DETAILED ACTION
This is a first Non-Final Office Action on the merits in response to the application filed 11/26/24. There is domestic priority to a provisional application filed 11/30/23. Claims 1-20 are currently pending yet all are rejected as detailed below. 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 § 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.
Hoch
Claim(s) 1-8, 10 and 13-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hoch (U.S. Patent No. 2,912,536). Hoch is directed to a brake travel indicator. See Abstract.
Claim 1: Hoch discloses a spring brake actuator [Figs. 1, 2] for braking a wheel of a vehicle [see col. 1, lines 15-23], the spring brake actuator comprising: a housing (11) defining a chamber (21); a push rod (26) extending from the chamber, wherein pneumatic activation of the spring brake actuator causes the push rod to further extend out of the chamber to thereby activate braking of the wheel of the vehicle and wherein pneumatic deactivation of the spring brake actuator causes the push rod to retract back into the chamber to thereby deactivate braking of the wheel of the vehicle; and a sensor assembly (48, 49, 34, 31, 30) located in the chamber such that the housing limits movement of the sensor assembly in the chamber [see Fig. 2 (32, 33 restrict rotational movement of plate 31)]. See Figs. 1, 2.
Claim 2: Hoch discloses that the housing includes a stiffening element (33) in the chamber that limits movement of the sensor assembly in the chamber. See Fig. 2.
Claim 3: Hoch discloses that the housing extends along a brake axis, and wherein the stiffening element limits rotation of the sensor assembly about the brake axis. See Fig. 2.
Claim 4: Hoch discloses that the stiffening element is one stiffening element in a pair of stiffening elements (33) that limit rotation of the sensor assembly. See Fig. 2.
Claim 5: Hoch discloses that the housing extends along a brake axis, and wherein the sensor assembly includes a radially extending leg (at 32) that engages the stiffening element to thereby limit movement of the sensor assembly. See Fig. 2.
Claim 6: Hoch discloses that the stiffening element is one stiffening element in a pair of stiffening elements (33), and wherein the pair of stiffening elements rotationally traps the leg therebetween. See Fig. 2.
Claim 7: Hoch discloses that the housing defines an entrapment area within the chamber in which the leg is constrained. See Fig. 2.
Claim 8: Hoch discloses that the leg extends along a leg axis and is tapered radially inwardly in a direction away from the brake axis. See Fig. 2.
Claim 10: Hoch discloses a return spring (29) in the chamber and wherein the housing has an end wall (bottom of 11); and wherein the sensor assembly is sandwiched between the return spring and the end wall. See Fig. 1.
Claim 13: Hoch discloses that the sensor assembly has an outer radius extending an assembly axis and a perimeter surface that is less than a first distance defined between a brake axis along which the housing extends and an inner edge of the stiffening element. See Fig. 2 (“inner edge” of 33 chosen accordingly).
Claim 14: Hoch discloses that the housing defines an entrapment area within the chamber in which at least a portion of the sensor assembly is rotationally constrained. See Fig. 2.
Claim 15: see claims 1, 2, 5 and 10 above.
Claim 16: see claim 5 above.
Claim 17: see claim 8 above.
Claim 18: see claim 6 above.
Claim 19: see claim 10 above.
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.
Hoch in view of Gaufin
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hoch in view of Gaufin et al. (U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2020/0001853). Gaufin is directed to a brake chamber stroke sensor. See Abstract.
Claim 9: Hoch is relied upon as in claim 5 above but does not discuss whether the sensor assembly includes a sensor to sense a magnetic field of a magnet. Gaugin discloses a sensor assembly (24) at the end wall of a housing (12) of a chamber (18) in a spring brake (10), further comprising a magnet (28), and wherein the sensor assembly includes a sensor configured to sense magnetic field of the magnet. See para. 0025-30; Figs. 2-3. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the invention to include a magnetic sensor because this is a commonly employed means for sensing, given that is both easily accessible and inexpensive.
Hoch in view of Faller
Claim(s) 11-12 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hoch in view of Faller (WO 2013/139867). Faller is directed to a brake device with a device spring. Se Abstract.
Claim 11: Hoch is relied upon as in claim 10 above but does not disclose the “cutout” to receive the spring. Faller discloses a sensor assembly (11) at the end wall of a housing (6) of a chamber (8) in a spring brake [Fig. 1], wherein the sensor assembly defines a cutout that receives the return spring (11). See Figs. 2-4; see also translation (“the device spring can be fixed in a simple manner and/or secured against rotation by cooperating with the extended spring ends positive or non-positive means - for example, cutouts, snap-in eyes or the like, to the adjacent components - for example, adapter plate or control housing”). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the invention to include a cutout in the sensor assembly because it is located at the bottom end wall of the housing and supports the return spring, hence a cutout ensures proper securement and positioning of the spring at the bottom end.
Claim 12: Hoch discloses that the sensor assembly has a wall that engages with a spring end of the return spring. See Fig. 1. Faller discloses this limitation as well. See Figs. 2-4.
Claim 20: see claim 11 above.
Conclusion
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VISHAL SAHNI
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3657
/VISHAL R SAHNI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3616 September 21, 2026
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