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 01/06/2026 is being considered by the examiner.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see page 6 and 7, filed 12/17/2025, with respect to objections to specification and rejections under 35 USC 112 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The objection to the specification and rejections under 35 USC 112 have been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-7 regarding the newly-amended claim language “all of the partition portions of the ring portion face are located on portions of an outer periphery of the motor that correspond to that are present radially outward of a specific one phase of three phases of the motor” 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.
Applicant's arguments filed 12/17/2025 regarding the deficiencies of KIMURA, vis-à-vis the specific positions and contacts of the inner and outer partitions of KIMURA have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. In response to applicant's arguments against the references individually, one cannot show nonobviousness by attacking references individually where the rejections are based on combinations of references. See In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 208 USPQ 871 (CCPA 1981); In re Merck & Co., 800 F.2d 1091, 231 USPQ 375 (Fed. Cir. 1986). Specifically, the partition portions of KIMURA are located “on portions of an outer periphery of the motor” as broadly claimed, as described in the rejection. Specific locations and contacts of the partition portions are taught by YU, as set forth in the rejection. The combination teaches the limitations of the original claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over YU (US 20210111606) in view of KIMURA (US 20200373794) and further in view of NAGAO US 20140062249.
Regarding claim 1, YU discloses a motor support structure comprising:
a case (1) that houses and holds a motor (see para [0003]) with stator having a plurality of pairs of magnetic poles (see para [0041]); and
a ring portion (see Figs. 4 and 6) that is in close contact with an outer peripheral surface of the stator (see para [0064]) and an inner peripheral surface of the case (1) and fills a space between the stator and the case (1), wherein:
the ring portion includes
an inner cylinder ring portion that is in surface contact with the outer peripheral surface of the stator (see annotated Fig. 6, below),
an outer cylinder ring portion that is concentrically located at a predetermined distance on an outer periphery of the inner cylinder ring portion and whose outer peripheral surface is in surface contact with the case (1) (see annotated Fig. 6, below),
and a plurality of partition portions located between the inner cylinder ring portion and the outer cylinder ring portion at predetermined intervals in a circumferential direction of the ring portion and connecting the inner cylinder ring portion and the outer cylinder ring portion (see annotated Fig. 6, below).
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However, YU does not disclose the motor with a rotor, being a three-phase alternating current, the rotor being located inside the stator and configured to rotate by a magnetic force.
KIMURA discloses a motor support structure, the motor (80) being a three-phase alternating current motor (see para [0044]) in which a rotor (60) being located inside the stator and configured to rotate by a magnetic force (see para [0032]) is located inside a stator (40) (see Fig. 1).
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It 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 to provide the motor support of YU with disclose the motor being a three-phase alternating current motor in which a rotor configured to rotate by a magnetic force is located inside a stator similar to KIMURA.
A person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains would have been motivated to make such modification in order to reduce magnetic property deterioration by equalizing compressive stresses, as taught by KIMURA (see para [0004] and [0048])
However, YU in view of KUMURA does not teach all of the partition portions of the ring portion face portions of an outer periphery of the motor that are present radially outward of a specific one phase of three phases of the motor.
NAGAO discloses a motor support structure wherein all of the partition portions (78, 282) of the ring portion face portions of an outer periphery of the motor that are present radially outward of a specific one phase of three phases of the motor (i.e. the U-phase is present over 360 degrees of the motor circumference, at least by crossing wires 28U; see Fig. 2A and para [0124]).
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It 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 to provide the motor of YU in view of KUMURA with all of the partition portions of the ring portion face portions of an outer periphery of the motor that are present radially outward of a specific one phase of three phases of the motor, similar to NAGAO.
A person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains would have been motivated to make such modification in order to prevent unbalance of the stator core, as taught by NAGAO (see para [0021])
Regarding claim 2, YU in view of KIMURA and further in view of NAGAO teaches the motor support structure according to claim 1.
KIMURA teaches the pairs of magnetic poles of the motor are provided as pole pairs (see para [0041]);
the number of the partition portions is the number of the pole pairs multiplied by a power of 2(see para [0046]); and
the partition portions (41,42) are located at positions symmetrical with respect to a rotation center of the motor (see Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 3, YU in view of KIMURA and further in view of NAGAO teaches the motor support structure according to claim 1.
KIMURA teaches the number of the partition portions (41,42) is the same as the number of the portions of the outer periphery of motor that are present radially outward (see Fig. 2 and para [0044] and [0046]) to the specific one phase as previously described being taught by NAGAO (see Fig. 2A).
Regarding claim 4, YU in view of KIMURA and further in view of NAGAO teaches the motor support structure according to claim 1.
YU teaches the ring portion has clearance between the inner cylinder ring portion and the outer cylinder ring portion in a radial direction (see Figs. 4 and 6); and
the clearance is divided by the partition portions in the radial direction into channels (3) for cooling the motor (see para [0048]).
Regarding claim 5, YU in view of KIMURA and further in view of NAGAO teaches the motor support structure according to claim 1.
YU discloses each of the partition portions has a bent portion that is bent in the circumferential direction of the ring portion (see Fig. 6).
Regarding claim 6, YU in view of KIMURA and further in view of NAGAO teaches the motor support structure according to claim 1.
KIMURA teaches the stator (40) includes
a plurality of teeth (47) protruding radially inward from an inner peripheral surface of the stator (40) with predetermined clearance between the teeth (see para [0045] and Fig. 2), and
a plurality of slots (48) each of which is the clearance between two adjacent ones of the teeth (see Fig. 2);
the specific one phase is a U-phase (as discussed above, the specific one phase may be any of the phases as broadly claimed);
fastening between the stator and the ring portion and fastening between the case and the ring portion are both shrink fitting (see para [0026]); and
a circumferential width of each of the partition portions (41,42) is equal to a sum of a first circumferential width of one tooth and a second circumferential width of a total circumferential width of two slots (see para [0046] and Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 7, YU in view of KIMURA and further in view of NAGAO teaches the motor support structure according to claim 1, wherein
NAGAO teaches all of the partition portions of the ring portion face portions of the outer periphery of the motor outward of a U- phase of the three phases of the motor (see Fig. 2A and para [0124].
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 20120074798 Bywaters teaches an electric rotary machine with structural breakpoints positioned related to specific phases and with ring partition portions.
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.
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/JUSTIN STEFANON/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/OLUSEYE IWARERE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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