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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 29 June 2026 has been considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 1-4 and 7-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lammers (4,988,329).
Per claim 1, Lammers shows a travel driving apparatus which drives a crawler belt of a work machine. The apparatus includes a reducer (34,36) and an output shaft 82 that receives a driving force from the reducer (34,36). A sprocket hub 80, having an inner face portion disposed on a side of the reducer (34,36), is connected to the output shaft 82. A housing 26, having an outer face portion that faces the inner face portion, and covers the reducer (34,36) from a side of the sprocket hub 80. A plurality of sprocket teeth 114 is provided on an outer peripheral portion of the sprocket hub 80. A floating seal 136 is disposed at an end portion of a space 124 formed between the inner face portion and the outer face portion, with the space 124 being filled with lubricant. The floating seal 136 is disposed within an axial dimension of the plurality of sprocket teeth 114 along an axial direction of the output shaft 82.
Per claim 2, a bearing section (118,120) is disposed between the output shaft 82 and the housing 26, with the bearing section (118,120) facing the space 124.
Per claim 3, the output shaft 82 includes a body and a connecting section 38 disposed on a side opposite the reducer (34,36) with respect to the housing 26. The connecting section 38 connects the shaft body to the sprocket hub 80. The housing 26 includes an inner peripheral surface facing an outer peripheral surface of the body of the output shaft 82, with the bearing section (118,120) disposed between the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface.
Per claim 4, the floating seal 136 is disposed toward the sprocket hub 80 from a center position of the bearing section (11,8,120) in the axial direction of the output shaft 82.
Per claim 7, the sprocket hub 80 includes a hole extending from a surface on a side opposite to the reducer (34,36) to the inner face portion.
Per claim 8, the hole is in communication with the space 124.
Per claim 9, the housing 26 and the sprocket hub 80 overlap each in the axial direction of the output shaft 82.
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) 1-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yonetami (JP 2002178963) in view of Lammers (4,988,329).
Figures 2-3 of Yonetami clearly shows all of the features as set forth in claims 1-10, except for the floating seal 30 being disposed within an axial dimension of the plurality of sprocket teeth 20 in the axial direction of the output shaft 18.
However, Lammers teaches the use of a floating seal 136 is disposed within an axial dimension of the plurality of sprocket teeth 114 along an axial direction of the output shaft 82. Therefore, from this teaching, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention, and with a reasonable expectation of success, to provide the floating seal of Yonetami within an axial dimension of the sprocket teeth as taught by Lammers, as a substitute equivalent configuration, to achieve the predictable result of preventing debris from entering the assembly.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-10 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
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JASON R BELLINGER whose telephone number is (571)272-6680. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-4.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Samuel (Joe) Morano can be reached at (571)272-6684. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JASON R BELLINGER/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3615
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