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 5 and 10 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 5 recites “the number of receiving coils” in its last line. This seems to imply more than one coil when only one receiving coil has been introduced and is accordingly indefinite.
Claim 10 recites “a brushless BLDC motor.” As “BLDC” would be typically understood to indicate brushless direct current, this is unclear (i.e. how should the word brushless be interpreted next to BLDC?).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 2, and 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Masayuki (JP 2018-203208; copy and machine translation attached).
Regarding claim 1, Masayuki discloses a vehicle seat sliding device comprising: a rail unit (10) mounted on a vehicle body; a transfer unit (20) slidably installed on the rail unit and configured to support a seat unit (1); a driving unit (30) connected to the transfer unit and configured to slide the transfer unit by generating a driving force; a power supply unit (see the last paragraph of the “Configuration of power supply coil…” section) mounted on the vehicle body (at least indirectly; it is “of the vehicle”) and configured to supply power; and a wireless transmission unit (including 40, 50) configured to wirelessly transmit the power supplied from the power supply unit to the driving unit (see again the paragraph noted above).
Regarding claim 2, Masayuki further discloses the wireless transmission unit includes: a first conversion unit that converts direct current power supplied from the power supply unit into alternating current power (the DC/AC conversion circuit noted in the paragraph cited above); a transmission module (including 40 for instance) that is connected to the first conversion unit and transmits the alternating current power converted from the first conversion unit; a receiving module (including 50 for instance) that receives the alternating current power transmitted from the transmission module, moves with the transfer unit (50 moves with 20), and has a variable relative position with respect to the transmission module (50 moves relative to 40); and a second conversion unit (the AC/DC conversion circuit noted in the paragraph cited above) that converts the alternating current power received from the receiving module into direct current power and transmits the converted direct current power to the driving unit.
Regarding claim 9, Masayuki further discloses the driving unit includes: a lead screw (36) disposed inside the rail unit and extending along a longitudinal direction of the rail unit; a driving member (31 and/or 32) that is disposed to surround the lead screw (at least in part), is connected to the transfer unit, and generates a rotational force by receiving power from the wireless transmission unit; and a nut screw (35) that is provided between the driving member and the lead screw, and causes the driving member to reciprocate in a straight line along a longitudinal direction of the lead screw in conjunction with the rotational force generated from the driving member (this is the general arrangement).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 3-5, 8, and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Masayuki.
Regarding claims 3-5, Masayuki discloses a device as explained above including the transmission module includes: a transmission body portion (41 for instance) that is mounted on one side of the rail unit and extends along a longitudinal direction of the rail unit (see figures); and a transmitting coil (40) that is installed in the transmission body portion, is arranged along a longitudinal direction of the transmission body portion, and receives the alternating current power from the first conversion unit (this is the general arrangement), wherein the receiving module includes: a receiving body portion (51 for instance) movably installed between the transmission body portion and the transfer unit and disposed to face the transmission body portion at a predetermined interval apart (see figures); a connecting portion (of 22 for instance) extending from the receiving body portion and connected to the transfer unit; and a receiving coil (50) that is installed in the receiving body portion and receives alternating current power transmitted from the transmitting coils through electromagnetic interaction with the transmitting coils (this is the general arrangement). Masayuki does not disclose a plurality of transmitting coils or specifics about the size or arrangement of coils/bodies. Duplication of components, as well as changes in size and arrangement, require only routine skill in the art and it accordingly would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to provide coils and bodies as claimed based on normal variation to improve performance and comfort for various users.
Regarding claims 8 and 10, Masayuki discloses a device as explained above including the transfer unit includes: a transfer body (22 for instance) disposed inside the rail unit, connected to the seat unit, and moved along a longitudinal direction of the rail unit in conjunction with the driving force of the driving unit, and wherein the driving member includes a motor, but does not explicitly disclose a moving member in rolling contact with the rail or a brushless motor. These features are old and well-known in the art and it accordingly would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to provide them as claimed because this could improve efficiency and comfort for various users.
Claim(s) 6 and 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Masayuki in view of Cho et al. (US Patent Number 10848008). Masayuki, at least as modified, discloses a device as explained above but does not position detection and supply control. Cho discloses a related device including a position detection unit (of/including 720 for instance) configured to detect a relative position of a receiving body portion with respect to a transmission body portion; and a supply control unit (including 790 for instance) configured to control alternating current power transmission to each of several transmitting coils based on data detected from the position detection unit, wherein the supply control unit allows alternating current power to be transmitted to the transmitting coil disposed to face the receiving body portion among the plurality of transmitting coils (this is the general manner of operation; see at least the fourth paragraph of column 13). Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to provide position detection and supply control as taught by Cho in Masayuki’s device because this could improve efficiency and convenience for various users.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure because they show a range of related structures.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PHILIP F GABLER whose telephone number is (571)272-2155. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8:00 - 4:30.
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/PHILIP F GABLER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3636