DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application is being examined under the pre-AIA first to invent provisions.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the nipple being seated in the nipple seat perpendicularly to the spoke as newly set forth in claims 1 and 12 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
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. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. 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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
2. The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 1-5, 12 and 15-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Regarding claim 1, there is no support in the original disclosure for the newly added limitation requiring the “nipple seat” to “allow said nipple to seat in said nipple seat perpendicularly to said spoke” (emphasis added). This is a new matter rejection.
Regarding claim 12, there is no support in the original disclosure for the newly added limitation requiring the “nipple seat” to “allow said nipple to seat in said nipple seat perpendicularly to a spoke” (emphasis added). This is a new matter rejection.
5. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
6. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
7. Claims 1-6, 8-12 and 15-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 1, the limitation “wherein said anchor connection point comprises a bore formed in said hub through which said spoke is inserted and formed with a bore seat sized to receive said body and matching said curved shoulder” renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear how the anchor connection point can comprise a bore and be formed with a bore seat. Note a “point”, by definition, is something that has position but not extension.
Regarding claim 1, the limitation “wherein each corresponding nipple connection point for each anchor point on said left flange is on said left side of said rim, forming a straight line” renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear how the nipple connection point can form a line. For purposes of this examination, this limitation will be interpreted as the spoke assembly forming a straight line between the nipple connection point and the anchor point.
Regarding claim 1, the limitation “wherein each corresponding nipple connection point for each anchor point on said right flange is on said right side of said rim, forming a straight line” renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear how the nipple connection point can form a line. For purposes of this examination, as best understood, this limitation will be interpreted as the spoke assembly forming a straight line between the nipple connection point and the anchor point.
Regarding claim 6, there is insufficient antecedent basis for “said bore” in line 7.
Regarding claim 6, the limitation “a plurality of left spoke assemblies connected from said left side of said rim to anchor holes and said left flange of said hub, forming a straight line” renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear how a plurality of spoke assemblies can form a line. For purposes of this examination, as best understood, this limitation will be interpreted as each spoke assembly of the plurality of left spoke assemblies forms a straight line.
Regarding claim 6, the limitation “a plurality of right spoke assemblies connected from said right side of said rim to anchor holes on said right flange of said hub, forming a straight line” renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear how a plurality of spoke assemblies can form a line. For purposes of this examination, as best understood, this limitation will be interpreted as each spoke assembly of the plurality of right spoke assemblies forms a straight line.
Regarding claim 12, there is insufficient antecedent basis for “said plurality of spoke assemblies”.
Regarding claim 12, the limitation “a plurality of left spoke assemblies connected between a left side of said rim and a left side of said hub, forming a straight line” renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear how a plurality of spoke assemblies can form a line. For purposes of this examination, as best understood, this limitation will be interpreted as each spoke assembly of the plurality of left spoke assemblies forms a straight line.
Regarding claim 12, the limitation “a liquid crystal polymer spoke” in line 12 renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether “a liquid crystal polymer spoke” refers to “a spoke” previously set forth in lines 4-5 of claim 12 or if it is distinct therefrom as implied by the claim construction.
Regarding claim 12, the limitation “a nipple” in line 22 renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether “a nipple” refers to “a nipple” previously set forth in line 4 of claim 12 or if it is distinct therefrom as implied by the claim construction.
Regarding claim 12, the limitation “a nipple seat” in line 26 renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether “a nipple seat” refers to “a nipple seat” previously set forth in line 3 of claim 12 or if it is distinct therefrom as implied by the claim construction.
Regarding claim 12, the limitation “a plurality of right spoke assemblies connected between a right side of said rim and a right side of said hub, forming a straight line” renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear how a plurality of spoke assemblies can form a line. For purposes of this examination, as best understood, this limitation will be interpreted as each spoke assembly of the plurality of right spoke assemblies forms a straight line.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
8. The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
(a) A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be negatived by the manner in which the invention was made.
9. Claims 1-6, 8-12 and 15-20 are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Huang (US 2011/0215636 A1; previously cited and applied) in view of Campbell (US 6,036,281; previously cited and applied), Chen (US 2005/0194835 A1; previously cited and applied), Schlanger (US 2001/0054840 A1; previously cited and applied), and Lubecki (US 2010/0078987; previously cited and applied).
Regarding claims 1-3, Huang discloses a light weight wheel comprising: a wheel axis (Fig. 4); a rim 10 comprising a left side and a right side (Fig. 4); a hub 20 comprising a left flange and a right flange (Fig. 4); a plurality of spoke assemblies 30 connected between said rim and said hub (Fig. 1), wherein said spoke assembly comprises a spoke 31 having a central axis between a first end 313 and a second end 312, an anchor 32 attached to said first end of said spoke (Fig. 3) and formed with a body having a curved shoulder at 323 and a retaining shaft at 322 extending from said body (Figs. 2 and 3), said anchor attached to said hub by said curved shoulder at an anchor connection point at 21 on said outer surface of said left flange or said right flange of said hub (evident from Fig. 4 and paragraphs [0024] and [0027]), wherein said anchor connection point comprises a bore 21 formed in said hub through which said spoke is inserted and formed with a bore seat at 22 sized to receive said body and matching said curved shoulder (evident from Fig. 4 and paragraph [0021], [0024]) and [0027]); a tube 33 comprising a spoke receiving section (unlabeled non-threaded section of shank 332 that receives spoke as shown in Figs. 2 and 3) and a threaded section (unlabeled threaded section of shank 332 as shown in Figs. 2 and 3), said tube attached to said second end of said spoke such that said second end of said spoke is inserted into said spoke receiving section (Fig. 4), and a nipple 34 securing said tube to said rim, said nipple comprising a first section and a body extending from the section and terminating in a flange at 341 (evident from Fig. 4), said nipple further comprising a threaded bore 342 extending from an opening in said first section of said nipple into said body (evident from Fig. 4), said threaded section of said tube secured into said threaded bore of said nipple (Fig. 4), wherein said nipple is capable of angular rotation against a nipple seat 12 of said rim (evident from Fig. 4 and paragraphs [0023] and [0027]), thereby defining a nipple connection point at said rim corresponding to said anchor connection point (Fig. 4), wherein said nipple seat is rounded to receive said nipple and allow said nipple to seat in said nipple seat perpendicularly to said spoke (evident from Fig. 4 and paragraphs [0023] and [0027]; note the nipple is considered to be seated perpendicularly to the spoke in the same manner Applicant’s nipple is considered to be seated perpendicularly to the spoke), and wherein said anchor connection points are evenly distributed between said left flange of said hub and said right flange of said hub (Fig. 1).
Huang fails to disclose the spoke comprising liquid crystal polymer fibers covered in a polyamide jacket, and the anchor having a tapered bore tapering from the body toward the retaining shaft.
Campbell, however, teaches a lightweight wheel in which the spoke 3 comprises liquid crystal polymer fibers (lines 30-31 of col. 3 and lines 23-30 of col. 4) covered in a polyamide jacket 9 (lines 12-15 of col. 4), and an anchor 10 is formed with a tapered bore at 19 tapering from a body toward a retaining shaft 33 (Fig. 2).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have modified the spoke assemblies of the lightweight wheel of Huang so that its spokes are formed from liquid crystal polymer fibers covered in a polyamide jacket wherein the first ends of the spokes are received in respective tapered bores of the anchor, such as taught by Campbell, with a reasonable expectation of success in providing a more secure connection between the spoke and the anchor while also ensuring maximum fatigue resistance of the spoke to cyclical stresses during use.
Although Huang further discloses each spoke assembly forming a straight line between each corresponding nipple connection point and the anchor point (clearly shown in Fig. 4), Huang fails to disclose each corresponding nipple connection point for each anchor point of the left flange is on the left side of the rim, and each corresponding nipple connection point for each anchor point on the right flange is on the right side of the rim.
Chen, however, teaches a wheel that includes a spoking arrangement such that a plurality of spoke holes 711 formed in the rim are evenly distributed between a left side and a right side of the rim (Figs. 3-6, paragraphs [0025] and [0030]), a plurality of anchor holes (unlabeled, but shown in Figs. 3-5) formed in the hub 4 are evenly distributed between a left side and a right side of the hub (Figs. 3-6, paragraphs [0025] and [0030]), wherein the anchor holes on the left side of the hub correspond to the spoke holes on the left side of the rim and anchor holes on the right side of the hub correspond to spoke holes on the right side of the rim (Figs. 3-6, paragraphs [0025] and [0030]), such that a plurality of spoke assemblies 2 consists of a plurality of left spoke assemblies connected from the left side of the rim to anchor holes and the left flange of the hub (Fig. 3), and a plurality of right spoke assemblies 2 connected from the right side of the rim to anchor holes on the right flange of the hub (Fig. 3).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have modified the wheel of Huang, as modified by Campbell, by utilizing a spoking arrangement wherein the anchor holes on the left side of the hub correspond to the spoke holes on the left side of the rim and anchor holes on the right side of the hub correspond to spoke holes on the right side of the rim, such as taught by Chen, as a well-known alternative spoking arrangement that would provide, with a reasonable expectation of success, predictable results for improving the service life of the rim due to the increased tensile strengths of the spoke mounting portions of the rim at the spoke holes.
Although Campbell teaches the use of a spoke comprised of a bundle of liquid crystal polymer fibers (lines 30-31 of col. 3 and lines 23-30 of col. 4) as noted above, Huang, as modified by Campbell and Chen, fails to expressly disclose the spoke comprising a plurality of bundles of fiber.
Schlanger, however, in paragraph [0130] teaches the use of spokes that include a plurality of non-rigid fiber material bundles (“These fibers are usually available in bundles or yarns…To produce a spoke, the yarns may be combined into a larger bundle…” as described in paragraph [0130]) with each non-rigid fiber material bundle comprising thousands of fibers (“each fiber bundle or yarn may contain thousands of fibers” as described in paragraph [0130]).
From this teaching, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have modified the spoke of Huang, as modified by Campbell and Chen, by forming the spoke to comprise a plurality of bundles of fiber with a reasonable expectation of success in achieving desirable material and physical properties such as an increased tensile strength.
Although Huang, as noted above, discloses the tube having a non-threaded spoke receiving section such that the second end of the spoke is inserted into the non-threaded spoke receiving section, and the nipple comprising a first section and a body extending from the first section and terminating in a flange, the nipple further comprising a threaded bore extending from an opening in the first section of the nipple into the body, wherein the threaded section of the tube is secured into the threaded bore of the nipple, Huang fails to disclose the non-threaded spoke receiving section of the tube and the first section of the nipple being respective hexagonal sections.
Lubecki, however, teaches a tube 205 having a non-threaded spoke receiving section in the form of a hexagonal section at 207, and a nipple 211 having a first section in the form of a hexagonal section (unlabeled, but shown in Fig. 2) and a body extending from the hexagonal section and terminating in a flange (best shown in Fig. 2), the nipple further comprising a threaded bore (shown in Fig. 3) extending from an opening in the hexagonal section of the nipple into the body (evident from Figs. 2 and 3), and wherein the threaded section of the tube is secured into the threaded bore of the nipple (evident from Figs. 2 and 3).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have modified the spoke assembly of Huang, as modified by Campbell, Chen and Schlanger, by forming the non-threaded spoke receiving section of the tube and the first section of the nipple as respective hexagonal sections, such as taught by Lubecki, with a reasonable expectation of success in facilitating engagement of the tube and nipple with a tool for the tensioning of the spokes.
Regarding claims 4 and 5, although Campbell discloses a spoke comprising liquid crystal polymer fibers covered in a polyamide jacket, as noted above, Huang, as modified by Campbell, Chen and Schlanger, fails to expressly disclose the use of PBO fibers for the liquid crystal polymer fibers.
Lubecki, however, teaches a lightweight wheel comprising a plurality of spoke assemblies in which the liquid crystal polymer fibers forming each spoke can be PBO fibers (paragraph [0034]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have modified the spoke assemblies of the lightweight wheel of Huang, as modified by Campbell, Chen and Schlanger, by using PBO fibers for the liquid crystal polymer fibers of the spokes, such as taught by Lubecki, with a reasonable expectation of success in achieving desired physical and material properties such as a good strength-to-weight ratio for the intended use of the spokes and wheel.
Regarding claims 6, 8 and 9, Huang discloses a light weight wheel comprising: a wheel axis (Fig. 4); a rim 10 comprising a left side and a right side (Fig. 4); a hub 20 comprising a left flange and a right flange (Fig. 4), and a plurality of anchor holes 21 formed with a bore seat at 22 in said hub evenly distributed between said left flange and said right flange (Figs. 1 and 4); a plurality of spoke assemblies passable through said bore in said anchor holes and connected between said rim and said anchor holes of said hub (Fig. 1), wherein said spoke assembly comprises a spoke 31 having a central axis between a first end 312 and a second end 313 and is capable of off-axis tensioning with respect to said central axis without decrease in strength (evident from the spoke construction described in at least paragraph [0026] and shown in Fig. 4), wherein each of said spoke assemblies further comprises: an anchor 32 configured to secure to said hub attached to said first end of said spoke assembly; a tube 33 attached to said second end of said spoke assembly (Fig. 4) and having a first section with an exterior (unlabeled unthreaded exterior section of shank 332 shown in Fig. 2) and a second section with a threaded exterior (threaded exterior section of shank 332 shown in Fig. 3), and a nipple 34 having a first end with an exterior (unlabeled exterior portion of the shaft of the nipple 34 at a first end thereof as shown in Fig. 4), a body terminating in a second end with a flange at 341 securing said nipple to said rim (Fig. 4), and a threaded bore at 342 extending from an opening in said exterior into said body (Fig. 4), said section of said tube secured into said threaded bore (Fig. 4; paragraph [0023]).
Huang fails to disclose the spoke being a liquid crystal polymer spoke comprising liquid crystal polymer fibers covered in a polyamide jacket, and the anchor having a tapered bore configured to secure to the first end of the spoke assembly with a wedge formed with epoxy.
Campbell, however, teaches a lightweight wheel in which the spoke 3 is a liquid crystal polymer spoke (lines 30-31 of col. 3 and lines 23-30 of col. 4) comprising liquid crystal polymer fibers (lines 30-31 of col. 3 and lines 23-30 of col. 4) covered in a polyamide jacket 9 (lines 12-15 of col. 4), wherein the first end of the liquid crystal polymer spoke is formed as a wedge at 16 formed with epoxy (lines 55-65 of col. 4), an anchor 10 is formed with a tapered bore at 19 to receive the wedge (Fig. 2).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have modified the spoke assemblies of the lightweight wheel of Huang so that its spokes are formed from liquid crystal polymer fibers covered in a polyamide jacket wherein the first ends of the spokes are formed as wedges with epoxy which are received in respective tapered bores of the anchors, such as taught by Campbell, with a reasonable expectation of success in providing a more secure connection between the spoke and the anchor while also ensuring maximum fatigue resistance of the spoke to cyclical stresses during use.
Although Huang further discloses each spoke assembly of the plurality of spoke assemblies forming a straight line (clearly shown in Fig. 4), Huang fails to disclose the plurality of spoke assemblies consists of: a plurality of left spoke assemblies connected from the left side of the rim to anchor holes and the left flange of the hub, and a plurality of right spoke assemblies connected from the right side of the rim to anchor holes on the right flange of the hub.
Chen, however, teaches a wheel that includes a spoking arrangement such that a plurality of spoke holes 711 formed in the rim are evenly distributed between a left side and a right side of the rim (Figs. 3-6, paragraphs [0025] and [0030]), a plurality of anchor holes (unlabeled, but shown in Figs. 3-5) formed in the hub 4 are evenly distributed between a left side and a right side of the hub (Figs. 3-6, paragraphs [0025] and [0030]), wherein the anchor holes on the left side of the hub correspond to the spoke holes on the left side of the rim and anchor holes on the right side of the hub correspond to spoke holes on the right side of the rim (Figs. 3-6, paragraphs [0025] and [0030]), such that a plurality of spoke assemblies 2 consists of a plurality of left spoke assemblies connected from the left side of the rim to anchor holes and the left flange of the hub (Fig. 3), and a plurality of right spoke assemblies 2 connected from the right side of the rim to anchor holes on the right flange of the hub (Fig. 3).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have modified the wheel of Huang, as modified by Campbell, by utilizing a spoking arrangement wherein the plurality of spoke assemblies consists of: a plurality of left spoke assemblies connected from the left side of the rim to anchor holes and the left flange of the hub, and a plurality of right spoke assemblies connected from the right side of the rim to anchor holes on the right flange of the hub, such as taught by Chen, as a well-known alternative spoking arrangement that would provide, with a reasonable expectation of success, predictable results for improving the service life of the rim due to the increased tensile strengths of the spoke mounting portions of the rim at the spoke holes.
Although Campbell teaches the use of a spoke assembly comprised of a bundle of liquid crystal polymer fibers (lines 30-31 of col. 3 and lines 23-30 of col. 4) as noted above, Huang, as modified by Campbell and Chen, fails to expressly disclose the spoke assembly comprising a plurality of bundles of fiber.
Schlanger, however, in paragraph [0130] teaches the use of spokes that include a plurality of non-rigid fiber material bundles (“These fibers are usually available in bundles or yarns…To produce a spoke, the yarns may be combined into a larger bundle…” as described in paragraph [0130]) with each non-rigid fiber material bundle comprising thousands of fibers (“each fiber bundle or yarn may contain thousands of fibers” as described in paragraph [0130]).
From this teaching, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have modified the spoke assembly of Huang, as modified by Campbell and Chen, by forming the spoke assembly to comprise a plurality of bundles of fiber with a reasonable expectation of success in achieving desirable material and physical properties such as an increased tensile strength.
Although Huang, as noted above, discloses the tube having a first section with an exterior and a nipple having a first end with an exterior, Huang fails to disclose the respective exteriors being hexagonal exteriors.
Lubecki, however, teaches a tube 205 having a first section with a hexagonal exterior at 207 and a nipple 211 having a first end with a hexagonal exterior (unlabeled, but shown in Fig. 2), wherein a threaded bore extends from an opening in the hexagonal exterior into the body (Fig. 3).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have modified the spoke assembly of Huang, as modified by Campbell, Chen and Schlanger, by forming the first section of the tube with a hexagonal exterior and the first end of the nipple with a hexagonal exterior, such as taught by Lubecki, with a reasonable expectation of success in facilitating engagement of the tube and nipple with a tool for the tensioning of the spokes.
Regarding claims 10 and 11, although Campbell discloses a spoke comprising liquid crystal polymer fibers covered in a polyamide jacket, as noted above, Huang, as modified by Campbell, Chen and Schlanger, fails to expressly disclose the use of PBO fibers for the liquid crystal polymer fibers.
Lubecki, however, teaches a lightweight wheel comprising a plurality of spoke assemblies in which the liquid crystal polymer fibers forming each spoke can be PBO fibers (paragraph [0034]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have modified the spoke assemblies of the lightweight wheel of Huang, as modified by Campbell, Chen and Schlanger, by using PBO fibers for the liquid crystal polymer fibers of the spokes, such as taught by Lubecki, with a reasonable expectation of success in achieving desired physical and material properties such as a good strength-to-weight ratio for the intended use of the spokes and wheel.
Regarding claims 12 and 15-19, Huang discloses a light weight wheel comprising: a wheel axis (Fig. 4); a rim 10 having a plurality of spoke holes 11 formed with a nipple seat 12 rounded to receive a nipple 34 and allow said nipple to seat in said nipple seat perpendicularly to a spoke 31 (evident from Fig. 4 and paragraphs [0023] and [0027]; note the nipple is considered to be seated perpendicularly to the spoke in the same manner Applicant’s nipple is considered to be seated perpendicularly to the spoke); a hub 20 having a left flange (Fig. 4), a right flange (Fig. 4), and a plurality of anchor holes 21 wherein said anchor hole comprises a bore 21 formed in said hub through which a spoke assembly is inserted and formed with a bore seat at 22 sized to receive said body and matching said curved shoulder (evident from Fig. 4 and paragraph [0021], [0024]) and [0027]); said plurality of spoke assemblies connected between said rim and said hub (Fig. 1), wherein said spoke assembly comprises a spoke 31 having a central axis between a first end 312 and a second end 313 and is capable of off-axis tensioning with respect to said central axis without decrease in strength (evident from the spoke construction described in at least paragraph [0026] and shown in Fig. 4), an anchor 32 attached to said first end of said spoke and secured to one of said plurality of said anchor holes of said hub such that said anchor is angularly rotatable against a mating surface 22 located on an interior of said left flange or said right flange of said hub (evident from Fig. 4 and paragraphs [0024] and [0027]), said anchor comprising a retaining shaft 322 and a body 323, a tube 33 attached to said second end of said spoke (Fig. 4) and having a first section with an exterior (unlabeled unthreaded exterior section of shank 332 shown in Fig. 2) and a second section with a threaded exterior (threaded exterior section of shank 332 shown in Fig. 3), and a nipple 34 having a threaded bore at 342 mated to said second section of said tube (Fig. 4; paragraph [0023]), said nipple having a first end with an exterior (unlabeled exterior portion of the shaft of the nipple 34 at a first end thereof as shown in Fig. 4) and a body terminating in a second end with a spherical flange at 341 (note rounded flange 341 is considered to be “spherical” in the same manner as Applicant’s rounded flange 638 shown in Applicant’s Fig. 12 is also considered to be “spherical”) securing said nipple to one of said plurality of said spoke holes of said rim such that said nipple is angularly rotatable against a nipple seat 12 of said rim (Fig. 4; paragraphs [0023] and [0027]), said threaded bore extending from an opening in said exterior and terminating in said body (evident from Fig. 4), wherein said tube is formed with a threaded exterior at 332 (Figs. 2 and 3), spoke holes and said anchor holes are oriented at a predetermined angle from a plane perpendicular to said wheel axis and bisecting said rim and hub (evident from Figs. 1 and 4), and wherein said anchor holes of said hub are distributed between a left flange and a right flange of said hub (Fig. 1).
Although Huang further discloses said retaining shaft extending around said spoke (Fig. 3), Huang fails to disclose the spoke being a liquid crystal polymer spoke, the first end of the spoke being formed as a first end wedge and the anchor being formed with a tapered bore in the body to receive the first end wedge, the second end of the spoke being formed as a second end wedge and the tube being formed with a tapered bore to receive the second end wedge.
Campbell, however, teaches a lightweight wheel in which the spoke 3 is a liquid crystal polymer spoke (lines 30-31 of col. 3 and lines 23-30 of col. 4), wherein the first end of the liquid crystal polymer spoke is formed as a first end wedge at 16 (Fig. 2), an anchor 10 is formed with a tapered bore in the body at 19 to receive the first end wedge (Fig. 2), the second end of the liquid crystal polymer spoke is formed as a second end wedge at 16 (Fig. 2), wherein a tube 11 is formed with a tapered bore at 19 to receive the second end wedge (Fig. 2).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have modified the spoke assemblies of the lightweight wheel of Huang so that its spokes are formed as liquid crystal polymer spokes with the ends of the spokes being formed as wedges which are received in respective tapered bores of the anchor and tube, respectively, such as taught by Campbell, with a reasonable expectation of success in providing a more secure connection between the spoke and the anchor while also ensuring maximum fatigue resistance of the spoke to cyclical stresses during use.
Although Huang further discloses each spoke assembly of the plurality of spoke assemblies forming a straight line (clearly shown in Fig. 4), Huang fails to disclose the plurality of spoke assemblies consists of a plurality of left spoke assemblies connected between a left side of the rim and a left side of the hub, and a plurality of right spoke assemblies connected between a right side of the rim and a right side of the hub.
Chen, however, teaches a wheel that includes a spoking arrangement such that a plurality of spoke holes 711 formed in the rim are evenly distributed between a left side and a right side of the rim (Figs. 3-6, paragraphs [0025] and [0030]), a plurality of anchor holes (unlabeled, but shown in Figs. 3-5) formed in the hub 4 are evenly distributed between a left side and a right side of the hub (Figs. 3-6, paragraphs [0025] and [0030]), wherein the anchor holes on the left side of the hub correspond to the spoke holes on the left side of the rim and anchor holes on the right side of the hub correspond to spoke holes on the right side of the rim (Figs. 3-6, paragraphs [0025] and [0030]), such that a plurality of spoke assemblies 2 consists of a plurality of left spoke assemblies connected between a left side of the rim and a left side of the hub (Fig. 3), and a plurality of right spoke assemblies 2 connected between a right side of the rim and a right side of the hub (Fig. 3).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have modified the wheel of Huang, as modified by Campbell, by utilizing a spoking arrangement wherein the plurality of spoke assemblies consists of a plurality of left spoke assemblies connected between a left side of the rim and a left side of the hub, and a plurality of right spoke assemblies connected between a right side of the rim and a right side of the hub, such as taught by Chen, as a well-known alternative spoking arrangement that would provide, with a reasonable expectation of success, predictable results for improving the service life of the rim due to the increased tensile strengths of the spoke mounting portions of the rim at the spoke holes.
Although Campbell teaches the use of a liquid crystal polymer spoke comprised of a bundle of fibers (lines 30-31 of col. 3 and lines 23-30 of col. 4) as noted above, Huang, as modified by Campbell and Chen, fails to expressly disclose the liquid crystal polymer spoke being comprised of a plurality of bundles of fiber.
Schlanger, however, in paragraph [0130] teaches the use of spokes that include a plurality of non-rigid fiber material bundles (“These fibers are usually available in bundles or yarns…To produce a spoke, the yarns may be combined into a larger bundle…” as described in paragraph [0130]) with each non-rigid fiber material bundle comprising thousands of fibers (“each fiber bundle or yarn may contain thousands of fibers” as described in paragraph [0130]).
From this teaching, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have modified the spoke assembly of Huang, as modified by Campbell and Chen, by forming the spoke assembly to comprise a plurality of bundles of fiber with a reasonable expectation of success in achieving desirable material and physical properties such as an increased tensile strength.
Although Huang, as noted above, discloses the tube having a first section with an exterior and a nipple having a first end with an exterior, Huang fails to disclose the respective exteriors being hexagonal exteriors.
Lubecki, however, teaches a tube 205 having a first section with a hexagonal exterior at 207 and a nipple 211 having a first end with a hexagonal exterior (unlabeled, but shown in Fig. 2), wherein a threaded bore (shown in Fig. 3) of the nipple extends from an opening in the hexagonal section and terminates in the body (Fig. 3).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have modified the spoke assembly of Huang, as modified by Campbell, Chen and Schlanger, by forming the first section of the tube with a hexagonal exterior and the first end of the nipple with a hexagonal exterior, such as taught by Lubecki, with a reasonable expectation of success in facilitating engagement of the tube and nipple with a tool for the tensioning of the spokes.
Regarding claim 20, Huang, as modified by Campbell, Chen and Schlanger, fails to expressly disclose the hub further comprising a disc brake mounting surface configured for the attachment of a disc brake assembly.
However, it is implicit from paragraph [0006] of Lubecki which teaches “the hub may be occupied by a brake disc” that its hub would have a disc brake mounting surface capable of attaching a disc brake assembly.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have modified the lightweight wheel of Huang, as modified by Campbell, Chen and Schlanger, by having a brake mounting surface configured for the attachment of a disc brake assembly, such as taught by Lubecki, with a reasonable expectation of success in ensuring that the wheel has means for stopping or slowing down the wheel during use when desired.
Response to Arguments
10. Applicant's arguments filed 27 May 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
In response to Applicant’s arguments regarding claims 1, 6 and 12 that the prior art fails to disclose “the rim having a plurality of spoke holes that are formed with a nipple seat rounded to receive a nipple which allow the nipple to seat in the nipple seat perpendicularly to a spoke and to further define that the hub has a left flange, a right flange, and a plurality of anchor holes wherein said anchor hole comprises a bore formed in the hub through which a spoke assembly is inserted and formed with a bore seat sized to receive said body and matching said curved shoulder”, the Examiner respectively disagrees. As noted above in Section 9, Huang, the base reference, discloses all of these newly added limitations.
Conclusion
11. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KIP T KOTTER whose telephone number is (571)272-7953. The examiner can normally be reached 9:30-6 EST Monday-Friday.
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/Kip T Kotter/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3615
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