DETAILED ACTION
Remarks
This non-final office action is in response to the application filled on 04/29/2025. Claims 1-15 are pending and examined below.
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.
(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, 2, 4, 6-8 and 11-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by US 2025/0196558 (“Choi”).
Regarding claim 1, Choi discloses a leg-augmented wheel assembly comprising (see at least fig 1):
a wheel (see at least fig 1, 300 is wheel unit);
a first leg member comprising a first end connected to the wheel (see at least fig 1, where 230 is connected with wheel); and
a first link comprising a first end connected to the first leg member, the connection of the first link to the leg first member being configured to periodically extend the first leg member as the wheel rotates (see at least fig 1, where 210 is the first link, 210 is connected with 230. See also fig 16-18 and [0228]).
Regarding claim 2, Choi further discloses a wheel assembly wherein the first leg member comprises a second end configured to extend outward from the wheel boundary as the wheel rotates to traverse obstacles encountered by the wheel (see at least fig 5, where second end 223 is outward from the wheel boundary).
Regarding claim 4, Choi further discloses a wheel assembly wherein the first end of the first link connects to the first leg member at a point between the first leg member's first and second end (see at least fig 5, where 210 is connected in between 223 and 231).
Regarding claim 6, Choi further discloses a wheel assembly comprising: second and third leg members (see at least fig 1, where another leg member is on the left side of the assembly); and
second and third links (see at least fig 2),
wherein: the second link comprises a first end connected the second leg member (see at least fig 2);
the third link comprises a first end connected to the third leg member (see at least fig 2); and
second ends of the first, second, and third links are connected together (see at least fig 2).
Regarding claim 7, Choi further discloses a leg-augmented wheel assembly comprising (see at least fig 1):
a plurality of links (see at least fig 1, where plurality of links is shown); and
a plurality of leg members, each leg member of the plurality of leg members comprising a first end connected to a link of the plurality of links (see at least fig 1, where two leg members and links are connected) and a second end comprising a curved edge that is configured to allow a wheel of the wheel assembly to make contact with a surface upon which the leg-augmented wheel assembly rotates during a portion of a cycloidal rotation of the leg member (see at least [0091], where “a portion of the side frame 130 may be formed in a curved shape.”),
wherein each link comprises a first end connected to one leg member of the plurality of leg members and a second end connected to each other link of the plurality of links (see at least fig 1, where 210 is the first link, 210 is connected with 230).
Regarding claim 8 (and similarly claim 13), Choi further discloses a wheel wherein the second end of each leg member comprises a portion configured to extend outward from a boundary of the wheel as the wheel rotates to traverse obstacles encountered by the wheel (see citation on claim 2, [0035-36] and [0248]).
Regarding claim 11, Choi further discloses a robot comprising a plurality of the leg-augmented wheel assemblies of claim 1 (see fig 1).
Regarding claim 12, Choi further discloses a leg-augmented wheel assembly comprising (see at least fig 1):
a wheel (see at least fig 1, 300 is wheel unit);
at least one leg member, each leg member comprising a first end connected to the wheel (see at least fig 1); and
a link for each leg member, each link comprising a first end connected to one leg member of the at least one leg member and a second end connected to one of a second end of an additional link or the wheel (see at least fig 1, where 210 is the first link, 210 is connected with 230. See also fig 16-18 and [0228]).
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(s) 3, 5, 9, 10, 14 and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2025/0196558 (“Choi”), as applied to claim 2 above, and further in view of US 2023/0347501 (“Wang”).
Regarding claim 3 (and similarly claim 9 and 14), Choi does not disclose claim 3. However, Wang discloses a wheel assembly wherein the second end of the first leg member is configured to retract (see at least fig 6, where leg is being retracted. See also [0072]). Wang does not explicitly disclose retract to a radius less than or equal to the radius of the wheel at a point where the wheel contacts a surface upon which the wheel rotates. However, retracting to a radius less than or equal to the radius of the wheel is design choice for smaller storage space.
Including that of the claimed invention would have been an obvious design choice for one of ordinary skill in the art because it facilitates smaller storage space. Since the invention failed to provide novel or unexpected results from the usage of said retract to a radius less than or equal to the radius of the wheel, would be an obvious matter of design choice within the skill of the art.
Regarding claim 5 (and similarly claim 10 and 15), Choi further discloses a wheel assembly wherein the second end of the first leg is configured to extend (see at least fig 16, where the leg is extended). Choi does not explicitly disclose extend greater than two times the diameter of the wheel. However, extending greater than two times the diameter of the wheel is design choice for reaching further.
Including that of the claimed invention would have been an obvious design choice for one of ordinary skill in the art because it facilitates reaching further in a nay direction. Since the invention failed to provide novel or unexpected results from the usage of said extend greater than two times the diameter of the wheel, would be an obvious matter of design choice within the skill of the art.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SOHANA TANJU KHAYER whose telephone number is (408)918-7597. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Thursday, 7 am-5.30 pm, PT.
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/SOHANA TANJU KHAYER/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3657
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