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
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) 1-13, 16 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by DISTIN et al. (US 4,620,456).
Regarding claim 1, DISTIN discloses a speed reducer comprising: an input plate (40); a plurality of first surfaces (42) coupled with the input plate (40); a wobble cam (30) comprising a front face having multiple lobes (formed by grooves 60) interfacing with the first surfaces (42), the wobble cam (30) also comprising a back face having multiple lobes (formed by grooves 56); a plurality of second surfaces (52) interfacing with the back face; and an output plate (50) coupled with the plurality of second surfaces (52).
Regarding claim 2, DISTIN discloses the front face and the back face are in rolling contact or sliding contact with the first surfaces (42) and second surfaces (52), respectively.
Regarding claim 3, DISTIN discloses the wobble cam (30) nutates (col. 2, lines 67-68) during operation of the speed reducer.
Regarding claim 4, DISTIN discloses a total number of lobes on the front face is offset by one relative to a total number of first surfaces (42) (col. 5 lines 40-42).
Regarding claim 5, DISTIN discloses a total number of lobes on the back face is offset by one relative to a total number of second surfaces (52) (col. 5 lines 40-42).
Regarding claim 6, DISTIN discloses one of the front face and the back face comprises a sinusoidal shape (each face has lobes that are epitrochoidal, trochoidal, or hypotrochoidal in shape, which all comprise sections that are “sinusoidal shape”).
Regarding claim 7, DISTIN discloses the wobble cam (30) forms a ring shape having a hollow center.
Regarding claim 8, DISTIN discloses a speed reducer comprising: a plurality of first surfaces (42); and a wobble cam (30) forming a ring having a hollow center, the wobble cam (30) comprising a front face having a substantially sinusoidal shape and interfacing with the first surfaces (42); wherein the wobble cam (30) nutates during operation of the speed reducer.
Regarding claim 9, DISTIN discloses the front face is in rolling contact or sliding contact with the first surfaces (42).
Regarding claim 10, DISTIN discloses a total number of lobes on the front face is offset by one relative to a total number of first surfaces (42).
Regarding claim 11, DISTIN discloses a plurality of second surfaces (52), the wobble cam (30) further having a back face having a substantially sinusoidal shape (each face has lobes that are epitrochoidal, trochoidal, or hypotrochoidal in shape, which all comprise sections that are “substantially sinusoidal”) and interfacing with the second surfaces (52), wherein the back face is in rolling contact or sliding contact with the second surfaces (52).
Regarding claim 12, DISTIN discloses a total number of lobes on the back face is offset by one relative to a total number of second surfaces (52) (col. 5, lines 40-42).
Regarding claim 13, DISTIN discloses an axle (10) coupled with the wobble cam (30).
Regarding claim 16, DISTIN discloses a speed reducer system, comprising: a plurality of first surfaces (42) and second surfaces (52); a wobble cam (30) comprising a front face having multiple recesses interfacing with the first surfaces (42), the wobble cam (30) also having a back face having multiple recesses interfacing with the second surfaces (52), wherein the wobble cam (30) nutates during rotation; and a first axle (10) coupled with the wobble cam (30) and configured to rotate the wobble cam (30).
Regarding claim 20, DISTIN discloses the first axle (10) passes through a hollow center of the wobble cam (30), wherein the first axle is coupled with the wobble cam (30) through at least one bearing assembly, and wherein the first axle is angularly offset (@20), relative to its rotational axis, where it passes through the hollow center of the wobble cam (30).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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) 14, 15, and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over DISTIN et al. (US 4,620,456) as applied to claims 1-13, 16 and 20 above, and further in view of KAMIMURA (JP 4617130 B2).
Regarding claim 14, DISTIN discloses speed reducer with an axle, but does not disclose a motor coupled to the axle.
KAMIMURA teaches an oscillating reducer with a motor (5) coupled to an axle (11).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to have the axle of the speed reducer of DISTIN be coupled to a motor, in view of KAMIMURA as it is well known in the art to have speed reduction devices used to reduce the speed of a motor, as shown in the KAMIMURA reference. The substitution of one speed reducer mechanism, such as that taught by KAMIMURA, for another, such as that disclosed by DISTIN, would yield the predictable result of a device that is able to provide an increase in torque at a reduced speed in reference to the motor output speed, due to the reduction device.
Regarding claim 15, DISTIN-KAMIMURA discloses an exterior tube (4) at least partially enclosing the motor, axle, and wobble cam (12).
Regarding claim 19, DISTIN-KAMIMURA discloses a (KAMIMURA 5) motor coupled with the first axle (KAMIMURA 11); a load-bearing exterior tube (4), at least partially enveloping the motor, the first axle, and the wobble cam (12); and a bearing retainer (section of the housing 4 that retains the bearing 24) coupled with the exterior tube and rotatingly coupled with the first axle.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 17 and 18 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.
US 11841072 B2: teaches a wobble style speed reducer wherein a motor is within a housing with the reducer, see Fig. 10.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DEREK D. KNIGHT whose telephone number is (571)272-7951. The examiner can normally be reached Telework: From 5:30am-1:30pm EST.
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/DEREK D KNIGHT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3655