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 .
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed April 29th, 2026 has been entered. Amended claims 1-5, and 10-12 are pending in the application.
Drawings
The replacement drawings were received on April 29th, 2026. These drawings are acceptable.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Pub. 2010/0101350 A1 to Hawighorst in view of US Pub. 2012/0152690 A1 to Mili et al., hereinafter Mili.
Regarding Claim 1, Hawighorst teaches a toothed belt pulley for a toothed belt drive of a motor vehicle steering system, comprising:
a gear ring (assembly of 1 including 2 “gear rim”) having an externally encircling toothing (2 “gear rim”); and
a hub body (the assembly of 4 “supporting element” and 5 “plastic filling”, Fig. 1, [0022]);
wherein the gear ring (assembly of 1 and 2) is formed as a plastically formed metallic-material part ([0005] – “The metallic formed part according to the invention can be manufactured as… a deep drawn component…”) and the hub body (assembly of 4 and 5) comprises a plastics-material part ([0022]);
wherein the hub body (assembly of 4 and 5) is attached to the gear ring (assembly of 1 and 2) by a substance-to-substance bond formed by over-molding the hub body (specifically 5) into the gear ring (1 and 2, Figs. 2-3, [0022, 0026]);
wherein the hub body (assembly of 4 and 5) is attached to a spindle nut (“inner rim” 3, Figs. 1-3, [0021]) by a substance-to-substance bond formed by over-molding the hub body (specifically 5) onto the spindle nut (3, Figs. 2-3, by filling the entire inner region between 2 and 3).
Hawighorst does not teach substance-to-substance (metal-to-polymer) bonding explicitly using plastic injection molding.
In the same field of endeavor as pulleys/gears for a toothed belt drive, Mili teaches a gear wheel (1, Fig. 1) having metal elements (20, Fig. 2, [0033]) and a plastic carrier body (“carrier” 15 with “main body” 22, Fig. 2) that is formed at least partially by injection molding around the metal elements ([0007-0009, 0035]).
It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to combine the plastically formed metallic-material gear ring having encircling toothing, spindle nut, and plastic hub body of Hawighorst with the explicitly injection molded plastic-metal bonding as taught by Mili, yielding predictable results. One ordinarily skilled in the art would recognize the beneficial cost-effectiveness of plastic injection molding in comparison to other manufacturing methods and materials (Mili – [0007]).
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hawighorst/Mili further in view of Zhou – CN110332298A.
Regarding Claim 2, Hawighorst/Mili teaches the toothed belt pulley of Claim 1, but does not teach that the formed part includes an extruded part.
Zhou teaches a composite gear and its methods of manufacture, including wherein the gear ring (Zhou – 2 “gear body”, Figure 1, analogous to Hawighorst – assembly of 1 and 2) includes an extruded part (Summary of the Invention, Paragraph 7 – “Further, the equal-thickness metal cylindrical blank is plastically deformed into a ring gear contour layer of the gear by extruding an equal thickness of the metal cylindrical member from the gap of the gear mold.”).
It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art of gear design and manufacturing, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to manufacture the analogous toothed gear ring of Hawighorst/Mili using the extrusion method as taught by Zhou, yielding predictable results. A person ordinarily skilled in the art would appreciate the use of extrusion versus other metal forming methods such as deep drawing for its cost-effectiveness (Zhou – Summary of the Invention, Paragraph 1 – “The object of the present invention is to… provide a composite gear with simple and reliable structure and low cost and a manufacturing method thereof.”).
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over HawighorstMili further in view of DE102010012146A to Sigoli et al., hereinafter Sigoli.
Regarding Claim 3, Hawighorst/Mili teaches the toothed belt pulley of Claim 1, but does not teach that the formed part is formed from a steel material.
Sigoli teaches a general-purpose multi-part gear with a support element made of a plastic material (Sigoli – Paragraph [0004] – “…support member is provided, which consists of a molded or molded plastic…”) surrounding a bearing element (Paragraph [0004] – “…wherein the support member is arranged concentrically around the bearing element…”) with a steel toothed ring element surrounding the entire assembly (Paragraph [0004] – a toothed element is provided which has an outer toothing and which consists of a sheet metal or a flat steel…”).
It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art of gear design and manufacturing, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to combine the composite gear body of Hawighorst/Mili with the steel toothed ring element of Sigoli, yielding predictable results. While Hawighorst discloses a “metallic formed part”, it does not disclose that the metal is steel. It would be advantageous to one ordinarily skilled in the art to manufacture the external metallic toothing from a highly ubiquitous, versatile, and inexpensive material such as steel (Paragraph [0004] – “The tooth element made of sheet metal or flat steel allows a simple and inexpensive production.”).
Claims 4-5 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hawighorst/Mili further in view of DE102018201630B4 to Roling et al., hereinafter Roling.
Regarding Claim 4, Hawighorst/Mili teaches the toothed belt pulley of Claim 1, but does not teach wherein the gear ring includes a flanged wheel.
In the same field of endeavor as two-component gear wheels, Roling teaches wherein the gear ring (Figs. 1-3, element 1) includes a flanged wheel element (Paragraph [0006] – “The pulley consists at least largely of a metallic material for a toothed belt drive, with a hub, a support disk and a ring gear, which has a flanged wheel with the pulley.”).
It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to combine the two-component gear wheel of Hawighorst/Mili with the flanged wheel of Roling, yielding predictable results. One ordinarily skilled in the art would recognize the benefit of adding a flange to the outer rim of the wheel to prevent the belt from running off the pulley during operation (Roling – [0006]).
Roling additionally teaches wherein the hub body comprises a thermoplastic plastics material (Paragraph [0019] – The plastic used is preferably a thermoset or a thermoplastic material with the abbreviation PBT (polybutylene terephthalate)…”).
The above combination of Hawighorst/Mili in view of Roling additionally teaches a steering system for a motor vehicle (Roling – [0003, 0006]), comprising:
a steering drive having a toothed belt pulley (the pulley of Hawighorst/Mili/Roling), including:
a gear ring (Hawighorst – assembly of 1 including 2 “gear rim”) having an externally encircling toothing (2 “gear rim”); and
a hub body (the assembly of 4 “supporting element” and 5 “plastic filling”, [0022]);
wherein the gear ring (assembly of 1 and 2) is formed as a plastically formed metallic-material part (Paragraph [0005] – “The metallic formed part according to the invention can be manufactured as… a deep drawn component…”) and the hub body (assembly of 4 and 5) comprises a plastics-material part ([0022]);
wherein the hub body (4 and 5) is attached the gear ring (2), by a substance-to-substance bond formed by over-molding the hub body (specifically 5) into the gear ring by plastic injection molding (structure of Hawighorst with the method of Mili – [0007-0009, 0035]).
wherein the hub body (Hawighorst – assembly of 4 and 5) is attached to a spindle nut (“inner rim” 3, Figs. 1-3, [0021]) by a substance-to-substance bond formed by over-molding the hub body (specifically 5) onto the spindle nut by plastic injection molding (3, Figs. 2-3, by filling the entire inner region between 2 and 3, with teaching of Mili – [0007-0009, 0035]).
Regarding Claim 5, Hawighorst in view of Roling above already teaches wherein the hub body comprises a thermoplastic plastics material (Paragraph [0019] – The plastic used is preferably a thermoset or a thermoplastic material with the abbreviation PBT (polybutylene terephthalate)…”).
Regarding Claim 12, Hawighorst/Mili in view of Roling above already teaches a steering system for a motor vehicle (Roling – [0003, 0006]), comprising:
a steering drive having a toothed belt pulley (the pulley of Hawighorst/Mili/Roling), including:
a gear ring (Hawighorst – assembly of 1 including 2 “gear rim”) having an externally encircling toothing (2 “gear rim”); and
a hub body (the assembly of 4 “supporting element” and 5 “plastic filling”, [0022]);
wherein the gear ring (assembly of 1 and 2) is formed as a plastically formed metallic-material part (Paragraph [0005] – “The metallic formed part according to the invention can be manufactured as… a deep drawn component…”) and the hub body (assembly of 4 and 5) comprises a plastics-material part ([0022]);
wherein the hub body (4 and 5) is attached the gear ring (2), by a substance-to-substance bond formed by over-molding the hub body (specifically 5) into the gear ring by plastic injection molding (structure of Hawighorst with the method of Mili – [0007-0009, 0035]).
wherein the hub body (Hawighorst – assembly of 4 and 5) is attached to a spindle nut (“inner rim” 3, Figs. 1-3, [0021]) by a substance-to-substance bond formed by over-molding the hub body (specifically 5) onto the spindle nut by plastic injection molding (3, Figs. 2-3, by filling the entire inner region between 2 and 3, with teaching of Mili – [0007-0009, 0035]).
Claims 10-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over HawighorstMili further in view of EP1553006A1 to Chikaraishi et al., hereinafter Chikaraishi.
Regarding Claim 10, Hawighorst/Mili teaches the toothed belt pulley of Claim 1, but does not teach a steering drive for a steering system of a motor vehicle, which has an electric motor comprising:
an operative connection from the electric motor to an actuator element via a toothed belt drive wherein the toothed belt drive has a toothed belt which revolves about toothed belt pulleys.
Chikaraishi teaches a steering drive system of a motor vehicle (Chikaraishi – Paragraph [0001], Lines 5-6 – “The present invention relates to a rack assist type electric power steering apparatus…”) which has an electric motor (element 35, additionally Paragraph [0009], Lines 2-5 – “…an electric motor disposed non-coaxially with said rack shaft…”) comprising:
An operative connection from the electric motor (35) to an actuator element (element 37 “drive pulley”, additionally Paragraph [0037], lines 22-25 – “The belt housing 31 accommodates a drive pulley 37 fixed to the shaft 36 of the electric motor 35…”) via a toothed belt drive (element 41 “timing belt”, teeth apparent in Fig. 5 and driven by “drive pulley” 37) wherein the toothed belt drive (37) has a toothed belt (41) which revolves around the toothed belt pulleys (Fig. 5, 39 and drive belt pulley 37).
It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art of designing and manufacturing power steering devices for vehicles, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to combine the composite gear/pulley of Hawighorst/Mili with the electric belt-driven power steering assembly of Chikaraishi, yielding predictable results. A person ordinarily skilled in the art would appreciate the advantageous mechanical force, vibrational, thermal, and tooth wear characteristics of a plastic bodied, metal toothed gear versus other gear materials.
Chikaraishi additionally teaches a threaded spindle (element 61 “male thread groove” and Paragraph [0049], lines 50-51 – “On the rack shaft 23, a male thread groove 61 is formed…”) which in the direction of its spindle axis (A) (Fig. 4, the top point of dimensional element L) is axially displaceable in a housing (element 33 “ball screw housing”) and engages in a spindle nut (element 51 “ball nut”, additionally Paragraph [0009], lines 50-55 – “…there is provided a rack assist type electric power steering apparatus comprising a ball screw mechanism including a ball nut having a female thread groove formed on its inner circumferential surface…”) rotatably mounted (Paragraph [0055], lines 45-46 – “When the ball nut 51 rotates, a thrust force is exerted on the male thread groove 61…”) in a bearing assembly (53 “ball bearing”) in the housing (Fig. 3, all elements disposed within housing 33).
Regarding Claim 11, Hawighorst/Mili in view of Chikaraishi above already teaches a threaded spindle (element 61 “male thread groove” and Paragraph [0049], lines 50-51 – “On the rack shaft 23, a male thread groove 61 is formed…”) which in the direction of its spindle axis (A) (Fig. 4, the top point of dimensional element L) is axially displaceable in a housing (element 33 “ball screw housing”) and engages in a spindle nut (element 51 “ball nut”, additionally Paragraph [0009], lines 50-55 – “…there is provided a rack assist type electric power steering apparatus comprising a ball screw mechanism including a ball nut having a female thread groove formed on its inner circumferential surface…”) rotatably mounted (Paragraph [0055], lines 45-46 – “When the ball nut 51 rotates, a thrust force is exerted on the male thread groove 61…”) in a bearing assembly (53 “ball bearing”) in the housing (Fig. 3, all elements disposed within housing 33).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1 – 5 and 10 – 12 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
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new grounds 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 Mitchell James Price whose telephone number is (571)272-3729. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Thurs 8:00 - 5:00 Eastern, Fri 8:00 - 12:00 Eastern.
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/Mitchell James Price/ Examiner, Art Unit 3611
/JACOB D KNUTSON/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3611
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