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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election of claims 1-9 and 21-29 in the reply filed on 2/2/2026is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1 and 3-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Boualem (EP 3817201) and in view of Ullrich (US 20150003900) and Lin (US 20210031892).
As to claim 1, Boualem discloses a magnetic transmission assembly comprising: a housing having a longitudinal axis that extends from an input located at a proximate end of the magnetic transmission assembly to an output located at a remote end of the magnetic transmission assembly (Fig. 1); a rotary shaft channel extending along the longitudinal axis of the magnetic transmission assembly from the proximate end to the remote end (Fig. 1), the rotary shaft channel configured to receive a rotary shaft to couple at the proximate end (Fig. 1); a magnetic transmission inside the housing concentrically surrounding the rotary shaft channel (Fig. 1), the magnetic transmission including: a magnetic flux modulator mounted on the rotary shaft and concentrically surrounding the rotary shaft channel (Fig. 5), the magnetic flux modulator supporting a plurality of ferritic elements spaced apart at respective ferritic positions (Fig. 5); a rotor rotatably supported relative to the rotary shaft and including a rotor body supporting a plurality of first permanent magnets spaced apart at first respective angular positions (Fig. 5); a stator secured to the housing and supporting a plurality of second permanent magnets spaced apart at second respective angular positions (Fig. 5); and a fan concentrically located around the rotary shaft channel facing the proximate end of the magnetic transmission assembly and rigidly coupled to the rotor (Fig. 1).
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Boualem fails to disclose an electric hand-held power tool motor, and the magnetic flux modulator including a non-ferritic body.
Ullrich, however, discloses an electric hand-held power tool motor (abstract).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to provide the assembly of Boualem with an electric hand-held power tool motor, as disclosed by Ullrich, to allow for the use of the assembly in hand held power tools.
Lin, however, discloses the magnetic flux modulator including a non-ferritic body (Para 0021).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to provide the assembly of Boualem with the magnetic flux modulator including a non-ferritic body, as disclosed by Lin, in order to optimize the magnetic field.
As to claim 3, the combination of Boualem, Ullrich, and Lin discloses the magnetic transmission assembly of claim 1, wherein respective magnetic poles of the plurality of first permanent magnets and respective magnetic poles of the plurality of second permanent magnets are all oriented in a radial direction that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the magnetic transmission assembly (Fig. 5 of Boualem).
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As to claim 4, the combination of Boualem, Ullrich, and Lin discloses the magnetic transmission assembly of claim 3, wherein the rotor and the fan comprise a unitary structure further comprising at least one bearing arranged to at least radially support the rotor relative to the rotary shaft in a freely rotatable manner (24, 25; Fig. 1; Para 0025 of Boulem).
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As to claim 5, the combination of Boualem, Ullrich, and Lin discloses the magnetic transmission assembly of claim 3, wherein the magnetic flux modulator forms a cylindrical volume including an open end (Fig. 1 of Boualem); wherein the rotor extends into the open end of the cylindrical volume to position the plurality of first permanent magnets of the rotor within the cylindrical volume radially inward of the plurality of second permanent magnets of the stator with the plurality of ferritic elements located radially therebetween (Fig. 1 and 5 of Boualem).
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As to claim 6, the combination of Boualem, Ullrich, and Lin discloses the magnetic transmission assembly of claim 1, wherein respective magnetic poles of the plurality of first permanent magnets and respective magnetic poles of the plurality of second permanent magnets are all oriented in a direction that is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the magnetic transmission assembly (Fig. 5 of Boualem).
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As to claim 7, the combination of Boualem, Ullrich, and Lin discloses the magnetic transmission assembly of claim 6, wherein the rotor and the fan comprise a unitary structure further comprising a single bearing arranged to at least radially support the rotor relative to the rotary shaft in a freely rotatable manner (Fig. 1 of Boualem).
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As to claim 8, the combination of Boualem, Ullrich, and Lin discloses the magnetic transmission assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of first permanent magnets of the rotor, the plurality of second permanent magnets of the stator, and the plurality of ferritic elements are positioned in respective first, second, and third radial planes that are oriented in a direction that is perpendicular to the rotary shaft channel spaced apart from one another along the longitudinal axis (Fig. 5 of Boualem).
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As to claim 9, the combination of Boualem, Ullrich, and Lin discloses the magnetic transmission assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of first permanent magnets provides N pole pairs (Para 0009 of Boualem), the plurality of second permanent magnets provides M pole pairs (Para 0009 of Boualem), the plurality of ferritic elements is provided by N+M (Para 0009 of Boualem), and a ratio of a speed of the fan to a speed of rotation of the magnetic flux modulator is given by (N+M)/M (Para 0009 of Boualem).
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Boualem, Ullrich, Lin, and in view of JP832 (JP 7172823).
As to claim 2, the combination of Boualem, Ullrich, and Lin discloses the magnetic transmission assembly of claim 1, wherein the rotary shaft is a motor shaft received from the electric hand-held power tool motor in the rotary shaft channel extending from the input to the output (Fig. 1 of Boualem).
Boualem fails to disclose a bushing rigidly coupling the motor shaft to the magnetic flux modulator.
JP832, however, discloses a bushing rigidly coupling the motor shaft to the magnetic flux modulator (Para 0021).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to provide the assembly of Boualem with a bushing rigidly coupling the motor shaft to the magnetic flux modulator, as disclosed by JP823, in order to support the shaft and the modulator.
Claims 21-29 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Boulem and Ullrich.
As to claim 21, Boualem discloses a magnetic transmission assembly comprising: a rotary shaft driven by a motor (Fig. 1); a stator that is fixed and that includes a plurality of first permanent magnets (Fig. 5); a magnetic flux modulator fixedly coupled to the rotary shaft to rotate at a speed of the rotary shaft (Fig. 1 and 5), the magnetic flux modulator including a plurality of ferritic elements (Fig. 5); a fan that concentrically surrounds the rotary shaft (Fig. 1), the fan rotatably supported relative to the rotary shaft by at least one bearing (Fig. 1); and a rotor rotatably supported relative to the rotary shaft by the at least one bearing and fixedly coupled to the fan (Fig. 1), the rotor comprising a plurality of second permanent magnets (Fig. 5); wherein the plurality of ferritic elements are positioned between the stator and the rotor to modulate magnetic flux between the plurality of first permanent magnets and the plurality of second permanent magnets such that the rotor drives the fan at a fan speed that is greater than the speed of the rotary shaft (Fig. 5).
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Boualem fails to disclose an electric hand-held power tool.
Ullrich, however, discloses an electric hand-held power tool.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to provide the assembly of Boualem with an electric hand-held power tool motor, as disclosed by Ullrich, to allow for the use of the assembly in hand held power tools.
As to claim 22, the combination of Boualem and Ullrich discloses the magnetic transmission assembly of claim 21, wherein the magnetic flux modulator forms a cylindrical volume including an open end (Fig. 1 of Boualem), wherein a first end of the rotor extends into the open end of the cylindrical volume (Fig. 1 and 5 of Boualem).
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As to claim 23, the combination of Boualem and Ullrich discloses the magnetic transmission assembly of claim 22, wherein the fan extends from a second end of the rotor opposite the first end of the rotor (Fig. 1 of Boualem).
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As to claim 24, the combination of Boualem and Ullrich discloses the magnetic transmission assembly of claim 21, wherein an outer diameter of the fan is approximately equal to an outer diameter of the magnetic flux modulator (Fig. 1 of Boualem).
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As to claim 25, the combination of Boualem and Ullrich discloses the magnetic transmission assembly of claim 21, wherein the rotor is located between the fan and the magnetic flux modulator (Fig. 1 of Boualem).
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As to claim 26, the combination of Boualem and Ullrich discloses the magnetic transmission assembly of claim 21, wherein respective magnetic poles of the plurality of first permanent magnets and respective magnetic poles of the plurality of second permanent magnets are oriented in a radial direction that is perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the rotary shaft (Fig. 5 of Boualem).
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As to claim 27, the combination of Boualem and Ullrich discloses the magnetic transmission assembly of claim 21, wherein the plurality of first permanent magnets, the plurality of second permanent magnets, and the plurality of ferritic elements are positioned in respective first, second, and third radial planes that are oriented in a direction that is perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the rotary shaft (Fig. 5 of Boualem).
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As to claim 28, the combination of Boualem and Ullrich discloses the magnetic transmission assembly of claim 21, wherein the plurality of first permanent magnets provides N pole pairs (Para 0009 of Boualem), the plurality of second permanent magnets provides M pole pairs (Para 0009 of Boualem), and a ratio of the speed of the fan to a speed of rotation of the magnetic flux modulator is given by (N+M)/M (Para 0009 of Boualem).
As to claim 29, the combination of Boualem and Ullrich discloses the magnetic transmission assembly of claim 28, wherein the plurality of ferritic elements is provided by N+M (Para 0009 of Boualem).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner
should be directed to ETHAN N VO whose telephone number is (571)270-7593. The examiner can
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/ETHAN NGUYEN VO/
Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/CHRISTOPHER M KOEHLER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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