DETAILED ACTION
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 1 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and (a)(2) as being anticipated by Ewbank et al. (US 20020084757 A1).
For claim 1, Ewbank et al. discloses an electric power steering apparatus 100a, comprising:
a first motor 44, 54, [configured to provide steering assistance corresponding to rotation of a steering wheel 74] (figs. 2 and 3, pages 2 and 3, paragraph [0023]), wherein the first motor is powered by two power supplies 50, 52, and [each of the two power supplies drives the first motor to generate part of the steering assistance] (page 1, paragraph [0007] and page 2, paragraphs [0016] and [0017]); and
a second motor 42, 56, [configured to provide additional steering assistance corresponding to the rotation of the steering wheel when the first motor loses part or all of the steering assistance] (page 2, paragraph [0012], [0016], and [0017]), [wherein the additional steering assistance comprises at least part of the steering assistance lost by the first motor] (wherein the event one of the first motors 44, 54 due to one of the batteries becomes inoperative, one of the second motors 42, 56 is energized), and [the second motor is driven by one power supply coupled from the two power supplies] (the second motor 42, 56 are driven by the power supplies 50, 52), [to generate the additional steering assistance] (page 1, paragraph [0007]).
For claim 19, Ewbank et al. discloses [a vehicle] (page 1, paragraph [0008]), comprising:
an electric power steering apparatus 100a, wherein the electric power steering apparatus comprises:
a first motor 44, 54, [configured to provide steering assistance corresponding to rotation of a steering wheel 74] (figs. 2 and 3, pages 2 and 3, paragraph [0023]), wherein the first motor is powered by two power supplies 50, 52, and [each of the two power supplies drives the first motor to generate part of the steering assistance] (page 1, paragraph [0007] and page 2, paragraphs [0016] and [0017]); and
a second motor 42, 56, [configured to provide additional steering assistance corresponding to the rotation of the steering wheel when the first motor loses part or all of the steering assistance] (page 2, paragraph [0012], [0016], and [0017]), [wherein the additional steering assistance comprises at least part of the steering assistance lost by the first motor] (wherein the event one of the first motors 44, 54 due to one of the batteries becomes inoperative, one of the second motors 42, 56 is energized), and [the second motor is driven by one power supply coupled from the two power supplies] (the second motor 42, 56 are driven by the power supplies 50, 52), [to generate the additional steering assistance] (page 1, paragraph [0007]).
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 2 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ewbank et al. (US 20020084757 A1) in view of Yamasaki (US 2017/0291635 A1).
For claims 2 and 20, Ewbank et al. discloses the electric power steering apparatus
a first controller A, configured to be coupled to a first power supply of the two power supplies, and a second controller B, configured to be coupled to a second power supply of the two power supplies, but does not explicitly disclose
wherein the first motor comprises six phase windings; output the first power supply to three phase windings of the six phase windings; and output the second power supply to the other three phase windings of the six phase windings.
Yamasaki et al. discloses [a motor 110 including two winding groups that is, winding 11, and windings 22 which wound around a stator, the first winding includes a U1 coil 111, a V1 coil 112, a W1 coil 113, and the second winding 22 includes a U2 coil 121, a V2 coil 122, a W2 coil 123] (page 2, paragraph [0044]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to alternatively use the six-phase motor of Yamasaki et al. in place of the motors of Ewbank et al. with a reasonable expectation of success because it would allow for improved overall power output and energy efficiency, thus improving overall steering of the vehicle.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 18 allowed.
Claims 3 – 17 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the prior art fails to disclose an isolated power supplier configured to couple the two power supplies into one power supply; and a third controller configured to be coupled to the isolated power supply and output power supply to the second motor; or
shutting down the second motor when the first motor provides the steering assistance corresponding to the rotation of the steering wheel; and starting the second motor when the first motor loses part of all of the steering assistance corresponding to the rotation of the steering wheel.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US-9948229 – comprising a first and second power supply and a first and second motor; and
CN-109733461 – comprising a main power supply and an electronic power steering unit; a secondary power supply and a secondary electronic power steering unit.
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/JACOB D KNUTSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3611