DETAILED ACTION
This Non-Final Office Action is in response to the claims filed on 4/14/2025.
Claims 1-13 are currently pending.
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
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 6-8 and 11-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being Anticipated by Ricke (US 2025/0319924).
As to claim 1 Sato discloses a steering system comprising:
steering device having a steering wheel (figure 1 #96);
a steering actuation system for a number of steering axles (figure 1 # 71, 72, 73, 74);
a monitoring device of the steering actuation system (figure 1 #601, 602, 603, 604); and
a steering wheel force actuation (figure 1 #57) system configured to generate a steering wheel resistance, wherein:
the steering wheel force actuation system comprises:
a reception interface configured to provide a number of steering force resistance values of steering resistances associated with a number of steering axles in a case of a steering angle adjustment of one or more steering axles (figure 1 #56),
a transformer configured to convert steering force resistance values to a steering wheel resistance value (Paragraph 0043, the drive limit information is the resistance values. When a wheel reaches a limit, it is communicated to the reaction force actuator #57), and
an output interface configured to output the steering wheel resistance value (the outputs are shown as the arrows in figure 1); the transformer is configured to:
combine the steering force resistance values (figure 1 the dark arrows are combined in to the reaction force control unit (56)) to form an overall steering force by generating an overall steering force value from the steering force resistance values, the overall steering force value being representative of a number of steering axles (shown in figure 1),
form an overall substitute value representative of the number of steering axles from the overall steering force value (shown as the arrow between 56 to 57), and
specify the steering wheel resistance value representative of the number of steering axles from the overall substitute value. (paragraph 0042)
As to claim 2 Sato discloses the steering system according to claim 1, wherein the generated overall steering force value is representative of a number of actively steered steering axles in operation (shown in figure 7),
wherein the overall substitute value is formed from the overall steering force value (all the values of steering force are feed into #56 to create the overall value), and
wherein the steering wheel resistance value is specified from the overall substitute value (this is made in 56 to the steering wheel resistance).
As to claim 3 Sato discloses the steering system according to claim 1, wherein the overall substitute value is a standard value, wherein the standard value is a value selected from a group of values consisting of: an average value, a weighted average value, an expected value, an estimated value, and a value configured to directly indicate an obstruction. (The value selected is directed to indicate an obstruction paragraph 0042)
As to claim 6 Sato discloses the steering system according to claim 1 wherein the monitoring device of the steering actuation system (601-604) has a steering actuator sensor system, and wherein the monitoring device is configured to ascertain a number of steering forces that can be determined as steering force resistance values (liming values) at the number of steering axles. (paragraph 0032-0033)
As to claim 7 Sato discloses the steering system according to claim 1 wherein the monitoring device of the steering actuation system has a steering actuator controller, and wherein the monitoring device is configured to ascertain a number of steering angles that are added over time and can be used as a substitute for steering force resistance values at the number of steering axles. (turning angle calculation shown in figure 2 # 673 can be used as a substitute for steering force)
As to claim 8 Sato discloses the steering system according to claim 1, wherein at least one steering force resistance value and the overall steering force value is representative at least of the front axle taking into account at least one additional steering axle of the number of steering axles (shown in figure 7 #91).
As to claim 11 Sato discloses the steering system according to claim 1, wherein the steering wheel resistance value is proportional to the overall substitute value (shown in the figure 7 the wheel resistance is proportional to all the wheels turning being fed into the reaction force controller #56).
As to claim 12 Sato discloses a vehicle comprising:
a number of steering axles (figures #81-84); and
the steering system according to claim 1, wherein:
the steering actuation system comprises a steering angle specification module for adjusting a number of steering angles that can be adjusted by control actuators at the number of steering axles (#56), and
the monitoring device (figure 1 #601, 602, 603, 604) of the steering actuation system has a steering actuator sensor system configured to ascertain a number of steering forces that determined as a resistance at the number of steering axles (paragraph 0042 and 0043).
As to claim 13 Sato discloses a method for generating a calculated steering wheel resistance during operation of a vehicle having a number of steering axles by the steering system according to claim 1, the method comprising:
adjusting the number of steering angles by control actuators at the number of steering axles according to a steering wheel adjustment (shown in figures 7 and 8);
monitoring the steering actuation system for the number of steering axles (figure 2);
generating a calculated steering wheel resistance by a steering wheel force actuation system, wherein, for the steering wheel force actuation system (paragraph 0006):
a number of steering force resistance values of steering resistances associated with the number of steering axles in a case of a steering angle adjustment of one or more steering axles are provided (paragraph 0066),
the steering force resistance values are converted to a steering wheel resistance value (paragraph 0066), and
the steering wheel resistance value is output, and
wherein:
the steering force resistance values are combined to form an overall steering force by generating an overall steering force value from the steering force resistance values, the overall steering force value being representative of a number of steering axles (paragraph 0066),
an overall substitute value representative of the number of steering axles is formed from the overall steering force value, and
the steering wheel resistance value representative of the number of steering axles is specified from the overall substitute value; and
applying the steering wheel resistance to the steering wheel in direct response to the steering wheel adjustment (shown in figures 7 and 8).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 5, 9 and 10 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHERMAN D MANLEY whose telephone number is (571)270-5539. The examiner can normally be reached M-TH 7-5:30 est.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Logan Kraft can be reached at 571-270-5065. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
SHERMAN D. MANLEY
Examiner
Art Unit 3747
/SHERMAN D MANLEY/Examiner, Art Unit 3747
/LOGAN M KRAFT/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3747
Prosecution Insights