DETAILED ACTION
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 § 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 1 – 4 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 1, line 14 recites the limitation “the rotor”, however, lines 4 – 5 recites “each of the two motors including a rotor”. Therefore, it is unclear which rotor is being recited in line 14.
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 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tashiro (EP 2444298 A1) in view of Terakado (WO 2020166525 A1) and Engstrom et al. (EP 3819190 A1).
For claim 1, Tashiro discloses a ball screw dual motor power steering comprising:
a steering shaft 6, 32 including a screw rod portion 36;
a ball bearing structure 33 [sleeved on the screw rod portion of the steering shaft] (fig. 3, page 5, paragraph [0059]);
two motors 21, 22 [provided at both sides of the ball bearing structure respectively] (fig. 3), each of the two motors including a rotor (first and second half of 26) and a stator 24, 25, [each of the rotor and the stator being provided with a hollow part through which the steering shaft is disposed] (page 5, paragraphs [0056] and [0057]), and [the rotor being secured to the ball bearing structure] (fig. 3, page 5, paragraph [0060]);
two housings (first and second half of 5) [each being tubular in structure] (page 4, paragraph [0051]), and [one end of each of the two housings being secured to one of the sides of the ball bearing structure, with the steering shaft, a portion of the ball bearing structure, and the motors accommodated in the two housings] (fig. 3, indirectly);
[wherein one of the two motors drives the rotor to rotate the ball bearing structure, and the ball bearing structure drives the steering shaft to displace along an axial direction thereof] (page 4, paragraph [0052]); but does not explicitly disclose
the steering shaft including a gear rack portion;
two controllers respectively provided on the two housings, each of the two controllers configured to be electrically connected to the two motors, and the two controllers configured to be electrically connected to each other.
Terakado discloses a steering apparatus comprising an electric assist device 6 provides assistance to a linear shaft 9] (page 37, paragraph [0035]); a rack tooth portion 15; and a ball screw portion 16.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to alternatively use the electric power steering apparatus with a rack tooth portion and a ball screw portion of Terakado with the dual motor of Tashiro with a reasonable expectation of success because it would allow for a mechanical backup, thus allowing for improved reliable maneuverability.
Engstrom et al. discloses a steering system comprising [at least two electrical steering motors 100a, 100b, each comprising a rotor 8a, 8b and a stator 11a, 11b] (page 3, paragraph [0032]); [multiple steering electronic control units (SECU) 14a, 14b are attached into a lid 15, and the lid is attached to a housing 13 by screws, multiple power connectors and multiple signal connectors are used] (fig. 2 and 3, page 4, paragraph [0037]); and [the SECUs processes the command and sends the required speed and current information to the multiple electric motors by three cables] (page 4, paragraph [0039]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to alternatively use the electronic control units and housing of Engstrom et al. with the power steering of Tashiro modified as above with a reasonable expectation of success because it would allow for redundancy, thus ensuring safer and proper operation of the steering system in the case one of the electric motors fails.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2 – 4 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the prior art fails to disclose
For claim 2: the gear rack portion has a rectangular cross-section; a support member, which is disposed at one side of the gear rack portion, and the support member includes a rectangular groove matching the gear rack portion;
For claims 3 and 4: the ball bearing structure comprising an inner ring member; an outer ring member; two ball circulators; a thread part; a diversion part; and a fixing part.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US-20180251150 – comprising a shaft; a first motor; a second motor; and an actuator.
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/JACOB D KNUTSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3611
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