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 § 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 (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 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.
Claim(s) 1-7 and 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yu et al., CN 112762174, a machine translation of the description of which was attached as an appendix to the Office Action of 04 September 2025, in view of Nagasaki et al., EP 4 303 465.
Yu et al. shows in figure 2 a portion of a speed reducer ([n0018] “travel motor reducer”).
The speed reducer comprises a case 6 (is shown to enclose various elements in fig. 2 to function as a case, and as an “inner gear ring”, is understood to enclose at least one engaging gear of the reducer).
An inner member 1 is at least partly located in the case 6.
A main bearing 5 is located between the case 6 and the inner member 1.
A sealing member 2/4 includes:
a first ring 4 having an annular shape and, being mounted to the case 6, being mounted to one of the case 6 and the inner member 1;
a second ring 2-2 in contact with an annular region of the first ring 4 ([n0020] discloses the ring 4 is stationary relative to case 6, ring 2-2 is stationary relative to inner member 1, and relative rotation occurs where “the two rings are connected by the precision-ground surface matching to form a mechanical end face seal”); and
an elastic ring 2-1 compressed between the second ring 2-2 and the inner member 1, the other of the case 6 and the inner member 1.
The sealing member 2/4 is at least partly located in the same region as the main bearing 5 in a radial direction perpendicular to a relative rotation between the inner member 1 and the case 6.
(claim 1)
The first ring 4 has a thickness for pressing the second ring 2-2 toward the elastic ring 2-1 at the annular region. [n0018] describes the metal seal ring 2-2 being connected to the inner member 1 “through the elastically loaded floating oil seal O-ring 2-1”, the sealing ring 4 being provided between the floating oil seal 2 and the case 6, and end face matching surfaces provided between the ring 4 and the ring 2-2, such that ring 4 is the only source of the described load.
(claim 2)
The annular region is located in the case 6 (just at the very left end of the case 6 as shown in fig. 2).
(claim 3)
The first ring 4 is located between the second ring 2-2 and the main bearing 5 in an axial direction (left-right in fig. 2) parallel to the rotation axis.
The first ring 4 includes a portion that is at least partly located in a same region as the main bearing 5 in the axial direction.
(claim 4)
The first ring 4 includes a first portion, with a smaller radial thickness, and a second portion, with a larger radial thickness, connected to the first portion in an axial direction parallel to the rotation axis.
The first portion (smaller radial thickness, to the right) is located in a same region as the main bearing 5 in the axial direction.
The second portion (larger radial thickness, to the left) includes a portion located on an inner side of the first portion in the radial direction.
The first ring 4 is in contact with the second ring 2-2 at the second portion.
(claim 5)
A length of the first portion (smaller radial thickness) in the radial direction is smaller, having a smaller radial thickness, at a connection portion with the second portion (larger radial thickness).
(claim 6)
The first ring 4 includes an intermediate portion 3, the intermediate portion 3 being located between the first portion (smaller radial thickness) and the second portion (larger radial thickness) and made of a material having a smaller Young’s modulus, as an O-ring, than materials of the first portion and the second portion 4, disclosed in [n0020] as a “special copper alloy”.
(claim 7)
Yu et al. discloses an industrial machine ([n0002] “construction machinery such as excavators”).
A drive device (“travel motor reducer”) includes a speed reducer, a portion of which is shown in figure 2.
The speed reducer includes a case 6.
An inner member 1 is at least partly located in the case 6.
A main bearing 5 is located between the case 6 and the inner member 1.
A sealing member 2/4 provides sealing between the case 6 and the inner member 1.
The sealing member 2/4 includes:
a first ring 4 having an annular shape and, being mounted to the case 6, being mounted to one of the case 6 and the inner member 1;
a second ring 2-2 in contact with an annular region of the first ring 4, at the surface matched end face seal; and
an elastic ring 2-1 compressed between the second ring 2-2 and the other of the case 6 and the inner member 1.
The sealing member 2/4 is at least partly located in a same region as the main bearing 5 in a radial direction (up-down in fig. 2) perpendicular to a rotation axis of the relative rotation between the inner member 1 and the case 6.
(claim 9)
Yu et al. does not disclose that the inner member is a carrier with a rotation axis, does not disclose a second main bearing, and though discloses an “inner gear ring 6” which is understood to engage an external gear, does not disclose an external gear located between the two main bearings.
Nagasaki et al., like Yu et al., discloses a drive (fig. 2) for a vehicle 12 (fig. 1) with a relatively rotating carrier 50 (comprising carriers 30A and 30B, col. 3, lines 46-47) and case 28, the case comprising an inner gear ring 38. A first main bearing 46 and a sealing member 68 are mounted between the case 28 and the carrier 50.
Nagasaki et al. shows a speed reducer 26 in figure 2.
The speed reducer 26 comprises a case 28.
A carrier 50 (30A/30B) is at least partly located in the case 28.
A main bearing 46 and a second main bearing 46 are located between the case 28 and the carrier 50 (parts 30B and 30A, respectively).
An external gear 36 is located between the first main bearing 46 and the second main bearing 46 in a axial direction parallel to a rotation axis CL1 of the case and the carrier relative to each other.
A sealing member 68 includes:
a first portion having an annular shape and mounted to one of the case 28 and the carrier 50 (30B);
another portion is mounted to the other of the case 28 and the carrier 50.
The sealing member 68 is at least partly located in the same region as the first main bearing 46 and the second main bearing 46 in a radial direction perpendicular to the rotation axis CL1.
(claim 1)
Nagasaki et al. discloses an industrial machine comprising a drive device including a speed reducer 26 in figure 2.
The speed reducer 26 includes a case 28.
A carrier 50 (30A/30B) is at least partly located in the case 28.
A first main bearing 46 and a second main bearing 46 is located between the case 28 and the carrier 50 (parts 30B and 30A, respectively).
An external gear 36 is located between the first main bearing 46 and the second main bearing 46 in a axial direction parallel to a rotation axis CL1 of the case and the carrier relative to each other.
A sealing member 68 provides sealing between the case 28 and the carrier 50 (30B).
The sealing member 68 includes:
a first portion having an annular shape and mounted to one of the case 28 and the carrier 50;
another portion is mounted to the other of the case 28 and the carrier 50.
The sealing member 68 is at least partly located in a same region as the first main bearing 46 and the second main bearing 46 in a radial direction perpendicular to the rotation axis CL1.
(claim 9)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to make the inner member of Yu et al. a carrier with a rotation axis and to include an external gear in view of Nagasaki et al. to permit use of a propulsive motor by providing a wheel drive device which reduces a rotational speed of the motor to a suitable wheel speed and transmits it to a wheel (Nagasaki et al. [0010]), in particular to provide “a wheel drive device that drives a wheel, including a rotating body including the wheel, a fixed body that rotates relative to the rotating body, a seal member that is disposed between the rotating body and the fixed body and that seals a sealing space containing a lubricant” (Nagasaki et al. [0005]) with “a reduction mechanism 26 that decelerates the input rotation transmitted from the input shaft 24 and that converts the input rotation into output rotation” (Nagasaki et al. [0013]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a second main bearing in the speed reducer of Yu et al. such that the external gear is located between the first and second main bearings in view of Nagasaki et al. to resist skewing between the case and carrier due to variations in radial loading of the driven member, protecting the gearing within the walking/driving device from binding forces.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 8 is allowed, as having been properly rewritten in independent form.
Response to Remarks
Applicant’s arguments, see in particular the last five lines of page 8 and the first two lines of page 9, filed 04 December 2025, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-7 and 9 under 35 U.S.C. 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Yu et al. in view of Nagasaki et al., where Nagasaki et al. teaches the use of a first and second main bearing between a case and a carrier, an external gear located between the two main bearings, and the sealing member being at least partly located in a same radial region as the two main bearings, as discussed above.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
U. S. Patent 8,323,143 (Schoon) December 2012 - "Spindle-carrier 129 is supported within the output ring of the spindle-carrier housing with ball bearings 133, 133A. Bearings 133, 133A also provide the support for the vehicle wheel loads. Bearings are retained on the spindle-carrier 129 with a retaining ring 134, bearing nut, or similar device. Main seal 135 is pressed into the annular space between the spindle-carrier housing 124 and the spindle-carrier 129 and prevents leakage of gearbox oil." An external gear 128 is located between the bearings 133 and 133A, and the seal is in the radial region of both bearings.
WO 2018/164151 (Lin et al.) September 2018 - two main bearings, between which is located an external gear, and a seal are all in a same radial region.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHERRY LYNN ESTREMSKY whose telephone number is (571)272-7090. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30am-4:30pm.
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/SHERRY L ESTREMSKY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3655