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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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 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.
Claims 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cantoni et al. (US-20100032250) in view of Yasui et al. (US-20150300433).
Regarding claim 1, Cantoni et al. discloses a brake device comprising: a main braking caliper body (12/22); a brake pad including a first brake pad (34) disposed on a first side of the main braking caliper body (at least fig 5 outboard side opposite 42) and having first and second surfaces (wherein the first surface is the friction surface facing the inboard side and the second surface is the outboard surface) and a second brake pad (32) disposed on a second side of the main braking caliper body (at least the inboard side adjacent 42, it is noted that claim 1 does require that the first and second pads be the service pads, only that they be on first and second sides of the caliper, in this case the first and second pads have been interpreted as the parking pads 34 and 32) and having first and second surfaces (wherein the first surface is the friction surface facing the outboard side and the second surface is the inboard surface facing the actuator), the first surface of the second brake pad facing the first surface of the first brake pad (at least wherein the friction surfaces of 34/32 face each other); a parking caliper body (30/36 floating parking caliper, Abstract) coupled to the main braking caliper body (Abstract wherein 30 is slidably mounted to 12/22) and including a locking part (best seen in fig 8, at least 40/48/50/58), engaged with the second surface of the first brake pad (fig 8, at least 40/48/50/58 wherein similar to Applicant’s locking part, the hook or finger portion of 40 has been interpreted as a locking part) ; and a parking piston (at least [0024], thrust means comprising a piston not illustrated, also seen in at least fig 8 at or near 32) disposed at the parking caliper body (30/36) and configured to press the second surface of the second brake pad (figs 1 and 6-9), wherein the parking piston includes: a piston shaft configured to rectilinearly move toward and away from the second brake pad (figs 2-4 unnumbered piston shaft and at least the drive-in probe referenced as kinematic thrust upon the piston in at least [0024], [0040] and [0050]).
Cantoni et al. discloses a piston shaft/drive in probe but is silent as to the details of the piston and piston shaft and lacks a guide pin protruding from a top surface of the piston shaft. Yasui et al. teaches an electromechanical brake actuator wherein a rotation-linear motion converting mechanism (HNK1) including a pressing member/piston (PSN), a brake caliper (CPR), a key member/guide pin and guide groove (KYA/KYM).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include a guide pin on a brake piston shaft assembly at least in order to prevent rotation of said piston in a rotation-linear motion converting mechanism and ensure proper axial alignment during an actuation operation of the brake piston (Yasui et al. at least [0058]).
Regarding claim 2, Cantoni et al. discloses lacks a guide pin and parking caliper groove. Yasui et al. teaches an electromechanical brake actuator wherein a rotation-linear motion converting mechanism HNK1 including a pressing member PSN, a brake caliper CPR, a key member KYA and a caliper key groove KYM wherein rotational motion of the pressing member PSN around the input axis ktj is restricted, but the linear motion thereof along the input axis ktj (along the key groove KYM) is allowed. An input member INP transmits (inputs) a torque output (rotational output) of an electric motor MTR, which is transmitted via the reduction gear GSK, to the shaft member SFT (nut) wherein rotational motion (torque) of the shaft member SFT is converted into the linear motion (thrust force) of the pressing member PSN.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include a guide pin on a brake piston shaft assembly at least in order to prevent rotation of said piston in a rotation-linear motion converting mechanism and ensure proper axial alignment during an actuation operation of the brake piston (Yasui et al. at least [0058]).
Regarding claim 3, Cantoni et al. discloses a guide plate (fig 9 at or near the plate adjacent 37 and/or fig 2, plate at or near 38/54/48/50) coupled to the parking caliper body and configured to guide rectilinear movement of the piston shaft (at least wherein pin 37 contributes to the guided movement of the brake).
Regarding claim 4, Cantoni et al. discloses wherein the locking part (fig 8, at least 40/48/50/58 wherein the hook or finger portion has been interpreted as a locking part) of the parking caliper body is configured to move the first brake pad toward the second brake pad when the parking piston presses the second brake pad ([0023], at least wherein 30/36 is a floating caliper and the hook portion 40 is capable of moving the first brake pad during actuation).
Regarding claim 5, Cantoni et al. discloses wherein the parking piston has an extension length corresponding to a sum of a movement distance of the second brake pad and a movement distance of the parking caliper body (0023] wherein 32, which is directly urged against the disc by the thrust means housed in the side portion of the floating structure. Furthermore, with 34 has been designated a second parking pad, or reaction pad that is opposed to the first pad 32 and urged to the disc by the bracket portion 40 of the floating structure 36 when the floating structure is sliding following the reaction resulting from the interaction between the first pad and the disc.).
Regarding claim 6, Cantoni et al. discloses wherein the main braking caliper body (12/22) includes: a first accommodation part (48/58/50) disposed on the second surface of the first brake pad (fig 8), wherein the locking part (fig 8, at or near 40) of the parking caliper body is inserted into the first accommodation part (figs 8 and 9); and a second accommodation part (fig 8, at least at or near 56) disposed on the second surface of the second brake pad (figs 8 and 9).
Regarding claim 7, Cantoni et al. discloses wherein: the main braking caliper body (12/22) includes a top surface having an opening exposing an upper portion of the brake pad (figs 5 and 8), and the parking caliper body (30/36) includes an upper portion (figs 5-9 at or near bridge portion 36) covering at least a portion of the top surface of the main braking caliper body (fig 5) and connecting the locking part (40) and the parking piston to each other (figs 7 and 8 wherein the bridge portion at 36 connects the piston and the hook portion of 40).
Regarding claim 8, Cantoni et al. discloses wherein: the main braking caliper body (12/22) has a guide hole (56/68) extending in a direction parallel to a moving direction of the parking piston (fig 8), the parking caliper body (30) includes a guide rod (64) inserted into the guide hole, and the guide rod is configured to slide along the guide hole when the parking piston is driven ([0035]).
Regarding claim 9, Cantoni et al. discloses a vehicle body (Abstract and a least [0015]); a rotatable wheel (adjacent wheel side wall 58); a brake disc (14), coupled to the wheel and configured to rotate together with the wheel ([0015]); a main braking caliper body (12/22), into which an end of the brake disc is inserted; a brake pad including a first brake pad (34) disposed on a first side of the main braking caliper body (at least fig 5 outboard side opposite 42) and having first and second surfaces (wherein the first surface is the friction surface facing the inboard side and the second surface is the outboard surface) and a second brake pad (32) disposed on a second side of the main braking caliper body (at least the inboard side adjacent 42, it is noted that claim 1 does require that the first and second pads be the service pads, only that they be on first and second sides of the caliper, in this case the first and second pads have been interpreted as the parking pads 34 and 32) and having first and second surfaces (wherein the first surface is the friction surface facing the outboard side and the second surface is the inboard surface facing the actuator), the first surfaces of the first and second brake pads facing the brake disc (figs 5-9); a parking caliper body (30/36) coupled to the main braking caliper body (12/22) and including a locking part (best seen in fig 8, at least 40/48/50/58), engaged with the second surface of the first brake pad (fig 8, at least 40/48/50/58 wherein the hook or finger portion has been interpreted as a locking part) ; and a parking piston (at least [0024], thrust means comprising a piston not illustrated, also seen in at least fig 8 at or near 32) disposed at the parking caliper body (30/36) and configured to press the second surface of the second brake pad (figs 1 and 6-9), wherein the parking piston includes: a piston shaft configured to rectilinearly move toward and away from the second brake pad (figs 2-4 unnumbered piston shaft and at least the drive-in probe referenced as kinematic thrust upon the piston in at least [0024], [0040] and [0050]).
Cantoni et al. discloses a piston shaft/drive in probe but is silent as to the details of the piston and piston shaft and lacks a guide pin protruding from a top surface of the piston shaft. Yasui et al. teaches an electromechanical brake actuator wherein a rotation-linear motion converting mechanism (HNK1) including a pressing member/piston (PSN), a brake caliper (CPR), a key member/guide pin and guide groove (KYA/KYM).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include a guide pin on a brake piston shaft assembly at least in order to prevent rotation of said piston in a rotation-linear motion converting mechanism and ensure proper axial alignment during an actuation operation of the brake piston (Yasui et al. at least [0058]).
Regarding claim 10, Cantoni et al. discloses lacks a guide pin and parking caliper groove. Yasui et al. teaches an electromechanical brake actuator wherein a rotation-linear motion converting mechanism HNK1 including a pressing member PSN, a brake caliper CPR, a key member KYA and a caliper key groove KYM wherein rotational motion of the pressing member PSN around the input axis ktj is restricted, but the linear motion thereof along the input axis ktj (along the key groove KYM) is allowed. An input member INP transmits (inputs) a torque output (rotational output) of an electric motor MTR, which is transmitted via the reduction gear GSK, to the shaft member SFT (nut) wherein rotational motion (torque) of the shaft member SFT is converted into the linear motion (thrust force) of the pressing member PSN.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include a guide pin on a brake piston shaft assembly at least in order to prevent rotation of said piston in a rotation-linear motion converting mechanism and ensure proper axial alignment during an actuation operation of the brake piston (Yasui et al. at least [0058]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES K HSIAO whose telephone number is (571)272-6259. The examiner can normally be reached 9-5, Monday-Friday.
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, Robert Siconolfi can be reached at 571-272-7124. 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.
/JAMES K HSIAO/ Examiner, Art Unit 3616