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 .
DETAILED CORRESPONDENCE
This is the first Office action on the merits for Application No. 19/929,617, filed 10/29/2024. Claims 1-12 are pending.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDSs’) received on 10/29/2024, 06/25/2025 and 03/12/2026 have been considered by the examiner.
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.
Claims 1-9 and 11-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. §102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ayukawa (US 2019/0023321 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Ayukawa discloses a vehicle front portion structure (see figures 1 and 2) comprising:
a battery crossmember (fig. 4, i.e., front wall portion or member 32Fr) that is disposed at a vehicle front side of a battery (26) arranged under a cabin (12B) and that extends in a vehicle width direction (para. [0042]); and
a suspension member (20A) that is disposed at a vehicle front side of the battery crossmember (32Fr) and that is connected at its rear end side to the battery crossmember (32Fr).
Regarding claim 2, Ayukawa discloses the vehicle front portion structure of claim 1, wherein the suspension member (20A) is connected to a vehicle front-side surface of the battery crossmember (32Fr).
Regarding claim 3, Ayukawa discloses the vehicle front portion structure of claim 1, wherein the rear end side of the suspension member (20A) is directly secured to the battery crossmember (paras. [0037], i.e., the linking portions 13 of side suspension member side rails 20A are provided integrally with the front side member rear portions 19 joined to the battery front cross member 32Fr of the peripheral wall 32, see annotated Figure 1 below).
Regarding claim 4, Ayukawa discloses the vehicle front portion structure of claim 2, wherein:
the suspension member (20A) has a left and right pair of side portions (13) that extend in a vehicle front and rear direction (fig. 1),
flange portions (19) are formed at rear end sides of the left and right pair of side portions (13), and the suspension member (20A, para. [0037]) is secured at the flange portions (19) to the vehicle front-side surface of the battery crossmember (battery front cross member 32Fr of the peripheral wall 32, see Figure 4 and annotated Figure 1 below).
Regarding claim 5, Ayukawa discloses the vehicle front portion structure of claim 4, wherein the flange portions (19) extend in the vehicle width direction from the rear end sides of the left and right pair of side portions (13; figs. 1 and 4).
Regarding claim 6, Ayukawa discloses the vehicle front portion structure of claim 1, wherein a rear portion of the suspension member (20A) is joined to a dash crossmember (26) that extends in the vehicle width direction (paras. [0037] and [0051] – [0053], as previously indicated, the linking portions 13 of side suspension member side rails 20A are provided integrally with the front side member rear portions 19 that is joined to the battery front cross member 32Fr of the peripheral wall 32 and secured to the dash member 15 via joined portion 38).
Regarding claim 7, Ayukawa discloses the vehicle front portion structure of claim 1, wherein the battery crossmember (32Fr) is joined to a dash crossmember (15) that extends in the vehicle width direction (paras. [0037] and [0051] – [0053], see the explanation in claim 6 and the annotated Figure 1 below).
Regarding claim 8, Ayukawa discloses the vehicle front portion structure of claim 6, wherein the dash crossmember (26) is joined to front portions of a left and right pair of rockers (23; par. [0061]) that extend in a vehicle front and rear direction at both vehicle width direction sides of a vehicle body floor (para. [0007]).
Regarding claim 9, Ayukawa discloses the vehicle front portion structure of claim 6, wherein:
the vehicle front portion structure further has a left and right pair of front side members (16) that extend in a vehicle front and rear direction at both vehicle width direction sides of the vehicle front portion (see figs. 1, 4 and annotated Figure 1 below), and
the dash crossmember (15) is joined to rear portions of the left and right pair of front side members (16; see figs. 1, 4 and annotated Figure 1 below).
Regarding claim 11, Ayukawa discloses the vehicle front portion structure of claim 1, wherein the battery crossmember (32Fr) configures part of a battery case (28) housing the battery (26, fig. 4; paras. [0042], and [0043]).
Regarding claim 12, Ayukawa discloses the vehicle front portion structure of claim 4, wherein:
a left and right pair of battery side members (24A; fig. 1; para. [0044]) extend in a vehicle rearward direction from both vehicle width direction end portions of the battery crossmember (32Fr), and
the left and right pair of side portions (13) are secured to the battery crossmember (32Fr) in positions closer to the left and right pair of battery side members (24A) than to a vehicle width direction center of the battery crossmember (32Fr; figs. 1 and 4).
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Annotated Figure 1
Claims 1-5 and 11-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. §102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Shimizu (US 2020/0130495).
Regarding claim 1, Shimizu discloses a vehicle front portion structure (see figures 1-5; Annotated fig. 2) comprising:
a battery crossmember (“BCM”) that is disposed at a vehicle front side of a battery (46) arranged under a cabin (para. [0007]) and that extends in a vehicle width direction; and
a suspension member (22) that is disposed at a vehicle front side of the battery crossmember (“BCM”) and that is connected at its rear end side to the battery crossmember (“BCM”).
Regarding claim 2, Shimizu discloses the vehicle front portion structure of claim 1, wherein the suspension member (22) is connected to a vehicle front-side surface of the battery crossmember (“BCM”).
Regarding claim 3, Shimizu discloses the vehicle front portion structure of claim 1, wherein the rear end side of the suspension member (22) is directly secured to the battery crossmember (“BCM”).
Regarding claim 4, Shimizu discloses the vehicle front portion structure of claim 2, wherein:
the suspension member (22) has a left and right pair of side portions (i.e., side portion 52 for each side) that extend in a vehicle front and rear direction,
flange portions (i.e., flange portion 52A on each side) are formed at rear end sides of the left and right pair of side portions, and
the suspension member (22) is secured at the flange portions to the vehicle front-side surface of the battery crossmember (“BCM”).
Regarding claim 5, Shimizu discloses the vehicle front portion structure of claim 4, wherein the flange portions (i.e., flange portion 52A on each side) extend in the vehicle width direction from the rear end sides of the left and right pair of side portions (i.e., side portion 52 for each side).
Regarding claim 11, Shimizu discloses the vehicle front portion structure of claim 1, wherein the battery crossmember (“BCM”) configures part of a battery case (40) housing the battery (46).
Regarding claim 12, Shimizu discloses the vehicle front portion structure of claim 4, wherein:
a left and right pair of battery side members (44) extend in a vehicle rearward direction from both vehicle width direction end portions of the battery crossmember (“BCM”), and
the left and right pair of side portions (i.e., side portion 52 for each side) are secured to the battery crossmember (“BCM”) in positions closer to the left and right pair of battery side members than to a vehicle width direction center of the battery crossmember (“BCM”).
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Annotated Figure 2
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.
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ayukawa as applied to the claims above.
Ayukawa discloses the vehicle front portion structure of claim 9, wherein the left and right pair of front side members (16) and the dash crossmember (15) are joined by bolts (see fig. 1 and annotated Figure 1 below; paras. [0037] and [0051] – [0052]) but not integrally molded.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, with reasonable expectation of success, to have the left and right pair of front side members and the dash crossmember integrally molded instead of jointed by bolts or other fasteners, doing so would allow a stronger joint between the components as a predictable result of reducing vibration over time, since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material/part/method on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. Molding methods for two mechanical components in a vehicle body structure are well recognized in the art and substituting the bolted connection of Ayukawa for a molding connection of the parts would not change the way the overall apparatus functions. Thus, the simple substitution of one known element/method for another producing a predictable result renders the claim obvious.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Jeong et al. (US 12,221,164 b2) discloses a similar vehicle body structure includes a dash cross member 3, see Figures 1-2; and
Shimizu (US 2018/0312198 A1) discloses a similar vehicle front portion structure includes a suspension member 20 connected to the front side members 14 of the vehicle structure, see Figures 1-6.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Tinh T Dang whose telephone number is (571)270-1776. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 9AM - 5PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ernesto Suarez can be reached at Mon-Friday from 8AM-4:30PM at (571) 270-5565. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/TINH T DANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3655 August 20, 2026
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