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) 1-4 and 12-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by ALLONBY (US 5,882,272).
Regarding claim 1, ALLONBY discloses locking differential comprising a gear train operatively coupling an input shaft (14c) to first (28) and second (30) output shafts, the gear train comprising first (24) and second (26) spur gears fixed to the respective first and second output shafts such that the spur gears are permitted to rotate at different speeds when the differential is in an unlocked condition and are restricted to rotate at the same speed when the differential is in a locked condition.
Regarding claim 2, ALLONBY discloses the gear train includes a plurality of gears each transmitting power from the input shaft to the first and second spur gears, each gear of the plurality of gears being a spur gear.
Regarding claim 3, ALLONBY discloses a first set of planetary gears including the first spur gear (24) as a first sun gear and including a first planet gear (20) intermeshed with the first sun gear (24); a second set of planetary gears including the second spur gear (26) as a second sun gear and including a second planet gear (22) intermeshed with the second sun gear (26); and a carrier (18) operatively coupled with the input shaft (14c), wherein the carrier carries the first and second planet gears in orbit about an output axis of the differential when the input shaft rotates about an input axis of the differential, wherein the first planet gear is intermeshed with the second planet gear, and wherein each planet gear is a spur gear.
Regarding claim 4, ALLONBY discloses a lock (36) that is movable between an unlocked position, in which the first and second sun gears are permitted to rotate about the output axis independently from the carrier, and a locked position, in which the first (24) and second (26) sun gears are restricted to rotate about the output axis with the carrier.
Regarding claim 12, ALLONBY discloses a shifter (100) that moves the lock between the unlocked and locked position, wherein the lock (36) rotates with the carrier and the shifter (100) does not rotate with the lock or carrier.
Regarding claim 13, ALLONBY discloses the lock (36) is a locking plate and the shifter is located at a perimeter of the locking plate and engages the locking plate at the perimeter to move the locking plate between the unlocked and locked positions.
Regarding claim 14, ALLONBY discloses the shifter has a C-shape (@138) when viewed in an axial direction of the output shafts and extends circumferentially around a portion of the perimeter of the locking plate.
Regarding claim 15, ALLONBY discloses a radially inner portion (138) of the shifter is received in a groove (140) extending along the perimeter of the locking plate.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-11 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.
Conclusion
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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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ernesto Suarez can be reached at 571-270-5565. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DEREK D KNIGHT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3655
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