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 § 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.
Claims 37-38 and 40 are 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 37 references “the drive shaft” of claim 1, “the one or more rotor blades” of claim 1. However, these are limitations from within the overall apparatus of claim 1 itself. The dependent claims must recite the entire structure upon which it depends as the statutory category, not take out individual limitations from the independent claim.
Claim 38 recites the limitations “the first linkage” and “the second linkage”. However, these limitations are not introduced in claim 1, but claim 32.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1, 4, 7-9, 17-19, 22, 25-27, 30-32, 35-38, and 40 are allowed on the art-based merits (claims 37, 38, and 40 on the overall merits depend upon the response to 35 U.S.C. 112 rejection(s) above).
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter. The following art is considered the closest art of record:
Lidak (WO 2010128378)
Muren (US 9156548)
Sreetharan (US 9038942)
Craig (US 4286370)
Jenkins (US 6615681)
Lidak discloses a constant velocity joint for gimballed helicopter rotors in which a rotor hub (2) is connected to a mast (1) by means of elastomeric laminated spherical bearings (4) and elastomeric drag devices (5) integral with a flange (3). The dragging devices provide a compliant coupling that allows the rotor hub to tilt on two axes relative to the mast. Two flybar radial bars (29) are mounted on the rotor hub itself via supports (28). Lidak then discloses the single hub structure with a single compliant coupling mechanism. The flybars and the rotor blades share the same hub and tilt together through the same coupling. Lidak then fails to teach separate flybar plate with its own flexure hinge independently coupled to the drive shaft.
Muren teaches a rotor assembly for a nano-helicopter that does separate the rotor and flybar functions onto independent structures: a rotor head (2) carries the rotor blades (1) and is hinged to the rotor shaft (3) while rotating swash plate (4) carries the flybars (6) and is coupled to the rotor shaft via a central conical hole. Tilt links (8) connect the swash plate to the rotor head. Muren then teaches the two-plate architecture with independent tilting and mechanical linkages. However, Muren fails to teach the flexure hinges as claimed. The rotor head utilizes a pin hinge and the swash plate utilizes a conical clearance fit. These coupling mechanisms are mechanically incompatible with flexure hinge modification, and would not be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Sreetharan teaches composite laminate flexure hinges for micro-aerial vehicle mechanism formed by sandwiching a flexible polymide film between rigid carbon fiber layers and cutting gaps through the rigid layers to expose the flexible film as a joint. These flexure hinges are formed between discrete rigid link segments in a planar chain rather than interaction between the shaft and flybar plates which differs from the claimed first/second flexure hinges.
Craig and Jenkins teach dynamically tuned gyroscopes in which a spinning rotor is coupled to a drive shaft through gimbal flexure hinges. In these devices, thin flexure elements are connected to the rotor shaft and allow the rotor to tilt relative to the shaft axis. However, the flexure hinges solve different purposes: providing a precise, spring rate bumbal for an inertial sensing rotor that spins in a vacuum, not an aerodynamic rotor that must transmit cyclic pitch forces and withstand aerodynamic loads. The rotor in these instances is a momentum wheel, not a blade-carrying plate. Therefore a person of ordinary skill in the art would not look to gyroscope sensor technology for rotor hub articulation.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JUSTIN D SEABE whose telephone number is (571)272-4961. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 9:00-5:30.
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/JUSTIN D SEABE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3745
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