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 § 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.
Claim(s) 1-6, 8-10, and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gunther (US 20220297524 A1) in view of In re Dailey, 357 F.2d 669, 149 USPQ 47.
Regarding claim 1, Gunther discloses a battery unit (frame structure of a battery housing for a vehicle, figs.1-8, abstract) which is provided below a floor panel of a vehicle, comprising: a battery case (frame structure of a battery housing, figs.1-8) provided with a pair of first frames (frame profiles 3.1, 3.3 or 17, figs.1-8) extending in a first direction (lateral direction, figs.1-8) which is one of a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction and a pair of second frames (frame profiles 3, 3.2 or 17.1, figs.1-8) extending in a second direction (longitudinal direction, figs.1-8) which is the other of the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction; and battery cells (battery volume B to receive battery modules, paragraph [0031], figs.1-8) stored in the battery case, wherein said battery case is configured in a square frame shape (frame of battery housing is rectangular in shape as seen in figure 1, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art that the battery frame can be square shaped for different sized vehicles and different sized batteries, In re Dailey) such that said first frames and said second frames enclose said battery cells (frame profiles 3,3.1,3.2,3.3 or 17 and 17.1 enclose the battery volume B for battery modules, figs.1-8), said first frame includes a first contact face which is arranged to face said second frame and a first connection portion to connect to said second frame (frame profiles 3.1, 3.3 or 17 have first contact face and first connection portion as seen in figures 3-5 and 7-8) and said second frame includes a second contact face which is arranged to face said first frame and a second connection portion to connect to said first frame (frame profiles 3, 3.2 or 17.1 have second contact face and second connection portion as seen in figures 3-5 and 7-8),said first frame has a step-shaped first step portion which forms a first space where at least part of said second connection portion of the second frame is stored (HERE), and at least part of said first contact face of the first frame is provided at said first step portion of the first frame (figs.3-4 and 7-8).
Regarding claim 2, Gunther discloses wherein said second frame has a step-shaped second step portion which forms a second space where at least part of said first connection portion of the first frame is stored (frame profiles 3, 3.2 or 17.1 are step-shaped, figs.3-5 and 7-8), at least part of said second contact face of the second frame is provided at said second step portion of the second frame (figs.3-4 and 7-8), and said first step portion and said second step portion are provided to engage with each other (figs.3-4 and 7-8).
Regarding claim 3, Gunther discloses wherein said first step portion of the first frame is configured to be formed in a step shape when viewed in a vertical direction (frame profiles 3.1, 3.3 or 17 are step-shaped when viewed from a vertical direction, figs.3-4 and 7-8).
Regarding claim 4, Gunther discloses wherein said first step portion of the first frame is configured to be formed in a step shape when viewed in said second direction (frame profiles 3.1, 3.3 or 17 are step-shaped when viewed from a second/longitudinal direction, figs.3-4 and 7-8).
Regarding claim 5, Gunther discloses wherein said second step portion of the second frame is configured to be formed in a step shape when viewed in a vertical direction (frame profiles 3, 3.2 or 17.1 are step-shaped when viewed from a vertical direction, figs.3-4 and 7-8).
Regarding claim 6, Gunther discloses wherein said second step portion of the second frame is configured to be formed in a step shape when viewed in said first direction (frame profiles 3, 3.2 or 17.1 are step-shaped when viewed from a first/lateral direction, figs.3-4 and 7-8).
Regarding claims 8 and 12, Gunther discloses wherein said battery case is provided with a pair of longitudinal frames (frame profiles 3, 3.2 or 17.1, figs.1-8) which are either one of said first frames and said second frames and extend in the longitudinal direction and a pair of lateral frames (frame profiles 3.1, 3.3 or 17, figs.1-8) which are the other of said first frames and said second frames and extend in the lateral direction, said longitudinal frame includes a longitudinal-frame-side contact face which is either one of said first contact face and said second contact face (contact faces of frame profiles 3, 3.2 or 17.1, figs.3-4 and 7-8), said vehicle comprises a pair of side sills which extend in the longitudinal direction along both-side edge portions (chassis of vehicle has side sills that frame structure R is fastened to, paragraph [0032]), in the lateral direction, of said floor panel and form a vehicle body together with the floor panel (vehicles chassis and other parts of a vehicle form the body), said longitudinal frame is fixed to said side sill with a fixation member (fastening holes 7 and fastening members, fig.1-8, paragraph [0032]), and said longitudinal-frame-side contact face of the longitudinal frame is provided to face said lateral frame and located at a specified position so as to overlap with said fixation member in a vertical direction (fisg.1-8, paragraph [0032]).
Regarding claim 9, Gunther discloses wherein said first step portion of the first frame is configured to be formed in a step shape when viewed in a vertical direction (frame profiles 3.1, 3.3 or 17 are step-shaped when viewed from a vertical direction, figs.3-4 and 7-8).
Regarding claim 10, Gunther discloses wherein said first step portion of the first frame is configured to be formed in a step shape when viewed in said second direction (frame profiles 3.1, 3.3 or 17 are step-shaped when viewed from a second/longitudinal direction, figs.3-4 and 7-8).
Claim(s) 7 and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gunther (US 20220297524 A1) in view of In re Dailey, 357 F.2d 669, 149 USPQ 47, and in further view of Kamei (US 20220379963 A1).
Regarding claims 7 and 11, Gunther discloses wherein said battery case is provided with a pair of lateral frames (frame profiles 3.1, 3.3 or 17, figs.1-8) which are either one of said first frames and said second frames and extend in the lateral direction and a pair of longitudinal frames (frame profiles 3, 3.2 or 17.1, figs.1-8) which are the other of said first frames and said second frames and extend in the longitudinal direction, said lateral frame includes a lateral- frame-side contact face which is either one of said first contact face and said second contact face (contact faces of the frame profiles 3.1, 3.3 or 17, figs.3-4 and 7-8). Gunther fails to disclose said vehicle comprises a pair of front side frames which extend forward from a forward side of said floor panel with a specified gap formed, in the lateral direction, therebetween and form a vehicle body together with the floor panel, and said lateral-frame-side contact face of the lateral frame positioned on the forward side is provided to face said longitudinal frame and located at a specified position so as to overlap with a rear end portion of said front side frame in a vertical direction.
However, Kamei discloses a vehicle (vehicle 1) comprises a pair of front side frames (front side frames 72 and floor reinforcement members 151 and load-transmitting members 152, figs.1-11) which extend forward from a forward side of said floor panel (floor panel 70) with a specified gap formed, in the lateral direction, therebetween and form a vehicle body together with the floor panel (upper structural vehicle body 3 and lower structural vehicle body 2, fig.2), and said lateral-frame-side contact face of the lateral frame positioned on the forward side is provided to face said longitudinal frame and located at a specified position so as to overlap with a rear end portion of said front side frame in a vertical direction (front end member 22 of battery b overlaps with the front side frame in a vertical direction).
Gunther and Kamei are both considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of battery units. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Gunther with the vehicle body frame structure of Kamei with a reasonable expectation of success because it would have combined prior art elements yielding predictable results of having a front side frame as part of the vehicle chassis to support vehicle components like motors as well as provide safety when in a crash.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
The prior art not relied upon but considered pertinent to the applicant’s disclosure is included in the 892 form. The art included has features related to claim limitations, the general structural of the invention, teachings, and other analogous art to the invention.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to IAN BRYCE SHELTON whose telephone number is (571)272-6501. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00-5:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, 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.
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/IAN BRYCE SHELTON/Examiner, Art Unit 3613
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