Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of the rigid-floating flexible torque coupler shown in Figs. 1-3 9Species 1) in the reply filed on June 10, 2026 is acknowledged.
Claim 7 is withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on June 10, 2026.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the single torque shaft 106 and first 108 and second 110 balls must be shown as “floating” within the first 114 and second 116 sockets as recited in claims 2, 13 & 17, each of the “portions” recited in claims 4, 14 & 18 must be shown and indicated, and each ball must be shown as pivoting over a defined (i.e. indicated) range without interfering with a socket as recited in claim 9. No new matter should be entered.
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 § 112
Claims 2-4, 6, 9, 13-14 & 17-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the enablement requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to enable one skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and/or use the invention.
Each of claims 2, 13 & 17 recites the limitation, “the single torque shaft and first and second balls float within the first and second sockets.” However, the specification fails to disclose how to make the single torque shaft and first and second balls so that they float.
Claim 3 recites, “the opposing ball and socket surfaces are configured to interfere with each other at a plurality of points to transfer torque, wherein the composition of the plurality of points changes dynamically depending on the lateral or angular offset.” Claims 13 & 17 recite similarly. However, the specification fails to disclose how to make the ball and socket surfaces 124, 126, 128, 130 so that the plurality of points change dynamically depending on the lateral or angular offset.
Each of claims 4, 14 & 18 recites the limitation, “portions of the cross-sections of the opposing ball and socket surfaces are non-tangential to a circle about a rotation axis of the socket.” However, the specification fails to disclose how to make the opposing ball and socket surfaces 124, 126, 128, 130 so that they include “portions” that are non-tangential to a circle about a rotation axis of the socket.
Claim 9 recites the limitation, “each ball pivots about the plurality of [interference] points over a defined range without interfering with the socket.” However, the specification fails to disclose how to make the balls 108, 110 so that they can pivot without interfering the sockets 114, 116, or vice versa.
As such, it would not be possible for one of ordinary skill in the art to make or use the claimed invention without undue experimentation. In making this determination the examiner affirms that he has considered the breadth of the claims;
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the nature of the invention;
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the state of the prior art;
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the level of one of ordinary skill;
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the level of predictability in the art;
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the amount of direction provided by the inventor; any
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existence of working examples; and the quantity of experimentation needed to make or use the invention based on the content of the disclosure.
Claims 2, 4, 9, 13-14 & 17-18 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.
Each of claims 2, 13 & 17 recites the limitation, “the single torque shaft and first and second balls float within the first and second sockets.” Given the effects of gravity, it is unclear how the single torque shaft and first and second balls float within the first and second sockets.
Each of claims 4, 14 & 18 recites the limitation, “portions of the cross-sections of the opposing ball and socket surfaces are non-tangential to a circle about a rotation axis of the socket.” However, no such portions are defined in the claims or anywhere else in the disclosure.
Claim 9 recites the limitation, “each ball pivots about the plurality of [interference] points over a defined range without interfering with the socket.” However, no such range is defined in the claim or anywhere else in the disclosure.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
Claims 1, 4, 6, 8, 10-12, 14-16 & 18-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Anderson, US 3,940,946. Figs. 14-15 show a rigid-floating flexible torque coupler to couple torque from a drive shaft (34) that rotates about an axis to a driven shaft (30), the flexible coupler comprising:
a single torque shaft 28 including first and second balls 94, 96 rigidly attached at opposing ends of a rigid shaft 28;
a first socket 98 configured to be rigidly attached to the drive shaft, said first socket configured to receive the first ball;
a second socket 100 configured to be rigidly attached to the driven shaft, said second socket configured to receive the second ball;
wherein said first socket and first ball and said second socket and second ball are each configured with opposing ball and socket surfaces that interfere to transfer torque upon rotation of the drive shaft about the axis while allowing the ball to pivot within the socket to tolerate lateral or angular offset of the drive and driven shafts,
wherein Figs. 6-7 shows portions of the cross-sections of the opposing ball and socket surfaces are non-tangential to a circle about a rotation axis of the socket, and that the opposing ball and socket surfaces are symmetric about a center axis of the ball and a rotation axis of the socket,
wherein the opposing ball and socket surfaces have a polygonally-shaped cross-section perpendicular to the rotation axis of the socket and the single torque shaft, respectively (col. 2, lines 8-11 and col. 6, lines 46-47),
wherein Figs. 14-15 show each ball has a maximum width perpendicular to the axis of the single torque shaft, wherein each ball tapers fore and aft to a lesser width,
wherein Figs. 14-15 show the first and second sockets are integrally formed in the ends of the drive and driven shafts, respectively,
wherein Fig. 2 shows said first and second sockets have sufficient depth along the axis to allow the first and second balls to be displaced along the axis to tolerate axial misalignment of the drive and driven shafts.
Claims 1-6 & 8-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lieser, US 5,069,569. Figs. 7-9 show a rigid-floating flexible torque coupler J” to couple torque from a drive shaft (nominally indicated by reference numeral 11) that rotates about an axis X to a driven shaft (nominally indicated by reference character F”), the flexible coupler comprising:
a single torque shaft M” including first and second balls H, H rigidly attached at opposing ends of a rigid shaft 14;
a first socket (nominally indicated by leftmost reference numeral 10) configured to be rigidly attached to the drive shaft, said first socket configured to receive the first ball;
a second socket (nominally indicated by rightmost reference numeral 10) configured to be rigidly attached to the driven shaft, said second socket configured to receive the second ball;
wherein said first socket and first ball and said second socket and second ball are each configured with opposing ball and socket surfaces 15, 12 that interfere to transfer torque upon rotation of the drive shaft about the axis while allowing the ball to pivot within the socket to tolerate lateral or angular offset of the drive and driven shafts,
wherein Fig. 4 shows that at rest in a nominally aligned condition, the single torque shaft and first and second balls float within the first and second sockets,
wherein the opposing ball and socket surfaces are configured to interfere with each other at a plurality of points to transfer torque, wherein the composition of the plurality of points changes dynamically depending on the lateral or angular offset (col. 7, lines 1-10),
wherein Figs. 4 & 8 shows portions of the cross-sections of the opposing ball and socket surfaces are non-tangential to a circle about a rotation axis of the socket, and that the opposing ball and socket surfaces are symmetric about a center axis Y of the ball and a rotation axis X of the socket,
wherein Fig. 6 shows the opposing ball and socket surfaces have a polygonally-shaped cross-section perpendicular to the rotation axis of the socket and the single torque shaft, respectively,
wherein Fig. 8 shows each ball has a maximum width perpendicular to the axis of the single torque shaft, wherein each ball tapers fore and aft to a lesser width,
wherein the opposing surfaces are configured to interfere at a plurality of points to transfer torque, wherein each ball pivots about the plurality of points over a defined range without interfering with the socket (col. 7, lines 1-10),
wherein Figs. 7-9 show the first and second sockets are integrally formed in the ends of the drive and driven shafts, respectively,
wherein said first and second sockets have sufficient depth along the axis to allow the first and second balls to be displaced along the axis to tolerate axial misalignment of the drive and driven shafts (col. 1, lines 56-61).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Weingartner, Wyrick and Gilbert disclose rigid-floating flexible torque couplers.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Greg Binda whose telephone number is (571)272-7077. The examiner can normally be reached 9:30-5:30 et.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Matthew Troutman can be reached at 571-270-3654. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Greg Binda/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3679
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