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 .
Status of Claims
Claims 1,4-7, and 9-14 are pending
Claims 1, 4-7, and 9-12 are amended
Claims 2, 3, and 8 are cancelled
Response to Arguments
Rejections under 35 USC 112
Regarding applicant’s argument that the addition of the term “bicycle” would overcome the 112(a)/(b) resulting from the 112(f) analysis, the examiner respectfully disagrees.
Regarding the “acceleration sensing unit”, the addition of the term “bicycle” does not remedy the lack of structure regarding how the unit acquires/senses acceleration data. The specification is silent to the structure of the acceleration unit apart from specifying its dedicated function. The specified function being to generate an acceleration signal from sensed acceleration variations (¶ 0054). From the specification and the claims, it is unclear if the unit directly senses acceleration data or merely collects data from a sensor and generates processed data for the control unit. The addition of the bicycle only adds to its application of the function, but not towards the structure of the unit. As such the rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112 (a)/(b) regarding the 112 (f) issues for the “acceleration sensing unit” are sustained. Please see 112 rejections below.
Likewise, for the “gyroscope unit”, the addition of the term “bicycle” does not remedy the lack of structure regarding how the unit senses/generates the angular velocity data and signal. The specification is silent to the structure of the gyroscope unit apart from specifying its dedicated function being to “configured to sense an angular momentum variation to generate an angular velocity signal” (¶ 0015). From the specification and the claims, it is unclear if the unit directly senses angular momentum data directly or merely collects and interprets data for the control unit. The addition of the bicycle only adds to its application of the function, but not towards the structure of the unit. As such the rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112 (a)/(b) regarding the 112 (f) issues for the “gyroscope unit” are sustained. Please see 112 rejections below.
To remedy these issues, the examiner recommends amending the claims to remove the term “unit” as to avoid 112(f) analysis.
Rejections under 35 USC 102 and 103
Applicants arguments regarding the 102 and 103 rejections regarding the YAMAGUCHI, PELOT, and NEGISHI prior arts not disclosing “that the controllable devices such as the shock absorber and the telescopic seat pillar structure can use the rotary knob that is rotated in different rotational directions or the pressing operation to change the damping value of the shock absorber or the length of the telescopic seat pillar structure” have been fully considered and the examiner respectfully disagrees.
The YAMAGUCHI reference discloses a shock absorber with adjustment elements that allow for the modification of dampening in ¶ 0023 (“As shown schematically in FIG. 3, each shock absorber comprises a first member (e.g., a piston) 148 that moves relative to a second member (e.g., a cylinder chamber) 150. External adjustment elements are provided for low speed and high speed compression damping (e.g., driver control units 154, 162 and a separate lever-operated adjustment knob 158, 166 for each setting”). Furthermore, the YAMAGUCHI reference additionally discloses that the systems can be controlled by a wirelessly in ¶ 0020-0021. A person having ordinary skill in the art would recognize that the adjustment knob in YAMAGOUCHI could work by a digital knob such as a rotary knob, especially if driven in a wireless medium which requires an electronic signal to be generated.
The PELOT reference teaches the motorized seat pillar controllable by the user in ¶ 0061 (“The remote controller receives the seat post height instructions from the rider, and sends these instructions through either the electrical wire 360 and/or the mechanical cable 350 to the motive source M 365. The controller 370 of the motive source M 365 then translates these instructions into particularized movement of the motor output shaft 515. As will be described herein, the motor output shaft 515 is attached to the cam 520 and moves/rotates in response to the movement of the motor output shaft 515.”). While PELOT does not explicitly teach a rotary knob, it does teach a remote controller for shifting the seat in ¶ 0051 (“Embodiments provide for a dropper seat post which is capable of accomplishing both of the foregoing modalities: […] (2) user-programmability to set the height of the definitive (finite) positions; […]As will be described herein, a variety of mechanisms enable the user interface actuated seat post to switch/rotate between these modalities via buttons, switches, levers, etc.”). A person having ordinary skill in the art would recognize that the remote controller for seat height within PELOT can be modified to work in the control unit of YAMAGOUCHI.
Furthermore, it is the Office's stance that the use of rotary knob , without any explanation of any well-known benefit or a new and unexpected result of choosing the location is a mere design option. Furthermore, by differentiating the claimed subject matter by an art known feature without reciting a new and unexpected result would be an obvious design option and involves only routine skill in the art. Thus, one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have recognized that the results of choosing different input buttons, knobs, and/or interfaces would have been obvious and the design option would have produced predictable results. [see MPEP 2144.04]
Given all the reasons stated above, the rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103 is sustained. Given the amendment to claim 1 to have the limitations from claim 3, the 102 rejection of claim 1 has been changed to 103.
Double Patenting
Regarding the applicants arguments and submission of a terminal disclaimer, the examiner agree that the double patenting rejection has been overcome. Therefore the rejection for non-statutory double patenting has been withdrawn.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 1, 4, 6, 7, 9-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamaguchi (US 20130090195 A1) in view of PELOT (US 20130221713 A1) in further view of NEGISHI (US 20210309064 A1).
Regarding claim 1:
A wireless controller, used in a bicycle comprising at least one of controllable devices, wherein the wireless controller comprises: (see at least YAMAGUSHI, ¶ 0022, “As shown in FIG. 2, bicycle characteristic control unit 112 includes a box-like housing 142. Display unit 134, power switch 136, mode switch 138 and resistance control switch 140 are arranged on the upper surface of housing 142. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, bicycle characteristic control unit 112 is connected to the electrical components associated with front derailleur transmission 76, to the electrical components associated with rear derailleur transmission 80, to the electrical components associated with rear suspension element 26 and to the electrical components associated with front suspension elements 40 by a connector unit 146.”)
a housing; (see at least YAMAGUSHI, ¶ 0022)
a wireless communication unit, disposed in the housing, and configured to receive and transmit at least one signal; (see at least YAMAGUSHI , ¶ 0020, “As shown in FIG. 3, bicycle characteristic control unit 112 is electrically connected through appropriate wiring to the electrical components associated with command units 108a, 108b, to the electrical components associated with rear suspension 26, to the electrical components associated with front suspension 40, to the electrical components associated with front derailleur transmission 76, to the electrical components associated with rear derailleur transmission 80, and to the electrical components associated with saddle 86. Of course, bicycle characteristic control unit 112 may be operatively coupled to any one of those components by appropriate wireless communication devices as well.”)
a control unit, disposed in the housing and electrically connected to the wireless communication unit, wherein (see at least YAMAGUSHI, ¶ 0020)
the control unit is configured to generate a control signal in response to a user command, and (see at least YAMAGUCHI, ¶ 0020)
transmit the control signal to the controllable device of the bicycle via the wireless communication unit to activate the controllable device of the bicycle; (see at least YAMAGUCHI, ¶ 0020; ¶ 0021, “Bicycle characteristic control unit 112 comprises a control unit 122 having a CPU 126, a memory 130, a seat position signal receiver 131 for receiving the seat position signals from seat position sensor 96, a gear position signal receiver 132 for receiving gear position signals from front derailleur position sensor 76 and rear derailleur position sensor 82, a suspension control unit 133 that provides control signals to control the operating parameters of rear suspension element 26 and front suspension elements 40, a resistance control unit 135 that provides control signals to control the resistance applied to chain guide 80c, a display unit 134 for displaying the current gear ratio and other information, a power switch 136, a mode switch 138, and a rear derailleur resistance control switch 140. CPU 126 is a programmed processor that operates according to the information stored in memory 130. Seat position signal receiver 131 and gear position signal receiver 132 may comprise appropriate input terminals and buffers to convert the input signals into proper signals for use by the control programs, they may comprise wireless receivers, optical receivers, and so on. Power switch 136 turns bicycle characteristic control unit 112 on and off. Mode switch 138 changes an operating mode of bicycle characteristic control unit 112 and may be used in conjunction with front suspension control button 116d and rear suspension control button 118d to select and control the desired functions of rear suspension element 26 and front suspension elements 40. Resistance control switch 140 is used to control user-controllable operating parameters of rotation resistance changing device 83.”)
a rotary knob, disposed outside the housing and connected to the control unit, wherein the rotary knob is configured to generate the user command to the control unit through a rotation operation; (see at least YAMAGUCHI, ¶ 0023, “In this embodiment, front suspension elements 40 comprise a pair of air-operated shock absorbers. As shown schematically in FIG. 3, each shock absorber comprises a first member (e.g., a piston) 148 that moves relative to a second member (e.g., a cylinder chamber) 150. External adjustment elements are provided for low speed and high speed compression damping (e.g., driver control units 154, 162 and a separate lever-operated adjustment knob 158, 166 for each setting), for stroke (piston travel or compression chamber volume) (e.g., a driver control unit 170 and a lever-operated adjustment knob 174), for air chamber pressure (e.g., a driver control unit 178 and an air valve 182), for rebound damping (e.g., a driver control unit 186 and a lever-operated adjustment knob 190), for lockout actuation (e.g., a driver control unit 194 and a lever-operated actuation knob 198), for lockout force adjustment (e.g., a driver control unit 200 and a lever-operated adjustment knob 202) and for height adjustment (e.g., a driver control unit 204 and a lever-operated adjustment knob or valve 206).”; ¶ 0025, “Driver control units for adjustment elements that make adjustments in a continuous manner (e.g., compression damping of rear suspension element 26 and front suspension elements 40, rotation resistance in rear derailleur transmission 80) may comprise continuous-movement motors or some other suitable motor together with position sensors (potentiometers, resistive position sensors, optical position sensors, contact switches, etc.) that indicate the operating position of the associated knob, lever or other adjusting element. If desired, each driver control unit may include its own microprocessor to control the operation of its associated motor in response to signals provided by suspension control unit 133 and resistance control unit 135 and to provide status signals to control unit 122. Similarly, driver control units for adjustment elements that make adjustments in discrete increments (e.g., three-step stroke adjustment of rear suspension elements 26 and front suspension elements 40, multistep resistance adjustment (low, medium, high, etc.) for rear derailleur transmission 80) may comprise stepper motors or some other suitable motor together with position sensors that indicate the operating position of the associated knob, lever or other adjusting element and with any desired additional microprocessors. Driver control units for adjustment elements that operate in an on/off manner (e.g., lockout actuation of rear suspension element 26 and front suspension elements 40, ON/OFF resistance for rear derailleur transmission 80) may comprise a solenoid or some other suitable driver together with position sensors that indicate the operating position of the associated knob, lever or other adjusting element and with any desired additional microprocessors.”)
a plurality of buttons, arranged outside the housing and connected to the control unit, wherein the buttons are configured to generate the user command to the control unit through a pressing operation; and (see at least YAMAGUCHI, ¶ 0019, “Command units 108a and 108b are used for shifting front derailleur transmission 76 and rear derailleur transmission 80, for controlling the height of saddle 86, and for controlling the operating characteristics of rear suspension 26 and front suspension 40. More specifically, a front upshift button 116a, a front downshift button 116b, a seat-up button 116c and a front suspension control button 116d are provided in command unit 108a, and a rear upshift button 118a, a rear downshift button 118b, a seat-down button 118c and a rear suspension control button 118d are provided in command unit 108b. In this embodiment, upshift buttons 116a and 118a provide signals to bicycle characteristic control unit 112 for upshifting front and rear derailleur transmissions 76 and 80, respectively, by one gear ratio, and downshift buttons 116b and 118b provide signals to bicycle characteristic control unit 112 for downshifting front and rear derailleur transmissions 76 and 80, respectively, by one gear ratio. Seat-up button 116c provides signals to bicycle characteristic control unit 112 to raise saddle 86, and seat-down button 118c provides signals to bicycle characteristic control unit 112 to lower saddle 86. Front and rear suspension control buttons 116d and 118d provide signals to bicycle characteristic control unit 112 to control a number of functions of front and rear suspensions 40 and 26, respectively. Such functions are described in more detail below.”)
a display unit, electrically connected to the control unit, (see at least YAMAGUCHI, ¶ 0021)
wherein the at least one of the controllable devices comprises a shock absorber, the shock absorber comprises a hydraulic unit, wherein (see at least YAMAGUCHI, ¶ 0033, “While air- and oil-operated shock absorbers were disclosed, any pressure-operated or spring-operated shock absorber could be used, such as a hydraulically-operated shock absorber. Any operation characteristic (e.g., pressure; volume; position; movement such as ON/OFF, velocity or acceleration; resistance to movement, etc.) of a first member relative to a second member of any number of components may be controlled based upon a similar operation characteristic of one or more reference components.”)
in response to the rotation operation of rotating the rotary knob in a first rotation direction or the pressing operation of pressing a first one of the buttons, (see at least YAMAGUCHI, ¶ 0023)
the generated user command corresponds to the control signal that activates the hydraulic unit of the shock absorber to increase a damping value of the shock absorber, and (see at least YAMAGUCHI, ¶ 0024, “In this embodiment, rear suspension element 26 comprises a combination air- and oil-operated shock absorber comprising a first member (e.g., a piston) 207 that moves relative to a second member (e.g., a cylinder chamber) 208 with a typical external spring (not shown in the drawings). External adjustment elements are provided for spring preload (e.g., a driver control unit 210 and a lever-operated adjustment nut 214), for low speed and high speed compression damping (e.g., driver control units 218, 222 and a separate lever-operated knob 226, 230 for each setting), for air chamber pressure adjustment (e.g., a driver control unit 234 and an air pressure adjusting valve 238), for air chamber volume adjustment (e.g., a driver control unit 242 and a lever-operated adjustment screw 246), for rebound damping (e.g., a driver control unit 250 and a lever-operated adjustment knob 254), for lockout actuation (e.g., a driver control unit 258 and a lever-operated actuating knob 262), for lockout force adjustment (e.g., a driver control unit 266 and a lever-operated adjustment knob 270), for platform (anti-bobbing) adjustment (e.g., a driver control unit 274 and a lever-operated actuating valve 278), and for height adjustment (e.g., a driver control unit 280 and a lever-operated adjustment knob or valve 282). Air chamber pressure and volume adjustments may be used to adjust the pressure and volume of the main air chamber or for platform (pedaling) damping. Examples of such parameter adjustments may be found in current shock absorbers sold by Fox and Manitou, for example.”)
in response to the rotation operation of rotating the rotary knob in a second rotation direction or the pressing operation of pressing a second one of the buttons, (see at least YAMAGUCHI, ¶ 0023; ¶ 0025)
the generated user command corresponds to the control signal that activates the hydraulic unit of the shock absorber to decrease the damping value of the shock absorber, (see at least YAMAGUCHI, ¶ 0024)
wherein the first rotation direction is opposite to the second rotation direction; (see at least YAMAGUCHI, ¶ 0025)
in response to the rotation operation of rotating the rotary knob in the second rotation direction or the pressing operation of pressing the second one of the buttons, (see at least YAMAGUSHI, ¶ 0021, “Mode switch 138 changes an operating mode of bicycle characteristic control unit 112 and may be used in conjunction with front suspension control button 116d and rear suspension control button 118d to select and control the desired functions of rear suspension element 26 and front suspension elements 40. Resistance control switch 140 is used to control user-controllable operating parameters of rotation resistance changing device 83.”; ¶ 0025)
in response to the rotation operation of rotating the rotary knob in the first rotation direction or the pressing operation of pressing the first one of the buttons, (see at least YAMAGUSHI, ¶ 0021; ¶ 0025)
EXAMINERS NOTE: while YAMAGUCHI does not explicitly determine rotation of the knob, YAMAGTUSHI still tracks the position of the knob which to a person having ordinary skill in the art would recognize that it would be derived as a position relative to the rotational axis.
EXAMINERS NOTE: while YAMAGUCHI does not explicitly determine rotation direction of the knob, YAMAGTUSHI still tracks the position of the knob which to a person having ordinary skill in the art would recognize that it would be derived as a position relative to the rotational axis. Additionally a person having ordinary skill in the art would recognize that a knob spinning in different directions could yield different results.
YAMAGUSHI does not disclose, but NEGISHI teaches:
wherein the bicycle further comprises at least one tire pressure sensor, and (see at least NEGISHI, ¶ 0212, “In another example, a transducer, such as an accelerometer, measures other aspects of the vehicle's suspension system, like axle force and/or moments applied to various parts of the vehicle, like steering tie rods, and directs change to position of active valve 1650 (and corresponding change to the working size of the opening of orifice 1602 by causing cone shaped member 1612 to open, close, or partially close orifice 1602) in response thereto. In another example, active valve 1650 is controlled at least in part by a pressure transducer measuring pressure in a vehicle tire and adding damping characteristics to some or all of the wheels (by adjusting the working size of the opening of orifice 1602 by causing cone shaped member 1612 to open, close, or partially close orifice 1602) in the event of, for example, an increased or decreased pressure reading.”)
the display unit is configured to display tire pressure information of the at least one tire pressure sensor; (see at least NEGISHI, ¶ 0138, “In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3C-1 through 3C-3, garage 230 includes a number of submenu items starting with an overview of a given vehicle. For example, the user could select the vehicle (if they have more than one) and then look at vehicle stats and clearances, tire information, suspension information, lift information, accessories, and the like. In one embodiment, the vehicle information, including accessories, modifications, upgrades, and the like, could be used to calculate a number of vehicle dynamic properties including center of gravity (CG), which in turn, among others, could influence the main control algorithm(s).”; ¶ 0212)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine, with a reasonable expectation of success, the bicycle control unit for adjusting the suspension and display unit within YAMAGUSHI to include a pressure transducer to measure tire pressure for adjusting the suspension and displaying pressure within NEGISHI to yield a safer bicycle that notifies the cyclist of improper bicycle tire pressure that could impact suspension.
YAMAGUSHI in view of NEGISHI does not disclose, but PELOT teaches:
wherein the at least one of the controllable devices comprises a telescopic seat pillar structure, the telescopic seat pillar structure comprises a motor unit, wherein (see at least PELOT, ¶ 0091, “Once the controller 370 recognizes a valid instruction sent from the set of control levers 205, then the controller 370 causes the motive source M 365 to direct the motor output shaft 515 to rotate, thereby rotating the cam 520 attached to the motor output shaft 515. The cam 520, in keeping with the instruction to cause the compression of the seat post 300, rotates such that the check valve ball set two 530 is unseated, thereby allowing fluid flow there through, as was described herein. The rider, concurrently, sits on the saddle to cause the check valve ball set one 535 of the check valve one 510 to unseat, thereby creating a free flow of fluid through the check valve one 510 and check valve two 525.”; ¶ 0092, “Once the controller 370 determines that the seat post 300 has reached its intended position, the motive source M 365 signals to the motor output shaft 515 to rotate in a certain direction and number of degrees such that the attached cam 520 rotates to attain the "closed position" (in which none of the check valve balls of the check valves are unseated) described with respect to FIG. 10.”)
the generated user command corresponds to the control signal that activates the motor unit of the telescopic seat pillar structure to extend a telescopic length of the telescopic seat pillar structure, and (see at least PELOT, ¶ 0051, “Embodiments provide for a dropper seat post which is capable of accomplishing both of the foregoing modalities: (1) user-programmability to accommodate a definitive (finite) number of seat post positions (e.g., up, middle, and down); (2) user-programmability to set the height of the definitive (finite) positions; and (3) user-programmability to accommodate an infinite number of positions. As will be described herein, a variety of mechanisms enable the user interface actuated seat post to switch/rotate between these modalities via buttons, switches, levers, etc. As will be further described below, the instructions received via the user interface (e.g., handlebar lever) cause components (e.g., valves, cam) positioned within the seat post to shift/rotate, thereby controlling fluid flow there through and, ultimately, the vertical movement of the seat post and the saddle.”; ¶ 0061, “In general, and as will be described herein in greater detail, in one embodiment the rider is able to cause the seat post 300 to move up and/or down by moving a lever of a remote controller (either the electronic remote controller 355 and/or the mechanical remote controller 345) attached to the handlebar 200. The remote controller receives the seat post height instructions from the rider, and sends these instructions through either the electrical wire 360 and/or the mechanical cable 350 to the motive source M 365. The controller 370 of the motive source M 365 then translates these instructions into particularized movement of the motor output shaft 515. As will be described herein, the motor output shaft 515 is attached to the cam 520 and moves/rotates in response to the movement of the motor output shaft 515.”)
the generated user command corresponds to the control signal that activates the motor unit of the telescopic seat pillar structure to shorten the telescopic length of the telescopic seat pillar structure. (see at least PELOT, ¶ 0051; ¶ 0061)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify, with a reasonable expectation of success, the bicycle control unit with knob control for drive unit components with pressure sensing within YAMAGUSHI in view of NEGISHI to include electronic control of the seat pillar within PELOT to yield an effective bicycle control unit that allows for electric seat height adjustments based on knob movements. It should be noted that YAMAGUSHI does allow for seat-height alterations based on buttons (¶ 0019).
Regarding Claim 4:
YAMAGUCHI in view of NEGISHI in further view of PELOT disclose the limitations within claim 1 and YAMAGUCHI further discloses:
another one button, disposed outside the housing and connected to the control unit, wherein the other one button is configured to generate the user command to the control unit through the pressing operation, and (see at least YAMAGUCHI, ¶ 0019, “Command units 108a and 108b are used for shifting front derailleur transmission 76 and rear derailleur transmission 80, for controlling the height of saddle 86, and for controlling the operating characteristics of rear suspension 26 and front suspension 40. More specifically, a front upshift button 116a, a front downshift button 116b, a seat-up button 116c and a front suspension control button 116d are provided in command unit 108a, and a rear upshift button 118a, a rear downshift button 118b, a seat-down button 118c and a rear suspension control button 118d are provided in command unit 108b. In this embodiment, upshift buttons 116a and 118a provide signals to bicycle characteristic control unit 112 for upshifting front and rear derailleur transmissions 76 and 80, respectively, by one gear ratio, and downshift buttons 116b and 118b provide signals to bicycle characteristic control unit 112 for downshifting front and rear derailleur transmissions 76 and 80, respectively, by one gear ratio. Seat-up button 116c provides signals to bicycle characteristic control unit 112 to raise saddle 86, and seat-down button 118c provides signals to bicycle characteristic control unit 112 to lower saddle 86. Front and rear suspension control buttons 116d and 118d provide signals to bicycle characteristic control unit 112 to control a number of functions of front and rear suspensions 40 and 26, respectively. Such functions are described in more detail below.”)
YAMAGUCHI does not disclose, but PELOT teaches:
in response to the pressing operation of pressing the other one button, the generated user command corresponds to the control signal that activates the motor unit to adjust the telescopic length of the telescopic seat pillar structure to be a maximum length or a minimum length. (see at least PELOT, ¶ 0051, “Embodiments provide for a dropper seat post which is capable of accomplishing both of the foregoing modalities: (1) user-programmability to accommodate a definitive (finite) number of seat post positions (e.g., up, middle, and down); (2) user-programmability to set the height of the definitive (finite) positions; and (3) user-programmability to accommodate an infinite number of positions. As will be described herein, a variety of mechanisms enable the user interface actuated seat post to switch/rotate between these modalities via buttons, switches, levers, etc. As will be further described below, the instructions received via the user interface (e.g., handlebar lever) cause components (e.g., valves, cam) positioned within the seat post to shift/rotate, thereby controlling fluid flow there through and, ultimately, the vertical movement of the seat post and the saddle.”; ¶ 0066, “In one embodiment, for example, the pre-programmed position may be that of the middle position. However, it should be understood that the pre-programmed position may be any number and location of positions. For instance, the up and down positions may be preprogrammed to be anywhere between the mechanical hard stops (at full-up and full-down positions). Thus, the user is able to reprogram the positions (the positions having already been previously programmed) of the seat post 300 with the user's desired positions.”)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify, with a reasonable expectation of success, the seat-up and seat-down button within YAMAGUSHI to have buttons that allow for user-preset seat heights within PELOT to yield an efficient bicycle control unit that can quickly be adjusted based on user preferences.
Regarding Claim 6:
YAMAGUCHI in view of NEGISHI in further view of PELOT disclose the limitations within claim 1 and YAMAGUCHI does not disclose, NEGISHI teaches:
an acceleration sensing unit, electrically connected to the control unit, (see at least NEGISHI, ¶ 0052, “However, in another embodiment, the IVI system could be used on any one of a variety of vehicles such as, but not limited to, a bicycle, an electric bike (e-bike), a motorcycle, a watercraft, a snow machine, a 3-4 wheeled vehicle, a multi-wheeled vehicle, a side-by-side, a car, a truck, or the like.”; ¶ 0085, “In one embodiment, suspension control application 17 on IVI system 14 will automatically adjust one or more of the pluralities of shock assemblies (shock assemblies 21-24) of the tuned vehicle suspension based on one or more sensor inputs received from sensors such as an inertial gyroscope, an accelerometer, a magnetometer, a steering wheel turning sensor, a single or multi spectrum camera, a lidar and/or radar, and the like.”)
configured to sense an acceleration variation of the bicycle to generate an acceleration signal; and (see at least NEGISHI, ¶ 0052; ¶ 0144, “For example, in one embodiment, the vehicle sensors will read a bump input at the wheel, the pitch angle of the vehicle, telemetry attributes such as angle, orientation, velocity, acceleration, RPM, operating temperature, and the like. This sensor data will be used by the suspension control application 17 on IVI system 14 to generate suspension adjustments for one or more vehicle shock assemblies via one or more of the active valves (e.g., active valve 1650). For example, the active valve 1650 in a shock assembly will receive a signal from the suspension control application 17 on IVI system 14 to adjust one or more flow paths to modify the damping characteristics of the shock assembly.”)
a gyroscope unit, electrically connected to the control unit, (see at least NEGISHI, ¶ 0085)
configured to sense an angular momentum variation of the bicycle to generate an angular velocity signal, (see at least NEGISHI, ¶ 0052; ¶ 0096, “In one embodiment, the sensors include, but are not limited to, accelerometers, sway sensors, suspension changes, visual identification technology (e.g., single or multi spectrum camera's), driver input monitors, steering wheel turning sensors, and the like. For example, one embodiment uses an inertial measurement unit (IMU) to sense rough terrain. One embodiment has an attitude and heading reference system (AHRS) that provides 3D orientation integrating data coming from inertial gyroscopes, accelerometers, magnetometers and the like. For example, in one embodiment, the AHRS is a GPS aided Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) based IMU and static pressure sensor.”; ¶ 0213, “In one embodiment, active valve 1650 is controlled in response to braking pressure (as measured, for example, by a brake pedal (or lever) sensor or brake fluid pressure sensor or accelerometer). In still another example, a parameter might include a gyroscopic mechanism that monitors vehicle trajectory and identifies a “spin-out” or other loss of control condition and adds and/or reduces damping to some or all of the vehicle's shock assemblies (by adjusting the working size of the opening of orifice 1602 by causing cone shaped member 1612 to open, close, or partially close orifice 1602 chambers) in the event of a loss of control to help the operator of the vehicle to regain control.”)
wherein the control unit is further configured to generate a velocity value of the bicycle based on the acceleration signal of the bicycle and the angular velocity signal of the bicycle. (see at least NEGISHI, ¶ 0052; ¶ 0133, “At the second submenu, details of a selected event are shown. The details could include suspension information such as, but not limited to, top outs, bottom outs, range of roll, pitch, yaw, shock velocity, oil temperature, etc. At the third submenu, there are options for a deeper dive into other areas of information including, the suspension, ride zone, vehicle, map, video, and the like.”; ¶ 0144; ¶ 0213)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine, with a reasonable expectation of success, the bicycle control unit for adjusting the suspension within YAMAGUSHI to include acceleration and orientation sensors to calculate RPM as shown within NEGISHI to yield a safer bicycle that notifies the cyclist of the current speed.
EXAMINERS NOTE: Although NEGISHI discusses the accelerometer and gyroscopic sensors as within a vehicle, NEGISHI does recognize the invention as being able to be extended to bicycles (NEGISHI, ¶ 0052)
Regarding Claim 7:
YAMAGUCHI in view of NEGISHI in further view of PELOT disclose the limitations within claim 7 and YAMAGUCHI further discloses:
wherein the display unit is (see at least YAMAGUCHI, ¶ 0021, “Bicycle characteristic control unit 112 comprises a control unit 122 having a CPU 126, a memory 130, a seat position signal receiver 131 for receiving the seat position signals from seat position sensor 96, a gear position signal receiver 132 for receiving gear position signals from front derailleur position sensor 76 and rear derailleur position sensor 82, a suspension control unit 133 that provides control signals to control the operating parameters of rear suspension element 26 and front suspension elements 40, a resistance control unit 135 that provides control signals to control the resistance applied to chain guide 80c, a display unit 134 for displaying the current gear ratio and other information, a power switch 136, a mode switch 138, and a rear derailleur resistance control switch 140. CPU 126 is a programmed processor that operates according to the information stored in memory 130. Seat position signal receiver 131 and gear position signal receiver 132 may comprise appropriate input terminals and buffers to convert the input signals into proper signals for use by the control programs, they may comprise wireless receivers, optical receivers, and so on. Power switch 136 turns bicycle characteristic control unit 112 on and off. Mode switch 138 changes an operating mode of bicycle characteristic control unit 112 and may be used in conjunction with front suspension control button 116d and rear suspension control button 118d to select and control the desired functions of rear suspension element 26 and front suspension elements 40. Resistance control switch 140 is used to control user-controllable operating parameters of rotation resistance changing device 83.”)
YAMAGUCHI does not disclose, but NEGISHI teaches:
configured to display the velocity value of the bicycle. (see at least NEGISHI, ¶ 0052, “However, in another embodiment, the IVI system could be used on any one of a variety of vehicles such as, but not limited to, a bicycle, an electric bike (e-bike), a motorcycle, a watercraft, a snow machine, a 3-4 wheeled vehicle, a multi-wheeled vehicle, a side-by-side, a car, a truck, or the like.”; ¶ 0133, “At the second submenu, details of a selected event are shown. The details could include suspension information such as, but not limited to, top outs, bottom outs, range of roll, pitch, yaw, shock velocity, oil temperature, etc. At the third submenu, there are options for a deeper dive into other areas of information including, the suspension, ride zone, vehicle, map, video, and the like.”; ¶ 0213, “In one embodiment, active valve 1650 is controlled in response to braking pressure (as measured, for example, by a brake pedal (or lever) sensor or brake fluid pressure sensor or accelerometer). In still another example, a parameter might include a gyroscopic mechanism that monitors vehicle trajectory and identifies a “spin-out” or other loss of control condition and adds and/or reduces damping to some or all of the vehicle's shock assemblies (by adjusting the working size of the opening of orifice 1602 by causing cone shaped member 1612 to open, close, or partially close orifice 1602 chambers) in the event of a loss of control to help the operator of the vehicle to regain control.”)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine, with a reasonable expectation of success, the bicycle control unit for adjusting the suspension and display unit within YAMAGUSHI to include acceleration and orientation sensors to calculate RPM as shown within NEGISHI to yield a safer bicycle that notifies the cyclist of the current speed.
Regarding Claim 9:
YAMAGUCHI in view of NEGISHI in further view of PELOT disclose the limitations within claim 1 and YAMAGUCHI further discloses:
wherein the display unit (see at least YAMAGUCHI, ¶ 0021, “Bicycle characteristic control unit 112 comprises a control unit 122 having a CPU 126, a memory 130, a seat position signal receiver 131 for receiving the seat position signals from seat position sensor 96, a gear position signal receiver 132 for receiving gear position signals from front derailleur position sensor 76 and rear derailleur position sensor 82, a suspension control unit 133 that provides control signals to control the operating parameters of rear suspension element 26 and front suspension elements 40, a resistance control unit 135 that provides control signals to control the resistance applied to chain guide 80c, a display unit 134 for displaying the current gear ratio and other information, a power switch 136, a mode switch 138, and a rear derailleur resistance control switch 140. CPU 126 is a programmed processor that operates according to the information stored in memory 130. Seat position signal receiver 131 and gear position signal receiver 132 may comprise appropriate input terminals and buffers to convert the input signals into proper signals for use by the control programs, they may comprise wireless receivers, optical receivers, and so on. Power switch 136 turns bicycle characteristic control unit 112 on and off. Mode switch 138 changes an operating mode of bicycle characteristic control unit 112 and may be used in conjunction with front suspension control button 116d and rear suspension control button 118d to select and control the desired functions of rear suspension element 26 and front suspension elements 40. Resistance control switch 140 is used to control user-controllable operating parameters of rotation resistance changing device 83.”)
is configured to display damping value information of the shock absorber or (see at least YAMAGUCHI, ¶ 0021; ¶ 0029, “In the preferred embodiment, rear derailleur resistance functions as the reference variable. In other words, after the user sets the desired rear derailleur resistance, the algorithm checks the state of rotation resistance changing device 83 for rear derailleur transmission 80 and then adjusts the other components accordingly at approximately the same time. For example, in the embodiment shown in Table 8, the algorithm first determines whether rear derailleur resistance is set to OFF. If so, then the height of front suspension 40 is set to LOW, platform damping of rear suspension 26 is set to ON, and the height of saddle 86 is set to HIGH. Of course, the status or operation characteristic of any component could be used as the reference variable depending upon the application, and the status or operation characteristic of more than one component could be used as a combination reference variable through an appropriate Boolean operation.”)
YAMAGUCHI does not disclose, but PELOT teaches:
a telescopic seat pillar structure, (see at least PELOT, ¶ 0091, “Once the controller 370 recognizes a valid instruction sent from the set of control levers 205, then the controller 370 causes the motive source M 365 to direct the motor output shaft 515 to rotate, thereby rotating the cam 520 attached to the motor output shaft 515. The cam 520, in keeping with the instruction to cause the compression of the seat post 300, rotates such that the check valve ball set two 530 is unseated, thereby allowing fluid flow there through, as was described herein. The rider, concurrently, sits on the saddle to cause the check valve ball set one 535 of the check valve one 510 to unseat, thereby creating a free flow of fluid through the check valve one 510 and check valve two 525.”; ¶ 0092, “Once the controller 370 determines that the seat post 300 has reached its intended position, the motive source M 365 signals to the motor output shaft 515 to rotate in a certain direction and number of degrees such that the attached cam 520 rotates to attain the "closed position" (in which none of the check valve balls of the check valves are unseated) described with respect to FIG. 10.”)
telescopic length information of the telescopic seat pillar structure. (see at least PELOT, ¶ 0073, “As the seat post 300 approaches the intended position as was instructed by the rider via the set of control levers 205, the motive source M 365, being coupled with an electrical computer system, is preprogrammed to cause the motor output shaft 515 to rotate the cam 520 into a position such that the check valve ball set one 535 is once again seated within the check valve one 510. As will be described herein in more detail in regards to two PID loops integrated within embodiments, the controller 370 is constantly checking the current position of the seat post 300 in relation to the desired position (in a first PID loop). At a certain point, the valve assembly 445 starts to close, which slows the movement of the seat post 300. As the seat post 300 approaches the desired position, the valve assembly 445 is adjusting itself to regulate the speed of the seat post 300. Moreover, there is another PID loop (separate from the "first" PID loop) for the valve assembly 445 that constantly monitors the position of the cam 520 (guided by the motive source M 365) vs. the set point of the cam 520. Thus, the motor (motive source M 365) can slow itself down (in addition to slowing the seat post 300 down by gradually closing the valve assembly 445 before it reaches the motor setpoint so that the cam 520 won't overshoot its intended position. As will also be described herein in more detail, this is a gradual process that allows control of the return speed of the seat post 300, prevents over-shoot of the seat post 300, and allows adjustment even after the valve assembly 445 is in a closed position. Since fluid may no longer flow through the check valve one 510 due to its being in a closed position, the compression movement of the seat post 300 is halted.”)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine, with a reasonable expectation of success, the bicycle control unit for adjusting the suspension within YAMAGUSHI to include acceleration and orientation sensors to calculate RPM as shown within NEGISHI to yield a safer bicycle that notifies the cyclist of the current speed.
Regarding Claim 10:
YAMAGUCHI in view of NEGISHI in further view of PELOT disclose the limitations within claim 1 and YAMAGUCHI does not disclose, but NEGISHI teaches:
an acceleration sensing unit, electrically connected to the control unit, (see at least NEGISHI, ¶ 0085, “In one embodiment, suspension control application 17 on IVI system 14 will automatically adjust one or more of the pluralities of shock assemblies (shock assemblies 21-24) of the tuned vehicle suspension based on one or more sensor inputs received from sensors such as an inertial gyroscope, an accelerometer, a magnetometer, a steering wheel turning sensor, a single or multi spectrum camera, a lidar and/or radar, and the like.”)
configured to sense an acceleration variation of the bicycle to generate an acceleration signal; and (see at least NEGISHI, ¶ 0052, “However, in another embodiment, the IVI system could be used on any one of a variety of vehicles such as, but not limited to, a bicycle, an electric bike (e-bike), a motorcycle, a watercraft, a snow machine, a 3-4 wheeled vehicle, a multi-wheeled vehicle, a side-by-side, a car, a truck, or the like.”; ¶ 0144, “For example, in one embodiment, the vehicle sensors will read a bump input at the wheel, the pitch angle of the vehicle, telemetry attributes such as angle, orientation, velocity, acceleration, RPM, operating temperature, and the like. This sensor data will be used by the suspension control application 17 on IVI system 14 to generate suspension adjustments for one or more vehicle shock assemblies via one or more of the active valves (e.g., active valve 1650). For example, the active valve 1650 in a shock assembly will receive a signal from the suspension control application 17 on IVI system 14 to adjust one or more flow paths to modify the damping characteristics of the shock assembly.”)
a gyroscope unit, electrically connected to the control unit, (see at least NEGISHI, ¶ 0085)
configured to sense an angular momentum variation of the bicycle to generate an angular velocity signal, wherein (see at least NEGISHI, ¶ 0052; ¶ 0096, “In one embodiment, the sensors include, but are not limited to, accelerometers, sway sensors, suspension changes, visual identification technology (e.g., single or multi spectrum camera's), driver input monitors, steering wheel turning sensors, and the like. For example, one embodiment uses an inertial measurement unit (IMU) to sense rough terrain. One embodiment has an attitude and heading reference system (AHRS) that provides 3D orientation integrating data coming from inertial gyroscopes, accelerometers, magnetometers and the like. For example, in one embodiment, the AHRS is a GPS aided Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) based IMU and static pressure sensor.”)
the control unit is further configured to generate a gravity value based on the acceleration signal of the bicycle and the angular velocity signal of the bicycle. (see at least NEGISHI, ¶ 0052; ¶ 0144, “For example, in one embodiment, the vehicle sensors will read a bump input at the wheel, the pitch angle of the vehicle, telemetry attributes such as angle, orientation, velocity, acceleration, RPM, operating temperature, and the like. This sensor data will be used by the suspension control application 17 on IVI system 14 to generate suspension adjustments for one or more vehicle shock assemblies via one or more of the active valves (e.g., active valve 1650). For example, the active valve 1650 in a shock assembly will receive a signal from the suspension control application 17 on IVI system 14 to adjust one or more flow paths to modify the damping characteristics of the shock assembly.”; ¶ 0212, “In another example, a transducer, such as an accelerometer, measures other aspects of the vehicle's suspension system, like axle force and/or moments applied to various parts of the vehicle, like steering tie rods, and directs change to position of active valve 1650 (and corresponding change to the working size of the opening of orifice 1602 by causing cone shaped member 1612 to open, close, or partially close orifice 1602) in response thereto. In another example, active valve 1650 is controlled at least in part by a pressure transducer measuring pressure in a vehicle tire and adding damping characteristics to some or all of the wheels (by adjusting the working size of the opening of orifice 1602 by causing cone shaped member 1612 to open, close, or partially close orifice 1602) in the event of, for example, an increased or decreased pressure reading.”)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine, with a reasonable expectation of success, the bicycle control unit for adjusting the suspension within YAMAGUSHI to include transducers to capture moments and forces of the vehicle's suspension within NEGISHI to yield a safer bicycle that can detect and adjust suspension to minimize injury to the cyclist when encountering unsafe bumps.
EXAMINERS NOTE: Although NEGISHI does not explicitly name a gravity value, based on the specification of the current application, the office interprets "gravity value" to mean the impact force upon the shock absorbers (¶ 0055).
Regarding Claim 11:
YAMAGUCHI in view of NEGISHI in further view of PELOT disclose the limitations within claim 10 and YAMAGUCHI does not disclose, but NEGISHI teaches:
in response to a smart mode, when a damping value of the shock absorber corresponding to the gravity value of the bicycle generated by the control unit is between a lower limitation value and an upper limitation value, (see at least NEGISHI, ¶ 0052, “However, in another embodiment, the IVI system could be used on any one of a variety of vehicles such as, but not limited to, a bicycle, an electric bike (e-bike), a motorcycle, a watercraft, a snow machine, a 3-4 wheeled vehicle, a multi-wheeled vehicle, a side-by-side, a car, a truck, or the like.”; ¶ 0104, “IVI system 14 as a data acquisition device for real-time algorithmic optimization: In one embodiment, suspension control application 17 on IVI system 14 will acquire data through various sensors, whereby the base algorithm would be calibrated for optimal suspension performance, for a user's preferred suspension settings and performance, based on a profile that is developed for the specific location, terrain, trail, road, trip, or the like.”; ¶ 0144, “For example, in one embodiment, the vehicle sensors will read a bump input at the wheel, the pitch angle of the vehicle, telemetry attributes such as angle, orientation, velocity, acceleration, RPM, operating temperature, and the like. This sensor data will be used by the suspension control application 17 on IVI system 14 to generate suspension adjustments for one or more vehicle shock assemblies via one or more of the active valves (e.g., active valve 1650). For example, the active valve 1650 in a shock assembly will receive a signal from the suspension control application 17 on IVI system 14 to adjust one or more flow paths to modify the damping characteristics of the shock assembly.”)
the control unit generates the control signal for adjusting the damping value of the shock absorber according to the gravity value of the bicycle. (see at least NEGISHI, ¶ 0052; ¶ 0144)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine, with a reasonable expectation of success, the bicycle control unit for adjusting the suspension within YAMAGUSHI to include transducers to capture moments and forces of the vehicle's suspension for tunning the suspension based on user profiles within NEGISHI to yield a safer bicycle that can detect and adjust suspension to minimize injury to the cyclist when encountering unsafe bumps.
EXAMINERS NOTE: Although NEGISHI does not explicitly teach setting the dampening value between specific values specific values based on gravity, NEGISHI instead teaches the tunning of the suspension based on the forces acting on the suspension to meet the required route profile. BRI would indicate to mean that the tunning would keep the suspension between an optimal range for the given profile.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over YAMAGUCHI (US 20130090195 A1) in view of PELOT (US 20130221713 A1) in further view of NEGISHI (US 20210309064 A1) in view of KIM (US 20210214033 A1).
Regarding claim 5:
YAMAGUCHI in view of NEGISHI in further view of PELOT disclose the limitations within claim 1 and YAMAGUCHI further discloses:
wherein in response to the rotation operation of rotating the rotary knob in the first rotation direction or the pressing operation of pressing the first one of the buttons, (see at least YAMAGUCHI, ¶ 0023, “In this embodiment, front suspension elements 40 comprise a pair of air-operated shock absorbers. As shown schematically in FIG. 3, each shock absorber comprises a first member (e.g., a piston) 148 that moves relative to a second member (e.g., a cylinder chamber) 150. External adjustment elements are provided for low speed and high speed compression damping (e.g., driver control units 154, 162 and a separate lever-operated adjustment knob 158, 166 for each setting), for stroke (piston travel or compression chamber volume) (e.g., a driver control unit 170 and a lever-operated adjustment knob 174), for air chamber pressure (e.g., a driver control unit 178 and an air valve 182), for rebound damping (e.g., a driver control unit 186 and a lever-operated adjustment knob 190), for lockout actuation (e.g., a driver control unit 194 and a lever-operated actuation knob 198), for lockout force adjustment (e.g., a driver control unit 200 and a lever-operated adjustment knob 202) and for height adjustment (e.g., a driver control unit 204 and a lever-operated adjustment knob or valve 206).”; ¶ 0025, “Driver control units for adjustment elements that make adjustments in a continuous manner (e.g., compression damping of rear suspension element 26 and front suspension elements 40, rotation resistance in rear derailleur transmission 80) may comprise continuous-movement motors or some other suitable motor together with position sensors (potentiometers, resistive position sensors, optical position sensors, contact switches, etc.) that indicate the operating position of the associated knob, lever or other adjusting element. If desired, each driver control unit may include its own microprocessor to control the operation of its associated motor in response to signals provided by suspension control unit 133 and resistance control unit 135 and to provide status signals to control unit 122. Similarly, driver control units for adjustment elements that make adjustments in discrete increments (e.g., three-step stroke adjustment of rear suspension elements 26 and front suspension elements 40, multistep resistance adjustment (low, medium, high, etc.) for rear derailleur transmission 80) may comprise stepper motors or some other suitable motor together with position sensors that indicate the operating position of the associated knob, lever or other adjusting element and with any desired additional microprocessors. Driver control units for adjustment elements that operate in an on/off manner (e.g., lockout actuation of rear suspension element 26 and front suspension elements 40, ON/OFF resistance for rear derailleur transmission 80) may comprise a solenoid or some other suitable driver together with position sensors that indicate the operating position of the associated knob, lever or other adjusting element and with any desired additional microprocessors.”)
in response to the rotation operation of rotating the rotary knob in the second rotation direction or the pressing operation of pressing the second one of the buttons, (see at least YAMAGUCHI, ¶ 0023; ¶ 0025)
YAMAGUCHI does not disclose, but KIM teaches:
the at least one of the controllable devices comprises a lighting device, the lighting device comprises a driving unit, (see at least KIM, ¶ 0116, “The wireless control receiving window 630 receives a transmission signal from an auxiliary lighting lamp control remote controller 620 to be described below to control actuation (on/off, light amount control, and strobo on/off) of the auxiliary lighting lamp unit 600.”; ¶ 0126, “Further, an auxiliary lighting lamp control remote controller 620 controlling the actuation of the auxiliary lighting lamp unit 600 may be further included.”)
the generated user command corresponds to the control signal that activates the driving unit of the lighting device to increase brightness of the lighting device, and (see at least KIM, ¶ 0116; ¶ 0126)
the generated user command corresponds to the control signal that activates the driving unit of the lighting device to decrease the brightness of the lighting device, (see at least KIM, ¶ 0116; ¶ 0126)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify, with a reasonable expectation of success, the bicycle control unit with knob control for drive unit components such suspension within YAMAGUSHI to include electronic control of the light brightness within KIM to yield a safer biking by allowing lights to be actuated as needed.
EXAMINERS NOTE: while YAMAGUCHI does not explicitly determine rotation direction of the knob, YAMAGTUSHI still tracks the position of the knob which to a person having ordinary skill in the art would recognize that it would be derived as a position relative to the rotational axis. Additionally a person having ordinary skill in the art would recognize that a knob spinning in different directions could yield different results.
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over YAMAGUCHI (US 20130090195 A1) in view of PELOT (US 20130221713 A1) in further view of NEGISHI (US 20210309064 A1) in view of CHENG (US 20190001779 A1).
Regarding claim 12:
YAMAGUCHI in view of NEGISHI in further view of PELOT disclose the limitations within claim 11 and YAMAGUCHI does not disclose, but NEGISHI teaches:
the smart mode is switched to be one of (see at least NEGISHI, ¶ 0104, “IVI system 14 as a data acquisition device for real-time algorithmic optimization: In one embodiment, suspension control application 17 on IVI system 14 will acquire data through various sensors, whereby the base algorithm would be calibrated for optimal suspension performance, for a user's preferred suspension settings and performance, based on a profile that is developed for the specific location, terrain, trail, road, trip, or the like.”; ¶ 0181, “In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 12A, 12B, and 12C, grab handle device 605b provides a driver and/or passenger with the ability to quickly adjust the suspension system or a component of the suspension system such as the damping characteristics of one or more shock assemblies, described herein. In one embodiment, grab handle device 605b includes a controller input 1203, a display 1204, a terrain selection input 1205, a manual or automatic selector 1206, and an auxiliary button 1207. Although a number of control inputs/buttons/selectors are shown, it should be appreciated that grab handle device 605b could include more, fewer, or different control inputs/buttons/selectors.”; ¶ 0182, “In one embodiment, the user can use controller input 1203 of grab handle device 605b to control one or both of the front and rear rebound and compression valves, independently. Furthermore, in one embodiment, terrain selection input 1205 will provide an assortment of selectable terrain conditions including but not limited to, rock crawl, on road, and trail. As such, the user can use terrain selection input 1205 of grab handle device 605b to select one of the assortments of selectable terrain conditions including but not limited to, rock crawl, on road, and trail. In one embodiment, the selected terrain condition (or other inputs) can be displayed on display 1204.”)
a road mode, (see at least NEGISHI, ¶ 0104, ¶ 0182)
an off-road mode and (see at least NEGISHI, ¶ 0104; ¶ 0182)
a customized mode, (see at least NEGISHI, ¶ 0104, ¶ 0118, “In addition to the automatic and predefined tunes, in one embodiment, peer generated customer tunes (or modes) that will be provided, such as in a custom mode, to other IVI system suspension control application 17 users for download and utilization.”)
and only when the damping value of the shock absorber corresponding to the gravity value of the bicycle generated by the control unit is between a set lower limitation value and a set upper limitation value of the current smart mode, (see at least NEGISHI, ¶ 0085, “In one embodiment, suspension control application 17 on IVI system 14 will automatically adjust one or more of the pluralities of shock assemblies (shock assemblies 21-24) of the tuned vehicle suspension based on one or more sensor inputs received from sensors such as an inertial gyroscope, an accelerometer, a magnetometer, a steering wheel turning sensor, a single or multi spectrum camera, a lidar and/or radar, and the like.”; ¶ 0104; ¶ 0144, “For example, in one embodiment, the vehicle sensors will read a bump input at the wheel, the pitch angle of the vehicle, telemetry attributes such as angle, orientation, velocity, acceleration, RPM, operating temperature, and the like. This sensor data will be used by the suspension control application 17 on IVI system 14 to generate suspension adjustments for one or more vehicle shock assemblies via one or more of the active valves (e.g., active valve 1650). For example, the active valve 1650 in a shock assembly will receive a signal from the suspension control application 17 on IVI system 14 to adjust one or more flow paths to modify the damping characteristics of the shock assembly.”)
the control unit generates the control signal for adjusting the damping value of the shock absorber according to the gravity value of the bicycle, wherein (see at least NEGISHI, ¶ 0144, “For example, in one embodiment, the vehicle sensors will read a bump input at the wheel, the pitch angle of the vehicle, telemetry attributes such as angle, orientation, velocity, acceleration, RPM, operating temperature, and the like. This sensor data will be used by the suspension control application 17 on IVI system 14 to generate suspension adjustments for one or more vehicle shock assemblies via one or more of the active valves (e.g., active valve 1650). For example, the active valve 1650 in a shock assembly will receive a signal from the suspension control application 17 on IVI system 14 to adjust one or more flow paths to modify the damping characteristics of the shock assembly.”)
a upper limitation value and a lower limitation value of the customized mode are determined by a user. (see at least NEGISHI, ¶ 0118)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine, with a reasonable expectation of success, the bicycle control unit for adjusting the suspension within YAMAGUSHI to include transducers to capture moments and forces of the vehicle's suspension for tunning the suspension based on user profiles within NEGISHI to yield a safer bicycle that can detect and adjust suspension to minimize injury to the cyclist when encountering unsafe bumps.
EXAMINERS NOTE: Although NEGISHI does not explicitly teach setting the dampening value between specific values specific values based on gravity, NEGISHI instead teaches the tunning of the suspension based on the forces acting on the suspension to meet the required route profile. BRI would indicate to mean that the tunning would keep the suspension between an optimal range for the given profile.
YAMAGUSHI in view of NEGISHI does not disclose, but CHENG teaches:
a set upper limitation value set of the off-road mode is larger than a set upper limitation value set of the road mode, (see at least CHENG, ¶ 0038, “In some embodiments, the mode selection signal is a signal indicating a selection of any one of the modes as follows: a sports mode, a comfort mode, a smart mode, an on-road mode and an off-road mode. For instance, depending on the mode indicated by the mode selection signal, at least a control signal is generated according to a criterion (such as a function of a threshold or a ratio threshold) related to the value of the sensing signal generated by a corresponding sensor, so as to change the damping value and/or the preload value of the front suspension device 121 and/or the rear suspension device 122. The damping value or the preload value will be changed, provided that the criterion is satisfied.”; ¶ 0039, “In some embodiments, as for the sensors disposed in an upper location of the front suspension device 121 or the rear suspension device 122 (or both), a corresponding threshold can be set. After determining that a value (such as vertical acceleration (or a value of vibration) of the suspension devices) of the sensing signal from the sensor at an upper location exceeds the threshold, the control unit 140 generates at least a control signal and sends the at least a control signal correspondingly to the front actuation device 131 or the rear actuation device 132 (or both) and thereby changes the damping value and/or the preload value of the front suspension device 121 or the rear suspension device 122 (or both). The control unit 140 can be configured to perform the aforesaid determination process repeatedly and thus generates the control signal for changing the damping value and/or the preload value until the value(s) of the sensing signal(s) generated from the sensor(s) at the upper location(s) is less than or equal to the corresponding threshold. This embodiment can be applied to any aforesaid embodiment. For instance, as for the comfort mode, the threshold for the sensor (such as acceleration sensor) in an upper location of the front suspension device 121 or the rear suspension device 122 (or both) can be set to 3 g, wherein g denotes gravity acceleration. If the control unit 140 determines that the values of the sensing signals generated from the sensors in the upper locations exceed the threshold, it will change the damping value and/or the preload value of the front suspension device 121 or the rear suspension device 122 (or both), until the values of the sensing signals are less than or equal to the corresponding threshold. For instance, as for the sports mode, the corresponding threshold for a sensor (such as the acceleration sensor) in an upper location can be set to 4 g. For instance, as for the off-road mode, the corresponding threshold for a sensor (such as the acceleration sensor) in an upper location can be set to 2 g. Likewise, the present embodiments can be applied to any other aforesaid modes or any other embodiments.”)
a set lower limitation value set of the off-road mode is larger than a set lower limitation value set of the road mode, and (see at least CHENG, ¶ 0039)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify, with a reasonable expectation of success, the user set profiles for adjusting suspension within YAMAGUSHI in view of NEGISHI to include the correction profiles wherein off-road modes are more aggressively dampened to reduce and comfort modes are less aggressively dampened as seen within CHENG to yield a more effective bicycle that can have suspension be adapted to the traveling environment and user comfort.
It should be noted NEGISHI does cover the given user profiles; however NEGISHI does not elaborate in the differences between the profiles.
Claim 13 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over YAMAGUCHI (US 20130090195 A1) in view of PELOT (US 20130221713 A1) in further view of NEGISHI (US 20210309064 A1) in view of SHIN (US 20190210681 A1).
Regarding claim 13:
YAMAGUCHI in view of NEGISHI in further view of PELOT disclose the limitations within claim 1 and YAMAGUCHI does not disclose, but SHIN teaches:
a distance sensing unit, disposed outside the housing and electrically connected to the control unit, wherein (see at least SHIN, ¶ 0010, “In order to accomplish the objects of the present invention, according to one aspect, there is provided a safety system for bicycle riding, the system including: a front sensor attached to a front portion of a bicycle and detecting a position of an object (hereinafter, referred to as a front object) in front of the bicycle; a rear sensor attached to a rear portion of the bicycle and detecting a position of an object (hereinafter, referred to as a rear object) behind the bicycle; and a controller attached to a portion of the bicycle, receiving detection signals from the front sensor and the rear sensor, and transmitting the received detection signals to a rider's smart device, wherein an application is installed in the smart device and causes the smart device to function as a distance information output unit that outputs the detection signal received from the controller as a distance between the bicycle and the front or rear object.”)
the distance sensing unit is configured to transmit and receive a sensing signal, and (see at least SHIN, ¶ 0054, “For example, the front sensor 110 can be an ultrasonic sensor. However, the front sensor 110 is not specifically limited in its kind if it can detect a distance.”)
determine a distance between an object and the wireless controller based on a time difference between transmission and reception of the sensing signal. (see at least SHIN, ¶ 0054)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine, with a reasonable expectation of success, the bicycle control unit with knob control for drive unit components such as suspension within YAMAGUSHI to include the front facing distance sensors and transmission of signals to the "smart device" within SHIN to yield a safer bicycle that can determine obstacles in front and alert/protect the cyclist from injury.
EXAMINERS NOTE: It is well known in the art that an ultrasonic sensor is a type of distance sensor that relies on the transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves with the time between the transmission and reception denoting the distance traveled by the waves.
Regarding claim 14:
YAMAGUCHI in view of NEGISHI in further view of PELOT in further view SHIN disclose the limitations within claim 13 and YAMAGUCHI further discloses:
the control unit is further configured to (see at least YAMAGUCHI, ¶ 0020, “As shown in FIG. 3, bicycle characteristic control unit 112 is electrically connected through appropriate wiring to the electrical components associated with command units 108a, 108b, to the electrical components associated with rear suspension 26, to the electrical components associated with front suspension 40, to the electrical components associated with front derailleur transmission 76, to the electrical components associated with rear derailleur transmission 80, and to the electrical components associated with saddle 86. Of course, bicycle characteristic control unit 112 may be operatively coupled to any one of those components by appropriate wireless communication devices as well.”)
YAMAGUCHI does not disclose, but SHIN teaches:
generate the control signal in response to the distance of the object from the wireless controller, and (see at least SHIN, ¶ 0012, “In the preferred embodiment, the safety system may further include a vibration-generating device attached to a handlebar of the bicycle and generating vibrations in the handlebar, wherein the controller operates the vibration-generating device when a distance (hereinafter, referred to as “forward distance”) between the front sensor and the front object is equal to or shorter than a critical distance (hereinafter, referred to as “forward critical distance”).”)
transmit the control signal to the controllable device of the bicycle via the wireless communication unit to activate the controllable device of the bicycle. (see at least SHIN, ¶ 0061, “The controller 130 is attached to a portion of the body of the bicycle 10, and transmits detection signals received from the front sensor 120 and the rear sensor 130 to the smart device 140.”; ¶ 0062, “In addition, the controller 130 and the smart device 140 can exchange data through wireless communication. For example, the controller 130 and the smart device 140 can communicate with each other via Bluetooth communication.”; ¶ 0098, “The alert notification output unit 145 provides a forward alert notification screen 145a of FIG. 4 when the front object 20 is detected within the forward critical distance.”; ¶ 0099, “In addition, the forward alert notification screen 145a shows a message requiring stopping of a bicycle and information of a distance to the front object 20.”)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine, with a reasonable expectation of success, the bicycle control unit to drive components within YAMAGUSHI to include the front facing distance sensors and transmission of signals to the "smart device" within SHIN to yield a safer bicycle that can determine obstacles in front and alert/protect the cyclist from injury.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 RAFAEL VELASQUEZ VANEGAS whose telephone number is (571)272-6999. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9 - 4.
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/RAFAEL VELASQUEZ VANEGAS/Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3664
/JOAN T GOODBODY/Primary Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3664
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