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 final rejection. 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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 12/11/2025 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 7-9, filed 12/11/2025, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 7 under 35 U.S.C. § 102 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of new prior art below.
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 7-9, filed 12/11/2025, with respect to rejection of claim 1 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejection of the claim has been withdrawn.
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.
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.
Claims 7-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takahashi et al. (US 2010/0194214 A1) in view of Endo et al. (US 2018/0083516 A1).
Regarding claim 7, Takahashi discloses a rotary electrical machine (¶ [0001]; FIG. 9) comprising:
a stator (19) that includes a plurality of iron cores (10) that are annularly disposed; windings (13) that are wound to each of the plurality of iron cores (10); connection terminals (13a, 13b) to which the windings (13) are connected to; molded members (14) that partially cover (FIG. 13 discloses the molded member 14 on covers one side of the iron core on the left and partially covers the top side of the iron core) the plurality of iron cores (10) and the windings (13); and
a rotor (connected to rotor shaft 33) that rotates around an axis that coincides with a circular center of the plurality of iron cores (10; FIG. 9), wherein the molded members (14) have resin portions that cover the plurality of iron cores (10) and the windings (13), and
winding holders (16) that are attached to each of the plurality of iron cores (10); wherein
the winding holders (16) have arc grooves that extend along the circumferential direction of the stator (19);
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a part (17) of the windings (13) is disposed in the arc grooves; and
the molded portions (14) cover the winding holders (16; FIG. 13).
Takahashi does not disclose a plurality of exposed terminal portions that expose the connection terminals.
Endo discloses a plurality of exposed terminal portions (¶ [0052] terminals 16 is partially exposed) that expose the connection terminals (16).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing of the claimed invention to have modified Takahashi in view of Endo to disclose a plurality of exposed terminal portions that expose the connection terminals, for the advantages of directly connecting the terminals to external components (¶ [0053]).
Regarding claim 8/7, Takahashi in view of Endo was discussed above in claim 7. Takahashi further discloses winding holders (16) that are attached to each of the plurality of iron cores (10); wherein
the winding holders (16) have arc grooves (FIG. 11; holding busbars 17) that extend along the circumferential direction of the stator (19; FIG. 11); and
a part (17) of the windings (13) is disposed in the arc grooves (FIG. 13).
Regarding claim 9/7, Takahashi in view of Endo was discussed above in claim 7. Takahashi in view of Endo further discloses the plurality of the exposed terminal portions (FIG. 2; connection terminals 13a, 13b are at equal intervals) are formed in the molded members (14) at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the stator (19).
Takahashi modified by Endo would have the exposed terminal portions where the connection terminals 13a and 13b are located, which would have the exposed terminal portions at equal intervals around the stator.
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takahashi et al. (US 2010/0194214 A1) in view of Endo et al. (US 2018/0083516 A1) as applied to claim 7 above, and further in view of Yamagata et al. (US 2020/0028404 A1).
Regarding claim 12/7, Takahashi in view of Endo was discussed above in claim 7. Takahashi in view of Endo does not explicitly disclose PA66 is used as a material of the resin portions.
Yamagata discloses PA66 is used as a material of the resin portions (¶ [0073] nylon 66 is another name for PA66).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing of the claimed invention to have modified Takahashi in view of Endo, further in view of Yamagata to disclose PA66 is used as a material of the resin portions, as using PA66 as a resin material is a simple substitution of a known element for another to obtain predictable results.
Allowable Subject Matter
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 1, the specific limitation of “the molded member have … a plurality of exposed terminal portions that expose the connection terminals, the windings have terminal wires that connect to the windings; the terminal wires are positioned in each of the exposed terminal portions” in the combination as claimed are neither anticipated nor made obvious over the prior art made of record.
The closest prior art Endo discloses a stator and windings, the stator and winding covered and held together by resin, and terminals which are exposed from the resin, but does not disclose the winding having terminal wires which are also exposed from the resin.
Claims 2-3 and 5-6 are allowable for depending upon claim 1.
Claims 10-11 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.
Regarding claim 10/7, the specific limitation of “the windings have terminal wires that connect to the windings; the terminal wires are positioned in each of the exposed terminal portions” in the combination as claimed are neither anticipated nor made obvious over the prior art made of record.
The closest prior art Endo discloses a stator and windings, the stator and winding covered and held together by resin, and terminals which are exposed from the resin, but does not disclose the winding having terminal wires which are also exposed from the resin.
Regarding claim 11/7, the specific limitation of “the windings have terminal wires that connect to the windings; the terminal wires are positioned in each of the exposed terminal portions” in the combination as claimed are neither anticipated nor made obvious over the prior art made of record.
The closest prior art Endo discloses a stator and windings, the stator and winding covered and held together by resin, and terminals which are exposed from the resin, but does not disclose the winding having terminal wires which are also exposed from the resin.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MINKI CHANG whose telephone number is (571)270-0521. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Seye Iwarere can be reached at (571) 270-5112. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MINKI CHANG/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/OLUSEYE IWARERE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834