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 .
This Office Action is in response to papers filed on 4/2/2026. Amendments made to the claims and the Applicant's remarks have been entered and considered.
Claim 4 has been amended. Claims 3, 13 are canceled. Claims 17-20 are withdrawn. Claims 21-22 are newly added.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 4/2/2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 4/2/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
The Applicant argued that the Office Action relies on through-openings 16 and curvatures 18 of Hartmann's lamination 10 for allegedly disclosing the claimed "plurality of indentations." However, curvatures 18 of lamination 10 are circumferentially offset from mounting holes 13/15 and, therefore, are not radially inward from said mounting holes. Hartmann fails to disclose, at least, "wherein each of the plurality of indentations is positioned radially inward from a respective mounting hole," as required by independent claims 1 and 14.
This argument is not persuasive because the indentations 18 have a radial distance from the center 6 of the lamination 10 that is less than a radial distance between the holes 13,15 and the center 6. The indentations 18 are therefore positioned radially inward from a respective mounting hole 13,15. The claims do not recite that each indentation is aligned between the center and a mounting hole. With regard to claim 14, claim 14 does not recite that each lamination has an indentation radially inward from a mounting hole.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 4-12, 14-16, 21, 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hartmann (DE102017218657 A1).
As to claim 1, Hartmann shows (FIG. 1,2):
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A stator assembly, comprising:
a plurality of laminations 4 configured to form a stator stack 2, wherein each of the plurality of
laminations 4 comprises:
a set of projections 12,14 disposed along an outer perimeter of the lamination 4, each of the set
of projections 12,14 including a mounting hole 13,15 passing therethrough; and
a plurality of indentations 16, 18, wherein each of the plurality of indentations 16, 18 is
positioned radially inward from a respective mounting hole 13,15;
wherein the plurality of laminations 4 are configured to form the stator stack 2 in accordance
with a predetermined indexing, such that the plurality of indentations 16 define one or more coolant
flow channels (para [0030], [0033], [0034], [0035]).
As to claim 2/1, Hartmann further shows (FIG. 1,2) the plurality of laminations 4 is configured to
receive a flow of coolant by way of the one or more coolant flow channels (para [0035]).
As to claim 4/1, Hartmann further shows (FIG. 1,2) the plurality of laminations 4 comprises a
first lamination 9 and a second lamination 10, and wherein the predetermined indexing comprises a predetermined indexing of approximately 90 degrees such that the first lamination 9 is rotated by
approximately 90 degrees with respect to the second lamination 10 (plates 9, 10 are symmetrical about
both axes passing through holes 13,15).
As to claim 5/4/1, Hartmann further shows (FIG. 1,2) the first lamination 9 is adjacent to the
second lamination 10.
As to claim 6/1, Hartmann further shows (FIG. 1,2) the one or more coolant flow channels are
defined in accordance with a desired coolant flow rate (capable of performing the claimed function).
As to claim 7/1, Hartmann further shows (FIG. 1,2) the one or more coolant flow channels are
defined in accordance with one or more thermal constraints of the stator stack 2 (is capable of
performing the claimed function).
As to claim 8/1, Hartmann further shows (FIG. 1,2) each of the one or more coolant flow
channels is configured to direct a flow of an oil-dispersing coolant to at least one the plurality of
laminations (is capable of performing the claimed function).
As to claim 9/1, Hartmann further shows (FIG. 1,2) each of the plurality of laminations 4 are
stacked about an axis 6 in an axial direction 6, wherein each set of the set of projections 12, 14 extend
radially outward from the axis 6, wherein each of the mounting holes 13, 15 pass through the set of
projections 12, 14 in the axial direction 6, and wherein each of the plurality of indentations 16, 18 are
normal to the axial direction 6.
As to claim 10/9/1, Hartmann further shows (FIG. 1,2) the plurality of indentations 16, 18 in
each of the plurality of laminations 4 extend in opposite circumferential directions about the axis 6.
As to claim 11/9/1, Hartmann further shows (FIG. 1,2) wherein each of the set of projections
12,14 has a center in a circumferential direction about the axis 6 and wherein each of the plurality of
indentations 16, 18 extends at least partially beyond the center of a respective one of the set of
projections 12,14 (openings 16 have circumferential extent para [0035]).
As to claim 12/1, Hartmann further shows (FIG. 1,2) the stator stack 2 comprises a full-face, self-
bonded stator stack, an interlocked stator stack, a welded stator stack, or a dot-bonded stator stack
(interlocked by fastening screws para [0032]).
As to claim 14, Hartmann shows (FIG. 1 below, FIG. 2 above):
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A lamination layer 9 of a stator stack 2, comprising:
a ring portion Y;
a set of slots S disposed along an inner perimeter of the ring portion Y;
a set of projections 12,14 disposed along an outer perimeter of the ring portion Y, each of the
set of projections 12,14 including a mounting hole 13,15 passing therethrough, wherein the set of
projections 12,14 is configured to extend outwardly in a direction opposite the set of slots S; and
a plurality of indentations 16, wherein each of the plurality of indentations 16 is positioned
radially inward from a respective mounting hole 13,15 (para [0030], [0033], [0034], [0035]).
As to claim 15/14, Hartmann further shows (FIG. 2) the lamination layer 9 comprises one of a
plurality of lamination layers 9, 10 configured to form the stator stack 2 in accordance with a
predetermined indexing, such that the plurality of indentations 16 define one or more coolant flow
channels (para [0035]).
As to claim 16/14, Hartmann further shows the predetermined indexing comprises a
predetermined indexing of approximately 90 degrees (four flanges 12, 14).
As to claim 21/1, Hartmann further shows (FIG. 1,2) wherein each of the plurality of indentations 16, 18 extends circumferentially inward from a circumferential side of a respective projection 12,14 (projections 12,14 are radially further from the center 6 than the indentations 16, 18).
As to claim 22/1, Hartmann further shows (FIG. 1,2) wherein the plurality of laminations 4 comprise adjacent laminations 4 having a same shape (round).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Fippl (DE 102017215090 A1) appears to read on the claims.
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/ROBERT E MATES/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/TULSIDAS C PATEL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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