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 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) 1-6, 8-16, and 18-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shioiri et al. (US Pub 2011/0192245 A1) in view of Hamer et al. (US Pub 2013/0264034 A1). Shioiri discloses:
Re claim 1, a drive unit lubrication and cooling system (fig. 1) comprising: a housing (2) enclosing an electric motor/stator (20) and a drive gear (7) for a drive train (3-7) of an electric vehicle (fig. 1); coolant/lubricant fluid within the housing in contact with the drive gear (par [0069]); a baffling system (11); a lower sump (9) disposed at a bottom of the housing, the lower sump configured to accumulate a portion of the coolant/lubricant fluid that has passed through windings of the electric motor/stator (par [0068]), the lower sump underlying a lowest peripheral portion of the drive gears (fig. 1); an upper sump (8 and 14d shown in fig. 15) disposed above the electric motor/stator and drive gear (right fig. 1: 8 is above a majority portion of 20 and drive gear), the upper sump accumulating coolant/lubricant fluid moved from the lower sump to the upper sump by rotation of the drive gear (par [0069]) and guided from a space (passages 13 and 14 up to 14d; fig. 1 shows the space defined by the flow path of the fluid being splashed upward from the lower sump to the upper sump) between the drive gear and the housing into the upper sump by the baffling system (fig. 3).
Re claims 2, 12, wherein the baffling system extends between the lower sump and the upper sump (fig. 1).
Re claims 3, 13, further comprising: a one-way check valve (fig. 15: 26) within the upper sump at an inlet (14d) to the upper sump configured to admit the coolant/lubricant fluid from the baffling system into the upper sump and to inhibit return of the coolant/lubricant fluid from the upper sump into the baffling system (fig. 15 shows 26 would allow for fluid to travel upward and prevent fluid from traveling back down).
Re claims 8, 18, further comprising: a heat exchanger (the structural housing portion of 2 adjacent to 8 would inherently absorb heat and disperse heat from the hot fluid) fitted to the upper sump and configured to disperse heat from the coolant/lubricant fluid accumulated in the upper sump.
Re claims 9, 19, wherein the drive unit lubrication and cooling system is configured such that movement of the coolant/lubricant fluid through the space between the housing and the drive gear lubricates multiple gears of the drive train including the drive gear (par [0068]; oil sticks to the gearwheel of 7 as it rotates and the oil is then transferred to other gearwheel along the gear train).
Re claims 10, 20, wherein no pump is required to move the coolant/lubricant fluid from the lower sump to the upper sump (fig. 1 shows oil is transferred via the rotation of 7, not by any electric fluid motor).
Re claim 11, a method of lubricating and cooling a drive unit (fig. 1), the method comprising: enclosing, by a housing (2), an electric motor/stator (20) and a drive gear (7) for a drive train (3-7) of an electric vehicle (fig. 1); providing coolant/lubricant fluid within the housing in contact with the drive gear (par [0069]); accumulating, in a lower sump (9) disposed at a bottom of the housing, a portion of the coolant/lubricant fluid that has passed through windings of the electric motor/stator (par [0068]), the lower sump underlying a lowest peripheral portion of the drive gear (fig. 1); accumulating, in an upper sump (8 and 14d shown in fig. 15) disposed above the electric motor/stator and drive gear (right fig. 1: 8 is above a majority portion of 20 and drive gear), a portion of the coolant/lubricant fluid moved from the lower sump to the upper sump by rotation of the drive gear (par [0069]) and guided from a space between the drive gear and the housing into the upper sump by a baffling system (11).
Shioiri does not disclose:
Re claims 1, 11, one or more electronically-controlled exit valves, each positioned at an exit for the upper sump into the housing, each exit disposed over ends of the windings of the electric motor, the one or more electronically-controlled exit valves configured to selectively release the coolant/lubricant fluid accumulated in the upper sump to flow by gravity alone over the ends of the windings of the electric motor/stator into the lower sump.
Re claims 4, 14, further comprising: a drive controller configured to control the one or more electronically-controlled exit valves.
Re claims 5, 15, wherein the drive controller is configured to control the one or more electronically-controlled exit valves based on heat generation by the windings of the electric motor/stator.
Re claims 6, 16, wherein the drive controller is configured to use signals from one or more temperature sensors disposed proximate to the windings of the electric motor/stator to control the one or more electronically- controlled exit valves.
However, Hamer teaches a lubricating arrangement for an electric motor (10) comprising:
Re claims 1, 11, one or more electronically-controlled exit valves (70 is described a solenoid valve), each positioned at an exit for the upper sump (62) into the housing, each exit disposed over ends of the windings of the electric motor (fig. 1 shows the outlet 68 above the windings while fig. 7 shows the valve 70 positioned at the outlet 68), the one or more electronically-controlled exit valves configured to selectively release the coolant/lubricant fluid accumulated in the upper sump to flow by gravity alone over the ends of the windings of the electric motor/stator into the lower sump (controller 88 selectively open/close the valve to release the fluid over the windings as shown in figs. 1-2 and 7-8; Shioiri discloses a gravity-only feed system from 8 to 20).
Re claims 4, 14, further comprising: a drive controller (88) configured to control the one or more electronically-controlled exit valves.
Re claims 5, 15, wherein the drive controller is configured to control the one or more electronically-controlled exit valves based on heat generation by the windings of the electric motor/stator (par [0039]).
Re claims 6, 16, wherein the drive controller is configured to use signals from one or more temperature sensors disposed proximate to the windings of the electric motor/stator to control the one or more electronically-controlled exit valves (par [0038]).
It would have been obvious to person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to employ an electronically-controlled valve, as taught by Hamer, to better manage the oil flow rate and optimize cooling.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 9/16/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
On pages 11-14 of the Remarks, Applicant argues Shiori does not disclose the flow of coolant/lubricant fluid has passed through windings of the electric motor/stator. The openings 8b, 8c provide oil to the reduction gear 3. Further oil is provided to the reduction gear 6. The Hamer reference also does not show this feature.
Examiner respectfully disagrees. Shiori par [0068] recites “The lubricant oil in the oil receiving part 8 is supplied to the MG2 (20) via a supply hole 8b and to the MG1 via a supply hole 8c to lubricate and cool the MG1 and the MG2 (20). The lubricant oil in the oil receiving part 8 may be supplied to another part to be lubricated in the power transmission apparatus 1.” MG1 and MG2 are motor generators made up of windings, therefore the lubricant oil supplied to MG1 and MG2 would include the respective windings. The recited passage from par [0068] does not refer to lubricating the gears (e.g. reduction gear 3 and reduction gear 6) associated with the MGs, but they explicitly refer to lubricating the MGs. The reduction gears are housed in the transmission gear portion housing while the motor generators are housed motor portion housing.
Hamer fig. 1 further clearly show the features of the windings being lubricated. Hamer fig. 3 shows the stator end turns 54 made up of windings 36. Fig. 1 shows the lubricant fluid would leave out of 68 and onto the windings of 54.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MINH D TRUONG whose telephone number is (571)270-3014. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5 pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Robert Hodge can be reached at (571) 272-2097. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/Minh Truong/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3654
Prosecution Insights