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 § 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) 1-4 and 6-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Beiler et al. (US 12,595,007 B2) and in further view of Su et al. (US 8,540,041 B2).
With respect to claim 1, Beiler et al. discloses a motorized kart comprising a frame 432, wheels 342, hub motor 470, motor shaft 474, wherein said frame has sleeve 506, as shown in figure 9. Beiler et al. does not disclose the motor as being an electric motor. Su et al. does disclose an electric hub motor 2, as shown in figure 2. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the electric motor of Su et al. into the hub motor arrangement of Beiler et al. in order to power the vehicle electronically, rather than hydraulically.
PNG
media_image1.png
543
786
media_image1.png
Greyscale
With respect to claim 2, said shaft has first and second matching or mating parts 488, 502 that mate on the end of the shaft, as shown in figure 9.
With respect to claim 3, said mating parts of said shaft are splined portions 488, as shown in figure 4.
PNG
media_image2.png
542
760
media_image2.png
Greyscale
With respect to claim 4, said wheel portion 476 of the shaft appears to be smooth, as shown in figure 5.
PNG
media_image3.png
523
743
media_image3.png
Greyscale
With respect to claim 6, said shaft has a fastener or threaded nut 492 for securing said threaded shaft end, as shown in figure 5.
With respect to claims 8-10, Beiler et al. discloses a braking system including a brake disc 408 with caliper and pads, (not numbered), said brake system inherently included foot brake actuator and brake hoses for transferring brake fluid to the brake system, as shown in figure 8.
PNG
media_image4.png
459
784
media_image4.png
Greyscale
With respect to claim 11, the electric motor system of Su et al. inherently includes an electric battery system for powering the electric motors.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5 and 12-14 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JEFFREY J RESTIFO whose telephone number is (571)272-6697. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 11am-8pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, J. Allen Shriver can be reached at (303) 297-4337. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
JEFFREY J. RESTIFO
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3613
/JEFFREY J RESTIFO/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3613