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. 19/157,599 filed on 08/18/2025. Claims 1-16 are pending. Claims 1 and 10 are independent claims.
Claim Objections
Claim 4 is objected to because of the following informalities: Claim recites the limitation “wherein the first lay gear engages the electric actuator, and the second lay gear engages the disconnect synchronizer”. It is suggested to change the work engages to couples since in gear system engage means “ to come together and interlock”. Since first lay gear 154 engages with the electric actuator 130 via a pinion gear 134, there is no mechanical interlock between the first lay gear and the electric actuator. Appropriate correction is required.
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 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.
Claims 1, 2, 8-11, and 13-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Bowen (US 20050261099 A1)(hereinafter “Bowen”).
Regarding claim 1, Bowen discloses a torque vectoring device (see fig. 2) for a vehicle drive module (see fig. 1), the torque vectoring device comprising:
an electric actuator (e.g. 130, fig. 2, para 23); and
a planetary gearset (e.g. 82, fig. 2, para 21) comprising:
a ring gear (102, fig. 2) rotationally coupled to a differential case (68, para 19) ;
a sun gear (100) operatively couplable to the electric actuator (130);
a planet carrier (108) rotationally coupled to a first output shaft (30R); and
a planet gear (104) rotationally supported by the planet carrier (108) and engaged with the ring gear (102) and the sun gear (100);
wherein the electric actuator is operable to bias torque between the first output shaft and a second output shaft. (see para 23)
Regarding claim 2, Bowen discloses the torque vectoring device (fig. 2) of claim 1, further comprising a disconnect synchronizer (e.g. 62, para 23, the synchronizer is considered as a plate clutch disconnect) rotationally coupled to the sun gear (100) and the electric actuator (130), wherein the disconnect synchronizer (62) is operable in a locked mode for transferring torque between the electric actuator (130) and the sun gear (100) and an unlocked mode in which torque is not transferred between the electric actuator (130) and the sun gear (100). (see para 23)
Regarding claim 8, Bowen discloses the torque vectoring device of claim 1, further comprising a layshaft (126) operatively arranged between the electric actuator (130) and the sun gear (100).
Regarding claim 9, Bowen discloses the torque vectoring device of claim 1, wherein the electric actuator (130) comprises an actuator shaft (e.g. not shown, the shaft connected to clutch 62, fig. 2, para 27), and wherein operating the electric actuator to rotate the actuator shaft biases torque toward the first output shaft (e.g. 30R), and wherein operating the electric actuator to brake the actuator shaft biases torque toward the second output shaft. (see paras 23 and 27)
Regarding claim 10, Bowen discloses a drive module (figs. 1-2) for a vehicle, the drive module comprising:
a first output shaft (30R, fig. 2);
a second output shaft (30L, fig. 2);
a differential assembly (56); and
a torque vectoring device comprising:
an electric actuator (e.g. 130, fig. 2, para 23;
a ring gear (102, fig. 2) rotationally coupled to the differential case (68, para 19);
a sun gear (100) operatively couplable to the electric actuator (130);
a planet carrier rotationally coupled to the first output shaft; and
a planet carrier (108) rotationally coupled to a first output shaft (30R); and
a planet gear (104) rotationally supported by the planet carrier (108) and engaged with the ring gear (102) and the sun gear (100);
wherein the electric actuator is operable to bias torque between the first output shaft and a second output shaft. (see para 23)
Regarding claim 11, Bowen discloses the drive module (fig. 2) of claim 10, wherein the torque vectoring device further comprises disconnect synchronizer (62) rotationally coupled to the sun gear (100) and the electric actuator (130), wherein the disconnect synchronizer (62) is operable in a locked mode for transferring torque between the electric actuator (130) and the sun gear (100) and an unlocked mode in which torque is not transferred between the electric actuator (130) and the sun gear (100).
Regarding claim 13, Bowen discloses the drive module (fig. 2) of claim 10, wherein the differential assembly (56) comprises a differential case (68), a first side gear (72) coupled to the first output shaft (30R), and a second side gear (70) coupled to the second output shaft (30L), and wherein the differential case (68) is coupled to the ring gear (102).
Regarding claim 14, Bowen discloses the drive module (fig. 2) of claim 13, further comprising an input gear (66) coupled to the differential case (68).
Regarding claim 15, Bowen discloses the drive module (fig. 2) of claim 10, further comprising a drive housing (52), wherein the differential assembly (56) is rotatably supported in the drive housing, and wherein the electric actuator (130) is coupled (via clutch 62) to the drive housing (52).
Regarding claim 16, Bowen discloses the torque vectoring device of claim 10, wherein the electric actuator (130) comprises an actuator shaft (e.g. not shown, the shaft connected to clutch 62, fig. 2, para 27), and wherein operating the electric actuator to rotate the actuator shaft biases torque toward the first output shaft (e.g. 30R), and wherein operating the electric actuator to brake the actuator shaft biases torque toward the second output shaft. (see paras 23 and 27)
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.
Claims 3-7 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ore et al. (US 20210062900 A1) in view of REHR et al. (WO 2024165564 A1)(machine translation relied upon as attached).
Regarding claim 3, Bowen discloses the torque vectoring device of claim 3, but fails to disclose a layshaft operatively arranged between the electric actuator and the disconnect synchronizer.
REHR teaches a device (fig. 5) wherein a layshaft (13) operatively arranged between an electric actuator (EM) and a disconnect synchronizer (33, fig. 5).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Bowen by adding a lay shaft along with a spur gear stage as taught by REHR so that multi-disk clutch can be positioned space-saving manner along with the spur gear stage. Preferably, the countershaft can be implemented as an axially short countershaft spur gear stage. Therefore, the design will be compact.
Regarding claim 4, Bowen/ REHR discloses the torque vectoring device as modified according to claim 3, REHR further discloses wherein a first lay gear (17) coupled to the layshaft (13) and a second lay gear (21) coupled to the layshaft (13), wherein the first lay gear (17) engages (via gear 15) the electric actuator (EM), and the second lay gear (21) engages (via gear 23) the disconnect synchronizer (33).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Bowen by adding first and second lay gears as taught by REHR so that multi-disk clutch can be positioned space-saving manner along with the spur gear stage, therefore, the design will be compact. Moreover, the spur gear stage can do further reduction of the actuator and enhance the reliable control of the actuator.
(Please note: The word “engage” is considered as to participate or become involved in.)
Regarding claim 5, Bowen discloses the torque vectoring device of claim 2, but fails to disclose a first hollow shaft and a second hollow shaft, wherein the disconnect synchronizer is operably coupled between the first hollow shaft and the second hollow shaft, and wherein the first hollow shaft and the second hollow shaft are rotationally coupled when the disconnect synchronizer is in the locked mode, and wherein the first hollow shaft and the second hollow shaft are rotationally decoupled when the disconnect synchronizer is in the unlocked mode.
REHR teaches a device (fig. 5) wherein a first hollow shaft (see the annotated fig. A below) and a second hollow shaft (see the annotated fig. A below), wherein the disconnect synchronizer (33) is operably coupled between the first hollow shaft and the second hollow shaft, and wherein the first hollow shaft and the second hollow shaft are rotationally coupled when the disconnect synchronizer (33) is in the locked mode, and wherein the first hollow shaft and the second hollow shaft are rotationally decoupled when the disconnect synchronizer (e.g. 33) is in the unlocked mode.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Bowen by adding first and second hollow shafts as taught by REHR so that multi-disk clutch can be positioned space-saving manner along with the spur gear stage and hollow shafts. Therefore, the design will be compact.
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Fig. A: Annotated fig. 5 of REHR
Regarding claim 6, Bowen/ REHR discloses the torque vectoring device (fig. 2) as modified according to claim 5, wherein the first hollow shaft and the second hollow shaft are concentric with the first output shaft (30R after modification).
Regarding claim 7, Bowen/ REHR discloses the torque vectoring device as modified according to claim 5, wherein the disconnect synchronizer (62) is concentric with the first output shaft (30R after modification). (see annotated fig. A above)
Regarding claim 11, Bowen discloses the torque vectoring device of claim 10, but fails to disclose a first hollow shaft and a second hollow shaft, wherein the disconnect synchronizer is operably coupled between the first hollow shaft and the second hollow shaft, and wherein the first hollow shaft and the second hollow shaft are rotationally coupled when the disconnect synchronizer is in the locked mode, and wherein the first hollow shaft and the second hollow shaft are rotationally decoupled when the disconnect synchronizer is in the unlocked mode.
REHR teaches a device (fig. 5) wherein a first hollow shaft (see the annotated fig. A above) and a second hollow shaft (see the annotated fig. A), wherein the disconnect synchronizer (33) is operably coupled between the first hollow shaft and the second hollow shaft, and wherein the first hollow shaft and the second hollow shaft are rotationally coupled when the disconnect synchronizer (33) is in the locked mode, and wherein the first hollow shaft and the second hollow shaft are rotationally decoupled when the disconnect synchronizer (e.g. 33) is in the unlocked mode.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Bowen by adding first and second hollow shafts as taught by REHR so that multi-disk clutch can be positioned space-saving manner along with the spur gear stage and hollow shafts. Therefore, the design will be compact.
Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to Applicant's disclosure.
HUMMEL et al. (US 20190283574 A1) discloses an axle wherein a torque redistribution (i.e., torque vectoring or a differential lock function) can be implemented both in the first transmission gear and also in the second transmission gear as follows: Thus, when the first transmission gear is shifted (i.e., the first and second shifting elements are closed), the third or fourth shifting element can be at least temporarily closed. The drive torque generated by the first or second electric machine is thus allocated into a partial drive torque, which is transmitted via the first/second shifting element directly to the first/second flange shaft, and into a partial drive torque, which is transmitted via the third/fourth shifting element to the axle differential and is allocated from there uniformly onto the left and right vehicle wheels.
PINSCHMIDT et al. (US 20200276897 A1) discloses a drive device for a vehicle axle as shown in fig. 1.
Conclusion
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/FARHANA PERVIN/Examiner, Art Unit 3655
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