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) 1-5, 8-12, and 16-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by the article entitled “Magnetorheological Semi-Active Suspension System for a Tracked Vehicle” to Peng et al.
Regarding Claim 1, Peng et al disclose a magnetorheological damper (VMRD) (see the abstract and Figures 1(a) and 1(b)) having all the features of the instant invention including: a stator (see Figure 1(a) and the iron core/“Wall” portions depicted therein) comprising a solenoid coil (see Figure 1(a) and the windings therein) to which a current is applicable, a rotor (see Figure 1(a) and the rotor shaft therein) configured to rotate with respect to the stator, and an orifice (see Figure 1(a) and the inducing gap therein) disposed between the stator and the rotor, wherein the orifice (i.e., the inducing gap) is configured to allow fluids sealed in a first chamber (see Figure 1(a) and the top right chamber in which the word “Shell” is located) and a second chamber (see Figure 1(a) and the lower right chamber under the section labeled “Wall”) defined by the stator and the rotor to communicate with each other (see the section of the article labeled “Design of VMRD”).
Regarding Claim 2, Peng et al further disclose that the stator (see Figure 1(a) and the iron core/“Wall” portions depicted therein) further comprises an outer MR core (see Figure 1(a)) and wherein the solenoid coil (i.e., the windings in Figure 1(a)) are wound within the outer MR core (see Figure 1(a)).
Regarding Claim 3, Peng et al further disclose that the outer MR core (i.e., the iron core/“Wall” portions in Figure 1(a) and Figure 1(b)) comprises: a first element (see the top of the “Wall” in Figures 1(a) and 1(b)) and a second element (see the bottom winding in Figure 1(b)) provided in the first element (i.e., the “Wall”) by forming a space from the first element (note the space from the top of the “Wall” to the lower winding shown in Figure 1(b)).
Regarding Claim 4, Peng et al further disclose that the second element (i.e., the bottom winding in Figure 1(b)) is integrated with the first element (i.e., the “Wall”, as shown in Figure 1(b)).
Regarding Claim 5, Peng et al further disclose that the solenoid coil (i.e., the bottom winding in Figure 1(b)) is mounted in the space (see Figure 1(b)).
Regarding Claim 8, Peng et al further disclose that the rotor comprises a shaft (see Figure 1(a) and the shaft therein), and at least two vanes (see Figure 1(a) and the portion labeled “Vane” and its corresponding upper vane element nearest the word “Shell”) spaced apart from each other and connected to the shaft (see Figure 1(a)), wherein the stator (i.e., the “iron core”/the “Wall”) is interposed between the at least two vanes (see Figure 1(a)).
Regarding Claim 9, Peng et al further disclose that the rotor (i.e., the shaft shown in Figure 1(a)) further comprises an inner MR core disposed to surround the shaft and coupled to the vanes (an inner MR core would inherently be present as inferred from the section of the article entitled “Design of VMRD”).
Regarding Claim 10, Peng et al further disclose that the first chamber (see Figure 1(a) and the upper right chamber with the word “Shell” located therein) is disposed between a first vane of the at least two vanes and the stator (i.e., between the top vane and the “Wall” portion), and the second chamber (see Figure 1(a) and the lower right chamber between the portion labeled “Wall” and the lower vane) is disposed between a second vane (i.e., the lower “Vane” portion) of the at least two vanes and the stator (i.e., the “Wall” portion, as shown in Figure 1(a)).
Regarding Claim 11, Peng et al further disclose a housing (see Figure 1(a) and the portion labeled “Shell”) configured to receive therein the stator and the rotor to seal therein the fluids, wherein the stator (i.e., the iron core/the “Wall” portion) is fixed to the housing and the rotor (i.e., the shaft) is rotatable with the housing (see Figure 1(a) and the section of the article entitled “Design of VMRD”).
Regarding Claim 12, Peng et al further disclose that the stator (i.e., the iron core/ the “Wall” portion) further comprises an outer MR core, wherein the solenoid coil (i.e., the windings) are wound within the outer MR core (see Figures 1(a) and 1(b)), the rotor (i.e., the shaft) comprises an inner MR core (inherently present as inferred from the section of the article entitled “Design of VMRD”), and the orifice (i.e., the inducing gap) is defined between the outer MR core and the inner MR core (see Figure 1(a)).
Regarding Claim 16, see Claim 1 above.
Regarding Claim 17, see Claim 2 above.
Regarding Claim 18, see Claim 8 above.
Regarding Claim 19, see Claim 10 above.
Regarding Claim 20, see Claim 12 above.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 6 and 13-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the article entitled “Magnetorheological Semi-Active Suspension System for a Tracked Vehicle” to Peng et al in view of U.S. Patent No. 8,424,656 to Hiemenz et al.
Regarding Claim 6, Peng et al disclose most all the features of the instant invention as applied above, except for a bobbin disposed in the space, wherein the solenoid coil is wound around the bobbin.
Hiemenz et al are relied upon merely for their teachings of a magnetorheological damper (see Figure 7) having a bobbin 150 disposed in a space (i.e., between two elements of a core as shown in Figure 7), wherein a solenoid coil 40 is wound around the bobbin 150 (see Figure 7 and column 8 lines 19-41).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have designed the MR damper of Peng et al to include a bobbin disposed in the space, wherein the solenoid coil is wound around the bobbin as taught by Hiemenz et al as an alternate location and assembly for the solenoid coil. Including a bobbin for the solenoid coil is a more compact means of locating and securing the coil within the damper.
Regarding Claim 13, Peng et al disclose a method of assembling a stator (i.e., the iron core/”Wall” portion shown in Figure 1(a)) for a magnetorheological damper, the stator comprising an outer MR core comprising a first element (i.e., the “Wall” portion) and a second element (i.e., the bottom winding in the “Wall” portion).
However, Peng et al do not disclose winding a solenoid coil around a bobbin, mounting the second element into the bobbin having the solenoid coil wound therearound and mounting the bobbin having the second element mounted thereinto to the first element.
Hiemenz et al are relied upon merely for their teachings of an MR damper (see Figure 7) with a method for assembling a stator comprising winding a solenoid coil 40 around a bobbin 150 (see Figure 7 and column 8 lines 19-41), mounting a second element 160 into the bobbin 150 having the solenoid coil 40 wound therearound (see Figure 7 and column 8 lines 19-41) and mounting the bobbin 150 having the second element 160 mounted thereinto to a first element 11 (see Figure 7).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have designed the method for assembling the stator for the MR damper of Peng et al to include winding the solenoid coil around a bobbin, mounting the second element into the bobbin having the solenoid coil wound therearound and mounting the bobbin having the second element mounted thereinto to the first element as taught by Hiemenz et al as an alternate means of assembly for the solenoid coil. Including a bobbin for the solenoid coil is a more compact means of locating and securing the coil within the damper.
Regarding Claim 14, Peng et al., as modified, further disclose mounting side blocks 12 to opposite sides of the first element 11 respectively (see Figure 7 of Hiemenz et al).
Regarding Claim 15, Peng et al., as modified, further disclose that mounting the bobbin 150 having the second element 160 mounted thereinto to the first element 11 comprises: seating the second element (i.e., the top elements 160 shown in Figure 7 of Hiemenz et al) in a first receiving portion (i.e., the upper portion of element 11) disposed in the first element 11 (see Figure 7), and seating the bobbin 150 having the second element (i.e., the lower elements 160 shown in Figure 7 of Hiemenz et al) mounted thereinto in a second receiving portion (i.e., the lower portion of element 11) disposed in the first element 11 (see Figure 7 of Hiemenz et al).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 7 is 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.
U.S. Patent No. 6,095,295 to Park et al., Chinese Patent No. CN 112923001 to Wang and Korean Patent No. KR 102290869 to Ahn et al all disclose magnetorheological dampers similar to applicant’s.
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PAMELA RODRIGUEZ
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3616
/PAMELA RODRIGUEZ/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3616 03/18/26