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 .
Allowable Subject Matter
The indicated allowability of the pending claims are withdrawn in view of the newly discovered reference(s) to Sugiyama (JP 2011172441). Rejections based on the newly cited reference(s) follow.
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.
Claims 1, 4 and 6-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sugiyama (JP 2011172441, cited on IDS filed 06/12/2026).
RE claim 1, Sugiyama teaches a rotor core 21 (Figs.1-7) comprising:
a first electromagnetic steel plate 22B; and
a second electromagnetic steel plate 22A laminated in an axial direction of the rotor core 21 together with the first electromagnetic steel plate 22B (Figs.1, 3, 4), wherein:
the second electromagnetic steel plate 22A has a plurality of protrusion portions 25 each extending toward a magnet 24 to be fixed; and
each of the protrusion portions 25 (see annotated Fig.2 below) has:
an extension portion (EP) extending from the second electromagnetic steel plate 22A toward the magnet 24 so as to be perpendicular to the axial direction (direction of magnet inserted, see Figs.1, 3),
an abutment portion (AP) that bends along one side in the axial direction and has a curved surface capable of abutting against the magnet 24 (see Fig.2), and
a tip portion (TP) extending from the abutment portion (AP) toward an opposite side of the magnet 24;
the second electromagnetic steel plate 22A has an extension base portion (EBP) at part of an inner surface of a slot 23 of the magnet 24; and
the extension portion (EP) is extending toward an end surface of the magnet 24 from the second electromagnetic steel plate 22A so as to maintain the laminated position of the second electromagnetic steel plate 22A (functional language, because Sugiyama disclosed the same structure as claimed/disclosed, therefore, Sugiyama’s extension portion EP is capable of perform the functional language of “to maintain the laminated position of the second electromagnetic steel plate”).
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RE claim 4/1, Sugiyama teaches the tip portion (TP) is folded to face the laminated first electromagnetic steel plate 22B and/or the second electromagnetic steel plate with a gap in-between (see Fig.2).
RE claim 6/1, Sugiyama teaches
the magnet slot 23 includes a through hole 23 through which an elongated cross-section of the magnet 24 can be arranged along a circumferential direction of the rotor core 21 (Fig.1); and
the extension portion (EP) is in the magnet slot 23 and extends from the second electromagnetic steel plate 22A toward a long end surface of the magnet 24 on an inner side of the rotor core 21 in a radial direction of the rotor core so as to be perpendicular to the axial direction (Figs.1, 3, 4).
RE claim 7, Sugiyama teaches a rotor (Figs.1-4) comprising:
a rotor core 21; and
a magnet 24 fixed to the rotor core 21, wherein
the rotor core 21 includes a first electromagnetic steel plate 22B and a second electromagnetic steel plate 22A laminated alongside the first electromagnetic steel plate 22B in an axial direction of the rotor core 21;
the second electromagnetic steel plate 22A has a plurality of protrusion portions 25 each extending toward the magnet 24 in a fixed state;
each of the protrusion portions 25 has:
an extension portion (EP) (see annotated Fig.2 above) extending from the second electromagnetic steel plate 22A toward the magnet 24 so as to be perpendicular to the axial direction (Fig.2),
an abutment portion (AP) that bends along one side in the axial direction and has a curved surface capable of abutting against the magnet 24, and
a tip portion (TP) extending from the abutment portion (AP) toward a side opposite to the magnet 24 (Fig.2);
the second electromagnetic steel plate 22A has an extension base portion (EBP) at part of an inner surface of a slot 23 of the magnet 24; and
the extension portion (EP) is extending toward an end surface of the magnet from the second electromagnetic steel plate 22A so as to maintain the laminated position of the second electromagnetic steel plate 22A (functional language, because Sugiyama disclosed the same structure as claimed/disclosed, therefore, Sugiyama’s extension portion EP is capable of perform the functional language of “to maintain the laminated position of the second electromagnetic steel plate).
RE claim 8, Sugiyama teaches a manufacturing method of a rotor core 21 (Figs.1-4) where the rotor core 21 includes a first electromagnetic steel plate 22B and a second electromagnetic steel plate 22A laminated alongside the first electromagnetic steel plate 22B in an axial direction of the rotor core, and the second electromagnetic steel plate 22A has a plurality of protrusion portions 25 each extending toward a magnet 24 to be fixed, the method comprising:
preparing the first electromagnetic steel plate 22 by punching (see translation ¶ 18)
preparing the second electromagnetic steel plate 22 having each of the protrusion portions 25 by punching (¶ 18)
bending and deforming each of the protrusion portions 25 to have:
an extension portion (EP) extending from the second electromagnetic steel plate 22A toward the magnet 24 so as to be perpendicular to the axial direction (Figs.1-4),
an abutment portion (AP) that bends along one side in the axial direction and has a curved surface capable of abutting against the magnet 24 (see annotated Fig.2 above),
a tip portion (TP) extending from the abutment portion (AP) toward an opposite side of the magnet 24,
wherein the second electromagnetic steel plate 22A has an extension base portion (EBP) at part of an inner surface of a slot 23 of the magnet 24, and the extension portion (EP) is extending toward an end surface of the magnet 24 from the second electromagnetic steel plate 22A so as to maintain the laminated position of the second electromagnetic steel plate 22A (functional language, because Sugiyama disclosed the same structure as claimed/disclosed, therefore, Sugiyama’s extension portion EP is capable of perform the functional language of “to maintain the laminated position of the second electromagnetic steel plate”); and
laminating the first electromagnetic steel plate 22B and the second electromagnetic steel plate 22B (Figs.1-4 and ¶ 18).
Conclusion
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/THOMAS TRUONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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