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 Objections
Claim 13 is objected to because of the following informalities: “an auxiliary pump arrangement” should be “the auxiliary pump arrangement”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 14 is objected to because of the following informalities: “a power steering system” should be “the power steering system”. 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 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.
Claims 1-7, 9 and 13-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Schacht et al. (US 2022/0135122), as cited by Applicant, in view of McBurnett (US 4,013,138), as cited by Applicant, and McBurnett (US 3,958,657), as cited by Applicant.
With respect to claims 1-3, 6-7 and 9, Schacht et al. discloses an auxiliary pump arrangement (fig. 3) for providing a flow of hydraulic fluid to a power steering system of a vehicle, the auxiliary pump arrangement comprising: an auxiliary pump (320) having a pump inlet configured to receive a flow of hydraulic fluid via a hydraulic supply conduit (326), and a pump outlet (324); an actuator (328) connected to the auxiliary pump (320), the actuator comprising a clutch (328) connectable to a driveline (312) of the vehicle; a biasing member (spring; paragraphs 43-44) operable to exert a first pressure on the clutch (328) for urging the clutch towards the driveline (312) (paragraph 44); wherein the auxiliary pump arrangement is configured to assume an engaged state in which the clutch (328) connects the auxiliary pump to the driveline (312) when the first pressure exceeds the second pressure (paragraph 44; ‘when the regulated pressure in the sump is not present, the pressure applied to the spring is released, causing the clutch to engage and connect the auxiliary hydraulic steering pump to the transmission's output’), and a disengaged state in which the clutch (328) disconnects the auxiliary pump from the driveline when the second pressure exceeds the first pressure (paragraph 44; ‘a spring applied hydraulic released wet clutch that is disengaged when the regulated pressure in the transmission sump is present’). (Figs. 1-4, paragraphs 17-57.) Schacht et al. does not explicitly disclose a first and second compartment with controllable valve structure. McBurnett ‘138 teaches of a chamber (fig. 1) accommodating a piston member (27a, 27b) of the actuator, the piston member (27a, 27b) dividing the chamber into a first compartment (29a) and a second compartment (29b), wherein the first compartment is configured to receive at least a portion of the flow of hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic supply conduit (22) for exerting a second pressure on the piston member (27a, 27b) to urge the clutch away from the driveline (47; col. 3, lines 60-68, col. 4, lines 1-15); wherein the auxiliary pump arrangement comprises a controllable valve (23a, 23b) configured to assume a first state in which the controllable valve (23a, 23b) directs the flow of hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic supply conduit to the first compartment (29a), and a second state in which the controllable valve (23a, 23b) directs the flow of hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic supply conduit (22) to the second compartment (29b); wherein the hydraulic fluid assists the biasing member (40) to urge the clutch (37) towards the driveline when the controllable valve assumes the second state (col. 3, lines 60-68, col. 4, lines 1-22); wherein the controllable valve comprises a spring (24), the spring being configured to force the controllable valve to assume the first state; wherein the first compartment (29a) comprises a first outlet, the first outlet is arranged in fluid communication with the pump outlet (31 or 32) of the auxiliary pump (17); wherein the second compartment (29b) comprises a second outlet, the second outlet is arranged in fluid communication with the pump outlet (31 or 32) of the auxiliary pump (17). (Fig. 1, cols. 3-4, col. 5, lines 1-40.) It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the structure as described in McBurnett ‘138 into the invention of Schacht et al. with a reasonable expectation of success in order to provide a secondary pump which circulates fluid only when actually required, as in a true emergency condition and includes a novel and improved valve system which operates to insure that operating fluid is reliably provided only when it is actually required. (Col. 2, lines 8-16.) Schacht et al. does not explicitly disclose an auxiliary pump having a pump inlet configured to receive a flow of hydraulic fluid from a primary power steering pump via a hydraulic supply conduit. McBurnett ‘657 teaches of an auxiliary pump (15) having a pump inlet (17 or 18) configured to receive a flow of hydraulic fluid from a primary power steering pump (10) via a hydraulic supply conduit (19). (Fig. 1, col. 3, lines 15-68, col. 4, lines 1-15.) It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the structure as described in McBurnett ‘657 into the invention of Schacht et al., as modified, with a reasonable expectation of success in order to provide an emergency steering system in which the back-up or emergency pump has a very low power, demand thereby conserving energy and prolonging pump life. (Col. 2, lines 42-45.)
With respect to claims 4-5, Schacht et al., as modified, discloses the auxiliary pump arrangement further comprises a control unit (136), the control unit (136) comprising processing circuitry coupled to the controllable valve (240), wherein the processing circuitry is configured to control the controllable valve to switch between the first and second states (paragraph 36 describes the controller can trigger different states depending upon pressure); wherein the controllable valve is pre-set to assume the first state and configured to assume the second state upon receipt of a control signal from the processing circuitry (paragraph 36 describes the controller can trigger different states depending upon pressure). (Figs. 1-4, paragraphs 17-57.)
With respect to claims 13-15, Schacht et al. discloses a power steering system (paragraph 3) for a vehicle, the power steering system comprising a primary power steering pump (106) operable by a prime mover (104) of the vehicle, and an auxiliary pump arrangement (fig. 3) according to claim 1; A vehicle (100) comprising a power steering system according to claim 13; wherein the driveline comprises an electric machine (paragraph 18) for propelling at least one pair of wheels of the vehicle. (Figs. 1-4, paragraphs 17-57.)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8 and 10-12 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Claims 8 and 10 include the limitations of a first/second one-way valve in fluid communication between the first/second outlet and the pump outlet, the first/second one-way valve being configured to prevent hydraulic fluid from the pump outlet to reach the first/second outlet. The closest prior art, McBurnett (US 4,013,138), discloses one-way valves (44, 48) but those valves are not located between the second outlet (fig. 1) and the pump outlet (31, 32). Claim 11 includes the limitations of the auxiliary pump arrangement further comprises a bypass conduit (402; fig. 4) connected to the hydraulic supply conduit, the bypass conduit being configured to at least partly direct a flow of hydraulic fluid to bypass the auxiliary pump. The closest prior art, McBurnett (US 4,013,138), does not disclose a bypass conduit.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The references cited on the PTO-892 form disclose similar features of the claimed invention.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES A ENGLISH whose telephone number is (571)270-7014. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Saturday.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jason Shanske can be reached on 571-270-5985. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JAMES A ENGLISH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3614