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 Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-9 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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 1-7 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Long (US 11970973 B2) in view of Ronning (US 20200227964 A1).
With respect to claim 1, Long teaches a rotating electric machine system equipped with a rotating electric machine including a rotor (fig. 4, rotor 304) and a stator (fig. 4, stator 324), and equipped with a rotating electric machine housing in which the rotating electric machine is accommodated (fig. 4, housing 302), the rotor including a rotating shaft (fig. 4, shaft between bearing volumes 320) and a permanent magnet provided on the rotating shaft (fig. 4, permanent magnets 326), the rotating electric machine housing including a housing internal oil passage in which the stator is accommodated (fig. 4, stator volumes 318), in an interior of the rotating electric machine housing, the rotating electric machine system comprising: a first insertion hole, and a second insertion hole (fig. 4, bearing volumes 320); the rotating electric machine system further comprising: a first bearing and a second bearing that are is interposed between the rotating electric machine housing and the rotating shaft (fig. 4, bearing volumes 320); shaft and is inserted into the first insertion hole, and a second bearing that is inserted into the second insertion hole (fig. 4, shaft between bearing volumes 320), and an oil circulation supply device configured to circulate and supply a lubricating oil to the first bearing, the second bearing, and a housing internal oil passage (col. 6, ln 25-27 “In some examples, bearings inlets 310 may be fluidically connected to a pump via a fluid path, e.g., pump 212 via tubes and/or pipes.”), and supply the lubricating oil toward the housing internal oil passage via the second oil supply line (col. 6, ln 49-51 “In some examples, bearings inlets 310 may be fluidically connected to a pump via a fluid path, e.g., pump 212 via tubes and/or pipes.”) the oil circulation supply device including includes a first oil supply line (fig. 4, inlet 310), a second oil supply line (fig. 4, stator inlet 314), a first oil recovery line (fig. 4, outlet 312), and a second oil recovery line (fig. 4, stator outlet 316)); wherein the oil circulation supply device is configured to supply the lubricating oil to the first bearing and the second bearing via the first oil supply line (col. 6, ln 25-27 “In some examples, bearings inlets 310 may be fluidically connected to a pump via a fluid path, e.g., pump 212 via tubes and/or pipes.”), and supply the lubricating oil toward the housing internal oil passage via the second oil supply line (col. 6, ln 49-51 “In some examples, bearings inlets 310 may be fluidically connected to a pump via a fluid path, e.g., pump 212 via tubes and/or pipes.”).
Long does not teach “a gas supplying device configured to supply gas to the first bearing and the second bearing, wherein the rotating electric machine housing includes gas supplying passages configured to supply the gas supplied from the gas supplying device to the first bearing and the second bearing, and a gas discharge passage configured to discharge the gas from the first bearing and the second bearing, and the oil circulation supply device is configured to configured to recover, via the first oil recovery line, the lubricating oil supplied to the first bearing and the second bearing, and recover, via the second oil recovery line, the lubricating oil that has flowed through the housing internal oil passage, and recover the gas that has flowed through the gas discharge passage, and the gas supplying device supplies, from a rotor chamber in which the rotor is accommodated toward the first insertion hole, the gas to the first bearing, and supplies the gas from the rotor chamber toward the second insertion hole and from the exterior of the rotating electric machine housing toward the second insertion hole to the second bearing in a manner so that the second bearing is sandwiched in the second insertion hole.”
Ronning teaches a gas supplying device configured to supply a gas to the first bearing and the second bearing (fig. 1 1m 16/18); wherein the rotating electric machine housing includes gas supplying passages configured to supply the gas supplied from the gas supplying device to the first bearing and the second bearing (fig. 1, R1), and a gas discharge passage configured to discharge the gas from the first bearing and the second bearing (fig. 1, r2) and the oil circulation supply device is configured to configured to recover, via the first oil recovery line, the lubricating oil supplied to the first bearing and the second bearing (fig. 1, r1/w2), and recover, via the second oil recovery line, the lubricating oil that has flowed through the housing internal oil passage (fig. 1, r2), and recover the gas that has flowed through the gas discharge passage, and the gas supplying device supplies, from a rotor chamber in which the rotor is accommodated toward the first insertion hole, the gas to the first bearing, and supplies the gas from the rotor chamber toward the second insertion hole and from the exterior of the rotating electric machine housing toward the second insertion hole to the second bearing in a manner so that the second bearing is sandwiched in the second insertion hole (fig. 1, e1/e2).
PNG
media_image1.png
372
547
media_image1.png
Greyscale
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill, in the art at the time the invention was filed, to combine the motor of Long with gas cooled bearings of and multiple directional circulation of Ronning in order to further cool the bearings to prevent heat related damages thereby increasing the motor lifespan.
With respect to claim 2, Long in view of Ronning teaches the above-mentioned limitations. Long further teaches a cylindrically shaped partition wall member interposed between the rotor and the stator (fig. 4, stator volumes and col 2, ln 51-53 “Electric machines typically include a rotor that rotates within or around a stator. Energy flows through the stator to or from the rotor.” Examiner is interpreting the rotor stator machine as cylindrical); wherein the partition wall member partitions the interior of the rotating electric machine housing into the rotor chamber (fig. 4, space occupied by rotor 304), and a stator chamber in which the stator is accommodated (fig. 4, stator volumes 318); and the stator chamber is the housing internal oil passage (col. 6, ln, 53-55 “fluid may flow through stator inlet 314 and fill stator volumes 318. Stator volumes 318 may at least partially include stator windings 306.”).
With respect to claim 4, Long in view of Ronning teaches the above-mentioned limitations. Long further teaches the rotating electric machine housing comprises: a first oil supply passage configured to supply the lubricating oil that has flowed through the first oil supply line to the first bearing and the second bearing (fig. 4 and col. 6, ln 27-28 “A fluid may flow through bearings inlets 310 and fill bearings volumes 320.”); a first oil recovery passage configured to deliver the lubricating oil supplied to the first bearing and the second bearing to the first oil recovery line (fig. 4, outlets 312); a second oil supply passage configured to supply the lubricating oil that has flowed through the second oil supply line to the housing internal oil passage (fig. 4, stator inlets 314); and a second oil recovery passage configured to deliver the lubricating oil supplied to the housing internal oil passage to the second oil recovery line (fig. 4, stator outlet 316).
With respect to claim 5, Long in view of Ronning teaches the above-mentioned limitations. Long further teaches the first oil supply passage includes a first oil branching passage facing toward the first bearing (fig. 4, inlet top of page 310 has a path facing the bearing 308), and a second oil branching passage facing toward the second bearing (fig. 4, inlet bottom of page 310 has a path facing bearing 308).
With respect to claim 6, Long in view of Ronning teaches the above-mentioned limitations. Long further teaches the first oil recovery passage comprises :a first oil pathway configured to guide the lubricating oil supplied to the first bearing from the first oil branching passage to the oil circulation supply device (fig. 4, outlet 312 and col. 8, ln 5-7 “Pump 212 may cause the heated cooling oil to flow out through bearings outlets 312.” Examiner notes that due to their spatial relationship top and bottom bearings will have different pathways for fluid cooling to each respective bearing); and a second oil pathway configured to guide the lubricating oil supplied to the second bearing from the second oil branching passage to the oil circulation supply device (fig. 4, outlet 312 and col. 8, ln 5-7 “Pump 212 may cause the heated cooling oil to flow out through bearings outlets 312.” Examiner notes that due to their spatial relationship top and bottom bearings will have different pathways for fluid cooling to each respective bearing).
With respect to claim 9, Long teaches a combined power system equipped with a rotating electric machine system and an internal combustion engine (fig. 1, gas turbine engine 104); wherein the rotating electric machine system comprises: a rotating electric machine including a rotating shaft (fig. 4, shaft between bearing volumes 320), a rotor including a permanent magnet provided on the rotating shaft (fig. 4, rotor 304), and a stator (fig. 4, stator 324); a rotating electric machine housing in which the rotating electric machine is accommodated, in an interior of the rotating electric machine housing (fig. 4, housing 302), the rotating electric machine housing comprising a housing internal oil passage in which the stator is accommodated (fig. 4, stator volumes 318), a first insertion hole, and a second insertion hole (fig. 4, bearing volumes 320); a first bearing and a second bearing that are interposed between the rotating electric machine housing and the rotating shaft and is inserted into the first insertion hole, and a second bearing is inserted into the second insertion hole (fig. 4, bearing volumes 320); and an oil circulation supply device configured to supply a lubricating oil to the first bearing, the second bearing, and a housing internal oil passage (col. 6, ln 25-27 “In some examples, bearings inlets 310 may be fluidically connected to a pump via a fluid path, e.g., pump 212 via tubes and/or pipes.”); wherein the rotating electric machine housing includes the housing internal oil passage in which the stator is accommodated, in an interior of the rotating electric machine housing (col. 6, ln 25-27 “In some examples, bearings inlets 310 may be fluidically connected to a pump via a fluid path, e.g., pump 212 via tubes and/or pipes.”); the oil circulation supply device comprises a first oil supply line (fig. 4, inlet 310), a second oil supply line (fig. 4, stator inlet 314), a first oil recovery line (fig. 4, outlet 312), and a second oil recovery line (fig. 4, stator outlet 316); the oil circulation supply device is configured to supply the lubricating oil to the first bearing and the second bearing via the first oil supply line (col. 6, ln 25-27 “In some examples, bearings inlets 310 may be fluidically connected to a pump via a fluid path, e.g., pump 212 via tubes and/or pipes.”), and supply the lubricating oil toward the housing internal oil passage via the second oil supply line (col. 6, ln 49-51 “In some examples, bearings inlets 310 may be fluidically connected to a pump via a fluid path, e.g., pump 212 via tubes and/or pipes.”); and the internal combustion engine comprises an output shaft configured to rotate integrally together with the rotating shaft (col. 3, ln 48-49 “the example shown, electric machine 108 is coupled to gas turbine engine 104 via shaft 114.”).
Long does not teach “and a gas supplying device configured to supply gas to the first bearing and the second bearing, the oil circulation supply device is configured to recover, via the first oil recovery line, the lubricating oil supplied to the first bearing and the second bearing, and recover, via the second oil recovery line, the lubricating oil that has flowed through the housing internal oil passage, and recover the gas that has flowed through the gas discharge passage; the gas supplying device supplies, from a rotor chamber in which the rotor is accommodated toward the first insertion hole, the gas to the first bearing, and supplies the gas from the rotor chamber toward the second insertion hole and from the exterior of the rotating electric machine housing toward the second insertion hole to the second bearing in a manner so that the second bearing is sandwiched in the second insertion hole”
Ronning teaches a gas supplying device configured to supply a gas to the first bearing and the second bearing (fig. 1 1m 16/18); wherein the rotating electric machine housing includes gas supplying passages configured to supply the gas supplied from the gas supplying device to the first bearing and the second bearing (fig. 1, R1), and a gas discharge passage configured to discharge the gas from the first bearing and the second bearing (fig. 1, r2) and the oil circulation supply device is configured to configured to recover, via the first oil recovery line, the lubricating oil supplied to the first bearing and the second bearing (fig. 1, r1/w2), and recover, via the second oil recovery line, the lubricating oil that has flowed through the housing internal oil passage (fig. 1, r2), and recover the gas that has flowed through the gas discharge passage, and the gas supplying device supplies, from a rotor chamber in which the rotor is accommodated toward the first insertion hole, the gas to the first bearing, and supplies the gas from the rotor chamber toward the second insertion hole and from the exterior of the rotating electric machine housing toward the second insertion hole to the second bearing in a manner so that the second bearing is sandwiched in the second insertion hole (fig. 1, e1/e2).
PNG
media_image1.png
372
547
media_image1.png
Greyscale
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill, in the art at the time the invention was filed, to combine the motor of Long with gas cooled bearings of and multiple directional circulation of Ronning in order to further cool the bearings to prevent heat related damages thereby increasing the motor lifespan.
With respect to claim 10, Long teaches the cylindrically shaped partition wall member is interposed between the rotor and the stator in a radial direction of the rotating shaft (fig. 4, stator volumes and col 2, ln 51-53 “Electric machines typically include a rotor that rotates within or around a stator. Energy flows through the stator to or from the rotor.” Examiner is interpreting the rotor stator machine as cylindrical).
Long does not teach “the gas supplied from the gas supplying device flows through the rotor chamber.”
Ronning teaches the gas supplied from the gas supplying device flows through the rotor chamber (fig. 1, fig. 1 1m 16/18, flows to P1/P2).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill, in the art at the time the invention was filed, to combine the motor of Long with gas cooled bearings of and multiple directional circulation of Ronning in order to further cool the bearings to prevent heat related damages thereby increasing the motor lifespan.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Long in view of Ronning in view of Tate (US 20230378850 A1).
With respect to claim 3, Long in view of Ronning teaches the above-mentioned limitations but does not teach “the partition wall member is made of a ceramic.”
Tate teaches the partition wall member is made of a ceramic (paragraph 32 “the electrical machine 10 also includes a ceramic sleeve 44 which, together with the stator housing 40 (i.e., formed by end walls 41a, 41b and base plate 41c) defines the compartment 42.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill, in the art at the time the invention was filed, to combine the motor of Long with the cooling paths of Ronning with the ceramic wall of Tate in order to withstand the high heat of the motor while not interfering with the magnetic interactions between the rotor and stator.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Long in view of Ronning in view of Garriga et al (US 8482168 B2).
With respect to claim 8, Long in view of Ronning teaches the above-mentioned limitations but does not teach “the oil circulation supply device includes a gas- liquid separation device configured to separate the gas and the lubricating oil.”
Garriga teaches the oil circulation supply device includes a gas- liquid separation device configured to separate the gas and the lubricating oil (col. 17 ln 26-28 “small gaps 33 or holes may be used for gas fluids, and larger gaps 33 or holes may be used for higher viscosity liquids.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill, in the art at the time the invention was filed, to combine the motor of Long with the cooling paths of Ronning with gas-liquid separation device of Garriga in order to retain the oil while also expelling exhaust gases during the cooling of the motor.
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 RILEY OWEN STOUT whose telephone number is (571)272-0068. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:30-5:30pm EST.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Christopher M Koehler can be reached at (571)272-3560. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/R.O.S./Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/CHRISTOPHER M KOEHLER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834