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 .
Status of Claims
This office action is in response to the amendments/remarks filed on 03/04/2026. Claims 16, 19-30, 32-34 are pending; claim 16 has been amended; claim 34 is added; claims 20-21, 23-29 are withdrawn; claims 16, 19, 22, 30, 32-34 will be examined; claims 1-15; 17-18, 31 are canceled.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 03/04/2026 has been entered.
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) 16, 19, 22, 30, 32-34 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102() as being (a)(1) by LIST (DE 102022200520 A1 previously cited by the examiner)
LIST discloses:
Claim 16: A parking lock device (100; Figs.1-2) for an automatic transmission (¶[0001]), the parking lock device (100) comprising:
an actuator (10), the actuator (10) being hydraulically or pneumatically controllable (¶[0051]),
the actuator (10) comprising:
an actuator housing (161) defining an opening (161 a); and
a piston (12) movable in an axial direction (13) within the actuator housing (161) between a first piston position (e.g. “their first end positions or first axial piston positions”, ¶[0057]) and a second piston position (e.g. “their predefined second end positions or second axial piston positions”; ¶[0058]),
the parking lock device (100) being in a first engagement position (“In the switching position P_on of the parking lock device 100”; ¶[0057]) when the piston (12) is in the first piston position (e.g. “their first end positions or first axial piston positions”),
the parking lock device (100) being in a second engagement position (“The parking lock device 100 is now in the switching state P_off”; ¶[0058]-[0059]) when the piston (12) is in the second piston position (e.g. “their predefined second end positions or second axial piston positions”)
a guide section (12a) of the piston (12) extending in the axial direction (13) through the opening (161a), a length of the piston (12) extending outside of the actuator housing (161) being longer when the piston (12) is in the second piston position than when the piston (12) is in the first piston position (see ¶[0076]),
the piston (12) comprising a driving part (the end portion of piston rod 12a);
an emergency actuation device (19) outside of the actuator housing (161),
the emergency actuation device (19) being operatively connectable with the piston (12) such that the piston (12) is movable by the emergency actuation device (19) from the first piston position into the second piston position (¶0067]),
the emergency actuation device (19) comprising a control lever (19b) rotatably mounted on a housing (transmission housing, see ¶[0056]: “an inner lever 19b arranged inside the transmission housing, which is connected to this outer lever 19a in a rotationally fixed manner via a bolt 19d penetrating the transmission housing.”) for rotation about an axis of rotation (rotational axis of 19b), rotation of the control lever (19b) in a first direction of rotation (direction that disengage parking lock) operatively connecting the control lever (19b) with the driving part (10d) of the piston (12) such that the piston (12) is movable towards the second piston position (¶[0056]; [0066]; [0067]- inner lever 19b rotates in the direction that disengages the parking lock; this creates 19c and 4b and driver 4c engaging 12c in piston rod 12a and the end of piston rod receives force from shifting lever which results piston 12 moves axially toward second piston position),
the control lever (19b) defining a contact area (contact surface between 20d1 and 19b), the contact area (contact surface between 20d1 and 19b) of the control lever(19b) in an installed state being within an interior space of a housing of the automatic transmission (transmission housing, see ¶[0056]); and
an actuation-travel-limiting unit (20d), movement of the piston (12) by the emergency actuation device (19) being limited when the emergency actuation device (19) contacts the actuation-travel-limiting unit (20d),
the actuation-travel-limiting unit (20d) defining a stop surface (20d2), the contact area (contact surface between 20d1 and 19b) of the control lever (19b) resting against the stop surface (20d2) when the piston (12) is in the second piston position (e.g. “their predefined second end positions or second axial piston positions”; ¶[0058]) to prevent further rotation of the control lever (19b) in the first direction of rotation (direction that disengage parking lock) and further movement of the piston (12) in the axial direction (13) beyond the second piston position (e.g. “their predefined second end positions or second axial piston positions”) .
Claim 19: The parking lock device of claim 16, wherein the contact area (contact surface between 20d1 and 19b) of the control lever (19b) and the stop surface (20d2) lie in a plane of rotation of the control lever (19b).
Claim 22: The parking lock device of claim 16, wherein the stop surface (20d2) is substantially perpendicular as shown in Fig.1- 20d2lies in an axial plane which is substantially perpendicular to 13).
Claim 30: An automatic transmission (¶[0001]), comprising the parking lock device (100) of claim 16.
Claim 32: The parking lock device of claim 16, wherein the control lever (19b) directly contacts the driving part (10d) of the piston (12) when rotated in the first direction of rotation (DR1) such that the piston (12) is moved towards the second piston position by the control lever (19b).
Claim 33: The parking lock device of claim 16, further comprising:
a parking interlock gear (1) defining a tooth gap (1a);
a locking pawl (2) having a ratchet tooth (2a), the locking pawl (2) being selectively rotatable about a pawl pin (3) such that the ratchet tooth (2a) selectively engages into the tooth gap (1a);
a selector lever (4), the selector lever (4) being mechanically coupled to the piston (12), the selector lever being selectively rotatable about the pawl pin (3) when the piston (12) moves between the first piston position (e.g. “their first end positions or first axial piston positions”) and the second piston position (e.g. “their predefined second end positions or second axial piston positions”)
and a blocking element (6) connected to the selector lever (4), wherein, when the piston (12) is moved into the first piston position (e.g. “their first end positions or first axial piston positions”), the blocking element (6) is moved by the selector lever (4) into a blocking position (position where it acts on locking pawl, see ¶[0062]) and the blocking element (6) rotates the locking pawl (2) to engage the ratchet tooth (2a) into the tooth gap (1a), andwherein, when the piston (12) is moved into the second piston position, the blocking element (6) is moved by the selector lever (4) out of the blocking position (out of the blocking position, see ¶[0058]-[0059]) such that the blocking element (6) rotates the locking pawl (2) to disengage the ratchet tooth (2a) from the tooth gap (1a).
Claim 34: The parking lock device of claim 16, wherein an impact impulse (when piston 12 moves toward the first position, end face of 12b contacts end face 11a which cause 11 moves toward 162a, impact impulse is transmitted from piston 12 to 11 toward 162a) between an end face (end face 12b) of the piston (12) and an inside stop surface (162a) of the actuator housing (161) is limited by the contact area (21d1) of the control lever (19b) of the emergency actuation device (19) contacting the stop surface (20d2) of the actuation- travel-limiting unit (20d) (when 20d1 contact 20d2 which limits travel of piston 12 toward first piston position, thereby limit any impact impulse that would be transmitted through first piston 11 to inside stop surface 162a)
Response to Amendment/Argument
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 16-19, 22, 30-33 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Lillian T Nguyen whose telephone number is (571)270-5404. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ernesto Suarez can be reached at (571)270-5565. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ERNESTO A SUAREZ/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3655
/LILLIAN T NGUYEN/ Examiner, Art Unit 3655A
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