DETAILED ACTION
This is a first Non-Final Office Action on the merits in response to the application filed 10/22/24. The request for foreign priority to a corresponding JP application filed 12/16/23 has been received and is proper. Claims 1-4 are currently pending yet all are rejected as detailed below. 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 § 103
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.
Kato in view of Krause
Claim(s) 1-2 and 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kato et al. (U.S. Patent No. 8,292,312) in view of Krause (U.S. Patent No. 6,241,225). Kato is directed to a stabilizer bushing for a vehicle. See Abstract. Krause is directed to a rubber bearing for the bearing support of a stabilizer in a motor vehicle. See Abstract.
Claim 1: Kato discloses a stabilizer bushing [Fig. 1] comprising: a bushing body (16) formed of a tubular rubber elastic body with an inner hole (18) and including a low-friction sliding liner (42) disposed on an inner circumferential surface of the inner hole, the bushing body being configured to receive a stabilizer bar (12) inserted through the inner hole without being bonded thereto while an outer peripheral surface of the bushing body being configured to receive a bracket (44) such that the bushing body is attached to a vehicle body (14) via the bracket; two intermediate members (26) having rigidity and fastened to the bushing body on opposite sides of the inner hole to be arranged facing each other, the two intermediate members including respective first facing plate parts (28b) and respective second facing plate parts (28a) protruding radially outward from opposite ends in a circumferential direction of the bushing body; and a slit dividing (24) the bushing body in the circumferential direction, the slit being formed between the first facing plate parts facing each other.
Kato disclose all the limitations of this claim except for the “cut” opposite the slit. Krause similarly discloses a stabilizer bushing for a vehicle including a rubber bushing body (2) with the two intermediate members (4) and a slit between the first ends of the intermediate members, wherein a cut (at 3) extending radially outward from the inner hole to a radially middle part of the bushing body is formed between the second ends of the intermediate members facing each other. See Figs. 1, 3. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the invention to include the Krause “cut” in the Kato stabilizer bushing because this facilitates the ease of opening the bushing body for insertion of the stabilizer bar, and also ensures longevity of the bushing body such that it is not subject to unnecessary stresses or compromised at the hinge point due to repeated opening/use. This feature is well-known and commonly employed in the art. See, e.g., KR 2017-0044813; US 9,074,715; KR 2013-0046044; KR 2012-0110512; KR 100872292; KR 2005-0006805; EP 1391333; JPH 07-91473
Claim 2: Krause discloses that an end of the cut opposite the inner hole is located at the same position or outside in a radial direction with respect to distal ends of the second facing plate parts. See Fig. 1.
Claim 4: Kato discloses that a distance between the second facing plate parts is larger than a radius of the inner hole. See Fig. 1.
Kato in view of Krause and Jang
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kato in view of Krause and Jang (KR 2012-0110512). Jang is directed to a stabilizer bar bush. See Abstract.
Claim 3: Kato and Krause are relied upon as in claim 1 above but it is not entirely clear whether the Krause bushing body, when in the mounted position, is capable of having the inner surfaces of the cut be in contact with each other. Jang discloses another stabilizer bushing with a bushing body (110) with an inner hole (112) and both a slit (114) and a cut (116), wherein at least in a state where the bushing body is mounted onto a vehicle, inner surfaces of the cut are configured to be in contact with each other. See Fig. 5. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the invention for the cut inner surfaces to be in contact with each other for a host of reasons. First, this is the simplest configuration, so purely out of ease in manufacturing and ease in design, this would be an obvious choice. Second, having the inner surfaces contact each other may ensure the longevity of the bushing body since the cut is less likely to be compromised over time since the opposing surfaces can support each other during compression. Third, it would be obvious to try, since limited possibilities exist here – either the surfaces contact each other or they don’t.
Conclusion
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VISHAL SAHNI
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3657
/VISHAL R SAHNI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3616 September 9, 2026
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