DETAILED ACTION
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
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.
Claim(s) 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Sakamoto (US 10,232,883 B2).
With respect to claim 1, Sakamoto discloses a vehicle drivetrain comprising a power unit 10 in the engine compartment in front of a cabin partition wall 31 defining the cabin 30, an energization portion 7 on a side surface of the power unit, as shown in figure 5.
PNG
media_image1.png
419
470
media_image1.png
Greyscale
With respect to claim 2, said power unit includes a protruding portion 17 protruding inward towards the partition wall, as shown in figure 6.
PNG
media_image2.png
307
417
media_image2.png
Greyscale
With respect to claim 3, Sakamoto discloses the power unit including a motor 10, gearing or transaxle 6, for driving wheels 14, said motor and transaxle housed in a transverse vehicle width direction, as shown in figure 5.
With respect to claim 4, said motor and transaxle gearing are in separate housings from the power unit 7, as shown in figure 5.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JEFFREY J RESTIFO whose telephone number is (571)272-6697. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 11am-8pm.
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, J. Allen Shriver can be reached at (303) 297-4337. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
JEFFREY J. RESTIFO
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3613
/JEFFREY J RESTIFO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3613
Prosecution Insights