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 § 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.
Claim(s) 1-5, 15, 17 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Dohmen et al (US 10,948,941).
Dohmen et al disclose a pedal unit for controlling a vehicle function, comprising: a pedal head (6) configured to receive an actuating force of a driver's foot; a fixable outer housing (4.1), which is open in a direction of the pedal head (6); a fixable inner housing (4.3), which is connected to the fixable outer housing (4.1) and is open in the direction of the pedal head (6); a movable housing (3), which is closed in the direction of the pedal head (6) and which is arranged between the fixable outer housing (4.1) and the fixable inner housing (4.3) and is mounted on the fixable inner housing (4.3) so as to be displaced in a longitudinal extension of the inner housing (4.3) with a small stroke against a force of a return spring (7), the movable housing (3) being connected to the pedal head (6); and a sensor assembly (10) configured to detect a stroke movement of the movable housing (3) caused by the actuating force of the driver's foot, the sensor assembly comprising: a sensor housing (4.5) which is open in the direction of the pedal head (6) and is arranged inside the fixable inner housing (4.3); and at least one measuring circuit with at least one sensor module (see ¶25) arranged inside the sensor housing (10).
Re claim 2, the movable housing (3) has a closed end face configured as a hat-shaped connection cap and on which on which the pedal head (6) is fixed (see Fig 3).
Re claim 3, a plate-shaped coupling element (9) configured to transfer the stroke movement of the movable housing (3), against a force of at least one spring element (8), to the at least one sensor module (see ¶25).
Re claim 4, the plate-shaped coupling element (9) is axially guided in the sensor housing (4.5) and, at least in an unactuated state, penetrates a first opening in the sensor housing (4.5) and a second opening in the inner housing (4.8).
Re claim 5, two sliding elements (4.3, 4.1) arranged between the inner housing (4.8) and the movable housing (3), the return spring (7) being arranged and supported between the two sliding elements (4.3, 4.1).
Re claim 15, at least one anti-rotation device (4.8) arranged between the fixable outer housing (4.1) and the movable housing (3), the at least one anti-rotation device (4.8) disabling rotation of the movable housing (3).
Re claim 17, a circumferential annular protrusion (5) pushed onto the fixable outer housing (4.1) or formed on the fixable outer housing.
Re claim 20, the controllable vehicle function is a braking function or an acceleration function (see ¶ 28).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-14, 16, 18, and 19 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
WO 2015110283 pedal
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VICKY A JOHNSON whose telephone number is (571)272-7106. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday.
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/VICKY A JOHNSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3617