DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. 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
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Komatsuzaki et al. (JP 2022047108 A).
Regarding claim 1, Komatsuzaki et al. discloses “A vehicle front structure (10; Komatsuzaki et al. Fig 2) comprising: a front side frame (2; Komatsuzaki et al. Fig 2) disposed on a front side portion of a vehicle and extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction; a bumper reinforcement (3; Komatsuzaki et al. Fig 2) fastened to a front end of the front side frame and extending in a vehicle width direction; a fastening plate (32; Komatsuzaki et al. Fig 2) sandwiched between the front end of the front side frame and a fastening portion of the bumper reinforcement (As seen in Komatsuzaki et al. Fig 2) and fastened to the front end of the front side frame and the fastening portion of the bumper reinforcement (Komatsuzaki et al. ¶0013), wherein the bumper reinforcement and the fastening plate extend outward in the vehicle width direction beyond the front side frame (Komatsuzaki et al. ¶0015), and a tip end of the fastening plate is fastened to an outer end, in the vehicle width direction, of the bumper reinforcement; and an SOL brace attached to a rearward surface of the fastening plate, the SOL brace (4; Komatsuzaki et al. Fig 2) extending from the fastening plate obliquely rearward in the vehicle toward the front side frame (As seen in Komatsuzaki et al. Fig 2).”
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
5. 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.
6. Claims 2 and 3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Komatsuzaki et al. (JP 2022047108 A) and Nakayama et al. (US 20170320455 A1).
Regarding claim 2, Komatsuzaki et al. teaches “The vehicle front structure according to claim 1, wherein the fastening plate (32; Komatsuzaki et al. Fig 2) includes an outer part extending outward in the vehicle width direction beyond the front side frame (As seen in Komatsuzaki et al. Fig 2)…’
Komatsuzaki et al. does not teach a bent fastening plate.
However, Nakayama et al. teaches a bent fastening plate (26; Nakayama et al. Fig 1).
Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have incorporated the bent fastening plate as taught by Nakayama et al. with the front vehicle structure of Komatsuzaki et al. with a reasonable expectation of success for increasing the amount of energy absorbed by the structure before the energy reaches the cabin.
With respect to claim 3, the combination of Komatsuzaki et al. and Nakayama et al., as applied to claim 2, teaches “The vehicle front structure according to claim 2, wherein the fastening plate (32; Komatsuzaki et al. Fig 2) has a ridge line raised rearwardly in the vehicle (26; Nakayama et al. Fig 1); and the SOL brace (4; Komatsuzaki et al. Fig 2) is welded (Nakayama et al. ¶0023) in a region outside the ridge line in the vehicle width direction to the surface of the fastening plate located rearward in the vehicle (As seen in Nakayama et al. Fig 1).”
Conclusion
7. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Ramoutar et al. teaches a front structure with a SOL brace.
Hara et al. teaches a front structure with a SOL brace.
Asai teaches a front structure with a SOL brace.
Yoshida teaches a front structure with a SOL brace.
8. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL ROBERT DIGIOVANNANTONIO whose telephone number is (571)272-4526. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m..
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Amy Weisberg can be reached at 5712705500. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/D.R.D./Examiner, Art Unit 3612
/AMY R WEISBERG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3612
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