Appeal No. 2004-1378
Application No. 09/761,724
a first side gear and a second side gear arranged coaxially
relative to said input shaft and rotatable relative to said
differential input shaft;
said first side gear including a sleeve portion receiving
said output shaft for drivingly coupling thereto;
a differential spider drivingly connected to said input
shaft and provided with a plurality of pinion gears rotatably
mounted to said differential spider and drivingly engaging said
first side gear and said second side gear to allow differential
rotation thereof;
a dedicated reversible gerotor lubrication pump for
lubricating components of said differential assembly, said
lubrication pump mounted within said sleeve portion of said first
side gear;
said reversible gerotor lubrication pump including a rotor
drivingly coupled to said input shaft and an impeller coupled to
said first side gear, wherein said pump generates lubrication
flow whenever differential action between said differential input
shaft and said first side gear occurs;
a hydraulic fluid suction passage providing an inlet fluid
communication passage between said supply of lubricant and an
inlet port of said lubrication pump including an inlet passage
formed in said sleeve portion of said first side gear; and
a gallery of fluid passages supplying said lubricant for
lubricating said components of said inter-axle differential
assembly; said gallery of fluid passages fluidly connected to an
outlet port of said lubrication pump.
The examiner relies upon the following references as
evidence of obviousness:
Kwasniewski 5,302,158 Apr. 12, 1994
Dick 5,916,052 Jun. 29, 1999
Ozaki et al. (JP '712) Hei 6-193712 Jul. 15, 1994
(Japanese Kokai patent application)
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