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 1-3, 6-10, 16-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 20210261188 A1 ("Ko").
Claim 1: Ko teaches a steer-by-wire steering device, comprising: a connecting shaft (303 to 320) coupled with a steering shaft (301 to 103) (Fig. 3; para. 63, lines 1-4); a rotating member (360b) rotating with the connecting shaft and having an inner protrusion (361b) and an outer protrusion (365b), axially protruding on one side surface, radially spaced apart with an insertion space disposed between the inner protrusion and the outer protrusion (Figs. 5 and 6; para. 99, lines 1-13); a guide member (370) having a first end coupled to the outer protrusion and a second end coupled to the inner protrusion and disposed in the insertion space (Fig. 6); a housing cover (309) having the rotating member and the guide member embedded therein (Fig. 5) and having a guide groove (362a, 362b) radially elongated; and a supporting member (360a) having a first end supported in the guide groove and a second end supported on the guide member to radially move along the guide groove when the rotating member rotates (para. 99, lines 11-18).
Claim 2: Ko teaches the limitations of claim 1 as noted above. Ko further teaches the steer-by-wire steering device, wherein the guide member (370) is spirally wound from the first end to the second end and is disposed in the insertion space (Fig. 6).
Claim 3: Ko teaches the limitations of claim 2 as noted above. Ko further teaches the steer-by-wire steering device, wherein the guide member is formed of an elastic material (370 is referred to as elastic member; para. 99, lines 11-18).
Claim 6: Ko teaches the limitations of claim 2 as noted above. Ko further teaches the steer-by-wire steering device, wherein the guide member (370) has a tube shape opened toward the supporting member (Fig. 6).
Claim 7: Ko teaches the limitations of claim 1 as noted above. Ko further teaches the steer-by-wire steering device, wherein the inner protrusion (361b) is formed to be radially spaced apart from a center of the rotating member and have a circumferentially increasing radius and has an inner stepped portion radially connected to an outer circumferential surface of one side (Fig. 6), and wherein rotation of the rotating member (360b) in one direction is stopped as the supporting member (360a) is supported on the inner stepped portion (para. 109, lines 1-6).
Claim 8: Ko teaches the limitations of claim 7 as noted above. Ko further teaches the steer-by-wire steering device, wherein the outer protrusion (365b) is formed to be radially spaced apart from an outer circumferential surface of the rotating member and have a circumferentially decreasing radius and has an outer stepped portion radially connected to an inner circumferential surface of one side (Fig. 6), and wherein rotation of the rotating member (360b) in another direction is stopped as the supporting member (360a) is supported on the outer stepped portion (para. 112, lines 1-16).
Claim 9: Ko teaches the limitations of claim 7 as noted above. Ko further teaches the steer-by-wire steering device, wherein the inner stepped portion has an inner damper where the supporting member (360b) is supported (para. 99, lines 13-18).
Claim 10: Ko teaches the limitations of claim 8 as noted above. Ko further teaches the steer-by-wire steering device, wherein the outer stepped portion has an outer damper where the supporting member (360b) is supported (para. 100, lines 1-5).
Claim 16: Ko teaches a steer-by-wire steering device, comprising: a connecting shaft (303 to 320) coupled with a steering shaft (301 to 103) (Fig. 3; para. 63, lines 1-4); a rotating member (360b) rotating with the connecting shaft and having an inner protrusion (361b) and an outer protrusion (365b), axially protruding on one side surface, radially spaced apart with an insertion space disposed between the inner protrusion and the outer protrusion (Figs. 5 and 6; para. 99, lines 1-13), the inner protrusion having an inner stepped portion on one side of an outer circumferential surface (Fig. 6), and the outer protrusion having an outer stepped portion on one side of an inner circumferential surface (Fig. 6); a guide member (370) having a first end coupled to the outer protrusion and a second end coupled to the inner protrusion and disposed in the insertion space (Fig. 6); a housing cover (309) having the rotating member and the guide member embedded therein (Fig. 5) and having a guide groove (362a, 362b) radially elongated; a supporting member (306a) having a first end supported in the guide groove and a second end supported on the guide member to radially move along the guide groove when the rotating member rotates (para. 99, lines 11-18), the supporting member being supported on the inner stepped portion to stop rotation of the rotating member in one direction (para. 109, lines 1-6) and being supported on the outer stepped portion to stop rotation of the rotating member in another direction (para. 112, lines 1-16); a driving member rotating the connecting shaft by electric power of a driving motor (120; para. 64, lines 1-5 and para. 59, lines 1-10); and an electronic control unit (110) controlling an operation of the driving motor according to an autonomous driving mode signal value or a manual driving mode signal value of a driving mode switch manipulated by a driver (para. 60, lines 1-8 and para. 163, lines 4-9).
Claim 17: Ko teaches the limitations of claim 16 as noted above. Ko further teaches the steer-by-wire steering device, wherein the driving member includes: a worm shaft (125) coupled with the driving motor (120) and rotating; and a worm wheel coupled to an outer circumferential surface of the connecting shaft and engaged with the worm shaft to rotate the connecting shaft by driving power of the driving motor (para. 136, lines 1-10).
Claim 18: Ko teaches the limitations of claim 17 as noted above. Ko further teaches the steer-by-wire steering device, further comprising: a first sensor installed to a vehicle to obtain front image data of the vehicle (para. 60, lines 1-8); a second sensor installed to the vehicle and selected from the group consisting of a radar and a lidar to obtain front sensing data of the vehicle (para. 60, lines 1-8), wherein the electronic control unit operates the driving motor in a direction opposite to a rotating direction of the connecting shaft to provide a sense of steering reaction force to the driver if the manual driving mode signal is received and, if the autonomous driving mode signal value is received, the electronic control unit operates the driving motor according to the image data received from the first sensor and the front sensing data received from the second sensor (para. 163, lines 1-9).
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.
Claims 4 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20210261188 A1 ("Ko") in view of US 10926792 B2 ("Rey").
Claim 4: Ko teaches the limitations of claim 2 as noted above. But does not the steer-by-wire steering device, wherein the guide member is formed of a metal material.
However, Rey teaches the steer-by-wire steering device, wherein the guide member is formed of a metal material (col. 11, lines 5-9). 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 invention of the cited prior art with the features of Rey. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do so as such a modification is merely the substitution of one known elastic member for another elastic member, and the results of such a substitution would have been predictable, namely, the elastic member being made of metal. the device of Ko will still work for its intended purpose as the guide member is still elastic by being metallic elastic member forming a spring shape, similar in form to the guide member in Ko.
Claim 11: Ko teaches the limitations of claim 1 as noted above. Ko further teaches the steer-by-wire steering device, wherein the housing cover (309) has a cylinder portion formed in an axial direction of the connecting shaft (303 to 320) but does not teach a housing cover barrier rib facing one side surface of the rotating member, and wherein the housing cover barrier rib has a through hole through which the connecting shaft passes.
However, Rey in a similar field of art teaches a housing cover barrier rib (20B) facing one side surface of the rotating member (26), and wherein the housing cover barrier rib has a through hole (Z) through which the connecting shaft (3) passes (Fig. 3; col. 7, lines 31-37). Therefore, 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 invention of Ko with the features of Rey. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do so as Rey teaches it so the "casing portion 20B carrying the output bearing 26 and the output shaft 3" to hold them in place (col. 7, lines 36-37).
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20210261188 A1 ("Ko") in view of US 20220097753 A1 ("Markfort").
Claim 5: Ko teaches the limitations of claim 2 as noted above. But does not the steer-by-wire steering device, wherein the guide member is formed of a plastic material.
However, Markfort teaches the steer-by-wire steering device, wherein the guide member is formed of a plastic material (para. 86, lines 4-12). 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 invention of the cited prior art with the features of Markfort. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do so as such a modification is merely the substitution of one known elastic member for another elastic member, and the results of such a substitution would have been predictable, namely, the elastic member being made of plastic. the device of Ko will still work for its intended purpose as the guide member is still elastic by being a rubber material forming a spring shape, similar in form to the guide member in Ko.
Claim(s) 19 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20210261188 A1 ("Ko") in view of US 20220297746 A1 ("Washnock").
Claim 19: Ko teaches the limitations of claim 18 as noted above. Ko further teaches the steer-by-wire steering device, further comprising: a current sensor (112a) sensing a current amount of the driving motor (para. 55, lines 1-5), but does not teach and a contact sensor coupled to an outer circumferential side of the supporting member to sense a contact to the inner stepped portion and the outer stepped portion when the rotating member rotates.
However, Washnock in a similar field of art teaches a contact sensor (418; hall effect sensor) coupled to an outer circumferential side of the supporting member (420) to sense a contact to the inner stepped portion and the outer stepped portion when the rotating member rotates (Fig. 4; para. 47, lines 1-9). Therefore, 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 invention of Ko with the features of Washnock. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do so as Washnock teaches "Hall effect sensors, can be utilized to detect the rotation of the ball nut 410 and, thus, the movement of the rack 306" (para. 47, lines 7-9).
Claim 20: The prior art teaches the limitations of claim 19 as noted above. Washnock further teaches the steer-by-wire steering device, wherein if a current value received from the current sensor is larger than preset data in a state in which the autonomous driving mode signal value is received (para. 81, lines 9-14), and a non-contact signal value is received from the contact sensor (para. 80, lines 1-15), the electronic control unit determines an emergency and switches the operation of the driving motor to the manual driving mode (para. 82, lines 1-5).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 12 – 15 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 an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: None of the references, either alone or in combination, disclose all of the limitations of the claims. Specifically, with regard to dependent claim 1 protruding barrier rib axially protruding and connected with the cylinder portion, and wherein the guide groove includes a first guide groove disposed between an inner surface and outer surface of the protruding barrier rib, opened outward in a radial direction of the protruding barrier rib, and formed to communicate with the through hole and a second guide groove 26 communicating with the first guide groove and connected to the inner surface of the protruding barrier rib through the cylinder portion.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
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/A.R.C./Examiner, Art Unit 3614
/JASON D SHANSKE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3614