DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is in response to the communication filed April 28, 2026 for the above identified patent application.
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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “torque output source is a countershaft” (claim 7) must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 18, the limitations “a transmission system, an energy storage, a torque output source” are not clear if applicant is attempting to reference the recited components of claim 1, or intends to define a second transmission system, a second energy storage, and a second torque output source. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 1-10, 12, 13, 16, 18-20, 22-23, and 26 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yamada et al. (USP 6,524,218).
Yamada teaches a power steering system for a vehicle, the power steering system comprising a power steering pump (21), an electrical machine unit (22), a clutch arrangement (11) and a power steering control system (30) configured to control the power steering system, wherein the electrical machine unit is configured to drive the power steering pump and to be operatively connected to and powered by an energy storage of the vehicle (battery, inherent to all motor vehicles); the power steering pump is configured to be connected to a torque output source (3d) arranged downstream of a transmission system (3a,3c) of the vehicle, the power steering pump being configured to be driven by means of torque provided by the torque output source; and the clutch arrangement is configured to selectively connect the power steering pump to the torque output source; wherein the power steering control system (30) is configured to control the clutch arrangement and the electrical machine unit to cause the power steering system to be operable in an electrical steering mode wherein the electrical machine unit drives the power steering pump and a mechanical steering mode wherein the power steering pump is driven by means of the torque provided by the torque output source.
Claim 2: Yamada teaches the power steering control system is configured to cause enabling of torque transfer from the electrical machine unit to the power steering pump and the clutch arrangement to disconnect the power steering pump from the torque output source in the electrical steering mode.
Claim 3: Yamada teaches the power steering control system is configured to cause disabling of torque transfer from the electrical machine unit to the power steering pump (when the motor 22 is not energized) and the clutch arrangement to connect the power steering pump to the torque output source in the mechanical steering mode.
Claim 4: Yamada teaches the clutch arrangement is operable between a closed state wherein the clutch arrangement connects the torque output source to the power steering pump and an opened state wherein the clutch arrangement disconnects the torque output source from the power steering pump.
Claim 5: Yamada teaches the power steering control system is configured to control the torque transfer between the power steering pump and the electrical machine unit by means of control of an electrical machine (motor) of the electrical machine unit (22).
Claim 6: Yamada teaches the torque output source is a transmission output shaft (3b) connected to the transmission system.
Claim 7: Yamada teaches the torque output source is a countershaft (3b is considered a countershaft) of the vehicle.
Claim 8: Yamada teaches the power steering control system is configured to control (or capable of controlling) the clutch arrangement and the electrical machine unit to cause the power steering system to be operable in a deactivated steering mode (when the vehicle is parked and the ignition is turned off, the motor is deenergized and the clutch is disengaged) wherein the power steering system does not provide any assistance for the steering of the vehicle.
Claim 9: Yamada teaches the power steering control system is configured to cause the power steering system to operate in any one of the electrical steering mode (motor driving the steering pump), mechanical steering mode (the transmission output driving the steering pump), and a deactivated steering mode (when the vehicle is parked and the ignition is turned off) based on energy management parameter data relating to the operation of the vehicle.
Claim 10: Yamada teaches the energy management parameter data comprises at least vehicle speed data (from sensor 32) or transmission system operational data (from sensor 31).
Claim 12: Yamada teaches the power steering control system is configured to cause the power steering system to operate in the electrical steering mode in response to the speed of the vehicle falling below an electric steering speed threshold (form sensor 32).
Claim 13: Yamada teaches the power steering control system is configured to cause the power steering system to operate in the mechanical steering mode in response to the speed of the vehicle exceeding a mechanical steering speed threshold (from sensor 32).
Claim 16: Yamada teaches the power steering control system is configured to cause the power steering system to operate in a deactivated steering mode in response to the speed of the vehicle exceeding a deactivation vehicle speed threshold (from sensor 32).
Claim 18: Yamada teaches a transmission system, an energy storage, a torque output source and a propulsion source (1) connected to the transmission system.
Claim 19: Yamada teaches a method comprising: obtaining energy management parameter data relating to the operation of the vehicle, and causing switching between the electrical steering mode and the mechanical steering mode based on the energy management parameter data.
Claim 20: Yamada teaches the energy management parameter data comprises at least one of: vehicle speed data (sensor 32) or transmission system operational data (sensor 31 or 32).
Claim 22: Yamada teaches the step of causing the power steering system to operate in the electrical steering mode in response to the speed of the vehicle falling below an electric steering speed threshold (from sensor 32).
Claim 23: Yamada teaches the step of causing the power steering system to operate in the mechanical steering mode in response to the speed of the vehicle exceeding a mechanical steering speed threshold (from sensor 32).
Claim 26: Yamada teaches the step of causing the power steering system to operate in a deactivated steering mode in response to the speed of the vehicle exceeding a deactivation vehicle speed threshold (from sensor 32).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11, 14, 15, 17, 21, 24, 25, and 27 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: The prior art does not teach the power steering arrangement of claim 1, including: the power steering system being controlled based on data relating to the road ahead of the vehicle (claims 11 and 21), a planned route of the vehicle (claims 11 and 21), a charge condition of the energy storage (claims 14 and 24), energy recuperation data indicating that regenerative braking of the vehicle is predicted and/or initiated (claims 15 and 25), and transmissions system operational data indicating that a gear shift in the transmission system is predicted and/or initiated (claims 17 and 27).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WILLIAM C JOYCE whose telephone number is (571)272-7107. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30-5:00.
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, Minnah Seoh can be reached at 571-270-7778. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/WILLIAM C JOYCE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3618
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