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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This is the first action on the merits for application 19/208122. Claims 1-20 are currently pending in this application.
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, 4, 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by EVELEIGH (2021/0354782).
Regarding Claim 1, EVELEIGH teaches A drivetrain for a bicycle, the drivetrain comprising: a spindle (axle at pulley axis 78); a chain (35) forming a closed loop and having an inner periphery and an outer periphery; and an idler (73) rotatable around the spindle (axle at pulley axis 78), wherein the idler (73) is engaged with the outer periphery of the chain (35).
Regarding Claim 4, EVELEIGH teaches wherein the idler (75) includes a plurality of teeth configured to engage the outer periphery of the chain (Fig. 6).
Regarding Claim 17, EVELEIGH teaches A bicycle comprising: a front wheel (27); a rear wheel (28); a frame (26) supporting the front wheel and the rear wheel; and the drivetrain of claim 1 coupled to the frame (26).
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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over EVELEIGH (2021/0354782) in view of FUKUDA (5,711,731)
Regarding Claim 3, EVELEIGH does not teach wherein the idler (75) includes an inner bearing configured to facilitate rotation of the idler about the spindle.
FUKUDA teaches wherein the idler (1) includes an inner bearing (3) configured to facilitate rotation of the idler about the spindle (Col. 2 lines 31-46).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to change the idler arrangement in EVELEIGH so it has the bearing arrangement in FUKUDA so the idler rotates freely about the spindle and the bearing is protected from debris.
Claim(s) 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over EVELEIGH (2021/0354782) in view of LAPRADE (2015/0360748)
Regarding Claim 18, EVELEIGH teaches wherein the bicycle is an electric bicycle including an electric motor [0038].
EVELEIGH does not teach a battery
LAPRADE teaches a battery [0058].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to change the drive arrangement in EVELEIGH so it uses a battery as in LAPRADE so the bicycle can be powered in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
Claim(s) 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over EVELEIGH (2021/0354782) in view of WEAGLE (2022/0297790).
Regarding Claim 19, EVELEIGH teaches further comprising a driven gear (36) at the rear wheel (28), and a derailleur (42), wherein the inner periphery of the chain is engaged with the driven gear (36)
EVELEIGH does not teach wherein the inner periphery of the chain is engaged with the derailleur.
WEAGLE teaches wherein the inner periphery of the chain (310) is engaged with the derailleur (320).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to change the drive arrangement in EVELEIGH so it uses the type of derailleur in WEAGLE so the bicycle has a cost effective derailleur which is more widely available.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 5-16, 20 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 prior art does not teach or suggest wherein the spindle is a bottom bracket spindle rotatable about a spindle axis, wherein the drivetrain includes a crank arm coupled to the spindle to facilitate rotation of the spindle about the spindle axis, and wherein the idler is rotatable about the spindle axis independently of a position of the crank arm with the other elements in Claim 2.
The prior art does not teach or suggest further comprising a drive gear coupled to the spindle and rotatable with the spindle with the other elements in Claim 5.
The prior art does not teach or suggest wherein the chain is a primary chain, and further comprising a secondary chain positioned inboard of the primary chain, and a drive gear coupled to the spindle, wherein the secondary chain is engaged with the drive gear with the other elements in Claim 20.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HENRY Y LIU whose telephone number is (571)270-7018. The examiner can normally be reached 9-5:30 ET.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, ROBERT W HODGE can be reached at 5712722097. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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HENRY Y. LIU
Examiner
Art Unit 3654
/HENRY Y LIU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3654
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