DETAILED ACTIONS
This Office Action is in response to the application 18/142,948, filed on 08/29/2025.
Claims 1 and 4-20 are presently pending.
Definition of terms that may be used for citation purpose:
page = pg., paragraph = p., column = col., line = ln., for example page 5 = pg.5
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments and amendments, filed 8/29/2025, with respect to claims 1 and 4-20 are moot due to new grounds of rejection. The previous rejections have been withdrawn and new grounds of rejections are made below.
The previous Non-Final Office Action filed 04/29/2025 is withdrawn and superseded by this current 2nd Non-Final Office Action.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 16-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the enablement requirement. The claims contain subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to enable one skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and/or use the invention. Claim 16 claims limitations that require a tracked vehicle to have front and rear wheels that are pivotably mounted to the frame of the vehicle and wherein the front wheel pivots to steer the vehicle, while the rear wheel pivots to balance the vehicle, however, it is unclear how one of ordinary skill in the art could enable this invention since doing so would cause the vehicle to jump off the track. It is unclear how a tracked vehicle pivots both the front and rear wheels and maintain it’s position on the track. This discrepancy renders the invention inoperable and fails to comply with the enablement requirement.
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 16-20 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. Particularly, claims 16-20 include subject matter that is indefinite. It is unclear how a tracked vehicle would use pivoting wheels for steering and balancing as claimed. It appears that multiple embodiments have been combined without an explanation on how they would operate together.
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.
Claims 1 and 4-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CHEN et al. CN109941372A; in view of Corbett et al. US 20200407013.
Regarding Claim 1. (Currently Amended) Chen discloses a vehicle comprising: a front wheel (see at least Abstract, a front wheel); a rear wheel (see at least Abstract, a rear wheel assembly) in; a frame to which the front wheel (see at least pg.2, the front wheel of the vehicle body assembly machine connected with the control vehicle steering) and the rear wheel are rotatably and pivotably mounted (see at least pg.2, the rear-wheel swinging arms swing hinge by side to realize the left and right swinging relative to the body assembly ); and a balance (see at least Abstract, actuator control circuit is electrically connected with the vehicle body balance), steering (see at least Abstract, steering mechanism), wherein one of the front wheel and the rear wheel is pivotable relative to the frame to establish and maintain vehicle balance (see at least pg.2, the rear-wheel swinging arms swing hinge by side to realize the left and right swinging relative to the body assembly and drives the rear wheel assembly move left and right relative to the vehicle body assembly, the rear wheel swing arm mechanically connected with the actuator, the actuator control circuit is electrically connected with the vehicle body balance control vehicle balance.), and wherein the other of the front wheel and the rear wheel is pivotable relative to the frame to steer the vehicle. (see at least pg.3, the steering function of the vehicle will be apparent by the front wheel using the existing technology to realize). Chen doesn’t explicitly disclose that the vehicle is an autonomous vehicle and that the vehicle comprises a propulsion system coupled with the front wheel and the rear wheel.
However, Corbett discloses an autonomous electric bicycle that explicitly includes a propulsion system coupled with the front wheel and the rear wheel. (see at least p.31, the front and rear hub motors 135 and 115 and the steering motor 125. The battery 150 can be a single battery or any suitable combination of batteries and/or other power storage devices (such as capacitors). In some embodiments, the battery 150 can send or receive power from one or more of the motors of the autonomous electronic bicycle 100, for example, from harvesting power from the pedal motor 145 (such, through the virtual pedal system). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before he effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the new vehicle as taught by Chen with the autonomous vehicle having both a front motor hub and rear motor hub as taught by Corbett, to further improve the balancing and performance control of the vehicle.
Regarding Claim 4. (Currently Amended) The combination of Chen and Corbett discloses all the limitations of the autonomous vehicle according to claim 1. Corbett discloses further comprising a computer system that is programmed to derive a vehicle degree of lean from gyroscopic data. (see at least p.56, comprises a navigation system 225, and p.32, the sensor system 160 can comprise GPS sensors, gyroscopes or other orientation sensor). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before he effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the new vehicle as taught by Chen with the gyroscope and navigation system as taught by Corbett, to further improve the balancing and performance control of the vehicle.
Regarding Claim 5. (Currently Amended) The combination of Chen and Corbett discloses all the limitations of the autonomous vehicle according to claim 4. Chen discloses further, wherein the computer system is programmed to control an amount of pivot of the at least one of the front wheel and the rear wheel that is used to establish and maintain vehicle balance to counter the vehicle degree of lean. (see at least pg.3, Because the vehicle body balance control circuit is made of electronic gyroscope sensor sensing tilt and controlling the balance is already existing technology, at the same time the actuator itself is also of very mature existing technology, so the rear wheel swing arm, a rear wheel assembly and actuator; the vehicle body balance control circuit and can realize the purpose for controlling vehicle balance)
Regarding Claim 6. (Currently Amended) The combination of Chen and Corbett discloses all the limitations of the autonomous vehicle according to claim 1. Corbett discloses, further comprising a forward looking sensor that is configured to detect a path. (see at least FIG.7 and p.71, the SLAM sensor data 810 can comprise images from one or more cameras, scans or other data from RADAR, SONAR, or LIDAR systems, and/or any other suitable systems.) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the new vehicle as taught by Chen with the camera and sensor system as taught by Corbett, to improve safety by avoiding objects in the environment.
Regarding Claim 7. (Currently Amended) The combination of Chen and Corbett discloses all the limitations of the autonomous vehicle according to claim 6. Corbett discloses, further comprising a computer/GPS system that is programmed to translate signals from the forward looking sensor into navigation commands. (see at least FIG.7 and p.65, the environment mapping module 620 gathers data simultaneously from the GPS system 640, SLAM system 650) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before he effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the new vehicle as taught by Chen with the camera and sensor system and the navigation system as taught by Corbett, to improve safety by avoiding objects in the environment while navigating.
Regarding Claim 8. (Currently Amended) The combination of Chen and Corbett discloses all the limitations of the autonomous vehicle according to claim 1. Corbett discloses, further comprising a computer/GPS system that is programmed to generate navigation commands from a stored route. (see at least p.65, environment mapping module 620 can analyze the gathered data in three stages to build a local map of the environment around the autonomous electronic bicycle 100 and the position of the autonomous electronic bicycle 100 within the environment relative to the destination and the determined route) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before he effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the new vehicle as taught by Chen with the navigation system as taught by Corbett, to improve localization while navigating.
Regarding Claim 9. (Currently Amended) The combination of Chen and Corbett discloses all the limitations of the autonomous vehicle according to claim 1. Corbett discloses further comprising a computer/GPS system that is programmed to wirelessly receive route information for translation into navigation commands. (see at least p.41, …the destination and/or the route is determined internally by the bicycle control system 210 or, in other implementations is provided by an external system.) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before he effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the new vehicle as taught by Chen with the navigation system as taught by Corbett, to improve localization while navigating.
Regarding Claim 10. (Currently Amended) The combination of Chen and Corbett discloses all the limitations of the autonomous vehicle according to claim 1. Corbett discloses further, wherein the balance, steering and propulsion system comprises a hub motor configured to act on at least one of the front wheel and the rear wheel. (see at least p.42, the balance system 230 can set the output torque of one or more of the hub motors 115 and 135 and the steering motor 125 to move the autonomous electronic bicycle 100 through the target pose) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before he effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the new vehicle as taught by Chen with the front and rear hub system as taught by Corbett, to further improve the balancing and performance control of the vehicle.
Regarding Claim 11. (Currently Amended) The combination of Chen and Corbett discloses all the limitations of the autonomous vehicle according to claim 10. Corbett discloses further, wherein the at least one of the front wheel and the rear wheel with which the hub motor is configured to act on comprises control circuitry that is programmed to control motor speed. (see at least p.23, rear wheel 110 is powered by the rear hub motor 115, which can be integrated into the hub or axle of the rear wheel 110. The rear hub motor 115 can be used to propel the autonomous electronic bicycle in a forward or reverse direction). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before he effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the new vehicle as taught by Chen with the front and rear hub system as taught by Corbett, to further improve the balancing and performance control of the vehicle.
Regarding Claim 12. (Currently Amended) The combination of Chen and Corbett discloses all the limitations of the autonomous vehicle according to claim 10. Corbett discloses further, wherein the at least one of the front wheel and the rear wheel with which the hub motor is configured to act on comprises a battery that forms a part of wheel support structure and is dedicated to the hub motor. (see at least p.47, the battery 340 supplies a related output power 350 to a hub motor 3) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before he effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the new vehicle as taught by Chen with a battery powering the front and rear hub system as taught by Corbett, to further improve the balancing and performance control of the vehicle.
Regarding Claim 13. (Currently Amended) The combination of Chen and Corbett discloses all the limitations of the autonomous vehicle according to claim 12. Corbett discloses further, wherein the battery is dedicated to powering the hub motor. (see at least p.47, the battery 340 supplies a related output power 350 to a hub motor 3) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before he effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the new vehicle as taught by Chen with a battery powering the front and rear hub system as taught by Corbett, to further improve the balancing and performance control of the vehicle.
Regarding Claim 14. (Currently Amended) The combination of Chen and Corbett discloses all the limitations of the autonomous vehicle according to claim 12. Corbett discloses, further comprising a set of pedals with a pedal crank that are not physically connected to the front wheel or the rear wheel, and an electric generator in the pedal crank that outputs a voltage proportional to an amount of energy input via the set of pedals. (see at least p.30, the pedal assembly 140 can be connected to the pedal motor 145, acting as a generator to provide which the user can pedal against while generating power for the autonomous electronic bicycle) Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before he effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the new vehicle as taught by Chen with a battery powering the pedal assembly as taught by Corbett, to further improve the propulsion and control of the vehicle.
Regarding Claim 15. (Currently Amended) The combination of Chen and Corbett discloses all the limitations of the autonomous vehicle according to claim 1. Corbett discloses further, wherein the balance, steering and propulsion system comprises one of a hub motor, an internal combustion engine, and a hybrid engine system configured to act on at least one of the front wheel and the rear wheel. (see at least p.23, rear wheel 110 is powered by the rear hub motor 115, which can be integrated into the hub or axle of the rear wheel 110. The rear hub motor 115 can be used to propel the autonomous electronic bicycle in a forward or reverse direction). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the new vehicle as taught by Chen with the front and rear hub system as taught by Corbett, to further improve the balancing and performance control of the vehicle.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JELANI A SMITH whose telephone number is (571)270-3969. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 6:30AM-4:30PM EST.
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JELANI A. SMITH
Supervisory Patent Examiner
Art Unit 3662
/JELANI A SMITH/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3662