DETAILED CORRESPONDENCE
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 .
Status of Claims
This is the first office action on the merits of Application No. 19/122,322 filed on 04/18/2025. Claims have been 12-21 are pending. Claim 1 is independent claim.
Priority
Application claims the benefit of Application No. DE10 2022 003 889.7 filed 08/24/2022. Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Examiner Note
Examiner would welcome an interview to clarify any of the various objections/rejections seen below in order to expediate prosecution of the instant application.
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 12-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Stockton et al. (US 4479404 A) (hereinafter “Stockton”) in view of Smetana et al. (US 8979695 B2)(hereinafter “Smetana”) an further in view of Hennessy et al. (US 20220268198 A1)(hereinafter “Hennessy”).
Regarding claim 12, Stockton discloses an electric drive device (12, fig. 1) for a motor vehicle, the electric drive device (fig. 1A) comprising:
an electric engine (10) having a rotor (132, fig. 1A);
a planetary gear stage having a sun gear (40), a planetary carrier (50) with planetary gears (42), and a ring gear (44);
a switchable freewheel clutch (60) having a first coupling half (see the annotated fig. A below), a second coupling half (see the annotated fig. A below), a switching device (see the annotated fig. A below), wherein the first coupling half is connected to a housing (26) to conjointly rotate; and
an axial guide ring (see the annotated fig. A below) configured to support the ring gear, wherein the ring gear does not have a roller bearing directly supports it, wherein the axial guide ring is arranged radially inside and axially overlapping the freewheel clutch.
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Fig. A: Annotated fig. 1A of HILLMAN
But Stockton fails to disclose an actuator, the axial guide ring configured to support the ring gear in both axial directions and wherein the axial guide ring has a u-shaped cross-section contour.
Smetana teaches a similar king of drive device (20, fig. 2) wherein a clutch K2 and a brake B 1 is actuated by an actuator (A, fig. 2).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Stockton by adding an actuator as taught by Smetana, such as the clutch can be actuated reliably and efficiently.
Hennessy teaches a transmission system (e.g. 328, fig. 5A) wherein an axial guide ring has a u-shaped cross-section contour (see fig. 7).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Stockton by substituting the axial guide ring with the u-shaped cross-section contour guide ring as taught by Hennessy, such as the ring gear can be supported in axial both directions. It is well known in the art that the axial guide ring can have a variety of shapes of configurations, including U-shaped (semicircular), square, circular, rectangular, polygonal, etc. (as evidenced by Hennessy). The change in configuration of shape of a device is obvious absent persuasive evidence that the particular configuration is significant. In re Dailey, 357 F.2d 669, 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1966).
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Fig. B: Annotated fig. 5B of Hennessy
As modified, the electric drive device would have an actuator, the axial guide ring configured to support the ring gear in both axial directions and wherein the axial guide ring has a u-shaped cross-section contour.
Regarding claim 13, Stockton/ Smetana/Hennessy discloses the electric drive device as modified according to claim 12, Stockton further discloses wherein the second coupling half is connected to the ring gear (44) to conjointly rotate, wherein a connecting element (see the annotated fig. A above), which is connected to the ring gear to conjointly rotate and to the second coupling half to conjointly rotate, is arranged radially between a sun gear toothing of the sun gear (40) and a ring gear (44) toothing of the ring gear in relation to a rotational axis of the planetary gear stage.
Regarding claim 14, Stockton/ Smetana/Hennessy discloses the electric drive device as modified according to claim 12, Stockton further discloses wherein the connecting element (see the annotated fig. A above) has a cylinder section arranged coaxially to the rotational axis of the planetary gear stage. (see the annotated fig. A above)
Regarding claim 15, Stockton/ Smetana/Hennessy discloses the electric drive device as modified according to claim 14, Stockton further discloses a disc unit configured to connect the cylinder section to the ring gear to conjointly rotate. (see the annotated fig. A above)
Regarding claim 16, Stockton/ Smetana/Hennessy discloses the electric drive device (fig. 1A) as modified according to claim 15, Stockton further discloses wherein the rotor (132) is arranged coaxially to the planetary gear stage and the disc unit is arranged axially on a side of the planetary gear stage facing away from the rotor, wherein the cylinder section is arranged axially on a side of the disc unit facing away from the planetary gear stage. (see the annotated fig. A above)
Regarding claim 17, Stockton/ Smetana/Hennessy discloses the electric drive device (fig. 1A) as modified according to claim 15, Stockton further discloses wherein the connecting element has a guide section configured to interact with the axial guide ring. (see the annotated fig. A above)
Regarding claim 18, Stockton/ Smetana/Hennessy discloses the electric drive device (fig. 1A) as modified according to claim 14, Stockton further discloses wherein the cylinder section is arranged radially in a region of planetary gear bolts (e.g. pins 48), which support the planetary gears, of the planetary carrier of the planetary gear stage in relation to the rotational axis of the planetary gear stage.
Regarding claim 19, Stockton/ Smetana/Hennessy discloses the electric drive device (fig. 1A) as modified according to claim 12, Stockton further discloses wherein the switching device is a switching disk, and wherein the actuator is configured to move the switching disk rotationally. (see the annotated fig. A above)
Regarding claim 20, Stockton/ Smetana/Hennessy discloses the electric drive device (fig. 1A) as modified according to claim 12, Smetana further discloses wherein the actuator (A) of the switchable freewheel clutch (e.g. K2, B1) is arranged in the housing (16).
Regarding claim 21, Stockton/ Smetana/Hennessy discloses the electric drive device (fig. 1A) as modified according to claim 12, Smetana further discloses wherein the actuator (A) of the switchable freewheel clutch (K2, B1) is arranged radially outside the first and second coupling halves (e.g. 15a, 15b).
Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Stockton et al. (US 3986413 A) discloses a four-speed planetary transmission mechanism for an automotive vehicle including two simple planetary gear units and a fluid coupling, the latter being used to transmit torque during operation in the two lowest ratios, the torque delivery path through the mechanism during direct-drive fourth speed ratio operation being a split torque drive and the torque delivery path during third speed ratio operation being fully mechanical.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FARHANA PERVIN whose telephone number is (571)272-4644. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 7:30-5:00.
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/FARHANA PERVIN/Examiner, Art Unit 3655
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