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
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 1-4, 8, 10, 15-16, and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Watanabe et al. (US 2003/0189358).
With respect to claim 1, Watanabe et al. disclose a front lower structure of a vehicle body, the front lower structure comprising:
a front side inner member 11 disposed along a front-to-back direction of the vehicle body on a front lower part of the vehicle body (as shown in Fig. 1 of Watanabe et al.);
an upper joint member 21c connected to a rear upper part of the front side inner member 111 and disposed along the front-to-back direction of the vehicle body (as shown in Fig. 4 of Watanabe et al.); and
a lower joint member 21a connected to a rear lower part of the front side inner member 11 and a lower part of the upper joint member 21c and disposed along the front-to-back direction of the vehicle body (as shown in Fig. 4 of Watanabe et al.).
With respect to claim 2, Watanabe et al. disclose a rear lower member 17/18 connected to the upper joint member 21c and the lower joint member 21a and mounted on rear parts of the upper joint member 21c and the lower joint member 21a (as shown in Fig. 4 of Watanabe et al.).
With respect to claim 3, Watanabe et al. disclose a front side outer member as shown below in the image taken from Fig. 4 of Watanabe et al.:
[AltContent: textbox (outer member)][AltContent: ]
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connected to the front side inner member 11, the upper joint member 21c, the lower joint member, and the rear lower member (in the sense that all these structures are connected to form one unit), and mounted in an outside direction of the vehicle body.
With respect to claim 4, Watanabe et al. disclose that the front side inner member 11 comprises:
a front side upper surface as shown below in the image taken from Fig. 4 of Watanabe et al.:
[AltContent: textbox (front side outer member)][AltContent: ][AltContent: textbox (front side lower flange)][AltContent: textbox (front side upper flange)][AltContent: textbox (front side lower surface)][AltContent: textbox (front side inner surface)][AltContent: textbox (front side upper surface)][AltContent: ][AltContent: ][AltContent: ][AltContent: ][AltContent: ]
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a front side inner surface curved from the front side upper surface (as shown above);
a front side lower surface curved from the front side inner surface (as shown above); and
a front side upper flange and a front side lower flange that are respectively curved from the front side upper surface and the front side lower surface and connected to the front side outer member (as shown above).
With respect to claim 8, Watanabe et al. disclose that a front of the rear lower member 17/18 is connected to the rear lower part of the front side inner member 11, as shown below in the image taken from Fig. 2 of Watanabe et al.:
[AltContent: textbox (rear lower part of front side inner member)][AltContent: ][AltContent: textbox (front of rear lower member)] [AltContent: ]
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With respect to claim 10, Watanabe et al. disclose a front lower structure of a vehicle body, the front lower structure comprising:
a front side inner member 11 disposed along a front-to-back direction of the vehicle body on a front lower part of the vehicle body (as shown in Fig. 1 of Watanabe et al.);
an upper joint member 21c connected to a rear upper part of the front side inner member 111 and disposed along the front-to-back direction of the vehicle body (as shown in Fig. 4 of Watanabe et al.); and
a lower joint member 21a connected to a rear lower part of the front side inner member 11 and a lower part of the upper joint member 21c and disposed along the front-to-back direction of the vehicle body (as shown in Fig. 4 of Watanabe et al.).
a rear lower member 18 connected to the upper joint member 21c and the lower joint member 21a and mounted on rear parts of the upper joint member 21c and the lower joint member 21a (as shown in Fig. 4 of Watanabe et al.);
a front side outer member as shown below in the image taken from Fig. 4 of Watanabe et al.:
[AltContent: textbox (upper portion of rear lower member)][AltContent: ][AltContent: textbox (outer member)][AltContent: ]
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connected to the front side inner member 11, the upper joint member 21c, the lower joint member, and the rear lower member (in the sense that all these structures are connected to form one unit), and mounted in an outside direction of the vehicle body; and
a dash panel 17 connected to the rear part of the upper joint member 21c, an upper portion of the rear lower member18, and a rear of the front side outer member (indicated above–in the sense that all these structures are connected to form one unit).
With respect to claim 15, Watanabe et al. disclose a vehicle body comprising:
a dash panel 17;
a floor panel 20 disposed at a rear of the dash panel 17 (as shown in Fig. 2 of Watanabe et al.), wherein an upper surface of the floor panel 20 defines a cabin space of the vehicle body (as shown in Fig. 2 of Watanabe et al.);
a front side inner member 11 disposed along a front-to-back direction of the vehicle body on a front lower part of the vehicle body (as shown in Fig. 1 of Watanabe et al.);
an upper joint member 21c connected to a rear upper part of the front side inner member 111 and disposed along the front-to-back direction of the vehicle body (as shown in Fig. 4 of Watanabe et al.); and
a lower joint member 21a connected to a rear lower part of the front side inner member 11 and a lower part of the upper joint member 21c and disposed along the front-to-back direction of the vehicle body (as shown in Fig. 4 of Watanabe et al.).
With respect to claim 16, Watanabe et al. disclose a rear lower member 18 connected to the upper joint member and the lower joint member and mounted on rear parts of the upper joint member and the lower joint member (as shown in Fig. 4 of Watanabe et al.); and
a front side outer member connected to the front side inner member as shown below in the image taken from Fig. 4 of Watanabe et al.:
[AltContent: textbox (outer member)][AltContent: ]
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the upper joint member 21c, the lower joint member 21a, and the rear lower member 18, (in the sense that all these structures are connected to form one unit) and mounted in an outside direction of the vehicle body (as shown above),
wherein the dash panel 17 is connected to the rear part of the upper joint member 21c, an upper portion of the rear lower member 21a, and a rear of the front side outer member (in the sense that all these structures are connected to form one unit).
With respect to claim 18, Watanabe et al. disclose that the front side inner member 11 comprises:
a front side upper surface as shown below in the image taken from Fig. 4 of Watanabe et al.:
[AltContent: textbox (front side outer member)][AltContent: ][AltContent: textbox (front side lower flange)][AltContent: textbox (front side upper flange)][AltContent: textbox (front side lower surface)][AltContent: textbox (front side inner surface)][AltContent: textbox (front side upper surface)][AltContent: ][AltContent: ][AltContent: ][AltContent: ][AltContent: ]
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a front side inner surface curved from the front side upper surface (as shown above);
a front side lower surface curved from the front side inner surface (as shown above); and
a front side upper flange and a front side lower flange that are respectively curved from the front side upper surface and the front side lower surface and connected to the front side outer member (as shown above).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-7, 9, 11-14, 17, and 19-20 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claims 5-7 have been indicated as containing allowable subject matter primarily for the upper joint member comprising: an upper joint upper flange curved from the upper joint upper surface; an upper joint inner surface connected to the front side inner surface; and an upper joint inner flange curved from the upper joint inner surface.
Claim 9 has been indicated as containing allowable subject matter primarily for the upper joint member and the lower joint member being connected to form a joint space on an inside; and a part of the rear lower member being connected to an inside of the joint space.
Claims 11-14 have been indicated as containing allowable subject matter primarily for the upper joint member comprising an upper joint rear flange curved to connect to the dash panel. Note, the language of this claim is interpreted as the upper joint rear flange being connected directly to the dash panel.
Claim 17 has been indicated as containing allowable subject matter primarily for the upper joint member and the lower joint member being connected to form a joint space on an inside; and a part of the rear lower member being connected to an inside of the joint space.
Claim 19 has been indicated as containing allowable subject matter primarily for the upper joint member comprising: an upper joint upper flange curved from the upper joint upper surface; an upper joint inner surface connected to the front side inner surface; and an upper joint inner flange curved from the upper joint inner surface.
Claim 20 has been indicated as containing allowable subject matter primarily for the lower joint lower flange curved from the lower joint lower surface; a lower joint inner surface connected to the front side inner surface; and a lower joint inner flange curved from the lower joint inner surface.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Lee is cited to show another example of A front lower structure of a vehicle body, the front lower structure comprising: a front side inner member disposed along a front-to-back direction of the vehicle body on a front lower part of the vehicle body; an upper joint member connected to a rear upper part of the front side inner member and disposed along the front-to-back direction of the vehicle body; and a lower joint member connected to a rear lower part of the front side inner member and a lower part of the upper joint member and disposed along the front-to-back direction of the vehicle body.
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.
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, 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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