DETAILED ACTION
This is the first Office action on the merits of Application No. 18/944,797. Claims 1-4 are pending.
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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 11/12/2024 and 4/8/2026 have been considered by the examiner.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Young (US Patent Publication 20130270863).
Regarding claim 1, Young discloses a vehicle mounting structure for a battery pack (80) comprising a battery stack, the vehicle mounting structure comprising: a pair of energy absorption material members (100) extending in a front-rear direction of a vehicle so that the energy absorption material members sandwich an outer side of the battery pack in a vehicle width direction (Figs. 2-3) and being longer than the battery pack in the front-rear direction of the vehicle (Fig. 2); and a cross member (96) extending in the vehicle width direction, ends of the cross member being connected to corresponding ends of the energy absorption material members.
Regarding claim 4, Young discloses a method for manufacturing a vehicle mounting structure for a battery pack (80) comprising a battery stack, wherein a pair of energy absorption material members are arranged so that the energy absorption material members (100) face in a front-rear direction of a vehicle and sandwich an outer side of the battery pack in a vehicle width direction (Figs. 2-3), the energy absorption material members being longer than the battery pack in the front-rear direction of the vehicle (Fig. 2), and ends of a cross member (96) extending in the vehicle width direction are connected to corresponding ends of the energy absorption material members.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-3 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:
Regarding claim 2, the prior art does not disclose or render obvious the vehicle mounting structure wherein a cross-sectional shape of each of the ends of the cross member is a U-shape that is opened outward in the vehicle width direction, and the ends of the energy absorption material members fit into corresponding openings of the ends of the cross member, in combination with the other elements required by claim 1.
Claim 3 is allowable for being dependent on an allowable claim.
The closest prior art, Young (US Patent Publication 20130270863), discloses the vehicle mounting structure wherein a cross-sectional shape of each of the ends, but does not disclose U-shape that is opened outward in the vehicle width direction, and the ends of the energy absorption material members fit into corresponding openings of the ends of the cross member. More particularly, this modification would change the mounting structure and change the characteristics of the operation of the energy absorption material.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Kaita (US Patent Publication 20210242524) discloses a mounting structure for battery pack in a vehicle.
Ayukawa (US Patent Publication 20180148106) discloses a vehicle body lower portion structure.
Tanaka (US Patent Publication 20200215895) discloses a vehicle lower structure.
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/LORI WU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3655
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