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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because figures 3A, 3B and 5S should be labeled as prior art commensurate with the specification. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Objections
Claims 3, 4 and 7 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 3, line 2, the recitation “the tube sleeve” lacks antecedent basis. Dependent claim 4 is likewise objected to.
The recitation “the oil cap holes” in the last lines of claim 7 lacks antecedent basis.
Appropriate correction is required.
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, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Krischak, U.S. 10,451,118.
Regarding claim 1, Krischak discloses a cardan shaft (fig 1; col. 4, lines 57-67; a universal joint is also referred to as Cardan joint) sliding assembly (the length compensation 3; col. 4, lines 57-60) suitable for both a gearbox-differential arrangement (col. 5, lines 44-47), which gives the cardan shaft freedom of movement in an axial direction (slidable via the length compensator 3) and an undercarriage arrangement (the undercarriage of the vehicle; col. 5, lines 44-47) between two axles (axles at universal joints 1, 2), the cardan shaft sliding assembly having a multiple number of mounting diameters of different dimensions (fig 3, diameters of groove 32 and seat 31; col. 6, lines 11-17) positioned on a yoke shaft (yoke 17) to ensure the assembly of a protective cover (fig 2, sealing sleeve 11; col. 5, lines 54-67) by housing both in the gearbox-differential arrangement (drive and driven components of flanges 20 and 25; col. 4, line 63 – col. 5, line 4) and in the undercarriage arrangement (the vehicle) between two axles (fig 1, at yokes 17 and 22); wherein the yoke shaft with the mounting diameters (fig 3, 31, 32) provides the cardan shaft freedom of motion in the axial direction (via compensator 3) and is one of the parts forming the sliding assembly (col. 5, lines 15-34).
As to claim 2, the reference discloses a tube sleeve (tubes 40, 41, 42, 43; col. 58, lines 54-67), which is one of the parts forming the sliding assembly in the gearbox-differential arrangement (at flanges 20, 25) and which provides the cardan shaft freedom of motion in the axial direction (via the length compensator).
As to claim 3, the reference discloses the protective cover (11) protects a tube sleeve (fig 2, shaft 5; col. 5, lines 35-44) and the yoke shaft (17) from external environment effects in the gearbox differential arrangement.
As to claim 4, the reference discloses 4. (Currently Amended) The cardan shaft sliding assembly (10) according to claim 3, characterized by further comprising a protective cover seal (14) used in the undercarriage arrangement between two axles which provides sealing during the axial movement of the tube sleeve (12) and the yoke shaft (11).
As to claim 5, the reference discloses a slip yoke (fig 1, yoke 22; col. 5, lines 1-10) which is one of the parts forming the sliding assembly (assembly shown in figure 1 including the length compensator 3) and which provides the cardan shaft freedom of motion in the axial direction (col. 5, lines 10-19).
As to claim 6, the reference discloses a slip yoke (22) and a protective cover (sealing sleeve 11 and tubes 40-43) protecting the yoke shaft (yoke shaft of yoke 17) from the environment.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 7 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 and to overcome the objection above.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KENNETH L THOMPSON whose telephone number is (571)272-7037. The examiner can normally be reached Weekdays; 9:00-5:00, est.
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20 February 2026
/KENNETH L THOMPSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3676