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 § 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 appl icant regards as his invention. Claim s 5- 8 , 12-15, and 18-20 are 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. The term “ about ” in claim s 5-8, 12-15, and 18-20 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “ about ” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. No margin of error is given to the term and thus one of ordinary skill in the art is able to discern how far outside the given range they may wander and still achieve the stated goals of the invention . Claims 9-15 are 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 9 recites the limitation " the first O-ring assembly" in lines 9-10. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claims 16-20 are 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 16 recites the limitation " the first O-ring assembly" in lines 6-7. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. 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) 1-3, 9-10, and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Kaisser et al (DE 102012107501) . Kaisser discloses: With regard to claim 1 - A steering assembly for a vehicle, the steering assembly comprising: a yoke 4 operably coupled to a rack shaft 1 to maintain lash between the rack shaft 1 and a pinion gear 2 ; a gear housing 6 to receive the yoke 4 , and at least a portion of the rack shaft 1 and the pinion gear 2 ; a first O-ring assembly 12 circumscribing the yoke to inhibit noise generation from contact between the yoke and the gear housing; and a second O-ring assembly 11 disposed at a portion of the yoke between the pinion gear 2 and the first O-ring assembly 12 , wherein a first circumscribing O-ring 12 of the first O-ring assembly lies in a first plane substantially perpendicular to an axis of the yoke, and a first lateral O-ring 11a of the second O-ring assembly 11 lies in a second plane substantially perpendicular to the first plane on a first lateral side of the yoke (see marked up figure below) . The The structural definition of “a lateral o-ring ” being such that it “lies in a second plane” is vague and allows for the interpretation above. A more definite way to define the lateral o-ring over the prior art would be to state that the entirety of the lateral o-ring lies in the second plane. Examiner is open to an interview if Applicant needs more clarity on this point. With regard to claim 2 - wherein the second O-ring assembly includes the first lateral O-ring 11a disposed on the first lateral side of the yoke and a second lateral O-ring 11a located at a second lateral side of the yoke opposite the first lateral side (“ For this purpose, the damping element 11 two opposing arcuate sections 11a on, between which circular sections 11b lie. ” – see translation) . With regard to claim 3 - wherein the first and second lateral O-ring assemblies are disposed in a first lateral groove formed in the first lateral side of the yoke and a second lateral groove formed in the second lateral side of the yoke, respectively (see Fig. 1) . With regard to claim 9 - A steering assembly for a vehicle, the steering assembly comprising: a yoke 4 operably coupled to a rack shaft 1 to maintain lash between the rack shaft 1 and a pinion gear 2 ; a gear housing 6 to receive the yoke 4 , and at least a portion of the rack shaft 1 and the pinion gear 2 ; a first circumscribing groove extending around an outer diameter of the yoke 4 to receive a first circumscribing O-ring 12 to inhibit noise generation from contact between the yoke and the gear housing 6 ; and a first lateral groove disposed at a tip portion of the yoke between the pinion gear 2 and the first O-ring assembly 12 to receive a first lateral O-ring 11a , wherein the first circumscribing groove lies in a first plane substantially perpendicular to an axis of the yoke, and the first lateral groove lies in a second plane substantially perpendicular to the first plane on a first lateral side of the yoke 4 (see marked up image above) . With regard to claim 10 - further comprising a second lateral groove disposed on a second side of the yoke opposite the first lateral side to receive a second lateral O-ring 11a . With regard to claim 16 - A yoke for a steering assembly that includes a rack shaft and a pinion gear disposed at a gear housing, the yoke comprising: a first circumscribing groove extending around an outer diameter of the yoke to receive a first circumscribing O-ring 12 to inhibit noise generation from contact between the yoke 4 and the gear housing 6 ; and a first lateral groove disposed at a tip portion of the yoke between the pinion gear and the first O-ring assembly to receive a first lateral O-ring 11a , wherein the first circumscribing groove lies in a first plane substantially perpendicular to an axis of the yoke 4 , and the first lateral groove lies in a second plane substantially perpendicular to the first plane on a first lateral side of the yoke 4 . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 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. Claim (s) 8, 15, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kaisser in view of Minamihata ( JP H1086830 ) . Kaisser fails to explicitly disclose wherein the tip portion of the yoke comprises a tapered portion, and wherein the tapered portion defines an outer diameter reduction for the yoke of between about 5% and 10% over less than 25% of the tip portion proximate to the distal end. Minamihata teaches a steering assembly having a yoke with a yoke body 110 having tip portions of the yoke 124 comprising a tapered portion 124f . Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify the steering assembly of Kaisser with the teaching of Minamihata such that the tip portion of the yoke comprises a tapered portion, with a reasonable expectation of success, to allow for operations of the steering rack to be performed even when the rack and pinion steering rattles and tilts in the gear house. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 4, 11, and 17 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 The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FILLIN "Examiner name" \* MERGEFORMAT TIMOTHY WILHELM whose telephone number is FILLIN "Phone number" \* MERGEFORMAT (571)272-6980 . The examiner can normally be reached FILLIN "Work Schedule?" \* MERGEFORMAT Monday-Friday 8:30-5:30 . 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, FILLIN "SPE Name?" \* MERGEFORMAT Paul Dickson can be reached at FILLIN "SPE Phone?" \* MERGEFORMAT 571-272-7742 . The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /TIMOTHY WILHELM/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3617 March 27, 2026