DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is in response to applicant’s communication filed on 2.16.24. In view of this communication, claims 1-10 are now pending in this application.
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 title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: Motor with threaded electrical connection between power terminal and molded busbar .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
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 1-3, 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sambuichi et al (DE112017003622T5 English translation), hereinafter Sambuichi, in view of Zhang et al (CN22676986U English translation), hereinafter Zhang.
Regarding Claim 1, Sambuichi discloses (Figs 1,6-7) a motor (1), comprising a busbar holder (40,30) and a power terminal (50) electrically connected [Para 0014] to the busbar holder, wherein
the busbar holder has a hole (41h) accommodating an end (52e) of the power terminal (50,52),
at least one portion of an inner wall (41h has wall) of the hole (41h) is defined with an internal(internal surface),
at least one portion of the end (52e) of the power terminal (52) is defined with an external (external surface), and
the power terminal and the busbar holder are connected by fitting [0033 discloses welding] of the external (surface) and the internal (surface). Sambuichi does not explicitly disclose threaded fitting.
Zhang discloses (Fig 1) threaded fitting [Para0045 discloses connecting part 400 with connecting groove which is a hole with internal thread and further discloses “The busbar section 300 is connected to the inverter through the connecting part 400” and 0049 discloses “bolt connection” and “eliminates the need to use nuts” which is same as external threads on bolt which is threaded on to 400 internal thread].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have formed motor of Sambuichi with threaded fitting as taught by Zhang in order to enable a tight connection fit without having an additional nut.
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466
492
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Regarding Claim 2, Sambuichi in view of Zhang discloses the motor according to in claim 1. Sambuichi in view of Zhang further discloses wherein the busbar holder (Sambuichi,40,30) comprises a busbar (30) and a resin portion [0024 discloses 40 as resin] wrapping the busbar, the hole (41h, 32h) is at least defined at the busbar (32h), and a portion (32h) of the inner wall of the hole located at the busbar(30,32) is defined with the internal (surface) but does not explicitly disclose internal thread at the busbar.
Zhang further discloses internal thread at the busbar [Para0045 discloses connecting part 400 with connecting groove which is a hole with internal thread].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have formed motor of Sambuichi in view of Zhang with internal thread at busbar as further taught by Zhang in order to enable a tight connection fit without having an additional nut.
Regarding Claim 3, Sambuichi in view of Zhang discloses the motor according to in claim 2. Sambuichi in view of Zhang further discloses wherein the resin portion (Sambuichi, 40) has a base (41 base, 42) wrapping the busbar (32) and a cylindrical portion (41) extending from the base in an axial direction (A), the hole comprises a first hole (32h) defined in the busbar(30,32) and a second hole (41h) defined in the cylindrical portion (41), the first hole and the second hole pass through in the axial direction (A), and an inner wall of the first hole is defined with the internal thread (combination with Zhang Para0045 as shown above).
Regarding Claim 10, Sambuichi in view of Zhang discloses the motor according to in claim 1. Sambuichi in view of Zhang does not explicitly disclose wherein a length of the at least one portion of the end of the power terminal where the external thread is defined in the axial direction is greater than a length of the at least one portion of the inner wall of the hole where the internal thread is defined in the axial direction.
Zhang further discloses (Fig 1) wherein a length of the at least one portion of the end of the power terminal where the external thread is defined in the axial direction is greater than a length of the at least one portion of the inner wall of the hole where the internal thread is defined in the axial direction [“The busbar section 300 is connected to the inverter through the connecting part 400” and 0049 discloses “bolt connection” and “eliminates the need to use nuts” which is same as external threads on bolt which is threaded on to 400 internal thread. Further limitation “a length” allows Examiner to take a length anywhere such that above limitation is met. If Applicant intends entire length of thread, it would need to be recited in limitation].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have formed motor of Sambuichi in view of Zhang with lengths of threaded engagement as further taught by Zhang in order to enable a tight connection fit with sufficient length of engagement without having an additional nut.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 4 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claim 4 recites “The motor according to in claim 3, wherein at least one portion of an inner wall of the second hole is defined with the internal thread”. Fig 9 of Sambuichi discloses a designed in gap “S” between connection terminal 52 and inside hole of 41. Para0038 of Sambuichi discloses reasons for this gap. Therefore there is not sufficient teaching from Sambuichi to add engagement in the resin which will remove this gap. Therefore claim 4 is allowable. Claims 5-9 are allowable as they are dependent upon claim 4.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VISWANATHAN SUBRAMANIAN whose telephone number is (571)272-4814. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:30 am - 5:00 pm.
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/VISWANATHAN SUBRAMANIAN/Examiner, Art Unit 2834