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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see page 5, section II, filed 11/14/2025, with respect to rejections under 35 USC 112 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejections under 35 USC 112 of claims 15-18 have been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to 35 USC 102 rejections of claims 11-20 and 22 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.
Applicant's arguments with respect to claim 21 filed 11/14/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Claim 21 recites “an extended central slot axis oriented perpendicular to the rotation axis.” RONNING discloses an extended central slot axis oriented perpendicular to the rotation axis, as claimed.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 11-14, 17-18 and 20-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by MICHAEL (US 20220060072, previously cited).
Regarding claim 11, MICHAEL discloses a rotor shaft (1) assembly for an electric machine, the rotor shaft (1) assembly comprising: a hollow rotor shaft (1) comprising a rotational axis (11, 31) and configured to rotate about the rotational axis (11, 31) and to receive a rotor and delimit a cavity, which, in order to cool the rotor shaft (1), is configured to have a cooling medium flow therethrough; and a lance (3) which protrudes into the cavity and has an outflow region, via which the cooling medium which is conducted in the lance (3) can flow out of the lance (3) into the cavity, and in which the lance (3) comprises a swirling device, via which turbulence can be applied to the cooling medium during the flow out of the lance (3) (see para [0088]), wherein the lance (3) is stationary relative to the rotor shaft (1) such that the rotor shaft (1) rotates around and relative to the lance (3) (see para [0071]).
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Regarding claim 12, MICHAEL discloses the rotor shaft assembly according to claim 11,
wherein a gap exists between an outer pipe wall of the lance and an inner wall of the rotor shaft within the cavity of the hollow rotor shaft (see Fig. 1)
wherein the lance (3) comprises, as the swirling device, at least one opening (32) which is arranged in the outer pipe wall of the lance (3) and via which the cooling medium can flow radially out of the lance (3) into the gap (see Fig. 1a and para. [0070]).
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Regarding claim 13, MICHAEL discloses the rotor shaft assembly according to claim 12 wherein the at least one opening (32) is configured as a slot (see Fig. 1a and para. [0070]).
Regarding claim 21, MICHAEL discloses the rotor shaft assembly according to claim 13 wherein the slot comprises an elongated geometry having an extended central slot axis oriented perpendicular to the rotational axis (see Fig. 1a).
Regarding claim 14, MICHAEL discloses the rotor shaft assembly according to claim 12 wherein
the at least one opening (32) is provided by way of a passage in the outer pipe wall, a center axis of which passage is oriented obliquely with respect to a center axis (31) of the lance (3) (32 is a conical bore; see Fig. 1a and para. [0070]).
Regarding claim 17, MICHAEL discloses the rotor shaft assembly according to claim 12
wherein the lance comprises a free end that does not contact the inner wall or an end face of the rotor shaft (see Fig. 1a), and
wherein at least two openings (44) are provided, which have an axial spacing of different length with respect to one another from the free end of the lance (3) (see Fig. 11a).
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Regarding claim 18, MICHAEL discloses the rotor shaft assembly according to claim 12
wherein the lance comprises a free end that does not contact the inner wall or an end face of the rotor shaft (see Fig. 1a), and
wherein the at least one opening (32) is provided by way of an incision in the pipe wall, the lance (3) being constricted at the free end by way of a pinched portion (the conical shape of the opening is a ‘pinched portion’ as broadly claimed; see Fig. 1a and para. [0070]).
Regarding claim 20, MICHAEL discloses an electric machine comprising: a stator (S); a rotor (R); and a rotor shaft assembly (1) according to claim 11, wherein
the rotor (R) is held on the hollow rotor shaft (1) (see para [0067] and Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 22, MICHAEL discloses the rotor shaft assembly according to claim 11, wherein the lance is in the form of a pipe with a single internal passageway through which the cooling medium flows only in a direction toward the outflow region (see Fig. 1a).
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.
Claims 15-16 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over MICHAEL in view of RONNING.
Regarding claim 15, MICHAEL discloses the rotor shaft assembly according to claim 12 wherein the lance comprises a free end that does not contact the inner wall or an end face of the rotor shaft (see Fig. 1a), and wherein, in addition to the at least one opening (32) which is arranged in the outer pipe wall of the lance (3), at least one further outlet opening (44), via which the cooling medium can flow axially out of the lance (3) into the cavity to directly contact the inner wall of the rotor shaft (see Fig. 11a).
However, MICHAEL does not disclose that the lance has the further outlet opening at the free end.
RONNING discloses a rotor shaft assembly with a lance having further outlet openings at the free end (84) (see Fig. 2).
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It 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 to provide the lance of MICHAEL with the further outlet openings at the free end, similar to RONNING.
A person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains would have been motivated to make such modification in order to further break up laminar flow, as taught by RONNING (see para [0044]).
Regarding claim 16, MICHAEL in view of RONNING discloses the rotor shaft assembly according to claim 15 wherein
MICHAEL discloses the at least one outlet opening (32) has a constricted cross section in comparison to a guide region of the lance (3) (see Fig. 1a), through which guide region the cooling medium is to be conducted within the lance (3) to the outflow region (see Fig. 1a).
Regarding claim 19, MICHAEL discloses the rotor shaft assembly according to claim 11 wherein
the swirling device is provided by way of a swirling element (4).
However, MICHAEL does not disclose the swirling element is plugged into the lance.
RONNING discloses a rotor shaft assembly with a lance and a swirling element (150) plugged into the lance (see Fig. 7).
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It 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 to provide the lance of MICHAEL with swirling element(s), similar to RONNING.
A person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains would have been motivated to make such modification in order to permit design of a second flow passage to have any desired contouring or shape, as taught by RONNING (see para [0047]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US-20210376685-A1 HACKLBERGER; US-20230264553-A1 LING disclose rotor cooling lances wherein a gap exists between an outer pipe wall of the lance and an inner wall of the rotor shaft within the cavity of the hollow rotor shaft.
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 JUSTIN STEFANON whose telephone number is (703)756-4648. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday and alternate Fridays 8AM - 5PM EDT.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Oluseye 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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/JUSTIN STEFANON/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/OLUSEYE IWARERE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834