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 Office Action is in response to the application filed on 04/11/2025. Claims 1-9 are presently pending and are presented for examination.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The Information Disclosure Statement (IDS) submitted on 04/11/2025 was filed and is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the Information Disclosure Statement is being considered by the Examiner.
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.
Claim(s) 1-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Hata (US 5875691 A).
Regarding claim 1, Hata discloses a work vehicle (see column 1 lines 66-67, wherein a vehicle is disclosed) comprising: an engine (see Fig. 8; 900); a transmission (see Fig. 7; E) configured to change a speed of motive power from the engine to output the motive power to a travel device (see column 7 line 10, wherein wheels are disclosed); a motor generator (see Fig. 8; 101) joined to the transmission; and a resolver (127) configured to detect a rotation speed of the motor generator; wherein the transmission is housed in a transmission case (105) including a wall (114) through which a rotary shaft of the motor generator (117) is inserted; the resolver includes a rotor (129) fitted onto the rotary shaft; and the resolver includes a stator (130) supported by the wall.
Regarding claim 2, Hata discloses the resolver (127) is between a housing of the motor generator (123) and the wall (114).
Regarding claim 3, Hata discloses the wall (114) includes at least one support (portion of 114 comprising 131) protruding toward the resolver (127) and supporting the stator (130).
Regarding claim 4, Hata discloses the at least one support (portion of 114 comprising 131) includes a plurality of supports (portion of 114 comprising upper 131, portion of 114 comprising lower 131) at a plurality of locations (top and bottom in the figure) on the wall (114) that are dispersed in a circumferential direction of the rotor (129).
Regarding claim 5, Hata discloses a joint bolt (131) joining the stator (130) to the at least one support (portion of 114 comprising 131) by being inserted through the stator in a direction along an axis (F) of the rotary shaft (117) from a side (right side in the figure) opposite to a side (left side in the figure) where the wall (114) is located relative to the stator (130).
Regarding claim 6, Hata discloses a motor support (159) supporting the motor generator (101) and located at a portion of the wall (portion of 114) that is on a side (bottom side in the figure) opposite to a side (top side in the figure) where the rotary shaft (117) is located relative to the at least one support (portion of 114 comprising 131) in a diameter direction of the rotary shaft (up/down direction in the figure).
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.
Claim 7-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hata (US 5875691 A) in view of Seguchi (US 5744895 A).
Regarding claim 7, Hata fails to disclose a wire connector to extract detection information from the resolver, the wire connector being on a front-to-rear wall of a peripheral wall of the transmission case, the front-to-rear wall extending in a front-rear direction of a vehicle body. However, Seguchi teaches wire connectors (see Fig. 20; 1711) and wires (see Fig. 1, wire from 1912 to 500) to extract information from the resolver (1912). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art as of the effective filing date to modify Hata with wire connectors to extract detection information from the resolver, as taught by Seguchi, to connect the resolver to a control unit to control rotational speed of a rotor (see column 5 line 67 to column 6 line 3) to provide a system for converting electric power of a battery and mechanical power of an engine into driving power of an output shaft at a prescribed rotating torque and rotational speed (see column 2 lines 5-9). As a result of the combination, the following limitations would necessarily result: a wire connector (Seguchi, 1711) to extract detection information from the resolver (Seguchi, 1912), the wire connector being on a front-to-rear wall (Seguchi, Fig. 1, 1710) of a peripheral wall of the transmission case (Seguchi, 1710, 1720, 1730), the front-to-rear wall extending in a front-rear direction of a vehicle body (Seguchi, Fig. 1, wherein tire 700 points in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle).
Regarding claim 8, the combination of claim 7 elsewhere above would necessarily result in the following limitations: an electric wire (see Fig. 1, wires from 1912 to 500) connecting the resolver (1912) and the wire connector (1711), the electric wire extending along the wall (1710).
Regarding claim 9, Hata fails to disclose a wire fixing section on the wall to fix the electric wire. However, Seguchi teaches a wire fixing section (see Fig. 18, section of 1730 that the wire passes through) on the wall (1730) to fix the electric wire (wire passing through 1730). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art as of the effective filing date to modify Hata with a wire fixing section on the wall, as taught by Seguchi, to fix the wire in position and eliminate interference with the moving parts inside the transmission housing.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See attached PTO-892.
US 20220247282 A1 discloses a wire and plug for a resolver of a transmission.
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/JOSEPH BROWN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3618