DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on 02/13/2025, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 07/29/2026 has been entered.
The following is a Non-Final Office Action on the merits in response to applicant’s filing from 07/29/2026.
Claims 13 and 17-26 are pending and have been considered below.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 05/13/2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement has been considered by the examiner.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s amendments and arguments, filed 07/29/2026, with respect to claim 13 has been fully considered and is persuasive. The rejection of claim 13 has been withdrawn.
Applicant’s amendments and arguments, filed 08/06/2026, with respect to the rejections of claims 22 and 24 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, new grounds of rejection are made in view of Weber (US 2012/0132473).
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “a hydraulic bushing is fully housed within the knuckle and integrated between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet of the fluid channel” (claim 13), and “the knuckle includes one or more accessories integrated with the fluid channel” (claim 18) must be shown or the features canceled from the claims. No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(4) because a) reference character “200” has been used to designate the “knuckle”, “control arm”, and “suspension component”; and b) reference character “300” has been used to designate the “brake assembly”, “wheel assembly”, “component of the brake assembly”, and “brake caliper”. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Objections
Claim 20, lines 3 and 3-4 are objected to because of the following informalities: “the suspension component” should read, “the suspension assembly”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 23, line 5 is objected to because of the following informalities: “the component of the brake assembly” should read, “the brake caliper of the brake assembly”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 24, line 10 is objected to because of the following informalities: “the fluid” should read, “the hydraulic brake fluid”. Appropriate correction is required. For purposes of examination, the claim will be interpreted this way.
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.
Claim 20 is 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 20 recites the limitation, “positioning of the fluid channel within the knuckle is based on a shortest run length through the suspension component maintaining structural properties of the suspension component”. This limitation is unclear and indefinite, because it is unclear how adding a fluid channel to a knuckle would maintain structural properties of the knuckle. Second, the fluid channel shown in the figures is not along a shortest run length through the knuckle, but instead winds along the thickest, most sturdy, portions (presumably to maintain the structural properties as much as possible, but again it is unclear how this would be able to 100% maintain the structural properties). Third, it is unclear how much patentable weight is given to the shortest run length and how much weight is given to maintaining the structural properties (is it the shortest run length of all possible run lengths? Does creating the fluid channel actually maintain the knuckle’s structural properties? Even more so than creating no fluid channel?). Fourth, it is unclear what structural properties is referring to (all structural properties, a couple structural properties, etc); this creates confusion, because if it is maintaining just a couple structural properties, several other structural properties might not be maintained. For these four reasons, claim 20 is rejected for being unclear and indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the joint inventors regard as the invention.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 22-23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Weber (US 2012/0132473).
Regarding claim 22, Weber discloses a suspension assembly {10} of a vehicle {“corner assembly 10 for a vehicle (not shown)” [0043]}, the suspension assembly {10} comprising:
a fluid system {64+66+68+70+84a+84b+84c+105+159} operably coupled to the vehicle to hold hydraulic brake fluid {“the brake caliper 158 is hydraulically operated, a hydraulic fluid conduit 159 extends between the caliper 158 and a remotely positioned source of hydraulic fluid (not shown)” [0076]};
a brake assembly {18 (156+158)} operably coupled to a wheel assembly {20} to use the hydraulic brake fluid {“hydraulic fluid” [0076]} to slow the vehicle {“The brake caliper 158 may be operated hydraulically or in any other suitable way for engaging and stopping rotation of the brake rotor 156, which stops rotation of the wheel 20” [0076]};
a control arm {22} operably coupling the wheel assembly {20} to the vehicle {Fig. 6}, the control arm {22} further comprising:
a base portion {22 (170)} comprising a first end and a second end {Figs. 6-7}; and
a fluid channel {172: “The lower control arm 22 may include a channel portion 170 that defines a channel 172, shown more clearly in FIG. 7. The channel 172 may be sized to be sufficient to carry any conduits that extend from the wheel assembly 26, including… the hydraulic conduit 159 that carries hydraulic fluid to the brake 18” [0085]} configured to transfer the hydraulic brake fluid {that runs through 159} from a fluid inlet {where 159 enters 172 on a vehicle interior side (Figs. 1a-1b)} to a fluid outlet {where 159 exits 172 on a vehicle exterior (wheel/brake) side (Figs. 1b-2)},
wherein the fluid channel {172} is configured to transfer the hydraulic brake fluid directly from the fluid outlet {where 159 exits 172 on a vehicle exterior (wheel/brake) side} to a brake caliper {158} via secondary tubing {159 (Fig. 2)} for the brake caliper {158} to use to slow the vehicle [0076],
wherein the fluid channel {172} is disposed and enclosed between the first end and the second end {Figs. 6-7 [0085]}, and
wherein the fluid channel {172} is a secondary hydraulic fluid reservoir that holds the hydraulic brake fluid for use by the brake assembly {18: “The channel 172 may be sized to be sufficient to carry any conduits that extend from the wheel assembly 26, including… the hydraulic conduit 159 that carries hydraulic fluid to the brake 18” [0085]}.
Regarding claim 23, Weber discloses the fluid inlet {where 159 enters 172 on a vehicle interior side (Figs. 1a-1b)} of the fluid channel {172} fluidly operably couples the fluid system {64+66+68+70+84a+84b+84c+105+159} to the fluid channel {172},
wherein the fluid outlet {where 159 exits 172 on a vehicle exterior (wheel/brake) side (Figs. 1b-2)} of the fluid channel {172} fluidly operably couples the fluid channel {172} to the component {158} of the brake assembly {18 (via 159)},
wherein the fluid inlet {where 159 enters 172 on a vehicle interior side} is disposed on a first lateral side of the control arm {22} proximate to a longitudinal centerline of the vehicle {Figs. 1a-1b}, and
wherein the fluid outlet {where 159 exits 172 on a vehicle exterior (wheel/brake) side} is disposed on a second lateral side of the control arm {22} opposite the first lateral side {Figs. 1b-2}.
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.
Claims 19 and 24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Weber in view of Kirby (US 2010/0225157).
Regarding claim 19, Weber disclose all the aspects of claim 22. However, Weber does not explicitly disclose the fluid channel has a variable diameter between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet of the fluid channel, wherein the variable diameter is independent of a shape of a body of the control arm, and wherein the variable diameter allows for accumulation of additional fluid within the base portion.
Kirby teaches a fluid channel {82: “hydraulic passage 82 provides fluid communication between port 102a and port 96a” [0042]} has a variable diameter {96, 102 (smaller diameter portion 96, and larger diameter portion 102)} between the fluid inlet {102a} and the fluid outlet {96a} of the fluid channel {82}, wherein the variable diameter {96, 102} is independent of a shape of a body of the control arm {20}, and wherein the variable diameter {96, 102} allows for accumulation of additional fluid within the base portion {22+26}.
In light of these teachings, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the suspension assembly, as disclosed by Weber, such that the fluid channel has a variable diameter between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet of the fluid channel, wherein the variable diameter is independent of a shape of a body of the control arm, and wherein the variable diameter allows for accumulation of additional fluid within the base portion, as taught by Kirby, in order to “[facilitate] the efficient manufacture of spindle body 20” [0041].
Regarding claim 24, Weber discloses a suspension assembly {10} of a vehicle {“corner assembly 10 for a vehicle (not shown)” [0043]}, the suspension assembly {10} comprising:
a fluid system {64+66+68+70+84a+84b+84c+105+159} operably coupled to the vehicle to hold hydraulic brake fluid {“the brake caliper 158 is hydraulically operated, a hydraulic fluid conduit 159 extends between the caliper 158 and a remotely positioned source of hydraulic fluid (not shown)” [0076]};
a brake assembly {18 (156+158)} operably coupled to a wheel assembly {20} to use the hydraulic brake fluid {“The brake caliper 158 may be operated hydraulically or in any other suitable way for engaging and stopping rotation of the brake rotor 156, which stops rotation of the wheel 20” [0076]};
a suspension component {22} operably coupling the wheel assembly {20} to the vehicle {Fig. 6}, the suspension component {22} further comprising:
a base portion {22 (170)} comprising a first end and a second end {Figs. 6-7}; and
a fluid channel {172: “The lower control arm 22 may include a channel portion 170 that defines a channel 172, shown more clearly in FIG. 7. The channel 172 may be sized to be sufficient to carry any conduits that extend from the wheel assembly 26, including… the hydraulic conduit 159 that carries hydraulic fluid to the brake 18” [0085]} configured to transfer the fluid {that runs through 159} from a fluid inlet {where 159 enters 172 on a vehicle interior side (Figs. 1a-1b)} to a fluid outlet {where 159 exits 172 on a vehicle exterior (wheel/brake) side (Figs. 1b-2)},
wherein the fluid channel {172} is disposed and enclosed between the first end and the second end {Figs. 6-7 [0085]},
wherein the fluid channel {172} is configured to transfer the hydraulic brake fluid directly from the fluid outlet {where 159 exits 172 on a vehicle exterior (wheel/brake) side} to a brake caliper {158} via secondary tubing {159 (Fig. 2)} for the brake caliper {158} to use to slow the vehicle [0076, 0085],
wherein the fluid channel {172} is a secondary hydraulic fluid reservoir that holds the hydraulic brake fluid for use by the brake assembly {18: “The channel 172 may be sized to be sufficient to carry any conduits that extend from the wheel assembly 26, including… the hydraulic conduit 159 that carries hydraulic fluid to the brake 18” [0085]},
wherein the suspension component {22} includes a constant width and a constant height {Figs. 1b, 7} between the fluid inlet {where 159 enters 172 on a vehicle interior side} and the fluid outlet {where 159 exits 172 on a vehicle exterior (wheel/brake) side}.
However, Weber does not explicitly disclose the fluid channel has a variable diameter between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet to allow for accumulation of the hydraulic brake fluid within the base portion.
Kirby teaches a fluid channel {82} has a variable diameter {96, 102} between the fluid inlet {102a} and the fluid outlet {96a} to allow for accumulation of the hydraulic fluid within the base portion {22+26} of the suspension component {20}.
In light of these teachings, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the suspension assembly, as disclosed by Weber, such that the fluid channel has a variable diameter between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet to allow for accumulation of the hydraulic brake fluid within the base portion, as taught by Kirby, in order to “[facilitate] the efficient manufacture of spindle body 20” [0041].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 13, 17-18, 20-21, and 25-26 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding claim 13, none of the prior art of record filed before the effective filing date, either alone or in obvious combination, discloses a suspension assembly of a vehicle, the suspension assembly comprising:
a fluid system operably coupled to the vehicle to hold hydraulic brake fluid;
a brake assembly operably coupled to a wheel assembly to use the hydraulic brake fluid to slow the vehicle;
a knuckle operably coupling the wheel assembly to the vehicle, the knuckle further comprising:
a base portion comprising a first end and a second end; and
a fluid channel configured to transfer the hydraulic brake fluid from a fluid inlet to a fluid outlet,
wherein the fluid channel is disposed between the first end and the second end,
wherein the fluid channel is enclosed between the first end and the second end, and
wherein the fluid channel is a hydraulic fluid line that transfers the hydraulic brake fluid to a component of the brake assembly,
wherein a hydraulic bushing is fully housed within the knuckle and integrated between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet of the fluid channel, and
wherein a damping coefficient of the hydraulic bushing changes responsive to hydraulic fluid passing through the fluid channel (emphasis added).
Accordingly, claims 17-18, 20-21 and 25-26 are allowable by virtue of dependence from claim 13.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
As allowable subject matter has been indicated, applicant's reply must either comply with all formal requirements or specifically traverse each requirement not complied with. See 37 CFR 1.111(b) and MPEP § 707.07(a).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Daniel M Keck whose telephone number is (571)272-5947. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 8:00-4:00.
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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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/Daniel M. Keck/Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3614
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