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
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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 6-7 and 9-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Obara et al. (U.S. 2003/0071488A1).
Regarding claim 6, Obara et al. disclose a dash panel assembly (see fig. 1) for an automotive vehicle (refer to para 0060) occupying the full transversal space of the automotive vehicle in between a right and left side sill (as shown in fig. 1) and in between right and left lower A-pillars (as shown in fig. 1), the dash panel assembly separating a front motor compartment from a passenger compartment (see fig. 1 and refer to para 0060), the dash panel assembly (see fig. 1) comprising:
a lower dash panel (11, fig. 2-3) and an upper dash panel (12; figs. 2-3 and refer to para 0061),
the lower and upper dash panels (11, 12) each made by forming a single metallic sheet (refer to para 0030 and 0061),
the lower dash panel (11) including a lower portion (11) and a lower dash panel overlap portion (11A, fig. 3),
the upper dash panel (12) including an upper portion (12) and an upper dash panel overlap portion (12A; fig. 3 and para 0061),
once assembled to form the dash panel assembly (as shown in fig. 1), the dash panel lower portion (11A) and the upper overlap portion (12A) overlap each other to define an overlap portion (11A, 12A) and the lower portion (12) and the upper portion (12) do not overlap each other (as shown in fig. 3);
the overlap portion (11A, 12A) including at least one flat overlap portion (space between 11A and 12A) where the lower and upper dash panels lay flat onto each other (refer to fig. 1).
Regarding claim 7, Obara et al. disclose wherein at least one of the lower and upper dash panels is made by stamping a tailor welded blank (refer to abstract, para 0061 and 0062).
Regarding claim 9, Obara et al. disclose wherein the overlap portion further includes a hollow portion where the lower and upper dash panel overlap portions are spaced from one another in a longitudinal direction to form a hollow volume between them (fig. 5, space defining “nugget 14” is the hollow volume between 11 and 12).
Regarding claim 10, Obara et al. disclose a method for manufacturing an automotive vehicle comprising employing the dash panel assembly as recited in claim 6 (refer to para 0002, 0004, 0008, 0013, and 0020-0026).
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 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Obara et al. (U.S. 2003/0071488A1), in view of Nagai et al. (U.S. 2011/0233970A1).
Regarding claim 8, Obara et al. teach all the features of this claim as applied to claim 6 above; however, Obara et al. is silent to wherein at least one of the lower and upper dash panels is made by hot stamping.
Nagai et al. teach a method for manufacturing a vehicle component, wherein the component is made by hot stamping (refer to para 0085). Nagai et al. further teach that hot stamping “is a method in which a steel plate is heated to a high temperature to make it easily deformable and then rapidly cooled upon shape-forming so as to attain a greater strength than before the shape-forming (refer to para 0085).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have made the at least one of the lower and upper dash panels by hot stamping, for the purpose of attaining greater strength, as taught by Nagai et al. (refer to para 0085).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Kawano (U.S. 2026/0249926A1) and Clauser (U.S. 9,272,736B1).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YANICK A AKARAGWE whose telephone number is (469)295-9298. The examiner can normally be reached M-TH 7:30-5:30.
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, Nicole Coy can be reached at (571) 272-5405. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/YANICK A AKARAGWE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3672
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