DETAILED ACTION
This Office action is in response to Reply to Restriction Requirement received 8 September 2025.
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 without traverse of Group I, claims 1-4, in the reply filed on 8 September 2025 is acknowledged. Claims 5-13 have been withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The claims in this application are given their broadest reasonable interpretation using the plain meaning of the claim language in light of the specification as it would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The broadest reasonable interpretation of a claim element (also commonly referred to as a claim limitation) is limited by the description in the specification when 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is invoked.
As explained in MPEP § 2181, subsection I, claim limitations that meet the following three-prong test will be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
(A) the claim limitation uses the term “means” or “step” or a term used as a substitute for “means” that is a generic placeholder (also called a nonce term or a non-structural term having no specific structural meaning) for performing the claimed function;
(B) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is modified by functional language, typically, but not always linked by the transition word “for” (e.g., “means for”) or another linking word or phrase, such as “configured to” or “so that”; and
(C) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is not modified by sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function.
Use of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim with functional language creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites sufficient structure, material, or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Absence of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is not to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is not interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites function without reciting sufficient structure, material or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Claim limitations in this application that use the word “means” (or “step”) are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action. Conversely, claim limitations in this application that do not use the word “means” (or “step”) are not being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are: a heat radiation member in claims 1 and 4.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kuronuma et al. (US 2019/0257319 A1; hereinafter Kuronuma ‘319) in view of Kuronuma et al. (US 2019/0203724 A1; hereinafter Kuronuma ‘724).
Regarding claims 1 and 2, Kuronuma ‘319 discloses a motor pump (Figure 1), comprising: an impeller [1] accommodating a permanent magnet [5]; a pump casing [2] accommodating the impeller [1]; a motor stator [6] having a plurality of stator coils [6B]; a motor casing [3] accommodating the motor stator [6]; a heat radiation member [20] closing an accommodation space (paragraph 0062: “interior of the motor casing 3” and paragraph 0067: “housing space”) formed in the motor casing [3]; and lead wires [17] connected to the stator coils [6B] and arranged in the accommodation space (paragraph 0062: “interior of the motor casing 3” and paragraph 0067: “housing space”); wherein the lead wires [17] are arranged radially outside a suction port [15] coupled to a liquid flow channel [14] formed in the motor casing [3] (paragraphs 0041-0042, 0046, 0053, 0062, 0066-0070, and Figures 1-2, 4A, and 7). Kuronuma ‘319 discloses terminals of the lead wires [17] being coupled to a drive circuit, but does not disclose how the terminals of the lead wires are coupled to the drive circuit, specifically not disclosing a substrate. Kuronuma ‘724, however, teaches a similar motor pump [20] comprising: an impeller [21] accommodating a permanent magnet [22]; a pump casing [24] accommodating the impeller [21]; a motor stator [23] having a plurality of stator coils [23b]; a motor casing [25] accommodating the motor stator [23]; a member [29] closing an accommodation space (see interior of motor casing [25]) formed in the motor casing [25]; and a substrate [23d] connected to the stator coils [23b] and arranged in the accommodation space (see interior of motor casing [25]); wherein the substrate [23d] is arranged radially outside a suction port [20a] coupled to a liquid flow channel (paragraph 0049: “a single fluid flow path”) formed in the motor casing [25] (paragraphs 0043, 0047-0049, 0057-0058, 0062, 0081-0082, and Figures 2-4). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to configure Kuronuma ‘319’s motor pump to include a substrate connected to the stator coils and arranged radially outside the suction port in the accommodation space because Kuronuma ‘724 teaches that this configuration electrically connects the stator windings to the power supply (paragraph 0058). Additionally, it is notoriously well known in the art to utilize a substrate of a circuit board to mechanically hold and electrically connect electronic components.
Regarding claim 3, the modified Kuronuma ‘319 discloses the motor pump according to claim 1, wherein the substrate [23d of Kuronuma ‘724] is covered with a potting material [50] filled in the accommodation space (paragraph 0062: “interior of the motor casing 3” and paragraph 0067: “housing space”) (paragraph 0062 and Figures 1 and 7; wherein once the substrate [23d of Kuronuma ‘724] is arranged in the accommodation space of Kuronuma ‘319 for the reasons provided above, it directly follows that the substrate would be covered with the potting material [50]).
Regarding claim 4, the modified Kuronuma ‘319 discloses the motor pump according to claim 3, wherein the potting material [50] is filled in the accommodation space (paragraph 0062: “interior of the motor casing 3” and paragraph 0067: “housing space”), forming a gap (see “gap” in annotated Figure 7 below) adjacent to the heat radiation member [20] (paragraph 0062 and annotated Figure 7 below).
PNG
media_image1.png
538
582
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See Pezzillo (US 2,535,695), Ihle et al. (US 2010/0158723 A1), and Miyasaka (US 2019/0234425 A1) which disclose similar motor pumps.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AUDREY B. WALTER whose telephone number is (571)270-5286. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Mark Laurenzi can be reached at 571-270-7878. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/AUDREY B. WALTER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3746
Prosecution Insights