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) 17-23, 28 -34, and 38 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Yang et al. (US 9,102,227 B2).
With respect to claims 17 and 18, and 28, Yang discloses a hybrid drivetrain with engine 2, transmission 40, and first and second electric machines radially nested, with the first rotor 132 rotating at a larger diameter than the second rotor 133, as shown in figure 1.
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With respect to claim 19, 29, and 30, said second rotor drives said transmission and the first rotor is driven by said engine, as shown in figure 1.
With respect to claims 20 and 21, and 32, said transmission is behind both motors and the output shaft 51 is coaxial with the engine and motors, as shown in figure 1.
With respect to claim 22 33, said trans 40 is a planetary transmission, as shown in figure 1.
With respect to claims 23 and 34, said first motor can start said engine and said second rotor can act as a generator, as recited in col. 13, lines 37-55.
With respect to claim 27 and 38, the drivetrain is capable of being longitudinal depending on orientation.
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) 24-26 and 35-37 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang et al., as applied to claim 17 above.
With respect to claims 24-26, dampers, shifter, transfer gearbox are all considered conventional features of a drivetrain and It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the damper, shifter, and transfer gearbox in order to dampen vibration, shift the transmission, and drive all wheels, as is considered conventional in the art.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JEFFREY J RESTIFO whose telephone number is (571)272-6697. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 11am-8pm.
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JEFFREY J. RESTIFO
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3613
/JEFFREY J RESTIFO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3613
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