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, see pages 4-6, filed 09/26/2025, with respect to claims 1-5 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejection of claims 1-5 has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Inoue (US PG Pub 2018/0358848) and Osugi (JP 2018061319).
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.
Claim(s) 1-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Inoue (US PG Pub 2018/0358848) in view of Kim (US PG Pub 2012/0139377) and Osugi (JP 2018061319).
As to independent claim 1, Inoue teaches a rotary electric machine comprising: a rotor (40), the rotor (40) being rotatable; a stator (10) fixed around the rotor (40) and provided with a plurality of coils (15) in a stator core (13); and a motor housing (60) that accommodates the rotor (40) and the stator (10) therein, wherein the stator (10) is fixed to the motor housing (60) by a fastener (70) inserted into a plurality of fixing portions (13T) protruding radially outward from an outer peripheral edge of the stator core (13), and a flux barrier (13B) penetrating in an axial direction is formed near the fixing portion (13T) of the stator core (13) and at a position not overlapping the fixing portion (13T) in a radial direction as shown in figures 1, 5, 12.
However Inoue teaches the claimed limitation as discussed above except a rotor in which a plurality of permanent magnets are embedded in an outer peripheral portion, wherein the flux barrier is completely radially inward with respect to the outer peripheral edge of the stator core.
Kim teaches a rotor (20) in which a plurality of permanent magnets (10) are embedded in an outer peripheral portion as shown in figure 1, for the advantageous benefit of providing an interior permanent magnet motor and manufacturing method for the same which optimizes the arraying of permanent magnets and fixing strength.
Osugi teaches the flux barrier (114a , 114b) is completely radially inward with respect to the outer peripheral edge of the stator core (112) as shown in figure 5, for the advantageous benefit of providing a simple structure to reduce eddy current loss by layer short of stator core.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify Inoue by using a rotor in which a plurality of permanent magnets are embedded in an outer peripheral portion, wherein the flux barrier is completely radially inward with respect to the outer peripheral edge of the stator core, as taught by Kim ad Osugi, to provide an interior permanent magnet motor and manufacturing method for the same which optimizes the arraying of permanent magnets and fixing strength and provide a simple structure to reduce eddy current loss by layer short of stator core.
As to claim 2/1, Inoue teaches wherein the fixing portion (13T) is disposed at an equiangular pitch in a circumferential direction of the stator (10), and the flux barriers (13B) are formed on both sides of the fixing portion (13T) in a circumferential direction as shown in figures 1 and 12.
As to claim 3/1, Inoue teaches wherein the flux barrier (13B) is formed at a position not overlapping the fixing portion (13T) in a circumferential direction as shown in figures 1 and 12.
As to claim 4/1, Inoue teaches wherein the fixing portion (13T) is a substantially triangular portion that bulges radially outward from an outer peripheral edge of the stator (10), and a through hole (13H) is provided through a center portion of the fixing portion (13T) as shown in figures 1 and 12 .
As to claim 5/1, Inoue teaches wherein four of the fixing portions (13T) are formed at an equiangular pitch in a circumferential direction of the stator (10) as shown in figure 1.
Conclusion
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 JOSE A GONZALEZ QUINONES whose telephone number is (571)270-7850. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday: 6:30-2:30 EST.
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/JOSE A GONZALEZ QUINONES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834 October 10, 2025