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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species A in the reply filed on 4/23/2026 is acknowledged.
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 1-5, 7-15 and 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Becht (DE102007056365A1).
Becht discloses the claimed invention as follows (refer to Fig. 1):
Claim 1. An electrical machine for a motor vehicle drive1 comprising:
a housing (2 with 3),
a stator (6 and 7) accommodated in the housing, and
a rotor (5) connected to a connection shaft (1) for conjoint rotation,
wherein the connection shaft is radially and axially supported toward a first axial side of the rotor by a rolling bearing assembly (2a with left 9 and left 4) and is supported on a housing side toward a second axial side of the rotor facing away from the first axial side by an additional rolling bearing (3a with right 9 and right 4) for transmitting at least axial forces.
Claim 2. The electrical machine according to claim 1, wherein the rolling bearing assembly includes a double-row rolling bearing (see “double-row angular contact ball bearing: in [0010]) or two single-row rolling bearings arranged directly axially adjacent to one another.
Claim 3. The electrical machine according to claim 1, wherein the rolling bearing assembly includes a double-row angular contact ball bearing (see “double-row angular contact ball bearing.” In [0010]) or two single-row angular contact ball bearings or a double-row tapered roller bearing or two single-row tapered roller bearings or a combination of an angular contact ball bearing and a tapered roller bearing.
Claim 4. The electrical machine according claim 1, wherein a plurality of rolling element raceways of the rolling bearing assembly are aligned with one another in an O arrangement or X arrangement. It is readily apparent the raceways of a double-row angular contact ball bearing would either be an O arrangement or an X arrangement.
Claim 5. The electrical machine according to claim 1, wherein the rolling bearing assembly has at least one outer ring (left 9) fixed both radially and axially to the stator or the housing and/or has at least one inner ring fixed both radially and axially to the connection shaft.
Claim 7. The electrical machine according to claim 1, wherein the additional rolling bearing includes an angular contact ball bearing or a tapered roller bearing. See angular contact ball bearing on the right side of the rotor 4. Also see “double-row angular contact ball bearing” in [0010].
Claim 8. The electrical machine according to claim 1, wherein rolling element raceways or force transmission directions of the additional rolling bearing are opposite with respect to rolling element raceways or force transmission directions of the rolling element assembly. See Fig. 1. The two bearings would be in an X arrangement if they would be side-by-side.
Claim 9. The electrical machine according to claim 1, wherein the electrical machine is an axial flux machine. See Fig. 1.
Claim 10. The electrical machine according to claim 1, wherein the stator has two disc-shaped stator halves (6 and 7; see [0025] and [0026]), each having at least one coil body (see “wound iron cores” in [0025]), wherein each stator half is accommodated in a stator housing (housing formed by the two shells 2 and 3) and rotor is arranged axially between the stator halves (see Fig. 1).
Claim 11. A method of assembling an electrical machine for a motor vehicle drive, the method comprising:
providing a housing (2 with 3), a stator (6 with 7) accommodated in the housing, and a rotor (5) connected to a connection shaft (1) for conjoint rotation;
supporting the connection shaft radially and axially toward a first axial side of the rotor by a rolling bearing assembly (left 9 with left 4 and 2a); and
supporting the connection shaft on a housing side toward a second axial side of the rotor facing away from the first axial side by an additional rolling bearing (right 4 with right 9 and 3a) for transmitting at least axial forces.
Claim 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the rolling bearing assembly includes a double-row rolling bearing (see “double-row angular contact ball bearing” in [0010]) or two single-row rolling bearings arranged directly axially adjacent to one another.
Claim 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the bearing assembly includes a double-row angular contact ball bearing (see “double-row angular contact ball bearing” in [0010]) or two single-row angular contact ball bearings or a double-row tapered roller bearing or two single-row tapered roller bearings or a combination of an angular contact ball bearing and a tapered roller bearing.
Claim 14. The method of claim 11, wherein the rolling bearing assembly has at least one outer ring (left 9) fixed both radially and axially to the stator or the housing and/or has at least one inner ring fixed both radially and axially to the connection shaft.
Claim 15. The method of claim 11, wherein a plurality of rolling element raceways of the rolling bearing assembly are aligned with one another in an O arrangement or X arrangement. It is readily apparent the raceways of a double-row angular contact ball bearing would either be an O arrangement or an X arrangement.
Claim 17. The method of claim 11, wherein the additional rolling bearing includes an angular contact ball bearing or a tapered roller bearing. See angular contact ball bearing on the right side of the rotor 4. Also see “double-row angular contact ball bearing” in [0010].
Claim 18. The method of claim 11, wherein rolling element raceways or force transmission directions of the additional rolling bearing are opposite with respect to rolling element raceways or force transmission directions of the rolling element assembly. See Fig. 1. The two bearings would be in an X arrangement if they would be side-by-side.
Claim 19. The method of claim 11, wherein the electrical machine is an axial flux machine. See Fig. 1.
Claim 20. The method of claim 11, wherein the stator has two disc-shaped stator halves (6 and 7; see [0025] and [0026]), each having at least one coil body (see “wound iron cores” in [0025]), wherein each stator half is accommodated in a stator housing (housing formed by the two shells 2 and 3) and rotor is arranged axially between the stator halves (see Fig. 1).
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.
Claim(s) 6 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Becht.
Becht discloses the claimed invention, including the additional rolling bearing being on an outer ring or an inner ring on a part of the stator or the connection shaft. See the inner ring defined by the right portion of the shaft, by the axial stop surface at the end of the shaft. Becht does not explicitly state the bearing is in a clearance fit on the inner ring. However, it is readily apparent from Becht the axial position of the sleeves 9 and, consequently, of the two bearings, on the shaft 1 is slightly adjustable, in the sense that clamping device 10 is used to clamp the sleeves 9 against each other in the axial direction, as mentioned in [0029]. One of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to machine the radially inner surface of the sleeves 9 so as to allow for a sliding fit (i.e., a type of clearance fit) between the sleeves and the shaft, such that the clamping device 10 can clamp the sleeves 9 against each other in the axial direction without undue force that would be required if, for example, the fit is an interference fit.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: CN210007591U discloses an axial flux electrical machine with a double-row angular contact ball bearing 31 in an O arrangement, and an additional rolling bearing 32. In amending the claims in response to the present art rejections, it is suggested Applicant also take into consideration this reference.
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/LIVIUS R. CAZAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3729
1 The language in italics represents intended use that does not limit the structure of the electrical machine.
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