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 .
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: in paragraph 0001 of the specification, the U.S. Patent Number of applicant’s parent application 16/860,091 should be provided.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 1-5, 7, 8, 10, and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent No. 6,507,127 to Amano et al.
Regarding Claim 1, Amano et al disclose an apparatus (see Figure 1) having all the features of the instant invention including: a primary electric motor 8, a secondary electric motor 9, a fixed shaft (see Figure 1 and the shaft on which planetary gear sets 4 and 5 lie thereon and connect to motors 8 and 9), a planetary gear mechanism 4/5, the planetary gear mechanism 4/5 comprising a sun gear, one or more planet gears, and a ring gear (see Figure 1 and column 3 lines 1-21), and wherein the primary electric motor 8 and the secondary electric motor 9 are operable to provide power for use in electromechanical systems (see column 4 lines 1-3 and Claim 1 of the reference).
Regarding Claim 2, Amano et al further disclose a stator of the primary electric motor 8 is rigidly attached to the fixed shaft (see Figure 1 and motor 8, which inherently has a stator, and is rigidly attached to the shaft connecting gear set 4), and inherently the stator of the primary electric motor 8 drives a rotor (inherently present) of the primary electric motor 8 due to an induced magnetic field (as, if the stator is rigidly attached to a fixed unmoving shaft, it would inherently drive the rotor as electricity creates a magnetic force between the stator and the rotor).
Regarding Claim 3, Amano et al further disclose that the rotor (inherently present) of the primary electric motor 8 is attached to the sun gear (i.e., within gear set 4 as shown in Figure 1 and discussed in column 3 lines 1-21).
Regarding Claim 4, Amano et al further disclose that the sun gear drives the ring gear (see column 3 lines 1-21).
Regarding Claim 5, Amano et al further disclose that the ring gear is connected to a motor case (i.e., the case of motor 8) and supplies an output power of the apparatus (see column 3 lines 1-21).
Regarding Claim 7, Amano et al further disclose a stator of the secondary electric motor 9 is rigidly attached to the fixed shaft (see Figure 1 and motor 9, which inherently has a stator, and is rigidly attached to the shaft connecting gear set 5), and the stator of the secondary electric motor 9 drives a rotor (inherently present) of the secondary electric motor 9 due to a induced magnetic field (as, if the stator is rigidly attached to a fixed unmoving shaft, it would inherently drive the rotor as electricity creates a magnetic force between the stator and the rotor).
Regarding Claim 8, Amano et al further discloses that the rotor (inherently present) of the secondary electric motor is attached to the one or more planet gears 5 (see Figure 1).
Regarding Claim 10, Amano et al further disclose a power output of the primary electric motor 8 can be held constant and a power output of the secondary electric motor 9 can be held at zero to provide a constant speed (see column 3 line 22 - column 4 line 50, where individual motor control is discussed and this condition is plausible).
Regarding Claim 11, Amano et al further disclose a power output of the primary electric motor 8 can be held constant and a power output of the secondary electric motor 9 can be varied to provide a constant speed (see column 3 line 22-column 4 line 50, where individual motor control is discussed and this condition also is plausible).
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) 6 and 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent No. 6,507,127 to Amano et al.
Regarding Claim 6, Amano et al disclose most all the features of the instant invention as applied above, and further including that the rotor of the primary electric motor 8 is attached to the fixed shaft (see Figure 1).
However, Amano et al do not disclose that the rotor of the primary electric motor is attached to the fixed shaft using ball bearings.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have designed the rotor of the primary electric motor of Amano et al to be attached to the fixed shaft using ball bearings as an effective means of attaching the rotor and fixed shaft together while also allowing the rotor to spin freely while keeping it perfectly centered around the shaft.
Regarding Claim 9, Amano et al disclose most all the features of the instant invention as applied above, and further including that the rotor of the secondary electric motor 9 is attached to the fixed shaft (see Figure 1).
However, Amano et al do not disclose that the rotor of the secondary electric motor is attached to the fixed shaft using ball bearings.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have designed the rotor of the secondary electric motor of Amano et al to be attached to the fixed shaft using ball bearings as an effective means of attaching the rotor and fixed shaft together while also allowing the rotor to spin freely while keeping it perfectly centered around the shaft.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
U.S. Patent No. 8,761,985 to Tang, U.S. Patent No. 11,912,156 to Cho, and U.S. Patent No. 12,139,038 to Cho all disclose apparatus similar to applicant’s.
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PAMELA RODRIGUEZ
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3616
/PAMELA RODRIGUEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3616
06/02/26
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