Office Action 2: Notice of Allowance (2025-03-21)

CLAIMS:
AMENDMENTS TO THE CLAIMS

Please amend claims 1, 4, 10, and 11, cancel claims 3 and 19-20, and add new claims 21 and 22, such that the status of the claims is as follows:

1\. (Currently Amended) A pneumatic actuator, comprising:a housing forming both a crank cavity and an actuator cavity;
an actuator shaft disposed within the housing and configured to actuate between a first position and a second position;
a bushing located within the housing between the housing and the actuator shaft, wherein the bushing is between the crank cavity and the actuator cavity, and wherein the bushing is configured to support the actuator shaft without the actuator shaft being supported at a second location while allowing actuator motion under set operating conditions, wherein the bushing comprises a length to diameter ratio greater than 1;
a shaft seal between the housing and the actuator shaft, wherein the shaft seal is between the crank cavity and the actuator cavity;
a pneumatic cup connected to a first end of the actuator shaft, wherein the pneumatic cup is within the actuator cavity; and
a drive connection assembly connected to a second end of the actuator shaft, wherein the drive connection assembly is within the crank cavity.

2\. (Original) The actuator of claim 1, wherein the actuator shaft includes a pneumatic cup at a first end, and a drive connection assembly at a second end.

3\. (Canceled)

4\. (Currently Amended) The actuator of claim \[\[3\]\] 2, wherein the length to diameter ratio is between 2 and 3.

5\. (Original) The actuator of claim 4, wherein an inner diameter of the bushing is the same or about the same as an outer diameter of the actuator shaft.

6\. (Original) The actuator of claim 5, wherein the bushing has a length of about a third of the shaft length.

7\. (Original) The actuator of claim 6, further comprising a slotted crank assembly having a slot and connected to the connection assembly at the slot.
8\. (Original) The actuator of claim 7, wherein a length of an inner diameter of the bushing that contacts the actuator shaft defined by x2- xl, solved for using the actuator force equation:SVG {EMBED HERE} 0.7475.167FACr = FCu where FACT is actuator force, wherein Fcr is crank force, pi is a first friction coefficient of the bushing, p2 is a second friction coefficient of the bushing, Di is a first inner diameter of the bushing, D2 is a second inner diameter of the bushing, a is the crank angle, xi is a distance from a crank point to a first contact point, and x2 is a distance from a crank point to a second contact point.

9\. (Original) The actuator of claim 8, wherein the actuator force FACTis constrained to be within an operating force range of the actuator shaft, pi = p2, and Di = D2 which equal an outer diameter of the actuator shaft, such that x2- xl is determinable to result in actuator shaft motion in operation.

10\. (Currently Amended) An aircraft pneumatic system, comprising:a pneumatic actuator, comprising:

a housing forming both a crank cavity and an actuator cavity;
an actuator shaft disposed within the housing and configured to actuate between a first position and a second position;
a bushing located within the housing between the housing and the actuator shaft, wherein the bushing is between the crank cavity and the actuator cavity, wherein the bushing is configured to support the actuator shaft without the actuator shaft being supported at a second location while allowing actuator motion under set operating conditions, and wherein the bushing has a length to diameter ratio greater than 1; and
a shaft seal between the housing and the actuator shaft, wherein the shaft seal is between the crank cavity and the actuator cavity.

11\. (Currently Amended) The actuator of claim 10, wherein the actuator shaft includes a pneumatic cup at a first end of the actuator shaft and within the actuator cavity, and a drive connection assembly at a second end of the actuator shaft and within the crank cavity.

12\. (Original) The actuator of claim 11, wherein the bushing includes a length to diameter ratio of greater than 1.

13\. (Original) The actuator of claim 12, wherein the length to diameter ratio is between 2 and 3.

14\. (Original) The actuator of claim 13, wherein an inner diameter of the bushing is the same or about the same as an outer diameter of the actuator shaft.

15\. (Original) The actuator of claim 14, wherein the bushing has a length of about a third of the shaft length.

16\. (Original) The actuator of claim 15, further comprising a slotted crank assembly having a slot and connected to the connection assembly at the slot.

17\. (Original) The actuator of claim 16, wherein a length of an inner diameter of the bushing that contacts the actuator shaft defined by x2- xi, solved for using the actuator force equation:SVG {EMBED HERE} 0.766.137
where FACT is actuator force, wherein Fcr is crank force, pi is a first friction coefficient of the bushing, p2 is a second friction coefficient of the bushing, Di is a first inner diameter of the bushing, D2 is a second inner diameter of the bushing, a is the crank angle, xl is a distance from a crank point to a first contact point, and x2 is a distance from a crank point to a second contact point.

18\. (Original) The actuator of claim 17, wherein the actuator force FACTis constrained to be within an operating force range of the actuator shaft, pi = p2, and Di = D2 which equal an outer diameter of the actuator shaft, such that x2 - xl is determinable to result in actuator shaft motion in operation.

19-20. (Canceled)

21\. (New) A pneumatic actuator, comprising:a housing comprising:
a crank cavity;
an actuator cavity;
a partition wall between the crank cavity and the actuator cavity; and a support tube formed on the partition wall and extending from the partition wall into the actuator cavity;
an actuator shaft disposed within the housing and extending from the actuator

cavity to the crank cavity through the support tube, wherein the actuator shaft comprises:
a pneumatic cup at a first end of the actuator shaft, wherein the pneumatic cup is in the actuator cavity; and
a drive connection assembly at a second end of the actuator shaft, wherein the drive connection assembly is in the crank cavity;
a bushing located within the support tube and between the actuator shaft and the support tube, and wherein the bushing comprises a length to diameter ratio greater than 1.

22\. (New) The pneumatic actuator of claim 21, further comprising:a shaft seal between the actuator shaft and the support tube of the housing, and wherein the shaft seal is between the crank cavity and the actuator cavity.

OFFICE 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 .
Reasons for Allowance
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: See Interview summary.
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

APPLICANT REBUTTAL: REMARKS
In the Office Action dated September 23, 2024, claims 1-20 are pending. The Office Action rejected claims 1-18 under 35 U.S.C. §102(a)(1) for allegedly being anticipated by Kagiya (JP2000249107). Claims 19-20 were rejected under 35 U.S.C. §103 for allegedly being unpatentable over Kagiya.
Claims 3, 19, and 20 are canceled, thereby rendering moot the rejection of those claims under § 103. Independent claims 1 and 10 are currently amended and reasons are presented to overcome the rejection of the claims under § 102(a)(1). New claims 21 and 22 have been added and are supported at least by FIGS. 1-2 of the specification. New claims 21 and 22 do not include new matter. Claims 1-2, 4-18, and 21-22 are in condition for allowance.
Rej
ections Claims 1-2 and 4-18 under 35 U.S.C.
2(a
)(
Claims 1-2 and 4-18 are novel over Kagiya under §102(a)(1) because Kagiya does not disclose all of the features of independent claims 1 and 10 as currently amended. Independent claim 1, as currently amended, recites (emphasis added):
A pneumatic actuator, comprising:
a housing forming both a crank cavity and an actuator cavity;
an actuator shaft disposed within the housing and configured to actuate between a first position and a second position; a bushing located within the housing between the housing and the actuator shaft,
wherein the bushing is between the crank cavity and the actuator cavity,
and wherein the bushing is configured to support the actuator shaft without the actuator shaft being supported at a second location while allowing actuator motion under set operating conditions, wherein the bushing comprises a length to diameter ratio greater than 1; a shaft seal between the housing and the actuator shaft, wherein the shaft seal is between the crank cavity and the actuator cavity; a pneumatic cup connected to a first end of the actuator shaft, wherein the pneumatic cup is within the actuator cavity; and a drive connection assembly connected to a second end of the actuator shaft, wherein the
drive connection assembly is within the crank cavity.
Amended claim 1 is supported by at least FIGS. 1 and 2 and page 12, lines 11-20 of the specification and does not include new matter. Amended claim 10 also includes features similar to the above emphasized features of claim 1.
Kagiya does not include a pneumatic actuator with "a housing forming both a crank cavity and an actuator cavity" and a "bushing is between the crank cavity and the actuator cavity." Rather, Kagiya discloses an actuator 10 with a casing 11 forming a single chamber F. Since Kagiya does not disclose all of the features of independent claims 1 and 10, as currently amended, independent claims 1 and 10 are novel and patentable over Kagiya. The rejections of independent claims 1 and 10 under § 102(a)(1) should accordingly be withdrawn. Notification to that effect is respectfully requested.
Claims 2 and 4-9 depend from independent claim 1 and include all of the features of that base claim. Claims 11-18 depend from independent claim 10 and include all of the features of that base claim. Claims 2, 4-9, and 11-18 are novel over Kagiya for at least the same reasons as claims 1 and 10. The rejection of claims 2, 4-9, and 11-18 under §102(a)(1) should be similarly withdrawn. Notification to that effect is respectfully requested.
Summary of Examiner Interview
An Applicant-initiated interview occurred on February 19, 2025 between Examiner Benedik and Boyd Black (the attorney of record). The above-presented amendments were discussed and Examiner Benedik agreed that the amendments overcome Kagiya under § 102(a)(1).
CONCLUSION