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 19/302,345 filed on 8/18/25. Claims 1-3 are pending.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. 17/918,396 filed on 10/12/22.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 8/18/25 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claims 1-3 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1
Line 39: “assuming that a direction” should be amended as -- wherein a direction --.
Line 47: “an circumferential” should be amended as -- a circumferential --.
Line 50: “an circumferential” should be amended as -- a circumferential --.
Claims 2 & 3 are also objected to for being dependent upon an objected base claim.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 1-3 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 46-54: “the spring is located in a region surrounded by a first straight line…..and a second straight line…an extends in the radial direction… of the output.
It is unclear if the second straight line is extending in the radial direction or if the region extends the radial direction.
Claim 2
Line 4: “the circumferential direction”
It is unclear if the limitation is referring to the first or second circumferential direction as mentioned in claim 1.
Claim 3
Lines 39-42: “a straight line that passes through…and extends in a radial direction…of the output.
It is unclear what is being defined as a straight line that passes through the edge of the pawl portion and also radially passing through the spring. It is unclear how the line is passing through an edge and also radially through the spring at the same time.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-3 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.
Drussel ‘026 teaches a pressure control device for a centrifugal clutch, but lacks specific location of the springs in a holder with outer pawl elements.
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/HUAN LE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3655