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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
It is not clear if a thrust washer is being positively claimed in claim 1. The wording of claim 1 does not require a thrust washer, but instead requires only that the structure of the needle cage is capable of having a thrust washer arranged on a radial outside. Subsequent claims, however, refer to the thrust washer as if its presence was required by claim 1.
In claim 11, the limitation of the thrust washer having a one-part form with the needle cage contradicts the limitation of claim 1 reciting that the needle cage is “embodied in such a way that a thrust washer (7) can be arranged on the needle cage”, indicating that the cage does not include a thrust washer, but is capable of receiving one. For the purpose of this action, claim 11 is being interpreted as meaning that the needle cage is formed in one part with a thrust washer, and a further thrust washer can be arranged on the needle cage, as in the embodiment shown in figures 2a-2c.
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, and 5-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Koishi, JP H05-223141, a copy of which was entered into the file with the IDS of 06 May 2025, and a machine translation of the description of which is attached as an Office Action appendix.
Koishi shows in figures 1-6 a needle cage 40 for guiding needle rollers 4 of a needle roller bearing arrangement of a planet gear 22 of a planetary transmission (fig. 3) on a planet gear carrier 24. The needle cage 40 comprises a flange, the axial end portion shown in figure 5 that includes radially extending claws 40b.
The needle cage 40 is embodied in such a way that a thrust washer 5 can be arranged on the needle cage 40 radially on the outside.
(claim 1)
The thrust washer 5 is arranged axially at least substantially flush with an end face of the needle cage 40 (figs. 1, 4, 5, and 6 where at least one washer 5 is integrally formed with the cage 40, [0021]).
(claim 3)
Figure 3 shows a planetary transmission 2 having a planet gear 22 and a needle cage 40.
The planet gear 22 is mounted on a planet carrier 24.
The needle cage 40 is for guiding needle rollers 4 of a needle roller bearing arrangement of the planet gear 22 according to claim 1.
A region between the planet gear carrier 24 and the needle cage 40 is free of thrust washers 5 (figs. 4, 5, 6).
(claim 5)
The thrust washer 5 is provided for spacing the planet gear 22 relative to the planet gear carrier 24 (figs. 1, 6).
(claim 6)
The thrust washer 5 and a flange (40b) of the needle cage 40 overlap axially (figs. 4, 5, 6).
(claim 7)
The thrust washer 5 is arranged axially at least substantially flush with an end face of the needle cage 40 (figs. 4, 5, and 6 where at least one washer 5 is formed integrally with cage 40, [0021]).
(claim 8)
An axial spacing of the thrust washer 5 from a cheek of the planet gear carrier 24 is less than an axial spacing of an end face of the needle cage 40 from a cheek of the planet gear carrier 24 (figs. 4, 5).
(claim 9)
The needle cage 40, as shown in figure 4, has a radial shoulder formed between the axial claws 40b/41 as an axial contact surface of the thrust washer 5.
(claim 10)
The needle cage 40 and the thrust washer 5 have a one-part form (fig. 6, [0021]).
(claim 11)
A second thrust washer 5 has a multi-part form with the needle cage 40 ([0021] “it is also possible to integrally mold only one side edge of the retainer 40 and the inner peripheral edge of one washer 5…and to integrate the other side edge of the retainer 40 and the inner peripheral edge of the other washer 5 with locking claws as in the first to third embodiments”).
(claim 12)
Claim(s) 1, 5-9, 11, 12, 14, and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Fischer et al., DE 10 2022 111 090, a copy of which was entered into the file with the IDS of 06 May 2025, and a machine translation of the description of which is attached as an Office Action appendix.
Fischer et al. shows in figures 18-21 a needle cage 300 for guiding needle rollers 306 of a needle roller bearing arrangement 301 of a planet gear 8 of a planetary transmission 1 (fig. 1) on a planet gear carrier 2. The needle cage 300 comprises a flange 302 ([0077]).
The needle cage 300 is embodied in such a way that a thrust washer 307 can be arranged on the needle cage 300 radially on the outside ([0078]).
(claim 1)
Fischer et al. shows in figure 1 a planetary transmission 1 that has a planet gear 8 and a needle cage 300 (figs. 18-21).
The planet gear 8 is mounted on a planet carrier 2.
The needle cage 300 is for guiding needle rollers 306 of a needle roller bearing arrangement 301 of the planet gear 8 according to claim 1.
A region between the planet gear carrier 2 and the needle cage 300 is free of thrust washers 307 (best shown in figs. 20 and 21 as the right-most side of flange 302, including the inset portion of 302 below 307).
(claim 5)
The thrust washer 307 is provided for spacing the planet gear 8 relative to the planet gear carrier 2 ([0078]).
(claim 6)
The thrust washer 307 and a flange 302 of the needle cage 300 overlap axially (fig. 20).
(claim 7)
The thrust washer 307 is arranged axially at least substantially flush with an end face, the top half of the rightward facing face of flange 302 (fig. 20), of the needle cage 300.
(claim 8)
An axial spacing of the thrust washer 307 from a cheek 3 of the planet gear carrier 2 is less than an axial spacing of an end face, the bottom half of the rightward facing face of flange 302 (fig. 20), of the needle cage 300 from a cheek 3 of the planet gear carrier 2.
(claim 9)
The needle cage 300 and the thrust washer 307 have a one-part form.
(claim 11)
A second thrust washer, described in the last five sentences of [0086] before the reference symbol list and identified in figure 1 as thrust washer 9, has a multi-part form with the needle cage 300 (“the ring-shaped base body section…forms a second contact surface on which the ring flange 303 of the cage 300 contacts”).
(claim 12)
The needle cage 300 is made of a plastic ([0078] line 2, “the cage 300, which is made of plastic”), and/or the thrust washer is made of a hardened metal.
(claim 14)
An axial length of the needle rollers 306 corresponds substantially to an axial width of the planet gear 8.
(claim 17)
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) 15 and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Koishi in view of Chiga, JP 2010-255778, a machine translation of the description of which is attached as an Office Action appendix.
Koishi discloses a planetary transmission having a needle cage as discussed in the rejection of claim 5 above.
The needle cage 300 has a one-part form with exactly one thrust washer 307.
(claim 16)
Koishi does not disclose a second needle cage for a double-row needle roller bearing arrangement.
Similarly to Koishi, Chiga shows in figure 6 a needle cage 10 for guiding needle rollers 16 of a needle roller bearing arrangement 20C of a planet gear 4c of a planetary transmission 4 (fig. 1) on a planet gear carrier 4d (comprising plates 4f [0017]). The needle cage 10 comprises a flange 11. The needle cage 10 is embodied in such a way that a thrust washer 9A can be arranged on the needle cage 10 radially on the outside via bent portion 91 of the washer 9A.
The planetary transmission 4 of the embodiments of figures 4-7, and best shown in figure 4, has a second of the same needle cage 10 for a double-row needle roller bearing arrangement 20C.
(claim 15)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include a second needle cage for a double-row needle roller bearing in the planetary transmission of Koishi in view of Chiga to enable suitable support for longer planet gears used with planetary transmissions in which the planet gears engage axially spaced gears, such as in Ravigneaux planetary gear sets.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 4, and 13 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include 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.
JP H04-119214 (KIMURA) April 1992 - thrust washers are mounted and fixed on a needle bearing cage radially on the outside. Washers rotating with the cage has about half the speed of rotation relative to a piston connecting rod and an engine crankshaft than the relative rotation between the connecting rod and the crankshaft.
U.S. Patent 5,188,576 (Maguire et al.) February 1993 - "Well known are thrust washers which pilot on an outside diameter of the shaft on which the planet gear rotates. The piloting relationship between the shaft and the thrust washer, however, inhibits oil flow between them."; "The flat thrust washer 12 has a minimum inside diameter 32 equal to the shaft outside diameter 34 plus twice a diameter 36 of a needle roller 38 from the needle roller bearing 20." (does not include a cage)
DE 10 2010 045 305 (Yugrin et al.) March 2012 - thrust washers radially outside of a needle bearing cage.
U. S. Patent 9,377,096 (Hoshina et al.) June 2016 - fig. 4a, a needle bearing cage includes radially extending portions acting as thrust washers, integrally formed on one end and attached at the other end.
WO 2020/228898 (Werner) November 2020 - a gear radial roller bearing cage extends axially at both ends, with an axial bearing arranged on the radial outside of each extension.
U. S. Patent 11,965,546 (Griffin et al.) April 2024 - radially inwardly extending flanges on the outer race constrain axial rolling element movement, acting as thrust washers, and provide radial guidance for bearing cages of a double-row bearing by being arranged on the cages radially on the outside.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHERRY LYNN ESTREMSKY whose telephone number is (571)272-7090. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30am-4:30pm.
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SLE
/SHERRY L ESTREMSKY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3655
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