DETAILED ACTION
Application Status
Claims 18-34 are pending and have been examined in this application.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) filed on 11/12/2024 has been reviewed and considered.
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 .
Claim Objections
Claim 18 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 18 uses the terms, “two-stage stepped planetary gear set”, “first stepped planetary gear set” and “stepped planetary gear set” to refer to the same gear set. The examiner recommends using only one of these terms throughout the claims for clarity.
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 24-26, 28, and 30 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.
In claims 24-26, the terms, “the sixth shifting element” and “the seventh shifting element” lack proper antecedent basis.
Claim 26 claims, “one or both of the first shifting element, the second shifting element, the third shifting element, and the fourth shifting element are each a positive brake”. It is unclear if the applicant intends to claim that only some of the first through fourth shifting elements are positive brakes or if each of the first through fourth shifting elements are positive brakes.
Claim 28 claims, “in the minus planetary gear set…” and depends from claim 27 which claims, “one or both of the first planetary gear set and the second planetary gear set is a respective minus planetary gear set”. It is unclear if the limitations presented in claim 28 would apply to both the first and second planetary gear set when both planetary gear sets are minus planetary gear sets.
Claim 30 claims, “in the plus planetary gear set…” and depends from claim 20 which claims, “one or both of the first planetary gear set and the second planetary gear set is a respective plus planetary gear set”. It is unclear if the limitations presented in claim30 would apply to both planetary gear sets when both planetary gear sets are plus planetary gear sets.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 18 would be allowable if rewritten to correct the minor informalities indicated above.
Claims 19-23, 27, 29, and 31-34 allowed.
Claims 24-26, 28, and 30 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) 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:
Regarding claim 18, the closest prior art made of record is Beck (DE 102022207261 B3). Beck discloses: a bottom-bracket transmission (“bottom bracket gearbox”, paragraph [0001]) with a planetary design (see “planet gears”, paragraph [0001]) for a bicycle or pedelec (“for a bicycle or pedelec”, paragraph [0001]), comprising: a pedal crankshaft (WAn, Fig. 1) as a drive; a transmission output shaft (WAb) as an output; a plurality of shafts (W1-W6); and a first transmission shifting group (RS1) and a second transmission shifting group (Rs2) coupled together for implementing a plurality of gears (V1-V8, Fig. 10), the first transmission shifting group comprising a two-stage stepped planetary gear set (see “stepped”, paragraph [0009]) to which three shifting elements (B1, B2, F1) are assigned, wherein a first shaft (W1) of the plurality of shafts as an input shaft of the first stepped planetary gear set is connected to a sun gear of the first stepped planetary gear set, wherein a fifth shaft (W6) of the plurality of shafts as an output shaft of the first stepped planetary gear set is connected to a ring gear of the first stepped planetary gear set (see paragraph [0024]), wherein a stepped planetary gear carrier (5) of the first stepped planetary gear set is rotatably mounted.
With respect to claim 18, Beck is silent in teaching at least: a first shaft of the plurality of shafts as an input shaft of the first stepped planetary gear set is connected to a second ring gear, a second sun gear of the first stepped planetary gear set being fixable to a housing via a first shifting element, and two elements of the first stepped planetary gear set being connectable via a fifth shifting element for blocking the stepped planetary gear set. Suggestions to modify Beck to arrive at the claimed invention were not reasonably found in the prior art.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure and discloses planetary gearboxes for pedaled vehicles in general.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Matthew D Lee whose telephone number is (571)272-6087. The examiner can normally be reached Mon. - Fri. (7:30 - 5:00 EST).
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/MATTHEW D LEE/ Examiner, Art Unit 3617
/DREW J BROWN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3617
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