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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1 – 4, 6 – 12, 15, and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Bang et al. KR 2023 0068692 (“Bang”). Bang discloses an independent steering device (page 1, Description, Technical-Field), comprising:
a knuckle (20) provided with a first upper coupling portion (P2) and a second upper coupling portion (P1) at an upper portion (fig. 2) and a lower coupling portion (141) at a lower portion (fig. 3);
a first actuator (120) rotatably coupled to the first upper coupling portion;
a second actuator (110) positioned adjacent to the first actuator and rotatably coupled to the second upper coupling portion; and
a lower connection member (140) rotatably coupled to the lower coupling portion, wherein the lower coupling portion is positioned below a center of the knuckle between the first upper coupling portion and the second upper coupling portion (fig. 3 and 4).
In reference to claims 2 – 4, 7 – 12, and 15, Bang further discloses [[claim 2]] wherein the knuckle is coupled to a vehicle wheel (W), and wherein the lower coupling portion passes through the center of the knuckle between the first upper coupling portion and the second upper coupling portion and is positioned at a rear side (fig. 1) based on a virtual first plane (see annotated figure), parallel to a rotational center shaft of the vehicle wheel (C);
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[[claim 3]] wherein the virtual first plane bisects a distance (see annotated figure) between a virtual second plane that is parallel to the virtual first plane and passes through the first upper coupling portion and a virtual third plane that is parallel to the virtual first plane and passes through the second upper coupling portion;
[[claim 4]] wherein: the first actuator is coupled to a first coupling point (P2) on the first upper coupling portion; the second actuator is coupled to a second coupling point (P1) on the second upper coupling portion; the lower connection member is coupled to a third coupling point (141) on the lower coupling portion; and the first coupling point is positioned on the virtual second plane, the second coupling point is positioned on the virtual third plane, and the third coupling point is positioned between the virtual second plane and the virtual third plane (see annotated figure);
[[claim 6]] wherein another end portion of the first actuator and another end portion of the second actuator are each coupled to a vehicle body (V);
[[claim 7]] an upper connection member (100) connecting the second actuator and the vehicle body, wherein the upper connection member includes a first fastening part (near P1) coupled to at least a portion of the second actuator (111) and a second fastening part (112) extending from the first fastening part and coupled to the vehicle body;
[[claim 8]] wherein the lower connection member includes a third fastening part (140) coupled to the lower coupling portion and a fourth fastening part (130) extending from the third fastening part and coupled to the vehicle body;
[[claim 9]] wherein: each of the first actuator and the second actuator includes a stroke module (113) provided to connect the knuckle and a vehicle body (V); the stroke module includes a piston (111) coupled to the knuckle, a cylinder (112) into which at least a portion of the piston (fig. 6) is movably inserted, and a bracket (1116) which is coupled to the cylinder and coupled to the vehicle body; and an inner surface of the cylinder is provided with a guide groove (1114) in a longitudinal direction of the cylinder, and an outer surface of the piston (111, 1142) is provided with a guide protrusion (area adjacent 1113, and 1142) provided to be inserted into the guide groove;
[[claim 10]] wherein: each of the first actuator and the second actuator further includes a driving module (114) providing driving force to linearly move the piston relative to the cylinder; and the driving module includes a screw shaft (1141) that is rotatably disposed inside the cylinder, a screw nut (1142) that is fastened to the screw shaft to convert rotational motion of the screw shaft into linear motion of the piston, and a motor (M2) providing rotating force to the screw shaft;
[[claim 11]] wherein the screw nut is fixed to an inside of the piston (via 1149);
[[claim 12]] wherein each of the piston and the screw nut is provided with an insertion hole (1115) into which a fixing pin (1116) is inserted, and wherein a coupled position of the piston and the screw nut is fixed by the fixing pin inserted into the insertion hole (page 5, 2nd paragraph beginning with “The cylinder 112 …”; and
[[claim 15]] wherein the independent steering device is positioned within a diameter of the vehicle wheel (fig. 1) when viewing the vehicle wheel in a direction of the rotational center shaft (fig. 5 and 11).
In reference to claim 16, Bang discloses a vehicle (abstract), comprising:
a vehicle body (V);
a vehicle wheel (W) mounted on the vehicle body; and
a steering device (abstract) connecting the vehicle body and the vehicle wheel and provided to steer the vehicle wheel, wherein the steering device includes a knuckle (20) coupled to the vehicle wheel (W) and provided with a first upper coupling portion (P2) and a second upper coupling portion (P1) at an upper portion (fig. 1) and a lower coupling portion (141) at a lower portion (fig. 1 and 2),
a first actuator (110) rotatably coupled to the first upper coupling portion,
a second actuator (120) positioned adjacent to the first actuator and rotatably coupled to the second upper coupling portion, and
a lower connection member (140) rotatably coupled to the lower coupling portion, and wherein the lower coupling portion passes through a center of the knuckle (fig. 4) between the first upper coupling portion and the second upper coupling portion and is positioned at a rear side (see annotated figure) based on a virtual first plane (see annotated figure), parallel to a rotational center shaft of the vehicle wheel (C).
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) 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bang in view of C. Ognibene, U.S. 2017/0363512 (“Ognibene”). Bang does not disclose each the first and second actuator including a sensor that is coupled to the cylinder. Ognibene teaches a sensor (optical) that is coupled to a cylinder (abstract) and provided to detect a relative position of a piston with respect to the cylinder (paragraph [0001]); and wherein the sensor is provided to detect a fixing pin (reference mark, stem projection). One of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would find modifying Bang such that it comprised the sensor in view of the teachings of Ognibene obvious so as to detect a threshold, and if the unit is no longer functioning correctly, enabling the driver to take precautions [0015].
Claim(s) 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bang in view of O. Quartullo, U.S. 2553940 (“Quartullo”). Bang does not disclose an inner peripheral surface of the cylinder is provided with an air flow groove for air flow. Quartullo teaches an inner peripheral surface of a cylinder is provided with an air flow groove (conduits for 92) for air flow, and wherein a piston is provided with an airflow hole (conduit for 88) for exhausting air flow (column 4, line 46). One of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would find modifying Bang such that it comprised the air flow in view of the teachings of Quartullo obvious so as to effect the desired steering action, given the desired speed movement (column 5, line 60).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 5 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.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: Prior art references do not disclose or teach the third coupling point positioned between the first virtual plane and the third virtual plane. Closest prior art Bang is silent to its position relative to the rear upper coupling position and the center of the knuckle and provides no motivation to make that specific modification.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KAREN BECK whose telephone number is (571)272-6212. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday from 8:30AM - 4:00PM.
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KAREN BECK
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3614
/KAREN BECK/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3614
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