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 § 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.
Claim(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kouzuma et al (US 2016/0250924).
Kouzuma et al disclose an actuator configured to apply a reaction force to a pedal lever that is configured to be depressed by a human driver of a vehicle, the actuator comprising: an electric motor (12); a speed reducer mechanism that includes: a motor gear (17) that is configured to rotate integrally with the electric motor (12); an output gear (21) that is configured to rotate integrally with an output shaft (13); and an intermediate gear (14) that is installed between the motor gear (17) and the output gear (21); an actuator lever (15) that is configured to be driven by the output shaft (13) and is configured to contact the pedal lever (4); and an angle detector device (unnumbered sensor, see ¶75) that is configured to detect a rotational angle of the intermediate gear, wherein: the intermediate gear has: a large gear portion (18), which meshes with the motor gear (17); and a small gear portion (20), which meshes with the output gear (21), wherein the small gear portion (20) is integrally formed in one-piece with the large gear portion (14); the intermediate gear (14) is rotatably supported by a bearing member (26); and the angle detector device, the large gear portion, the small gear portion and the bearing member are arranged in this order from one side in an axial direction of the intermediate gear (see Fig 2).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-5 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 9229469 gearing
US 20130152725 gearing
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/VICKY A JOHNSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3617