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 .
This is the First Office Action on the merits of Application No. 19/222669, filed on 05/29/2025. Claims 1-17 are still pending in the application.
Claim Objections
Claim 12 is objected to under 37 CFR 1.75(c) as being in improper form because a multiple dependent claim should refer to other claims in the alternative only. See MPEP § 608.01(n). Accordingly, claim 12 has not been further treated on the merits. It is unclear which claim prior claim this claim 12 is referring to.
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.
Claim 6 is 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.
Claim 6 recites the limitation "the movable plate" in lines 1-2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 6 recites the limitation "the sensor support" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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) 1-3, 6-7, and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by CN 115043356 to Guo (henceforth referred to as Guo).
Regarding claims 1-3, 6-7, and 11, Guo discloses a speed sensor arrangement (i.e. Fig. 2) for a forklift truck (i.e. Fig. 1) having a frame (i.e. Fig. 1, ref. 3) and at least one supporting wheel (i.e. Fig. 2, ref. 412) articulated on the frame around a first axis of rotation (i.e. axis of rotation of ref. 412), the speed sensor arrangement comprising:
an angular sensor (i.e. Fig. 2, ref. 415) comprising a sensor shaft (i.e. Fig. 2, shaft of ref. 415 shown) configured to rotate around a second axis of rotation (i.e. axis of rotation of ref. 414), and
a roller (i.e. Fig. 2, ref. 414) secured on the sensor shaft and configure to rotate around the second axis of rotation,
wherein the second axis of rotation is included in a first plane perpendicular to the first axis (i.e. Fig. 2, ref. 412 and 415 are perpendicular to each other),
the second axis of rotation intersects the first axis of rotation (i.e. machine translation page 5, paragraph 6: “two of the driving wheels 412; the rotating seat 411 is rotatably mounted… the axis is crossed and vertical to the rotating shaft”), and
the roller is configured to press on one side surface of the supporting wheel of the forklift truck (i.e. Fig. 2, ref. 414 shown in contact with ref. 412).
Wherein the second axis of rotation is horizontal (i.e. Fig. 2, axis of rotation of ref. 414 is relatively horizontal when page is turned 90 degrees), and
the roller is configured to press on a front most part of the side surface of the at least one supporting wheel.
Wherein: the second axis of rotation is vertical (i.e. Fig. 2, axis of rotation of ref. 414 is relatively vertical), and
the roller is configured to press on a top most part of the side surface of the at least one supporting wheel.
Wherein the movable plate (i.e. Fig. 2, ref. 411) is articulated in rotation on the sensor support (i.e. Fig. 2, ref. 413) around a third axis of rotation parallel to the second axis of rotation (i.e. Fig. 2, axis of 411 and 414 are both vertical).
Wherein the third axis of rotation is defined by a shaft (i.e. Fig. 2, shaft of ref. 411 shown) supported by the sensor support.
A forklift truck including a frame (i.e. Fig. 1, ref. 3), at least one supporting wheel (i.e. Fig. 2, ref. 412) articulated on the frame around a first axis of rotation and at least one speed sensor arrangement according to claim 1.
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) 13-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN 115043356 to Guo.
Regarding claims 13-15, Guo does not specifically teach a ratio between a first external diameter of the roller and a second external diameter of the supporting wheel is between 0.5 and 0.6. However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a diameter ratio of roller to supporting wheel be between 0.5 and 0.6 to accommodate specific sizes of the forklift truck and there would have been reasonable expectation of success.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-5, 8-10, 12, 16-17 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
CN 120774360 to Guo teaches a forklift with a transverse encoder;
CN 104340927 to Yao teaches a forklift with a transverse encoder;
CN 114394553 to Fang et al teaches a forklift with a transverse encoder;
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DIEM M TRAN whose telephone number is (571)270-7825. The examiner can normally be reached M 9-5, W-F 10-2.
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/DIEM M TRAN/Examiner, Art Unit 3654
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