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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yi et al. (US 20240123811 A1) in view of Zannier (US 20170072884 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Yi discloses a vehicle lower part structure (Yi, Fig. 3), comprising: a rocker (Yi, 110 in Fig. 3) located outward in a vehicle width direction (Yi, Fig. 3, left-right direction) and extending in a vehicle front-rear direction (Yi, Fig. 2); a shock absorbing portion (Yi, 140 in Fig. 3) composed of a plurality of energy absorbing portions (Yi, 141 in Fig. 3) arranged in the vehicle width direction in the rocker; and a battery (Yi, 220 in Fig. 3) disposed in a lower part of a vehicle (Yi, Fig. 3), wherein a part of the shock absorbing portion that is located outward in the vehicle width direction of a fastening portion and a part of the shock absorbing portion that is located inward in the vehicle width direction of the fastening portion (Yi, see annotated Fig. 3), the fastening portion being a portion where the battery is fastened to the rocker (Yi, see annotated Fig. 3 and paragraph 91, fastened by a fastener).
PNG
media_image1.png
591
924
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Figure 1 Annotated Fig. 3 from Yi
Yi fails to disclose a vehicle cabin and lower rigidity.
Zannier teaches a vehicle cabin (Zannier, 99 in Fig. 1) and lower rigidity (Zannier, paragraph 70, greater thickness towards the rear or inward, therefore means lower rigidity for the outward shock absorbing portion).
Zannier is considered to be analogous art because it is in the same field of vehicle rocker with energy absorbing structures as Yi.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the earliest effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the structure as taught by Yi to incorporate the teachings of Zannier with a reasonable expectation of success and vary the thickness such that the outer portion has lower rigidity than the inner portion. Doing so provides a safe space for occupants during vehicle travel and allows progressive deformation to absorb impact and reduce damage to the internal parts (Zannier, paragraph 7-8).
Regarding claim 2, the combination of Yi in view of Zannier teaches the vehicle lower part structure according to claim 1, wherein the shock absorbing portion includes an outer shock absorbing portion (Yi, see annotated Fig. 3) located in an outer side in the vehicle width direction of the rocker, and an inner shock absorbing portion (Yi, see annotated Fig. 3) located inward in the vehicle width direction of the outer shock absorbing portion.
Regarding claim 3, the combination of Yi in view of Zannier teaches the vehicle lower part structure according to claim 2, wherein the outer shock absorbing portion and the inner shock absorbing portion are provided as a single-piece member (Yi, Fig. 3 shows it is a single piece; Zannier Fig. 10-12 also shows single piece).
Regarding claim 4, the combination of Yi in view of Zannier teaches the vehicle lower part structure according to claim 1, wherein the shock absorbing portion is composed of a plurality of members (Yi, see annotated Fig. 3, inner portion and outer portions; Zannier paragraph 70 also teaches different portions) having different rigidities (Zannier, paragraph 70, due to varying thicknesses), and the members are integrated by being coupled to each other (Yi, Fig. 3, and Zannier Fig. 10-12 also shows different members coupled together forming the shock absorbing portion).
Regarding claim 5, the combination of Yi in view of Zannier teaches the vehicle lower part structure according to claim 1, wherein the fastening portion is located on a lower wall of the rocker (Yi, see annotated Fig. 3).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The cited references that are not relied upon all disclose vehicle rockers with energy absorbing structures.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Wenwei Zhuo whose telephone number is (571)272-5564. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. EST.
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, Vivek Koppikar can be reached at (571) 272-5109. 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.
/WENWEI ZHUO/Examiner, Art Unit 3612
Prosecution Insights