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 with respect to claim(s) 1-9 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
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim 1-5 are rejected under Chen (US 2019/0074751) and in view of Yin (TW I502862) and Hoffman (US 7012346).
As to claim 1, Chen discloses A motor comprising: a bearing (114; Fig. 1); a stator housing
including an inner peripheral portion having a bearing holder (Fig. 1), an outer peripheral portion (Fig. 1), and a coupling portion coupling the inner peripheral portion and the outer peripheral portion (Fig. 1); a stator supported by the outer peripheral portion of the stator housing (Fig. 1); a rotor housing covering the stator housing and the stator (Fig. 1); and a magnet supported by an outer peripheral portion of the rotor housing (Fig. 1), wherein the rotor housing includes a rotation axis (Fig. 1), the stator includes an upper surface portion provided at an inner side of the magnet (Fig. 1), supported by the outer peripheral portion of the stator housing and positioned at the outer peripheral portion of the stator housing in a rotation axis direction (Fig. 1), and a lower surface portion opposing an outside in the rotation axis direction (Fig. 1), and a surface of the magnet supported by the rotor housing is provided at a side of the upper surface portion of the stator in the rotation axis direction (Fig. 1).
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Chen fails to disclose a coupling portion extending in a radial direction between the inner peripheral portion and the outer peripheral portion, and the coupling portion extends further in the radial direction than in the rotation axis direction, the stator being opposed to the bearing holder via the coupling portion in the radial direction.
Yin, however, discloses a coupling portion extending in a radial direction between the inner peripheral portion and the outer peripheral portion (Fig. 8), and the coupling portion extends further in the radial direction than in the rotation axis direction (Fig. 8).
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to have provided the motor of Chen with a coupling portion extending in a radial direction between the inner peripheral portion and the outer peripheral portion, and the coupling portion extends further in the radial direction than in the rotation axis direction, as disclosed by Yin, to enhance the structure of the motor.
Hoffman discloses the stator being opposed to the bearing holder via the coupling portion in the radial direction (Fig. 7).
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to have provided the motor of Chen with the stator being opposed to the bearing holder via the coupling portion in the radial direction, as disclosed by Hoffman, to properly secure the stator and the bearings.
As to claim 2, the combination of Chen, Yin, and Hoffman discloses the motor according to claim 1, wherein a gap is formed between the upper surface portion of the stator and the rotor housing in the rotation axis direction (Fig. 1 of Chen).
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As to claim 4, the combination of Chen, Yin, and Hoffman discloses the motor according to claim 1, wherein the rotor housing includes a positioning portion configured to position the surface of the magnet supported by the rotor housing in the rotation axis direction (Fig. 1 of Chen).
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As to claim 6, the combination of Chen, Yin, and Hoffman discloses the motor according to claim 1, wherein the positioning direction of the stator and the positioning direction of the magnet are same with each other in the rotation axis direction (Fig. 1).
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As to claim 7, the combination of Chen, Yin, and Hoffman discloses the motor according to claim 1, wherein the stator includes a stator core including an annular portion and a plurality of magnetic pole units (Para 003 of Chen), the annular portion includes the upper surface portion and the lower surface portion (Fig. 1 of Chen).
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As to claim 8, the combination of Chen, Yin, and Hoffman discloses the motor according to claim 1, wherein an inner peripheral surface of the stator is opposed to an end portion of the outer peripheral portion of the stator housing at the lower surface portion side (Fig. 8 of Yin).
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As to claim 9, the combination of Chen, Yin, and Hoffman discloses the motor according to claim 1, wherein the positioning portion of the stator housing protrudes in the radial direction (Fig. 8 of
Yin).
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Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over Chen (20190074751), Yin, Hoffman, and in view of Masaaki (JP 2019154082).
As to claim 3, the combination of Chen, Yin, and Hoffman discloses the motor according to claim 1.
Chen fails to disclose the stator housing includes a positioning portion configured to
position the first surface of the stator in a rotation axis direction.
Masaaki, however, discloses the stator housing includes a positioning portion
configured to position the first surface of the stator in a rotation axis direction (Fig. 2).
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have provided the motor of Chen with the stator housing includes
a positioning portion configured to position the first surface of the stator in a rotation axis direction, as
disclosed by Masaaki, in order to properly align the stator.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over Chen, Yin, Hoffman, and in view of Chen780 (US 20220302780).
As to claim 5, the combination of Chen, Yin, and Hoffman discloses the motor according to claim 4, and a rotor housing.
Chen fails to disclose a second positioning portion protruding from the positioning portion in the
rotation axis direction.
Chen780, however, discloses a second positioning portion protruding from the positioning
portion in the rotation axis direction (Fig. 12).
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have provided the motor of Chen with a second positioning
portion protruding from the positioning portion in the rotation axis direction, as disclosed by Chen780,
in order to properly align the magnet.
Conclusion
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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/ETHAN NGUYEN VO/
Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/CHRISTOPHER M KOEHLER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
Prosecution Insights