DETAILED ACTION
This office action is in response to remarks filed on 07/01/2026. Claims 1, 3-5, and 7-10 are pending. Claims 2 and 6 have been canceled.
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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tolmie, Jr. US 4988905 A (Hereinafter “Tolmie”).
Regarding Claim 1, Tolmie teaches a servo motor device (Fig. 1) comprising:
a main body (Fig. 1, 11) including a motor (Fig. 1, 13);
an output shaft (Fig. 1, 30) protruding from the main body and rotatably held by the main body to output power of the motor; and
a through hole (Fig. 1, the hole in the middle of 32, 40, 60, 70, and 74) penetrating the main body,
wherein the main body is in a plate shape (Fig. 1, 11 box shape),
wherein the through hole penetrates the main body in a thickness direction (Fig. 1, the length of 11), and
wherein the output shaft protrudes from any one of four surfaces parallel to the thickness direction of the main body among six surfaces of the plate-shaped main body (Fig. 1, 30 extends out from 74).
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.
Claims 3-5 and 7-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tolmie in view of Onishi et al. PCT/JP2018/019585 via US 20210237794 A1 (Hereinafter "Onishi").
Regarding Claim 3, Tolmie teaches the servo motor device according to claim 1,
Tolmie does not expressly disclose wherein the through hole has a bearing inside thereof.
However, Onishi teaches the through hole has a bearing (Onishi Fig. 2, 12) inside thereof.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the through hole has a bearing inside thereof as taught by Onishi, in the apparatus of Tolmie, for the purpose to minimize deterioration from friction, water, and heat.
Regarding Claim 4, Tolmie in view Onishi teaches the servo motor device according to claim 3, wherein the bearing has an inner ring (Onishi Fig. 3, 12a), and an inner hole (Onishi Fig. 3, 121) that is a hole portion formed inside of the inner ring is a rotation shaft (Onishi Fig. 1, 101) portion insertion hole into which a rotation shaft portion of a steering wheel of a model car (Examiner’s Note: Model car is being interpreted very broadly. It can be interpreted as a prototype model or scaled miniature model, in which both have all elements as a production car) is inserted (Onishi [0029]).
Regarding Claim 5, Tolmie teaches a servo motor device (Fig. 1); and
wherein the servo motor device includes:
a main body (Fig. 1, 11) including a motor (Fig. 1, 13);
an output shaft (Fig. 1, 30) protruding from the main body and rotatably held by the main body to output power of the motor; and
a through hole (Fig. 1, the hole in the middle of 32, 40, 60, 70, and 74) penetrating the main body, and
wherein the main body is in a plate shape (Fig. 1, 11 box shape),
wherein the through hole penetrates the main body in a thickness direction (Fig. 1, the length of 11), and
wherein the output shaft protrudes from any one of four surfaces parallel to the thickness direction of the main body among six surfaces of the plate-shaped main body (Fig. 1, 30 extends out from 74).
Tolmie does not expressly disclose movable mechanism; a driven portion; wherein the driven portion is driven based on the power of the motor.
However, Onishi teaches movable mechanism (Onishi Fig. 1),
a driven portion (Onishi Fig. 1, 1 & 101),
wherein the driven portion is driven based on the power of the motor (Onishi [0039]-[0040]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement a movable mechanism; a driven portion; wherein the driven portion is driven based on the power of the motor as taught by Onishi, to be driven by the apparatus of Tolmie, for driving purpose for a multitude of application.
Regarding Claim 7, Tolmie in view Onishi teaches the movable mechanism according to claim 5, wherein the through hole has a bearing (Onishi Fig. 2, 12) inside thereof.
Regarding Claim 8, Tolmie in view Onishi teaches the movable mechanism according to claim 7, wherein the movable mechanism is configured as a steering mechanism of a model car (Onishi [0029]),
the bearing has an inner ring (Onishi Fig. 3, 12a), and
a rotation shaft portion (Onishi Fig. 1, 101) of a steering wheel of the model car is inserted into an inner hole (Onishi Fig. 3, 121) that is a hole portion formed inside of the inner ring.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9-10 are 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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Pettey US 7891902 B2 teaches an output shaft adapter assembly 30 is configured to engage output shaft 12 of servo motor 10. Output shaft adapter assembly 30 is further configured to accept and be engaged with an auxiliary shaft 32 (shown in FIG. 2). Splined output shaft 12 and auxiliary shaft 32 are coupled along a longitudinal axis 35. In one embodiment, splined output shaft 12 has approximately 23 to 25 teeth. However, output shaft 12 can have any number of teeth. Output shaft 12 has a threaded orifice 14 that extends into the splined output shaft 12 from a distal end 16 of the splined output shaft 12.
Nakano et al. JP 2018-113270 via US 20210323600 A1 teaches a fixing hole 40 is formed, so as to have a circular shape, on the outer periphery of a through hole 41 which is formed in the vicinity of the center of the end surface portion 15 and through which the rotation shaft 23 passes, and the outer peripheral surface forming the hollow portion of the lid member 35 is press-fitted to the inner periphery of the fixing hole 40 or fixed thereto with a fixing method, such as bonding. A ball bearing 44 is interposed to the through hole 41, and the rotation shaft 23 is rotatably and pivotally supported on the ball bearing 44. Therefore, basically, the housing space Sm of the motor housing 11 is water-tightly separated from the housing space Sh formed inside the metal cover 12 by the end surface portion 15 and the lid member 35.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CORTEZ M COOK whose telephone number is (571)270-7954. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 7:30-5pm.
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/CORTEZ M COOK/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2846
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