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 .
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.
Claims 1-4 and 6-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent 5,834,662 to Stoll et al.
Regarding claim 1, Stoll et al disclose a phase adjustment device for a rotary machine including a rotor and a stator, the phase adjustment device comprising: a worm wheel (4) configured to be detachably provided to a shaft end (by element 9) of the rotor (not shown); and a worm portion (3) configured to be detachably provided to the stator (housing 1) and mesh with the worm wheel (4, see Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 2, Stoll et al disclose the worm wheel (4) is attached to and detached from a coupling hub (7) provided at the shaft end of the rotor (see Col. 6, lines 1-6).
Regarding claim 3, Stoll et al disclose a worm holding plate (raise of house 2) attachable to and detachable from an end flange portion of the stator (see Fig. 3), the end flange portion covering the coupling hub from a lower side, wherein the worm portion is attached to and detached from the end flange portion via the worm holding plate (by fastener in hole 23).
Regarding claim 4, Stoll et al disclose a spacer (washers, damping rings, see Col. 6, lines 5-6) configured to be interposed between the coupling hub and the worm wheel (4).
Regarding claim 6, Stoll et al disclose a phase adjustment method by the phase adjustment device for a rotary machine according to claim 1, the phase adjustment method comprising: attaching the worm portion (3) to the stator (housing 2);
attaching the worm wheel (4) to the shaft end of the rotor (see Col. 6, lines 1-6) with the worm wheel (4) meshing with the worm portion (3, see Fig. 2); and adjusting a phase of the rotor by rotating the worm portion about an axis of the worm portion by using a hand tool.
Regarding claim 7, Stoll et al disclose the worm wheel (4) is attached to a
coupling hub (not shown) mounted to the shaft end of the rotor, and in the attaching of the worm portion (3) to the stator (housing 2), a worm holding plate configured to support the worm portion is positioned (see Figs. 2-3) and attached to an end portion of an end flange portion (22) covering the coupling hub.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5 and 8 are 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Prior art cited for their general teaching of a worm gear structure.
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/DN/ /DONGHAI D NGUYEN/August 22, 2026 Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3729
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