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 allowance or after an Office action under Ex Parte Quayle, 25 USPQ 74, 453 O.G. 213 (Comm'r Pat. 1935). 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, prosecution in this application has been reopened pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 2/17/26 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.
Claim(s) 5, 6, and 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakada (US Patent Application Pub. No.: US 2013/0154425 A1) in view of Liang et al. (US Patent Application Pub. No.: US 2016/0365762 A1).
For claim 5, Nakada discloses the claimed invention comprising: a rotor (reference numeral 1) rotatable about a center axis (see figure 1); and a stator (see paragraphs [0032-0033]) located radially outside the rotor (see paragraphs [0032-0033]); wherein the rotor includes a rotor core (reference numeral 20) including accommodation holes (reference numerals 21, 22) and magnets (reference numeral 30) respectively accommodated in the accommodation holes (see figure 1); the magnets (reference numeral 30) include a pair of first magnets (reference numeral 31) arranged at an interval in the circumferential direction and extending in directions away from each other in the circumferential direction as extending from a radially inside toward a radially outside when viewed in the axial direction (fig. 1 discloses magnets 31 extending away from each other toward a radially outside) and a second magnet (reference numeral 32) arranged at a circumferential position between the pair of first magnets (reference numeral 31) on a radially outside relative to a radially inner end portion of the pair of first magnets (see figure 1) and extending in a direction orthogonal to the radial direction as viewed in the axial direction (see figure 1); the pair of first magnets (reference numeral 31) and the second magnet (reference numeral 32) define poles and include magnets (reference numeral 30) arranged in the circumferential direction (see figure 1); and the rotor core (reference numeral 20) includes a pair of holes extending in the axial direction or a pair of groove portions (reference numeral 40) provided in an outer peripheral surface (i.e. outer peripheral surface of core 20, figure 1) which are arranged on two sides in the circumferential direction across a d-axis in a first pattern at a position of a first angle from the d-axis (see figure 1) on an outer peripheral side in the radial direction when viewed in the axial direction (see figure 1). Nakada however does not specifically disclose the stator including a stator core including an annular core back surrounding the rotor core and teeth extending radially inward from the core back and arranged side by side at intervals in a circumferential direction and coils attached to the stator core; and a pair of holes extending in the axial direction or a pair of groove portions provided in the outer peripheral surface which are arranged on two sides in the circumferential direction across the d-axis in a second pattern at a position of a second angle from the d-axis on the outer peripheral side in the radial direction when viewed in the axial direction, the second angle being different from the first angle; the pair of holes extending in the axial direction or the pair of groove portions which are arranged in the first pattern are positioned such that the d-axis extends through a circumferential center of the second magnet when viewed in the axial direction; the pair of holes extending in the axial direction or the pair of groove portions which are arranged in the second pattern are positioned such that the d-axis extends through the circumferential center of the second magnet when viewed in the axial direction; and the rotor core includes at least one magnetic pole portion in which the pair of holes or the pair of groove portions are arranged at positions in the first pattern and at least one magnetic pole portion in which the pair of holes or the pair of groove portions are arranged at positions in the second pattern.
Liang et al. disclose the stator including a stator core (reference numeral 136, figure 3) including an annular core back (i.e. outer radial portion of core 136) surrounding the rotor core (reference numeral 138, figure 3) and teeth (i.e. teeth in between the openings 134, see figure 3) extending radially inward from the core back (i.e. outer radial portion of core 136) and arranged side by side at intervals in a circumferential direction (see figure 3) and coils (i.e. stator windings, see paragraph [0039]) attached to the stator core (see paragraph [0039], and figure 3); and a pair of holes extending in the axial direction or a pair of groove portions (i.e. grooves on outer peripheral surface of rotor 550, see figure 10, also see annotated figure of Liang et al. below) provided in the outer peripheral surface which are arranged on two sides in the circumferential direction across the d-axis in a second pattern (see annotated figure of Liang et al. below) at a position of a second angle from the d-axis on the outer peripheral side in the radial direction when viewed in the axial direction (see annotated figure of Liang et al. below), the second angle being different from the first angle (i.e. angle formed by grooves of first pattern being different from the angle formed by grooves of second pattern, see annotated figure of Liang et al. below); and when these grooves of the first and second patterns in adjacent magnetic poles as disclosed by Liang et al. are applied to the magnetic poles of Nakada with the second magnet of Nakada this would disclose the pair of holes extending in the axial direction or the pair of groove portions which are arranged in the first pattern being positioned such that the d-axis extends through a circumferential center of the second magnet when viewed in the axial direction (i.e. axis 560 and 562 in figure 10 of Liang et al. when applied to the second magnet of Nakada would disclose the d-axis extending through a circumferential center of the second magnet when viewed in the axial direction) and also would disclose the pair of holes extending in the axial direction or the pair of groove portions which are arranged in the second pattern being positioned such that the d-axis extends through the circumferential center of the second magnet when viewed in the axial direction (i.e. axis 560 and 562 in figure 10 of Liang et al. when applied to the second magnet of Nakada would disclose the d-axis extending through a circumferential center of the second magnet when viewed in the axial direction); and Liang et al. disclose the rotor core including at least one magnetic pole portion in which the pair of holes or the pair of groove portions are arranged at positions in the first pattern (i.e. magnetic pole with grooves of first pattern as seen in annotated figure of Liang et al. below) and at least one magnetic pole portion in which the pair of holes or the pair of groove portions are arranged at positions in the second pattern (i.e. magnetic pole with grooves of second pattern as seen in annotated figure of Liang et al. below).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the stator core, teeth, the different patterns for the groove portions in the rotor, and to have at least two magnetic pole portions for a rotor with different patterns for the groove as disclosed by Liang et al. in combination with the rotor of Nakada for predictably providing desirable torque characteristics for reducing noise (see also Liang et al.'s paragraph [0044, 0056]).
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For claim 6, Nakada in view of Liang et al. disclose the claimed invention except for the magnetic pole portion in which the pair of holes or the pair of groove portions are arranged in the first pattern and the magnetic pole portion in which the pair of holes or the pair of groove portions are arranged in the second pattern being alternately provided in the circumferential direction. Liang et al. further disclose the magnetic pole portion in which the pair of holes or the pair of groove portions are arranged in the first pattern (see annotated figure of Liang et al. shown above for claim 5) and the magnetic pole portion in which the pair of holes or the pair of groove portions are arranged in the second pattern (see annotated figure of Liang et al. shown above for claim 5) being alternately provided in the circumferential direction (i.e. different groove patterns for adjacent poles as shown in figures 10, 12, see also paragraphs [0058-0059]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the alternating patterns for the groove as disclosed by Liang et al. for the magnetic pole portions of Nakada in view of Liang et al. for predictably providing desirable torque characteristics for reducing noise in the device.
For claim 8, Nakada discloses the rotor core including first flux barrier portions (reference numeral 21, figure 1) arranged in pairs to sandwich each of the first magnets (reference numeral 31) in a direction in which each of the first magnets (reference numeral 31) extends when viewed in the axial direction and a pair of second flux barrier portions (reference numeral 22) arranged to sandwich the second magnet (reference numeral 32) in a direction in which the second magnet (reference numeral 32) extends as viewed in the axial direction (see figure 1); the pair of holes or the pair of groove portions (reference numeral 40) of the first pattern being arranged between a first flux barrier portion (reference numeral 21), of the pair of first flux barrier portions arranged to sandwich one of the pair of first magnets (reference numeral 31, see figure 1), which are located radially outside and one of the pair of second flux barrier portions (reference numeral 22) in the circumferential direction (see figure 1), but Nakada in view of Liang et al. however do not specifically disclose the pair of holes or the pair of groove portions of the second pattern being arranged at a position closer to one of the pair of second flux barrier portions in the circumferential direction than the pair of holes or the pair of groove portions of the first pattern. Liang et al. already disclose a second pattern of the groove being closer together than the grooves of the first pattern (see annotated figure of Liang et al. shown above for claim 5) and when applied to a magnetic pole with the second flux barrier portions of Nakada in view of Liang et al. this would disclose the pair of holes or the pair of groove portions of the second pattern being arranged at a position closer to one of the pair of second flux barrier portions in the circumferential direction than the pair of holes or the pair of groove portions of the first pattern. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the second pattern with grooves closer together as disclosed by Liang et al. so that the groove portions of the second pattern is closer to the second flux barrier portion of Nakada in view of Liang et al. for predictably providing desirable torque characteristics for reducing noise in the device.
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakada in view of Liang et al. as applied to claim 5 above, and further in view of Tajima et al. (US Patent No.: 7151335).
For claim 7, Nakada in view of Liang et al. disclose the claimed invention except for the tooth including a base portion extending radially inward from the core back and an umbrella portion provided at a radially inner end portion of the base portion and protruding from the base portion to two sides in the circumferential direction; and when a center position of one of the teeth in the circumferential direction coincides with the d-axis: a circumferential center position of the pair of holes or the pair of groove portions in the first pattern as viewed in the axial direction overlaps an end portion on a side adjacent to the d-axis in the circumferential direction of the umbrella portion of a tooth arranged two teeth away from the tooth that coincides with the d-axis in the radial direction; and a circumferential center position of the pair of holes or the pair of groove portions in the second pattern as viewed in the axial direction overlaps a slot arranged two teeth away from the tooth that coincides with the d-axis in the radial direction. Tajima et al. disclose the stator tooth having a base portion (reference numeral 42, see figure 3) extending radially inward from the core back (reference numeral 41, see figures 2, 3) and an umbrella portion (i.e. the end portion of tooth 2 facing the rotor 3 which extend in a circumferential direction, see figure 3) provided at a radially inner end portion of the base portion and protruding from the base portion to two sides in the circumferential direction (see figure 3), and having a circumferential center position of the groove overlapping a particular stator slot or stator tooth portion would merely involve adjusting the position of the groove on the outer peripheral surface of the rotor which is a known skill as exhibited by Tajima et al. (i.e. grooves 76 and 77 in figures 2 and 8 show the adjusting of the grooves on the surface of rotor 3), which would allow a person of ordinary skill to have a circumferential center position of the pair of holes or the pair of groove portions in the first pattern as viewed in the axial direction overlapping an end portion on a side adjacent to the d-axis in the circumferential direction of the umbrella portion of a tooth arranged two teeth away from the tooth that coincides with the d-axis in the radial direction; and a circumferential center position of the pair of holes or the pair of groove portions in the second pattern as viewed in the axial direction overlapping a slot arranged two teeth away from the tooth that coincides with the d-axis in the radial direction. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the position of the groove adjusted on the rotor as disclosed by Tajima et al. so that the groove pattern would have particular alignments with the stator slots and stator teeth of Nakada in view of Liang et al. for predictably providing desirable torque characteristics for reducing noise in the device.
Conclusion
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/ALEX W MOK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834