DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status The present application is being examined under the pre-AIA first to invent provisions. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of pre-AIA 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 – (b) the invention was patented or described in a printed publication in this or a foreign country or in public use or on sale in this country, more than one year prior to the date of application for patent in the United States. Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Strothmann (CZ 291354 B6). Strothmann discloses a n electric wheel motor contained by a wheel, the electric wheel motor comprising: a pin (33) configured to couple to an axle (21) of a truck; a stator shaft fixed to the pin, the pin configured to prevent the stator shaft from rotating with respect to the axle of the truck; a first support plate (65) positioned on a first end of the stator shaft and rotationally coupled to the pin; a second support plate (47) on a second end of the stator shaft and rotationally coupled to the pin; a rotor (64) coupled to at least one of the first and second support plates, the rotor configured to rotate about the stator shaft; and a wheel (48) positioned around the rotor and configured to rotate with the rotor. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action: (a) A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made. Claims 3 – 7 is/are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Strothmann (CZ 291354 B6) alone . As for claims 3 – 5, Strothmann meets all the limitations of the claimed invention, including a stator (41) and flux canister (48/63/64), but does not disclose the recited relationship between the inner and outer circumferences of the flux canister. However, it has been held that, where the only difference between the claimed device and the prior art device is a recitation of the dimensions of the claimed device, and the claimed device would not perform differently than the prior art device, the claimed device is not patentably distinct from the prior art device. See Gardner v. TEC Systems, Inc., 725 F.2d 1338, 220 USPQ 777 (Fed. Cir. 1984). The wheel of Strothmann would not perform differently than the wheel having the claimed dimensions. As for claim 6, Strothmann discloses a wheel motor, the wheel motor comprising: a pin (33) configured to couple to an axle (21) of a truck; a stator shaft fixed to the pin, the pin configured to prevent the stator shaft from rotating with respect to the axle of the truck; a first support plate (65) positioned on a first end of the stator shaft and rotationally coupled to the pin; a second support plate (47) on a second end of the stator shaft and rotationally coupled to the pin; a rotor (64) coupled to at least one of the first and second support plates, the rotor configured to rotate about the stator shaft; and a wheel (48) positioned around the rotor and configured to rotate with the rotor; and a truck assembly (Fig. 3), wherein the truck assembly comprises: a control system configured to coordinate operation of the wheel motor; and at least one sensor configured to output signals to the control system, wherein the control system and the at least one sensor are integrated into the truck (see “control electronics” and “power electronics”, Fig. 12). Strothmann does not disclose a package kit. 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 components of Strothmann by arranging them in a package kit in order to enable a user to modify an existing un- powered vehicle (which are well-known in the art). Furthermore, as for claim 7, it would be obvious to include an instruction manual to ensure proper assembly. Claim 8 is/are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Strothmann (CZ 291354 B6) in view of Scharfenberg et al. (US 2009/0230791 A1). Strothmann discloses a wheel motor assembly comprising: a stator (41) fixedly coupled with a truck axle (21) ; and a rotor (61) assembly at least partially surrounding the stator, the rotor assembly comprising: a flux ring (63) offset from the stator and defining an inner surface; one or more magnets (64) coupled to the inner surface of the flux ring; and an endcap (47) coupled to the truck axle and configured to allow the flux ring and the one or more magnets to rotate with respect to the truck axle . Strothmann does not disclose cooling fins. Scharfenberg et al. disclose a wheel motor endcap comprising at least one fin (27) extending radially from a rotational axis of the truck axle, wherein the at least one fin is configured to increase heat transfer between the endcap and an external environment. 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 wheel motor assembly of Strothmann to include the fins of Scharfenberg et al. to efficiently cool the motor during operation. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FILLIN "Examiner name" \* MERGEFORMAT Katy M Ebner whose telephone number is FILLIN "Phone number" \* MERGEFORMAT (571)272-5830 . The examiner can normally be reached FILLIN "Work Schedule?" \* MERGEFORMAT Monday - Thursday, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m . 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, FILLIN "SPE Name?" \* MERGEFORMAT J. Allen Shriver can be reached at FILLIN "SPE Phone?" \* MERGEFORMAT (303)297-4337 . The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /Katy M Ebner/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3613