DETAILED ACTION
Application Status
Claims 1-19 are pending and have been examined in this application.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) filed on 31 October 2023 has been reviewed and considered.
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:
Housing (claims 1 and 9)
Planetary roller gear assembly (Claims 7 and 15)
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 6 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 6 recites, “the first and second diameters define a clearance, and wherein the tolerance ring has a diameter greater than the clearance prior to installation.” As best understood by the examiner, the “clearance” of claim 6 is the space between the outer circumference of the spindle and the inner circumference of the anti-rotation component when the spindle is inserted into the anti-rotation component. Accordingly, the examiner understands the “clearance” to be annular in shape. It is unclear if the applicant intends to compare the diameter of the anti-rotation component to: the minor diameter of the annulus, the outer diameter of the annulus, the wall-thickness of the annulus, or another defined distance.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(2) as being anticipated by Shibazaki (US 20130160592 A1).
With respect to claim 1, Shibazaki discloses: A steering assembly for a vehicle comprising: a housing (30); and a shaft assembly supported in the housing, the shaft assembly including a spindle (40b) and an anti-rotation component (43) coupled to the spindle, the anti-rotation component restricting rotation of the spindle while permitting translation ("relative displacement in the axial direction is possible", paragraph [0107]) of the spindle relative to the housing ("prevents rotation of the lower steering shaft 40b", paragraph [0111]); wherein the spindle and the anti-rotation component are coupled together with a tolerance ring (42; also see paragraph [0111]).
With respect to claim 8, Shibazaki discloses: The steering assembly according to claim 1, further comprising an output shaft (40a) coupled to the spindle for translation therewith (see paragraph [0107]).
Claims 2-4, 6, and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(2) as anticipated by Shibazaki (US 20130160592 A1) or, in the alternative, under 35 U.S.C. 103.
With respect to claim 2, it appears from the figures, in particular, figures 13 and 17, that the spindle (40b) has a circular cross-sectional profile portion adapted to be received in a circular opening of the anti-rotation component (43).
In the presence of evidence that suggests that Shibazaki does not disclose the claimed circular cross-sections, claim 2 is rejected under 35 USC 103 as modifications to Shibazaki to arrive at the claimed invention would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Such modifications would be considered obvious at least because the modifications would be mere changes in shape (see MPEP 2144.04 IV. B.). Furthermore, such a person would have been motivated to make such modifications to simplify the manufacturing processes of the components since components having circular cross-sections can be produced through turning operations alone.
With respect to claim 3, Shibazaki discloses: The steering assembly according to claim 2, wherein the tolerance ring (42, Fig. 8) is interposed between the circular cross-sectional profile portion of the spindle (40b) and the anti-rotation component (43).
With respect to claim 4, Shibazaki discloses: The steering assembly according to claim 3, wherein the tolerance ring (42, Fig. 9a) includes a plurality of axially extending circumferentially spaced-apart protrusions on an outer circumference thereof (see “wave-shaped uneven sections are formed at uniform angular intervals around the ring-shaped outer surface”, paragraph [0112]).
With respect to claim 6, and as best understood by the examiner, Shibazaki discloses: The steering assembly according to claim 4, wherein the circular cross-sectional profile portion of the spindle (40b) has a first diameter, the circular opening of the anti-rotation component (43) has a second diameter greater that the first diameter such that the first and second diameters define a clearance, and wherein the tolerance ring (42) has a diameter greater than the clearance prior to installation. As noted above, it is unclear if the applicant intends to compare the diameter of the anti-rotation component to: the minor diameter of the annulus, the outer diameter of the annulus, the wall-thickness of the annulus, or another defined distance. Shibazaki is understood by the examiner to meet the limitations of claim 6 because the tolerance ring is disposed radially between the spindle and the anti-rotation component, or in other words, within the clearance defined by the first and second diameters.
With respect to claim 17, Shibazaki discloses: a method of assembling a shaft assembly comprising: positioning a tolerance ring (42; also see paragraph [0111]) on a circular cross-sectional profile portion of a spindle (40b); and pressing an anti-rotation component (43) having a circular opening over the tolerance ring and the circular cross-sectional profile portion of the spindle; whereby the spindle and the anti-rotation component are fixed together for rotation ("prevents rotation of the lower steering shaft 40b", paragraph [0111]).
In the presence of evidence that suggests that Shibazaki does not disclose the claimed circular cross-sections, claim 17 is rejected under 35 USC 103 as modifications to Shibazaki to arrive at the claimed invention would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Such modifications would be considered obvious at least because the modifications would be mere changes in shape (see MPEP 2144.04 IV. B.). Furthermore, such a person would have been motivated to make such modifications to simplify the manufacturing processes of the components since components having circular cross-sections can be produced through turning operations alone.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5, 7, and 18-19 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.
Claims 9-16 allowed.
Regarding claims 5 and 7, the closest prior art made of record is Shibazaki (US 20130160592 A1). Shibazaki discloses: A steering assembly for a vehicle comprising: a housing (30); and a shaft assembly supported in the housing, the shaft assembly including a spindle (40b) and an anti-rotation component (43) coupled to the spindle, the anti-rotation component restricting rotation of the spindle while permitting translation ("relative displacement in the axial direction is possible", paragraph [0107]) of the spindle relative to the housing ("prevents rotation of the lower steering shaft 40b", paragraph [0111]); wherein the spindle and the anti-rotation component are coupled together with a tolerance ring (42; also see paragraph [0111]).
With respect to claims 5 and 8, tolerance ring (42) disclosed by Shibazaki, when installed, elastically deforms outward in the radial direction (see paragraph [0112]). In order for the tolerance ring to deform outwardly as disclosed by Shibazaki, the tolerance ring must have a diameter that is smaller than an inside diameter of a circular opening of the anti-rotation component. Modifying the tolerance ring such that the diameter of the tolerance ring has a diameter greater than or equal to an inside diameter of the circular opening of the anti-rotation element prior to installation would render the tolerance ring ineffective for its intended purpose. Specifically regarding claim 18, the tolerance ring expands radially outward in direct contrast to what is claimed. Further suggestions to modify Shibazaki to arrive at the claimed invention were not reasonably found in the prior art.
With respect to claim 7, Shibazaki is silent in teaching that the spindle is part of a planetary roller gear assembly. suggestions to modify Shibazaki to arrive at the claimed invention were not reasonably found in the prior art.
Regarding claim 9, the closest prior art made of record is Seo (US 20220355853 A1). Seo discloses a shaft assembly for an associated steering system (“steer-by-wire”, abstract) comprising: a spindle (111, Fig. 6); and an anti-rotation component (320) coupled to the spindle, the anti-rotation component having a circular cross-sectional outer surface for restricting rotation of the spindle while permitting translation of the spindle when installed in a housing of the associated steering system; wherein the spindle and the anti-rotation component are coupled together with a coupling ring (620).
Seo differs from the claimed invention in that the anti-rotation component, with respect to its outer surface, has a circular cross-section. Seo further differs from the claimed invention in that coupling ring (620) is not a tolerance ring. Tolerance rings are features designed to couple inner and outer cylindrical members by elastically deforming in a manner such that the tolerance ring makes physical contact with both members. Seo makes not disclosure suggesting that coupling ring (620) functions as a tolerance ring. Suggestions to modify Seo to arrive at the claimed invention were not reasonably found in the prior art.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure and discloses methods for connecting shafts in a rotationally fixed manner in general.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Matthew D Lee whose telephone number is (571)272-6087. The examiner can normally be reached Mon. - Fri. (7:30 - 5:00 EST).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Paul Dickson can be reached at (571) 272-7742. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MATTHEW D LEE/ Examiner, Art Unit 3614
/PAUL N DICKSON/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3614