Appeal No. 1998-1968
Application 08/425,293
Reference is made to the appellant’s main, revised reply,
and supplemental reply briefs (Paper Nos. 23, 29 and 32) and1
to the examiner’s main and supplemental answers (Paper Nos. 24
and 30) for the respective positions of the appellant and the
examiner regarding the merits of this rejection.
Shoda discloses a hatch-back automobile rear body
structure designed to withstand forces from various
directions. As described in the reference,
a rear body structure [comprises] a rear pillar [4]
of a closed cross-section constituted by a pillar
inner panel [8] and a pillar outer panel [9], a rear
header [5] of a closed cross-section constituted by
a rear header upper panel [10] and a rear header
inner panel [11], a roof side rail [6] of a closed
cross-section constituted by the pillar inner panel
[8] and a rear fender [12], said rear pillar [4],
rear header [5] and roof side rail [6] being
interconnected with one another, the pillar outer
panel [9] at the upper portion thereof being formed
with first and second extensions [13 and 14]
extending toward the rear header and the roof side
rail, and the extensions being interposed in a space
defined by the closed cross-section[s] so as to
divide said space into small compartments.
Preferably, at the rear end of the rear header [5],
there is formed a transversely extending closed
cross-section by the rear header inner panel [11]
1The examiner (see Paper No. 27) has refused entry of the appellant’s original
reply brief (Paper No. 25).
3
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