driver’s-seat side battery unit are positioned on an identical liner line in a top view (Paras. 0113, 0118, 0121, 0123; see all Figures).
Regarding claim 8, Morgan discloses the electric automobile of claim 7. Morgan further discloses wherein said assistant-driver’s-seat side battery unit is provided just before the assistant driver’s seat, an upper-end portion of the assistant-driver’s-seat side battery unit is located at a lower level than an upper face of a front-end portion of a cushion portion of the assistant driver’s seat, the assistant-driver’s-seat side battery unit is configured such that a level thereof becomes lower while going forward, and a vehicle front-side portion of the floor panel which is positioned on the forward side of the assistant-driver’s-seat side battery unit is set as a foot-placement portion of the passenger seated in the assistant driver’s seat (Paras. 0113-0116, 0118; see all Figures).
Inquiry
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HILARY LYNN JOHNS whose telephone number is (313)446-4852. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00-5:30.
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, J. Allen Shriver can be reached at 3032974337 or 5712726698. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/HILARY L JOHNS/Examiner, Art Unit 3613
/JAMES A SHRIVER II/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3613
Prosecution Insights