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 .
Drawings
Applicant has amended claim 1 to remove the phrases “continuously contact substantially an entirety“ and “around an circumference of each of the permanent magnets” therefore, the drawing objection on the previous action has been withdrawn.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Applicant has amended claim 1 to remove the phrases “continuously contact substantially an entirety“ and “around an circumference of each of the permanent magnets” therefore, the 112b rejection on the previous action has been withdrawn.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 and 4-8 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
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:
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.
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 1 and 5 – 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakatsugawa et al. in view of Fujii et al.
Regarding Claim 1, Nakatsugawa et al. discloses a permanent field magnet (210) for a linear motor (100) (Nakatsugawa et al. Fig. 2),
the permanent field magnet (Nakatsugawa et al. Fig. 2) comprising:
a plurality of permanent magnets arranged along a moving path (left-right direction) (Nakatsugawa et al. Para [0013] lines 5 – 10) of a mover (2) (Nakatsugawa et al. Fig. 2);
a first member (200) that includes a soft magnetic material (Nakatsugawa et al. Para [0022] lines 2 – 3) and is disposed between, and in contact with, mutually adjacent ones of the plurality of permanent magnets (see below in annotated Nakatsugawa et al. Fig. 8);
and a suppressing portion (upper magnetic cover 220) (Nakatsugawa et al. Fig. 5) configured to suppress application of a magnetic field (Nakatsugawa et al. Para [0042] whole paragraph discloses magnetic cover 220 improves demagnetization resistance of the permanent magnets) from an armature (3) to each of the permanent magnets (Nakatsugawa et al. Fig. 2).
Nakatsugawa et al. does not disclose:
wherein the suppressing portion is provided at one end or both ends of the permanent magnets in a direction along the moving path,
and is formed as a chamfered portion of a surface, facing the armature via an air gap, of each of the permanent magnets, wherein the first member and the permanent magnets jointly define a surface facing the armature via the air gap,
wherein the chamfered portion is formed on the surface, facing the air gap, of each of the permanent magnets,
and wherein the first member is configured to extend to an area where the chamfered portion is formed and contact the chamfered portion.
Fujii et al. discloses:
wherein the suppressing portion (chamfered sections 23a) is provided at one end or both ends of the permanent magnets (23) in a direction along the moving path (Fujii et al. Fig. 9),
and is formed as a chamfered portion of a surface (Fujii et al. Fig. 9), facing the armature (12) via an air gap (G) (Fujii et al. Fig. 1), of each of the permanent magnets (Fujii et al. Fig. 9), wherein the first member (claw sections 41) and the permanent magnets jointly define a surface (Fujii et al. Fig. 9) facing the armature via the air gap (Fujii et al. Fig. 1),
wherein the chamfered portion is formed on the surface, facing the air gap, of each of the permanent magnets (Fujii et al. Fig. 1),
and wherein the first member is configured to extend to an area where the chamfered portion is formed and contact the chamfered portion (Fujii et al. Fig. 9).
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Nakatsugawa et al. and Fujii et al. disclose suppressing portions therefore, Fuji et al. constitutes as prior art. Fujii et al. discloses a rotor having permanent magnets with chamfered portions facing a stator core. It would be obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have wherein the suppressing portion is provided at one end or both ends of the permanent magnets in a direction along the moving path, and is formed as a chamfered portion of a surface, facing the armature via an air gap, of each of the permanent magnets, wherein the first member and the permanent magnets jointly define a surface facing the armature via the air gap, wherein the chamfered portion is formed on the surface, facing the air gap, of each of the permanent magnets, and wherein the first member is configured to extend to an area where the chamfered portion is formed and contact the chamfered portion of Fujii et al. for the purpose of blocking off an magnetic flux path between adjacent permanent magnets to prevent flux leakage.
Regarding Claim 5, Nakatsugawa et al. and Fujii et al. disclose the permanent field magnet according to claim 1, wherein the suppressing portion is a second member that includes a soft magnetic material (Nakatsugawa et al. Para [0030] lines 2 – 3 disclose the magnetic cover can be made of a thin plate of an iron-based material containing iron, which is a soft magnetic material) and covers surfaces, facing the armature, of the permanent magnets and the first member (Nakatsugawa et al. Fig. 8).
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Regarding Claim 6, Nakatsugawa et al. and Fujii et al. the permanent field magnet according to claim 5, wherein a thickness of the second member is smaller than a thickness of each of the permanent magnets (see below in annotated Nakatsugawa et al. Fig. 7).
Regarding Claim 7, Nakatsugawa et al. and Fujii et al. discloses the permanent field magnet according to claim 5, wherein the second member is provided for each of the permanent magnets (Nakatsugawa et al. Fig. 3),
and the second member covers an entire surface, facing the armature, of a corresponding one of the plurality of permanent magnets (Nakatsugawa et al. Fig. 2),
and a portion of a surface, facing the armature, of the first member adjacent to the corresponding one of the plurality of permanent magnets (Nakatsugawa et al. Fig. 4),
and is disposed to be apart from another second member (lower magnetic cover 200) that is provided for another one of the plurality of permanent magnets adjacent to the corresponding one of the plurality of permanent magnets in a direction along the moving path (Nakatsugawa et al. Fig. 3).
Regarding Claim 8, Nakatsugawa et al. and Fujii et al. disclose the linear motor comprising: the permanent field magnet according to claim 1 (see above); and the armature (Nakatsugawa et al. Fig.2).
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakatsugawa et al. in view of Fujii et al. and further in view of Morel.
Regarding Claim 4, Nakatsugawa et al. and Fujii et al. discloses the permanent magnet according to claim 3.
Nakatsugawa et al. and Fujii et al. do not disclose:
wherein a groove is provided in a surface, facing the armature, of the first member such that the groove is interposed between the chamfered portions of the mutually adjacent ones of the plurality of permanent magnets.
Nakatsugawa et al., Fujii et al, and Morel structurally disclose:
wherein a groove (11) is provided in a surface (10), facing the armature (5), of the first member (3) (of Morel et al. Fig. 1 and Fig. 4) such that the groove (of Morel Fig. 4) is interposed between chamfered portions (of Fujii et al. Fig. 2) of the mutually adjacent ones of the plurality of permanent magnets (of Nakatsugawa Fig. 2, Fujii et al. Fig. 2, and Morel Fig. 4).
Nakatsugawa et al., Fujii et al, and Morel discloses permanent magnets surrounded by a first member made of soft magnetic material therefore, Morel constitutes as prior art. Morel discloses a rotor having a laminated core with grooves arranged in webs between adjacent permanent magnets. It would have been obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have wherein a groove is provided in a surface, facing the armature, of the first member such that the groove is interposed between the chamfered portions of the mutually adjacent ones of the plurality of permanent magnets of structurally disclosed Nakatsugawa et al., Fujii et al, and Morel for the purpose of mitigating eddy current losses and improve uniform torque performance of the rotor.
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 THEODORE L PERKINS whose telephone number is (703)756-4629. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00am- 17:00pm.
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/THEODORE L PERKINS/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/TERRANCE L KENERLY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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