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.
(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 1-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Park (US 12337899 B2).
Regarding claim 1, Park discloses:
A vehicle body structure comprising: a first vehicle body structural component that is a metal casting (Park Col. 13 Lines 32-40, the first vehicle body structural component is rear lower member 13), the first vehicle body structural component including a main body portion and a protruding portion that protrudes from the main body portion (Park Col. 16 Lines 32-35, the main body portion is rear lower member 13, the fitting block 31 is the protruding portion); a second vehicle body structural component including an insertion-receiving portion in which the protruding portion is insertable (Park Col. 17 Lines 22-24, the fitting block/protruding portion 31 may be fitted into an internal space/insertion-receiving portion 12a of the front side member/second vehicle body structural component 12); and a joining member that joins the protruding portion with the insertion-receiving portion (Park Col. 17 Lines 39-41 describe exterior bolts/joining members 41 joining the exterior wall of the rear portion of the front side member/insertion-receiving portion 12a and the exterior wall 31c of the fitting block/protruding portion together. An equivalent interior joint is described in lines 47-49).
Regarding claim 2, Park discloses:
The vehicle body structure according to claim 1, wherein: the protruding portion protrudes from the main body portion in a vehicle front-and-rear direction (Per Park Col. 6 Lines 9-10, Park Annotated Figure 11 shows a side view of the of the rear lower member 13. The protruding portion 31 is shown with one outer line with no indication depth or perspective, meaning that the view is orthogonal to the protruding portion’s surface. Furthermore, the upper and lower edges of the protruding portion are horizontal. Therefore, the protruding portion 31 protrudes from the main body 13 in a vehicle front-and-rear direction), and is inserted into the insertion-receiving portion in the vehicle front-and-rear direction (Park Annotated Figure 2 shows the rear portion/insertion-receiving portion 12a aligned along the vehicle front-and-rear direction), and the protruding portion and the insertion-receiving portion make area contact in at least one of a vehicle vertical direction or a vehicle width direction (Park Col. 17 Lines 24-26, the fitting block/protruding portion 31 is press fit into the internal space of the rear portion/insertion-receiving portion 12a. A press fit is an interference fit where an oversized part is inserted into an undersized part such that the parts are held together by friction. By mechanical necessity, the protruding portion and the insertion-receiving portion make contact. Since Park Annotated Figure 11 shows a flat protruding portion surface in a side view in a plane made from the vehicle front-and-rear direction and the vehicle vertical direction, the protruding portion must have a vertical surface. Because the fit is a press fit, the vertical surface of the protruding portion must make area contact with an equivalent vertical surface of the insertion-receiving portion).
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Regarding claim 3, Park discloses:
The vehicle body structure according to claim 2, wherein the joining member joins the protruding portion with the insertion-receiving portion in a direction orthogonal to the vehicle front-and-rear direction (Col. 17 lines 39-41 discloses exterior side bolts/joining members 41 that fasten the exterior wall of the rear portion/insertion-receiving portion 12a of the front side member/second vehicle body structure 12 to the protruding portion/fitting block 31. The exterior wall is a surface that is parallel to the vehicle front-and-rear direction. Bolts are a type of joining member that extend in a direction orthogonal to the surfaces they join. Therefore, the joining members are orthogonal to the vehicle front and rear direction).
Regarding claim 4, Park discloses:
The vehicle body structure according to claim 3, wherein the joining member includes a shaft portion that is inserted into the protruding portion and insertion-receiving portion in the direction orthogonal to the vehicle front-and-rear direction (Col. 17 lines 39-41 discloses exterior side bolts/joining members 41 that fasten the exterior wall of the rear portion/insertion-receiving portion 12a of the front side member/second vehicle body structure 12 to the protruding portion/fitting block 31. The exterior wall is a surface that is parallel to the vehicle front-and-rear direction. Bolts are a type of joining member that extend in a direction orthogonal to the surfaces they join. Furthermore, the portion of a bolt that extends in a direction is the shaft portion. Therefore, the shaft portion of the joining members are orthogonal to the vehicle front and rear direction).
Regarding claim 5, Park discloses:
The vehicle body structure according to claim 1, wherein the protruding portion includes a rib portion that extends along a protrusion direction in which the protruding portion protrudes from the main body portion (Park Annotated Figure 13).
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Regarding claim 8, Park discloses:
The vehicle body structure according to claim 1, wherein the second vehicle body structural component is a crash box including: the insertion-receiving portion (Col. 17 lines 22-26 discloses an internal space of rear portion 12a of a second vehicle body structural component that forms an insertion-receiving portion); and an impact-absorbing portion that is capable of absorbing a portion of an impact load applied in a vehicle front-and-rear direction by compressively deforming in the vehicle front-and-rear direction (Col. 7 lines 22-23 disclose a second vehicle body portion/front side member 12 containing a rear portion 12a. Any vehicle body structure can deform and absorb a portion of an impact load applied in a vehicle front and rear direction by compressively deforming in the vehicle front-and-rear direction. Therefore, the portion of the second vehicle body portion/front side member 12 that does not form the insertion-receiving portion forms an impact-absorbing portion).
Regarding claim 11, Park discloses:
A vehicle body fabrication process comprising: casting a first vehicle body structural component including a main body portion and a protruding portion that protrudes from the main body portion; inserting the protruding portion into an insertion-receiving portion provided at a second vehicle body structural component (Col. 17 lines 22-26, the fitting block/protruding portion 31 is press fit into the internal space of the rear portion of the front side member/insertion receiving portion 12a); and joining the protruding portion with the insertion-receiving portion by a joining member (Col. 17 lines 39-41, the bolts/joining member 41 connect the fitting block/protruding portion 31 to the rear portion of the front side member/insertion receiving portion 12a).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
Claims 9 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Park (US 12337899 B2) in view of Rai et al. (US 20230373563 A1).
Regarding claim 9, Park discloses the vehicle body structure according to claim 1 (Park Annotated Figure 1) and separately discloses a wheel well portion capable of accommodating a portion of a tire (Park Annotated Figure 1).
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Park fails to disclose the case where the main body portion includes a wheel well portion capable of accommodating a portion of a tire.
Rai et al. teaches the case where the main body portion includes a wheel well portion capable of accommodating a portion of a tire (Rai et al. Annotated Figure 3, the cast main body portion of claim 1 is merged with the wheel well portion of Rai et al. to form the cast main body portion of claim 9).
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It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to take the wheel well portion capable of accommodating a portion of a tire and the vehicle body structure according to claim 1, as separately disclosed by Park, and merge them together to form a main body portion including a wheel well portion capable of accommodating a portion of a tire, as taught by Rai et al., because it would reduce the number of vehicle body parts required to form the front portion of a vehicle and the amount of assembly steps required to make the front vehicle frame.
Regarding claim 10, Park as modified by Rai et al. discloses the vehicle body structure according to claim 9 where each individual vehicle body structure according to claim 9 includes a wheel well portion disposed to be spaced apart in a vehicle width direction.
Park as modified by Rai et al. fails to disclose the vehicle body structure according to claim 9, wherein the main body portion includes: a pair of wheel well portions disposed to be spaced apart in a vehicle width direction; and a connecting portion that links the wheel well portions in the vehicle width direction.
Rai et al. further teaches the vehicle body structure according to claim 9, wherein the main body portion includes: a pair of wheel well portions disposed to be spaced apart in a vehicle width direction (Rai et al Annotated Figure 1); and a connecting portion that links the wheel well portions in the vehicle width direction (Rai et al Annotated Figure 1).
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It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to take the extended main body portion of claim 9, as disclosed by Park and Rai et al., and further extend the main body portion to include a pair of wheel well portions connected by a connecting portion that together forms a single part, as taught by Rai et al, because it eliminates the need to incorporate manufacturing processes like spot-welding, seam-welding, riveting, bolting and adhesive bonding to join a vehicle’s energy absorbing system to other segments of the front frame of the vehicle since the entire structure is one part. This elimination reduces the amount of time it takes to form the front frame of the vehicle.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6 and 7 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: Claim 6 is indicated to contain allowable subject matter because the closest prior art of record does not feature a protruding portion with a curved surface portion curving to form a protrusion to the vehicle upper side as seen in the vehicle width direction. The closest prior art of record is CN 115571229 A, which has a protruding portion that has a curved surface portion curving to form a protrusion to the vehicle … side as seen in the vehicle width direction. However, the taught protrusion of CN 115571229 A specifically points to the vehicle lower side, which is not the claimed protrusion to the vehicle upper side. For this reason, claim 6 is indicated to contain allowable subject matter.
Claim 7 is indicated to contain allowable subject matter only because it depends on claim 6. If claim 7 was not dependent on claim 6, it would be rejected because a lower edge portion of a region at a vehicle front side of the protruding portion slopes downward from the vehicle front side toward a vehicle rear side as seen in the vehicle width direction is present in US 12337899 B2 (Park Annotated Figure 11). A rejection is avoided because claim 6’s intervening subject matter makes claim 7 allowable.
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Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GABRIEL R SACKINGER whose telephone number is (571)270-0840. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 10 a.m. 6 p.m. ET..
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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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/G.R.S./Examiner, Art Unit 3612
/AMY R WEISBERG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3612
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