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 § 112
Claims 8-9, 10-11, 13-16 and 18-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claims 8 and 9 recite the limitation "the first drive shaft". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 9 recites the limitation "the second drive shaft". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claims 10-11, 13-16 and 18-21 are rejected by virtue of depending from rejected claims 8 and 9.
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) 7, 12 and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zheng (US 10,927,934).
In re claim 7, Knoblauch teaches an apparatus for controlling an individual wheel drive in a two-axle motor vehicle having at least one electrified vehicle axle on which an electric drive motor (E1; E2) is associated with each wheel (C, C), the apparatus comprising: an electronic controller (fig. 9a); and a coupling (7a, 7b, 9a, 9b) which can be adjusted by the electronic controller between the electric drive motors (E1, E2); wherein the electronic controller and the coupling are configured in such a way that given at least one first specified condition in a first actuating mode (low requirement for power and torque), only a first electric drive motor (E1) of the electric drive motors drives both wheels (fig. 6a; par.102-110), and a second electric drive motor (par. 102) of the electric drive motors is stopped (par. 106), and given at least one second specified condition in a second actuating mode (stability control requirement), both of the electric drive motors drive one wheel each, separately from one another (fig. 6c, par. 102, 121-126).
In re claim 8, the Zheng further teaches wherein the coupling comprises a first sliding sleeve (9b) and a second sliding sleeve (7a), the first sliding sleeve, in the first actuating mode, being configured to decouple the second electric drive (E2) motor from the first drive shaft, which is associated with the second electric drive motor, and the second sliding sleeve (7a), in the first actuating mode, being configured to couple the first electric drive motor (E1) to the first drive shaft (fig. 6a).
In re claim 9, Zheng further teaches a first sliding sleeve (9b) and a second sliding sleeve (7a), the first sliding sleeve, in the second actuating mode, being configured to couple the first electric drive motor (E1) to the first drive shaft, which is associated with the first electric drive motor, and the second sliding sleeve, in the second actuating mode, being configured to couple the second electric drive motor to the second drive shaft, which is associated with the second electric drive motor (fig. 6c).
In re claim 10, Zheng teaches the second sliding sleeve, in both actuating modes, is connected to a bevel gear of a differential on the second drive shaft (col. 17, ln 30-41).
In re claim 11, Zheng teaches the second sliding sleeve, in both actuating modes, is connected to a bevel gear of a differential on the second drive shaft (col. 17, ln 30-41).
In re claims 12-16, Zheng teaches the at least one first specified condition includes a power requirement below a first defined threshold (fig. 8, “opening degree value of the acceleration pedal”).
In re claims 17-22, Zheng teaches the at least one second specified condition includes a power requirement above a second defined threshold (fig. 8, “opening degree value of the acceleration pedal”).
Conclusion
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/EREZ GURARI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3614