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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 8/31/2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Remarks, filed 8/13/2026, with respect to claims 1-5 and 7-8 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The 103 of claims 1-5 and 7-8 has been withdrawn.
Applicant's arguments filed 8/13/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive with respect to claims 9-18. Specifically, the amended claim language within claim 9, does not distinguish the present application’s assembly method with that of the cited reference Sakaue. Sakaue requires that the yoke portions are gathered, the wiring portion expanded slightly then yoke blocks are inserted. The current language of “the yokes are disposed along a circumferential direction after coupling the plurality of yokes and the hairpin coils, moving the hairpin coils outward from inside to fix the harpin hairpin coils to the yokes; and after fixing the hairpin coils to the yokes, inserting a support ring configured to surround the stator core onto an outer circumferential surface of the stator core” does not overcome then expansion then insertion of Sakaue. Therefore the amendment does not overcome the cited art and the rejection is maintained.
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 9-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being anticipated by Hino et al (US 11088601 B2) in view of Sakaue et al (US 20150162787 A1) in view of Kim (US 20120086300 A113).
With respect to claim 9, Hino discloses method of manufacturing a stator assembly of a hairpin winding motor, in which hairpin coils are wound around a stator core having a plurality of coil slots (fig. 4, coil unit 21 between cire 11), the method comprising: providing the hairpin coils continuously connected to form a coil winding (fig. 9. Steps 1-2); coupling a plurality of yokes forming the stator core and the hairpin coils (fig. 9, step 3);, wherein a plurality of yokes are disposed along a circumferential direction (fig. 4, back yoke portion 129) a yoke body part forming a body (fig. 4, back yoke portion 129).
Hino does not teach “the yokes are disposed along a circumferential direction after coupling the plurality of yokes and the hairpin coils, moving the hairpin coils outward from inside to fix the harpin hairpin coils to the yokes; and after fixing the hairpin coils to the yokes, inserting a support ring configured to surround the stator core onto an outer circumferential surface of the stator core; moving the hairpin coils outward from inside to fix the harpin coils to the yokes, wherein each of the yokes includes: a first protruding part protruding from one surface in the circumferential direction at a radially outer side of the yoke body part; a first recessed part recessed in the circumferential direction at a radially inner side of the first protruding part; a second protruding part protruding from the other surface in the circumferential direction at a radially inner side of the yoke body part, and a second recessed part recessed in the circumferential direction at a radially outer side of the second protruding part, and a side surface of each of the first protruding part and the first recessed part and a side surface of each of the second protruding part and the second recessed part are inclined to form a center angle of the yoke body part.”
Sakaue teaches the yokes are disposed along a circumferential direction after coupling the plurality of yokes and the hairpin coils, moving the hairpin coils outward from inside to fix the harpin hairpin coils to the yokes; and after fixing the hairpin coils to the yokes, inserting a support ring configured to surround the stator core onto an outer circumferential surface of the stator core (paragraph 112 “the diameter of the winding assembly 21 is enlarged by moving each of the winding bodies 22 of the winding assembly 21 slightly radially outward before the step of inserting the core blocks 12 between the columns of first and second rectilinear portions 22a and 22b of the winding assembly 21, but an enlarged winding assembly may be assembled by making a pitch of circumferential arrangement of the winding bodies 22 greater than a pitch of one slot.”) moving the hairpin coils outward from inside to fix the harpin coils to the yokes (paragraph 112 “the diameter of the winding assembly 21 is enlarged by moving each of the winding bodies 22 of the winding assembly 21 slightly radially outward.”)
Sakaue does not teach “a first protruding part protruding from one surface in the circumferential direction at a radially outer side of the yoke body part; a first recessed part recessed in the circumferential direction at a radially inner side of the first protruding part: a second protruding part protruding from the other surface in the circumferential direction at a radially inner side of the yoke body part, and a second recessed part recessed in the circumferential direction at a radially outer side of the second protruding part, and a side surface of each of the first protruding part and the first recessed part and a side surface of each of the second protruding part and the second recessed part are inclined to form a center angle of the yoke body part.”
Kim teaches a first protruding part protruding from one surface in the circumferential direction at a radially outer side of the yoke body part, (fig. 3, lower accommodation unit (33)) a first recessed part recessed in the circumferential direction at a radially inner side of the first protruding part (fig. 3, lower lug accept portion (35)), a second protruding part protruding from the other surface in the circumferential direction at a radially inner side of the yoke body part (fig. 3, lower lug 32), and a second recessed part recessed in the circumferential direction at a radially outer side of the second protruding part (fig. 3, upper lug accept portion (36)); and a side surface of each of the first protruding part and the first recessed part and a side surface of each of the second protruding part and the second recessed part are inclined to form a center angle of the yoke body part (see figure 4, lugs and accept portions form the core 10).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Hino with the radially pressing of windings of Sakaue with the lugs and receiving portions of Kim in order to better secure the teeth and wirings together increasing motor rigidity and thereby reducing vibrational damages.
With respect to claim 10, Hino in view of Sakaue et al in view of Kim teaches the above-mentioned limitations. Hino further teaches the yokes are moved inward from the outside to be coupled to the hairpin coils in coupling the yokes forming the stator core and the hairpin coils (figs 13-14 and col. 10 ln 59-62 “Next, in a core insertion step in step 3, as shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, the inner core 30 is inserted from the radially outer side of the coil basket 121. The details of the core insertion step in step 3 will be described later.”).
With respect to claim 11, Hino in view of Sakaue et al in view of Kim teaches the above-mentioned limitations. Hino further teaches the hairpin coils are moved outward from the inside to be coupled between the plurality of yokes in coupling the yokes forming the stator core and the hairpin coils (col. 16 ln 6-11 “The armature producing device in FIG. 27 is provided with a coil inner-side regulating member 311 and a coil outer-side regulating member 312 that regulate the radially inner side and the radially outer side of the turn portions of the coil units 21, in order to regulate the radial-direction position of the coil basket 121.” The Examiner is interpreting regulation of the radial position as moving the coils outward as to fix their position. ).
With respect to claim 12, Hino in view of Sakaue et al in view of Kim teaches the above-mentioned limitations. Hino further teaches the yokes are inserted into the hairpin coils in a 2 radially inward direction from the outside of the hairpin coils in inserting the yokes into the 3 hairpin coils (figs 13-14 and col. 10 ln 59-62 “Next, in a core insertion step in step 3, as shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, the inner core 30 is inserted from the radially outer side of the coil basket 121. The details of the core insertion step in step 3 will be described later.”).
With respect to claim 13, Hino in view of Sakaue et al in view of Kim teaches the above-mentioned limitations. Hino further teaches an outer diameter of the hairpin coil is formed 2smaller than an outer diameter of the stator core in inserting the yokes into the hairpin coils (see at least figures 13-14, the diameter of the coil basket 121 is smaller than that of the core).
With respect to claim 14, Hino in view of Sakaue et al in view of Kim teaches the above-mentioned limitations. Hino further teaches in fixing the hairpin coils by the yokes, the 2 outer diameter of the hairpin coil is formed smaller than the outer diameter of the hairpin coil in inserting the yokes into the hairpin coils by pressurization of the yokes (figs 13-14 and col. 10 ln 59-62 “Next, in a core insertion step in step 3, as shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, the inner core 30 is inserted from the radially outer side of the coil basket 121. The details of the core insertion step in step 3 will be described later.” The Examiner is interpreting inserting as encompassing pressurization of yokes).
With respect to claim 15, Hino in view of Sakaue et al in view of Kim teaches the above-mentioned limitations. Hino further teaches teeth protrude in a radial direction from inner circumferential surfaces of the plurality of yokes (fig. 4, tooth portions 130 protrude slightly inward); and shoes extend in the circumferential direction from both side surfaces of end portions of the teeth (fig. 4, insulation sheets 14).
With respect to claim 16, Hino in view of Sakaue et al in view of Kim teaches the above-mentioned limitations. Hino further teaches a distance between the shoes which are adjacent to each other is greater than a thickness of the hairpin coil in inserting the yokes forming the stator core into the hairpin coils (see at least figure 4, insulation sheet 14 covers the tooth portion 130 which are wider than the coils 21).
With respect to claim 17, Hino in view of Sakaue et al in view of Kim teaches the above-mentioned limitations. Hino further teaches a distance between the shoes which are adjacent to each other is smaller than a thickness of the hairpin coil in gathering the yokes in the radial direction to fix the hairpin coils (see figure 4, distance between the end of the tooth portions 130 is smaller than that of the coils 21).
With respect to claim 18, Hino in view of Sakaue et al in view of Kim teaches the above-mentioned limitations. Hino further teaches the support ring is inserted downward in an axial direction in inserting the support ring configured to surround the stator core into the outer circumferential surface of the stator core (col. 10, ln 63-67 “Next, in a fixation member insertion step in step 4, as shown in FIG. 15, the outer core 40 is inserted in the axial direction, to obtain the armature 10. The details of the fixation member insertion step in step 4 will be described later.”).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-5, and 7-8 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
With respect to claims 1 and 8, the limitations “the plurality of yokes are gathered in the radial direction and the distance between the adjacent ones of the shoes is smaller than the thickness of each of the hairpin coils, wherein the support ring surrounds outer circumferential surfaces of the plurality of yokes and fixes the plurality of yokes in the fixing position, wherein the hairpin coils are moved outward from inside to fix the hairpin coils to the yoke” in combination disclosed are neither anticipated nor obvious over the prior art.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
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/R.O.S./Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/CHRISTOPHER M KOEHLER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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