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 .
2. This Office Action is sent in response to Applicant's Communication received on November 22, 2023 for application number 18/563,607. This Office hereby acknowledges receipt of the following and placed of record in file: Specification, Drawings, Abstract, Oath/Declaration, and Claims.
Disposition of Claims
Claims 1-8, 10-11, 13, 16-19, 37 and 53-56 are pending in this application.
Claims 1-8, 10-11, 13, 16-19, 37 and 53-56 are rejected.
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.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or non-obviousness.
Claims 1-8, 10-11, 13, 16-19, 37 and 53-56 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over (JO – JP 2007302193 A), in view of (INOUE – CN 101405154 B), further in view of (Anderson – US 9,174,508 B2).
Regarding claim 1, JO (Please see Examiner Annotated Figure 7 below) discloses:
A suspension assembly (Vehicle Suspension Apparatus: Fig. 7), comprising:
a. a shock absorber (damper device 230: Fig. 7) arranged to damp linear motion of a piston portion (outer tube 30 and an inner tube 32: Fig. 7) relative to a surrounding cylinder portion (actuator cylinder 16: Fig. 7), a lead screw (screw rod 240: Fig. 7) being disposed within the shock absorber (damper device 230: Fig. 7) ;
b. an electric motor (motor 258 configured as a DC brushless motor: Fig. 7) displaced externally from the shock absorber (damper device 230: Fig. 7), ; and
c. a transmission arrangement (gear casing 236, gear portion 260 and gear 262: Fig. 7) disposed outside the shock absorber (damper device 230: Fig. 7), mediating between the shock absorber (damper device 230: Fig. 7) and the motor (motor 258 configured as a DC brushless motor: Fig. 7), and configured to transfer a resistance torque from the motor (motor 258 configured as a DC brushless motor: Fig. 7) to the lead screw (screw rod 240: Fig. 7) so as to modulate the damping of the linear motion.
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Examiner Annotated Figure 7 {JO – JP 2007302193 A}
But JO does not explicitly and/or specifically meet the following limitations:
(A) a lead screw being disposed within the shock absorber for conversion between linear kinetic energy and rotational kinetic energy; for conversion between rotational kinetic energy and electricity.
However, regarding limitation (A) above, INOUE discloses/teaches the following:
A suspension system (10, 220, 250) for a vehicle, comprising: (a) a suspension spring (28; 224), the vehicle body (24) and a vehicle wheel (12) elastically interconnected; (b) an actuator (26) which is set in parallel with the suspension spring, and with a motor (54), such that movement of the actuator based on the force of the electric motor to produce forced vehicle body and the wheel toward and away from actuator force of each other, and can make the generated actuator force as with the vehicle body and the wheel toward each other and away from the damp force of the mobile phase with each other; and (c) control device (140), which is forming by working control actuator for controlling an electric motor generating the actuator force. control device (140) is capable of establishing a constant-force generating state, the constant-force generating state, power constantly actuator as a motor from the power supply battery (130) for supplying the generated actuator force as a constant actuator force, so that the constant actuator force generated along the direction for forcing the vehicle body and the wheel orientation each other and rebound direction for forcing the vehicle body and the wheel one direction away from jumping direction of each other. control device is control constant-force generating state configured to based on the charge state of the battery (Abstract).
In addition, the actuator is equipped with a ball leadscrew mechanism and an electric motor M (which is a three-phase DC brushless motor, and the following will suitably referred to as "motor"). ball leadscrew mechanism configured to comprises a leadscrew 50 and nut 52. screw 50 has formed in the outer screw thread, and matched with the nut 52, so that the bearing balls held between the leadscrew 50 and nut 52. a motor M fixed and held in the motor housing 56, the motor housing 56 is fixed to the upper surface of the mounting portion M at the flange portion thereof. flange part motor shell 56 fixed to inner pipe 32 of the flange portion 36, so that the inner pipe 32 through motor housing 56 connected to the mounting portion M. rotating shaft of the motor shaft 58 as the motor M is integrally connected to end portion of the leadscrew 50. i.e., leadscrew 50 as the extension rod of the motor shaft 58 to the motor M to rotate and set inside the inner pipe 32. At the same time, nut 52 and leadscrew 52, and supporting sleeve 60 upper end part fixing kept, nut support sleeve 60 is set on the inner bottom wall surface of the outer tube 30 by a nut ([0104]).
When electric energy to generate electricity for the battery 130 and the positive high-charge state over execution control, has a relationship with the target actuator rotational speed V of the rotational torque Tq and the motor M of the motor M corresponding to the force Fa between belonging to more than the regenerative braking region (region in FIG. 5 (a)). that is, the presence of such that not only produces a constant force and the damping force generated when the actuator, even when performing high charge state control process, whether the motor M is based on generating the actuator force generating state ([0158]).
Further on, regarding limitation (A) above, Anderson discloses/teaches the following:
In an example, the system generates electricity by transforming hydraulic fluid flow in the actuator due to the wheel event into electricity by directing the fluid flow to rotate the hydraulic pump which in turn rotates the electric motor for producing electric energy (Column 4, Lines 15-19).
When an on-demand energy delivery-capable active suspension system experiences positive energy flow (when the graph is above the center line), a regeneration capability may utilize this source of energy (such as during rebound) to generate electricity. This may occur when fluid flowing past the hydraulic motor in FIG. 1C due to wheel rebound action is used to turn the electric generator, thereby producing electricity that may be stored for on-demand consumption, or instantaneously consumed. When an on-demand energy delivery capable active suspension system experiences negative energy flow (when the graph in FIG. 1D is below the center line), the energy harvested during the positive flow cycle can be consumed as needed (e.g. on-demand). Alternatively, in on-demand energy delivery capable active suspension systems without regeneration capability, energy can be consumed from a variety of source such as energy storage devices or a vehicle's 12V or 48V electrical system. This can be affected in the suspension actuator of FIG. 1D by applying a counter acting current into the generator, thereby resisting the rotation of the hydraulic motor which in turn increases pressure in the actuator causing the wheel movement driving the demand to be mitigated. Alternatively, applying a current into the generator may cause the actuator to actively move in a desired direction. Also, energy consumption might be required throughout a wheel event, such as when a vehicle encounters a speed bump. Energy may be required to lift the wheel as it goes over a speed bump (that is, reduce distance between wheel and vehicle) and then push the wheel down as it comes off of the speed bump to keep the vehicle more level throughout. However, rebound action, such as the wheel returning to the road surface as it comes down off of the speed bump may, fall into the positive energy flow cycle by harnessing the potential energy in the spring, thereby affording an opportunity to generate energy (Column 12, Lines 39-67).
As shown in FIG. 1C, energy can be extracted from a suspension actuator by causing fluid in the actuator to flow past a hydraulic motor, thereby rapidly rotating the motor. The hydraulic motor may be coupled, such as through a common shaft, to an electric generator. As the hydraulic motor rotates a shaft in common with the electric generator, the generator may produce electricity that can be used directly and/or conditioned and stored for later consumption by the suspension control system and/or to influence the rotation of the hydraulic motor, thereby causing the actuator to perform as component of an active suspension (Column 14, Lines 26-36).
In the embodiment of FIG. 1C, the hydraulic motor 1-14 is operatively coupled to an electric motor 1-15, which may be a BLDC motor such as a three-phase permanent magnet synchronous motor, a brushed DC motor, an induction motor, dynamo, or any other type of device that converts electricity into rotary motion and/or vice-versa. The coupling between the electric motor and the hydraulic motor may be a simple shaft, or may include one or more devices to alter the kinematic transfer characteristic such as a clutch (velocity, electronically, directionally, or otherwise controlled), a shock-absorbing device such as a spring pin, or a cushioning/damping device, however such devices are not limited in this regard (Column 15, Lines 58-67).
In certain types of regenerative, active/semi-active dampers, an electric motor is used to provide torque and speed to a hydraulic motor to provide force and velocity to a hydraulic damper, and conversely, the hydraulic motor is used to back-drive the electric motor as a generator to produce electricity from the force and velocity inputted into the damper (as shown in FIG. 3-A) (Column 31, Lines 63-67).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified the suspension assembly system of JO incorporating as taught by INOUE and Anderson for disposing an active suspension system in a vehicle between a wheel mount and a vehicle body, detecting a wheel event requiring control of the active suspension, and sourcing energy from the energy storage facility and delivering it to the electric motor in response to the wheel event.
Regarding claim 13, JO (Please see Examiner Annotated Figure 7 above) discloses:
A suspension assembly (Vehicle Suspension Apparatus: Fig. 7) comprising:
a shock absorber (damper device 230: Fig. 7),
an electric motor (motor 258 configured as a DC brushless motor: Fig. 7) displaced externally therefrom, and
an external transmission arrangement (gear casing 236, gear portion 260 and gear 262: Fig. 7) mediating between the shock absorber (damper device 230: Fig. 7) and the motor (motor 258 configured as a DC brushless motor: Fig. 7),
wherein, in an operating state:
i. bidirectional linear motion of one or more shock-absorber (damper device 230: Fig. 7) portions is effective to bidirectionally rotate a lead screw (screw rod 240: Fig. 7) disposed within the shock absorber (damper device 230: Fig. 7) and, via the transmission arrangement (gear casing 236, gear portion 260 and gear 262: Fig. 7), , and
ii. the transmission arrangement (gear casing 236, gear portion 260 and gear 262: Fig. 7) is “effective to transfer a modulated resistance torque of the motor to the lead screw to regulate the linear motion”, .
It has been held that the recitation that an element is “effective to” performing a function is not a positive limitation but only requires the ability to so perform. It does not constitute a limitation in any patentable sense. In re Hutchinson, 69 USPQ 138.
But JO does not explicitly and/or specifically meet the following limitations:
(A) unidirectionally rotate a rotor portion of the motor to generate electricity; the resistance torque of the motor being modulated in response to an instruction from a control system.
However, regarding limitation (A) above, INOUE discloses/teaches the following:
A suspension system (10, 220, 250) for a vehicle, comprising: (a) a suspension spring (28; 224), the vehicle body (24) and a vehicle wheel (12) elastically interconnected; (b) an actuator (26) which is set in parallel with the suspension spring, and with a motor (54), such that movement of the actuator based on the force of the electric motor to produce forced vehicle body and the wheel toward and away from actuator force of each other, and can make the generated actuator force as with the vehicle body and the wheel toward each other and away from the damp force of the mobile phase with each other; and (c) control device (140), which is forming by working control actuator for controlling an electric motor generating the actuator force. control device (140) is capable of establishing a constant-force generating state, the constant-force generating state, power constantly actuator as a motor from the power supply battery (130) for supplying the generated actuator force as a constant actuator force, so that the constant actuator force generated along the direction for forcing the vehicle body and the wheel orientation each other and rebound direction for forcing the vehicle body and the wheel one direction away from jumping direction of each other. control device is control constant-force generating state configured to based on the charge state of the battery (Abstract).
In addition, the actuator is equipped with a ball leadscrew mechanism and an electric motor M (which is a three-phase DC brushless motor, and the following will suitably referred to as "motor"). ball leadscrew mechanism configured to comprises a leadscrew 50 and nut 52. screw 50 has formed in the outer screw thread, and matched with the nut 52, so that the bearing balls held between the leadscrew 50 and nut 52. a motor M fixed and held in the motor housing 56, the motor housing 56 is fixed to the upper surface of the mounting portion M at the flange portion thereof. flange part motor shell 56 fixed to inner pipe 32 of the flange portion 36, so that the inner pipe 32 through motor housing 56 connected to the mounting portion M. rotating shaft of the motor shaft 58 as the motor M is integrally connected to end portion of the leadscrew 50. i.e., leadscrew 50 as the extension rod of the motor shaft 58 to the motor M to rotate and set inside the inner pipe 32. At the same time, nut 52 and leadscrew 52, and supporting sleeve 60 upper end part fixing kept, nut support sleeve 60 is set on the inner bottom wall surface of the outer tube 30 by a nut ([0104]).
When electric energy to generate electricity for the battery 130 and the positive high-charge state over execution control, has a relationship with the target actuator rotational speed V of the rotational torque Tq and the motor M of the motor M corresponding to the force Fa between belonging to more than the regenerative braking region (region in FIG. 5 (a)). that is, the presence of such that not only produces a constant force and the damping force generated when the actuator, even when performing high charge state control process, whether the motor M is based on generating the actuator force generating state ([0158]).
Further on, regarding limitation (A) above, Anderson discloses/teaches the following:
In an example, the system generates electricity by transforming hydraulic fluid flow in the actuator due to the wheel event into electricity by directing the fluid flow to rotate the hydraulic pump which in turn rotates the electric motor for producing electric energy (Column 4, Lines 15-19).
When an on-demand energy delivery-capable active suspension system experiences positive energy flow (when the graph is above the center line), a regeneration capability may utilize this source of energy (such as during rebound) to generate electricity. This may occur when fluid flowing past the hydraulic motor in FIG. 1C due to wheel rebound action is used to turn the electric generator, thereby producing electricity that may be stored for on-demand consumption, or instantaneously consumed. When an on-demand energy delivery capable active suspension system experiences negative energy flow (when the graph in FIG. 1D is below the center line), the energy harvested during the positive flow cycle can be consumed as needed (e.g. on-demand). Alternatively, in on-demand energy delivery capable active suspension systems without regeneration capability, energy can be consumed from a variety of source such as energy storage devices or a vehicle's 12V or 48V electrical system. This can be affected in the suspension actuator of FIG. 1D by applying a counter acting current into the generator, thereby resisting the rotation of the hydraulic motor which in turn increases pressure in the actuator causing the wheel movement driving the demand to be mitigated. Alternatively, applying a current into the generator may cause the actuator to actively move in a desired direction. Also, energy consumption might be required throughout a wheel event, such as when a vehicle encounters a speed bump. Energy may be required to lift the wheel as it goes over a speed bump (that is, reduce distance between wheel and vehicle) and then push the wheel down as it comes off of the speed bump to keep the vehicle more level throughout. However, rebound action, such as the wheel returning to the road surface as it comes down off of the speed bump may, fall into the positive energy flow cycle by harnessing the potential energy in the spring, thereby affording an opportunity to generate energy (Column 12, Lines 39-67).
As shown in FIG. 1C, energy can be extracted from a suspension actuator by causing fluid in the actuator to flow past a hydraulic motor, thereby rapidly rotating the motor. The hydraulic motor may be coupled, such as through a common shaft, to an electric generator. As the hydraulic motor rotates a shaft in common with the electric generator, the generator may produce electricity that can be used directly and/or conditioned and stored for later consumption by the suspension control system and/or to influence the rotation of the hydraulic motor, thereby causing the actuator to perform as component of an active suspension (Column 14, Lines 26-36).
In the embodiment of FIG. 1C, the hydraulic motor 1-14 is operatively coupled to an electric motor 1-15, which may be a BLDC motor such as a three-phase permanent magnet synchronous motor, a brushed DC motor, an induction motor, dynamo, or any other type of device that converts electricity into rotary motion and/or vice-versa. The coupling between the electric motor and the hydraulic motor may be a simple shaft, or may include one or more devices to alter the kinematic transfer characteristic such as a clutch (velocity, electronically, directionally, or otherwise controlled), a shock-absorbing device such as a spring pin, or a cushioning/damping device, however such devices are not limited in this regard (Column 15, Lines 58-67).
In certain types of regenerative, active/semi-active dampers, an electric motor is used to provide torque and speed to a hydraulic motor to provide force and velocity to a hydraulic damper, and conversely, the hydraulic motor is used to back-drive the electric motor as a generator to produce electricity from the force and velocity inputted into the damper (as shown in FIG. 3-A) (Column 31, Lines 63-67).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified the suspension assembly system of JO incorporating as taught by INOUE and Anderson for disposing an active suspension system in a vehicle between a wheel mount and a vehicle body, detecting a wheel event requiring control of the active suspension, and sourcing energy from the energy storage facility and delivering it to the electric motor in response to the wheel event.
Regarding claim 53, JO (Please see Examiner Annotated Figure 7 above) discloses:
A method of regulating a damping force in a vehicle suspension assembly (Vehicle Suspension Apparatus: Fig. 7), the suspension assembly (Vehicle Suspension Apparatus: Fig. 7) comprising:
(i) a pneumatic shock absorber (damper device 230: Fig. 7 and “In the present suspension device, a coil spring is used as a suspension spring, but an air spring can also be used”),
(ii) an electric motor (motor 258 configured as a DC brushless motor: Fig. 7) displaced externally from the shock absorber (damper device 230: Fig. 7 and “In the present suspension device, a coil spring is used as a suspension spring, but an air spring can also be used”), and
(iii) an external transmission arrangement (gear casing 236, gear portion 260 and gear 262: Fig. 7) mediating between the shock absorber (damper device 230: Fig. 7 and “In the present suspension device, a coil spring is used as a suspension spring, but an air spring can also be used”) and the motor (motor 258 configured as a DC brushless motor: Fig. 7),
the method comprising:
a. monitoring rotation of a suspension-assembly component (Monitoring by the suspension ECU 54);
b. ; and
c. .
But JO does not explicitly and/or specifically meet the following limitations:
(A) determining, from the monitored rotation, an absorption profile of the shock absorber; responsively to an actuation signal received from a control system, regulating a resistance torque in the motor to apply a resistance profile, wherein the transmission arrangement is arranged to transfer the regulated resistance torque to the shock absorber to regulate a damping force therein.
However, regarding limitation (A) above, INOUE discloses/teaches the following:
A suspension system (10, 220, 250) for a vehicle, comprising: (a) a suspension spring (28; 224), the vehicle body (24) and a vehicle wheel (12) elastically interconnected; (b) an actuator (26) which is set in parallel with the suspension spring, and with a motor (54), such that movement of the actuator based on the force of the electric motor to produce forced vehicle body and the wheel toward and away from actuator force of each other, and can make the generated actuator force as with the vehicle body and the wheel toward each other and away from the damp force of the mobile phase with each other; and (c) control device (140), which is forming by working control actuator for controlling an electric motor generating the actuator force. control device (140) is capable of establishing a constant-force generating state, the constant-force generating state, power constantly actuator as a motor from the power supply battery (130) for supplying the generated actuator force as a constant actuator force, so that the constant actuator force generated along the direction for forcing the vehicle body and the wheel orientation each other and rebound direction for forcing the vehicle body and the wheel one direction away from jumping direction of each other. control device is control constant-force generating state configured to based on the charge state of the battery (Abstract).
In addition, the actuator is equipped with a ball leadscrew mechanism and an electric motor M (which is a three-phase DC brushless motor, and the following will suitably referred to as "motor"). ball leadscrew mechanism configured to comprises a leadscrew 50 and nut 52. screw 50 has formed in the outer screw thread, and matched with the nut 52, so that the bearing balls held between the leadscrew 50 and nut 52. a motor M fixed and held in the motor housing 56, the motor housing 56 is fixed to the upper surface of the mounting portion M at the flange portion thereof. flange part motor shell 56 fixed to inner pipe 32 of the flange portion 36, so that the inner pipe 32 through motor housing 56 connected to the mounting portion M. rotating shaft of the motor shaft 58 as the motor M is integrally connected to end portion of the leadscrew 50. i.e., leadscrew 50 as the extension rod of the motor shaft 58 to the motor M to rotate and set inside the inner pipe 32. At the same time, nut 52 and leadscrew 52, and supporting sleeve 60 upper end part fixing kept, nut support sleeve 60 is set on the inner bottom wall surface of the outer tube 30 by a nut ([0104]).
When electric energy to generate electricity for the battery 130 and the positive high-charge state over execution control, has a relationship with the target actuator rotational speed V of the rotational torque Tq and the motor M of the motor M corresponding to the force Fa between belonging to more than the regenerative braking region (region in FIG. 5 (a)). that is, the presence of such that not only produces a constant force and the damping force generated when the actuator, even when performing high charge state control process, whether the motor M is based on generating the actuator force generating state ([0158]).
Further on, regarding limitation (A) above, Anderson discloses/teaches the following:
In an example, the system generates electricity by transforming hydraulic fluid flow in the actuator due to the wheel event into electricity by directing the fluid flow to rotate the hydraulic pump which in turn rotates the electric motor for producing electric energy (Column 4, Lines 15-19).
When an on-demand energy delivery-capable active suspension system experiences positive energy flow (when the graph is above the center line), a regeneration capability may utilize this source of energy (such as during rebound) to generate electricity. This may occur when fluid flowing past the hydraulic motor in FIG. 1C due to wheel rebound action is used to turn the electric generator, thereby producing electricity that may be stored for on-demand consumption, or instantaneously consumed. When an on-demand energy delivery capable active suspension system experiences negative energy flow (when the graph in FIG. 1D is below the center line), the energy harvested during the positive flow cycle can be consumed as needed (e.g. on-demand). Alternatively, in on-demand energy delivery capable active suspension systems without regeneration capability, energy can be consumed from a variety of source such as energy storage devices or a vehicle's 12V or 48V electrical system. This can be affected in the suspension actuator of FIG. 1D by applying a counter acting current into the generator, thereby resisting the rotation of the hydraulic motor which in turn increases pressure in the actuator causing the wheel movement driving the demand to be mitigated. Alternatively, applying a current into the generator may cause the actuator to actively move in a desired direction. Also, energy consumption might be required throughout a wheel event, such as when a vehicle encounters a speed bump. Energy may be required to lift the wheel as it goes over a speed bump (that is, reduce distance between wheel and vehicle) and then push the wheel down as it comes off of the speed bump to keep the vehicle more level throughout. However, rebound action, such as the wheel returning to the road surface as it comes down off of the speed bump may, fall into the positive energy flow cycle by harnessing the potential energy in the spring, thereby affording an opportunity to generate energy (Column 12, Lines 39-67).
As shown in FIG. 1C, energy can be extracted from a suspension actuator by causing fluid in the actuator to flow past a hydraulic motor, thereby rapidly rotating the motor. The hydraulic motor may be coupled, such as through a common shaft, to an electric generator. As the hydraulic motor rotates a shaft in common with the electric generator, the generator may produce electricity that can be used directly and/or conditioned and stored for later consumption by the suspension control system and/or to influence the rotation of the hydraulic motor, thereby causing the actuator to perform as component of an active suspension (Column 14, Lines 26-36).
In the embodiment of FIG. 1C, the hydraulic motor 1-14 is operatively coupled to an electric motor 1-15, which may be a BLDC motor such as a three-phase permanent magnet synchronous motor, a brushed DC motor, an induction motor, dynamo, or any other type of device that converts electricity into rotary motion and/or vice-versa. The coupling between the electric motor and the hydraulic motor may be a simple shaft, or may include one or more devices to alter the kinematic transfer characteristic such as a clutch (velocity, electronically, directionally, or otherwise controlled), a shock-absorbing device such as a spring pin, or a cushioning/damping device, however such devices are not limited in this regard (Column 15, Lines 58-67).
In certain types of regenerative, active/semi-active dampers, an electric motor is used to provide torque and speed to a hydraulic motor to provide force and velocity to a hydraulic damper, and conversely, the hydraulic motor is used to back-drive the electric motor as a generator to produce electricity from the force and velocity inputted into the damper (as shown in FIG. 3-A) (Column 31, Lines 63-67).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified the suspension assembly system of JO incorporating as taught by INOUE and Anderson for disposing an active suspension system in a vehicle between a wheel mount and a vehicle body, detecting a wheel event requiring control of the active suspension, and sourcing energy from the energy storage facility and delivering it to the electric motor in response to the wheel event.
Regarding claim 2, JO as combined above disclose the suspension assembly according to claim 1, and further on JO as combined above also discloses:
wherein the transmission arrangement mediates between the lead screw and a rotor portion of the motor (When combining the teachings of INOUE and Anderson into JO, one skilled in the art would have arrived at the claimed language).
Regarding claim 3, JO as combined above disclose the suspension assembly according to claim 1, and further on JO as combined above also discloses:
wherein the transmission arrangement is configured to receive a bidirectional torque from the lead screw and to transfer a unidirectional torque to a rotor portion of the motor to generate electricity (When combining the teachings of INOUE and Anderson into JO, one skilled in the art would have arrived at the claimed language).
Regarding claim 4, JO as combined above disclose the suspension assembly according to claim 1, and further on JO as combined above also discloses:
wherein the motor is operative to effect a change in mechanical resistance of the lead screw in response to an instruction from a control system (When combining the teachings of INOUE and Anderson into JO, one skilled in the art would have arrived at the claimed language).
Regarding claim 5, JO as combined above disclose the suspension assembly according to claim 4, and further on JO as combined above also discloses:
wherein the control system includes a rotation sensor for determining a rotation parameter of a rotating component of the transmission arrangement, and one or more computer processors for using the rotation parameter to generate the instruction (When combining the teachings of INOUE and Anderson into JO, one skilled in the art would have arrived at the claimed language).
Regarding claim 6, JO as combined above disclose the suspension assembly according to claim 4, and further on JO as combined above also discloses:
wherein the control system includes a rotation sensor for determining a rotation parameter of the lead screw, and one or more computer processors for using the rotation parameter to generate the instruction (When combining the teachings of INOUE and Anderson into JO, one skilled in the art would have arrived at the claimed language).
Regarding claim 7, JO as combined above disclose the suspension assembly according to claim 1, and further on JO as combined above also discloses:
wherein the lead screw is rotatably coupled to the cylinder portion, and an opposing lead-screw nut is fixedly coupled to the piston portion (When combining the teachings of INOUE and Anderson into JO, one skilled in the art would have arrived at the claimed language).
Regarding claim 8, JO as combined above disclose the suspension assembly according to claim 1, and further on JO as combined above also discloses:
wherein respective central axes of the lead screw and of the rotor portion of the motor are aligned with each other and laterally displaced from each other (When combining the teachings of INOUE and Anderson into JO, one skilled in the art would have arrived at the claimed language).
Regarding claim 10, JO as combined above disclose the suspension assembly according to claim 1, and further on JO as combined above also discloses:
a wheel assembly comprising the suspension assembly of claim 1,
wherein
(i) either the piston portion of the shock absorber or the cylinder portion of the shock absorber is coupled to an unsprung portion of the wheel assembly (When combining the teachings of INOUE and Anderson into JO, one skilled in the art would have arrived at the claimed language), and
(ii) the other of the piston portion of the shock absorber or the cylinder portion of the shock absorber is coupled to a sprung portion of the wheel assembly (When combining the teachings of INOUE and Anderson into JO, one skilled in the art would have arrived at the claimed language).
Regarding claim 11, JO as combined above disclose the suspension assembly according to claim 10, and further on JO as combined above also discloses:
wherein the sprung portion is mechanically joined to a reference frame of a vehicle (When combining the teachings of INOUE and Anderson into JO, one skilled in the art would have arrived at the claimed language).
Regarding claim 16, JO as combined above disclose the suspension assembly according to claim 13, and further on JO as combined above also discloses:
wherein the transmission arrangement mediates between the lead screw and the rotor portion of the motor (When combining the teachings of INOUE and Anderson into JO, one skilled in the art would have arrived at the claimed language).
Regarding claim 17, JO as combined above disclose the suspension assembly according to claim 13, and further on JO as combined above also discloses:
wherein the lead screw is rotatably coupled to the cylinder portion, and an opposing lead-screw nut is fixedly coupled to the piston portion (When combining the teachings of INOUE and Anderson into JO, one skilled in the art would have arrived at the claimed language).
Regarding claim 18, JO as combined above disclose the suspension assembly according to claim 13, and further on JO as combined above also discloses:
wherein the transmission arrangement comprises:
(i) a first gear conjoined coaxially to the lead screw for bidirectional rotation together therewith (When combining the teachings of INOUE and Anderson into JO, one skilled in the art would have arrived at the claimed language),
(ii) a second gear conjoined coaxially to an intermediate shaft and in geared communication with the first gear for bidirectional rotation in respective opposing directions thereto (When combining the teachings of INOUE and Anderson into JO, one skilled in the art would have arrived at the claimed language), and
(iii) respective first and second unidirectional rotation-modulators engaging the first and second gears with the rotor portion so as to transfer thereto a unidirectional torque (When combining the teachings of INOUE and Anderson into JO, one skilled in the art would have arrived at the claimed language).
Regarding claim 19, JO as combined above disclose the suspension assembly according to claim 13, and further on JO as combined above also discloses:
wherein respective central axes of the lead screw and of the rotor portion of the electric motor are aligned in parallel with each other and laterally displaced from each other (When combining the teachings of INOUE and Anderson into JO, one skilled in the art would have arrived at the claimed language).
Regarding claim 37, JO as combined above disclose the suspension assembly according to claim 13, and further on JO as combined above also discloses:
wherein the shock absorber is disposed between a reference frame of the vehicle and a wheel assembly (When combining the teachings of INOUE and Anderson into JO, one skilled in the art would have arrived at the claimed language).
Regarding claim 54, JO as combined above disclose the method according to claim 53, and further on JO as combined above also discloses:
wherein the regulating of the damping force is effective to regulate a linear motion of a piston portion of the shock absorber relative to a cylinder portion of the shock absorber (When combining the teachings of INOUE and Anderson into JO, one skilled in the art would have arrived at the claimed language).
Regarding claim 55, JO as combined above disclose the method according to claim 53, and further on JO as combined above also discloses:
wherein a lead screw is disposed within the shock absorber to translate between linear motion and rotational motion (When combining the teachings of INOUE and Anderson into JO, one skilled in the art would have arrived at the claimed language).
Regarding claim 56, JO as combined above disclose the method according to claim 53, and further on JO as combined above also discloses:
wherein respective central axes of the lead screw and of a rotor portion of the motor are aligned in parallel with each other and laterally displaced from each other (When combining the teachings of INOUE and Anderson into JO, one skilled in the art would have arrived at the claimed language).
Pertinent Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
WO 2006/112244 A1 – INOUE
Conclusion
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/RUBEN PICON-FELICIANO/Examiner, Art Unit 3747
/LINDSAY M LOW/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3747