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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 12/18/2025 has been entered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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 1-4, 5-6 and 8-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hishida et al. (US 2020/0195075 A1) in view of Hong (JP 2015-116607 A; US 2022/0352792 A1 used as direct translation).
Regarding claim 1, Hishida discloses a coil (5) comprising a helical structure body made of strip-shaped flat conductors (5a) that are continuously joined into a helical form, wherein
in the helical structure body in a completed state, a first turn of helix (first turn) is separated from a second turn (second turn; separated by insulating member 6, 61, 62, 63, 71, 72, 73), which is continuous to the first turn, at an interval preset to fulfill a prescribed function by a spacer (6, 61, 62, 63, 71, 72, 73), wherein a hollow gap (see annotation below) is secured between the first turn and the second turn (FIG. 10).
PNG
media_image1.png
332
624
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Hishida does not disclose the spacer is constituted of at least a portion of the flat conductor located on the first turn and is insulated from the opposing second turn.
Hongo discloses the spacer (FIG. 13B) is constituted of at least a portion of the flat conductor (C) located on the first turn and is insulated (¶ [0194] insulating resin coat) from the opposing second turn.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing of the claimed invention to have modified Hishida in view of Hongo to disclose the spacer is constituted of at least a portion of the flat conductor located on the first turn and is insulated from the opposing second turn, for the advantages of improving space factor and heat dissipation performance without causing deterioration during manufacturing (¶ [0013]).
Regarding claim 2/1, Hishida in view of Hongo was discussed above in claim 1. Hongo further discloses wherein the spacer is constituted of deforming the flat conductor (C; conductor is deformed to create thin portions).
Regarding claim 3/1, Hishida in view of Hongo was discussed above in claim 1. Hongo further discloses wherein the spacer is constituted of bending the flat conductor (C) at least in a direction different from a helical travelling direction (deformed perpendicular to the helical traveling direction).
Regarding claim 4/1, Hishida in view of Hongo was discussed above in claim 1. Hongo further discloses wherein the helical structure body is constituted of pressure welding (10; cold pressure welding) end faces of the flat conductors to each other (FIG. 11).
While Hishida in view of Hongo does not disclose “the spacer is a part of a burr generated by the pressing,” the limitation is a process claim within a product claim. As only the final structure is considered in a product claim, how the spacer is made does not imbue a different structure from what is disclosed in Hishida in view of Hongo. Thus, Hishida in view of Hongo discloses claim 4. See MPEP 2113.
Regarding claim 5/4, Hishida in view of Hongo was discussed above in claim 4. Hishida further discloses the spacer (6, 61-63, 71-73) is a resin layer (¶ [0080]).
Regarding claim 6/5, Hishida in view of Hongo was discussed above in claim 5. Hishida further discloses the resin layer is provided on at least a part of a surface of the first turn and at least a part of a surface of the second turn (the resin layer is between the first and second turn).
Regarding claim 8/1, Hishida in view of Hongo was discussed above in claim 1. Hishida further teaches the hollow gap (FIG 10, 13) is secured between the first turn and the second turn.
While Hishida does not explicitly disclose a distance of the gap is about 0.1 mm to 1 mm, Hishida does disclose in ¶ [0116] and [0121] that the thickness of the intervening part (61a, 62a) to create a gap between the first and second turn can be appropriately changed as needed, indicating that the thickness of the gap is a routine optimization/result-effective variable. Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to set specific range of values for the thickness of the gap. See MPEP 2144.05 II A.
Regarding claim 9/1, Hishida in view of Hongo was discussed above in claim 1. Hishida further discloses a fluid is allowed to pass between the first turn and the second turn (¶ [0089] cooling medium flow between the coils).
Regarding claim 10/1, Hishida in view of Hongo was discussed above in claim 1. Hishida further discloses at least an inner peripheral corner portion of the helical structure body is in a non-curved shape (FIG 2-3).
Regarding claim 11/1, Hishida in view of Hongo was discussed above in claim 1. Hishida further discloses each turn of the helical structure body is covered with an injection-molded resin (8; FIG 17-23).
Regarding claim 12/11, Hishida in view of Hongo was discussed above in claim 11. Hishida further discloses wherein the respective turns are integrally covered with the injection-molded resin (8; FIG 17-23).
Regarding claim 13/11, Hishida in view of Hongo was discussed above in claim 11. Hishida further discloses a stator (4) comprising:
the coil (5) of claim 11; and
a stator member (41) having teeth (42) arranged in an annular shape (FIG 1C), wherein
the coil (5) is directly attached to each of the teeth (42).
Regarding claim 14/13, Hishida in view of Hongo was discussed above in claim 13. Hishida further discloses a heat conductor means (cooling medium) is arranged between the coils (5) adjacent to each other in an annular shape (¶ [0066], [0089]).
Regarding claim 15/13, Hishida in view of Hongo was discussed above in claim 13. Hishida further discloses a motor (1) comprising the stator (4) of claim 13.
Claim 16 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hishida et al. (US 2020/0195075 A1) in view of Hong (JP 2015-116607 A; US 2022/0352792 A1 used as direct translation) as applied to claim 15 above, and further in view of Choi et al. (US 2003/0151315 A1).
Regarding claim 16/15, Hishida in view of Hongo was discussed above in claim 15. Hishida in view of Hongo fails to disclose a casing in a substantially cylindrical shape, the casing having a top surface and a side surface, wherein
the casing has a blade-like member provided on the top surface, and an opening portion provided in part of the side surface.
Choi discloses a casing (110) in a substantially cylindrical shape, the casing (110) having a top surface and a side surface (FIG 3), wherein
the casing (110) has a blade-like member (114) provided on the top surface, and an opening portion (116) provided in part of the side surface.
PNG
media_image2.png
336
476
media_image2.png
Greyscale
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing of the claimed invention to have modified Hishida in view of Hongo, further in view of Choi to disclose a casing in a substantially cylindrical shape, the casing having a top surface and a side surface, wherein the casing has a blade-like member provided on the top surface, and an opening portion provided in part of the side surface, for the advantages of creating a flow of cooling air as the rotor rotates with the casing.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MINKI CHANG whose telephone number is (571)270-0521. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00 AM - 5:00 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, Seye Iwarere can be reached at (571) 270-5112. 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.
/MINKI CHANG/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/OLUSEYE IWARERE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834