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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 2-4 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 2 recites in part “… at least partially pre-filled with a gas, called filling gas…the steering casing is a sensor for determining the presence or the gas concentration of said filling gas inside the closed volume…”
It is unclear the filling gas is, the specification does clearly define what filling gas is , it is special gas ? or air gas ?
Same issue applied to claim 3, 4 and 9.
Claims 2-4 and 9 will be examined as best understood.
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.
Claims 1, 4, 6-8 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Sikora [DE 102012019427].
Regarding claim 1: Sikora shows a steering system (10) for a wheeled machine with at least two steered wheels, said steering system (10) comprising: a rack (12),a steering casing (14) disposed around the rack (12), at least one member (35) for driving the axial sliding movement of the rack (12) inside the steering casing (14),two steering tie rods (25, 25) having an end that is coupled to an end of the rack (12) by an articulated connection (see fig 2) and an opposite end that is couplable to one of the steered wheels of the machine ,two bellows (18, 46) each protecting an articulated connection (see fig 2) and each connecting a tie rod (25) to the steering casing (14), the bellows (18, 46) and the steering casing (14) delimiting a volume (26) that is closed in such a way as to be tight at least with respect to air
Wherein the closed volume (26) delimited by the bellows (18, 46) and the steering casing is at least partially pre-filled with a gas (air), called filling gas wherein the steering system comprises a monitoring device (44), and in that this monitoring device (44) comprises at least one sensor for determining a parameter representative of the tightness, at least with respect to gases, of the closed volume (26) delimited by the bellows (18, 46) and the steering casing (14), which is a sensor for determining the presence or the gas concentration of said filling gas inside the closed volume (26).
wherein the steering system comprises, for the at least partial pre-filling of the volume (26) delimited by the bellows (18, 26) and the steering casing with filling gas, at least one closable gas intake orifice in communication with the volume, said gas intake orifice (58) being in the closed state when said volume is in the pre-filled state.
Regarding claim 4: Sikora shows wherein the or at least one of the sensors (44) for determining a parameter representative of the tightness, at least with respect to gases, of the closed volume delimited by the bellows and the steering casing (14) is disposed at the steering casing (see [0008] and [0027]).
Regarding claim 6: Sikora shows wherein the monitoring device (44) comprises a device for emitting an audible or luminous warning signal and a control unit said control unit being configured to acquire data supplied by the at least one sensor for determining a parameter representative of the tightness, at least with respect to gases, of the closed volume and to control the device for emitting an audible or luminous warning signal as a function of said data (see [0031]).
Regarding claim 7: Sikora shows wherein the member (35) for driving the axial sliding movement of the rack (12) inside the steering casing (14) is a rotary member (35) in meshed engagement with the rack, and in that the steering system comprises at least one member for driving the rotation of the member (35) for driving the axial sliding movement of the rack inside the steering casing (14).
Regarding claim 8: Sikora shows a method for controlling a steering system for a wheeled machine with at least two steered wheels, said steering system comprising a rack (12), a steering casing (14) disposed around the rack (12), a member (35) for driving the axial sliding movement of the rack (12) inside the steering casing (14), two steering tie rods (25, 25) having an end that is coupled to an end of the rack (12) by an articulated connection (see fig 2) and an opposite end that is couplable to one of the steered wheels of the machine, two bellows (18, 46) each protecting an articulated connection and each connecting a tie rod (25, 25) to the steering casing (14), the bellows (18, 46) and the steering casing (14) delimiting a volume that is closed in such a way as to be tight at least with respect to air, wherein the steering system being as claimed claim 1, said method comprises at least a step of determining a parameter representative of the tightness, at least with respect to gases, of the closed volume delimited by the bellows (18, 46) and the steering casing (14).
wherein, prior to the step of determining a parameter representative of the tightness, at least with respect to gases, of the closed volume delimited by the bellows (18, 46) and the steering casing, the method comprises a step of at least partially pre-filling (air) the volume (26) with at least one filling gas, and in that the step of determining a parameter representative of the tightness, at least with respect to gases, of the closed volume (26) delimited by the bellows (18, 46) and the steering casing is a step of determining the presence or the gas concentration of said filling gas inside the closed volume (26).
Regarding claim 10: Sikora shows wherein, the monitoring device (44) comprising a device for emitting an audible or luminous warning signal ([0031]) and a control unit, said method comprises a step of acquiring, by said control unit, data supplied by the sensor for determining a parameter representative of the tightness, at least with respect to gases, of the closed volume and a step of controlling the device for emitting an audible or luminous warning signal as a function of said data ([0031]).
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 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sikora [DE 102012019427] in view of [US Pub # 2010/0023221].
Regarding claim 5: Sikora wherein the or at least one of the sensors (44) for determining a parameter representative of the tightness, at least with respect to gases, of the closed volume delimited by the bellows (18, 46) and the steering casing (14) (see translation “If the pressure curve currently detected by the sensor differs by more than a predefined tolerance from the reference pressure curve, this indicates a leakage in the rack and pinion steering, which is indicated to the driver by a suitable warning signal, for example. Then the driver can examine the tightness of the rack and pinion steering in a specialist workshop and restore it if necessary”). Sikora does not explicitly disclose the sensor is an infrared measurement sensor. However Klein teaches that the sensor is infrared sensor (see [0025]).
It would have been obvious to someone having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filling date to have replaced the sensor in Sikora reference with infrared sensor which offers the advantage of non- contact measurement, high sensitivity and remote detection capabilities.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed on 03/11/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
In response to applicant argument that the filling gas is not ambient air and it is a gas that is present in in the air.
A gas is the ambient air is still considered a gas that is present in the air.
In response to applicant argument that The prior art failed to teach closed volume delimited by the bellows and the steering casing is at least partially pre-filled with a gas, called filling gas. Moreover, there in no teaching or suggestion for the at least partial pre-filling of the volume delimited by the bellows and the steering casing with said filling gas, at least one closable gas intake orifice in communication with the volume, said gas intake orifice being in the closed state when said volume is in the pre-filled state
Bellows in the prior art have air which is considered gas and closed volume delimited by the bellows (“…At one axial end is the pressure chamber 26 through the bellows 18 sealed…”)
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. For example [US # 2020/0332870] shows steering system (100) with steering casing and elbows (212,212,) tie rods (1211, 1211) and sensor ([0063]).
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.
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/ZAKARIA ELAHMADI/
Examiner, Art Unit 3618