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 .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.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: In paragraph 15, A bearing cap is referred as reference number 28 and in the next line it is referred to as the bearing cap with a reference number 30. Two lines later it is now referred to as the cap with a reference number 32. Also, in the same paragraph the elongated tubular shaft that was mentioned in paragraph 13 with a reference number 14, now mentioned the elongated tubular shaft to have a reference number of 32. It is unclear in the specification which reference number is which..
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1,3,7, 11 and 13 are being rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over US 7775892 B2 (Dagonneau) in view of 1962350 A (Kane).
Regarding Claim 1, Dagonneau discloses
A vehicular output shaft assembly, configured for a rotating electrical machine, comprising:
An elongated tubular shaft having a cavity at least partially defined by an inner diameter of the elongated tubular shaft and a shaft radial surface (Figure 1 shows the overall welded tube shaft and element 8 shows the central tube which is elongated and hollow and Figure 2, the inner surface of element 8 defines an internal cavity and the outer surface of the tube is the shaft radial surface);
An output coupling ( Figure 2, the end pieces of element 4 attached to element 8 the tube) having an inner diameter and a coupling radial surface ( Column 3 lines 9-11 defines inner diameter as inner surface of element 24 of figure 2 and the coupling radial surface as the outer surface of element 22 of figure 2), the elongated tubular shaft and the output coupling are welded together between the shaft radial surface and the coupling radial surface ( Figure 2 shows element 8 and end piece of element 4 are welded by element 20 also claims 11 and 14 states that two end pieces are welded together). Dagonneau fails to disclose an integrated ring received within the cavity of the elongated tubular shaft and the inner diameter of the output coupling, wherein the integrated ring positions the shaft radial surface and the coupling radial surface to abut.
However, Kane discloses an integrated ring received within the cavity of the elongated tubular shaft and the inner diameter of the output coupling (Figure 3 element 25 being the ring received in the ends of the pipe inside the groove as stated in page 2 lines 41-47 on the right column), wherein the integrated ring positions the shaft radial surface and the coupling radial surface to abut (Page 3 lines 24-28 on the right column).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of
the claimed invention to have modified Dagonneau as suggested by Kane to provide the internal annular ring. The interior annular ring which is received inside hollow interior tubular members that engages the inner dimeters of the members at a joint region and aligns and positions the members so that the end surfaces are abut prior to welding would have been a routine design choice to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide the interior annular ring of Kane into Dagonneau’s invention for the purpose to align two tubes together prior to welding and to ensure the shaft and coupling are precisely concentric during the welding process.
Regarding Claim 3, The combination of Dagonneau and Kane discloses the vehicular output shaft assembly recited in claim 1, and wherein Dagonneau further teaches the output coupling includes a female splined fitting (Figure 1 the connection end element 14 is provided with a connection fluting element 16 which is a spline as stated in Column 3 lines 1-3).
Regarding Claim 7, The combination of Dagonneau and Kane discloses the vehicular output shaft assembly recited in claim 1, and wherein Kane further teaches further comprising a bushing received by an inner diameter of the integrated ring (Figure 3 element 27 would be the bushing received within the inner diameter).
Regarding Claim 11, Dagonneau discloses A vehicular output shaft assembly, configured for a rotating electrical machine ( Abstract) having an elongated tubular shaft and the output coupling being welded together (Fig. 2) but fails to disclose an integrated ring having an outer surface configured to be received within a cavity of the elongated tubular shaft and an inner diameter of the output coupling , wherein the integrated ring positions a shaft radial surface and a coupling radial surface to abut facilitating a welded connection between the elongated tubular shaft and the output coupling between the shaft radial surface and the coupling radial surface.
However, Kane teaches an integrated ring having an outer surface configured to be received within a cavity of the elongated tubular shaft and an inner diameter of the output coupling ( Figure 1 element 15 being the ring and element 16 is the weld positioning area which is cylindrical in form and is arrange for engagement with the pipe ends inside the groove as stated in page lines 41-47 on the right column), wherein the integrated ring positions a shaft radial surface and a coupling radial surface to abut facilitating a welded connection between the elongated tubular shaft and the output coupling between the shaft radial surface and the coupling radial surface (Page 2 lines 41-47 on the right column and page 1 lines 20-25 right column).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the integrated positioning ring of Kane’s invention into the invention of Dagonneau. Dagonneau teaches a vehicular output shaft where the tubular shaft is welded to an output coupling and Kane teaches using an annular ring inside tubular members to hold the parts in alignment before welding. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to use Kane’s ring in Dagonneau’s shaft assembly because alignment rings are commonly used to keep parts centered before welding, improve weld quality and make assembly easier and more accurate. Applying Kane’s ring to Dagonneau’s shaft would have predictably improved alignment and weld strength in the same type of welded tubular connection, therefore connecting the references would have been obvious
Regarding Claim 13, The combination of Dagonneau and Kane discloses the vehicular output shaft assembly recited in claim 11, and wherein Kane further teaches further comprising a bushing received by an inner diameter of the integrated ring. (Figure 3 element 27 would be the bushing received within the inner diameter).
Claim 2 is being rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over US 7775892 B2 (Dagonneau) and US 1962350 A (Kane) in further view of US 5533825 A (Stone).
Regarding Claim 2, The combination of Dagonneau and Kane in view of Stone discloses the vehicular output shaft assembly recited in claim 1, but fails to disclose the output coupling includes a helical gear.
However, in further view of, Stone teaches the output coupling includes a helical gear (Figure element 52, also in column 3 lines 57-63 describes intermeshing gears describes the curved helical teeth).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the helical gear geometry of Stone into the combination of Dagonneau and Kane to increase torque- transmission capacity and reduce mechanical stress where helical gears are a standard mechanical solution for transmitting torque smoothly between rotating shafts.
Claims 8 and 14 are being rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over US 7775892 B2 (Dagonneau) and 1962350 A (Kane) in further view of US 2259367 A (Ely and Hopkins).
Regarding Claim 8, The combination of Dagonneau and Kane discloses the vehicular output shaft assembly recited in claim 7, but fails to discloses further comprising a cooling tube received by the bushing.
However, in further view of, Ely and Hopkins teach further comprising a cooling tube received by the bushing (Figures 3,4 and 5 element 12 which is a tube consisting of elements 4 and 5 used to conduct cooling during welding as stated in page 1 second column lines 12-15).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the cooling teachings of Ely and Hopkins into the combined assembly of Claim 7 by including an internal cooling tube. Having the cooling tube received by the bushing would have been obvious because Kane teaches that an inner ring which is the internal bushing, is the structural means for receiving and supporting axial components within a rotating vehicular machine. A person of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to use the bushing of Kane to receive the tube of Ely and Hopkins to ensure the tube remains centered and stable during high-speed rotation, preventing fluid flow form causing imbalances of the shaft assembly and to manage and cool the extreme heat during welding.
Regarding Claim 14, The combination of Dagonneau and Kane discloses the vehicular output shaft assembly recited in claim 13, but fails to disclose further comprising a cooling tube received by the bushing.
However, in further view of, Ely and Hopkins teach further comprising a cooling tube received by the bushing (Figures 3,4 and 5 element 12 which is a tube consisting of elements 4 and 5 used to conduct cooling during welding as stated in page 1 second column lines 12-15).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to incorporate the cooling teachings of Ely and Hopkins into the combined assembly of Claim 7 by including an internal cooling tube. Having the cooling tube received by the bushing would have been obvious because Kane teaches that an inner ring which is the internal bushing, is the structural means for receiving and supporting axial components within a rotating vehicular machine. A person of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to use the bushing of Kane to receive the tube of Ely and Hopkins to ensure the tube remains centered and stable during high-speed rotation, preventing fluid flow form causing imbalances of the shaft assembly and to manage and cool the extreme heat.
Claim 10 is being rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over US 7775892 B2 (Dagonneau) and 1962350 A (Kane) in further view of US 8482173 B2 (Wright et al.).
Regarding Claim 10, The combination of Dagonneau and Kane discloses the vehicular output shaft assembly recited in claim 1 but fails to disclose further comprising a bearing cap inserted in a distal end of the elongated tubular shaft.
However, in further view of, Wright et al. teaches further comprising a bearing cap inserted in a distal end of the elongated tubular shaft (Figure 1 elements 50 and 52 are the bearing caps and includes opening elements 56 and 68 which the shaft element 22 passes through as stated in column 2 lines 63-65).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the inner bearing cap’s structure taught by Wright et al. into the distal ends of the combination of Dagonneau and Kane’s invention to reduce vibrations and for standardization. The combination of Dagonneau and Kane’s invention teaches the architecture of a hollow vehicular shaft consisting of a central tube and endpieces and Wright et al teaches a rotating electrical machine assembly where a shaft is supported at its distal ends by bearing caps having openings. It would have been predictable to a person of ordinary skill of the art to make use of the mechanical components functions to insert bearing caps of Wright et al. into the distal openings of the combination of Dagonneau’s and Kane’s tubular shaft to facilitate rotation and support of the internal assembly.
Claims 1, 3-7, 9, 11-13, and 15 are being rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over US 7775892 B2 (Dagonneau) in view of GB 1426788 A.
Regarding Claim 1, Dagonneau discloses
A vehicular output shaft assembly, configured for a rotating electrical machine (Abstract), comprising:
An elongated tubular shaft having a cavity at least partially defined by an inner diameter of the elongated tubular shaft and a shaft radial surface (Figure 1 shows the overall welded tube shaft and element 8 shows the central tube which is elongated and hollow and Figure 2, the inner surface of element 8 defines an internal cavity and the outer surface of the tube is the shaft radial surface);
An output coupling ( Figure 2, the end pieces of element 4 attached to element 8 the tube) having an inner diameter and a coupling radial surface ( Column 3 lines 9-11 defines inner diameter as inner surface of element 24 of figure 2 and the coupling radial surface as the outer surface of element 22 of figure 2), the elongated tubular shaft and the output coupling are welded together between the shaft radial surface and the coupling radial surface ( Figure 2 shows element 8 and end piece of element 4 are welded by element 20 also claims 11 and 14 states that two end pieces are welded together). Dagonneau fails to disclose an integrated ring received within the cavity of the elongated tubular shaft and the inner diameter of the output coupling, wherein the integrated ring positions the shaft radial surface and the coupling radial surface to abut.
However, GB discloses an integrated ring received within the cavity of the elongated tubular shaft and the inner diameter of the output coupling (Figure 1 element 3 is the ring and is stated in column 1 page 1 lines 16 the ring is placed in the tubular members) wherein the integrated ring positions the shaft radial surface and the coupling radial surface to abut (Page 2 column 1 lines 6-10).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of
the claimed invention to have modified Dagonneau as suggested by GB to provide the internal annular ring. The interior annular ring which is received inside hollow interior tubular members that engages the inner dimeters of the members at a joint region and aligns and positions the members so that the end surfaces are abut prior to welding would have been a routine design choice to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide the interior annular ring of GB into Dagonneau’s invention for the purpose to align two tubes together prior to welding and to ensure the shaft and coupling are precisely concentric during the welding process.
Regarding Claim 3, The combination of Dagonneau and GB discloses the vehicular output shaft assembly recited in claim 1, and wherein Dagonneau further teaches the output coupling includes a female splined fitting (Figure 1 the connection end element 14 is provided with a connection fluting element 16 which is a spline as stated in Column 3 lines 1-3).
Regarding Claim 4, The combination of Dagonneau and GB in discloses the vehicular output shaft assembly recited in claim 1, but fails to disclose wherein the output coupling comprises powdered metal.
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the out coupling of the combination of Dagonneau and GB’s invention to be comprised of powdered metal. Sintering is the standard industrial process used to create high precision, pressed and molded automotive components. Substituting powdered metal for the steel couplings in Dagonneau would perform the same function in the same way with the predictable result, A person of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combined coupling structure of Dagonneau with the pressed manufacturing process to create a powdered metal material since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use manufacturing efficiency. The selection of a known material based on its suitability for its intended use supported a prima facie obviousness determination in Sinclair & Carroll Co. v. Interchemical Corp., 325 U.S. 327, 65 USPQ 297 (1945) also in re Leshin, 277 F.2d 197, 125 USPQ 416 (CCPA 1960) and Ryco, Inc. v. Ag-Bag Corp., 857 F.2d 1418, 8 USPQ2d 1323 (Fed. Cir. 1988).
Regarding Claim 5, The combination of Dagonneau and GB discloses the vehicular output shaft assembly recited in claim 1, and wherein Dagonneau further teaches the elongated tubular shaft is formed from high-strength low-alloy (HSLA) steel (Column 2 lines 20-24 shows that the shaft and endpieces are formed from high strength alloys such as a boron steel).
Regarding Claim 6, The combination of Dagonneau and GB discloses the vehicular output shaft assembly recited in claim 1, and wherein Dagonneau further teaches a weld path extends directly between the shaft radial surface and the coupling radial surface (Figure 1 element 20 is the bead of welding which is formed directly at the junction where the radial end wall of the end piece and the end face of tube meet).
Regarding Claim 7, The combination of Dagonneau and GB discloses the vehicular output shaft assembly recited in claim 1, and wherein GB further teaches further comprising a bushing received by an inner diameter of the integrated ring (Figure 2 element 11 would be the bushing).
Regarding Claim 9, The combination of Dagonneau and GB discloses the vehicular output shaft assembly recited in claim 7, and wherein GB further discloses, further comprising a plurality of spokes between the inner diameter of the integrated ring and an outer diameter of the integrated ring (Figure 2 elements 8 and 9 would be the spokes).
Regarding Claim 11, Dagonneau discloses A vehicular output shaft assembly, configured for a rotating electrical machine (Abstarct) having an elongated tubular shaft and the output coupling being welded together (Fig. 2) but fails to disclose an integrated ring having an outer surface configured to be received within a cavity of the elongated tubular shaft and an inner diameter of the output coupling, wherein the integrated ring positions a shaft radial surface and a coupling radial surface to abut facilitating a welded connection between the elongated tubular shaft and the output coupling between the shaft radial surface and the coupling radial surface.
However, GB teaches an integrated ring having an outer surface configured to be received within a cavity of the elongated tubular shaft and an inner diameter of the output coupling ( Figure 1 element 3 being the ring being received within the cavity of the tubular members states in page 2 column 1 lines 6-10), wherein the integrated ring positions a shaft radial surface and a coupling radial surface to abut facilitating a welded connection between the elongated tubular shaft and the output coupling between the shaft radial surface and the coupling radial surface (Page 1 columns lines 9-20 and page 2 column 1 lines 6-10 and lines 19-23).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the integrated positioning ring of GB’s invention into the invention of Dagonneau. Dagonneau teaches a vehicular output shaft where the tubular shaft is welded to an output coupling and GB teaches using an annular ring inside tubular members to hold the parts in alignment before welding. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to use GB’s ring in Dagonneau’s shaft assembly because alignment rings are commonly used to keep parts centered before welding, improve weld quality and make assembly easier and more accurate. Applying GB’s ring to Dagonneau’s shaft would have predictably improved alignment and weld strength in the same type of welded tubular connection, therefore connecting the references would have been obvious.
Regarding Claim 12, The combination of Dagonneau and GB discloses the vehicular output shaft assembly recited in claim 11 but fails to disclose wherein the integrated ring is formed from powdered metal.
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the out coupling of the combination of Dagonneau and GB’s invention to be comprised of powdered metal. Sintering is the standard industrial process used to create high precision, pressed and molded automotive components. Substituting powdered metal for the steel couplings in Dagonneau would perform the same function in the same way with the predictable result, A person of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to combined coupling structure of Dagonneau with the pressed manufacturing process to create a powdered metal material since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use manufacturing efficiency. The selection of a known material based on its suitability for its intended use supported a prima facie obviousness determination in Sinclair & Carroll Co. v. Interchemical Corp., 325 U.S. 327, 65 USPQ 297 (1945) also in re Leshin, 277 F.2d 197, 125 USPQ 416 (CCPA 1960) and Ryco, Inc. v. Ag-Bag Corp., 857 F.2d 1418, 8 USPQ2d 1323 (Fed. Cir. 1988).
Regarding Claim 13, The combination of Dagonneau and GB discloses the vehicular output shaft assembly recited in claim 11, and wherein GB further teaches further comprising a bushing received by an inner diameter of the integrated ring. (Figure 2 element 11 would be the bushing received within the inner diameter).
Regarding Claim 15, The combination of Dagonneau and GB discloses the vehicular output shaft assembly recited in claim 13, and where in GB further teaches further comprising a plurality of spokes between the inner diameter of the integrated ring and an outer diameter of the integrated ring (Figure 2 elements 8 and 9 would be the spokes).
Conclusion
Relevant but not cited sources US 20070024152 A1(Waku et al.), and US 20230151842 A1 (Belshan et al.)
US 20070024152 A1(Waku et al.) teaches configured for a rotating electrical machine and sintered member i.e. powdered metal.
US 20230151842 A1 (Belshan et al.) teaches cooling the interference coupling.
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/A.H.A./Examiner, Art Unit 3678
/AMBER R ANDERSON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3678