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 .
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.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because the lead lines are difficult to differentiate from the lines of the figures making it difficult for the Examiner is determine which component is being referenced. For example, lead lines for 56A and 56B are nearly transparent and appear to point to solid components instead of the hollow portions. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 3, and 6-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Fukasawa (US 2021/0404525).
Regarding claim 1, Fukasawa discloses an actuator (1 of Figure 1) including a hollow portion penetrating the actuator in an axial direction (see Figure 1; Para. 0034-0035), the actuator comprising:
a first shaft (16c of Figure 1) that surrounds the hollow portion; and
a second shaft (13 of Figure 1) that surrounds the hollow portion and is connected to the first shaft to be rotatable integrally therewith (Para. 0034-0035),
wherein the first shaft and the second shaft include a fitting portion (Para. 0035, for example, spline connection) in which the first shaft is fitted to an inner periphery of the second shaft (see Figure 1), and are connected to each other in the fitting portion (Para. 0035, for example, spline connection).
Regarding claim 3, Fukasawa discloses wherein the second shaft (13 of Figure 1) includes an inner step portion (Para. 0035, for example, spline connection) provided on an inner peripheral portion thereof, and
the inner step portion comes into contact with an axial end surface of the first shaft (16c of Figure 1) so that the second shaft is positioned in the axial direction with respect to the first shaft.
Regarding claim 6, Fukasawa discloses wherein the first shaft (16c of Figure 1) is an input shaft of a speed reducer (15 of Figure 1),
the second shaft is a motor shaft (12, 13 of Figure 1), and
the input shaft and the motor shaft are connected to each other at a position overlapping a counter-load-side coil end portion of a motor coil (12a of Figure 1) in a radial direction.
Regarding claim 7, Fukasawa discloses further comprising:
a driver unit (Implied, Para. 0045) through which the second shaft (13 of Figure 1) penetrates in the axial direction,
wherein the first shaft (16c of Figure 1) and the second shaft are connected to each other at a position accessible through a cutout portion (shafts are located in the cutout portion) formed in the driver unit.
Regarding claim 8, Fukasawa discloses further comprising:
a driver unit (Implied, Para. 0045) through which the second shaft (13 of Figure 1) penetrates in the axial direction; and
a bearing (21 of Figure 1) that supports the second shaft on a counter-load side with respect to the driver unit.
Regarding claim 9, Fukasawa discloses wherein the bearing (21 of Figure 1) is supported by a bearing support member (holder for 21 of Figure 1), and the bearing support member is disposed on the counter-load side with respect to the driver unit.
Regarding claim 10, Fukasawa discloses wherein the bearing support member (holder for 21 of Figure 1) is fixed to a driver casing (11a of Figure 1) of the driver unit via a fixing tool (implied).
Regarding claim 11, Fukasawa discloses wherein the bearing support member (holder for 21 of Figure 1) is disposed to interpose the driver casing (11a of Figure 1) between the bearing support member and the driver unit.
Regarding claim 12, Fukasawa discloses further comprising:
a rotation detector (18 of Figure 1) including a detection unit provided in the driver unit and a detection target provided at a position facing the detection unit,
wherein the first shaft (16c of Figure 1) is a center pipe connected to an output member of a speed reducer (16 of Figure 1), and
the second shaft (13 of Figure 1) is an attachment shaft to which the detection target is attached (see Figure 1).
Regarding claim 13, Fukasawa discloses further comprising:
a wiring drawn from a motor coil (12a of Figure 1); and
a first mold member (11c of Figure 1) that covers a base end portion of the wiring (11c1 of Figure 1) on a motor coil side and fixes a drawing direction (see Figure 1, fixes in both directions) of the wiring from the motor coil.
Regarding claim 14, Fukasawa discloses further comprising:
a wiring (via 11c1 of Figure 1) drawn from a motor coil (12a of Figure 1);
a wiring groove (see Figure 1 wiring from motor) provided in a housing (11 of Figure 1); and
a second mold member (11c of Figure 1) that fixes the wiring in the wiring groove.
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 2, 4, and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fukasawa (US 2021/0404525).
Regarding claim 2, Fukasawa discloses further comprising:
a housing (11 of Figure 1);
an outer member (12a of Figure 1) that is located in the housing at a position separated to a radially outer side from the second shaft (13 of Figure 1); and
a fastening member (see Figure 1) that fastens the first shaft and the second shaft,
wherein the fastening member is disposed at a position overlapping the outer member in the radial direction (see Figure 1).
Fukasawa does not explicitly disclose a fastening member (see Figure 1) that fastens the first shaft and the second shaft in a radial direction.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before effective filing of the claimed invention to the fastening members of Fukasawa fasten in a radial direction to fasten the first and second shaft as well as other components of the system.
Applicant has not disclosed that fastening in a radial direction provides an advantage, is used for a particular purpose, or solves a stated problem. One of ordinary skill in the art, furthermore, would have expected Applicant’s invention to perform equally well with fasteners in an axial direction because the result to fasten the first shaft and second shaft is still achieved.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Fukasawa to obtain the invention as specified in claim 2.
Regarding claims 4, 5, Fukasawa wherein the second shaft (13 of Figure 1) includes an inner diameter portion provided on the inner step portion in an insertion direction with respect to the fitting portion (Para. 0035, for example, spline connection) (claim 5).
Fukasawa does not explicitly disclose wherein the inner step portion (Para. 0035, for example, spline connection) is formed such that an inner diameter of the second shaft (13 of Figure 1) decreases toward an insertion direction in which the first shaft (16c of Figure 1) moves toward a counter-load side in the axial direction (claim 4);
the inner diameter portion is formed to have a smaller inner diameter than a location where the fitting portion is formed in the second shaft (claim 5).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before effective filing of the claimed invention to have the inner diameter of the second shaft of Fukasawa decrease toward insertion and have a smaller diameter than the fitting location in the second shaft for a tighter secure fit since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the size of a component. A change in size is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. In re Rose, 105 USPQ 237 (CCPA 1955).
Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Kume (US 2010/0170355) discloses a rotary actuator with a motor, speed reducer, and driving unit.
Druant (US 2024/0146166), Yazaki (US 2023/0265788) disclose an axially connected first and second shaft.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHARLES H REID whose telephone number is (571)272-9248. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:30-4:45 PM.
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, Tulsidas Patel can be reached at 571-272-2098. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Charles Reid Jr./ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834