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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments filed July 25, 2025, regarding the claim objections (page 10) have been fully considered and – in light of the amendment - are persuasive, therefore the related objections have been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments regarding the 103 rejections of claims 1- 10 (pages 10- 16) have been fully considered but are not persuasive for the following reasons, therefore the related rejections have been maintained.
Regarding applicants’ arguments (page 13, para. 1: “Additionally, Nakajima concerns…”- para. 2: “Applicant respectfully submits…” and page 15, para. 2: “By contrast, Yoshida…”) that neither Yoshida nor Nakajima teach the features of claim 1 because Nakajima does not address “axis deviation adjustment of a nut and a nut-side pulley” and Yoshida does not teach the “frictional force provided by compression of spring washers” or even a spring washer or any elastic member, the examiner disagrees because the rejection is not based on the teachings of either Yoshida or Nakajima alone but on what the teachings of both Yoshida and Nakajima would suggest to a person having ordinary skill in the art. One cannot show nonobviousness by attacking references individually where the rejections are based on combinations of references. See In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 208 USPQ 871 (CCPA 1981); In re Merck & Co., 800 F.2d 1091, 231 USPQ 375 (Fed. Cir. 1986) and MPEP 2145(IV). Particularly, as discussed in the 103 rejections of claim 1 in this and the previous office actions, Yoshida teaches the “axis deviation adjustment of a nut and a nut-side pulley”, and Nakajima teaches the use of a spring washer in a related assembly method. It is further noted that the “frictional force provided by compression of spring washers” is not a feature that is recited in the rejected claims, but that it is taught by Nakajima (Para. [0236] teaches that Springy Washer 86 provides a stable fastening force during adjustment).
Regarding applicant’s arguments (page 13, para. 3: “Additionally, Applicant respectfully …” and page 14, para. 5: “In claim 1…”- page 15, para. 2: “By contrast, Yoshida…”) that Yoshida does not teach the features of claim 1 because the relative movement of the nut and the output pully is restricted by locating pins rather than the temporarily tightened bolt, the examiner disagrees, pointing out that the passage of Yoshida (Para. [0013]) cited by the applicant (page 12, para. 5: “Regarding Yoshida and…”) goes on to teach that during a “rotation step” the locating pins are removed and the temporarily tightened bolt allows a relative movement between the nut and the pulley during a “pressing step”.
Regarding applicants’ arguments (page 14, para. 2: “Moreover, Yoshida also…”) that Yoshida does not teach the features of claim 1 because it does not teach the order of temporarily tightening the fixing bolts, the examiner disagrees, noting that the amended claim 1 does not specify a tightening order. Where the applicant applies this argument to independent claim 10, the examiner disagrees, noting that the rejections of claim 10 in this and the previous office action rely on the teachings of Next Level Motoring which are not specifically addressed in the applicant’s response.
Regarding applicants’ arguments (page 14, para. 3: “With reference to…”- para. 4: “Accordingly, Yoshida and…”) that there is no motivation to combine Yoshida and Nakajima because they differ from claim 1 in objective, configuration, functionality, and result, the examiner disagrees. Yoshida teaches each of these similar to the claimed invention as discussed in the 103 rejections of claim 1 in this and the previous office action. Regarding Nakajima, it has been held that a prior art reference must either be in the field of the inventor’s endeavor or, if not, then be reasonably pertinent to the particular problem with which the inventor was concerned, in order to be relied upon under 35 U.S.C. 103 as a basis for rejection of the claimed invention. See In re Oetiker, 977 F.2d 1443, 24 USPQ2d 1443 (Fed. Cir. 1992) and MPEP 2141.01(a)(I). In this case, Nakajima is considered to be reasonably pertinent to the inventor’s problem of temporarily holding two parts while they are being adjusted relative to one another.
Regarding applicants’ arguments (page 15, para. 3: “Further, even if…”) that the combination of Yoshida and Nakajima does not teach the claimed temporary tightening step, the examiner disagrees, pointing to the 103 rejections of claim 1 in this and the previous office action which discuss the teachings of Yoshida and Nakajima related to a temporary tightening step, noting further that the claim limitations “the first spring washer… becomes shorter than a free length… and longer than a fully compressed length” is considered to be taught by Para. [0287] of Nakajima, which teaches tentatively fixing a screw, which would compress the spring washer into a partially compressed state.
Regarding applicants’ arguments (page 15, para. 4: “Moreover, even in…”) that the combination of Yoshida and Nakajima does not teach the claimed operations, the examiner disagrees, pointing to the 103 rejections of claim 1 in this and the previous office action which discuss the teachings of Yoshida and Nakajima related to a temporary tightening step. It is further noted that the limitation “a state in which the nut-side pulley is inclined relative to the nut” is not found in the claims.
Regarding applicants’ arguments (page 15, para. 5: “While having its…”) that claim 10 is patentable based on reciting similar features to claim 1 and that the dependent claims 2-9 are patentable based on being dependent on claim 1, the arguments are moot because claim 1 remains rejected.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
Claims 1-2 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over YOSHIDA (JP-2017105226-A) in view of Nakajima (US-20070253731-A1) (note: the underlined portions relate to the latest amendment, for the applicant’s convenience).
Regarding Claim 1, YOSHIDA teaches a steering device manufacturing method for manufacturing a steering device (Para. [0001]; Power Steering Device 1, Fig. 1), the steering device (1) comprising:
a steerable shaft (Rack Bar 4, Fig. 2) that steers steerable wheels, the steerable shaft (4) having a steerable shaft body (the body of Rack Bar 4) and a helical steerable shaft-side ball screw groove (the portion of Ball Circulation Groove 15 formed in the Rack Bar 4, Fig. 2) formed in an outer circumference of the steerable shaft body (as illustrated in Fig. 2);
a nut (Nut 8, Fig. 2) having an annular nut body (the body of Nut 8, considered annular in that it is shaped like a ring, as illustrated in Fig. 2) disposed around the steerable shaft (Nut 8 surrounding Rack Bar 4 as illustrated in Fig. 2), a helical nut-side ball screw groove (Groove 13, Fig. 5) formed in an inner circumference of the nut body (as illustrated in Fig. 5) and first and second internal threads (Female Threads 20a, the first being the left-most and the second being the right-most instance as illustrated in Fig. 5) formed in a first nut end portion (Flange Portion 8c, Fig. 5) which is one of a pair of end portions (the other of the pair being Large Diameter Portion 8a, Fig. 5) of the nut body (8) in a direction of a rotation axis (an axis aligned with the long direction of Rack Shaft 4 in Fig. 2 and the hole through Nut 8 in Fig. 5) of the nut body (8) and opening in the direction of the rotation axis of the nut body (Female Threads 20a being formed in holes having axes which are substantially parallel to the rotation axis of Nut 8, they are considered to open in the direction of said axis);
a plurality of circulation balls (Balls 16, Fig. 2) circulated in a ball circulation path (Circulation Path 24, Fig. 10) between the steerable shaft-side ball screw groove (15) and the nut-side ball screw groove (13) (Para. [0011]);
a nut-side pulley (Output Pulley 9, Fig. 2) having a pulley hub portion (Abutment Portion 18, Fig. 4) opposed to the first nut end portion (Abutment Portion 18 is considered opposed to the Flange Portion 8c in that they are joined together across opposite sides of Surface 20, as illustrated in Fig. 3), a nut-side pulley winding portion (Cylindrical Portion 17, Fig. 4, considered to be a winding portion in that it Belt 12 is wound around it as illustrated in Fig. 2) formed in a cylindrical shape (Cylindrical Portion 17 being described as cylindrical and also as illustrated in Fig. 4) on the pulley hub portion (being joined with Abutment Portion 18) and first and second fastening bolt insertion holes (Through Holes 18c, the first being the left-most and the second being the right-most instance as illustrated in Fig. 4) formed through the pulley hub portion (18) in the direction of the rotation axis of the nut body (Through Holes 18c being formed in a parallel direction to the rotation axis of Nut 8, as understood by Figs. 2 & 4);
a motor-side pulley (Input Pulley 11, Fig. 2) rotatably driven by an electric motor (Electric Motor 6 being connected to Input Pulley 11 by Drive Shaft 6a, it is understood to rotatably drive said pulley) and having a motor-side pulley winding portion (the portion in contact with Belt 12, as illustrated in Fig. 2) formed in a cylindrical shape (as illustrated in Fig. 2) and disposed at a position radially offset relative to the rotation axis of the nut body (as illustrated in Fig. 2, Input Pulley 11 has a rotation axis aligned with the long direction of Drive Shaft 6a, which is parallel to but offset from the rotation axis of Nut 8, Input Pulley 11 is considered to be radially offset relative to the rotation axis of Nut 8);
a transmission member (Belt 12, Fig. 2) wound around the nut-side pulley winding portion (17) and the motor-side pulley winding portion (11) so as to transmit rotation of the electric motor (6) to the nut (8) (as illustrated in Fig. 2);
a first fastening bolt (an instance of Bolt 10, Fig. 3 which corresponds to the left-most instance of Through Hole 18c as illustrated in Fig. 4) that fastens the nut-side pulley (9) to the nut (8) (Fig. 3 and Para. [0016]), the first fastening bolt (10) having a first head portion (the head portion being illustrated in Fig. 3) and a first shaft portion formed with an external thread (a shaft and external thread being essential features of a bolt as is well known in the art);
a second fastening bolt (an instance of Bolt 10, Fig. 3 which corresponds to the right-most instance of Through Hole 18c as illustrated in Fig. 4) that fastens the nut-side pulley (9) to the nut (8) (Fig. 3 and Para. [0016]) at an opposed position (right, Fig. 4) 180° apart from a fastening position (left, Fig. 4) of the first fastening bolt (the left and right-most instances of Through Holes 18c being 180° apart as illustrated in Fig. 4), the second fastening bolt (10) having a second head portion (the head portion being illustrated in Fig. 3) and a second shaft portion formed with an external thread (being essential to a bolt, as discussed above); and
the steering device manufacturing method comprising:
a nut inserting step (“adjustment step”, Para. [0012]) of inserting the nut (8) in the nut-side pulley (Para. [0012] teaches that in the “adjustment step” the Output Pulley 9 is assembled to the Nut 8);
a temporary tightening step (during a “rotation step”, Para. [0013]) of, after the nut inserting step (“adjustment step”), inserting the first shaft portion of the first fastening bolt (10) in the first fastening bolt insertion hole (18c) of the nut-side pulley (9) (Para. [0013] teaches the Output Pulley 9 being attached to the Nut 8 by screwing- i.e. inserting- the Bolt 10 into the Female Threaded Portion 20a), and then, {temporarily} tightening the first shaft portion (10) into the first internal thread (20a) (Para. [0013] teaches that Bolt 10 is temporarily fastened in Female Threaded Portion 20a);
an axis deviation adjusting step (“pressing step”, Para. [0013]) of, after the temporary tightening step (“rotation step”), in order to adjust a position of the nut-side pulley (9) relative to the nut (8) so as to decrease a deviation of a center axis of the nut-side pulley (9) relative to the rotation axis of the nut body (8) aligning both the axes of the nut (8) and the nut-side pulley (9), by rotating the nut (8) and the nut-side pulley (9)about the rotation axis of the nut body (8), pressing the nut-side pulley (9) toward the rotation axis of the nut body (8) from a radial direction outer side of the nut-side pulley by an alignment probe (Para. [0013] teaches that in the “pressing step” the Output Pulley is moved with respect to Nut 8 by an Alignment Probe 27 such that run-out- i.e. deviation between the two axes- is minimized, this step being carried out while Bolt 10 is in a provisionally fastened- i.e. temporarily tightened- state such that it is understood to be conducted after a temporary tightening step, Paras. [0013]- [0014]), and subsequently, moving the alignment probe (27) in a direction separating from the rotation axis of the nut body (Para. [0014] teaches a “separating step” after the “pressing step” in which the Alignment Probe 27 moves away from the rotation axis of Nut 8); and
a final tightening step (“fixing process”, Para. [0014]) of, after the axis deviation adjusting step (“pressing step”), further tightening the first fastening bolt (10) and the second fastening bolt (Para. [0014] teaches that in the “fixing process”, which follows the “pressing step”, Bolt 10 is fully tightened, and a person having ordinary skill in the art would recognize that all instances of Bolt 10 would be fully tightened at this step in order to fully “fix” the Output Pulley 9 to the Nut 8).
YOSHIDA does not teach a spring washer or partially compressing a spring washer during a temporary tightening step.
Nakajima teaches, in another assembly method that facilitates the adjustment of mating parts (Paras. [0284]- [0304]):
a spring washer (Spring Washer 86, Fig. 10) interposed between a mounting surface (Loading Plate 52, Fig. 2) and a head portion (Head 96, Fig. 10, see also Para. [0192]) of a bolt (Screw 57, Fig. 10) and a method step of partially compressing the spring washer (S1a of Fig. 15 teaches tentatively fixing a screw, which would compress the spring washer into a partially compressed state; see also Paras. [0284]- [0304], particularly Para. [0287]) so that an adjustment can be made (S5 of Fig. 15 teaches making an adjustment to the part that is partially fixed by the Screw 57 and the Spring Washer 86, see also Para. [0293]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art having the teachings of YOSHIDA and Nakajima in front of them before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify YOSHIDA’s steering device manufacturing method to include the step of partially compressing a spring washer during a temporary tightening step as suggested by Nakajima. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have appreciated the advantage of loosely fixing an adjustment axis that would beneficially speed up an adjustment process.
YOSHIDA, as modified above, does not teach a second spring washer or partially compressing the second spring washer during a temporary tightening step.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to duplicate the singular spring washer and step of partially compressing the second spring washer taught by YOSHIDA, as modified above, as mere duplication of parts has no patentable significance unless a new and unexpected result is produced. In re Harza, 124 USPQ 378, 380 (CCPA 1960); see MPEP 2144.04 VI. B. It is further noted that YOSHIDA, as modified above, does teach four bolts, as discussed above, and it would therefore be obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to apply the spring washer and step of partially compressing the second spring washer to at least a second instance of the bolt.
Regarding Claim 2, YOSHIDA, as modified above to include a spring washer, teaches a final tightening step (“fixing process”, Para. [0014]) teaches that in the “fixing process” Bolt 10 is fully tightened).
YOSHIDA, as modified above, does not teach the first and second spring washers being fully compressed between the bolt and the pulley hub.
Nakajima teaches a final tightening step (S9 of Fig. 15 teaches fully fastening- i.e. tightening- the Screw 57, considered final in that it is the last step in the process that involves fastening/ tightening) in which the spring washer (86) reaches a fully compressed state while it remains interposed between the head portion (96) of the fastening bolt (57) and the mounting surface (52) (the Spring Washer 86 is not removed in any step of the process, and therefore remains between the Head 96 of Screw 57 and Loading Plate 52, and would need to be fully compressed in order to fully tighten the screw, see also Para. [0300]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art having the teachings of YOSHIDA and Nakajima in front of them before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify YOSHIDA’s steering device manufacturing method, as modified above, to include in the final tightening step the sub-step of the spring washer being fully compressed between the bolt and the pulley hub as suggested by Nakajima. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have appreciated the advantage of fully engaging the spring washer that would beneficially make a more durable product. Further, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art to repeat the tightening and spring washer compression sub-step for the instance of the second fastening bolt and second spring washer, based on the four bolts taught by YOSHIDA as discussed above.
Regarding Claim 6, YOSHIDA teaches that the pulley hub portion (18) has a pulley hub cylindrical section (Medium Diameter Portion 17b, Fig. 3) protruding from the nut-side pulley winding portion (17) in the direction of the rotation axis of the nut body (Medium Diameter Portion 17b protruding from Cylindrical Portion 17 along the rotation axis of Nut 8, as illustrated in Fig. 3), and
wherein the pulley hub cylindrical section (17b) has a circular cylindrical shape (Medium Diameter Portion 17b being circular as illustrated in Figs. 3 & 4) which is circular in cross section perpendicular to the rotation axis of the nut body (the rotation axis of Nut 8 being aligned perpendicularly to the circular form of Medium Diameter Portion 17b as illustrated in Figs. 3 & 4).
Claims 3-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over YOSHIDA and Nakajima in further view of TASHIRO (JP-2018047800-A) (note: the underlined portions relate to the latest amendment, for the applicant’s convenience).
Regarding Claim 3, YOSHIDA, as modified above to include a spring washer, does not teach a plain washer or the bolt being inserted through said plain washer during the temporary tightening step.
Nakajima teaches a first plain washer (Washer 82, Fig. 10) and a temporary tightening step (S1a) in which the bolt (57) is inserted into the spring washer (86) and the plain washer (82) (Screw 57, Spring Washer 86 and Washer 82 being a part of Screw-Fixing Unit 91 as illustrated in Fig. 10, the Screw 57 would need to be inserted into each washer 82 & 86 as a part of fixing it to another part, and is therefore understood to be a part of the Tentative Fixing Step S1a, see also Paras. [0286]- [0287]).
The plain washer of Nakajima is arranged such that an outer diameter (“DH”, Fig. 10 Annotated) of the first head portion (96) of the fastening bolt (57) in a radial direction with respect to the rotation axis of the fastening bolt (57) (the rotation axis being along the Threaded Portion 95 of Screw 57 and the radial direction extending radially away from said axis) is larger than an outer diameter (“DSW”, Fig. 10 Annotated) of the spring washer (86) (the diameter DH of Head Portion 96 being larger in the radial direction than the diameter DSW of Spring Washer 86 as illustrated in Fig. 10 Annotated; note: these teaching relate to claim 4 below).
The plain washer of Nakajima is further arranged such that an outer diameter (“DPW”, Fig. 10 Annotated) of the first plain washer (82) is larger than the outer diameter (DH) of the head portion (96) of the fastening bolt (57) or the outer diameter (DSW) of the first spring washer (86) (the diameter DPW of Washer 82 being larger than the diameter DSW of Spring Washer 86 as illustrated in Fig. 10 Annotated, the second of the alternate limitations is met; note: these teaching relate to claim 5 below).
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It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art having the teachings of YOSHIDA and Nakajima in front of them before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify YOSHIDA’s steering device manufacturing method, as modified above, to include a plain washer and inserting the bolt through said plain washer during the temporary tightening step as suggested by Nakajima. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have appreciated the advantage of providing the spring washer and bolt with the smooth fastening surface of the plain washer that would beneficially make a more solid bolted joint. Further, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art to duplicate the plain washer and repeat the insertion sub-step for the instance of the second fastening bolt based on the four bolts taught by YOSHIDA as discussed above.
YOSHIDA, as modified above, does not teach that the nut-side pulley is made of a resin material.
TASHIRO teaches, in another power steering device (Abstract), a nut-side pulley (Output Pulley 27, considered nut-side- in that it is mounted on Nut 20, as illustrated in Fig. 3) made of a resin material (Para. [0012]).
TASHIRO further teaches that making the pulley out of resin as opposed to metal, as in the prior art presented therein, the weight of the power steering apparatus can be reduced (Paras. [0003]- [0005]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art having the teachings of YOSHIDA, Nakajima and TASHIRO in front of them before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify YOSHIDA’s steering device manufacturing method, as modified above, such that he nut-side pulley is made of a resin material as suggested by TASHIRO. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have appreciated the advantage of reducing the weight of the assembly as taught by TASHIRO and discussed above.
Regarding Claims 4 and 5, YOSHIDA, as modified above by Nakajima, teaches all limitations (see the 103 rejection of claim 3 above for the related teachings of Nakajima and the motivation to combine them with the steering device manufacturing method of YOSHIDA).
Claims 7 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over YOSHIDA and Nakajima in view of the article “How to Tighten Lug Nuts” by Next Level Motoring (Article Dated Aug. 28, 2019, and retrieved from URL https://nlmotoring.com/wheel-academy/how-to-tighten-lug-nuts/ on Apr. 17, 2025; hereinafter “Next Level Motoring”) (note: the underlined portions relate to the latest amendment, for the applicant’s convenience).
Regarding Claim 7, YOSHIDA, as modified above to include a spring washer, teaches:
a third fastening bolt (Para. [0017] teaches 4 instances of Bolt 10, the third being associated with the top-most instance of Female Thread 20a as illustrated in Fig. 5) that fastens the nut-side pulley (9) to the nut (8) (Fig. 3 and Para. [0016]), the third fastening bolt (10) having a third head portion (the head portion being illustrated in Fig. 3) and a third shaft portion formed with an external thread (a shaft and external thread being essential features of a bolt as is well known in the art),
wherein the nut (8) has a third internal thread (the top-most instance of Female Thread 20a as illustrated in Fig. 5) formed therein and opening in the direction of the rotation axis of the nut body (Female Threads 20a being formed in holes having axes which are substantially parallel to the rotation axis of Nut 8, they are considered to open in the direction of said axis),
wherein the nut-side pulley (9) has a third fastening bolt insertion hole (the top-most instance of Through Hole 18c, as illustrated in Fig. 4) formed through the pulley hub portion (18) in the direction of the rotation axis of the nut body (Through Holes 18c being formed in a parallel direction to the rotation axis of Nut 8, as understood by Figs. 2 & 4),
wherein the first internal thread (20a, left) and the second internal (20a, right) thread are located at positions symmetrical to each other with respect to the rotation axis of the nut body (the first, left, and second, right, instances of Female Thread 20a being positioned opposite of one another across the rotation axis of Nut 8, as illustrated in Fig. 5),
wherein the third internal thread (20a, top) is located at a position displaced from both of the first internal thread and the second internal thread in a circumferential direction with respect to the rotation axis of the nut body (the third, top, instance of Female Thread 20a being circumferentially displaced around the rotation axis of Nut 8 from the first and second locations, as illustrated in Fig. 5),
YOSHIDA, as modified above, does not teach tightening the third bolt only after tightening the first and second bolts.
Next Level Motoring teaches, in a method for installing a wheel to a hub (title and first heading), a first and second lug nut located at positions symmetrical to each other with respect to a rotation axis (the top left image of page 3, lug nut locations 1 and 2 being symmetrical across the axis of rotation of the wheel), a third lug nut located at a position displaced from both of the first and second lug nuts in a circumferential direction with respect to the rotation axis (the third lug nut location being circumferentially displaced from the first and second locations), and a pattern (Step 5, page 2, and the top left image of page 3, teach a crisscross pattern) for tightening the lug nuts wherein the tightening of the first lug nut and the tightening of the second lug nut are performed successively without performing therebetween tightening of the third lug nut (the crisscross tightening pattern moves sequentially from the first to the second lug nut before moving to the third, such that, when performing the pattern, the third lug nut would not be tightened in-between the tightening of the first and the second lug nuts).
Next Level Motoring further teaches that properly tightening lug nuts ensures safe operation and centers the wheel to reduce high-speed vibrations (as taught in Step 3).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art having the teachings of YOSHIDA, Nakajima, and Next Level Motoring in front of them before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify YOSHIDA’s steering device manufacturing method, as modified above, such that, in the temporary tightening step, the third bolt is tightened only after tightening the first and second bolts as suggested by Next Level Motoring. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have appreciated the advantages taught by Next Level Motoring as discussed above. The examiner further notes that the advantages taught by Next Level Motoring are understood to apply to both a final and a temporary tightening step, as centering the wheel/ pulley is a core objective of the steps of the claimed invention.
Regarding Claim 10, YOSHIDA teaches a steering device manufacturing method for manufacturing a steering device (Para. [0001]; Power Steering Device 1, Fig. 1), the steering device (1) comprising:
a steerable shaft (Rack Bar 4, Fig. 2) that steers steerable wheels, the steerable shaft (4) having a steerable shaft body (the body of Rack Bar 4) and a helical steerable shaft-side ball screw groove (the portion of Ball Circulation Groove 15 formed in the Rack Bar 4, Fig. 2) formed in an outer circumference of the steerable shaft body (as illustrated in Fig. 2);
a nut (Nut 8, Fig. 2) having an annular nut body (the body of Nut 8, considered annular in that it is shaped like a ring, as illustrated in Fig. 2) disposed around the steerable shaft (Nut 8 surrounding Rack Bar 4 as illustrated in Fig. 2), a helical nut-side ball screw groove (Groove 13, Fig. 5) formed in an inner circumference of the nut body (as illustrated in Fig. 5) and first to fourth internal threads (Female Threads 20a, four instances being illustrated in Fig. 5) formed at intervals of 90o (as illustrated in Fig. 5 and taught in Para. [0010]) a first nut end portion (Flange Portion 8c, Fig. 5) which is one of a pair of end portions (the other of the pair being Large Diameter Portion 8a, Fig. 5) of the nut body (8) in a direction of a rotation axis (an axis aligned with the long direction of Rack Shaft 4 in Fig. 2 and the hole through Nut 8 in Fig. 5) of the nut body (8) and opening in the direction of the rotation axis of the nut body (Female Threads 20a being formed in holes having axes which are substantially parallel to the rotation axis of Nut 8, they are considered to open in the direction of said axis), the first and second internal threads (20a) being provided in a pair at opposed positions 180o apart from each other (Female Threads 20a, the first being the left-most and the second being the right-most instance as illustrated in Fig. 5), the third and fourth internal threads (20a) being provided in a pair at opposed positions 180o apart from each other (Female Threads 20a, the third being the top-most and the fourth being the bottom-most instance as illustrated in Fig. 5);
a plurality of circulation balls (Balls 16, Fig. 2) circulated in a ball circulation path (Circulation Path 24, Fig. 10) between the steerable shaft-side ball screw groove (15) and the nut-side ball screw groove (13) (Para. [0011]);
a nut-side pulley (Output Pulley 9, Fig. 2) having a pulley hub portion (Abutment Portion 18, Fig. 4) opposed to the first nut end portion (Abutment Portion 18 is considered opposed to the Flange Portion 8c in that they are joined together across opposite sides of Surface 20, as illustrated in Fig. 3), a nut-side pulley winding portion (Cylindrical Portion 17, Fig. 4, considered to be a winding portion in that it Belt 12 is wound around it as illustrated in Fig. 2) formed in a cylindrical shape (Cylindrical Portion 17 being described as cylindrical and also as illustrated in Fig. 4) on the pulley hub portion (being joined with Abutment Portion 18) and first to fourth fastening bolt insertion holes (Through Holes 18c, four instances being illustrated in Fig. 4) formed at intervals of 90o (as illustrated in Fig. 4 and taught in Para. [0009]) through the pulley hub portion (9) in the direction of the rotation axis of the nut body (Through Holes 18c being formed in a parallel direction to the rotation axis of Nut 8, as understood by Figs. 2 & 4), the first and second fastening bolt insertion holes (18c) being provided in a pair at opposed positions 180o apart from each other (Through Holes 18c, the first being the left-most and the second being the right-most instance as illustrated in Fig. 4), the third and fourth fastening bolt insertion holes being provided in a pair at opposed positions 180o apart from each other (Through Holes 18c, the third being the top-most and the fourth being the bottom-most instance as illustrated in Fig. 4);
a motor-side pulley (Input Pulley 11, Fig. 2) rotatably driven by an electric motor (Electric Motor 6 being connected to Input Pulley 11 by Drive Shaft 6a, it is understood to rotatably drive said pulley) and having a motor-side pulley winding portion (the portion in contact with Belt 12, as illustrated in Fig. 2) formed in a cylindrical shape (as illustrated in Fig. 2) and disposed at a position radially offset relative to the rotation axis of the nut body (as illustrated in Fig. 2, Input Pulley 11 has a rotation axis aligned with the long direction of Drive Shaft 6a, which is parallel to but offset from the rotation axis of Nut 8, Input Pulley 11 is considered to be radially offset relative to the rotation axis of Nut 8);
a transmission member (Belt 12, Fig. 2) wound around the nut-side pulley winding portion (17) and the motor-side pulley winding portion (11) so as to transmit rotation of the electric motor (6) to the nut (8) (as illustrated in Fig. 2);
first to fourth fastening bolts (Para. [0017] teaches 4 instances of Bolt 10) that fasten the nut-side pulley (9) to the nut (8) (Fig. 3 and Para. [0016]), the first fastening bolt (10) having a first head portion (the head portion being illustrated in Fig. 3) and a first shaft portion formed with an external thread (a shaft and external thread being essential features of a bolt as is well known in the art), the second fastening bolt having a second head portion and a second shaft portion formed with an external thread, the third fastening bolt having a third head portion and a third shaft portion formed with an external thread, the fourth fastening bolt having a fourth head and a fourth shaft portion formed with an external thread (Para. [0017] teaches 4 instances of Bolt 10 such that the second through fourth instances are considered to have a head portion and an external thread in the same fashion as the first instance of Bolt 10);
a nut inserting step (“adjustment step”, Para. [0012]) of inserting the nut (8) in the nut-side pulley (Para. [0012] teaches that in the “adjustment step” the Output Pulley 9 is assembled to the Nut 8);
a first temporary tightening step (during a “rotation step”, Para. [0013]) of, after the nut inserting step (“adjustment step”), inserting the first shaft portion of the first fastening bolt (10) in the first fastening bolt insertion hole (18c) of the nut-side pulley (9) (Para. [0013] teaches the Output Pulley 9 being attached to the Nut 8 by screwing- i.e. inserting- the Bolt 10 into the Female Threaded Portion 20a), and then, {temporarily} tightening the first shaft portion (10) into the first internal thread (20a) (Para. [0013] teaches that Bolt 10 is temporarily fastened in Female Threaded Portion 20a);
an axis deviation adjusting step (“pressing step”, Para. [0013]) of, after the second temporary tightening step, in order to adjust a position of the nut-side pulley (9) relative to the nut (8) so as to decrease a deviation of a center axis of the nut-side pulley (9) relative to the rotation axis of the nut body (8) (Para. [0013] teaches that in the “pressing step” the Output Pulley is moved with respect to Nut 8 by an Alignment Probe 27 such that run-out- i.e. deviation between the two axes- is minimized, this step being carried out while Bolt 10 is in a provisionally fastened- i.e. temporarily tightened- state such that it is understood to be conducted after a temporary tightening step, Paras. [0013]- [0014]) aligning both the axes of the nut (8) and the nut-side pulley (9), by rotating the nut (8) and the nut-side pulley (9)about the rotation axis of the nut body (8), pressing the nut-side pulley (9) toward the rotation axis of the nut body (8) from a radial direction outer side of the nut-side pulley by an alignment probe (Para. [0013] teaches that in the “pressing step” the Output Pulley is moved with respect to Nut 8 by an Alignment Probe 27 such that run-out- i.e. deviation between the two axes- is minimized, this step being carried out while Bolt 10 is in a provisionally fastened- i.e. temporarily tightened- state such that it is understood to be conducted after a temporary tightening step, Paras. [0013]- [0014]), and subsequently, moving the alignment probe (27) in a direction separating from the rotation axis of the nut body (Para. [0014] teaches a “separating step” after the “pressing step” in which the Alignment Probe 27 moves away from the rotation axis of Nut 8); and
a final tightening step (“fixing process”, Para. [0014]) of after the axis deviation adjusting step, further tightening the first fastening bolt (10) (Para. [0014] teaches that in the “fixing process”, which follows the “pressing step”, Bolt 10 is fully tightened).
YOSHIDA does not teach a spring washer, or partially compressing the spring washer during a temporary tightening step, but Nakajima does (see the 103 rejection of claim 1 above for the teachings of Nakajima and the motivation to combine them with the steering device manufacturing method of YOSHIDA).
YOSHIDA, as modified above to include a spring washer and step of partially compressing the spring washer, does not teach four spring washers or a second temporary tightening step.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to duplicate the singular spring washer and temporary tightening step taught by YOSHIDA, as modified above, as mere duplication of parts has no patentable significance unless a new and unexpected result is produced. In re Harza, 124 USPQ 378, 380 (CCPA 1960); see MPEP 2144.04 VI. B. It is further noted that YOSHIDA, as modified above, does teach four bolts, as discussed above, and it would therefore be obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to apply the spring washer to all four instances of the bolt and the temporary tightening step to at least a second instance of the bolt.
YOSHIDA does not teach that the final tightening step includes tightening the first through fourth bolts in a sequence.
Next Level Motoring teaches first to fourth lug nuts (the top left image of page 3, lug nut locations 1 to 4 being numbered therein), and a pattern (Step 5, page 2, and the top left image of page 3, teach a crisscross pattern) for tightening the lug nuts wherein tightening of the first and second lug nut is performed and then, tightening of the third and fourth lug nut is performed (the crisscross tightening pattern moves sequentially from the first to the fourth lug nut in numerical order, such that, when performing the pattern, the claimed sequence would be achieved).
Next Level Motoring further teaches that properly tightening lug nuts ensures safe operation and centers the wheel to reduce high-speed vibrations (as taught in Step 3).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art having the teachings of YOSHIDA, Nakajima, and Next Level Motoring in front of them before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify YOSHIDA’s steering device manufacturing method, as modified above, such that the first through fourth bolts are tightened in a sequence as suggested by Next Level Motoring. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have appreciated the advantages taught by Next Level Motoring as discussed above.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over YOSHIDA and Nakajima in view of the article “Selecting the Best Washer for Assembly” by ASSEMBLY (Article Dated July 1, 2016 and retrieved from URL: https://www.assemblymag.com/articles/93471-selecting-the-best-washer-for-assembly on Apr. 18, 2025; hereinafter “ASSEMBLY”) (note: the underlined portions relate to the latest amendment, for the applicant’s convenience).
Regarding Claim 8, YOSHIDA does not teach a wavy spring washer with three waves but instead teaches a split washer.
ASSEMBLY teaches related methods of assembling fasteners, including advantages of choosing between different types of fasteners, and wave washers as a type of spring washer, generally having three waves (Page 2, Paras. 7-10).
ASSEMBLY further teaches that wave washers are advantageously ideal for obtaining loads when the load is static or the working range is small and the amount of axial space is limited (Page 2, Para. 10).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to replace the split washer of YOSHIDA with the wavy spring washer of ASSEMBLY as it is merely the selection of functionally equivalent spring washers recognized in the art and one of ordinary skill in the art would have a reasonable expectation of success in doing so. The simple substitution of one known element for another is likely to be obvious when predictable results are achieved. See KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 415-421, USPQ2d 1385, 1395 – 97 (2007) (see MPEP § 2143, B.). Further, a person having ordinary skill in the art would appreciate the advantages of the wavy spring washer as taught by ASSEMBLY as discussed above. Further, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art to duplicate the wavy washer for the instance of the second fastening bolt based on the four bolts taught by YOSHIDA as discussed above.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over YOSHIDA and Nakajima in view of the article “Bolts - Lubrication Effects on Torque and Tension” by The Engineering ToolBox (Snapshot Dated: Oct. 12, 2017, and retrieved from URL https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/torque-lubrication-effects-d_1693.html on Apr. 17, 2025; hereinafter “The Engineering ToolBox”) (note: the underlined portions relate to the latest amendment, for the applicant’s convenience).
Regarding Claim 9, YOSHIDA does not teach a step of applying grease between the head of the first bolt and the pulley hub.
The Engineering ToolBox teaches related methods of assembling fasteners, including applying grease to bolts to reduce the required installation torque (see section titled: Lubrication effects on torque and bolt tension, particularly the table therein which includes “White Grease” as a lubricant).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art having the teachings of YOSHIDA and The Engineering ToolBox in front of them before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify YOSHIDA’s steering device manufacturing method to include the step of applying grease to the bolts as suggested by The Engineering ToolBox. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have appreciated the advantage of decreasing the required installation torque that would beneficially make the installation of the bolts easier. Further, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art to repeat the step of applying grease for the instance of the second fastening bolt based on the four bolts taught by YOSHIDA as discussed above.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/TYLER JAY STANLEY/Examiner, Art Unit 3611 /VALENTIN NEACSU/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3611