DETAILED ACTION
This is a Non-Final Office Action on the merits in response to the application filed 12/21/22. The request for foreign priority to a corresponding KR application filed 12/22/21 has been received and is proper. Claims 1-20 are currently pending yet all are rejected as detailed below. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Objections
Claims 18 and 20 objected to because of the following informalities: the limitations of these two claims are essentially identical.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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.
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.
Claims 1-13 and 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.
Claims 1-13 are rejected because independent claims 1 and 2 both recite “the second driving part” in the last limitation, but this term lacks sufficient antecedent basis.
Claim 20 is rejected because “the body of the housing” lacks sufficient antecedent basis. Also note that this limitation is essentially identical to claim 18 and also depends from claim 14.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Ross in view of Yasui
Claim(s) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ross et al (U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2019/0242448) in view of Yasui (U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2019/0023248). Ross is directed to an electromechanical actuator with a multi-stage belt drive mechanism. See Abstract. Yasui is directed to an electric braking device for a vehicle. See Abstract.
Claim 1: Ross discloses an electro-mechanical brake [Fig. 2A] provided with a pair of brake pads disposed at both sides of a disc [see Fig. 1B], the electro-mechanical brake comprising: a driving motor (220); a first rotating part (224) assembled with a rotating shaft (222) of the driving motor; a second rotating part (243) driven while connected to the first rotating part through a driving transmission member (242); a nut driving part (inside/below 249) [see para. 0032] rotationally driven while connected to the second rotating part so that power is directly or indirectly transmitted to the second rotating part; and a screw driving part (260) which is installed inside and engaged with the nut driving part and driven forward or backward according to a rotation direction of the nut driving part so that a piston pushes the brake pads to come into close contact with the disc through a member [see para. 0019, 0032], wherein one end of the screw driving part is assembled with the member, the other end of the screw driving part is disposed between the first rotating part and the second rotating part to move forward or backward, a driving gear (249) is fixedly installed on an outer surface of the nut driving part or the screw driving part, and a pinion (248) to be engaged with the driving gear is installed on a lower portion of the second driving part.
Ross discloses all the limitations of this claim except for the other end of the screw driving part extending through the driving transmission member. Yasui also discloses an electromechanical brake device [see Fig. 5], with a driving motor (MTR) with a rotating shaft (SFI), a screw driving part (SFO) connected to a screw mechanism (HNK), and a driving transmission member (SK1, DK1, SK2, DK2), wherein the screw driving part passes through the driving transmission member (and a through-hole in the printed circuit board KBN) such that it engages a bush (JBR) of the cover (CMP) of the device. See Fig. 5. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the invention to modify the Ross screw driving part (260) such that it extends past the driving transmission member (242) and the printed circuit board (230) to engage the cover (234) of the device with a reasonable expectation of success because of numerous design advantages. First, extending the screw driving part to the cover provides a user with direct access to this component when installed on the caliper, which is relevant for inspection, repair, etc. Second, extending the screw driving part such that it rests in a bush in the cover provides increased stability of the component, which improves the longevity and functionality of the device. If the Ross screw driving part was to extend to the cover, it would pass through the driving transmission member (and through a hole in the printed circuit board). Note: references to the PCB relate to claims 14 and 15, infra.
Claim 2: see claim 1 above. Note: “assembled with the piston” can be construed broadly.
Claim 3: Ross discloses that the first rotating part and the second rotating part are positioned coplanar with each other. See Fig. 2A.
Claim 4: Ross discloses that a diameter of the first rotating part is smaller than a diameter of the second rotating part. See Fig. 2A.
Claim 5: Ross discloses that the driving transmission member connecting the first rotating part and the second rotating part includes a belt or chain. See Fig. 2A.
Claim 6: Ross discloses that a diameter of the driving gear is greater than or equal to a diameter of the second rotating part. See Fig. 2A (249 bigger than 248, 245).
Claim 7: Ross discloses a tensioner (242) which provides a tension to the driving transmission member. See Fig. 2A.
Claim 8: Ross discloses a bearing member is disposed on the outer surface of the nut driving part to reduce rotational friction with a body of a housing. See para. 0045. Yasui discloses this limitation as well. See Fig. 5 (JBR).
Claim 9: Yasui discloses that the bearing member (JBR) includes a thrust bearing or radial bearing. See Fig. 5.
Claim 10: Yasui discloses a jaw portion (Wfb, CMP) is formed on the body of the housing; a bearing (JBR) is installed on a portion of the jaw portion vertically in close contact with the body of the housing; and a bearing (JBS) is installed on a portion of the jaw portion laterally in close contact with the body of the housing. See Fig. 5. The types of bearings are a design choice that would be obvious to one skilled in the art to provide requisite transfer of torque and reduced friction.
Claim 11: Ross discloses that each of the nut driving part and the screw driving part includes a ball nut and a ball screw. See para. 0019, 0032 (ball screw mechanism).
Claim 12: Ross discloses that the driving motor is driven according to an electrical signal generated by a brake pedal. See para. 0004.
Claim 13: Yasui discloses that the thrust bearing and the radial bearing are sequentially installed in order close to the first rotating part. See Fig. 5.
Claim 14: see claim 1 above. Ross further discloses a printed circuit board (230) is disposed parallel to the driving transmission member. See Fig. 2A. Yasui discloses a printed circuit board (KBN), a through hole through which the screw driving part or the nut driving part passes is formed in the printed circuit board. See Fig. 5. See obviousness statement above.
Claim 15: see claim 14 above.
Claim 16: see claim 3 above.
Claim 17: see claim 4 above.
Claims 18 and 20: see claim 8 above.
Claim 19: see claim 7 above.
Conclusion
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VISHAL SAHNI
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3657
/VISHAL R SAHNI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3616 December 4, 2025