DETAILED CORRESPONDENCE
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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) have been considered.
Specification
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to for the following informalities:
It contains implied phrases, e.g. “The invention relates to” and “The invention also relates to”.
It contains language commonly used in claims, e.g. “comprising”.
It does not include that which is new in the art to which the invention pertains. For example, U.S. 1923872 discloses the abstract.
Correction is required. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
Page 14 lines 29-27 contains the following description about the widths. “In more detail, for the leading brake shoe 1 on the right in Fig. 1, the leading side 10 is at the top, and the width W increase from top (W1) to bottom (W2) (see Fig. 6), i.e. from the leading side 10 to the trailing side 11. For the trailing brake shoe 2 on the left in Fig. 1, the leading side 10 is at the bottom, and the width W increases from bottom (W2) to top (W1) (see Fig. 5), i.e. again increases from the leading side 10 to the trailing side 11.” However, fig. 5 shows the contact face of the leading shoe, and fig. 4 shows the contact face of the trailing shoe, according to the identification of figures at the top of page 12.
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 8-14 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Claim 8 recites, “a brake drum”, previously recited in claim 1. It is unclear if a further brake drum is being recited.
Claim 8 recites, “a rotation axis”, previously recited in claim 1. It is unclear if a further rotation axis is being recited.
Claim 8 recites, “a first brake shoe” and “a second brake shoe”. Previously recited in claim 1 was “a brake shoe”. It is unclear how many brake shoes are required by the claim, whether it is 2 (only the first brake shoe and second brake shoe, because the previously recited “brake shoe” is actually “at least one brake shoe”), or 3 (all of the “brake shoe”, “first brake shoe” and “second brake shoe”).
Claim 9 recites, “a circumferential direction”, previously recited in claim 1. It is unclear if a further circumferential direction is being recited.
Claim 10 recites, “a circumferential direction”, previously recited in claim 1. It is unclear if a further circumferential direction is being recited.
Claim 12 recites, “the leading brake shoe”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. While a leading brake shoe was recited in claim 11, claim 12 does not depend from claim 11 and instead depends from claim 9.
Dependent claims not specifically addressed are rejected due to dependency on a rejected base claim for failing to cure the deficiencies of the base claim.
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 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.
Claims 1-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ootsuka (JP S588836 A) (cited on IDS of 9/25/2024).
Regarding claim 1, Ootsuka discloses (figs. 1-5) A brake shoe (e.g. 14 or 15) for a drum brake system, the drum brake system comprising a brake drum (26) that is configured to rotate about a rotation axis (central axis, fig. 2),
the brake shoe having a length configured to extend in a circumferential direction of the brake drum (circumferential length) and a width configured to extend in an axial direction of the brake drum (axial width),
the brake shoe further having a contact face (e.g. 24 or 25) for contacting the brake drum to generate a braking force,
wherein a width of the contact face varies along the length of the brake shoe (see figs. 3-5).
Regarding claim 2, Ootsuka discloses (figs. 1-5) the width of the contact face varies in accordance with a distribution of a contact force at the contact face during braking (see page 3: “their widths change along the longitudinal direction in approximately proportion to the magnitude of the surface pressure distribution during forward braking as shown in Figure 1”).
Regarding claim 3, Ootsuka discloses (figs. 1-5) the width of the contact face varies so that a pressure occurring at the contact face during braking is substantially constant along the length of the contact face (the background recognizes uneven pressure across the circumferential length of the disc and uneven pressure from the leading disc to the trailing disc, and states this is one of the problems being solved).
Regarding claim 4, Ootsuka discloses (figs. 1-5) the width of the contact face decreases from one circumferential end portion of the contact face to another circumferential end portion of the contact face (see fig. 5).
Regarding claim 5, Ootsuka discloses (figs. 1-5) one of said circumferential end portions defines a largest width of the contact face, and in particular wherein the respective other circumferential end portion may defines a smallest width of the contact face (see fig. 5).
Regarding claims 6-7, Ootsuka discloses (figs. 1-5) the width of the contact face varies steplessly and linearly along the length (see fig. 5).
Regarding claim 8, Ootsuka discloses (figs. 1-5) A drum brake system (as shown), comprising: a brake drum (26) that is configured to rotate about a rotation axis, a first brake shoe (14) and a second brake shoe (15), each configured according to claim 1.
Regarding claim 9, Ootsuka discloses (figs. 1-5) A when viewed in along a circumferential direction, the width of the contact face of the first brake shoe and the width of the contact face of the second brake shoe vary differently (fig. 3, lining varies as shown, vs. fig. 4 or 5, different variation)
Regarding claim 10, Ootsuka discloses (figs. 1-5) the different variation of the width includes that, when viewed along a circumferential direction that corresponds to a main direction of rotation of the brake drum, the width of the contact face of one of the brake shoes decreases, whereas the width of the contact face of the other brake shoes increases (both shoes are widest in the middle so they both increase toward the middle and decrease toward the edge).
Regarding claim 11, Ootsuka discloses (figs. 1-5) the contact face having the increasing width is comprised by the first brake shoe which is a leading brake shoe (shoe 14 is leading as shown).
Regarding claim 12, Ootsuka discloses (figs. 1-5) the different variation of the width includes at least one of: the first brake shoe and second brake shoe having different extents of variation per same unit length (fig. 3 vs. fig. 4 as shown, different slopes of variation); the leading brake shoe and trailing brake shoe having different differences between the widths of their respective circumferential end portions (widths are all different from one end to another).
Regarding claim 13, Ootsuka discloses (figs. 1-5) both brakes shoes have a leading side and a trailing side and have an increasing width from said leading side to said trailing side (both shoes are widest in the middle so they both have a portion with an increasing width “from the leading side toward the trailing side”).
Regarding claim 14, Ootsuka discloses (figs. 1-5) the absolute values of an average width, a maximum width or a minimum width are different between the brake shoes (maximum widths are different at least, as shown).
Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to Applicant's disclosure. U.S. 1923872 discloses a drum brake with varying width of friction material.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAVID MORRIS whose telephone number is (571)270-3595. The examiner can normally be reached Monday thru Friday; 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM.
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/DAVID MORRIS/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3616
/DAVID R MORRIS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3616