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 CORRESPONDENCE
This is the first Office Action on the merits of Application 19/254,353 filed on 6/30/25. Claims 1-9 are pending.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 6/30/25 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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 1-9 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.
Claim 1
Lines 16 & 17: “assuming that a direction…is the first direction”
The term “assuming” renders the claim indefinite since it is unclear if the claims require that the direction of pressure assembly moving in the direction of the clutch center is required or not.
Note: it appears the intention of the claim is for the first direction to be towards the clutch center.
Line 22: “the pressure member”
It is unclear if the claimed limitation is intending to refer to the pressure assembly or a pressure member of the pressure assembly.
Claims 2-9 are also rejected for being dependent upon a rejected base claim.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-9 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.
Gokan ‘595 teaches a multiple disc clutch but lacks a clutch spring and disc spring urging the pressure assembly in the same direction.
Adachi ‘679 teaches a multiple plate clutch but lacks a clutch spring and disc spring urging the pressure assembly in the same direction.
Ozawa ‘077 teaches a power transmission device but lacks a clutch spring and disc spring urging the pressure assembly in the same direction.
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/HUAN LE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3655