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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 2/25/2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claim 9 objected to because of the following informalities: “and that the braking device” should be rewritten as “and the braking device”. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
(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 1-3, and 5-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Resedat (FR-2493944-A1), henceforth referred to as Resedat.
Regarding claim 1, Resedat discloses "a braking device for a drive assembly of a vehicle comprising an input shaft (Figure 1: clutch assembly comprises input shaft 3, further, Paragraph [0007]: "a clutch comprising a housing, an input shaft and an output shaft mounted for rotation about an axis relative to the housing, and means for engaging or disengaging the clutch at will in order to respectively lock or unlock the shafts against rotation, to provide means for braking and immobilizing the output shaft against rotation"), a brake, wherein the brake has a first braking partner and a second braking partner (Figure 1: clutch assembly comprises braking assembly formed by flywheel 6 and clutch disk 23), wherein the first braking partner is arranged in a stationary manner in the braking device (Figure 1: with the clutch in the disengaged position, clutch disk 23 is stationary. Further, Paragraph [0008]: "disengagement is associated with immobilizing the output shaft" and clutch disk 23 is fixedly attached to output shaft 4), and a brake coupling device wherein the input shaft, the brake, and the brake coupling device form sub-portions of a torque path through the braking device (Figure 1: clutch plate 19 forms a brake coupling device, forming a torque path with flywheel 6 and clutch disk 23), wherein the brake coupling device has a first coupling partner and a second coupling partner (Figure 1: clutch plate 19 comprises first coupling partner friction surface 20 and second coupling partner friction disk 27), wherein, in a coupling state, the brake coupling device rotationally fixedly couples the first coupling partner to the second coupling partner in order to close the torque path (Paragraph [0008]: "the flywheel 6 by its friction surface 21 and the plate 19 by its friction surface 20 and on the other hand, the clutch disc 23 by its friction linings 27 and 28 thus constitute complementary friction elements, fixed to the rotation around the axis 5 respectively of the input shaft 3 and the output shaft 4; a contact under pressure of these friction elements leads to the locking"), and, in a release state, decouples the first coupling partner from the second coupling partner in order to open the torque path (Paragraph [0008]: "the disengagement position, illustrated in Figure 1, is a position in which the distance between the respective friction surfaces 20 and 21 of the plate 19 and the flywheel 6, parallel to the axis 5, is greater than the thickness of the ring 22 of the disc 23 with its two friction linings 27 and 28"), and wherein a one of the first coupling partner and the second coupling partners is connected to the input shaft for rotation therewith (Paragraph [0008]: "the flywheel 6 by its friction surface 21 and the plate 19 by its friction surface 20 and on the other hand, the clutch disc 23 by its friction linings 27 and 28 thus constitute complementary friction elements, fixed to the rotation around the axis 5 respectively of the input shaft 3 and the output shaft 4; a contact under pressure of these friction elements leads to the locking").
Regarding claim 2, Resedat discloses wherein the other one of the first coupling partner and the second coupling partner is connected to the second braking partner for rotation therewith or can be connected to a transmission shaft of the drive assembly of the vehicle for rotation therewith (Figure 1: friction disk 27 coupled to output shaft via ring 22 of clutch disk 23).
Regarding claim 3, Resedat discloses wherein the braking device is designed as a dead-end module and or as a dead-end device for the torque path (Figure 1: clutch assembly is formed as a dead-end device for the torque path, as it outputs torque to output shaft 4).
Regarding claim 5, Resedat discloses the brake coupling device can maintain the coupling state or the release state in a force-free manner (Paragraph [0008]: "The transition from one position to another is achieved by translation of the plate 19 parallel to the axis 5, 35, that is to say by sliding the rods 17 in the corresponding guide holes 13 of the bell 9. A coil spring 29 placed around 1*3X6 5 and interposed between the bell 9 and the plate 19, in compression, tends to elastically maintain the plate 5 19 in the clutch position").
Regarding claim 6, Resedat discloses the brake coupling device is designed as a synchronization device (Paragraph [0008]: "a contact under pressure of these friction elements leads to the locking, to the rotation around the axis 5, of the shafts 3 and 4, which defines a clutch position, and their separation on the contrary leads to the unlocking of the two shafts to the rotation”, thus engaging the clutch mechanism synchronizes the rotation of input shaft 3 and output shaft 4).
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 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.
Claims 4, 7-8, and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Resedat in view of Finkenzeller (US20180142759A1), henceforth referred to as Finkenzeller.
Regarding claim 4, Resedat does not teach a multidisc brake. Finkenzeller discloses the brake is designed as a multi-disk brake (Figure 2: hybrid separating clutch 202 is formed as a multi-disk clutch). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the clutch disk of Resedat with the multi-disk arrangement of Finkenzeller in order to increase the clamping force of the clutch assembly (Paragraph [0043]).
Regarding claim 7, Resedat does not teach a drive assembly with an electric drivetrain. Finkenzeller discloses a vehicle having a drive assembly, wherein the drive assembly has an electric drive unit for generating a drive torque for the vehicle, the drive assembly has a transmission gearing for translating the drive torque (Figure 1: vehicle comprises electric drive unit 108 and transmission 110), the transmission gearing has a gearing input for accepting the drive torque (Figure 1: transmission 110 comprises an input from output shaft 118) , and a gearing output for outputting a translated drive torque in the direction of at least one drive wheel of the vehicle (Figure 1: transmission 110 comprises an output to driven wheel 112), such that a drive torque path is formed from the electric drive unit to the gearing output or the at least one driven wheel (Figure 1: drive torque path formed from electric motor 108 to drive wheel 112), the drive assembly comprises the braking device according to claim 1 (See rejection of claim 1), wherein the braking device can be brought into operative connection with the drive torque path in order to apply a braking torque to the at least one driven wheel along a braking torque path (Figure 1: clutch 104 connected to electric motor 108). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the brake device of Resedat with the electric drivetrain of Finkenzeller in order to allow the drivetrain to be used in as a motor or generator (Paragraph [0029]).
Regarding claim 8, Finkenzeller further discloses the vehicle has a vibration management device, and wherein the vibration management device is designed to compensate or dampen or modulate vibrations occurring in the drive assembly or in the vehicle by controlling the braking device (Paragraph [0033]: "wherein the hybrid separating clutch 202 is integrated into the secondary mass 208 of the torsional vibration damper 200 and may be of integral design with the secondary mass 208 of the torsional vibration damper 200"). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the brake device of Resedat with the vibration damping of Finkenzeller in order to damp drivetrain vibrations.
Regarding claim 10, Finkenzeller further discloses the braking device is or can be connected to the gearing input of the transmission gearing or to a rotor shaft of the electric drive unit for rotation therewith (Figure 1: clutch 104 is connected to output shaft 118 which is the transmission 110 input), or the braking torque path runs via the transmission gearing (Figure 1: drive torque path formed from electric motor 108 to drive wheel 112), wherein the braking device is arranged in the braking torque path in front of the transmission gearing or the braking device can be operated at a speed of the electric drive unit (Figure 1: clutch 104 arranged in front of the transmission 110 in the torque path).
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Resedat and Finkenzeller as applied to claim 7 above, in further view of Sato (US-20190351751-A1), henceforth referred to as Sato.
Regarding claim 9, Resedat teaches a brake management device for only the clutch braking device (Paragraph [0007]: "The disengagement can be caused at will by actuation from the outside, in particular by means of a clutch disengagement pedal"), the brake management device is designed to implement a comfort braking state, and in the comfort braking state, the main braking deceleration is carried out by the braking device in order to bring the vehicle to a standstill (Paragraph [0007]: "a clutch . . . and means for engaging or disengaging the clutch at will in order to respectively lock or unlock the shafts against rotation, to provide means for braking and immobilizing the output shaft against rotation"). However, Resedat does not teach a service brake or respective service brake management mechanism. Sato discloses the vehicle has a service brake (Figure 9: friction brake 31), and that the braking device is designed as a complementary brake or a supplementary braking device to the service brake (Figure 9: friction clutch 32 works complementary to friction brake 31), the vehicle has a brake management device for controlling the service brake and the braking device (Paragraph [0078]: "a control mechanism 33 for the friction brake 31 and the friction clutch 32"). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the brake and drivetrain assembly of Resedat and Finkenzeller with the service brake of Sato in order to control the torque and speed of the drivetrain (Paragraphs [0080-0082]).
Cited Prior Art not Relied Upon
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure includes Isono (US-20180215368-A1), which discloses a clutch for an electric drivetrain, and redundant braking system, and Neuberth (US-20150060230-A1), which discloses a drivetrain vibration damping mechanism.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MATTHEW J O'NEILL whose telephone number is (571)272-4752. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri: 7AM-4PM.
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/MATTHEW JAMES O'NEILL/Examiner, Art Unit 3614
/JASON D SHANSKE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3614