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 Objections
Claim 3 is objected to because of the following informalities: line 4 recites “a torque to the input shaft or the input shaft”. The phrase “or the input shaft” should be removed from the claims. Appropriate correction is required.
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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by KITA (JP 2007095102 A).
Regarding claim 1, KITA discloses (Fig. 4) a continuously variable transmission comprising: a variator (10) including an input disk (11A), having a curved track surface (11a), that rotates integrally with an input shaft (2), an output disk (12) having a track surface (12a) facing the curved track surface, and a roller (14a) pressed against the two track surfaces; a planetary device (PS) including a first element (R2) to which a torque of the input shaft (2) is input, a second element (S1) to which a torque of the output disk (12) is input, and a third element (CR1) that rotates as the first element and the second element rotate, the third element (CR1) being coupled to an output shaft (@OD); and a first one-way clutch (F-2), disposed between the output shaft (@OD) and a fixed member (5), that prevents the output shaft from rotating in a reverse direction.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-4 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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/DEREK D KNIGHT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3655
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