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 . This Office Action is responsive to the Applicant's communication filed August 12, 2025. In view of this communication and the amendment concurrently filed: claims 1-5 were previously pending; no claims were cancelled and no claims were added by amendment; and thus, claims 1-5 are now pending in the application.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed August 12, 2025 have been fully considered.
The Applicant's first point (page 4-5 of Remarks) amends claim 1 to include the limitation, “wherein an interior side of the first exhaust opening has a concave shape.” This amendment adds a limitation which falls outside the scope of the currently applied prior art. Therefore, the amendment necessitates new grounds of rejection. This is shown in the new rejection bellow.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 3-4 were rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claims 3 and 4 both recites the limitation "the gap" in first paragraph of each claim respectively. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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.
Claim(s) 1 and 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated EARLY (US 5998896 A).
Regarding claim 1, EARLY teaches:
A rotating electrical machine (Fig 2; 10) comprising:
a housing(Fig 2; 12),
a cylindrical fan cover (Fig 3; 20/22/24/26) covers the housing(Fig 2; 12)(the fan cover and housing are integrally formed as one piece),
an end bracket (Fig 2; 72)attached to an axial end face of the housing(Fig 2; 12)[Col 4; ln 27-36],
a cooling fan (Fig 2; 62)on the fan cover(Fig 2; 24)[Col 4; ln 19-26],
wherein an output shaft side end face of the fan cover (Fig 2; 20)has a convex portion extending in the axial direction(the fan cover has cover plate 46; this portion is convex in the axial direction; additionally end bracket 72, which forms part of the fan cover, is convex in the axial direction),
the end bracket on the output shaft side(Fig 2; 72) has a first exhaust opening part(Fig 3; 40/42) relative to the convex part of the fan cover(the term “relative” has been broadly interpreted to mean the same axial side as),
the end bracket on an anti-output shaft side (Fig 2; 74)has a second exhaust opening part (Fig 2; 40’/42’)on an opposite side of the first exhaust opening part(Fig 3; 40/42);
wherein an interior side of the first exhaust opening (Fig 3; 40/42) has a concave shape(Fig 3 shows the concave cut out of exhaust opening 40/42).
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Additionally. The Applicant should note that it has been held that constructing a formerly integral structure in various elements involves only routine skill in the art. Nerwih v. Erlichman, 168 USPQ 177, 179. This can be applied to making the housing and fan cover separable.
Regarding claim 5, EARLY teaches the rotating electrical machine according to claim 1 comprising:
the fan cover (Fig 3; 20/22/24/26) is rectangular, in which openings (Fig 3; 40/42/40’/42’)are formed at the four corners of the rectangle(the openings are located at the bottom wall 26 of the fan cover at each corner).
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 2-3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over EARLY (US 5998896 A) in view of GOWANS (US 20170179792 A1).
In regards to claim 2, EARLY teaches the rotating electrical machine according to claim 1.
EARLY does not teach:
plurality of cooling fans are arranged on the same surface of the fan cover.
GOWANS teaches:
plurality of cooling fans (Fig 1; 104)are arranged on the same surface of the fan cover(Fig 1; 102).
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify EARLY by teaches a plurality of fans taught by GOWANS in order to improve air circulation of the cooling system.
Additionally, the Applicant should note it has been held that mere duplication of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art. St. Regis Paper Co. v. Bemis Co., 193 USPQ 8. This can be applied to making a plurality of fans.
In regards to claim 3, EARLY, in view of GOWANS, teaches the rotating electrical machine according to claim 2:
the gap (Fig 2; 60)between the fan cover (Fig 2; 24)and the housing(Fig 2; 12),
the flow paths of cooling air of cooling fans are different(flow paths are shown in Fig 2 to split and got to both axial ends of the motor).
EARLY does not teach:
the plurality of cooling fans
a first cooling fan and a second cooling fan of the plurality of cooling fans
GOWANS teaches:
the plurality of cooling fans(Fig 1; 104)
a first cooling fan (Fig 1; 104)and a second cooling fan (Fig 1; 104)of the plurality of cooling fans
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over EARLY (US 5998896 A) in view of GOWANS (US 20170179792 A1), and further in view of ADACHI (JP 2014066459 A).
In regards to claim 4, EARLY, in view of GOWANS, teaches the rotating electrical machine according to claim 2:
cooling air passes through the gap (Fig 2; 60)between the fan cover(Fig 2; 24) and the housing(Fig 2; 12).
EARLY does not teach:
the plurality of cooling fans
comprising a partition to separate the cooling air from a first cooling fan of the plurality of cooling fans located on the output shaft side and the cooling air from a second cooling fan of the plurality of cooling fans located on the anti- output shaft side.
GOWANS teaches:
the plurality of cooling fans (Fig 1; 104)
a first cooling fan(Fig 1; 104) of the plurality of cooling fans located on the output shaft side and the cooling air from a second cooling fan (Fig 1; 104)of the plurality of cooling fans located on the anti- output shaft side.
Combination EARLY/GOWANS does not teach teaches:
comprising a partition to separate the cooling air.
ADACHI teaches:
comprising a partition (Fig 5;71) to separate the cooling air [0033].
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the EARLY/GOWANS combination by adding the partition to direct air taught by ADACHI in order to concentrate the air to a desirable location, thus cooling that part of the motor [ADACHI 0033].
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NICHOLAS L SETZER whose telephone number is (571)272-3021. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm EST.
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/N.L.S./Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/OLUSEYE IWARERE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834