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 Amendment
The amendment filed on 1/26/2026 has been entered.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-8, 10-16 and 18-21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Yue (CN115603503A).
Claims 1 and 21: Yue discloses a compressor (Abstract, “compressor”), comprising a driveshaft (12; Abstract, “rotating shaft”); a bearingless motor (11; Abstract, “non-bearing motor”) configured to rotate the driveshaft to compress a working fluid (Fig. 1; page 4, “gas”); one or more magnetic bearings (13/14) for magnetically supporting the driveshaft when rotating; and a controller (page 5, “control device”) for the bearingless motor, the controller is configured to adjust magnetic support provided by the bearingless motor to the driveshaft when rotating based on operation of the compressor which includes the bearingless motor selectively providing the magnetic support to the driveshaft based on the operation of the compressor (e.g., via radial displacement) wherein the controller is configured to operate the bearingless motor in a first mode in which the bearingless motor provides no substantial amount of magnetic support to the driveshaft (claims 1-2; page 5, “the control device is configured to measure the radial displacement of the rotating shaft 12 and the current rotating speed of the rotating shaft 12 through the measuring assembly when the rotating shaft 12 rotates, when the current rotating speed of the rotating shaft 12 is in the preset rotating speed range, driving the non-bearing motor 11 or the radial magnetic bearing 13 to apply a compensation force to the rotating shaft 12”; Examiner noting the mode in which the controller only uses the radial magnetic bearing).
Claim 2: Yue further discloses one or more sensors (page 5, “measuring assembly”) for detecting one or more operating conditions of the compressor (page 5, “used for measuring the radial displacement of the rotating shaft”), wherein the controller is configured to increase an amount of the magnetic support provided by the bearingless motor based on one or more detected operating conditions of the compressor (page 5, “the compensation force can be in positive correlation with the size of the radial displacement, namely the larger the radial displacement is, the larger the compensation force”).
Claim 5: Yue further discloses one or more driveshaft position sensors for detecting a position of the driveshaft (page 7, “the measuring assembly further comprises a first displacement sensor and a second displacement sensor. the first displacement sensor and the second displacement sensor are electrically connected with the control device, the first displacement sensor and the second displacement sensor are located around the rotating shaft”), wherein the controller adjusts the magnetic support of the bearingless motor based on the position of the driveshaft detected by the one or more driveshaft position sensors (see claims 1-2).
Claim 6: Yue further discloses that the controller is configured to adjust the magnetic support provided by the bearingless motor during a normal operation of the compressor (page 8, note normal operation during steps 1-7).
Claim 7: Yue further discloses that the one or more magnetic bearings are configured to provide radial support to the driveshaft when rotating, and the magnetic support provided by the bearingless motor includes a radial magnetic support of the driveshaft when rotating (Abstract; see claims 1-2 and steps 1-7).
Claim 8: (Original) The compressor of claim 7, wherein the controller being configured to adjust the magnetic support provided by the bearingless motor to the driveshaft includes the controller being configured to increase radial magnetic support provided by the bearingless motor to the driveshaft in response to an increase in a radial load on the driveshaft (Abstract; see claims 1-2 and steps 1-7, Examiner noting that the increase in radial load can come about from the speed up instruction in Step 1; see also, page 5, “the compensation force can be in positive correlation with the size of the radial displacement, namely the larger the radial displacement is, the larger the compensation force”).
Claims 10 and 20: Yue discloses a method of operating a compressor (Abstract, “compressor”), the compressor including a driveshaft (12; Abstract, “rotating shaft”), one or more magnetic bearings (13/14), and a bearingless motor (11; Abstract, “non-bearing motor”), the method comprising rotating, with the bearingless motor, the driveshaft to compress a working fluid (page 4, “gas”); magnetically supporting, with the one or more magnetic bearings, the driveshaft being rotated (Fig. 1); and magnetically supporting, with the bearingless motor, the driveshaft (Fig. 1), which includes adjusting a magnetic support provided by the bearingless motor to the driveshaft being rotated based on operation of the compressor (e.g., via radial displacement) such that the bearingless motor selectively providing the magnetic support to the driveshaft based on the operation of the compressor wherein the magnetically supporting of the driveshaft with the bearingless motor includes operating the bearingless motor in a first mode in which the bearingless motor operating in the first mode provides no substantial amount of magnetic support to the driveshaft (claims 1-2; page 5, “the control device is configured to measure the radial displacement of the rotating shaft 12 and the current rotating speed of the rotating shaft 12 through the measuring assembly when the rotating shaft 12 rotates, when the current rotating speed of the rotating shaft 12 is in the preset rotating speed range, driving the non-bearing motor 11 or the radial magnetic bearing 13 to apply a compensation force to the rotating shaft 12”; Examiner noting the mode in which the controller only uses the radial magnetic bearing).
Claim 11: Yue further discloses that the adjusting of the magnetic support provided by the bearingless motor to the driveshaft based on operation of the compressor includes detecting, with one or more sensors (page 5, “measuring assembly”), one or more operating conditions of the compressor (page 5, “used for measuring the radial displacement of the rotating shaft”), and the adjusting of the magnetic support provided by the bearingless motor to the driveshaft includes adjusting the magnetic support provided by the bearingless motor based on the one or more operating conditions as detected by the one or more sensors (page 5, “the compensation force can be in positive correlation with the size of the radial displacement, namely the larger the radial displacement is, the larger the compensation force”).
Claim 12: Yue further discloses that the one or more operating conditions include one or more of a suction pressure of the compressor, a discharge pressure of the compressor, and a position of the driveshaft (see page 5 as well as discussions above).
Claim 13: Yue further discloses that the magnetic support is selectively provided by the bearingless motor to the driveshaft being rotated (see claims 1-2 and steps 1-7 on page 8).
Claim 14: Yue further discloses that the adjusting of the magnetic support provided by the bearingless motor occurs during a normal operation of the compressor (page 8, note normal operation during steps 1-7).
Claim 15: Yue further discloses that the magnetically supporting of the driveshaft with the one or more magnetic bearings includes radially magnetically supporting the driveshaft being rotated, and the magnetically supporting of the driveshaft with the bearingless motor includes radially magnetically supporting the driveshaft being rotated (Abstract; see claims 1-2 and steps 1-7).
Claim 16: Yue further discloses that the adjusting of the magnetic support provided by the bearingless motor to the driveshaft includes increasing the radial magnetic support provided by the bearingless motor in response to an increased radial load on the driveshaft (Abstract; see claims 1-2 and steps 1-7, Examiner noting that the increase in radial load can come about from the speed up instruction in Step 1; see also, page 5, “the compensation force can be in positive correlation with the size of the radial displacement, namely the larger the radial displacement is, the larger the compensation force”).
Claim 18: Yue further discloses that the magnetically supporting of the driveshaft with the bearingless motor includes operating the bearingless motor in a first mode and operating the bearingless motor in a second mode, a lesser amount of magnetic support is provided by the bearingless motor in the first mode (Examiner noting a first mode speed up operation discussed in steps 1-7 will place additional load and require more magnetic support than in the slow down operation discussed in steps S1a-S7a; see pages 8-9).
Claim 19: Yue further discloses that the adjusting of the magnetic support provided by the bearingless motor to the driveshaft includes adjusting the bearingless motor between operating in the first mode and operating in the second mode based on the operation of the compressor (Examiner noting operation modes between steps 1-7 and steps S1a-S7a depending on requirements of the compressor).
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.
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yue (CN115603503A) in view of Tokuyama (JP2020012405A).
Claim 3: Yue discloses the previous limitations but is not explicit about the one or more operating conditions include one or more of a suction pressure of the compressor, a discharge pressure of the compressor. However, Tokuyama teaches a compressor with a magnetic bearing control method in which one or more operating conditions for adjusting magnetic support of the associated rotors includes one or more of a suction pressure of the compressor, a discharge pressure of the compressor (see Abstract). It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the invention to a skilled artisan to selectively operation the magnetic suspension in the manner as taught by Tokuyama into the apparatus of Yue as an additional pretext in reducing positional displacement of the rotor shaft (see Abstract).
Claim(s) 1 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Schob (US 5,939,813) in view of Ono (US 11,005,349).
Claim 1: Schob discloses a compressor (Fig. 9) comprising a driveshaft (note drive shaft centered within rotor 3); a bearingless motor (30a) configured to rotate the driveshaft to compress a working fluid (Fig. 9); one or more magnetic bearings (Fig. 9, note magnetic bearings associated with 41 as well as 30b) for magnetically supporting the driveshaft when rotating; and a controller (40) for the bearingless motor, the controller is configured to adjust magnetic support provided by the bearingless motor to the driveshaft when rotating based on operation of the compressor (Fig. 9, Examiner noting control from 41/42/43/44 based upon sensor inputs from 15/45). While Schob alludes to adjustments in magnetic support, Schob is not explicit about the bearingless motor selectively providing the magnetic support to the driveshaft based on the operation of the compressor. However, Ono teaches a bearingless motor which selectively providing the magnetic support to the driveshaft based on the operation of the compressor (Examiner noting varying support/bearing control discussed in Abstract, claims 1-2 via position sensor information discussed in col. 4, lines 35-50). It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the invention to a skilled artisan to selectively operation the magnetic suspension in the manner as taught by Ono into the apparatus of Schob in order to efficiently and redundantly generate magnetic support forces of the driveshaft.
Claim 10: Schob discloses a method of operating a compressor (Fig. 9), the compressor including a driveshaft (note drive shaft centered within rotor 3), one or more magnetic bearings (Fig. 9, note magnetic bearings associated with 41 as well as 30b), and a bearingless motor (30a), the method comprising rotating, with the bearingless motor, the driveshaft to compress a working fluid (Fig. 9); magnetically supporting, with the one or more magnetic bearings, the driveshaft being rotated (Fig. 9); and magnetically supporting, with the bearingless motor, the driveshaft, which includes adjusting a magnetic support provided by the bearingless motor to the driveshaft being rotated based on operation of the compressor (Fig. 9, Examiner noting control from 41/42/43/44 based upon sensor inputs from 15/45). While Schob alludes to adjustments in magnetic support, Schob is not explicit about the bearingless motor selectively providing the magnetic support to the driveshaft based on the operation of the compressor. However, Ono teaches a bearingless motor which selectively providing the magnetic support to the driveshaft based on the operation of the compressor (Examiner noting varying support/bearing control discussed in Abstract, claims 1-2 via position sensor information discussed in col. 4, lines 35-50). It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the invention to a skilled artisan to selectively operation the magnetic suspension in the manner as taught by Ono into the apparatus of Schob in order to efficiently and redundantly generate magnetic support forces of the driveshaft.
Claim(s) 9 and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yue (CN115603503A) in view of Martin (US20050257543).
Claim 9: Yue further discloses that the controller is configured to determine a speed of the bearingless motor and control the bearingless motor to generate a rotational magnetic force corresponding to the determined speed and generate a suspension magnetic force that provides the magnetic support to the driveshaft (Abstract; see claims 1-2, 8-10 and steps 1-7/S1a-S7a). While Yue is not explicit about receiving a cooling requirement and determining a speed based upon this cooling requirement, such provisions are well known in prior art HVAC configurations such as Martin (see Abstract). It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the invention to a skilled artisan to operate a compressor in the manner as taught by Martin so as to adapt Yue’s compressor to meet a desired cooling requirement in an efficient manner.
Claim 17: Yue further discloses that the rotating of the driveshaft with the bearingless motor includes determining a speed of the bearingless motor and the magnetically supporting of the driveshaft with the bearingless motor includes the bearingless motor generating a suspension magnetic force to provide the magnetic support to the driveshaft (Abstract; see claims 1-2, 8-10 and steps 1-7/S1a-S7a). While Yue is not explicit about receiving a cooling requirement and determining a speed based upon this cooling requirement, such provisions are well known in prior art HVAC configurations such as Martin (see Abstract). It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the invention to a skilled artisan to operate a compressor in the manner as taught by Martin so as to adapt Yue’s compressor to meet a desired cooling requirement in an efficient manner.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. With regard to amended claim 3, Examiner has newly utilized the Tokuyama reference. With regard to the Yue reference, Examiner disagrees with Applicant’s characterization that the non-bearing motor does not selectively provide magnetic support. In paragraph 6 of page 5, discussion is made about a control device overseeing the non-bearing motor and radial magnetic bearing and mentions that “the control device can drive the non-bearing motor or radial magnetic bearing to apply radial force to the rotating shaft (emphasis added)”. Examiner believes this amounts to a sufficient level of selectivity. Regarding Ono, Applicant does note the armature current as well as support current to provide a radial support force to support a radial load. Applicant further acknowledges that Ono describes decreasing one of the armature current and support current while increasing the other of the armature current and support current when operating in a region other than a steady operating region. While Applicant characterizes this only as a continuous provision of magnetic support, Examiner disagrees and believes such a characterization should also include selectivity in that the amount of radial support from the support current is selectively controlled. As such Examiner believes that the current prior art reads upon the most recent claim limitations.
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NATHAN C ZOLLINGER whose telephone number is (571)270-7815. The examiner can normally be reached Generally M-F 9-4 EST.
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/NATHAN C ZOLLINGER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3746