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 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 and 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Mayser et al (US 2008/0190681).
Mayser et al disclose a motor vehicle comprising at least one pair of wheels (not shown) aligned to each other and placed on respective opposite sides of the motor vehicle (inherent), control means (ACC controller, see ¶20) configured to adjust at least one control variable (acceleration, see ¶20) corresponding to an operative state of the wheels (not shown), wherein the at least one control variable corresponds to a torque distribution between the wheels (not shown) or to an alignment of at least one of the wheels (not shown) relative to a body of the motor vehicle, and a steering wheel (7) to steer the motor vehicle, characterized in that the control means (ACC controller, see ¶20) comprise a control device (1a) arranged on the steering wheel (7) and coupled to the steering wheel (7) in a movable manner relative to the steering wheel (7) to be manipulable by a driver of the motor vehicle to command an adjustment of the at least one control variable (acceleration, see ¶20); wherein the control device (1a) comprises a first control coupled to the steering wheel (7) in a rotary manner around a first axis, so that a rotation of the first control (1a) around the first axis corresponds to a variation of the at least one control variable (acceleration, see ¶20).
Re claim 4, respective rotations of the first control (1a) around the first axis according to opposite directions correspond to an increase and to a decrease (see ¶20), respectively, of the at least one control variable (acceleration, see ¶20).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11-13 and 15-16 are allowed.
Claims 5-10 and 14 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VICKY A JOHNSON whose telephone number is (571)272-7106. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, John R Olszewski can be reached at 571-272-2706. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/VICKY A JOHNSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3617
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