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 .
Response to Amendment
The amendment dated 10/23/2024 has been considered and entered into the record. The limitations of claim have been incorporated into independent claim 1. Accordingly, claim 3 has been cancelled. Claims 1, 2, and 4–7 remain pending and are examined below.
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 (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 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, 2, and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Koshihata (JP 2018035927 A1).
Koshihata teaches a propeller shaft for automobiles comprising a hollow pipe made from carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic composite materials. Koshihata abstract, ¶¶ 21, 36. The shaft preferably comprises both pitch-based carbon fibers and polyacrylonitrile-based (PAN-based) carbon fibers. Id. ¶ 24. The hollow pipe preferably comprises layers of carbon-fiber-reinforced composite materials, such that layers of pitch-based carbon fibers are arranged so as to extend along a longitudinal direction of the pipe, and layers of PAN-based carbon fibers extend at a bias relative to the longitudinal direction of the shaft. Id. ¶¶ 24–25, 40. The PAN-based carbon fibers are higher in strength and lower in elastic modulus relative to the pitch-based carbon fibers. Id. ¶¶ 22–23, 26–28.
The propeller shaft may comprise a first pitch-based carbon fiber layer followed by two PAN-based carbon fiber layers. Id. ¶¶ 46–48. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have aligned the pitch-based carbon fiber layer along a longitudinal direction of the propeller shaft, while aligning the PAN-based carbon fiber layers at a bias to the longitudinal direction as Koshihata teaches a preference for such an orientation. Additionally, it would have been obvious to have had the longitudinally-aligned pitch-based fiber layer interior relative to the PAN-based fiber layers as longitudinally-aligned fibers would better resist torsional stress and resonance during rotation. See id. ¶ 3.
Claim 4 is rejected as the propeller shaft of Koshihata may be formed using a multi-fiber winding method. Id. ¶ 39.
Claim(s) 5 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Koshihata as applied to claims 1 and 2 above, and further in view of JPH 04124196 U, “ ’196.”
Koshihata fails to teach a propeller shaft containing PAN fiber layers each with a bias relative to the longitudinal direction of the shaft such that first and second biased layers are oriented at opposing angles. Additionally, Koshihata also fails to teach the pitch-based fibers are arranged at equal intervals in a circumferential direction.
’196 teaches the formation of a shaft for transmitting torque to be used in a variety of vehicles. ’196 ¶¶ 1–2. The shaft may comprise a first carbon-fiber-reinforced layer 51, wherein the fibers of the first layer are oriented in the longitudinal direction of the shaft. Id. Fig. 8. The shaft may further comprise a second carbon-fiber-reinforced layer that includes a first bias reinforcement layer 21, and a second bias reinforcement layer 22, wherein the orientation angle of the biased layers are opposite and the second bias reinforcement layer is provided on a radially outer side of the first bias layer. Id. Fig. 8.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have looked to ’196 for guidance as to suitable fiber orientations to make a shaft in order to successfully practice the invention of Koshihata. Additionally, it would have been obvious to the ordinarily skilled artisan to have arranged the carbon fibers at equal intervals in a circumferential direction motivated by the desire to have consistent performance along the shaft.
Claim(s) 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Koshihata as applied to claim 2 above, and further in view of ’196 and Yasushi (JP 2008082525 A).
Koshihata fails to teach a propeller shaft containing PAN fiber layers each with a bias relative to the longitudinal direction of the shaft such that first and second biased layers are oriented with opposing angles, and a first carbon-based layer arranged so as to be inclined relative to the longitudinal direction, and an inclination angle of the first-carbon-fiber-reinforced resin layer is set such that a twisting torque exerted on the cylinder when the cylinder is subjected to a maximum rotational speed decreases the inclination angle toward a parallel angle to the longitudinal direction of the cylinder.
’196 teaches the formation of a shaft for transmitting torque to in a variety of vehicles. ’196 ¶¶ 1–2. The shaft may comprise a first carbon-fiber-reinforced layer 51, wherein the fibers of the first layer are oriented in the longitudinal direction of the shaft. Id. Fig. 8. The shaft may further comprise a second carbon-fiber-reinforced layer that includes a first bias reinforcement layer 21, and a second bias reinforcement layer 22, wherein the orientation angle of the biased layers are opposite and the second bias reinforcement layer is provided on a radially outer side of the first bias layer. Id. Fig. 8.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have looked to ’196 for guidance as to suitable fiber orientations to make a shaft in order to successfully practice the invention of Koshihata.
Yasushi is directed to a propeller shaft formed from a plurality of carbon-fiber-reinforced layers, wherein the inner-most carbon fiber layer has a low inclination angle of less than 30 degrees relative to the shaft’s longitudinal direction to provide high resonance frequency characteristics and bending rigidity in the shaft. Yasushi abstract, Best Mode.
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to the ordinarily skilled artisan to have aligned the fibers of the first carbon fiber layer of Koshihata at a low angle relative to the longitudinal angle of the shaft motivated by the desire to provide high resonance frequency characteristics and bending rigidity in the shaft.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MATTHEW D MATZEK whose telephone number is (571)272-5732. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:30-6.
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/MATTHEW D MATZEK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1786
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