DETAILED CORRESPONDENCE
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 .
Status of Claims
This is the final office action on the merits of Application No. 19/324,361 filed on 09/10/2025. Claims 1-4 are pending.
Priority
Application claims the benefit of German Application No. JP2022-048400 filed 03/24/2022. Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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 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.
Claims 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over (US 20110200282 A1) (hereinafter “SHINOHARA”) in view of KODAMA (US 20180051794 A1).
Regarding claim 1, SHINOHARA discloses a traveling device (11, fig. 2) for wheeled vehicle (1, fig.1, para 37) comprising:
a cylindrical spindle (15, fig. 4) that is fixed on a vehicle body (2, fig. 2) in a wheeled vehicle and is provided with a small-diameter cylindrical part of which a tip end (15B, fig. 4) opens;
a rotation shaft (19, fig. 4) that is disposed in such a manner as to axially extend on an am inner peripheral side of the spindle (15) and is driven and rotated by a drive source (e.g. 18), the rotation shaft having a tip end (has no character numeral, see fig. 4) that projects from an open end of the small-diameter cylindrical part in the spindle (15) and to which a sun gear (30) is attached.
a wheel attaching cylinder (14, fig. 6) that is rotatably disposed on an outer peripheral side of the spindle (15) and on an outer peripheral side of which a wheel (12) is attached and in the inside of which lubricating oil (G, fig. 6) is accommodated (via collection pipe 39; see fig. 6 and paras, 68 and 79),
a gear reduction mechanism (20, fig. 4) including the sun gear (30) that decelerates rotation of the rotation shaft (19) and transmits the decelerated rotation to the wheel attaching cylinder (14);
a retainer (42, fig. 5 or 7) that is provided with a bearing fitting hole (42A, fig. 5) and is positioned between the drive source (18) and the gear reduction mechanism (20) to be disposed on an inner peripheral side of the spindle (15); and
a bearing (44, fig. 7) that is inserted in the bearing fitting hole (42A) of the retainer (42) and rotatably supports an axial intermediate part of the rotational shaft (19) to the spindle (15),
a cylindrical sleeve (41A,fig. 7) that is attached to the rotation shaft (19,fig. 7), and
a ring-shaped stopper (e.g. nut 45, fig. 7) that is fitted to the outer surface of the sleeve (41A via male screw portion 41C) attached to the rotation shaft (19) and abuts against the gear reduction mechanism side of the bearing (44), thereby positioning the bearing in the axial direction of the rotation shaft,
wherein the bearing (44, fig. 7) includes an outer ring (44B), an inner ring (44A) and a plurality of rolling elements (e.g. a large numbers of rolling bodies 44C, see para 75) , the outer ring of the bearing (44B) is fitted in the bearing fitting hole (42A, fig. 7), and the inner ring of the bearing (44A) is fitted in the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve (41A),
the retainer (42) is provided with:
an annular collar part (42B, fig. 7) on a surface on the drive source side, the annular collar part (42B) extending to a radial inner side from the bearing fitting hole (42A) and abutting on the bearing (44); and
an oil reservoir plate (46, fig. 7) at the gear reduction mechanism side of the retainer (42), the oil reservoir plate (47) being disposed in a position (e.g. 44E) axially opposing the collar part (42B) via the bearing (44) and forming an oil reservoir part (e.g. 49, fig. 4) of the lubricating oil together with the collar part (42B) and an inner peripheral surface of the bearing fitting hole (42A), wherein the oil reservoir plate (46) includes:
However, SHINOHARA fails to disclose an annular attaching part (has no character numeral, the part of 46 connected to 41A, see the annotated fig. A below) attached to the retainer (e.g. the side of 41 which is connected to 41D as shown in fig. 7) that the outer ring of the bearing is fitted and an annular wall part (has no character numeral, the part extending to a radial inner side from the annular attaching part over screw portion 41C, see the annotated fig. A below) extending to a radial inner side from the annular attaching part and axially opposes the annular collar part (42B) of the retainer over an entire periphery thereof, (see fig. 7) and the angle (see the annotated fig. A below) at which the annular wall part intersects with the shaft center line of the rotation shaft (19) is set to a range of 0 degree to 90 degree, and the inner edge of the radial inner side of the annular wall part is substantially aligned with the end face of the stopper's gear reduction mechanism side in the axial direction of the rotation shaft.
KODAMA teaches a similar kind of traveling device including a bearing (e.g. 83, fig. 11) wherein an annular attaching part (e.g. 72, fig. 11 or fig. 13) attached to the retainer (e.g. 90d, 92 fig. 11) that the outer ring of the bearing (e.g. 83b, fig. 11B) is fitted and an annular wall part (has no character numeral, the part extending to a radial inner side from the annular attaching part 72 and the side of 72 contains step section 72a as shown in fig. 11B) extending to a radial inner side from the annular attaching part (72, fig. 11B) and axially opposes the annular collar part (42B) of the retainer over an entire periphery thereof, the angle at which the annular wall part intersects with a shaft center line (C-C’) of a rotation shaft (81, fig. 11A) is set to a range of 0 degree to 90 degree, and ,
the inner edge of the radial inner side of the annular wall part (e.g. 72a) is substantially aligned with the end face of the stopper's gear reduction mechanism side in the axial direction of the rotation shaft (81).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify SHINOHARA by adding an annular attaching part as taught by KODAMA so that the lubricating oil retained in the oil sump section can be suppressed from flowing out between the rolling elements of the bearing. (see para 166 of KODAMA)
Regarding claim 2, SHINOHARA/ KODAMA discloses the traveling device for wheeled vehicle as modified according to claim 1, SHINOHARA further discloses
the bearing (44) being inserted via the sleeve (e.g. 41, fig. 7) in the bearing fitting hole (42A) of the retainer (42); and
a sleeve-side collar part (41B, fig. 7) disposed on a surface of the sleeve on the drive source side (13), the sleeve-side collar part (41B) extending to a radial outer side from the bearing fitting part (42A) and covering the bearing from the drive source side together with the collar part (42B) of the retainer (42).
Regarding claim 3, SHINOHARA/ KODAMA discloses the traveling device for wheeled vehicle as modified according to claim 1, SHINOHARA further discloses
a lubricating oil pump (not shown, see para 68) for suctioning and delivering lubricating oil in the wheel attaching cylinder (14); and
a supply pipe (40, fig. 4) for leading the lubricating oil delivered from the lubricating oil pump to an upper part in the retainer (42).
Regarding claim 4, SHINOHARA/ KODAMA discloses the traveling device for wheeled vehicle as modified according to claim 3, SHINOHARA further discloses wherein the retainer (42) includes an oil passage (48, fig. 7) for leading the lubricating oil supplied from the supply pipe (40) to the bearing (44).
Response to Arguments
The claim amendments have alleviated the previous claim rejections on 112(b) of claims. Accordingly, these rejections have been withdrawn since the claims have been amended. Applicant’s argument filed on 09/11/2026 have been fully considered but they are persuasive per the reason set forth below. Applicant contends that SHINOHARA does not suggest the recited new feature of claim 1. While this argument is found persuasive, a new reference (KODAMA) has been applied that discloses the limitation, as appears above.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FARHANA PERVIN whose telephone number is (571)272-4644. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 7:30-5:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jacob S. Scott can be reached on 5712703415. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/F.P/Examiner, Art Unit 3655
/FARHANA PERVIN/Examiner, Art Unit 3655
