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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 8/10/26 is being considered by the examiner.
Response to Amendment
This office action is in response to amendment filed on 10/16/25. Regarding the amendment, claims 1-8 are present for examination.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see remark, filed 10/16/25, with respect to amended claims 1-8 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Regarding to the amendment, the rejection of claims 1-8 has been withdrawn.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 1, the phrase “protruding ends of the rotor fixing plate contact each other with the gap stopper therebetween” is indefinite because it is vague. Does the rotor fixing plate has multiple of protruding ends wherein they are contacted each other? Or each of the rotor fixing plate has a protruding end, and the protruding ends are contacted each other. Applicant is required to further specify the structural features and configuration of the rotor fixing plate with the protruding ends. For examination purpose, it is understood as “each rotor fixing plate comprising a protruding end, and protruding ends are contacted each other with a gap stopper therebetween”.
Furthermore, the limitation “the gap stopper” in the last line of the claim lacks of antecedent basis.
Claims 2-8 are rejected because of their dependency.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-8 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: the record of prior art by itself or in combination with other references does not show an axial motor comprising: a shaft; a stator means having a stator casing, a core of which both ends are exposed from both ends of the stator casing in an axial direction, and a coil accommodated in the stator casing so as to encompass the core, and having the shaft penetratively inserted therein; a plurality of rotor means having a plurality of magnets spaced certain distances apart in a radial direction of the shaft and arranged in a circumferential direction to face the core exposed from one end of the stator casing in the axial direction of the shaft, and a rotor fixing plate, which fixes the magnets such that one surface of the magnet facing the core is exposed and which is inserted into the stator means and fixed and coupled so as to be integrally rotatable with the shaft, and being inserted into both ends of the stator means; a top lid into which the shaft is rotatably inserted, and which is coupled to be attachable/detachable to/from the stator casing so that a rotor means located at a first end of the shaft is accommodated therein; and a bottom lid into which the shaft is rotatably inserted, and which is coupled to be attachable/detachable to/from the stator casing so that a rotor means located at a second end of the shaft is accommodated therein, wherein, when one end of the rotor means is inserted into the stator means, facing surfaces of the magnets and the core are located at certain distances, wherein each rotor fixing plate comprising a protruding end, and the protruding ends are contacted each other with a gap stopper therebetween.
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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Takada et al. (US 20210218307 A1) is considered pertinent at least in teaching the use of flat, rectangular wiring in the creation of a coil on a stator core (Takada et al., Fig. 5B).
Miyata et al. (US 20100072850 A1) is considered pertinent at least in teaching an axial motor having multiple stators and multiple rotors with a "a rotor middle housing that accommodates the rotor means located between the stator means."
Blevins et al. (US 20180278133 A1) and Schuler et al. (US 2018/0212489 A1), and Carpenter (US 20110309726 A1) are considered pertinent at least in teaching an axial motor having multiple rotors and multiple stators, wherein the rotors arc inserted into the stators and are spaced using a spacer secured to the rotor (e.g. Blevins et al. Fig. 5, Schuler et al. Fig. 20A at 262).
Lin et al. (US 20190101053 A1) is considered pertinent at least in teaching a modular axial motor having separate outer housing portions which are attachable/detachable to/from each other.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 LEDA T PHAM whose telephone number is (571)272-5806. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8:00-5:00.
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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.
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/LEDA T PHAM/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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