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 04/28/2025. Claims 1-20 are presently pending and are presented for examination.
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) 1-4 and 7-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Imagawa (US 20200292046 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Imagawa discloses a wave transmission gearbox (see Fig. 1; 100), the gearbox comprising: an output wheel (see Fig. 3; 7); a deformable gear band (4) having external teeth (4g), to transmit relative torque motion to said output wheel, said deformable gear band being as wide its external teeth (see Fig. 3); a low profile fixed spline (5) having internal teeth (5g), to mesh with said external teeth of said deformable gear band, having a width which is a function of said width of said deformable gear band; a wave generator (see Fig. 1; 3) to deform said deformable gear band within said low profile fixed spline to generate said relative torque motion between said deformable gear band and said low profile fixed spline; and a flexible-band-compensating rigid torque transmitter (see Fig. 3; 4pm, 4pr, 7s) to transfer said relative torque motion from said deformable gear band to said output wheel, said flexible-band-compensating rigid torque transmitter comprising: a plurality of spline flanges (4pm, 4pr) attached to said deformable gear band; and a plurality of force transmitting joints (joints between 4pr and 7s) attached to said output wheel and to said plurality of spline flanges, to accommodate a deformation of said deformable gear band (see Fig. 7).
Regarding claim 2, Imagawa discloses said force transmitting joints (joints between 4pr and 7s) are one of: a conjugating force transmitting joint and a planar force transmitting joint (see Fig. 7).
Regarding claim 3, Imagawa discloses said conjugating force transmitting joint (joints between 4pr and 7s) comprises an output flange (4pr) and a force transmitting pin (4pm) conjugating within said output flange, said output flange having one of a 4-point conjugating slot profile (see Fig. 11; 7sm) and a 2-point conjugating slot profile (see Fig. 3; 7s).
Regrading claim 4, Imagawa discloses said planar force transmitting joint (joints between 4pr and 7s) comprises a planar interface (interface of 4pr) and a force transmitting pin (4pm) engaging said planar interface (see Fig. 12).
Regarding claim 7, Imagawa discloses said planar interface (interface of 4pr) is integrally formed with said force transmitting pin (see Fig. 12; 4pm).
Regarding claim 8, Imagawa discloses said plurality of force transmitting joints (joints between 4pr and 7s) are attached to said output wheel (7) with one of a fixed pitch, a variable pitch, and a free-rotating pitch (see Fig. 7 and 11).
Regarding claim 9, Imagawa discloses at least one of said plurality of spline flanges (4pm, 4pr) is attached to at least one of: at least one tooth of said deformable gear band, an inner face of said deformable gear band, an inner lateral face of said deformable gear band, and an outer lateral face of said deformable gear band (see Fig. 2 and 3).
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 10-13 and 16-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Imagawa (US 20200292046 A1) in view of Moog.
Regarding claim 10, Imagawa discloses a wave transmission stewing drive (see Fig. 1; 100), the drive comprising: an output wheel (see Fig. 3; 7); a deformable gear band (4) having external teeth (4g), to transmit relative torque motion to said output wheel, said deformable gear band being as wide its external teeth (see Fig. 3); a low profile fixed spline (5) having internal teeth (5g), to mesh with said external teeth of said deformable gear band, having a width which is a function of said width of said deformable gear band; a wave generator (see Fig. 1; 3) to deform said deformable gear band within said low profile fixed spline to generate said relative torque motion between said deformable gear band and said low profile fixed spline; a flexible-band-compensating rigid torque transmitter (see Fig. 3; 4pm, 4pr, 7s) to transfer said relative torque motion from said deformable gear band to said output wheel, said flexible-band-compensating rigid torque transmitter comprising: a plurality of spline flanges (4pm, 4pr) attached to said deformable gear band; and a plurality of force transmitting joints (joints between 4pr and 7s) attached to said output wheel and to said plurality of spline flanges, to accommodate a deformation of said deformable gear band (see Fig. 7). Imagawa fails to disclose a toroidal motor. However, Moog teaches a toroidal motor (see page 123). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art as of the effective filing date to modify Imagawa with a toroidal motor, as taught by Moog, to provide a compact motor which has rapid response, constant torque sensitivity over a limited excursion angle, ensures ripple free torque, has a motor life that is not limited to crush or commutator life, and provides efficient operation without losses associated with brushes (see page 123). As a result of the combination, the following limitations would necessarily result: a toroidal motor (Moog) to provide motive force to said wave generator (Imagawa; 3).
Regarding claim 11, Imagawa discloses said force transmitting joints (joints between 4pr and 7s) are one of: a conjugating force transmitting joint and a planar force transmitting joint (see Fig. 7).
Regarding claim 12, Imagawa discloses said conjugating force transmitting joint (joints between 4pr and 7s) comprises an output flange (4pr) and a force transmitting pin (4pm) conjugating within said output flange, said output flange having one of a 4-point conjugating slot profile (see Fig. 11; 7sm) and a 2-point conjugating slot profile (see Fig. 3; 7s).
Regrading claim 13, Imagawa discloses said planar force transmitting joint (joints between 4pr and 7s) comprises a planar interface (interface of 4pr) and a force transmitting pin (4pm) engaging said planar interface (see Fig. 12).
Regarding claim 16, Imagawa discloses said planar interface (interface of 4pr) is integrally formed with said force transmitting pin (see Fig. 12; 4pm).
Regarding claim 17, Imagawa discloses said plurality of force transmitting joints (joints between 4pr and 7s) are attached to said output wheel (7) with one of a fixed pitch, a variable pitch, and a free-rotating pitch (see Fig. 7 and 11).
Regarding claim 18, Imagawa discloses at least one of said plurality of spline flanges (4pm, 4pr) is attached to at least one of: at least one tooth of said deformable gear band, an inner face of said deformable gear band, an inner lateral face of said deformable gear band, and an outer lateral face of said deformable gear band (see Fig. 2 and 3).
Regarding claim 19, the combination of claim 10 elsewhere above would necessarily result in the following limitations: said toroidal motor is a brushless toroidal motor (Moog; page 123).
Regarding claim 20, the combination of claim 10 elsewhere above would necessarily result in the following limitations: said output wheel (Imagawa; 7) has a central cavity (Imagawa; Fig. 3), said deformable gear band (Imagawa; 4) has a central cavity (Imagawa; Fig. 3), said low profile fixed spline (Imagawa; 5) has a central cavity (Imagawa; Fig. 3), said wave generator (Imagawa; 3) has a central cavity (Imagawa; Fig. 2), and said toroidal motor (Moog; page 123) has a central cavity (Moog; see figure), and wherein said central cavities together form a through-hole to provide passage for at least one of: electric cables, pneumatic cables, and fiber optic cables (Imagawa; Fig. 2; Ka, Kb).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-6 and 14-15 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The closest prior art of record, Imagawa (US 20200292046 A1), does not anticipate that “said planar interface has a cylindrical torsional spring profile" as recited in claims 5 and 14; or "said planar interface has a conical torsional spring profile and at least a portion of said force transmitting pin is conical” as recited in claims 6 and 15. The prior art of record does not provide any teaching, suggestion or motivation to modify toward the entirety of applicant's claimed invention. Further, there was no cogent reasoning elsewhere available to one of ordinary skill that was unequivocally independent of improper hindsight of applicant's invention and that would have led one of ordinary skill in the art as of the effective filing date to modify the prior art to obtain the applicant' s invention.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See attached PTO-892.
US 20060272439 A1 and DE 102005016803 A1 disclose a wave transmission comprising pins between the flex spline and the output shaft.
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/JOSEPH BROWN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3618