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 27 and 29 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Regarding Claims 27 and 29
The term "substantially” in claims 27 and 29 is a relative term which renders the claims indefinite. The term is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention.
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.
Claims 19-25, 27-31 and 36-37 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by CHU (CN 203126814 U) hereinafter CHU.
Regarding Claim 19 CHU teaches a braking feel simulator device (Fig 1) for a braking system, the braking feel simulator device (Fig 1) being adapted to be connected to a brake pedal (Fig 1), wherein the braking feel simulator device (Fig 1) comprises: at least one elastic element (10) ; a thrust piston (14) configured to be biased against the at least one elastic element (10) (Fig 1-2), in response to an actuation of the brake pedal (Fig 1); and an electromechanical preloading device (1, 4, 8) configured to preload the at least one elastic element (10) (Fig 1-2).
Regarding Claim 20 CHU teaches wherein the electromechanical preloading device (1, 4, 8) comprises an electric motor (8) and a preloading mechanism (1, 4), wherein the preloading mechanism (1, 4) is configured to apply a preload on the at least one elastic element (10), wherein the electric motor (8) is configured to actuate the preloading mechanism (1, 4, 8) so that the preloading mechanism (1, 4) preloads the at least one elastic element (10), wherein the preloading mechanism (1, 4) is an irreversible mechanism, and wherein, optionally, the at least one elastic element (10) is interposed between the thrust piston (14) and the electromechanical preloading device (1, 4, 8) (Fig 1-2).
Regarding Claim 21 CHU teaches wherein the electromechanical preloading device (1, 4, 8) comprises an electric motor (8) and a preloading mechanism (1, 4, 8), wherein the preloading mechanism (1, 4, 8) is configured to apply a preload on the at least one elastic element (10), wherein the electric motor (8) is configured to actuate the preloading mechanism (1, 4, 8) so that the preloading mechanism (1, 4, 8) preloads the at least one elastic element (10), wherein the preloading mechanism (1,4, 8) is a screw-nut screw assembly (1, 4) , wherein the screw-nut screw assembly (1, 4) faces the at least one elastic element (10) and is coaxial to an actuation axis (Fig 1), wherein the screw-nut screw assembly (1, 4) comprises a screw (4) and a nut screw (1), wherein the screw and the nut screw (1, 4) are connected to each other so that a relative translation of the nut screw (1) with respect to the screw (4) along the actuation axis corresponds to a relative rotation of the screw with respect to the nut screw about the actuation axis (Fig 1), wherein the electric motor (8) comprises a drive shaft (par.0014, Fig 1) extended along a motor axis and the screw-nut screw assembly (1, 4) is connected to the drive shaft (Fig 1, par.0014), and wherein the electric motor (8) is configured to apply a mechanical torque on at least either the screw or the nut screw so as to translate at least either the screw or the nut screw either towards or away from the thrust piston (14), along the actuation axis to either increase or decrease the preload of the at least one elastic element (Fig 1)
Regarding Claim 22 CHU teaches further comprising a housing wall extended along the actuation axis, wherein the housing wall defines a housing compartment therein, and wherein the screw-nut screw assembly (1, 4, 5) is housed inside the housing compartment, wherein the screw (5) of the screw-nut screw assembly (1, 4, 5) is connected to the drive shaft of the electric motor (8) so that the screw (5) is configured to receive the mechanical torque from the electric motor (Fig 1, Par.0040), wherein the screw (5) is configured to rotate with respect to the housing wall (par.0040), but not to translate with respect to the housing wall (Fig 1) ,wherein the nut screw (4) of the screw-nut screw assembly (1, 4, 5) is configured to translate along the actuation axis with respect to the housing wall (Fig 1, par.0040), but not to rotate with respect to the housing wall (Fig 1), and wherein the nut screw (4) is configured to translate either towards or away from the thrust piston (14), along the actuation axis, to either increase or decrease the preload of the at least one elastic element (Fig 1, par.0040).
Regarding Claim 23 CHU teaches further comprising a housing wall extended along the actuation axis, wherein the housing wall defines a housing compartment therein, and wherein the screw-nut screw assembly (1, 4, 5) is housed inside the housing compartment, wherein the nut screw of the screw-nut screw assembly (1, 4, 5) is connected to the drive shaft of the electric motor (8) so that the nut screw (1) is configured to receive the mechanical torque from the electric motor, wherein the nut screw (1) is configured to rotate with respect to the housing wall, but not to translate with respect to the housing wall, wherein the screw (4) of the screw-nut screw assembly (1, 4) is configured to translate along the actuation axis, with respect to the housing wall, but not to rotate with respect to the housing wall (par.0040, Fig 1), and wherein the screw (4) is configured to translate either towards or away from the thrust piston (14), along the actuation axis, to either increase or decrease the preload of the at least one elastic element (Fig 1, par.0040).
Regarding Claim 24 CHU teaches wherein a thread of the screw-nut screw assembly (1, 4) is of an irreversible type (Fig 1).
Regarding Claim 25 CHU teaches wherein the screw-nut screw assembly (1, 4) and the electric motor (8) are positioned so that the actuation axis coincides with the motor axis (Fig 1), and wherein the braking feel simulator device (Fig 1) further comprises at least one of the following features or a combination there of: the electric motor (8) is positioned opposite to the thrust piston (14) with respect to the screw-nut screw assembly (1, 4), the nut screw (1) is positioned opposite to the electric motor (8) with respect to the screw (4), the braking feel simulator device (Fig 1) comprises a transmission (5) interposed between the electric motor (8) and the preloading mechanism, the braking feel simulator device (Fig 1) comprises a bearing interposed between the electric motor (8) and the preloading mechanism (1,4) (Fig 1); wherein the braking feel simulator device comprises a bearing (2) interposed b/n the electric motor (8) and the preloading mechanism (1, 4) (Fig 1).
Regarding Claim 27 CHU teaches further comprising a housing wall (wall off housing 17) extended along an actuation axis, wherein the housing wall defines a housing compartment therein, and wherein the at least one elastic element (10) is positioned inside the housing compartment, wherein the at least one elastic element (10) is configured to be biased along a direction parallel to the actuation axis and to bias the thrust piston (14) toward its resting position (Fig 1), wherein the at least one elastic element (10) comprises at least one compression coil spring (10) positioned substantially coaxial to the actuation axis, wherein a first end of the at least one compression coil spring (10) is positioned abutting against the thrust piston (14) and a second end of the at least one compression coil spring is positioned abutting against the electromechanical preloading device (1,4, 8) (Fig 1)
Regarding Claim 28 CHU teaches wherein the at least one elastic element (10) is configured to bias the thrust piston (14) toward its resting position (Fig 1).
Regarding Claim 29 CHU teaches wherein the thrust piston (14) forms a piston blind cavity (cavity holding the spring) open in direction of the preloading mechanism, and wherein a first end of the at least one elastic element (10) is housed within the piston blind cavity (Fig 1).
Regarding Claim 30 CHU teaches wherein the thrust piston (14) comprises a guide rod (rod within piston 11) extending along the actuation axis (Fig 1),wherein the nut screw (1) forms a through-hole at the guide rod (Fig 1), and the through- hole is coaxial to the actuation axis,wherein the guide rod (rod within piston 11) is positioned passing through the through-hole of the nut screw (1), so that the guide rod and the nut screw achieve a geometric coupling (Fig 1), and the guide rod is configured to translate, at a translation of the thrust piston (14), along the actuation axis through the through-hole of the nut screw (1) (Fig 1).
Regarding Claim 31 CHU teaches wherein the braking feel simulator device (Fig 1) comprises at least one hydraulic seal (15) positioned at the thrust piston (14) and configured to prevent hydraulic fluid leakage toward the at least one elastic element (10) and the electromechanical preloading device (1, 4, 8), and wherein the braking feel simulator device (Fig 1) comprises a housing wall (wall formed by 17) extended along an actuation axis, wherein the housing wall defines therein a housing compartment, and the at least one hydraulic seal (15) is interposed between the thrust piston (14) and the housing wall (Fig 1).
Regarding Claim 36 CHU teaches a braking system, comprising a braking feel simulator device (Fig 1) adapted to be connected to a brake pedal (Fig 1), wherein the braking feel simulator device (Fig 1) comprises: at least one elastic element (10); a thrust piston (14) configured to be biased against the at least one elastic element, in response to an actuation of the brake pedal (Fig 1); and an electromechanical preloading device (1, 4, 8)configured to preload the at least one elastic element (10), and a brake pedal operatively connected to the braking feel simulator device (Fig 1, Par.0003).
Regarding Claim 37 CHU teaches an electronic processing unit electrically connected to the electromechanical preloading device (1, 4, 8) of the braking feel simulator device (Fig 1), wherein the electronic processing unit (Controller, Par.0043) is configured to actuate the electromechanical preloading device (1, 4, 8)to achieve a given preload of the at least one elastic element (10) (Par.0040), and wherein the braking system further comprises at least one sensor (3)configured to detect, either indirectly, a mechanical torque applied by an electric motor (8) of the electromechanical preloading device (1, 4, 8)and/or a translation or a position of a nut screw or screw or worm screw or toothed wheel along an actuation axis (par.0045).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 26, 32-35 and 38 are objected to but would be allowable if rewritten including all the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
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/ABIY TEKA/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3745
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