DETAILED CORRESPONDENCE
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 is the final office action on the merits of Application No. 18/847,169 filed on 09/13/2024. Claims 1-3, 5-18, 19 and 21-24 are pending. Claim 4 is cancelled. Claims 21-14 are new claims.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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 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.
Claims 1-8, and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ai et al. (US 20120309583 A1) in view of DRAGO et al. (US 20050130792 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Ai discloses a gear box (figs. 1-4, para 24), wherein the gear box comprises a first planetary gear train (A), the first planetary gear train (A) comprises a first gear ring (12, fig. 1 A/B), a first planetary carrier (15, fig. 1B), a first planetary gear (13, fig. 1A/B), an idle sun gear (11. fig. 1A) and an idle planetary gear (14, fig. 1A), wherein
the idle planetary gear (14) and the first planetary gear (13) are mounted on the first planetary carrier (15), the first planetary gear (13) comprises a pinion gear (13B, fig. 1C), the idle planetary gear (14) and the pinion gear (13B) are both internally engaged with the first gear ring (12) and externally engaged with the idle sun gear (11), and the pinion gear (13B) is floatable (see claim 13 and para 30)in a radial direction of the pinion gear (13B) relative to the first planetary carrier (15),
wherein the first planetary gear train (13) further comprises a first sun gear (10), the first planetary gear (13) further comprises a bull gear (13A), the bull gear (13A) has a diameter greater than a diameter of the pinion gear (13B), the bull gear (13A) and the pinion gear (13B) are staggered from each other in an axial direction,
wherein the bull gear (13A) is externally engaged with the first sun gear (10), a plurality of first planetary gears (13) are provided.
But Ai fails to disclose wherein the bull gears of at least two of the plurality of first planetary gears are staggered from each other in the axial direction, and projections of the bull gears in a plane perpendicular to the axial direction are partially overlapped with each other.
DRAGO teaches a similar kind of gear box as shown in figure 11 wherein the bull gears (e.g. 110, 104, fig. 11) of at least two of the plurality of first planetary gears (e.g. 104, 106, 110, 112) are staggered from each other in the axial direction, and projections of the bull gears (e.g. 110, 112) in a plane perpendicular to the axial direction are partially overlapped with each other.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Ai by arranging the planetary mechanism as taught by DRAGO in order to save space, reduce drivetrain accountability and cost.
Therefore, the gearbox would have the bull gears of at least two of the plurality of first planetary gears are staggered from each other in the axial direction, and projections of the bull gears in a plane perpendicular to the axial direction are partially overlapped with each other.
Regarding claim 2, Ai/ DRAGO discloses the gear box (figs. 1-4, para 24) according as modified according to claim 1, wherein the idle planetary gear (14) is not allowed to float in a radial direction of the idle planetary gear (14) relative to the first planetary carrier (15).
Regarding claim 3, Ai/ DRAGO discloses the gear box (figs. 1-4, para 24) as modified according to claim 2, wherein a connecting shaft (13c), the bull gear (13A) and the pinion gear (13B) are coaxially connected with each other through the connecting shaft (13c). (see fig. 1C)
Regarding claim 5, Ai/ DRAGO discloses the gear box (figs. 1-4, para 24) as modified according to claim 3, wherein a first bearing (16) is provided between the first planetary gear (13) and the first planetary carrier (15). (see para 25)
Regarding claim 6, Ai/ DRAGO discloses the gear box (figs. 1-4, para 24) as modified according to claim 5, wherein the first bearing (16/16A) is a self-aligning bearing, and the pinion gear (13B) is configured to float in the radial direction of the pinion gear (13B) through the self-aligning bearing. (see para 30)
Regarding claim 7, Ai discloses the gear box (figs. 1-4, para 24) according to claim 5, wherein the first bearing (16A) is provided at an end of the connecting shaft towards the bull gear (13A). (see fig. 1C)
Regarding claim 8, Ai/ DRAGO discloses the gear box (figs. 1-4, para 24) as modified according to claim 5, wherein the first planetary carrier (15) comprises a base (15A) and a bottom plate (15B) connected to one end of the base (15A), the base (15A) has a base plate (has no character numeral), a first accommodation space for accommodating the bull gear (13A) is formed between the base plate (15A) and the bottom plate (15B), the base plate (15A) and the bottom plate (15B) each is provided with a bearing housing bore (has no character numeral, see fig. 1B, the bore pointed by number 16) for mounting the first bearing (16), a plurality of first planetary gears (13) are provided, some of the plurality of first planetary gears (13) are supported on the base plate (15B) by the first bearing (15), and others of the plurality of first planetary gears (13) are supported on the bottom plate (15B) by the first bearing (16).
Regarding claim 18, Ai/ DRAGO discloses the gear box (figs. 1-4, para 24) as modified according to claim 1. (Please see the rejection of the claim 1)
Regarding claim 20, Ai/ DRAGO discloses the gear box (figs. 1-4, para 24) as modified according to claim 6, wherein the first planetary carrier (15) comprises a base (15A) and a bottom plate (15B) connected to one end of the base (15A), the base (15A) has a base plate (has no character numeral), a first accommodation space for accommodating the bull gear (13A) is formed between the base plate (15A) and the bottom plate (15B), the base plate (15A) and the bottom plate (15B) each is provided with a bearing housing bore (has no character numeral, see fig. 1B, the bore pointed by number 16) for mounting the first bearing (16), a plurality of first planetary gears (13) are provided, some of the plurality of first planetary gears (13) are supported on the base plate (15B) by the first bearing (15), and others of the plurality of first planetary gears (13) are supported on the bottom plate (15B) by the first bearing (16).
Claim 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tesar (US 20190383359 A1) in view of Ai et al. (US 20120309583 A1) and DRAGO et al. (US 20050130792 A1).
Regarding claim 19, Tesar discloses a wind turbine generating system (figs. 1-7), comprising a blade hub (111, fig. 7, para 3) and a transmission mechanism (117, see para 4), and the gear box of the transmission mechanism is connected to the blade hub to increase a speed of the blade hub to a target rotational speed, but fails to disclose wherein the transmission mechanism is configured as the transmission mechanism according to claim 18.
Ai/ DRAGO teaches a gear box (figs. 1-4, para 24) of a transmission mechanism as shown in claim 18 above.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Tesar by adding a transmission mechanism as taught by Ai/ DRAGO according to claim 18 in order to avoid failures and to maximize efficiency, therefore enhance the life of transmission.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9-17 are objected to as been dependent upon a rejected base claim 1, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. Claims 21-24 are allowed.
Reasons for allowance, if applicable, will be the subject of a separate communication to the Applicant or patent owner, pursuant to 37 CFR § 1.104 and MPEP § 1302.14.
Response to argument
Applicant contends that neither Ai nor Nishiura disclose or suggest the newly recited features of claim 1. While this argument is found persuasive, a new reference has been applied (DRAGO et al. ‘792) that discloses the new limitation, as appears above. Regarding Chopra, there is a typographical mistake, the correct ref is Tesar ’359 which has been added to 892 form in non-final action.
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.
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/F.P/Examiner, Art Unit 3655
/FARHANA PERVIN/Examiner, Art Unit 3655