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 .
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 12/03/2025 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see page 8, filed 12/03/2025, with respect to rejections under 35 USC 112 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejection of claim 18 has been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments with respect rejections under 35 USC 103 to claim(s) 1-12 and 18-20 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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 1-4, 8-11 and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by ADACHI (US 20120319543).
Regarding claim 1, ADACHI discloses a motor comprising:
a shaft (31) that is rotatable about a center axis (9) extending vertically;
a bearing housing (41) in a tubular shape that rotatably supports the shaft (31) with a bearing (23) (see Fig. 2);
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a casing (22) having a tubular shape with a lid (51), the casing (22) extending axially about the center axis (9) and holding the bearing housing (41) (see Fig. 2);
a stator (24) disposed radially inside the casing (22) and fixed to at least one of the casing (22) and the bearing housing (41)(see Fig. 2);
a rotor (3) fixed to the shaft (31) and disposed radially outside the casing (22) (see Fig. 2);
a cover (21) configured to cover an opening formed in a lower end of the casing (22); and
a resin part (52) configured to cover the stator (24) in a space surrounded by the bearing housing (41), the casing (22), and the cover (21) (see Fig. 2 and para [0042]),
the cover (21) including:
a base (42) in an annular shape (see para [0048]);
a bush (unlabeled; see annotated Fig. 4, below) disposed radially inside the base (42) and fixed to a lower end part of an outer peripheral surface of the bearing housing (41);
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a circuit board (27) inside the casing (22); a lead wire (271) connected to the circuit board (27), wherein the lead wire (271) extends radially between the casing (22) and the cover (21) perpendicular to the center axis (9) direction (see Fig. 2); and
a first protrusion (75) extending radially outward from a lower end of the casing (22), wherein the lead wire (271) extends through the first protrusion (75) (see Fig. 2 and 4).
Regarding claim 2, ADACHI discloses the motor according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the bush is integrally fixed to the base (42) (see Fig. 2 and 4).
Regarding claim 3, ADACHI discloses the motor according to claim 1, wherein the resin part (52) has a lower end located above the opening of the casing (22)(see Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 4, ADACHI discloses the motor according to claim 1, wherein the circuit board (27) has a lower surface on which an electronic component is disposed (see para [0081]), and
the electronic component has a lower end located above a lower end of the resin part (52)(see Fig. 5).
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Regarding claim 8, ADACHI discloses the motor according to claim 4, further comprising:
a wiring part having a wiring space in which the lead wire (271) is disposed (see Fig. 2),
the wiring part including:
the first protrusion (75); and
a second protrusion (43) extending radially outward from an outer peripheral surface of the base (42),
wherein the second protrusion (43) is configured to cover a lower part of the first protrusion (75) (see Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 9, ADACHI discloses the motor according to claim 1, further comprising:
a wiring part having a wiring space in which the lead wire (271) is disposed (see Fig. 2),
the wiring part including:
the first protrusion (75); and
a second protrusion (43) extending radially outward from an outer peripheral surface of the base (42),
wherein the second protrusion (43) is configured to cover a lower part of the first protrusion (75) (see Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 10, ADACHI discloses a blower comprising:
the motor according to claim 1;
an impeller (342) attached to the rotor (3); and
a frame radially covering an outside of the impeller (342) (see Fig. 2),
the base (42) being formed integrally with the frame (see para [0039]).
Regarding claim 11, ADACHI discloses a blower comprising:
the motor according to claim 9;
an impeller (342) attached to the rotor (3); and
a frame radially covering an outside of the impeller (342) (see Fig. 2);
the frame including:
a first frame part;
a second frame part axially coupled to a lower part of the first frame part (see annotated Fig. 2, below);
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the second frame part and the base (42) being integrally formed (see para [0039]); and
a lead wire placement part (431) in which the lead wire (271) is disposed and that is formed in an axial gap between the first frame part and the second frame part (see Fig. 2 and 4),
the lead wire placement part (431) being connected to the wiring part.
Regarding claim 18, ADACHI discloses the motor according to claim 1, further comprising:
a wiring part having a wiring space in which the lead wire (271) is disposed,
the wiring part including:
the first protrusion (75); and
a second protrusion (43) extending radially outward from an outer peripheral surface of the base (42),
the lead wire (271) extends between the first protrusion (75) and the second protrusion (43) (see Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 19, ADACHI discloses a motor comprising:
a shaft (31) that is rotatable about a center axis (9) extending vertically;
a bearing housing (41) in a tubular shape that rotatably supports the shaft (31) with a bearing (23) (see Fig. 2);
a casing (22) having a tubular shape with a lid (51), the casing (22) extending axially about the center axis (9) and holding the bearing housing (41) (see Fig. 2);
a stator (24) disposed radially inside the casing (22) and fixed to at least one of the casing (22) and the bearing housing (41) (see Fig. 2);
a rotor (3) fixed to the shaft (31) and disposed radially outside the casing (22) (see Fig. 2);
a cover (21) configured to cover an opening formed in a lower end of the casing (22) (see Fig. 2); and
a resin part (52) configured to cover the stator (24) in a space surrounded by the bearing housing (41), the casing (22), and the cover (21) (see Fig. 2 and para [0042]),
the cover (21) including:
a base (42) in an annular shape (see para [0048]);
a bush (unlabeled; see annotated Fig. 4, above) disposed radially inside the base (42) and fixed to a lower end part of an outer peripheral surface of the bearing housing (41);
a circuit board (27) inside the casing (22); and
a lead wire (271) connected to the circuit board (27), wherein the lead wire (271) extends radially between the casing (22) and the cover (21) perpendicular to the center axis (9) direction (see Fig. 2); and
a wiring part having a wiring space in which the lead wire (271) is disposed,
the wiring part including:
a first protrusion (75) extending radially outward from a lower end of the casing (22); and
a second protrusion (43) extending radially outward from an outer peripheral surface of the base (42), wherein the first protrusion (75) directly contacts the second protrusion (43) (see Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 20, ADACHI discloses the motor according to claim 19, wherein the lead wire (271) extends through the first protrusion (75) (see Fig. 2 and 4).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 5-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ADACHI in view of ICHIOKA (JP 2020115717, previously cited).
Regarding claim 5, ADACHI discloses the motor according to claim 4, wherein the stator (24) includes:
a coil (25); and
a conducting wire (251M) drawn out from the coil (25),
the circuit board (27) has an outer peripheral surface provided with a cut-out recessed radially inward.
However, ADACHI does not disclose the conducting wire is wired from an upper surface side to a lower surface side of the circuit board through the cut-out, and is electrically connected to a circuit on the lower surface side of the circuit board.
ICHIOKA discloses a spindle motor with a similar construction to ADACHI, further disclosing a circuit board (5) has an outer peripheral surface provided with a cut-out (54) recessed radially inward, and the conducting wire (231) is wired from an upper surface side to a lower surface side of the circuit board (5) through the cut-out (54)(See paragraph [0031] “the wiring pattern 51 is formed on the lower surface of the circuit board 5”; See also Fig. 3), and is electrically connected to a circuit (wiring pattern 51) on the lower surface side of the circuit board (5).
It 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 to provide the motor of ADACHI with a single-sided circuit board similar to that of ICHIOKA.
A person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains would have been motivated to make such modification in order to provide “the structure of the circuit board can be simplified. Further, since the structure of the circuit board can be simplified, the manufacturing cost can be reduced” (see paragraph [0043] of ICHIOKA).
Regarding claim 7, ADACHI in view of ICHOKA teaches the motor according to claim 5.
ICHIOKA discloses the cut-out and a drawn part of the conducting wire (251M) are displaced from each other in a circumferential direction (See Fig. 3 of ICHIOKA).
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Regarding claim 6, ADACHI discloses the motor according to claim 1, wherein the stator (24) includes: a coil (25); and a conducting wire (251M) drawn out from the coil (25).
However, ADACHI does not disclose the circuit board has an outer peripheral surface provided with a cut-out recessed radially inward, and the conducting wire is wired from an upper surface side to a lower surface side of the circuit board through the cut-out, and is electrically connected to a circuit on the lower surface side of the circuit board.
ICHIOKA discloses a spindle motor with a similar construction to ADACHI, further disclosing a circuit board (5) has an outer peripheral surface provided with a cut-out (54) recessed radially inward, and the conducting wire (231) is wired from an upper surface side to a lower surface side of the circuit board (5) through the cut-out (54)(See paragraph [0031] “the wiring pattern 51 is formed on the lower surface of the circuit board 5”; See also Fig. 3), and is electrically connected to a circuit (wiring pattern 51) on the lower surface side of the circuit board (5).
It 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 to provide the motor of ADACHI with a single-sided circuit board similar to that of ICHIOKA.
A person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains would have been motivated to make such modification in order to provide “the structure of the circuit board can be simplified. Further, since the structure of the circuit board can be simplified, the manufacturing cost can be reduced” (see paragraph [0043] of ICHIOKA).
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ADACHI in view of ZHU (US 20070145842, previously cited).
Regarding claim 12, ADACHI discloses the blower according to claim 11, However, ADACHI does not disclose the first protrusion is in contact with at least the first frame part.
ZHU discloses a blower with similar construction wherein a first protrusion (12) extending radially outward from a lower end of a casing is in contact with at least a first frame part (11, 111) (see Fig. 3 and para [0020])
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It 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 to provide the blower of ADACHI with the first protrusion is in contact with at least the first frame part, similar to ZHU.
A person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains would have been motivated to make such modification in order to provide a water-proof and dust-proof structure at a lower cost, as taught by ZHU (see para [0011]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JUSTIN STEFANON whose telephone number is (703)756-4648. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday and alternate Fridays 8AM - 5PM EDT.
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/JUSTIN STEFANON/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/OLUSEYE IWARERE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834