DETAILED ACTION
Response to Amendment
Amendment filed on 30 January 2026 has been entered. Claims 1-8 are now pending in the
Amendments to the claim 6 to overcome the informalities are acceptable. Therefore, claim objections have been withdrawn.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-5 and 7-8 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 § 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) 1-3 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamaguchi (US 20140201979).
[AltContent: textbox (coil end pressing parts)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (coil straight part pressing part)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (coil end pressing parts)][AltContent: arrow]
PNG
media_image1.png
572
432
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Annotated Fig. 1, Yamaguchi.
Regarding claim 1, Yamaguchi teaches, a coil insertion apparatus (stator manufacturing device Fig. 1, para. [0050]) comprising a coil diameter expander (a plurality of link mechanisms 62 for applying a force in a radial direction of the stator core 10 to the coils 40, which are pushed and deformed by the two pushing units 50, para. [0050]) that expands a diameter of a coil assembly in a wound state (pushing force that increases the distance between the first side 41a and the second side 41b in each coil 40 is applied to the coil ends 42a, 42b, para. [0075], see coil 40, Fig. 4 below) from inside a stator core (stator core 10, Fig. 1) to insert the coil assembly into slots (slots 12) of the stator core,
the coil diameter expander including
a pair of coil end pressing parts (pushing members 53a, 53b, see annotated Fig. 1) that are disposed respectively on axial end portions of the stator core and each press a coil end (cols ends 42a, 42b, Fig. 4) at each axial end of the coil assembly from inside toward outside to expand the diameter (pushing unit 50 includes the pushing members 53a, 53b, which can also apply pushing force to the coil ends 42a, 42b toward the radially outer side of the stator core, para. [0066]), and
a coil straight part pressing part (pushing member 61, Fig. 1) that presses coil straight parts (first side 41a and the second side 41b, see Fig. 4 below) of the coil assembly to be inserted into the slots from inside toward outside to expand the diameter (pushing force that increases the distance between the first side 41a and the second side 41b in each coil 40 is applied to the coil ends 42a, 42b, para. [0075]; each pushing member 61 is moved from the bottom portion of each holding groove 21 toward the slot 12, and the first side 41a and the second side 41b are pushed out of the holding groove 21 and into the slot 12, para. [0081], see Figs. 7 and 8).
PNG
media_image2.png
288
347
media_image2.png
Greyscale
Annotated Fig. 4, Yamaguchi.
Though, Yamaguchi does not explicitly teach a coil diameter expander, from the teaching on para. [0075] and Fig. 4 (see annotated Fig. 4 above), “upper lifting support body 55a is lowered and the lower lifting support body 55b is lifted. As a result, the pushing force that squeezes the coils 40 in the axial direction, that is, the pushing force that increases the distance between the first side 41a and the second side 41b in each coil 40 is applied to the coil ends 42a, 42b, to which the pushing members 53a, 53b are engaged” one of ordinary skill in the art would have known that increasing distance between the first side 41a and the second side 41b causes to expand the diameter of the coil (if applicant disagrees, see Masaki (JP 2019126195), Fig. 13). Therefore, in view of the teachings of Yamaguchi in para. [0075], it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the coil insertion apparatus of Yamaguchi and to expand the coil diameter so that it enables to obviate deformation and damage of the stator core and the coil even when the coil is deformed and inserted into the slot of the stator core as Yamaguchi disclosed in para. [0013].
Regarding claim 2, Yamaguchi teaches the recited limitations with respect to claim 1. Yamaguchi further teaches, the coil insertion apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the coil straight part pressing part includes fixed projections (see annotated Fig. 5 below) that are respectively inserted from an end face of the stator core into the slots to press the coil straight parts respectively in the slots.
[AltContent: textbox (coil straight part pressing part)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (fixed projections)][AltContent: arrow]
PNG
media_image3.png
554
780
media_image3.png
Greyscale
Annotated Fig. 5, Yamaguchi.
Regarding claim 3, Yamaguchi teaches the recited limitations with respect to claim 1. Yamaguchi further teaches, the coil insertion apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the coil straight part pressing part includes movable projections (link mechanism 62, Figs. 3A and 3B) that move from inside the stator core toward outside in radial directions (see Figs. 3A and 3B) to press the coil straight parts respectively in the slots (each link mechanism 62 moves the corresponding pushing member 61 in a direction from the bottom portion of the holding groove 21 toward the corresponding slot 12, and in a direction from the opening of the holding groove 21 toward the bottom portion, see Figs. 3A and 3B, para. [0058]).
Regarding claim 7, Yamaguchi teaches, a coil insertion method (manufacturing a stator in which coils are coupled to a stator core in a lap winding, Figs. 1 to 10, para. [0050]) of expanding a diameter of a coil assembly in a wound state from inside a stator core to insert the coil assembly into slots of the stator core, the coil insertion method comprising:
coil end diameter expanding of allowing a pair of coil end pressing parts (pushing members 53a, 53b, Fig. 1) respectively disposed inside the coil assembly on axial end portions of the stator core (see Fig. 1) to respectively press coil ends at axial ends of the coil assembly from inside toward outside to expand the diameter (pushing unit 50 includes the pushing members 53a, 53b, which can also apply pushing force to the coil ends 42a, 42b toward the radially outer side of the stator core, para. [0066]); and
coil straight part diameter expanding of allowing a coil straight part pressing part (first side 41a and the second side 41b, see Fig. 4 above) disposed inside the coil assembly to press coil straight parts of the coil assembly to be inserted into the slots from inside toward outside to expand the diameter (see Figs. 3A and 3B, a plurality of link mechanisms 62 for applying a force in a radial direction of the stator core 10 to the coils 40, which are pushed and deformed by the two pushing units 50, para. [0050])
wherein the coil straight part diameter expanding is executed together with the coil end diameter expanding to press both the coil ends and the coil straight parts of the coil assembly (pushing unit 50 is formed to be able to simultaneously apply a pushing force to all of the coil ends 42a, 42b from the axial direction of the stator core 10 when the first sides 41a and the second sides 41b are inserted into the holding grooves 21 of the jig 20, which is supported by the support unit 30, and the coil ends 42a, 42b project out of the two end faces in the axial direction of the stator core 10 from the portion of the jig 20 including the holding groove 21, para. [0065]).
Though, Yamaguchi does not explicitly teach expanding the diameter, from the teaching on para. [0075] and Fig. 4 (see annotated Fig. 4 above), “upper lifting support body 55a is lowered and the lower lifting support body 55b is lifted. As a result, the pushing force that squeezes the coils 40 in the axial direction, that is, the pushing force that increases the distance between the first side 41a and the second side 41b in each coil 40 is applied to the coil ends 42a, 42b, to which the pushing members 53a, 53b are engaged” one of ordinary skill in the art would have known that increasing distance between the first side 41a and the second side 41b in turn expands the diameter of the coil (if applicant disagrees, see Masaki (JP 2019126195), Fig. 13). Therefore, in view of the teachings of Yamaguchi in para. [0075], it would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the coil insertion apparatus of Yamaguchi and to expand the coil diameter so that it enables to obviates deformation and damage of the stator core and the coil even when the coil is deformed and inserted into the slot of the stator core as Yamaguchi disclosed in para. [0013].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4 and 8 are 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. Claims 5-6 are allowable by virtue of its dependency.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for indicating allowable subject matter:
Claims 4 and 8 would be allowable for disclosing a coil insertion apparatus, wherein the coil diameter expander further includes a pair of limiters that are respectively disposed outside the coil assembly on axial end portions of the stator core, that limit outward movements of the coil ends to be expanded in diameter by the pair of coil end pressing parts.
Though, prior art of record Yamaguchi teaches a coil insertion apparatus including a coil diameter expander, Yamaguchi does not teach, the coil diameter expander further includes a pair of limiters that are respectively disposed outside the coil assembly on axial end portions of the stator core, that limit outward movements of the coil ends to be expanded in diameter by the pair of coil end pressing parts.
Prior art of record Masaki does not teach the coil diameter expander further includes a pair of limiters that are respectively disposed outside the coil assembly on axial end portions of the stator core, that limit outward movements of the coil ends to be expanded in diameter by the pair of coil end pressing parts
Therefore, claims 4 and 8 would be allowable. Claims 5-6 would be allowable by virtue of its dependency.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOSE K. ABRAHAM whose telephone number is (571)270-1087. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:30-4:30 EST.
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, THOMAS J. HONG can be reached at (571) 272-0993. 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.
/JOSE K ABRAHAM/Examiner, Art Unit 3729 /THOMAS J HONG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3729