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 .
Status of Claims
This office action is in response to a request for continued examination filed on 12/29/2025. Claims 1-15, 18-20 are pending; claims 1-2, 12, 18-20 have been amended; claims 16-17 are canceled; claims 1-11, 13-15 are withdrawn. Claims 12, 18-20 will be examined.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 12/29/2025 has been entered.
Claim Objections
Claim 19 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 19 recites “a ration spread” appears to be a typographical error. It should read -- ratio spread--.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 12, 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 12 recites “one or more clutches configured to: selectively ground the carrier in the meshed planet compound planetary gear set in a higher speed mode; and selectively rotationally couple the sun gear and the carrier in a lower speed mode”. It is indefinite because Fig.4a, 4b and ¶[0035]-[0036] from the specification, the specification clearly teaches that grounding carrier corresponds to the lower speed mode, not the higher speed mode, and that higher speed mode is achieved through a different clutch engagement state without grounding the carrier. Thereof, the recited limitation of claim 12 is inconsistent and contradicted by the specification.
Claim 20 recites “third gear is positioned between the compound planetary gear set and the third gear in relation to the lateral axis”. It is unclear how the third gear is positioned between itself and compound planetary gear set
Claims 18-19 are also rejected due to their dependency from claim 12.
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) 12, 18-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over DONG (CN 111734796 A) in view of Oono (US 20050082096 A1)
Claim 12: Dong discloses a multi-speed electric beam axle (fig.2), comprising: a traction motor (6) rotationally coupled an input shaft (1);
a first gear (e.g. upper gear of gearset 9) coupled to the input shaft (1);
a second gear (e.g. bottom gear of gearset 9) meshing with the first gear (e.g. upper gear of gearset 9) and coupled to an intermediate shaft (see annotated Fig below);
a meshed planet compound planetary gear set (11) including:
a ring gear (see annotated fig. below), a carrier (see annotated fig. below), and a sun gear (see annotated fig. below) that is rotationally coupled to the intermediate shaft (see annotated Fig below);
a shaft (3);
an output shaft (hub/shaft portion of 5);
a fifth gear (upper gear of gearset 10) fixedly coupled to an output shaft (5) and meshing with an input gear (lower gear of gearset 10/ input gear of differential 7 which is also the gear portion of 5) of a differential (7);
one or more clutches (b1,c1) configured to:
selectively ground (b1) the carrier (see annotated fig. below) in the meshed planet compound planetary gear set in a higher speed mode (examiner interprets this limitation as b1 engaged it would yield lower speed mode); and
selectively rotationally couple (c1) the sun gear (see annotated fig. below) and the carrier (see annotated fig. below) in a lower speed mode (examiner interprets this limitation as c1 engaged it would yield higher speed mode);
wherein the ring gear is rotationally coupled (via 10, 3) to the output shaft (hub of 5);
the sun gear is rotationally coupled (via intermediate shaft and gearset 9) to the input shaft (1); and
the one or more clutches (b1) are configured to selectively ground the carrier (¶[0014]).
Dong does not disclose a third gear that is fixedly coupled to the ring gear via a shaft; a fourth gear fixedly coupled to the output shaft and meshing with the third gear; a park gear that is fixedly coupled to the shaft and positioned between the third gear and the second gear in relation to a lateral axis; a park mechanism configured to selectively engage the park gear.
Oono teaches a transmission having a planetary gearset (13) with a ring gear (R); a third gear (15) that is fixedly coupled to the ring gear (R) via a shaft (14); a fourth gear (31) fixedly coupled to the output shaft (30) and meshing with the third gear (15); a park gear (Gp) that is fixedly coupled to the shaft (14) (¶[0046]: “the parking gear Gp can be formed in a predetermined location on the output shaft 14”); a park mechanism (18) configured to selectively engage the park gear (Gp) (see ¶[0035]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add a parking gear (Gp); third (15) to the shaft (3) of Dong; as well as fourth gear (31) and counter shaft (30) as taught by Oono in the axle system of Dong for the purpose of providing reliable parking system without increasing the axial length and/or to increase flexibility in the placement of the planetary gearset and motor relative to the axle and/or to further change the speed reduction.
Accordingly, in the final modified device of Dong: by placing the parking gear (Gp as taught by Oono) on shaft (3) of Dong. The final modified device of Dong discloses the limitation “ the parking gear (Gp) is positioned between second gear (lower gear of gearset 9- Dong) and third gear (15-as taught by Oono) in relation to a lateral (axial) axis.” as claimed.
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Claim 18: Dong as modified by Oono discloses the multi-speed electric beam axle of claim 12, wherein the park mechanism (Gp-Oono) is positioned between the meshed planet compound planetary gear set (11) and the second gear (lower gear of gearset 9) in relation to the lateral axis (axial axis); and the park gear (Gp-Oono) is positioned between the input shaft (1) and the output shaft (5) in relation to a longitudinal axis (e.g. radial direction).
Claim 19: Dong as modified by Oono discloses the multi-speed electric beam axle of claim 12, a ration spread between the higher speed mode and the lower speed mode is greater than 1.8 (Dong-¶[0005]: “The transmission ratio of the first gear is 16.05, and the transmission ratio of the second gear is 8.05.” This yields the ratio spread of 1.99 which is greater than 1.8).
Claim 20: Dong as modified by Oono discloses the multi-speed electric beam axle of claim 12, third gear (15-Oono) is positioned between the compound planetary gear set (11) and the third gear in relation to the lateral axis (examiner interprets as the third gear (15-Oono) is between the compound planetary gearset (11) and second gear (lower gear of gearset 9-Dong)).
Response to Amendment/Arguments
The previous rejection of claims 12, 18-20 under 35 USC 103 have been considered and are persuasive in light of the remarks on page 9, last paragraph. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made (see rejections above).
Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Nagano (US 6155364) discloses hybrid system with parking gear.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Lillian T Nguyen whose telephone number is (571)270-5404. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5pm.
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/LILLIAN T NGUYEN/ Examiner, Art Unit 3655A
/STACEY A FLUHART/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3655