DETAILED ACTION
Priority
Applicant’s claim for the benefit of a prior-filed application under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) or under 35 U.S.C. 120, 121, 365(c), or 386(c) is acknowledged.
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d).
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) was submitted on 26 June 2025. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claims 13, 14, 16, 18-20 and 22 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In each of claims 13, 14, 16 and 18-20 (line 1) “as recited in claim 11” should recite –as recited in claim 12--.
Claim 22 depends from multiple claims and should be amended to depend from a single claim. For purposes of examination, claim 22 is interpreted to depend from claim 12.
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.
Claims 12-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being unpatentable over Kajikawa (JP 2007-147059 A).
Regarding claim 12, Kajikawa discloses a shaft-hub connection arrangement (see Figs. 3-4) for transmitting torques between a metallic shaft and a plastic hub connected in a positive-locking manner thereto, the shaft-hub connection arrangement comprising:
at least one longitudinal groove (33), concave in cross-section, of the shaft (2) in a connecting region (see Fig. 4); and
folding lever means (34, see Fig. 9) in the connecting region and extending inwards from an inner wall of the hub (see Fig. 4 and 9) and resting in a positive-locking manner in groove flank regions of the longitudinal groove on both sides (see Fig. 9 and Fig. 4 for example).
Regarding claim 13, Kajikawa discloses wherein the folding lever means (34, see Fig. 9) comprise at least two lever legs (A in annotated Figure 9 below) extending from a same starting point (B in annotated Figure 9 below) on the inner wall and extending inwardly therefrom in a V-shape (see Fig. 9 and Fig. 4 for example).
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Figure 1. Annotated Figure 9.
Regarding claim 14, Kajikawa discloses further comprising locking tongues (C in annotated Figure 9 below) facing one another are pivotably formed in the distal end region of the lever legs (A in annotated Figure 9 above).
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Figure 2. Annotated Figure 9.
Regarding claim 15, Kajikawa discloses wherein the locking tongues (C in annotated Figure 9 above) nestle against a groove base region (33) of the longitudinal groove (33) in a locked position (see Fig. 4 for example).
Regarding claim 16, Kajikawa discloses wherein the at least one longitudinal groove (33) includes several concave longitudinal grooves arranged adjacent to one another over the circumference of the shaft (2) so as to define a star profile (see Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 17, Kajikawa discloses further comprising an insert (38) for locking the lever legs (A in annotated Figure 9 above), the insert arranged in an intermediate space formed by the lever legs (see Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 18, Kajikawa discloses wherein a clearance fit exists axially between the inner wall of the hub (12) and an enveloping circle diameter of the shaft (2, see Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 19, Kajikawa discloses wherein the shaft (2) is designed as a gear shaft (see Figs. 3-5).
Regarding claim 20, Kajikawa discloses wherein the hub (12) is a component of a gear wheel (see Figs. 1-4).
Regarding claim 21, Kajikawa discloses wherein the gear wheel (12) is designed as a toothed wheel (see Fig. 4), a friction wheel, or a belt pulley.
Regarding claim 22, Kajikawa discloses an electric hand tool (see Figs. 1-2 and NOTE below) comprising: a drive unit (2 in Fig. 3) connected to a gear unit (12 in Fig. 3) via a shaft-hub connection arrangement (see Fig. 4).
NOTE: Kajikawa discloses the drive system of an electric power steering device. Accordingly, electric power steering is considered an electric hand tool as there is electric and is operated by hand.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZACHARY A HALL whose telephone number is (571)272-5907. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Thursday 8:00am to 4:00pm.
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/ZAH/Examiner, Art Unit 3678
/MICHAEL P FERGUSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3619
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