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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This action is in response to applicant amendment received on 04/08/2026:
Amendment of Claim 1 is acknowledged.
Claim Objections
Claims 1 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Regarding Claim 1:
The Claim reads “said device comprising a selection member”, that the Examiner considers should read --said screw driving device comprising a selection member--.
On the last line the claim reads: “to make the selection member go from one to the other of its states”, that the Examiner considers should read -- to make the selection member go from the engagement state to the disengagement state or viceversa--.
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.
Claims 7 to 12 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.
Claim 7 recite the limitation "said inner ring gear". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. The Examiner will read the limitation as –said inner toothed ring gear--.
Claims 8, 9 and 10 recite the limitation "said drive ring". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claims 1 to 4, 6 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ronblom (US 2022/0274243).
Regarding Claim 1:
Ronblom discloses a screw driving device comprising: a case; a motor provided with a rotor; an output member capable of driving in rotation an element for driving an element to be screwed; a transmission connecting said rotor to said output member (Figure 1, paragraph 0042, 0043 and 0056, Power tool not numbered for driving screws, with housing 10 that will be considered the case, input shaft 20 of motor not numbered will be considered the rotor, output shaft 15 coupled to a screw joint and two-speed power transmission 1),
said transmission comprising an additional gear train, which is capable of being engaged/disengaged, such that said transmission comprises a two-speed mechanism that comprises two transmissions chains having different transmission ratios (Paragraph 0045, planet wheel carrier 24 will be considered the additional gear train, and can be engaged for a high torque/low speed drive mode or disengaged for a low torque/high speed drive mode),
said transmission comprising a permanent gear train (Figure 1, Paragraph 0044, sun wheel 21 connected to the input shaft 20 and ring gear 22 will be considered as forming the permanent gear train);
a motor controller which controls said motor (Paragraph 0058, a control unit (not shown) operative to receive the sensed data from the torque transducer and control the rotational speed of the motor);
said device comprising a selection member (Figures 1 to 3, driving member 26 with balls 30 form the selection member), which engages and disengages said additional gear train, said selection member being capable of being in at least:
• an engagement state in which said additional gear train is engaged, and
• a disengagement state in which said additional gear train is not engaged (Paragraph 0045-0047`, balls 30, are arranged to intercouple in a first position the driving member 26 and the driven member 27 that is connected to output shaft 15, disengaged of planet wheel carrier 24, i.e. in what is referred to above as the low torque/high speed, and to intercouple in a second position the planet wheel carrier 24 and the driven member 27 driving the output shaft 15, i.e. in what is referred to above as the high torque/low speed drive mode),
a reduction ratio of said transmission between said rotor and said output member being different according to whether or not said additional gear train is engaged, said reduction ratio being greater when said additional gear train is engaged (Paragraph 0045, Low speed is obtained when engaged and high speed disengaged),
wherein,
when said additional gear train is disengaged:
• if said transmission comprises one or more permanent gear train(s), the reduction ratio of said transmission is equal to the reduction ratio of said one permanent gear train or to their product if said transmission comprises several permanent trains (The reduction is just by sun gear 21 coupled to input shaft 20 and driving member 26),
when said additional gear train is engaged:
• if said transmission comprises one or more permanent gear train(s), the reduction ratio of said transmission is equal to the product of the reduction ratio of said additional gear train with the reduction ratio(s) of the permanent gear train(s) implemented (The reduction is obtained by the product of the reduction of sun gear 21 and planet wheel carrier 24),
wherein said motor controller is configured to generate a predetermined acceleration or deceleration of said rotor, said predetermined acceleration or deceleration acting on said selection member to make the selection member go from one to the other of its states (Paragraph 0058-0060 the control unit instead monitors the motor current by means of a suitable circuit arrangement (not shown) in order to determine that the torque is approaching the threshold value and that the rotational speed therefore should be decreased in order to facilitate the gear change by facilitating the intercoupling of balls 30).
Regarding Claim 2:
Ronblom discloses that the selection member is mobile in rotation with respect to said rotor between at least two positions of engagement/disengagement of said additional gear train (Figures 1 to 3, balls 30, are mobile in rotation with respect to the rotor between the driving member 26 and grooves 36 of driven member 27); said predetermined acceleration or deceleration acting on said selection member to make it go from one to the other of its positions (Paragraph 0058-0060, the rotational speed therefore is decreased in order to facilitate the gear change by facilitating the intercoupling of balls 30).
Regarding Claim 3:
Ronblom discloses means for rotationally linking said selection member to said rotor, said rotational-linking means ensuring, when said selection member occupies one of its positions, a link in rotation of said selection member to said rotor as long as said motor delivers an acceleration-deceleration lower than a predetermined change of speed acceleration-deceleration threshold (Figures 1 and 3, Paragraph 50, to intercouple the planet wheel carrier 24 and the driven member 27 the planet wheel carrier 24 comprises an outer sleeve 32 that is rotationally locked to the coupling sleeve 29 by means of a number of smaller balls 32a, not seen on the figures; since the driven member 27 and the shaft 20 are rotationally connected, the balls 32a will be considered the means for rotationally linking said selection member to said rotor),
the delivery by said motor of an acceleration/deceleration greater than said predetermined change of speed acceleration- deceleration threshold causing the rotation of said selection member from one to the other of its positions (Paragraph 0058-0060, the rotational speed therefore is decreased in order to facilitate the gear change by facilitating the intercoupling of balls 30).
Regarding Claim 6:
Ronblom discloses that the transmission comprises at least one planetary gearset comprising a sun gear constrained to rotate with said rotor (Figure 1, paragraph 0044, sun wheel 21 connected to the input shaft 20), a carrier constrained to rotate with said output member (Figure 1, driven member 27 is constrained to rotate with said output member so it will be considered the carrier), and an inner toothed ring gear meshing with planet gears carried by said carrier, said ring gear being:- mobile in rotation with respect to said case in said state of disengagement of said additional gear train, and- blocked in rotation with respect to said case in said state of engagement of said additional gear train (Paragraph 0045, in a second position the planet wheel carrier 24 and the driven member 27 are coupled and will be considered the inner toothed ring gear).
Regarding Claim 7:
Ronblom discloses a first pair of unidirectional clutches comprising said case and said inner ring gear (Figures 1 to 3, Short of any additional limitation it will be considered that the case, the planet wheel carrier 24, the first cam means 35 of driving member 26 and tracks 38 of coupling sleeve 29 form a first pair of unidirectional clutches).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the rejection of the claims as being anticipated by Thorson (US 2016/0318165) have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection required by the amendment does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 4 is 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 Claim is interpreted as disclosing blocking elements 151 that are mobile according to an axis orthogonal to the axis of said rotor, as described on Figure 2 and Paragraph 0108. The most similar element on Ronblom would be one of the balls 30, that can be housed in cam elements 35 and in tracks 38, but their movement is not orthogonal to the rotor and are always in one of the housings.
No reference on the record describe such structure.
Claims 8 and 10 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim 8 is interpreted as disclosing the second pair of unidirectional clutches that comprises the drive ring 24, the drive shaft 16 as described on paragraphs 0128 to 0132 Figures 3, 4, 7 and 8.
Claim 10 is interpreted as disclosing the rotational-locking members 26, as shown on Figures 17, 18 and 23 to 24, Paragraphs 0201.
No reference on the record describe such structure.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. In particular, proper rejection of the independent claim and some of the dependents can be made with the references Ronblom (WO 2023110230), Inagaki (US 2012/0010043) or Seiler (CN 107980019).
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 EDUARDO R FERRERO whose telephone number is (571)272-9946. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:30-7:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, SHELLEY SELF can be reached at 571-272-4524. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/EDUARDO R FERRERO/Examiner, Art Unit 3731
/ROBERT F LONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3731
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