NON-FINAL REJECTION
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 with respect to claim(s) 1-19 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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.
Claim(s) 1-6 and 12-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zhang CN 210268977.
With respect to claim 1, Zhang teaches a torque sensor for a bicycle (figure 1), the torque sensor comprising: a support that is disposable around a device of the bicycle (the non-contact torque speed sensing system being disposed around the shaft 1, figure 1), such that the support and the device of the bicycle are separated by an air gap (the gap between the shaft 1 and the non-contact torque speed sensing system, figure 1); an excitation coil supported by the support (excitation coil 5-1, figure 2); and a sense coil supported by the support at a distance away from the excitation coil in an axial direction of the support (measuring coils 5-2, figure 2), wherein the excitation coil is configured to induce a voltage in the sense coil via the device of the bicycle when the support is disposed around the device of the bicycle, the induced voltage being related to a torque in the device (the excitation coil 5-1 induces voltage in the measuring coils 5-2 via deformation of the shaft 1 and shaft sleeve 2-1, page 3 of translation).
With respect to claims 2 and 3, Zhang teaches a second sense coil (the other of the measuring coils 5-2, figure 2), the shield also covering the first and second sense coils (interpreted as the housing of the non-contact torque speed sensing system, figure 1).
With respect to claims 4, 12, Zhang teaches a clutch mechanism for an electric bicycle (figure 1), the clutch mechanism comprising: an inner race (the portion of the shaft 1 which interacts with bearing 9); an outer race rotatable positioned around the inner race (bearing 9); and a torque sensor positioned around a race of the inner race and the outer race (the non-contact torque speed sensing system disposed around the bearing 9, figure 1), such that the torque sensor and the race are separated by an air gap (the gap between the shaft 1 and the non-contact torque speed sensing system, figure 1), the torque sensor being configured to measure a torque within the clutch mechanism and comprising: a housing or hollow cylinder that is disposable around the race (the non-contact torque speed sensing system being disposed around the shaft 1 and bearing 9, figure 1); an excitation coil disposed around and supported by the housing (excitation coil 5-1, figure 1); a first sense coil (one of the measuring coils 5-2, figure 2) disposed around and supported by the housing at a first distance away from the excitation coil in a first axial direction of the housing (interpreted as the distance between one the measuring coils 5-2 and the excitation coil 5-1, figure 1); and a second sense coil (the other of the measuring coils 5-2, figure 2) disposed around and supported by the housing at a second distance away from the excitation coil in a second axial direction of the housing, the second axial direction of the housing being opposite the first axial direction of the housing (interpreted as the distance between the other of the measuring coils 5-2 and the excitation coil 5-1, figure 1), wherein the excitation coil is configured to induce a voltage in the first sense coil via the race, the induced voltage being related to a torque in the clutch mechanism (the excitation coil 5-1 induces voltage in the measuring coil 5-2 via deformation of the shaft 1 and shaft sleeve 2-1, page 3 of the translation).
With respect to claim 5, Zhang teaches wherein the support includes a first groove and a second groove (interpreted as the area the housing of the non-contact torque speed sensing system where one of the measuring coils 5-2 and the excitation coil 5-1 are wound around, figure 1) that extend circumferentially around an outer side of the support (figure 1), the second groove being offset relative to the first groove along the axial direction of the support (the area of the coils would have to be offset, figures 1 and 2), and wherein the excitation coil is disposed within the first groove, and the sense coil is disposed within the second groove (the coils are disposed in different grooves, figure 1).
With respect to claim 6, Zhang teaches wherein the sense coil is a first sense coil, and the axial direction is a first axial direction (one of the measuring coils 5-2, figures 1 and 2), wherein the support further includes a third groove that extends circumferentially around the outer side of the support, the third groove being offset relative to the first groove along a second axial direction of the support (interpreted as the area the housing of the non-contact torque speed sensing system where the other of the measuring coils 5-2 are wound around, figure 1), the second axial direction being opposite the first axial direction of the support (figures 1 and 2), and wherein the torque sensor further comprises a second sense coil disposed around and supported by the support, the second sense coil being disposed within the third groove (the other of the measuring coils 5-2, figure 1 and 2).
With respect to claim 13, Zhang teaches wherein the race is the outer race (figure 1), and the outer race is a shaft of a chainring of the electric bicycle (the shaft rotates the chain gear 3, page 3 of translation, figure 1).
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.
Claim(s) 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang CN 210268977 in view of Ettenauer U.S. Patent Application Publication 2021/0255049.
With respect to claim 11, Zhang teaches the claimed invention except wherein the support is formed by a plurality of stacked printed circuit boards (PCBs), and wherein the excitation coil is formed on, in, or on and in a first printed circuit board (PCB) of the plurality of stacked PCBs, and the sense coil is formed on, in, or on and in a second PCB of the plurality of stacked PCBs.
Ettenauer teaches a load measurement apparatus for measuring load on a test object having sensor heads 10 for a load measuring apparatus 12 where the load measuring apparatus 12 serves for measuring mechanical loads, torques, forces or stress in a test object 14 such as for example a shaft, a gear part, a wheel hub, a chain ring or the like, which test object is partially magnetizable and preferably rotatable about a rotation axis and the sensor head 10 are coils, detector coils A1, A2, B1, B2 and generator coil Lg, and are provided as planar coils 34 in a printed circuit board element 36 designed as PCB boards (paragraphs 106 and 114).
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify the coil arrangement of Zhang with the coil arrangement as part of a PCB as taught by Ettenauer in order to provide a magnetic field generating device that can be easily integrated on a measuring head that points radially to the test object (paragraph 32, Ettenauer).
Claim(s) 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang CN 210268977 in view of Mizuno et al. U.S. Patent 4,989,460.
With respect to claim 14, Zhang teaches the claimed invention except wherein the excitation coil is a first excitation coil, wherein the torque sensor further comprises: a second excitation coil disposed around and supported by the housing, the second excitation coil being offset relative to the first excitation coil in the second axial direction.
Mizuno teaches a magnetostriction type torque sensor that employs a plurality of detector coils arranged in axial arrangement along an objective rotary body where a rotary shaft 1 is connected at one end to a rotary power source 2, and the other end of the rotary shaft 1 is connected to a load 3 for rotatingly driving the latter. Opposing the rotary shaft 1, are a plurality of torque detector coils L1, L2, L3 and L4, and the coils L1, L2, L3 and L4 are connected to an electric power source to be excited by power supplied from the power source to establish flux loops extending through the rotary shaft 1 and to a torque sensor circuit the respective torque detector coils L1, L2, L3 and L4 are connected to an alternating current source 10 in series with resistors R. Junctions between the coils L1 and L2 and the resistors R are connected to a comparator circuit 12 (col. 6 line 40-55, col. 7 lines 15-65).
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify the torque sensor of Zhang to have an additional sensing coil and excitation coil as taught by the torque sensor having four detection coils taught by Mizuno in order to more accurate torque sensing system.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-10 and 15-19 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FREDDIE KIRKLAND III whose telephone number is (571)272-2232. The examiner can normally be reached 9am-5pm.
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FREDDIE KIRKLAND III
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2855
/Freddie Kirkland III/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2855 1/15/2026