DETAILED ACTION
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 .
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-6, 9, 12, 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Keys, II et al. US 9,050,978. Keys, II et al. discloses A tractor-trailer combination comprising: a tractor machine 10;
a trailer 12 coupled thereto and to the tractor machine; and an electrical inverter 18, wherein the trailer comprises at least one driven axle 78 with respective wheels 79, at least one clutch 77 and at least one electric traction motor 76 which is configured to act upon the respective wheels of the at least one driven axle with a driving force by way of the at least one clutch; wherein the tractor machine comprises an electrical energy source 16 which is configured to supply the at least one electric traction motor of the trailer via the inverter in order to drive the trailer; wherein the trailer comprises a transmission 77 configured to act with a driving force on the respective wheels of the at least one driven axle 78 by way of the traction motor of the trailer; wherein the at least one clutch is arranged in a power flow between the traction motor and the at least one driven axle; wherein the trailer has at least two driven axles (left and right) each having respective wheels; wherein the at least one electric traction motor of the trailer is configured and arranged to act upon the respective wheels of the two driven axles of the trailer with the driving force; wherein for each at least one electric traction motor 76 has an associated inverter 18 by way of which eat at least one traction motor is connected to the electrical energy source 16; wherein the electrical inverter is arranged on the tractor machine.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-8,10-11,13-14 are 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Kevin Hurley whose telephone number is (571)272-6646. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 9 am-5:30 pm Kevin.Hurley@USPTO.GOV.
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/KEVIN HURLEY/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3611
October 20, 2025