DETAILED ACTION
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claims 34 and 35 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
In claim 34, “the upper axial side” and “the lower axial side” lack proper antecedent basis.
In claim 35, the claim limitations “the second open ring portion”, “the first pillar portion”, “the upper axial side”, “the second pillar portion”, “the first open ring portion” lack proper antecedent basis.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 13-15, 20-22 and 31-35 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Echizen (JP 2010110048 A).
Echizen discloses the claimed invention as follows (limitations not disclosed are crossed out, below):
Claim 13. A stator (3, Fig. 1) comprising:
a plurality of core pieces (10 together with 5 and 6 in Fig. 1; see [0028] and [0029]) each of which includes a magnetic material part (10, Fig. 1) in which a yoke (11, Fig. 1; see [0029]) extending in an arc shape and a tooth (8, Fig. 1; see [0029]) protruding from the yoke toward a rotation axis are formed, and a coil (6, Fig. 1; see [0028]) wound around the tooth, the plurality of core pieces being arranged in a ring shape around the axis, wherein
a coupling part (13, Fig. 1) having a fitting structure is formed between the core pieces adjacent to each other in an arrangement of the ring shape, the fitting structure allowing rotation about a pillar portion (44, Fig. 2(a)) and restricting displacement in the axis direction by a snap-fit coupling that is formed with the pillar portion being provided on the yoke side of one of the core pieces and extending in a direction parallel to the axis and an open ring portion (54, Fig. 2(b)) being provided on the yoke side of another of the core pieces (see alternating insulation members 40 and 50 on consecutive teeth, in Fig. 1),
the pillar portion is provided so as to extend from a base portion (43) having a larger diameter than the pillar portion (44), and
Claim 14. The stator according to claim 13, wherein a direction in which the pillar portion is fitted into the open ring portion is perpendicular to an extending direction of the pillar portion. See [0052] and arrow Ya in Fig. 4.
Claim 15. The stator according to claim 13, wherein the pillar portion and the open ring portion are provided as an integrally molded product of an insulator made of resin (see [0030]), the insulator being interposed between the magnetic material part and the coil (see [0028]).
Claim 20-22. A rotating electrical machine comprising:
a stator (3) respectively according to claims 13-15;
a rotor (4, Fig. 1) coaxially disposed on a side of an inner peripheral face of the stator; and
a housing (2, Fig. 1) holding the stator and including a bearing1 to support the rotor rotatably.
Claim 31. The stator according to claim 13,
Claim 32. The stator according to claim 13,
Claim 33. The stator according to claim 13,
Claim 34. The stator according to claim 13, wherein, in one of the core pieces, a first pillar portion is provided on the yoke side of the core piece on the upper axial side, a first open ring portion is provided on the opposite side to the first pillar portion in the circumferential direction, a second pillar portion is provided on the yoke side of the core piece on the lower axial side, and a second open ring portion is provided on the opposite side to the second pillar portion in the circumferential direction. See [0078]. Although Echizen does not explicitly mention it, it is understood the bottom part of the core piece also has an open ring portion and a pillar portion. [0036] clarifies the tooth covering portion 1 is U-shaped, covering one axial surface of the tooth portion 8 and both circumferential side surfaces. This implies a second U-shaped insulator is provided to cover the lower axial surface. If Applicant disagrees, Echizen implies this, such an arrangement is, nevertheless deemed to have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, in order to fully cover the tooth portion, facilitating winding and reducing the risk of the coil shorting to the core if the wire insulation fails.
Claim 35. The stator according to claim 13,
The invention of Echizen differs from the claimed invention in that the base portion (53) of the open ring portion (54) in the one of the core pieces is sandwiched between the magnetic material part (10) present in at least the one or said another of the core pieces and a base portion (43) of the pillar portion (44) in said another of the core pieces.
However, referring to Fig. 2(a) and 2(b), one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have found it obvious to modify the insulators 40 and 50 so that pillar and the open ring portion change position and orientation, in the axial direction, as in the attached figure (compare to Fig. 2).
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Changing the location of the two elements would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, with predictable results, and without affecting the manner in which the stator is assembled and functions.
Regarding claim 31, modifying Echizen as proposed above, results in the claimed gap between the magnetic material and the base portion of the base of the open ring portion.
Regarding claims 32 and 33, Echizen discloses the claimed opening portion (54a) and the claimed notch (54b), but not located at a position as claimed. However, comparing Fig. 4 (a) of Echizen and Fig. 7 of the present application, one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have found it obvious to move the opening 54a circumferentially away from the associated core piece yoke side center, and the notch circumferentially closer to the center of the yoke side, as an obvious design choice. From [0027] of the application, the direction of the opening 2jfa (Fig. 7) can be set within the range of the angle α shown in Fig. 7. As per [0026, the notch 2jfn is on the side opposite to the opening portion 2jfa. Therefore, there is no criticality to the specific claimed direction of the opening and notch, i.e., other orientations, including as in Echizen, are within the range of the angle α of Fig. 7.
Regarding claim 34, based on [0078] of Echizen, one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have found it obvious to implement the modification mentioned above, while keeping this arrangement of alternating pillars and open ring portions in the circumferential direction. Further, regarding claim 35, one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have found it obvious to have the same or the opposite pillar portion and open ring portion arrangement at the lower axial end as at the upper axial end, these are obvious design choices, with few possibilities to choose from. One of ordinary skill In the art would have found predictable the result of such an arrangement, without any effect on the functioning of the stator or the ability to assemble it.
Claim(s) 16 and 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Echizen in view of APA (admitted prior art).
Regarding claim 16, in the Office Action mailed 2/13/2025 the examiner took official notice of the fact that forming sectional cores from powder, as compression-molded products, is ubiquitous in the art, as an alternative magnetic core construction for motors. This is taken as admitted prior art, since Applicant did not traverse the assertion of official notice (see MPEP 2144.03(C)).
Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have found it obvious to replace the laminated sectional cores of Echizen with compressed powder cores, as a simple substitution of one core construction type for another, with predictable results.
Regarding claim 23, Echizen discloses the electrical machine comprising a rotor 4 and a housing 2. As discussed in footnote 1, a bearing must also necessarily be present.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 27, 28, 29 and 30 are allowable over the prior art.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 13-23 and 31-35 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LIVIUS R CAZAN whose telephone number is (571)272-8032. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday noon-8:30 pm ET.
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/LIVIUS R. CAZAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3729
1 A bearing surface must, necessarily be present, it is not possible to dispose a rotor to rotate relative to the housing without a bearing.