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 .
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 1-10 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 2 introduces the element “a steering command”. Claim 1, lines 5-6 then state “a specified steering command”. It is unclear if the “steering command” in lines 5-6 is referring to the “steering command” in line 2 or is a separate element.
Claim 9, line 2 introduces the element “a steering command”. Claim 9, line 5 then state “a steering command”. It is unclear if the “steering command” in line 5 is referring to the “steering command” in line 2 or is a separate element.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ordasi (DE 10 2021 205 208 A1; Machine Translation of Description ‘MTD’).
With respect to claim 1, Ordasi discloses an electromechanical steering system (1), comprising: a steering shaft (2), via which a steering command can be specified by a steering handle (3), and a steering actuator (5) having an electric motor (MTD paragraph 20) and having a circuit arrangement (fig. 3) assigned to the electric motor (MTD paragraph 20), wherein the steering actuator (5) is designed to use the electric motor (MTD paragraph 20) to convert a specified steering command into a steering movement of steerable wheels of a motor vehicle (MTD paragraph 20), wherein the circuit arrangement comprises a connection unit (12) for connecting to a voltage source (11) of a motor vehicle as the main energy source (MTD paragraph 22), a voltage supply unit (14) for providing voltages required for operation (MTD paragraph 25), a main control unit (15) and a safety unit (16) designed to disconnect the electric motor from the voltage supply unit (MTD paragraph 29 “a disconnecting unit 16, in particular a battery relay, which disconnects the electrically conductive connection between electric motor 20 and main energy source 11 in the event of a sudden voltage drop in the supply voltage of the main energy source 11.”), wherein the circuit arrangement further comprises an energy storage unit (13) and an auxiliary control unit (17), wherein the auxiliary control unit (17) is designed to actuate the safety unit (16) for disconnecting the electric motor from the voltage supply unit (14) in the event of a malfunction of the main control unit (15) by energy provided by the energy storage unit (MTD paragraph 29 “in the event of a sudden voltage drop, the intermediate circuit capacitor 17 generates a current that causes the comparator circuit to switch and thus the battery relay to open”) (fig. 3, mtd paragraphs 27-30). (Figs. 1-6c, MTD paragraphs 6-40.)
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 4-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ordasi in view of Solanki et al. (US 2021/0146905).
With respect to claims 4-5, Ordasi is silent regarding an energy storage supply unit. Solanki et al. teaches of the circuit arrangement further comprises an energy storage supply unit (10-i) for charging the energy storage unit (1), the energy storage supply unit is a step-up converter (paragraph 9). (Figs. 1-3, paragraphs 9, 21-38.) It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the energy storage supply unit as described in Solanki et al. into the invention of Ordasi with a reasonable expectation of success in order to properly convert a DC voltage provided at the input into an output DC voltage, the value of the output DC voltage being higher than the value of the DC voltage provided at the input. (Paragraph 9.)
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ordasi and Solanki et al., as applied to claims 1 and 4 above, and further in view of Kanazawa et al. (JP 2013/252827 A; Machine Translation of Description ‘MTD’).
With respect to claim 6, Ordasi, as modified, is silent regarding a charge pump. Kanazawa et al. teaches of the energy storage supply unit is a charge pump. (Fig. 3, MTD paragraph 31.) Because both Ordasi, as modified, (taught from Solanki et al.) and Kanazawa et al. teach methods of supplying energy, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute one method (using a step-up converter) for the other (using a charge pump) for the predictable result of providing energy in a steering system.
Claims 7 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ordasi in view of Reinschke (DE 10 2020 116 877 A1; Machine Translation of Description ‘MTD’).
With respect to claim 7, Ordasi is silent regarding a sensor. Reinschke teaches of a sensor unit (151 or 153) designed to provide the main control unit (143) and/or the auxiliary control unit with sensor signals for the purpose of control (MTD paragraph 47). (Figs. , MTD paragraphs 46-51.) It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the sensor unit as described in Reinschke into the invention of Ordasi with a reasonable expectation of success in order to properly operate the electric motor. (MTD Paragraph 47.)
With respect to claim 9, Ordasi discloses a method for operating an electromechanical steering system (1) in a motor vehicle, including a steering shaft (2), via which a steering command can be specified by a steering handle (3), and a steering actuator (5) having an electric motor (MTD paragraph 20) and having a circuit arrangement (fig. 3) assigned to the electric motor (MTD paragraph 20), wherein the steering actuator (5) is designed to use the electric motor (MTD paragraph 20) to convert a steering command into a steering movement of steerable wheels of the motor vehicle, wherein the circuit arrangement (fig. 3) is connected via a connection unit (12) to a voltage source (11) of the motor vehicle as main energy source (MTD paragraph 22), and wherein, in normal operation, the method comprises: charging an energy storage unit (13) of the circuit arrangement (fig. 3), using, by a voltage supply unit (14) of the circuit arrangement, the energy provided by the main energy source to provide voltages required for normal operation, and controlling, by a main control unit (15), the electric motor (MTD paragraph 20), wherein, in the event of a malfunction in relation to the main control unit (15), the voltage supply unit (14) uses the energy of an auxiliary control unit (17) of the circuit arrangement provided by the energy storage unit (13) to provide energy for actuating a safety unit (16) for disconnecting the electric motor (MTD paragraph 20) from the voltage supply unit (14) (MTD paragraph 29 “a disconnecting unit 16, in particular a battery relay, which disconnects the electrically conductive connection between electric motor 20 and main energy source 11 in the event of a sudden voltage drop in the supply voltage of the main energy source 11”), and the electric motor (MTD paragraph 20) is disconnected from the voltage supply unit (14) (MTD paragraph 29 “a disconnecting unit 16, in particular a battery relay, which disconnects the electrically conductive connection between electric motor 20 and main energy source 11 in the event of a sudden voltage drop in the supply voltage of the main energy source 11”) (fig. 3, mtd paragraphs 27-30). (Figs. 1-6c, MTD paragraphs 6-40.) Ordasi is silent regarding a sensor. Reinschke teaches of a sensor unit (151 or 153) designed to provide the main control unit (143) and/or the auxiliary control unit with sensor signals for the purpose of control (MTD paragraph 47). (Figs. , MTD paragraphs 46-51.) It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the sensor unit as described in Reinschke into the invention of Ordasi with a reasonable expectation of success in order to properly operate the electric motor. (MTD Paragraph 47.)
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ordasi and Reinschke, as applied to claims 1 and 7 above, and further in view of Tsunoda (US 2005/0264248).
With respect to claim 8, Ordasi, as modified, is silent regarding the voltage supply unit is designed to provide a voltage required for the operation of the sensor unit. Tsunoda teaches of the voltage supply unit (130) is designed to provide a voltage required for the operation of the sensor unit (4). (Figs. 1-2, paragraphs 20-47.) It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the structure as described in Tsunoda into the invention of Ordasi, as modified, with a reasonable expectation of success so as to detect the torque neutral voltage with accuracy. (Paragraph 7.)
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ordasi and Reinschke, as applied to claim 9 above, and further in view of Solanki et al. (US 2021/0146905).
With respect to claim 10, Ordasi, as modified, is silent regarding an energy storage supply unit. Solanki et al. teaches of the circuit arrangement further comprises an energy storage supply unit (10-i) for charging the energy storage unit (1). (Figs. 1-3, paragraphs 9, 21-38.) It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the energy storage supply unit as described in Solanki et al. into the invention of Ordasi, as modified, with a reasonable expectation of success in order to properly convert a DC voltage provided at the input into an output DC voltage, the value of the output DC voltage being higher than the value of the DC voltage provided at the input. (Paragraph 9.)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-3 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: Claim 2 includes the limitations of the auxiliary control unit (16) is further designed to monitor voltages provided by the voltage supply unit (14). The closest prior art, Ordasi (DE 10 2021 205 208 A1), does not disclose the auxiliary control unit (17) monitors the voltage supply unit (14) and no reasonable teaching reference was found in the prior art.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Nemeth et al. (US 2025/0206368) discloses a similar electromechanical steering system. The references cited on the PTO-892 form disclose similar features of the claimed invention.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES A ENGLISH whose telephone number is (571)270-7014. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Saturday.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jason Shanske can be reached on 571-270-5985. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JAMES A ENGLISH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3614
