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
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.
Claims 1 - 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zhang (U.S. PG Pub # 20200300305).
Regarding Claim 1, Zhang discloses a vehicular wheel bearing (1, figs 1 and 2A) for rotatably mounting and supporting a wheel of a vehicle to a vehicle body (Para 0018), the vehicular wheel bearing (1) comprising :
a rotary element (3) on which the wheel of the vehicle is mounted and configured to rotate together with the wheel of the vehicle (Para 0018, fig 1);
a non-rotary element (2) mounted and fixed to the vehicle body (fig 1, Para 0018);
a plurality of rolling bodies (6) provided between the rotary element (3) and the non-rotary element (3200); and
a sealing member (8) provided between the rotary element (3) and the non- rotary element (2) to prevent inflow of external foreign matters or leakage of an internal lubricant (Para 0020), wherein the sealing member (8) includes a first member (110, fig 2A) mounted to one of the rotary element and the non-rotary element (2) of the vehicular wheel bearing (1), and a second member (90, fig 2A) mounted to the other of the rotary element (3) and the non-rotary element of the vehicular wheel bearing (1), wherein at least one of the first member and the second member (90) of the sealing member includes an elastic sealing portion (120),
wherein at least one of the elastic sealing portions includes at least one elastic sealing lip (121a, 122a), and
wherein at least one of the elastic sealing lips (121a) is a non-coaxial sealing lip (121a) having a center eccentric with respect to a center of the vehicular wheel bearing (center of 121a eccentric with the center of 1).
Regarding Claim 2, Zhang discloses the vehicular wheel bearing, wherein the center of the non- coaxial sealing lip (121a) is decentered downward with respect to the center of the vehicular wheel bearing (1).
Regarding Claim 3, Zhang discloses the vehicular wheel bearing, wherein the elastic sealing lip further includes at least one coaxial sealing lip (122a) having a same center as the center of the vehicular wheel bearing (122a with same center as that of 1).
Regarding Claim 4, Zhang discloses the vehicular wheel bearing, wherein the non-coaxial sealing lip (121a) is positioned radially outward with respect to the at least one coaxial sealing lip (122a).
Regarding Claim 5, Zhang discloses the vehicular wheel bearing, wherein the non-coaxial sealing lip (121a) is configured to have a smaller amount of interference than the at least one coaxial sealing lip (122a).
Regarding Claim 6, Zhang discloses the vehicular wheel bearing, wherein the first member (110) is mounted on the non-rotary element (2) of the vehicular wheel bearing (1), and
wherein the second member (90) is mounted on the rotary element (3) of the vehicular wheel bearing (1).
Regarding Claim 7, Zhang discloses the vehicular wheel bearing, wherein the non-coaxial sealing lip (121a) is provided on the second member (90).
Regarding Claim 8, Zhang discloses the vehicular wheel bearing, wherein the at least one coaxial sealing lip (122a) is provided on the second member (90).
Regarding Claim 9, Zhang discloses the vehicular wheel bearing, wherein the rotary element (3) of the vehicular wheel bearing (1) includes a wheel hub (30, fig 2A) with a wheel mounting flange (32, fig 2A), and an inner ring (32) mounted on an outer circumferential surface of the wheel hub (30) in a press-fitting manner (fig 2A),
wherein the non-rotary element (2) of the vehicular wheel bearing (1) is formed as an outer ring with a vehicle-body-side mounting flange (outer ring 2 with flange),
wherein the first member (110) of the sealing member is mounted on an inner circumferential surface of the outer ring (2) in the press-fitting manner (fig 2A), and
wherein the second member (90) of the sealing member (500) is mounted on an outer circumferential surface of the inner ring (32) in the press-fitting manner (fig 2A).
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 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang in view of Miyagawa et al. (U.S. PG Pub # 20070201782).
Regarding Claim 10, Zhang discloses the vehicular wheel bearing.
Zhang does not disclose wherein the second member of the sealing member further includes an encoder provided on an axial cross section of the vehicle body and configured to measure a rotational speed of the wheel.
However, Miyagawa teaches wherein the second member (16, fig 12) of the sealing member further includes an encoder (38, fig 12) provided on an axial cross section of the vehicle body (fig 12) and configured to measure a rotational speed of the wheel (Para 0017).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the encoder of Miyagawa on the second member of Zhang with a reasonable expectation of success so that the rotational speed of the wheel hub can freely be detected (Miyagawa Para 0117).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to L. Susmitha Koneru whose telephone number is 571.270.5333. The examiner can normally be reached from Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM-4:00 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Christine Mills can be reached on 571.272.8322. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571.273.8300.
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/L. K./
Examiner, Art Unit 3675
/CHRISTINE M MILLS/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3675