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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed December 9, 2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Re Examiner’s rejections of claims 1 and 15 are deficient because Eno fails to teach that “the first coil and the environment detection apparatus are both mounted on the rotor”: (Remarks pp. 2-4) Examiner respectfully disagrees. As Eno’s Figure 4 and ¶¶55 and 57 describe, both the environment detection apparatus (e.g., 207) and the constituent parts of the motor are mounted directly into the body; thus, the components are at least indirectly mounted on each other. Indeed, that is the point of the invention, namely, to assemble these parts together to form the apparatus. To be sure, it does not appear Eno teaches directly mounting these components onto the rotor; however, that is not claimed.
Therefore, this argument is not persuasive.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claims 1-2, 5-6, and 14-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Eno et al. US 20090052288 (“Eno”).
Re 1: Eno teaches a motor (¶53-57: teaching a motor; Fig. 4), a wireless transmission assembly (¶54: “data signals and electric power are transmitted by mutual induction”), and an environment detection apparatus (¶57), wherein: the motor comprises a stator, a rotor, and a base, the stator is fixedly mounted on the base, and the rotor is sleeved on the stator (¶55: “A stator 201 is arranged in the body 2 and comprises a structure in which plural magnetic poles wound with a coil are disposed on the circumference. A rotor 301 is arranged at a portion of the rotational optical structure 3 that faces the stator 201. The rotor 301 has a structure comprising plural permanent magnets on the circumference.”); the wireless transmission assembly comprises a first coil and a second coil, the first coil and the environment detection apparatus are both mounted on the rotor (¶54), the first coil is electrically connected to the environment detection apparatus, the second coil is mounted on the base (Fig. 4), and the second coil is electrically connected to a control host (Fig. 4); and at least one of wireless signal transmission or wireless power transmission is implemented between the control host and the environment detection apparatus through magnetic coupling between the first coil and the second coil (¶54).
Re 2: wherein the base comprises a bottom plate and a round-ring sidewall disposed on the bottom plate, the round-ring sidewall and the stator are coaxial, and the stator and the rotor are located in a sidewall space enclosed by the round-ring sidewall (Fig. 4: see structure of 2 in relation to rotational optical portion 3; ¶54).
Re 5: wherein the first coil and the second coil are located in the sidewall space, the first coil is mounted on a bottom end surface that is of the rotor and that faces the bottom plate, and the second coil is mounted on the bottom plate (¶54).
Re 6: wherein: a third mounting groove is disposed on the bottom end surface of the rotor, and the first coil is mounted in the third mounting groove; or a fourth mounting groove is disposed on a side surface that is of the bottom plate and that faces the rotor, and the second coil is mounted in the fourth mounting groove (¶54).
Re 14: wherein the environment detection apparatus comprises a laser radar, an infrared radar, a millimeter-wave radar, or a camera (¶57: camera).
Re 15: Eno teaches (¶53-57: teaching a motor; Fig. 4): wherein: the motor comprises a stator, a rotor, a base, and a wireless transmission assembly; the stator is fixedly mounted on the base, the rotor is sleeved on the stator, the wireless transmission assembly comprises a first coil and a second coil, the first coil is mounted on the rotor, and the second coil is mounted on the base; the environment detection apparatus is mounted on the rotor and is electrically connected to the first coil, and the second coil is electrically connected to a control host that controls the environment detection apparatus; and at least one of wireless signal transmission or wireless power transmission is implemented between the control host and the environment detection apparatus through magnetic coupling between the first coil and the second coil.
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.
Claims 16-17 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Eno in view of Earhart et al. US 11,796,827 (“Earhart”).
Re 16: Eno teaches (¶53-57: teaching a motor; Fig. 4): a photoelectric scanning apparatus, wherein the photoelectric scanning apparatus comprises: a motor, a wireless transmission assembly, and an environment detection apparatus, wherein: the motor comprises a stator, a rotor, and a base, the stator is fixedly mounted on the base, and the rotor is sleeved on the stator; the wireless transmission assembly comprises a first coil and a second coil, the first coil and the environment detection apparatus are both mounted on the rotor, the first coil is electrically connected to the environment detection apparatus, the second coil is mounted on the base, and the second coil is electrically connected to a control host; and at least one of wireless signal transmission or wireless power transmission is implemented between the control host and the environment detection apparatus through magnetic coupling between the first coil and the second coil.
Eno does not explicitly teach an autonomous vehicle, comprising a vehicle body and a photoelectric scanning apparatus.
Earhart teaches (abstract; col. 5, ll 11-34) an autonomous vehicle, comprising a vehicle body and a photoelectric scanning apparatus.
One of the main uses of photoelectric scanners is in autonomous vehicles as they allow the vehicle to map and analyze objects and obstacles in the road, thereby allowing the car to navigate. Thus, the claim is tantamount to taking a known device, as taught by Eno, and using it in an application that is known to be suited for the device.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of effective filing, to modify Eno with Earhart’s teachings in order to use the device in a known manner to help an autonomous vehicle safely navigate the roads.
Eno discloses:
Re 17: wherein the base comprises a bottom plate and a round-ring sidewall disposed on the bottom plate, the round-ring sidewall and the stator are coaxial, and the stator and the rotor are located in a sidewall space enclosed by the round-ring sidewall (Fig. 4: see structure of 2 in relation to rotational optical portion 3; ¶54).
Re 20: wherein the first coil and the second coil are located in the sidewall space, the first coil is mounted on a bottom end surface that is of the rotor and that faces the bottom plate, and the second coil is mounted on the bottom plate (¶54).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-4, 7-13, and 18-19 have been objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter. In combination with the other limitations nothing in the prior art of record teaches, suggests, or discloses:
Re 3-4: in claim 3, “wherein the first coil is mounted on an outer circumferential surface of the rotor, the second coil is mounted on an inner wall surface of the round-ring sidewall, and the second coil is sleeved on an outer side of the first coil coaxially.”
Re 7-13: in claim 7, “wherein: the wireless transmission assembly further comprises a third coil and a fourth coil, the third coil is mounted on the rotor, and the fourth coil is mounted on the base; the wireless power transmission is implemented between the control host and the environment detection apparatus through magnetic coupling between the first coil and the second coil; and the wireless signal transmission is implemented between the control host and the environment detection apparatus through magnetic coupling between the third coil and the fourth coil.”
Re 18-19: in claim 18, “wherein the first coil is mounted on an outer circumferential surface of the rotor, the second coil is mounted on an inner wall surface of the round-ring sidewall, and the second coil is sleeved on an outer side of the first coil coaxially.”
Conclusion
Relevant prior art considered: US 11796827 teaching a LIDAR system including a laser transmitter.
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.
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GERALD J. SUFLETA II
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2875
/GERALD J SUFLETA II/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2875