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 .
This communication is in response to amendment received on 06/30/2026.
Claims 1 – 20 are presented for examination.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 – 2, 9 – 11 and 14 - 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Shaga (2022/0187335).
As to claim 1, Shaga discloses a high-resolution angular inductive sensor and associated method of use of an inductive sensor (400) assembly including: a transmitter coil (310, 315) having an inner diameter; and at least two receiver coils (320), [0051], (Fig. 5) arranged as spaced apart arc sections connected in series and each of the at least two receiver coils (320) located proximate to the transmitter coil (310, 315); a secondary sensor (360) positioned within the inner diameter of the transmitter coil (310); and a coupler member (250, [0034]) coupled to a part and configured to move with a movement of the part (rotatable shaft (not shown), [0035]), the coupler member (250) overlies at least a portion of the at least one receiver coil (320), the coupler member (250) including: a body (390) having an area defined by an outer edge; at least two projecting protrusions (320, 322, 324, 326) extending beyond the outer edge of the body (390); and at least one target (345) positioned within the area (405, 407) of the body [0003], [0035], [0054], wherein each of the at least two receiver coils (320) are configured to generate a receiver signal when the transmitter coil (310, 315) is excited due to a change in an inductive coupling between the transmitter coil (310, 315) and each of the at least two receiver coils caused by the movement of the at least two projecting protrusions (320, 322, 324, 326), the receiver signal being sensitive to a position of the part [0003], [0035], [0054], (Fig. 2A, 5, 6A).
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As to claim 2, Shaga discloses that the movement of the coupler member (250) moves the at least one target (345) detected by the secondary sensor to generate a second receiver signal (320) (Fig, 6A), [0060].
As to claim 9, Shaga discloses the secondary sensor is a Hall Effect sensor and the at least one target is at least one magnet [0002].
As to claim 10, Shaga discloses the body further includes an annular portion that circumferentially surrounds (345) the at least one magnet, the annular portion (407) is formed from a different material than the at least two projecting protrusions (320, 322, 324, 326) and the at least one magnet [0002], (320, 322, 324, 326), (Fig. 6A).
As to claim 11, Shaga discloses a high-resolution angular inductive sensor and associated method of use of an inductive sensor assembly (400) including: a transmitter coil (310, 315) having an inner diameter; and a plurality of receiver coils (320), [0051], (Fig. 5) arranged as spaced apart arc sections connected in series and each of the at least two receiver coils (320) located proximate to the transmitter coil (310, 315), each of the plurality of receiver coils (320) having a pair of terminating ends that terminate spaced apart to define a gap therebetween in at least one layer of the multi-layered circuit board (325); a secondary sensor (350) positioned within the inner diameter of the transmitter coil (310), the secondary sensor (360) having at least one electrically conductive trace (325) extending therefrom and though the gap; and a coupler member (250) configured to move, the coupler member (250) overlies at least a portion of the plurality of receiver coils (205), the coupler member (250) including: a body (390) having an area defined by an outer edge; at least two projecting protrusions (322, 324, 326) extending beyond the outer edge of the body (390); and at least one target (345) positioned within the area of the body, wherein movement of the coupler (390) member modifies an inductive coupling between the transmitter coil (301) and the plurality of receiver coils (315) to generate a first receiver signal (405) and the movement of the coupler member (390) moves the at least one target (345) detected by the secondary sensor (350) to generate a second receiver signal (320, the second receiver signal indicative of a different change caused by movement of the coupler member (250) than the first receiver signal ([0003], [0035], [0054], [0069], Claims 1 – 3, 20 – 21, Fig. 2, 5 and 6A].
As to claim 14, Shaga discloses the secondary sensor is a Hall Effect sensor and the at least one target is at least one magnet [0002].
As to claim 15, Shaga discloses the body further includes an annular portion (407) that circumferentially surrounds the at least one magnet, the annular portion (407) is formed from a different material than the at least two projecting protrusions (320, 322, 324) and the at least one magnet ([0002], Fig. 6A).
As to claim 16, Shaga discloses the coupler member (250) is coupled to a part that moves (rotatable shaft), the first receiver signal (320) is correlated with a position of the part (390) and the second receiver signal (320) is correlated with the position of the part (390) ([0035], Claim 21, Fig. 2A, 5, 6A).
As to claim 17, Shaga discloses that the first receiver signal (405) and the second receiver signal (410) are redundant signals (Claim 21, Fig. 5, 6A).
As to claims 18 and 19, Shaga discloses that the at least one electrically conductive trace for the secondary sensor passes through the gap defined by the pair of terminating ends of the plurality of receiver coils on a same layer of the multi-layered circuit board as at least a portion of the plurality of receiver coils; or the at least one electrically conductive trace for the secondary sensor (320) passes through the gap defined by the pair of terminating ends of the plurality of receiver coils (320) and are positioned on different layer of the multi-layered circuit board than the transmitter coil (PCB) (Fig. 2A, 4A and 5).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 06/30/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant’s argument that “Shaga fails to expressly or inherently disclose or make obvious the amended features regarding at least two receiver coils arranged as spaced apart arc sections connected in series and each of the at least two receiver coils located proximate to the transmitter coil.”. However, Examiner respectfully notes that Shaga clearly discloses at least two receiver coils arranged as spaced apart arc sections connected in series and each of the at least two receiver coils located proximate to the transmitter coil in the above noted 102(a)(1) rejection as being anticipated by Shaga.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3 – 8 and 12 - 13 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: As to claim 20, the prior art fails to show a plurality of receiver coils arranged as spaced apart arc sections connected in series and each of the plurality of receiver coils located proximate to the transmitter coil, each of the plurality of receiver coils having a pair of terminating ends spaced apart to define a gap therebetween, each of the plurality of receiver coils are arranged in a sinusoidal shape with five periods that spans 300 degrees, the plurality of receiver coils are separated by two unused segments in which each of the plurality of receiver coils are configured to sense changes to the inductive coupling between the transmitter coil and the plurality of receiver coils caused by the three projecting protrusions passing through the respective independent inductive coil segments and output a single receiver signal indicative of the movement of the coupler member with respect to the plurality of receiver coils. These features taken together with the other limitations of the claim renders the claims allowable over prior art.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to REENA AURORA whose telephone number is (571)272-2263. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 8:00AM-5:00PM.
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/REENA AURORA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858
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