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 .
This communication is in response to application No. 19/006,935, filed on 12/31/2024. Claims 1-17 are currently pending and have been examined. Claims 1-4 and 6-8 have been rejected as follows. Claim 5 is objected to. Claims 9-17 are allowed.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in China on 9/28/2022. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the 202211192987.2 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
See Improper Request Letter mailed 5/21/2026 & 5/18/2026.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(4) because reference characters "40" and "42" have both been used to designate energy absorbing box bracket in Figure 1. According to applicant’s specification (para. [0026]), “front frame installation platform 40” includes two upper beams 41 extending forward of the vehicle spring tower 10 and two energy- absorbing box brackets 42 arranged on the energy-absorbing box assemblies 20. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: the same reasons as stated above in the objection to the drawings.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1-4 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Qi et al (CN 216833939).
Regarding claim 1, Qi et al discloses a universal vehicle-body front end structure, comprising a vehicle spring tower (see annotated Figure 1 below), two energy- absorbing box assemblies (11, Fig. 1) respectively extending forward from both lower sides of the vehicle spring tower (see annotated Figure 1 below), a front anti-collision beam (12, Fig. 1) connecting the two energy-absorbing box assemblies (11, Fig. 1), and a front frame installation platform, wherein the front frame installation platform comprises two upper beams (13, Fig. 1) respectively extending forward from both upper sides of the vehicle spring tower (see annotated Figure 1 below) and two energy-absorbing box brackets (2, Fig. 1) respectively arranged on the two energy-absorbing box assemblies (11, Fig. 1), wherein each upper beam (13, Fig. 1) is equipped with an upper mounting portion (20, Fig. 2-3; see annotated Figure 2 below), and each energy-absorbing box bracket (2, Fig. 1) is equipped with a lower mounting portion (210, Fig. 2-3; see annotated Figure 2 below), with the upper mounting portions (20, Fig. 2-3) and the lower mounting portions (210, Fig. 2-3) forming a universal installation interface of a front frame (30, 31, Fig. 1-3). Qi et al discloses a “universal vehicle-body front end structure” in that this construction has interconnected common parts that can be replaced or integrated into the body structure with different model vehicle parts. The structure of Qi et al is a series of components and not a monolithic piece.
Figure 1:
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Figure 2:
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Regarding claim 2, Qi et al further discloses wherein the universal installation interface of the front frame (30-33, Fig. 1) comprises a middle support portion (see annotated Figure 3 & 4 below) arranged on the front anti-collision beam (12, Fig. 1).
Figure 3:
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Figure 4:
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Regarding claim 3, Qi et al discloses all of the claimed limitations of the invention as claimed in claim 2 above, and further discloses wherein the middle support portion (see annotated Figure 3 & 4 above) comprises a middle support platform (see annotated Figure 2 & 3 above) and a middle fixing part (see annotated Figure 3 & 4 above) both of which are arranged upwards.
Regarding claim 4, Qi et al further discloses wherein the upper mounting portion (see annotated Figure 3 & 4 above) includes an upper mounting platform (flat bottom side of upper mounting portion) and an upper fixing part (apertures in mounting portion 20) both of which are arranged downwards, and the lower mounting portion (see annotated Figure 3 & 4) includes a lower mounting platform (flat top side of lower mounting portion) and a lower fixing part (apertures in mounting portion 210) both of which are arranged upwards.
Regarding claim 8, Qi et al discloses all of the claimed limitations of the invention as claimed in claim 4 above, and further discloses wherein the lower mounting platform (flat top side of lower mounting portion 210) is located above the energy-absorbing box assembly (11, Fig. 2 and see annotated Figure 2 above), the lower mounting platform is equipped with a fixture positioning part (cut out portion of 210, Fig. 4), the energy-absorbing box bracket includes a pair of connecting side plates (see annotated Figure 3 & 4 above) extending downwards from the lower mounting platform (flat top side of lower mounting portion 210, Fig.4), and the connecting side plates are equipped with bracket mounting holes (apertures on upper and lower area of sides of 21, Fig. 4) that cooperate with the energy-absorbing box assembly (11, Fig. 2).
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.
Claims 1 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kelz et al (DE-102009016937) in view of Qi et al (CN 216833939).
Regarding claim 1, Kelz et al discloses a universal vehicle-body front end structure, comprising a vehicle spring tower (Figure 2-3), two energy- absorbing box assemblies (28, Fig. 2-3; page 3, paragraph 6) respectively extending forward from both lower sides (20, Fig. 2-3) of the vehicle spring tower (Figure 2-3), and a front frame installation platform, wherein the front frame installation platform comprises two upper beams (22/30, Fig. 2-3) respectively extending forward from both upper sides of the vehicle spring tower (Figure 2-3) and two energy-absorbing box brackets (32/28, Fig. 2-3) respectively arranged on the two energy-absorbing box assemblies (28, Fig. 2-3), wherein each upper beam (22/30, Fig. 2-3) is equipped with an upper mounting portion (bottom of 30, Fig. 2-3), and each energy-absorbing box bracket (32, Fig. 2-3) is equipped with a lower mounting portion (top of 32, Fig. 2-3), with the upper mounting portions (bottom of 30, Fig. 2-3) and the lower mounting portions (top of 32, Fig. 2-3) forming a universal installation interface of a front frame (12/16, Fig. 2-3). However, Kelz et al does not expressly disclose a front anti-collision beam connecting the two energy-absorbing box assemblies (28, Fig. 2-3).
Qi et al teaches a front anti-collision beam (12, Fig. 1) connecting two energy-absorbing box assemblies (11, Fig. 1) in the analogous field of the claimed invention of vehicle body front end structures.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the vehicle front end of Kelz et al by providing it with the front anti-collision beam as taught by Qi et al. Doing so would absorb front impact load from a collision and serve as a support for mounting a bumper fascia (16, Fig. 2) of a front frame (12, Fig. 2) as in Kelz et al.
Regarding claim 6, Kelz et al in view of Qi et al discloses all of the claimed limitations of the invention as claimed in claim 1 above, and Kelz et al further discloses wherein the upper beam (22/30, Fig. 2-3) is a square tube (30, Fig. 2-3), and the upper beam and the energy-absorbing box assembly (28, Fig. 2 & 5) which are on the same side of the vehicle spring tower are aligned vertically (Figure 5).
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Qi et al (CN 216833939) in view of Delcourt et al (US Patent No. 7,056,161).
Regarding claim 7, Qi et al discloses all of the claimed limitations of the invention as claimed in claim 1 above. However, Qi et al does not expressly disclose wherein the upper beam (13, Fig. 1) is equipped with a mounting portion of an engine compartment component, the mounting portion of the engine compartment component being for installing fuse boxes, wire harness brackets, or air conditioning pipes.
Delcourt et al teaches an upper beam equipped with a mounting portion of a wire harness (59, Fig. 1) bracket engine compartment component (column 2, lines 49-62) in the analogous field of the claimed invention of vehicle body front end structures.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the upper beam of Qi et al by providing it with the wire harness bracket as taught by Delcourt et al. Doing so would improve access for mechanics to locate connectors and would simplify installation.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9-17 are allowed.
Claim 5 is 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: The primary reason for indication of allowable subject matter in claims 5 and 9 is the combination of the universal vehicle-body front end structure details with a front frame having columns in the universal installation interface of the front frame mounted between the upper mounting portion and lower mounting portion. This feature is defined by the limitations “wherein the upper mounting platform and the lower mounting platform are arranged opposite to each other, forming a receiving space for a column of the front frame between the upper mounting platform and the lower mounting platform” and “the vehicle body further comprising a front frame installed on the universal installation interface of the front frame, wherein the front frame comprises a crossbeam and two columns respectively arranged on two sides of the crossbeam, and an upper end and a lower end of each of the columns are respectively assembled to the upper mounting portion and the lower mounting portion”. The closest prior art of Qi et al (CN 216833939) does not disclose a front frame with columns and mounting platforms with an interface to accommodate the columns between them as claimed. Applicant’s front frame universal installation interface structure with mounting platforms and bracket configuration can adapt to various structures of the front frame, improve the platformization level of the vehicle-body front end structure and facilitate assembly. Such limitations, in combination with the rest of the limitations of the claim, are not disclosed or suggested by the prior art of record. Claims 10-17 contain allowable subject matter by virtue of dependency as they depend from claim 9.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Denise L Esquivel whose telephone number is (703)756-5825. The examiner can normally be reached Monday- Thursday 7:30 am-5:00 pm, alternate Fridays 7:30 am-4:00 pm.
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/D.L.E./Examiner, Art Unit 3612
/AMY R WEISBERG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3612
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