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 § 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)(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.
Claim(s) 13-16, 19-22, and 24-27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Brueggemann et al. (US 2025/0316813 A1).
The applied reference has a common assignee and inventor with the instant application. Based upon the earlier effectively filed date of the reference, it constitutes prior art under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2). This rejection under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) might be overcome by: (1) a showing under 37 CFR 1.130(a) that the subject matter disclosed in the reference was obtained directly or indirectly from the inventor or a joint inventor of this application and is thus not prior art in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(A); (2) a showing under 37 CFR 1.130(b) of a prior public disclosure under 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(B) if the same invention is not being claimed; or (3) a statement pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) establishing that, not later than the effective filing date of the claimed invention, the subject matter disclosed in the reference and the claimed invention were either owned by the same person or subject to an obligation of assignment to the same person or subject to a joint research agreement.
With respect to claim 13, Brueggemann et al. discloses a vehicle battery tray 1 with base 2, hood or lid with side walls that secure to the flange portion of the tray (as recited in para. 23), said base being hot-formed steel, as recited in para. 6, and further has obliquely extend upwards to engage the hood side walls, as shown in figure 1.
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321
533
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With respect to claim 14, said tray further includes longitudinal beads 3, as shown in figure 2.
With respect to figure 15, said tray also includes transverse beads 4, as shown in figures 1 and 2.
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390
519
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With respect to claims 16 and 19, the tray side wall includes flanges 7 that engage flange of the hood side walls, as recited in para. 23.
With respect to claim 20, spacer sleeves (not numbered) are shown around the perimeter of the tray flange for allowing screw connections of the tray and hood, as shown in figure 3.
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427
522
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With respect to claim 21, para. 6 recites said steel being an “hardenable steel alloy”, which would technically make it a “tailored property” steel.
With respect to claims 22, 25, 26, and 27, para. 6, discloses the tensile strength as being 1000-1350MPa and greater.
With respect to claim 24, said transverse beads project inwards and said longitudinal beads project outwards, as shown in figures 1 and 2.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 17, 18, and 23 are 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JEFFREY J RESTIFO whose telephone number is (571)272-6697. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 11am-8pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, J. 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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JEFFREY J. RESTIFO
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3613
/JEFFREY J RESTIFO/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3613
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