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 .
This communication is in response to application No. 18/099,587 Steering Column for a Motor Vehicle; filed on 01/20/2023 and amended on 9/29/2025. Claims 1-8 and 10-13 are currently pending and have been examined. Claim 9 has been cancelled and claims 12-13 have been added by amendment.
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.
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Claim(s) 1-8, and 10-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wilson-Jones (US 2020/0377142 A1) in view of Zheng (CN 113415338 A) and further in view of Tokizaki (US 2018/0082507 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Wilson-Jones discloses;
A steering column for a motor vehicle, comprising:
a steering shaft (handwheel shaft 102; Fig. 4) mounted so as to be rotatable about a longitudinal axis;
a feedback actuator (handwheel actuator 100: Fig. 4) that has an electric motor (motor 104) comprising a motor shaft (motor shaft 106) that is aligned axially along a motor axis, arranged at a distance parallel to the longitudinal axis, and coupled to the steering shaft via a transmission (meshed gears 108/110: Fig. 4); and
a control unit (controller 118), wherein the motor is connected to the control unit for electrical operation, wherein
the control unit is integrated with the feedback actuator, (The controller 118 is part of the circuit board 112 which is incorporated into the feedback actuator unit. Figs. 3,4; paragraph 59)
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wherein the transmission is disposed axially between the motor and the control unit. (Fig. 4 demonstrates the transmission as disposed axially between the parallel shafts of the steering shaft 102 and the motor 106.)
Wilson-Jones does not describe a casing unit containing the steering shaft; however Zheng teaches;
a steering shaft (input shaft 4.6; Fig. 2) mounted in a casing unit (see Fig. 1); (Fig. 1 of Zheng demonstrates a casing housing the steering shaft and allowing it to be rotatably mounted in a vehicle.)
A person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to modify Wilson-Jones to include a casing unit mounting the steering shaft as taught by Zheng, as the references and the claimed invention are directed to vehicle steering columns. As disclosed by Zheng, it is well known for a casing unit to be utilized in the mounting of a steering shaft. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Wilson-Jones to include a casing unit mounting the steering shaft as taught by Zheng, as such a modification would provide the ability to rotatably mount the steering shaft in a vehicle.
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Wilson-Jones in view of Zheng discloses a control unit which communicates with the motor, but does not disclose control lines extending in an axial direction through the transmission which connect the control unit to the motor. However, Tokizaki teaches;
wherein the control unit (operation driver 27; fig. 6, paragraphs 99-100) is connected to the motor (motor unit 4) via control lines (terminals 19; fig. 4, paragraphs 86-87) extending in an axial direction through the transmission (transmission inside housing main body 8; fig. 2).
A person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to modify Wilson-Jones in view of Zheng to include a control unit connected to a motor via control lines extending in an axial direction through the transmission as taught by Tokizaki, as the references and the claimed invention are directed to electric motors with a belt drive transmission. As disclosed by Tokizaki, it is well known for an electric motor with a belt drive transmission to include a control unit connected to the motor via control lines extending in an axial direction through the transmission. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Wilson-Jones in view of Zheng to include a control unit connected to a motor via control lines extending in an axial direction through the transmission as taught by Tokizaki, as such a modification would provide the ability to provide for easy assembly with positive electrical connections.
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Regarding claim 2, Wilson-Jones discloses;
wherein the control unit (controller 118) is arranged, on a front side, in front of a front end of the motor shaft (motor shaft 106). (Figs. 3 and 4 demonstrate the controller located on the circuit board 112, facing forward (towards the front of the vehicle and away from the steering wheel) and opposite the electric motor and motor shaft. Wilson-Jones positions the motor towards the front of the vehicle with the output shaft facing rearward, but it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to reverse the mounting of the electric motor, since it has been held that a mere reversal of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art. In re Einstein, 8 USPQ 167.)
Regarding claim 3, Zheng further teaches;
wherein the feedback actuator has an actuator housing (see Fig. 1) that is attached to an outside of the casing unit. (Zheng demonstrates an multi-piece actuator housing which attaches the feedback electric motor to the steering column casing unit. This housing covers the feedback transmission drive (2) and the shaft position sensor assembly (7).)
Regarding claim 4, Wilson-Jones discloses;
wherein the control unit is arranged axially in the actuator housing with respect to the motor shaft. (Figs. 3 illustrates the controller 118 as located between the position sensor 114 and aperture 126, which passes the handwheel shaft 102. This arranges the controller axially off of the centerline of the motor shaft which is centered on position sensor 114 (Fig. 4).)
Regarding claim 5, Zheng further teaches;
wherein the actuator housing has a control housing (see Fig. 2). (Zheng demonstrates an end cover, which is part of the actuator housing, that covers the steering shaft sensor assembly (7).)
Regarding claim 6, Wilson-Jones discloses;
wherein the actuator housing has a transmission housing (housing 132; Fig. 2, paragraph 64).
Regarding claim 7, Zheng further teaches;
wherein the actuator housing has connection elements that are sized and shaped for connection to the casing unit. (Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate the feedback actuator assembly held together through the use of bolt or screw fasteners and corresponding bosses and flange surfaces.)
Regarding claim 8, Wilson-Jones discloses;
wherein the control unit includes a printed circuit board (circuit board 112; Fig. 3) that has a planar extent. (Paragraphs 6 and 11 describes the use of a printed circuit board to eliminate wiring cables and connectors.)
Regarding claim 10, Tokizaki further teaches;
wherein connection lines (terminals 19; fig. 4) of the control unit that are sized and shaped for connection to the control unit (operation driver 27; fig. 6, paragraphs 99-100) are routed out of the feedback actuator (driver receiving section 26; fig. 6, paragraphs 99-100) towards a front. (Fig. 4 of Tokizaki illustrates the connection lines (19) passing through the transmission from the controller to the electric motor. Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate the connection lines as sized and shaped for connection to the actuator and routed towards an end of the unit, which can be designated as the front of the unit.)
Regarding claim 11, Wilson-Jones discloses;
wherein the control unit has a sensor element (sensors 114, 120) that interacts with the steering shaft (102) and/or the motor shaft (106). (Paragraphs 59 and 60 describes the locations and functions of the motor shaft position sensor 114 and the handwheel shaft position sensor 120.)
Regarding claim 12, Tokizaki further teaches;
wherein the transmission (transmission inside housing main body 8; fig. 2) is positioned between the control unit (operation driver 27; fig. 6, paragraphs 99-100), arranged in front of the motor (motor unit 4), and the motor, arranged behind the control unit, and wherein the control lines (terminals 19; fig. 4, paragraphs 86-87) bridge the transmission in the axial direction.
Regarding claim 13, Tokizaki further teaches;
wherein the control lines (terminals 19; fig. 4, paragraphs 86-87) are housed in the actuator housing (housing main body 8; fig. 4).
wherein the control unit (operation driver 27; fig. 6, paragraphs 99-100) is connected to the motor (motor unit 4) via control lines (terminals 19; fig. 4, paragraphs 86-87) extending in an axial direction through the transmission (transmission inside housing main body 8; fig. 2).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim 9 has been considered but is 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.
Regarding claim 9, which has been incorporated into independent claim 1 and new claims 12 and 13, reference Tokizaki (US 2018/0083507 A1) illustrates an electric motor with controller arrangement for powering a belt drive transmission arrangement. The controller communicates with the electric motor through electrical connection lines which pass through the transmission, along the wall of the transmission housing, in an axial direction relating to the axis of rotation of the electric motor.
Drawing and Specification issues noted in the previous office action have been corrected by the amendment of 9/29/2025.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SCOTT LAWRENCE STRICKLER whose telephone number is (703)756-1961. The examiner can normally be reached Mon. - Fri. 9:30am to 5:30pm.
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/SCOTT LAWRENCE STRICKLER/Examiner, Art Unit 3614
/JASON D SHANSKE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3614