DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after May 19, 2022, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Response to Amendment
Applicant’s amendment filed 12/10/25 (hereinafter Response) including claim amendments have been entered. Examiner notes that claims 1, 4 and 11 have been amended and the claim 2 has been cancelled. In view of amendment, the drawing rejection and claim rejections under 35 U.S.C §112(b) have been withdrawn. In view of amendment, a new ground(s) of rejections is made under 35 USC § 103 as being unpatentable over Lin in view of Wei (details below) and claims 1, 3-11 remain pending in the application.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 12/10/2025 (‘Remarks’, pages 5-10), regarding all claim rejections under 35 USC § 103 have been fully considered but are not persuasive.
Applicant’s argument (‘Remarks’, pages 5-6), the applicant submits that claim 1 is amended to introduce “the wheel-type components at least comprise a tire-type component and a Mecanum wheel-type component, the multi-mode switchable car being configured to switch between different wheel configurations by selectively attaching different wheel-type components to the hub motor”. In view of argument and upon further consideration, a new ground of rejections is made over Lin in view of Wei Jidong under 35 USC § 103, details below.
Applicant’s argument (‘Remarks’, page 7), the applicant submits the following distinguishing features of claim 4: “when the wheel-type component is tire-type component, the tire-type component includes a hub cover and a rubber wheel sleeve, the crawler belt comprises a connecting groove matched with an outer contour of the rubber wheel sleeve is formed on an inner side of the crawler belt, and the crawler belt is capable of being arranged on two rubber wheel sleeves located on a same side of the car body through the connecting groove". In view of argument and upon further consideration, a new ground of rejections is made over Lin in view of Wei Jidong under 35 USC § 103, details below.
Applicant’s argument (‘Remarks’, page 8), applicant submits that Lin does not involve “a switching driving program, nor does disclose switching the driving program due to the change in wheel type.” The examiner disagrees. Lin does disclose the locking arrangement from locking to unlocking states as disclosed in para. 0015 and 0090; however, in view of argument and upon further consideration, a new ground of rejections is made over Lin in view of Wei Jidong for several wheel type components under 35 USC § 103, details below. Accordingly, based on the teachings of Wei Jidong and/or that which is known in the art, this limitation does not distinguish the claim from the current art of record as discussed below.
Claim Objections
Claim 3 is objected to because of the following informalities: Following the amendment, claim 2 is cancelled, but claim 3 still improperly depends from the cancelled claim. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4.Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin Zhenxing (CN112046604 A; hereinafter “Lin”) in view of Wei Jidong (CN 112829855 A; hereinafter, “Wei”).
Regarding claim 1, Lin teaches: a multi-mode switchable car (“wheeled mobile robots”, figs. 1-12, [0005]), comprising: a car body (chassis body 1000, [0090]) internally provided with a control module (control device 2000, [0090]); two bogies (bogies 30 of a first wheelset 10, [0091]) rotatably connected ([0091, line 1]) to two sides of the car body respectively (see fig. 1); a wheel assembly (10) comprising a hub motor (each hub motor 3000, [0092, line 4-5]), wherein the hub motor (300) is connected to the bogie (30) or the car body (chassis body, fig. 1), and the hub motor (3000) is electrically connected with the control module (2000) [ para. 0092 discloses that each hub motor 3000 are respectively electrically connected to the control device 2000]; a steering driving module (force applying device 201, figs. 1-2 and [0103]) arranged on the car body (wheel body 11 to chassis body 1000, fig. 1) and configured for driving the bogies (set of 30) to rotate [para. 0103 discloses that: “the force-applying device (steering driving module 201) is used to cooperate with the mating device 202 to generate a preset friction resistance that hinders the rotation of the bogie 30 relative to the first wheel body 11]; a steering locking structure (200, [0090]) movable between an initial position (“unlocked state”, [0015]) and a locking position [ para. 0015 discloses: “the locking assembly of the traveling equipment can be placed in a locked or unlocked state”] and capable of locking the bogies (30) when the steering locking structure is located in the locking position [para. 0101 discloses: “The locking assembly 200 includes a locked state and an unlocked state. In the locked state, the locking assembly 200 provides a preset friction resistance that hinders the bogie 30 from rotating relative to the first wheelset 10, so that the bogie 30 and the first wheelset 10 are relatively locked; in the unlocked state, the locking assembly 200 releases the bogie 30 so that the bogie 30 and the first wheelset 10 can rotate relative to each other”; thus, capable of locking the bogies (30) when the steering locking structure is located in the locking position.]
Lin doesn’t appear to explicitly teach the wheel-type component, wherein the wheel-type component is detachably connected to the hub motor, at least two types of wheel-type components are provided, the wheel-type components at least comprise a tire-type component and a Mecanum wheel-type component, the multi-mode switchable car being configured to switch between different wheel configurations by selectively attaching different wheel-type components to the hub motor; however,
Wei in another “Multi-mode ROS education Trolley”, similar to Li teaches that the wheel-type component (“Mecanum module or a front Ackerman steering module or a front and back Ackerman steering module or a four-wheel differential speed module” [‘Abstract’]) wherein the wheel-type component is detachably connected to the hub motor (servo hub motor 31, [para. 33]), at least two types of wheel-type components are provided (‘Mecanum or ‘rear-drive front single-trundle module’, [‘Abstract’]), the wheel-type components at least comprise a tire-type component (“rear-drive front single-trundle module”; [‘Abstract’]) and a Mecanum wheel-type component (‘Mecanum’, [para. 29]), the multi-mode switchable car (“Multi-modal ROS Educational Car”; [para. 3]) being configured to switch between different wheel configurations by selectively attaching different wheel-type components to the hub motor [‘Abstract’ teaches: “each of the rear-drive front single-trundle module, the four-wheel differential Mecanum module, the front Ackerman steering module, the front and rear Ackerman steering modules and the four-wheel differential module comprises a front wheel assembly and a rear wheel assembly, and the frame forms five trolley forms by installing and replacing different front wheel assemblies or rear wheel assemblies or front wheel assemblies and rear wheel assemblies; para. 14 further teaches: “wherein, the differential wheel mechanism includes a symmetrically arranged left and right wheel mechanism, the left and right wheel mechanisms are both composed of a servo hub motor, a differential, a wheel hub and tires, and the servo hub motor is detachably mounted on the frame”; thus, the multi-mode switchable car being configured to switch between different wheel configurations by selectively attaching different wheel-type components to the hub motor.]
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to configure a vehicle such that different wheel-type components could be selectively attached to a hub motor to achieve various wheel-type components, such as a tire-type component and a Mecanum wheel-type component, so that the multi-mode switchable car being configured to switch between different wheel configurations by selectively attaching different wheel-type components to the hub motor as taught by Wei into the invention of Li with a reasonable expectation of success in order to advantageously optimize the modular drive systems that accommodate reconfiguration of wheel units. Given the known benefits of adaptability and modularity in vehicle design, a skilled artisan would have been motivated to implement a hub motor interface capable of receiving different wheel-type components- such as wheels optimized for off-road, urban, or snow conditions- to enable flexible wheel type component switching. This represents a straightforward application of known techniques to achieve a predictable result and therefore renders the claimed limitation obvious.
Regarding claim 11, Lin teaches: (“wheeled mobile robots”, figs. 1-12, [0005]), comprising:
a car body (chassis body 1000, [0090]) internally provided with a control module (control device 2000, [0090];
two bogies (bogies 30 of a first wheelset 10, [0091]) rotatably connected to two sides of the car body (see fig. 1) respectively;
a wheel assembly (10) comprising a hub motor (3000) and a wheel-type component (first- or second-wheel set, [0053]), wherein the hub motor (3000) is connected to the bogie (30) or the car body (“vehicle body”, [0090]);
and the hub motor (3000) is electrically connected with the control module (2000) [ para. 0092 discloses that each hub motor 3000 are respectively electrically connected to the control device 2000];
a steering driving module (steering driving module 201, [0103]) arranged on the car body (wheel body 11 to chassis body 1000, fig. 1) and configured for driving the bogies (30) to rotate;
a steering locking structure (200, [0090]) movable between an initial position (“unlocked state”, [0015]) and a locking position [ para. 0015 discloses: “the locking assembly of the traveling equipment can be placed in a locked or unlocked state”] and capable of locking the bogies (30) when the steering locking structure is located in the locking position [para. 0101 discloses: “The locking assembly 200 includes a locked state and an unlocked state. In the locked state, the locking assembly 200 provides a preset friction resistance that hinders the bogie 30 from rotating relative to the first wheelset 10, so that the bogie 30 and the first wheelset 10 are relatively locked; in the unlocked state, the locking assembly 200 releases the bogie 30 so that the bogie 30 and the first wheelset 10 can rotate relative to each other”; thus, capable of locking the bogies (30) when the steering locking structure is located in the locking position.]: a locking sensing structure (gyroscope or angular sensor, [0116, 0138 and 0139], wherein at least two wheel driving programs are preset in the control module (angular preset and gyroscopic positional preset on control device 2000), the locking sensing structure (gyroscope) is configured for acquiring position information (via gyroscope) of the steering locking structure (200, [0090]) and is electrically connected with the control module (via hub motor to control device 2000), and the control module (2000) is capable of switching the wheel driving programs according to the position information acquired by (via gyroscope) the locking sensing structure (200) [para. 0139 teaches that when the gyroscope detects that the inclination angle of the vehicle body relative to the horizontal plane is greater than the preset value, it can be determined that the traveling device is climbing a slope.]
Lin does not appear to explicitly teach that the wheel-type component is detachably connected to the hub motor, at least two types of wheel-type components are provided, the wheel-type components at least comprise a tire-type component and a Mecanum wheel-type component, the multi-mode switchable car being configured to switch between different wheel configurations by selectively attaching different wheel-type components to the hub motor; however,
Wei in another “Multi-mode ROS education Trolley”, similar to Li teaches that the wheel-type component (“Mecanum module or a front Ackerman steering module or a front and back Ackerman steering module or a four-wheel differential speed module” [‘Abstract’]) wherein the wheel-type component is detachably connected (‘Abstract’) to the hub motor (servo hub motor 31, [para. 33]), at least two types of wheel-type components are provided (‘Mecanum or ‘rear-drive front single-trundle module’, [‘Abstract’]), the wheel-type components at least comprise a tire-type component (“rear-drive front single-trundle module”; [‘Abstract’]) and a Mecanum wheel-type component (‘Mecanum’, [para. 29]), the multi-mode switchable car (“Multi-modal ROS Educational Car”; [para. 3]) being configured to switch between different wheel configurations by selectively attaching different wheel-type components to the hub motor [‘Abstract’ teaches: “each of the rear-drive front single-trundle module, the four-wheel differential Mecanum module, the front Ackerman steering module, the front and rear Ackerman steering modules and the four-wheel differential module comprises a front wheel assembly and a rear wheel assembly, and the frame forms five trolley forms by installing and replacing different front wheel assemblies or rear wheel assemblies or front wheel assemblies and rear wheel assemblies; para. 14 further teaches: “wherein, the differential wheel mechanism includes a symmetrically arranged left and right wheel mechanism, the left and right wheel mechanisms are both composed of a servo hub motor, a differential, a wheel hub and tires, and the servo hub motor is detachably mounted on the frame”; thus, the multi-mode switchable car being configured to switch between different wheel configurations by selectively attaching different wheel-type components to the hub motor.]
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to configure a vehicle such that different wheel-type components could be selectively attached to a hub motor to achieve various wheel-type components, such as a tire-type component and a Mecanum wheel-type component which can be detachably connected to the hub motor as taught by Wei into the invention of Lin with a reasonable expectation of success in order to advantageously optimize the modular drive systems that accommodate reconfiguration of wheel units. Given the known benefits of adaptability and modularity in vehicle design, a skilled artisan would have been motivated to implement a hub motor interface capable of receiving different wheel-type components- such as wheels optimized for off-road, urban, or snow conditions- to enable flexible wheel type component switching. This represents a straightforward application of known techniques to achieve a predictable result and therefore renders the claimed limitation obvious.
Claims 5-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin in view of Wei and further in view of Huang Tao (CN 102826135 A1; hereinafter “Huang”).
Regarding claim 5, Lin as modified above teaches the Mecanum wheel-type component (Mecanum wheel of Wei), but fails to teach the remaining limitations of claim 5; however,
Huang in another ‘track type omni bearing moving platform’ similar to the modified Lin teaches that the Mecanum wheel-type component comprises a hub frame (1), a plurality of roller shafts (shafts of rollers 3, [0007]) and a plurality of roller bodies ( bodies of drum rollers, fig. 6); a motor accommodating cavity (fig. 6) is arranged in a middle portion of the hub frame (fig. 6 shows rollers are positions at the middle) and is capable of being detachably connected to an outer side of the hub motor (as described in claim 3 of Kong) through the motor accommodating cavity (see claim 3 for the wheel arrangement of Kun); and the plurality of roller shafts are connected to an outer peripheral side of the hub frame (fig. 6 of Lin shows plurality of rollers and its shaft configured to the wheel arrangement) at a certain angle with an axial direction of the hub frame [ para. 009 teaches that the angle between the roller axis and the driving wheel axis is 90°, that is, the offset angle of the roller is 90°]., and the roller bodies are rotatably connected to the respective roller shafts 9 fig. 6 of Lin and para. 0010 teaches that they can rotate around their own axes but always maintain a horizontal posture].
It should be noted that the wheel-type configuration described in claim 5, including the angled roller shafts and rotatable bodies of Mecanum wheel, reflects a known design in mobile platform. A person skilled in the art would recognize this arrangement as standard practice, yield no unexpected technical effect.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the modified Li to incorporate the teaching of Huang and implement a Mecanum wheel-type component comprising a hub frame, angled roller shafts, and rotatable roller bodies of Huang into the invention of the modified Lin with a reasonable expectation of success in order to advantageously establish those features which are well-established in mobile robotics and omnidirectional vehicle systems. Integrating such a detachable motor accommodating cavity reflects a routing choice aimed at modularity and serviceability, yielding no unexpected technical effect.
Regarding claim 6, depending on claims 1, Lin as modified above further teaches that the steering locking structure (200, [0090]) comprises a pin (mating device 202, fig. 2), one of the car body (chassis body 1000, [0090]) and the bogie (30 of Lin) is provided with the pin, the other one of the car body and the bogie is provided with a pin hole (various holes at bogie and body as depicted in fig. 1) for cooperation with the pin (202), and the pin is inserted into the pin hole (hole where pin 202 is positioned when in the locking position (“when locking the bogie and the first wheel set” [ ‘abstract’]).
It should be noted that the pin-and-hole locking structure recited in claim 6 reflects a conventional mechanical approach to positional fixation. A person skilled in the art would recognize this arrangement as standard practice, offering no unexpected technical contribution.
Regarding claim 7, depending on claims 6, Lin as modified above further teaches that the locking sensing structure (angular sensor or gyroscope, [0146]) is arranged on the bogie (30) or the car body [para. 0116 teaches that one or more sensors may be provided on the vehicle to identify the current driving condition; also para 0139 teaches that sensors such as gyroscopes can be installed on the body of the traveling device to detect the inclination of the body relative to the horizontal plane, thereby determining whether the body is in a climbing state at this time; note that gyroscope is considered for detecting positional state in the present automobile technology] and is inserted in one side of the pin hole far away from the pin [ note that: vehicle body locations where sensors are positions are far away from the pin, but not aligned to the pin]. It should be noted that the sensing structure placement in claim 7 reflects a routing configuration for detecting positional state. A skilled artisan would recognize this arrangement as standard practice, offering no unexpected technical effect.
Regarding claim 8, depending on claims 1, Lin as modified above further teaches that the two bogies (bogies 30 of a first wheelset 10, [0091] of Lin) are connected with each other through a synchronous link (connecting rod 12, [0094]) to realize synchronous rotation [para. 0097 discloses: “the first wheel body 11 can be connected to the first connecting rod 12, and the first wheel body 11 can rotate relative to the first connecting rod 12”; thus, synchronous rotation as depicted in fig. 2.]
Regarding claim 9, depending on claims 8, Lin as modified above further teaches that the two bogies (30) are both provided with the steering locking structure (200, [0090]), or one of the two bogies (30) is provided with the steering locking structure (200) [‘Abstract’, line 6-10 teaches that each wheel set comprises two wheels; the bogie is arranged above the first wheel set and the second wheel set, one end of the bogie is rotatably connected with the first wheel set and the locking assembly is arranged between the bogie and the first wheel set and used for relatively locking the bogie.]
Regarding claim 10, depending on claims 1, Lin as modified above further teaches that the steering driving module steering driving module (force applying device 201, figs. 1-2 and [0103]) comprises a steering engine (engine of vehicle or road vehicle or automobile, [0089]), a driving arm and a steering link; one end of the driving arm is connected with the steering engine, and the other end of the driving arm (12 via 40) is connected with one end of the steering link (first and second rotating element, [0106]); and the other end of the steering link is connected with the bogie [ 0106 teaches that the first rotating element can be fixedly connected to the bogie 30].
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin in view of Huang and further in view of Kong Dekun (CA 211843975 U; hereinafter, “Kong”).
Regarding claim 3, Lin as modified above further teaches the tire-type component, but fails to explicitly teach a hub cover and a rubber wheel sleeve, an annular deformation cavity, a first limiting ring and a second limiting ring and remaining limitations of claim 3; however,
Kong in another utility model for tire and kart, similar to the modified Lin teaches that the tire-type component (100. figs. 1 to 8) comprises a hub cover (40, fig. 3) and a rubber wheel sleeve (30 and 0043 discloses: “ the solid tire 30 is sleeved on the outer circumference of the hub 10”]), an annular deformation cavity (cavity of tire, fig. 8 cross section) is formed within the rubber wheel sleeve (within sleeve of tire, fig. 8), a first limiting ring (“a first abutting portion” [0009])and a second limiting ring (“second abutting portion” [0009]) are formed on two side edges (fig. 3) of an opening of the deformation cavity (fig. 3 and 8), a third limiting ring is arranged (“motor mounting groove”, [0009]) on one side of the hub motor facing the car body (fig. 3 shows facing the car body), and the hub cover (40) is capable of being detachably connected to one side of the hub motor far away from the car body [ para. 0009 teaches: “the tire cover is detachably mounted on the wheel hub and is located on the open side of the motor mounting groove”]; and when the tire-type component (100) is connected to the hub motor, the first limiting ring and the second limiting ring are located between the hub cover [ para. 009 teaches that first limiting ring is provided on the outer periphery and second limiting ring, the second matching portion abuts and fits with the second abutting portion as shown in figs. 3-4, thus the first and second limiting rings are located between the hub cover] and the third limiting ring, the third limiting ring abuts against the first limiting ring to limit the rubber wheel sleeve from moving to one side close to the car body, and the hub cover abuts against the second limiting ring to limit the rubber wheel sleeve from moving to one side far away from the car body [para. 0044 teaches that As shown in fig. 4 to fig. 6 , a second abutting portion 41 is provided on the outer periphery of the tire cover 40 , and the second abutting portion 41 abuts against the other axial side of the solid tire 30 .Through the abutment cooperation between the first abutment portion 12 and the second abutment portion 41, the axial freedom of the solid tire 30 can be effectively limited, and the installation reliability of the solid tire 30 on the outer periphery of the wheel hub 10 can be ensured; see fig. 3 to 8 of Kong).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the modified Lin to incorporate the teaching of Kong and implement a hub cover and a rubber wheel sleeve, as such modular wheel structures are well known in the field of terrain-adaptive vehicles and robotics. The use of an annular deformation cavity withing the rubber wheel sleeve, along with limiting rings to constrain axial movement, represents a predictable mechanical solution for securing deformable wheel elements to a hub motor. The positioning of the limiting rings between the hub cover and the motor-facing ring provides a conventional retention mechanism that ensures stability during operation.
The motivation to combine the modified Lin into the invention of Kong arises from the shared objective of enabling modular wheel replacement and secure attachment in dynamic driving environments. The claimed configuration doesn’t yield unexpected results and reflects routing engineering design choices based on known principles of modular wheel retention and terrain adaptability.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin in view of Wei in view of Kong and further in view of Li Nan (CA 109606487 A; hereinafter, “Li”).
Regarding claim 4, Lin discloses: a multi-mode switchable car (“wheeled mobile robots”, figs. 1-12, [0005]),
comprising:
a car body (chassis body 1000, [0090]) internally provided with a control module (control device 2000, [0090]);
two bogies (bogies 30 of a first wheelset 10, [0091]) rotatably connected to two sides of the car body (see fig. 1) respectively;
a wheel assembly (10) comprising a hub motor (each hub motor 3000, [0092, line 4-5]) and a wheel-type component (first- or second-wheel set, [0053]), wherein the hub motor (3000) is connected to the bogie (30) or the car body (“vehicle body”, [0090]).
and the hub motor (3000) is electrically connected with the control module (2000) [ para. 0092 discloses that each hub motor 3000 are respectively electrically connected to the control device 2000];
a steering driving module (steering driving module 201, [0103]) arranged on the car body (wheel body 11 to chassis body 1000, fig. 1) and configured for driving the bogies to rotate (set of 30) to rotate [para. 0103 discloses that: “the force-applying device (steering driving module 201) is used to cooperate with the mating device 202 to generate a preset friction resistance that hinders the rotation of the bogie 30 relative to the first wheel body 11];
a steering locking structure (200, [0090]) movable between an initial position (“unlocked state”, [0015]) and a locking position [ para. 0015 discloses: “the locking assembly of the traveling equipment can be placed in a locked or unlocked state”] and capable of locking the bogies (30) when the steering locking structure is located in the locking position [para. 0101 discloses: “The locking assembly 200 includes a locked state and an unlocked state. In the locked state, the locking assembly 200 provides a preset friction resistance that hinders the bogie 30 from rotating relative to the first wheelset 10, so that the bogie 30 and the first wheelset 10 are relatively locked; in the unlocked state, the locking assembly 200 releases the bogie 30 so that the bogie 30 and the first wheelset 10 can rotate relative to each other”; thus, capable of locking the bogies (30) when the steering locking structure is located in the locking position.],
Lin doesn’t appear to explicitly teach that the wheel-type component is detachably connected to the hub motor, at least two types of wheel-type components are provided, the wheel-type components at least comprise a tire-type component and a Mecanum wheel-type component; the multi-mode switchable car being configured to switch between different wheel configurations by selectively attaching different wheel-type components to the hub motor; however,
Wei in another “Multi-mode ROS education Trolley”, similar to Li teaches that the wheel-type component (“Mecanum module or a front Ackerman steering module or a front and back Ackerman steering module or a four-wheel differential speed module”; [‘Abstract’]) wherein the wheel-type component is detachably connected (‘Abstract’) to the hub motor (servo hub motor 31, [para. 33]), at least two types of wheel-type components are provided (‘Mecanum or ‘rear-drive front single-trundle module’, [‘Abstract’]), the wheel-type components at least comprise a tire-type component (“rear-drive front single-trundle module”; [‘Abstract’]) and a Mecanum wheel-type component (‘Mecanum’; [para. 29]), the multi-mode switchable car (“Multi-modal ROS Educational Car”; [para. 3]) being configured to switch between different wheel configurations by selectively attaching different wheel-type components to the hub motor [‘Abstract’ teaches: “each of the rear-drive front single-trundle module, the four-wheel differential Mecanum module, the front Ackerman steering module, the front and rear Ackerman steering modules and the four-wheel differential module comprises a front wheel assembly and a rear wheel assembly, and the frame forms five trolley forms by installing and replacing different front wheel assemblies or rear wheel assemblies or front wheel assemblies and rear wheel assemblies; para. 14 further teaches: “wherein, the differential wheel mechanism includes a symmetrically arranged left and right wheel mechanism, the left and right wheel mechanisms are both composed of a servo hub motor, a differential, a wheel hub and tires, and the servo hub motor is detachably mounted on the frame”; thus, the multi-mode switchable car being configured to switch between different wheel configurations by selectively attaching different wheel-type components to the hub motor.]
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to configure a vehicle such that different wheel-type components could be selectively attached to a hub motor to achieve various wheel-type components, such as a tire-type component and a Mecanum wheel-type component which can be detachably connected to the hub motor as taught by Wei into the invention of Lin with a reasonable expectation of success in order to advantageously optimize the modular drive systems that accommodate reconfiguration of wheel units. Given the known benefits of adaptability and modularity in vehicle design, a skilled artisan would have been motivated to implement a hub motor interface capable of receiving different wheel-type components- such as wheels optimized for off-road, urban, or snow conditions- to enable flexible wheel type component switching. This represents a straightforward application of known techniques to achieve a predictable result and therefore renders the claimed limitation obvious.
Lin as modified above does not appear to explicitly teach that when the wheel-type component is tire-type component, the tire-type component includes a hub cover and a rubber wheel sleeve; however,
Kong in another ‘utility model for tire and kart’, similar to the modified Lin teaches that when the wheel-type component is the tire-type component (100. figs. 1 to 8), the tire-type component includes a hub cover (40, fig. 3) and a rubber wheel sleeve (30 and 0043 discloses: “the solid tire 30 is sleeved on the outer circumference of the hub 10”]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the modified Lin to incorporate the teaching of Kong and implement a tire-type component that includes a hub cover and a rubber wheel sleeve, as such modular wheel structures are well known in the field of terrain-adaptive vehicles and robotics. The use of wheel cover and the rubber wheel sleeve represent a predictable mechanical solution for securing deformable wheel elements to a hub motor. The positioning of hub cover and the rubber wheel sleeve provide a conventional retention mechanism that ensures stability during operation.
Lin as modified above does not explicitly teach a crawler belt and the crawler belt comprises a connecting groove matched with an outer contour of the rubber wheel sleeve is formed on an inner side of the crawler belt, and the crawler belt is capable of being arranged on two rubber wheel sleeves located on a same side of the car body through the connecting groove; however,
Li in another ‘wheel and crawler combined allosteric robot’ similar to the modified Lin teaches that a crawler belt (‘crawler belt’, [para. 19]) and the crawler belt comprises a connecting groove [para. 19 teaches that crawler belt is provided with a groove portion], matched with an outer contour of the rubber wheel sleeve is formed on an inner side of the crawler belt, and the crawler belt (see fig. 5; [para. 19 teaches that groove portion of the drive wheel cooperates with the groove portion of the crawler belt to prevent the drive wheel from slipping in the crawler belt] is capable of being arranged on two rubber wheel sleeves located on a same side of the car body (see fig. 1 and 5) through the connecting groove (fig. 5)]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the modified Lin to incorporate the teaching of Li and provide a crawler belt, included with a connecting groove matched with an outer contour of the rubber wheel sleeve, such that it is formed on an inner side of the crawler belt, and the crawler belt is capable of being arranged on two rubber wheel sleeves located on a same side of the car body through the connecting groove with a reasonable expectation of success in order to prevent the drive wheel from slipping in the crawler belt [ para. 19 of Li].
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
CN 207578424 (U) to Jia discloses: the utility model relates to a small -size ground reconnaissance robot belongs to robotic device technical field. Technical scheme is: action wheel (5) are two, the symmetry sets up the left and right sides at casing (1) rear portion, be equipped with actuating mechanism in casing (1), actuating mechanism passes through the output shaft and links to each other with action wheel (5), be two from driving wheel (3), the symmetry sets up in the anterior left and right sides of casing (1), walking track (4) is two, article one, mate and set up on the left follow driving wheel (3) of casing (1) and action wheel (5).
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 extension fee 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 NABIN KUMAR SHARMA whose telephone number is (703)756-4619. The examiner can normally be reached on Mon - Friday: 8:00am - 5 PM EST.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Koppikar, Vivek can be reached on 571-272-5109. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/NABIN KUMAR SHARMA/
Examiner, Art Unit 3612
/VIVEK D KOPPIKAR/ Supervisory Patent Examiner
Art Unit 3612
February 27, 2026