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.
Claim(s) 1 and 9-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sato (CN 207530655 U).
Regarding claim 1, Sato teaches a power actuator for a latch of a motor vehicle closure panel, comprising: a housing (17, 24); an electric motor (10) disposed within said housing, said electric motor having a drive shaft (15) extending along an axis between opposite ends for rotation about said axis in response to energization of said electric motor (fig. 3); a drive gear (23) fixed to said drive shaft; and a first bias member (11) imparting a first bias along said axis in a first direction (to the right in figure 3) on one of said opposite ends of said drive shaft, and a second bias member (16) imparting a second bias along said axis in a second direction (to the left in figure 3), opposite said first direction, on the other of said opposite ends of said drive shaft.
Regarding claim 9, Sato teaches the power actuator of Claim 1, wherein said opposite ends of said drive shaft have channels fixed thereto (channel formed after portion 132 in recess created at portion 131), said first bias member having a first end disposed in one of said channels and said second bias member having a second end disposed in the other of said channels (end 123 which contacts shaft portion 132).
Regarding claim 10, Sato teaches the power actuator of Claim 1, further including a driven gear (21) disposed within said housing, said driven gear arranged in meshed engagement with said drive gear for rotation in response to rotation of said drive gear (fig. 3).
Regarding claim 11, Sato teaches the power actuator of Claim 10, wherein said driven gear (21) is arranged to rotate about a driven gear axis (22), said driven gear axis extending transversely to said axis of said drive shaft (fig. 3), said first bias and said second bias inhibiting lash between said drive gear and said driven gear (members 11 and 16 are provided as an axial damping structure and therefore reduce lash between the two gears).
Regarding claim 12, Sato teaches a method of inhibiting axial play of a drive shaft of a latch power actuator, comprising: disposing a first bias member (11) in engagement with a first end of the drive shaft (15) to impart a first bias on drive shaft along a central longitudinal axis of the drive shaft in a first direction (to the right in fig. 3) toward an opposite second end of the drive shaft; and disposing a second bias member (16) in engagement with the second end of the drive shaft to impart a second bias on the drive shaft along the central longitudinal axis in a second direction (to the left in fig. 3) opposite the first direction.
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.
Claim(s) 2-8 and 13-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sato (CN 207530655 U) in view of Haarmann (DE 102018129748 A1).
Regarding claim 2, Sato teaches the power actuator of Claim 1, however does not explicitly teach wherein the housing includes a first housing portion having a first annular outer periphery and a second housing portion having a second annular outer periphery, said first annular outer periphery and said second housing portion mating with one another.
Haarmann teaches a similar power actuator for a motor vehicle wherein the housing includes a first housing portion (9) having a first annular outer periphery and a second housing portion (11) having a second annular outer periphery, said first annular outer periphery and said second housing portion mating with one another (annotated fig. 1).
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Annotated Figure 1
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the teachings of Sato with those of Haarmann in order to utilize a mating structure for the housing components. By allowing the periphery’s of the housing components to mate, the resulting structure creates an area for a seal to prevent water and debris from entering the housing. All the claimed elements were known in the prior art and one skilled in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination yielded nothing more than predictable results to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Regarding claim 3, Sato in view of Haarmann teaches the power actuator of Claim 2, further including an annular seal (Haarmann’ 20) compressed between said first housing portion and said second housing portion, said first bias member extending inwardly from said annular seal and said second bias member extending inwardly from said annular seal (Sato’s bias members extend inward from the outer periphery of the housing which is where the annular seal would be located).
Regarding claim 4, Sato in view of Haarmann teaches the power actuator of Claim 3, Sato does not explicitly teach wherein said first bias member and said second bias member are formed as a monolithic piece of material with said annular seal.
Haarmann teaches a similar power actuator for a vehicle which includes an annular seal (20) formed as a monolithic piece of material with a motor bearing wall (13) which acts as an elastic member biasing motor 2.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the teachings of Sato with those of Haarmann in order to include the two biasing members of Sato as a monolithic piece with the annular seal of Haarmann. Haarmann teaches a one piece design for the motor bearing wall and the annular seal which helps to reduce manufacturing costs and simplify assembly. All the claimed elements were known in the prior art and one skilled in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination yielded nothing more than predictable results to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Regarding claim 5, Sato in view of Haarmann teaches the power actuator of Claim 4, Haarmann further teaches wherein at least one of said first housing portion and said second housing portion has an annular recess (the first housing portion 9 has an annular recess visible in annotated fig. 1), said annular seal disposed in said annular recess.
Regarding claim 6, Sato in view of Haarmann teaches the power actuator of Claim 5, Sato further teaches wherein at least one of said first housing portion and said second housing portion has pockets (pockets holding bias members are visible in fig. 3), said first bias member and said second bias member each having an enlarged central body portion (enlarged portion between 121 and 124 which contacts pocket) disposed in said pockets to inhibit misalignment of said first bias member and said second bias member relative to the axis of said drive shaft.
Regarding claim 7, Sato in view of Haarmann teaches the power actuator of Claim 6, wherein said opposite ends of said drive shaft have channels fixed thereto (channel formed past collar 132 in recess 131), said first bias member having a first end disposed in one of said channels and said second bias member having a second end disposed in the other of said channels (each end being the end pressed against collar 132).
Regarding claim 8, Sato in view of Haarmann teaches the power actuator of Claim 6, wherein said first bias member has a first end (123) imparting said first bias on said drive shaft (through contact with 132) and said second bias member has a second end imparting said second bias on said drive shaft (same configuration for second bias member 16), said first bias member having a hollowed cavity (central hole to accommodate shaft 131) between said first end and said enlarged central body portion of said first bias member, said second bias member having a hollowed cavity between said second end and said enlarged central body portion of said second bias member (central hole to accommodate shaft).
Regarding claim 13, Sato teaches the method of Claim 12, further comprising compressing the annular seal between first (24 and 17) and second (cover visible in fig. 1) housing portions of the latch power actuator.
Sato does not explicitly teach further including forming the first bias member as a monolithic piece of material with an annular seal and forming the second bias member as a monolithic piece of material with the annular seal.
Haarmann teaches a similar power actuator for a vehicle which includes an annular seal (20) formed as a monolithic piece of material with a motor bearing wall (13) which acts as an elastic member biasing motor 2.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the teachings of Sato with those of Haarmann in order to include the two biasing members of Sato as a monolithic piece with the annular seal of Haarmann. Haarmann teaches a one piece design for the motor bearing wall and the annular seal which helps to reduce manufacturing costs and simplify assembly. All the claimed elements were known in the prior art and one skilled in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination yielded nothing more than predictable results to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Regarding claim 14, Sato in view of Haarmann teaches the method of Claim 13, Sato further teaches further including stabilizing the first bias member and the second bias member between the first housing portion and the second housing portion (fig. 3 shows the installed positions) against misalignment relative to the central longitudinal axis of the drive shaft to avoid imparting a side moment on the drive shaft (buffers provide a biasing force to prevent any unwanted moment).
Regarding claim 15, Sato in view of Haarmann teaches the method of Claim 14, Sato further teaches further including capturing a central body portion (enlarged area between 121 and 124) of the first bias member and the second bias member in pockets (pockets where 11 and 16 are mounted visible in fig. 3) of the first housing portion and the second housing portion.
Regarding claim 16, Sato in view of Haarmann teaches the method of Claim 15, further including capturing the central body portion of the first bias member and the second bias member in a line-to-line or interference fit within the pockets of the first housing portion and the second housing portion (the portions are held in an interference fit as shown in figs. 7a-7d).
Regarding claim 17, Sato in view of Haarmann teaches the method of Claim 15, further including disposing a first end (end contacting 132) of the first biasing member in engagement with the first end of the drive shaft (end 132) and disposing a second end of the second biasing member in engagement with the second end of the drive shaft (same arrangement but for 16).
Regarding claim 18, Sato in view of Haarmann teaches the method of Claim 17, further including disposing the first end of the first biasing member in a channel (recess formed between 132 and 131) of the first end of the drive shaft and disposing the second end of the second biasing member in a channel (recess formed between 132 and 131 for 16) of the second end of the drive shaft.
Regarding claim 19, Sato in view of Haarmann teaches the method of Claim 17, further including providing the first bias member having a hollowed cavity (central hole to receive shaft 15) between the first end of the first biasing member and the central body portion of the first bias member (fig. 4), and providing the second bias member having a hollowed cavity (central hole to receive shaft 15) between the second end of the second biasing member and the central body portion of the second bias member.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES EDWARD IGNACZEWSKI whose telephone number is (571)272-2732. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5 EST.
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/J.E.I./ Examiner, Art Unit 3675 /KRISTINA R FULTON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3675
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