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 § 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.
Claims 1-10, 14 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by [EP 3809020].
Regarding claim 1: Ratier shows a ball screw comprising: a screw shaft (4); a ball nut (6); and a load circuit (the circulation channel of the balls, see fig 4);
wherein: the load circuit comprises a first and second part; and
the screw shaft (4) is longitudinally extending with a longitudinal central axis and at least part of the longitudinally extending surface of the screw shaft (4) comprises an external thread, and the first part of the load circuit comprises a part of the external thread (the external thread of the screw shaft 4);
the ball nut comprises a body, a bore, and the second part of the load circuit (the internal thread of the nut 6), and a lubricant channel (28), wherein: the bore is defined by the body (see fig 1), is longitudinally extending with a longitudinal central axis, has a first end and a second end, and has a longitudinally extending surface extending at least partially between the first and second ends;
the first and second ends of the bore each comprise a mouth (opening 10, 68), and each mouth opens through an outside surface of the body; and the longitudinally extending surface of the bore comprises an internal thread, and the first part of the load circuit comprises at least a part of the internal thread, and wherein: the screw shaft (4) extends through the bore of the ball nut (6) and the screw shaft (4) and bore are so configured that they are co-axial, the external thread and internal thread are so configured that the external thread and the internal thread together define the first part of the load circuit; the first part of the load circuit extends an axial distance along the bore and at least part of the second part of the load circuit extends through the ball nut; the lubricant channel (28) comprises a first and a second channel end and a flow path between the first and second channel ends;
rotation around the longitudinal axis of one of the screw shaft (4) and the ball nut (6) relative to the other causes axial movement of the ball nut (6) relative to the screw shaft (4), the ball screw further comprises a shuttle (44), in which the shuttle (44) is engaged with the longitudinally extending surface of the screw shaft (4), and the shuttle (44) is in sliding contact with the ball nut (6); and rotation of one of the screw shaft (4) and the ball nut relative to the other around the longitudinal axis causes the shuttle to impel lubricant through the lubricant channel (28).
Regarding claim 2: Ratier shows wherein the ball screw further comprises a lubricant chamber (28), in which the lubricant chamber (28) is formed in the body of the ball nut (6) and is co-axial with the bore, one end of the lubricant chamber (28) is adjacent one end of the first part of the load circuit and the lubricant chamber (28) extends axially away from both ends of the first part of the load circuit,
the shuttle (44) extends into the lubricant chamber (28) and the shuttle (44) is in sliding contact with the surface of the ball nut (6) that defines the radially outer surface of the lubricant chamber (28).
Regarding claim 3: Ratier shows wherein the lubricant chamber (22) extends wholly around the bore in a circumferential direction.
Regarding claim 4: Ratier shows wherein the lubricant chamber (22) has the form of a ring toroid.
Regarding claim 5: Ratier shows wherein the lubricant channel (28) comprises a means to prevent flow of lubricant in one direction along the lubricant channel.
Regarding claim 6: Ratier shows wherein the ball nut further comprises a lubricant reservoir (30), and the lubricant reservoir (30) and the lubricant channel (28) are so configured that the lubricant channel intersects and is in communication with the lubricant reservoir (30).
Regarding claim 7: Ratier shows wherein the ball screw further comprises at least one ball nut seal, each ball nut seal extends between the body of the ball nut (6) and the screw shaft (4), and one ball nut seal is located adjacent the end of the first part of the load circuit that is remote from the lubricant chamber (“…pressure in the areas behind the rear face 54 of the lubricant supply piston 44 and the front face 52 of the lubricant supply piston 44 can equilibrate due to there being a non-airtight seal between the lubricant supply piston 44 and the internal wall of the lubricant receiving chamber 40…”).
Regarding claim 8: Ratier shows wherein the shuttle (44) is engaged with the longitudinally extending surface of the screw shaft (4) via an internal thread that engages with the external thread on the screw shaft (4).
Regarding claim 9: Ratier shows wherein a portion of the lubricant channel (28) extends through the shuttle (44).
Regarding claim 10: Ratier shows wherein the shuttle divides the lubricant chamber (22) into first and second sub-chambers (see fig 1).
Regarding claim 14: Ratier shows wherein there are a plurality of external threads, an equal number of internal threads, and at least an equal number of load circuits (see fig 4).
Regarding claim 15: Ratier shows wherein which in which the ball screw (6) further comprises a lubricant, and the lubricant is an oil or a grease.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11-13 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 of the record failed to show wherein the lubricant channel divides into a first and second lubricant spur at a junction, the first and second lubricant spurs are in fluid communication with the junction via a first and second mouth, and the junction comprises a blocking means, where in the blocking means is adapted to move between a first configuration and a second configuration in which the first configuration is one in which the mouth of the first lubricant spur into the junction is open and the mouth of the second lubricant spur into the junction is closed by the blocking means, and the second configuration is one in which the mouth of the second lubricant spur into the junction is open and the mouth of the first lubricant spur into the junction is closed by the blocking means.
The prior art of the record also failed to show the shuttle is so engaged with the screw shaft and ball nut that when the shuttle is not in contact with an axial end of the lubricant chamber or a stop element, rotation around the central axis of one of the screw shaft and the ball nut relative to the other causes the shuttle to remain in a fixed position relative to the screw shaft and to move axially relative to the ball nut. And wherein the shuttle is so engaged with the screw shaft that when the shuttle is in contact with an axial end of the lubricant chamber or a stop element rotation around the central axis of one of the screw shaft and the ball nut relative to the other causes the shuttle to remain in a fixed position relative to the ball nut and to move axially relative to the screw shaft.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. For example [US Pat # 5,809,838] shows shaft (1), nut (2), load circuit for balls 3 and lubrication channel (43) and lubrication compartment (51).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZAKARIA ELAHMADI whose telephone number is (571)270-5324. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 10-6 EST.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Minnah Seoh can be reached on 571-270-7778. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ZAKARIA ELAHMADI/
Examiner, Art Unit 3618