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 § 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) 1, 6-12, 16 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent Publication 2023/0198345 issued to Lewandowski (citation No. 1 in the IDS filed on 1/18/2025).
Regarding Claims 1, 16 and 20, Lewandowski teaches in Figures 1 and 2 and respective portions of the specification of a vehicle (Figure 2) with chassis and frame (27, see Figure 1) and powertrain assembly (1), comprising:
a motor (3);
a motor position sensor (25), configured to monitor a position of the motor (3), comprising a sensor rotor (21; see paragraph [0024]) and a sensor stator (25);
a first rotary shaft (elements 8 and 17), wherein a first end of the first rotary shaft (8,17) is connected to the motor (3), and the sensor rotor (21) is directly processed (mounted; see at least paragraph [0022]) at a second end (arranged at left end in Figure 1) of the first rotary shaft (8,17); and
an electronic control assembly (4), wherein the sensor stator (25) is arranged in (see Figure 1) the electronic control assembly (4), and the second end of the first rotary shaft (8,17) is in the electronic control assembly—Figure 1 shows the second end of the rotator shaft (8,17) is arranged in the housing (23) for the electric control assembly (4).
Regarding the newly claimed limitation that “the sensor rotor is directly process at the second of the rotary shaft”.
The word “processed” has been examined with its plain ordinary meaning “having been subjected to a special process or treatment (as in the course of manufacture)” (Merrium-Webster online dictionary.)
As shown in Figure 1 the sensor stator (21) is subject to a special process or treatment (paragraph [0022 disclose element 21 is mounted on shaft 8]—mounting is a considered both a process and treatment) directly at the second end (the arrangement at the left end in Figure 1) of the of the first rotary shaft (8, 17).
Regarding Claim 6, Lewandowski teaches the electronic control assembly (4) is arranged at a side, facing the second end (the left side in Figure 1) of the first rotary shaft (8,17), of the powertrain assembly.
Regarding Claim 7, Lewandowski teaches a housing (see Figure 1), wherein the housing comprises a first accommodation cavity (motor housing 12) and a second accommodation cavity (housing 23) that are separated, the first accommodation cavity (12) configured to accommodate the motor (3) and the second accommodation cavity (23) configured to accommodate the electronic control assembly (4), and an opening (see where shaft 8,17 passes through element 5) for the second end of the first rotary shaft (8,17) to pass through is on a separation wall (5) between the first accommodation cavity (12) and the second accommodation cavity (23).
Regarding Claim 8, Lewandowski teaches the opening corresponds to the sensor stator (25) in position (see Figure 1).
Regarding Claim 9, Lewandowski teaches a sealing component (22) configured to seal the opening is on the opening.
Regarding Claim 10, Lewandowski a mounting bracket (element 5 is a bracket for supporting bearing 6) is on the separation wall, wherein the first rotary shaft (8,17) is mounted on the mounting bracket through a bearing (6), and the mounting bracket extends from the separation wall to an interior of the first accommodation cavity (12).
Regarding Claim 11, Lewandowski teaches the motor (3) comprises a motor stator (13) and a motor rotor (18), wherein the first rotary shaft (8,17) is partially sleeved (see Figure 1) with the motor rotor (18) and rotates coaxially along with rotation of the motor rotor (18) rotary shaft and the second rotary shaft are in transmission connection through a second gear pair.
Regarding Claim 12, Lewandowski teaches a second rotary shaft (28; Figure 2) configured to be connected to a wheel (29), wherein the second rotary shaft (28) is arranged in parallel (Figure 2) with the first rotary shaft (8,17), and the second rotary shaft (28) and the first rotary shaft (8,17) are in transmission connection through a gear pair (9,10).
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.
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lewandowski in view of U.S. Patent Publication No. 2017/0167894 issued to Schroeder et al.
Regarding Claim 3, Lewandowski teaches the electronic control assembly (4) comprises a circuit board (24) but does not state if the sensor stator (25) is a coil structure arranged on the circuit board.
Schroeder et al. teaches of a device for detecting the axial position of a shaft. Schroeder et al. teaches that it is known for the sensor (30) with a coil structure (34, 35).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to use Schroeder et al.’s teaching for providing a coil structure for a sensor, on the circuit board (24) for the electronic control (4) assembly taught by Lewandowski. One would be motivated to provide a coil structure arranged on the circuit board to provide a teaching for the sensor construction (25) for circuit board (24) shown by Lewandowski in Figure 1.
Claim(s) 4 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lewandowski in view of Schroeder et al., and in further view of U.S. Patent Publication No. 2004/0027120 issued to Rippingale.
Regarding Claims 4 and 18, Schroeder teaches for the modified invention of Lewandowski the coil structure comprises an induction coil (34,35; see paragraph [0038, 0039]) but does not teach of an etching layer in a stacked form.
Rippingale teaches that is known to provide a coil structure (60) etched in a circuit board (see at least paragraphs [0023-0024]) with a stacked form (see Figure 3).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to use Rippingale’s teaching for providing a circuit board with etching layers in stacked form, on the circuit board (24) for the electronic control (4) assembly taught by Lewandowski as modified by Schroeder et al. One would be motivated to provide a circuit board with etched layers to provide circuit board with a sensor to measuring the position of the first rotary shaft (8, 17).
Claim(s) 13-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lewandowski in view of U.S. Patent Publication No. 2024/0088743 issued to Ito.
Regarding Claim 13, Lewandowski shows the second rotary shaft (28) schematically in Figure 2 but does not show the details for the secondary rotary shaft including a first half shaft and a second half shaft that are configured to be connected to wheels at two sides respectively, and a differential gear is arranged between the first half shaft and the second half shaft.
Ito shows the details for a vehicle drive device (100) that includes a secondary rotary shaft (OX) with a first half shaft (left OX in Figures 3 and 4) and a second half shaft (right OX in Figures 3 and 4) that are configured to be connected to wheels (W) at two sides respectively (Figure 3), and a differential gear (DF) is arranged between the first half shaft and the second half shaft (see Figures 3 and 4).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to use the details for providing a secondary rotary shaft with a first and second half shafts, separated by a differential, and connected to wheels, as taught by Ito, for the vehicle drive device taught by Lewandowski. One would be motivated to use the details taught by Ito to produce the structure for schematic shown by Lewandowski in Figure 2.
Regarding Claim 14, Lewandowski does not show the details for if at least one third rotary shaft is arranged between the first rotary shaft (8,17) and the second rotary shaft (28), wherein the third rotary shaft is arranged in parallel with the first rotary shaft (8,17) and the second rotary shaft (28), and wherein the first rotary shaft (8,17) and the third rotary shaft are in transmission connection through a first gear pair, and the third rotary shaft and the second rotary shaft are in transmission connection through a second gear pair.
Ito shows a vehicle drive device (100) with a third rotary shaft (CG) is arranged between the first rotary shaft (IN) and the second rotary shaft (OX), wherein the third rotary shaft (CG) is arranged in parallel (see Figure 4) with the first rotary shaft (IN) and the second rotary shaft (OX), and wherein the first rotary shaft (IN) and the third rotary shaft (CG) are in transmission connection (Figure 4) through a first gear pair (G1 see where G3 is located in Figure 4), and the third rotary shaft (CG) and the second rotary shaft (OX) are in transmission connection through a second gear pair (see where G3 is located in Figure 4).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to use the details for providing a third rotary shaft is arranged between the first rotary shaft and the second rotary shaft, wherein the third rotary shaft is arranged in parallel with the first rotary shaft and the second rotary shaft, and wherein the first rotary shaft and the third rotary shaft are in transmission connection through a first gear pair, and the third rotary shaft and the second rotary shaft are in transmission connection through a second gear pair, as taught by Ito, for the vehicle drive device taught by Lewandowski. One would be motivated to use the details taught by Ito to produce the structure for schematic shown by Lewandowski in Figure 2.
Claim(s) 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lewandowski in view of U.S. Patent Publication No. 2020/0124157 issued to Eshenbeck et al.
Regarding Claim 15, Lewandowski does not state if the motor position sensor is an eddy current position sensor.
An eddy current position sensor is a known sensor in the vehicle art, such as taught by Eshenbeck et al., who teaches the use of an eddy current position sensor as a sensor for measuring and controlling an electric machine (see paragraph [0003]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to use an eddy current position sensor, as taught by Eshenbeck et al., for the invention taught by Lewandowski. One would be motivated to provide an eddy current position sensor as an engineering expedient for using a known sensor to measure the position of the motor for the electronic control assembly.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5 and 19 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the primary reason for the indication of allowable subject matter in this case is the inclusion of: an induction coil etching layer comprises a first induction coil etching layer and a second induction coil etching layer in a stacked form, wherein one of the first induction coil etching layer and the second induction coil etching layer is configured to induce a sinusoidal signal, and another one of the first induction coil etching layer and the second induction coil etching layer is configured to induce a cosinusoidal sig nal, in combination with the other elements recited, not found in the prior art of record.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 6/22/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Regarding Applicant’s arguments beginning on page 9 that “Lewandowski does not disclose that its position indicator 21 is directly processed at the second end of the input shaft.”
The only support for the newly claimed limitation “directly process” is found in paragraph [0035] of the originally filed specification of 5/8/2024 -- “In some examples, a feature of the sensor rotor 41 may be directly processed at the second end of the first rotary shaft 2, for example, the feature of the sensor rotor 41 may be directly processed at the second end of the first rotary shaft 2 through computer numerical control (CNC) machining.”
The language “for example … the sensor rotor may be directly processed at a second end of the first rotary shaft through computer numerical control (CNC) machining” does not limit the claim to only CNC machining but is merely a representative example. As such the plain ordinarily meaning for “processed” has been relied upon. Processed: “having been subjected to a special process or treatment (as in the course of manufacture)” as defined by Merrium-Webster online dictionary.
As shown in Figure 1 the sensor stator (21) is subject to a special process or treatment (paragraph [0022 disclose element 21 is mounted on shaft 8]—mounting is a considered both a process and treatment) directly at the second end (the arrangement at the left end in Figure 1) of the of the first rotary shaft (8, 17).
Regarding Applicant’s argument, page 10, that the difference between the present invention and Lewandowski are not trivial. It’s noted that these differences (precision and advantages) are not recited in the rejected claim(s). Although the claims are interpreted in light of the specification, limitations from the specification are not read into the claims. See In re Van Geuns, 988 F.2d 1181, 26 USPQ2d 1057 (Fed. Cir. 1993).
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRIAN L SWENSON whose telephone number is (571)270-5572. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday (9-5).
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BRIAN SWENSON
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3618
/BRIAN L SWENSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3613
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