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 .
This communication is in response to amendment received on 09/01/2026.
Claims 1 – 20 are presented for examination.
Response to Amendment
After careful reconsideration of the claims in view of prior art EP2434259 the finality of the rejection of the last Office action is withdrawn.
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) 17, 19 – 21, 23 – 24, 30, 33 and 35 - 39 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over McDonald et al. (EP 2434259).
As to claim 17, McDonald discloses magnet assembly comprising a first collection zone (200, 260) and a second collection zone (202, 260), wherein the first collection zone (200, 260) is arranged in a first plane and includes a first attachment edge (280), and the second collection zone (202, 260) is arranged in a second plane and includes a second attachment edge (280), and wherein a connection between the first collection zone (200, 260) and the second collection zone (202, 260) includes a magnetically conductive connection portion (265) between the first attachment edge (280) and the second attachment edge (280), [0036] (Fig. 3 and 4). McDonald fails to explicitly disclose that the connection is mechanically reinforced by at least one bead. However, mechanically reinforcement by bead is conventional in the art. Therefore, at the time of the invention, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the device of McDonald wherein the connection is mechanically reinforced by at least one bead would strengthen the robustness of the collection element and meet the design or functional requirements.
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As to claim 21, McDonald fails to explicitly disclose that the flux connection element including the first flux collection zone and the second flux collection zone and the connection portion, is produced by reshaping process. However, mechanically reinforcing by a reshaping process is well known manufacturing and recycling techniques to meet the design or functional requirements of the device. Therefore, at the time of the invention, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the device of McDonald wherein the first flux collection zone, the second flux collection zone and the connection portion, is produced by reshaping process would strengthen the robustness of the collection element and meet the design or functional requirements.
As to claim 23, McDonald fails to explicitly disclose that the bead extends over the connection portion and over the first attachment edge into a first attachment region of the first collection zone and over the second attachment edge into a second attachment region of the second collection zone. However, mechanically reinforcement by bead is conventional in the art. Therefore, at the time of the invention, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the device of McDonald wherein the bead extends over the connection portion and over the first attachment edge into a first attachment region of the first collection zone and over the second attachment edge into a second attachment region of the second collection zone would strengthen the robustness of the collection element and the first and second collection zone and meet the design or functional requirements.
As to claim 30, McDonald discloses that the first collection element (260) and the second flux collection element (260) are rotated by 180 degrees with respect to a direction of longitudinal extent of the flux collection elements relative to one another (Fig. 4).
As to claim 33, McDonald discloses magnet assembly comprising a first collection zone (200, 260) and a second collection zone (202, 260), wherein the first collection zone (200, 260) is arranged in a first plane and includes a first attachment edge (280), and the second collection zone (202, 260) is arranged in a second plane and includes a second attachment edge (280), and wherein a connection between the first collection zone (200, 260) and the second collection zone (202, 260) includes a magnetically conductive connection portion (265) between the first attachment edge (280) and the second attachment edge (280), [0036], wherein the flux collection element including the first flux collection zone (200, 260), the second flux collection zone (202, 260) and the connection portion (Fig. 3 and 4). McDonald fails to explicitly disclose that the connection is mechanically reinforced and the first flux collection zone, the second flux collection zone and the connection portion, is produced by reshaping process. However, mechanical reinforcement as a means for reinforcement is conventional in the art and mechanically reinforcing by a reshaping process is well known manufacturing and recycling techniques to meet the design or functional requirements of the device. Therefore, at the time of the invention, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the device of McDonald wherein the connection is mechanically reinforced and the connection is mechanically reinforced and the first flux collection zone, the second flux collection zone and the connection portion, is produced by reshaping process would strengthen the robustness of the collection element and meet the design or functional requirements.
As to claims 19 and 35, McDonald discloses that the first collection zone (200, 260), the second collection zone (202, 260) and the connection portion (265, 280) are formed together in one piece (Fig. 4).
As to claims 20 and 36, McDonald fails to explicitly disclose that the connection is mechanically reinforced by a reshaping process. However, mechanically reinforcing by a reshaping process is well known manufacturing and recycling techniques to meet the design or functional requirements of the device. Therefore, at the time of the invention, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the device of McDonald wherein the connection is mechanically reinforced by a reshaping process would strengthen the robustness of the collection element and also meet the design or functional requirements.
As to claims 24 and 37, McDonald fails to explicitly disclose that the connection is mechanically reinforced by at least one mechanical reinforcement arranged within reshaping edges of the flux collection element. However, mechanically reinforcing by a reshaping process is well known manufacturing and recycling techniques to meet the design or functional requirements of the device. Therefore, at the time of the invention, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the device of McDonald wherein the connection is mechanically reinforced by at least one mechanical reinforcement arranged within reshaping edges of the flux collection element would strengthen the robustness of the collection element and also meet the design or functional requirements.
As to claim 38, McDonald discloses magnet assembly comprising a first flux collection element (200) and a second flux collection element (202), wherein the first flux collection element (200) and the second flux collection element (202) are each formed as a flux collection element comprising a first collection zone (200, 260) and a second collection zone (202, 260), wherein the first collection zone (200, 260) is arranged in a first plane and includes a first attachment edge (280), and the second collection zone (202, 260) is arranged in a second plane and includes a second attachment edge (280), and wherein a connection between the first collection zone (200, 260) and the second collection zone (202, 260) includes a magnetically conductive connection portion (265) between the first attachment edge (280) and the second attachment edge (280), [0036], wherein the first flux collection element (200) and the second flux collection element (202) are structurally identical (Fig. 3 and 4). McDonald fails to explicitly disclose that the connection is mechanically reinforced. However, mechanical reinforcement as a means for reinforcement is conventional in the art. Therefore, at the time of the invention, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the device of McDonald wherein the connection is mechanically reinforced would strengthen the robustness of the collection element.
As to claim 39, McDonald discloses magnet assembly comprising a multi-pole magnetic ring; a stator ring element (25); and at least one magnetosensitive sensor element (30, 35) and a collector unit including: a first flux collection element (200) and a second flux collection element (202), wherein the first flux collection element (200) and the second flux collection element (202) are each formed as a flux collection element having: a first collection zone (200, 260) and a second collection zone (202, 260), wherein the first collection zone (200, 260) is arranged in a first plane and includes a first attachment edge (280), and the second collection zone (202, 260) is arranged in a second plane and includes a second attachment edge (280), and wherein a connection between the first collection zone (200, 260) and the second collection zone (202, 260) includes a magnetically conductive connection portion (265) between the first attachment edge (280) and the second attachment edge (280), (Fig. 3 and 4), [0036]. McDonald fails to explicitly disclose that the connection is mechanically reinforced. However, mechanical reinforcement as a means for reinforcement is conventional in the art. Therefore, at the time of the invention, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the device of McDonald wherein the connection is mechanically reinforced would strengthen the robustness of the collection element.
Claim(s) 18, 29 and 34 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over McDonald et al. (EP 2434259) in view of Wolfgang et al. (DE19825433).
As to claims 18, 29 and 34, McDonald fails to explicitly disclose that the connection portion is asymmetrical with respect to a center position of the first attachment edge and a center position of the second attachment edge. Wolfgang et al. (Wolfgang) hereinafter Wolfgang discloses a magnetic position sensor wherein the connection portion (18a) is asymmetrical with respect to a center position of the first attachment edge (24) and a center position of the second attachment edge (25) (Fig. 4 and 5).
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Therefore, at the time of the invention, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the device of McDonald in view of the teachings of Wolfgang wherein the connection portion is asymmetrical with respect to a center position of the first attachment edge and a center position of the second attachment edge would result in accurately detecting the relative angle of the magnet with respect to the first and second collection zone.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 32 is 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.
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/REENA AURORA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2858
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