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 .
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
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 5-6 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 5 recites “a power source” in line 5, it is unclear if this is the same power source as that already recited in line 3.
Claim 5 recites “the one motor bearing being located on a side axially farther,” it is unclear what is the point of reference being compared to for the one motor bearing being farther from.
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.
(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) 1-2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hayashi et al. (US 2012/0091836 A1). Hayashi discloses a transmission device (fig. 1), comprising:
Re claim 1, an input gear (12b) configured to rotate with a power from a power source (13,14); and a counter gear (15) configured to rotate around an axis parallel to a rotational axis of the input gear (fig. 1), the input gear and the counter gear meshing with each other and being arranged in a transmission case (10), the transmission case including, at a bottom part (bottom of 10) therein, an oil storage storing a gear lubricating oil (par [0072]), wherein the transmission case includes a first oil capturing part (fig. 5A) capable of capturing an oil scattered from the input gear (fig. 1 shows the oil flow path arrow extending from the gear meshing between 12b and 15), and the first oil capturing part includes an oil inlet port (annotated fig. 5A below: 101) located, as viewed from an axial direction of the input gear, on a front side in a forward rotation direction of the input gear on a common tangent line of pitch circles of the input gear and the counter gear (fig. 1), and wherein the transmission case is provided with a lubrication target part (13) to be lubricated with the oil captured by the first oil capturing part (fig. 2).
Re claim 2, wherein the transmission case includes an input gear cover (annotated fig. 5A below: 102) that covers the input gear (fig. 1 shows the cover covers 12b from the top) and that is capable of storing an oil in a lower portion of an inner space (oil is stored in the lower inner space 52) of the input gear cover, and the first oil capturing part is arranged inside the input gear cover (fig. 1).
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Claim(s) 1-3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kosaka (US 2024/0247713 A1). Kosaka discloses a transmission device (fig. 1), comprising:
Re claim 1, an input gear (23) configured to rotate with a power from a power source (2); and a counter gear (33) configured to rotate around an axis (X2) parallel to a rotational axis (S1) of the input gear (fig. 1), the input gear and the counter gear meshing with each other and being arranged in a transmission case (HS), the transmission case including, at a bottom part (bottom of HS) therein, an oil storage storing a gear lubricating oil (par [0056]), wherein the transmission case includes a first oil capturing part (fig. 14: CT3) capable of capturing an oil scattered from the input gear (fig. 14 shows the oil flow path arrow extending from the gear meshing between 23 and 33), and the first oil capturing part includes an oil inlet port (inlet at 760b shown in fig. 12) located, as viewed from an axial direction of the input gear, on a front side in a forward rotation direction of the input gear on a common tangent line of pitch circles of the input gear and the counter gear (fig. 12), and wherein the transmission case is provided with a lubrication target part (fig. 15 shows CT3 has a passage 98 to lubricate FG) to be lubricated with the oil captured by the first oil capturing part.
Re claim 2, wherein the transmission case includes an input gear cover (720,740,760) that covers the input gear (fig. 3, fig. 11-12) and that is capable of storing an oil in a lower portion of an inner space of the input gear cover (lower portion of 740 stores the oil), and the first oil capturing part is arranged inside the input gear cover (fig. 14).
Re claim 3, wherein, in the transmission case, a final driven gear (FG) configured to rotate around an axis (X1) identical to that of the input gear and transmit a rotational force to a drive shaft (5B) is supported via a pair of final driven gear bearings (B2), wherein one final driven gear bearing is attached to an intermediate case (9) coupled to an inner wall of the transmission case (fig. 2), and wherein the inner wall forms the first oil capturing part together with the intermediate case (fig. 2 and fig. 11).
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) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kosaka (US 2024/0247713 A1) in view of Yamazaki (JP 2016008646 A). Kosaka discloses the transmission device (as cited above). Kosaka does not disclose:
Re claim 4, wherein the intermediate case includes a through-hole configured to guide, to the one final driven gear bearing, a portion of the oil captured by the first oil capturing part.
However, Yamazaki teaches a transmission device (fig. 1):
Re claim 4, wherein the intermediate case includes a through-hole (41,42) configured to guide, to the one final driven gear bearing (17), a portion of the oil captured by the first oil capturing part (32).
It would have been obvious to person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to employ a guide to a final driven gear bearing, as taught by Yamazaki, to lubricate and extend the life of the bearing.
Claim(s) 5-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kosaka (US 2024/0247713 A1) in view of Shimizu et al. (US 2012/0286607 A1). Hayashi discloses a power unit (fig. 2), comprising:
Re claim 5, a transmission device (3,4); and a motor (2) serving as the a power source, wherein the transmission device comprises: an input gear (23) configured to rotate with a power from a power source; and a counter gear (33) configured to rotate around an axis (X2) parallel to a rotational axis (X1) of the input gear (fig. 1), the input gear and the counter gear meshing with each other and being arranged in a transmission case (7,8), the transmission case including, at a bottom part (bottom of HS) therein, an oil storage storing a gear lubricating oil (par [0056]), wherein the transmission case includes a first oil capturing part (fig. 14: CT3) capable of capturing an oil scattered from the input gear (fig. 14 shows the oil flow path arrow extending from the gear meshing between 23 and 33), and the first oil capturing part includes an oil inlet port (inlet at 760b shown in fig. 12) located, as viewed from an axial direction of the input gear, on a front side in a forward rotation direction of the input gear on a common tangent line of pitch circles of the input gear and the counter gear (fig. 12), and wherein the transmission case is provided with a lubrication target part (fig. 15 shows CT3 has a passage 98 to lubricate FG) to be lubricated with the oil captured by the first oil capturing part, wherein, in a unit case including a motor case (6) for the motor and the transmission case, a motor output shaft (20) of the motor is rotatably supported via two or more motor bearings (B1) arranged at a distance axially.
Re claim 6, wherein the transmission case includes a second oil capturing part (CT2) on a front side in a forward rotation direction of the counter gear relative to the first oil capturing part (fig. 12), the second oil capturing part being capable of capturing an oil scattered from the counter gear (fig. 11-12 show the oil flow arrow from 33 directed into CT2), and wherein the second oil capturing part communicates with the oil supply passage in the transmission case (CT2 has a passage from 77 to 641, the teaching of the Kosaka in view of Shimizu would communicate the oil in both capturing parts to the motor bearing).
Kosaka does not disclose:
Re claim 5, wherein the unit case includes an oil supply passage configured to supply one motor bearing of the two or more motor bearings with the oil captured by the first oil capturing part, the one motor bearing being located on a side axially farther from the transmission device.
However, Shimizu teaches a power unit (fig. 1) wherein:
Re claim 5, wherein the unit case includes an oil supply passage (66) configured to supply one motor bearing (72) of the two or more motor bearings with the oil captured by the first oil capturing part (64), the one motor bearing being located on a side axially farther from the transmission device (fig. 1.
It would have been obvious to person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to employ an oil supply passage to the motor bearing, as taught by Shimizu, to lubricate and extend the life of the bearing.
Conclusion
The cited prior art(s) made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MINH D TRUONG whose telephone number is (571)270-3014. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Anna Momper can be reached at (571) 270-5788. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Minh Truong/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3654