Office Action 1: Notice of Allowance (2025-08-04)

CLAIMS:
Claims
1\. A drive mechanism comprising: a plurality of circular drive wheels rotationally coupled to each other, wherein two of the plurality of circular drive wheels include a drive pin, a drive motor coupled to one of the plurality of circular drive wheels, wherein the drive motor is configured to continuously rotate the respective drive wheel, and consequently all other drive wheels, a driven wheel having two outwardly opening radial slots arranged symmetrically on opposite sides of the driven wheel, wherein the driven wheel is configured to be driven into an intermittent rotation motion about its central axis by drive pins of the two of the plurality of circular drive wheels alternately engaging with one of the radial slots, wherein direction of the intermittent rotation motion alternates between two consecutive rotation phases, a first gearing wheel uniaxially coupled to the driven wheel, a second gearing wheel rotationally coupled to the first gearing wheel, and a payload uniaxially coupled to the second gearing wheel, wherein the second gearing wheel and the payload are configured to be rotated in a range of 160 to 200 degrees in a first direction during engagement of a first drive pin of a first drive wheel with one of the two outwardly opening radial slots.
2\. The drive mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the second gearing wheel and the payload are configured to be rotated in the range of 170 to 190 degrees in the first direction.
3\. The drive mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the second gearing wheel and the payload are configured to be rotated by 180 degrees in the first direction.
4\. The drive mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the second gearing wheel and the payload are configured to be rotated in the range of 160 to 200 degrees in a second direction opposite to the first direction during engagement of a second drive pin of a second drive wheel with the other one of the two outwardly opening radial slots.
5\. The drive mechanism according to claim 4, wherein the second gearing wheel and the payload are configured to be rotated in the range of 170 to 190 degrees in the second direction.
6\. The drive mechanism according to claim 5, wherein the second gearing wheel and the payload are configured to be rotated by 180 degrees in the second direction.
7\. The drive mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the driven wheel, the first gearing wheel, the second gearing wheel and the payload are stationary between intermittent rotations.
8\. The drive mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the first drive wheel and the second drive wheel each comprise a blocking disc configured to disable rotation motion of the driven wheel between intermittent rotations.
9\. The drive mechanism according to claim 8, wherein the blocking disc comprises a convex portion configured to engage with a respective concave portion of the driven wheel between said intermittent rotations for temporarily disabling rotation motion of the driven wheel.
10\. The drive mechanism according to claim 1, wherein a gearing ratio of the first and second gearing wheels is 2:1 and wherein duty cycle of the drive mechanism is 50%.
11\. An inertial sensor apparatus comprising: a drive mechanism comprising: a plurality of circular drive wheels rotationally coupled to each other, wherein two of the plurality of circular drive wheels include a drive pin, a drive motor coupled to one of the plurality of circular drive wheels, wherein the drive motor is configured to continuously rotate the respective drive wheel, and consequently all other drive wheels, a driven wheel having two outwardly opening radial slots arranged symmetrically on opposite sides of the driven wheel, wherein the driven wheel is configured to be driven into an intermittent rotation motion about its central axis by drive pins of the two of the plurality of circular drive wheels alternately engaging with one of the radial slots, wherein direction of the intermittent rotation motion alternates between two consecutive rotation phases, a first gearing wheel uniaxially coupled to the driven wheel, a second gearing wheel rotationally coupled to the first gearing wheel, and a payload uniaxially coupled to the second gearing wheel, wherein the second gearing wheel and the payload are configured to be rotated in a range of 160 to 200 degrees in a first direction during engagement of a first drive pin of a first drive wheel with one of the two outwardly opening radial slots; wherein the drive mechanism is configured to rotate the payload by 180 degrees during each rotation period for maytagging at least one inertial sensor comprised in the payload.
12\. The inertial sensor apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the payload comprises a MEMS gyroscope or a MEMS accelerometer.
13\. The inertial sensor apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the inertial sensor apparatus is a MEMS gyrocompass.
14\. The drive mechanism according to claim 11, wherein the second gearing wheel and the payload are configured to be rotated in the range of 170 to 190 degrees in the first direction.
15\. The drive mechanism according to claim 14, wherein the second gearing wheel and the payload are configured to be rotated by 180 degrees in the first direction.
16\. The drive mechanism according to claim 11, wherein the second gearing wheel and the payload are configured to be rotated in the range of 160 to 200 degrees in a second direction opposite to the first direction during engagement of a second drive pin of a second drive wheel with the other one of the two outwardly opening radial slots.
17\. The drive mechanism according to claim 16, wherein the second gearing wheel and the payload are configured to be rotated in the range of 170 to 190 degrees in the second direction.
18\. The drive mechanism according to claim 17, wherein the second gearing wheel and the payload are configured to be rotated by 180 degrees in the second direction.
19\. The drive mechanism according to claim 11, wherein the driven wheel, the first gearing wheel, the second gearing wheel and the payload are stationary between intermittent rotations.
20\. The drive mechanism according to claim 11, wherein the first drive wheel and the second drive wheel each comprise a blocking disc configured to disable rotation motion of the driven wheel between intermittent rotations.

OFFICE ACTION:
DETAILED ACTION
Reasons for Allowance
Claims 1-20 are allowed.
Prior Art
The art of record does not suggest the totality of limitations recited in claims 1 or 11, from which all other claims depend.
For instance, Smith US3606526 discloses a drive mechanism comprising: a plurality of circular drive wheels (26, 27), a drive pin (26b, 27b), a drive motor (10), a driven wheel (23), two outwardly opening radial slots (two opposite ones of the four slots 25), first and second gearing wheels (28 and 29) and a payload (31 or 30).  However, Smith fails to disclose the totality of remaining limitations of either of claims 1 or 11 such as “wherein the second gearing wheel and the payload are configured to be rotated in a range of 160 to 200 degrees in a first direction during engagement of a first drive pin of a first drive wheel with one of the two outwardly opening radial slots”.  The prior art does not provide any teaching, suggestion or motivation to modify toward the entirety of applicant's claim, nor was there any readily apparent cogent reasoning that is unequivocally independent of hindsight that would have led one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify the prior art to obtain the entirety of applicant’s claimed invention.
Clarity
The examiner finds the claims to be sufficiently clear and precise in accordance with MPEP 2173.02(II) which states that the claims are not read in a vacuum but rather “must not be rejected” but rather the examiner should allow claims that set forth the scope of protection/infringement with a sufficient degree of particularity and distinctness without true ambiguity when analyzed on the whole in light of the content of the application disclosure, prior art teachings and the interpretations that would be given by one possessing ordinary skill in the art.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee.  Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
The prior art made of record on the attached PTO-892 and not relied upon above is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure due general structural similarity thereto.



CITED REFERENCE SUMMARIES: Ref US3605517A: [content unavailable]
Ref US3234819A: Claims:
IN A GEAR UNIT CAPABLE OF ROTATING AT A PLURALITY OF DISTINCT, ANGULAR VELOCITY RATIOS, REPRESENTING COUNTERCLOCKWISE MOTION, NO MOTION, AND CLOCKWISE MOTION, THE COMBINATION OF: A DRIVEN SHAFT, A PAIR OF PARALLEL DRIVING SHAFTS, SAID DRIVING SHAFTS ADAPTED TO ROTATE IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS AT CONSTANT VELOCITIES, A DRIVING MEMBER FIXEDLY MOUNTED ON EACH OF SAID DRIVING SHAFTS, A DRIVEN MEMBER FIXEDLY MOUNTED ON SAID DRIVEN SHAFT, SAID DRIVING AND SAID DRIVEN MEMBERS BEING IS FIXED POSITION WITH RESPECT TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXES OF SAID DRIVING SHAFTS AND SAID DRIVEN SHAFT, CONNECTING MEANS MOVABLE BETWEEN AN ACTIVE AND AN INACTIVE POSITION SELECTIVELY TO BE INTERCONNECTED BETWEEN SAID DRIVEN MEMBER AND ONE OF SAID DRIVING MEMBERS SELECTIVELY TO COUPLE SAID DRIVEN SHAFT TO ONE OF SAID DRIVING SHAFTS, ROTATABLE STOP DRIVEN SHAFT VIDED ON SAID DRIVEN MEMBER, AND STATIONARY STOP MEANS NORMALLY ENGAGING SAID ROTATABLE STOP MEANS TO HOLD SAID DRIVEN MEMBER MOTIONLESS, SAID STATIONARY STOP MEANS ADAPTED TO BE DISENGAGED FROM SAID ROTATABLE STOP MEANS WHEN SAID CONNECTING MEANS SELECTIVELY ARE INTERCONNECTED BETWEEN SAID DRIVEN MEMBER AND ONE OF SAID DRIVING MEMBERS.
Ref US3606526: Claims:
1. An intermittent drive mechanism comprising at Geneva star mounted for rotation about an axis, said star including plural, arcuate camming surfaces having drive slots disposed therebetween, a pair of Geneva drivers positioned adjacent said star, each of said drivers including an arcuate cam and a drive pin spaced from said cam, each of said drivers being mounted for rotation about an axis parallel to that of said star and each of said drivers being further mounted for reciprocation along its axis of rotation, means for rotating said drivers synchronously in opposing directions, means for reciprocating said drivers along their axes of rotation in synchronism with the rotation of said drivers, the positioning, rotation, and reciprocation of said drivers relative to said star being such that, during alternate time intervals, the arcuate cam of each driver engages a camming surface of said star with each such driver thereafter moving axially to a position wherein its drive pin is axially spaced from the drive slots of said star, and means for selectively interrupting the reciprocating motion of said drivers without interrupting their rotation whereby the drive pin of the driver whose cam is then in engagement with a star camming surface eifects drive to said star during a next subsequent time interval.
2. The drive mechanism of claim 1 wherein said drivers are positioned respectively adjacent opposed camming surfaces of said star, said drivers being mounted respectively on separate shafts, said means for rotating said drivers including gear means interconnecting said driver shafts, and said means for reciprocating said drivers including a rocker arm extending between and connected to said driver shafts, said rocker arm being mounted for oscillatory motion about an axis located between said driver shafts.
3. The drive mechanisn of claim 2 including a drive motor coupled to said gear means and to said rocker arm, the coupling between said drive motor and rocker arm including a resilient coupling element.
4. The drive mechanism of claim 2 wherein said means for selectively interrupting the reciprocating motion of said drivers includes electrically energizable solenoid means for selectively preventing said oscillatory motion of said rocker arm.
5. The drive mechanism of claim 4 wherein said solenoid means comprises a pair of solenoids positioned respectively on opposite sides of said rocker arm axis, and means for energizing a selected one of said solenoids to render a selected one of said drivers operative to drive said star in a selected one of two opposite directions.
6. The drive mechanism of claim 5 wherein said energizing means includes electrical pulse generating means for generating a train of pulses having a timing and repetition rate related to the rates of rotation and reciprocation of said drivers, and means responsive to selected pulses in said train for controlling the time and duration of energization of said solenoids.
7. The drive mechanism of claim 1 including means for generating electrical signals at a rate related to the rates of rotation and reciprocation of said drivers, said means for selectively interrupting the reciprocating motion of said drivers including electrical means responsive to said signals.
8. The drive mechanism of claim 7 wherein said signal generator includes a light source, a light sensitive element spaced from said source, a shutter positioned between said source and said element, and means for driving said shutter at a rate related to the speed of rotation of said drivers.
9. The drive mechanism of claim 1 having an output shaft driven by said star for transporting a strip of film in a film viewer, said viewer including a light shutter driven at a rate related to the rate of rotation of said drivers.
10. The drive mechanism of claim 9 including a com mon drive motor for driving said shutter, and for rotating and reciprocating said drivers, in synchronism with one another.