Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/557,679

COIL MODULE FOR ELECTRIC MACHINE

Non-Final OA §112
Filed
Oct 27, 2023
Examiner
ALMAWRI, MAGED M
Art Unit
2834
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Vaionic Technologies GmbH
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
74%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 10m
To Grant
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 74% — above average
74%
Career Allow Rate
398 granted / 538 resolved
+6.0% vs TC avg
Strong +24% interview lift
Without
With
+24.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 10m
Avg Prosecution
45 currently pending
Career history
583
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.7%
-39.3% vs TC avg
§103
65.2%
+25.2% vs TC avg
§102
9.7%
-30.3% vs TC avg
§112
20.8%
-19.2% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 538 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
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 . Claims 16-29 are presented for examination. Claims 1-15 have been cancelled. Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 11/07/2023 and 10/27/2023 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner. Priority Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55. Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). Specification The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed. The following title is suggested: “COIL MODULE WITH COIL DISCS HAVING ANNULAR COOLING CHANNEL, CERAMIC DELIMITATION FORM SUBSTANTAILLY ANNULAR CERAMIC DISC PROVIDED IN THE RECESS. ” Inventorship This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a), the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned at the time any inventions covered therein were made absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and invention dates of each claim that was not commonly owned at the time a later invention was made in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(c) and potential pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(e), (f) or (g) prior art under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a). Drawings The drawings are objected to because “ALL THE DRAWINGS ARE NOT CLEAR, SPECIALLY HAND WRITTEN ANNOTATIONS, SEE Fig.2, showing, also figures: 3,4,9a, 9b,fig.12a-12c,13a,13b,13c,13d,fig.15a, 15b” the drawings are very vaque and details are not shown, Applicant’s WIPO Application equivalent “WO 2022229272” was used to see details by examiner. Examiner suggests using the same quality as in said Wipo application which show clear boundaries and figures for all drawings. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b): (b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph: The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention. Claim 17,21,22,24-27 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention. Regarding claims 17,21,22,26, A broad range or limitation together with a narrow range or limitation that falls within the broad range or limitation (in the same claim) may be considered indefinite if the resulting claim does not clearly set forth the metes and bounds of the patent protection desired. See MPEP § 2173.05(c). In the present instance, claim 17 recites the broad recitation “ceramic delimitation comprises “aluminum based or silicon based ceramic”, and the claim also recites “Preferably, a material selected from the group…. Nitride”. which is the narrower statement of the range/limitation. The claim(s) are considered indefinite because there is a question or doubt as to whether the feature introduced by such narrower language is (a) merely exemplary of the remainder of the claim, and therefore not required, or (b) a required feature of the claims. Clarification is needed. Furthermore claims 21,22, and 26 use the terms “preferably” to introduce “narrower limitation” after reciting a “broader limitation before the word “preferably”, therefore is the same case as claim 17 rejection, and , The claim(s) are considered indefinite because there is a question or doubt as to whether the feature introduced by such narrower language is (a) merely exemplary of the remainder of the claim, and therefore not required, or (b) a required feature of the claims. Clarification is needed. Claim 24 line 2 recites “its”, which is unclear what its is refereeing to, winding, or regions or prior limitations of claim 24. Clarification is needed Claims 25-27 are rejected based on dependency from rejected base claim 24. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 16-29 allowed. Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.” The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: Claim 16 recites “inter alia” 16. (New) A coil module for an electric machine, comprising: a first coil disc with a first coil carrier made of an electrically insulating material, at least one winding embedded in the first coil carrier and made of an electrically conductive material, and a first ceramic delimitation; a second coil disc with a second coil carrier made of an electrically insulating material, at least one winding embedded in the second coil carrier and made of an electrically conductive material, and a second ceramic delimitation; wherein the first coil disc and the second coil disc are configured and attached to each other such that a substantially annular cooling channel for a coolant is formed between the first coil disc and the second coil disc; and wherein the first ceramic delimitation and the second ceramic delimitation each form at least partially an inner wall of the substantially annular cooling channel; wherein the first coil carrier and/or the second coil carrier comprise/comprises a substantially annular recess; and wherein the first ceramic delimitation and/or the second ceramic delimitation are/is provided in form of a substantially annular ceramic disc which is arranged in the substantially annular recess on the first coil carrier and/or the second coil carrier.” PNG media_image1.png 435 1009 media_image1.png Greyscale PNG media_image2.png 703 574 media_image2.png Greyscale PNG media_image3.png 475 602 media_image3.png Greyscale The closest prior art of record : GB 2485185 “ Sromin”, teaches a 2 coils discs with insulating material, and a cooling structure in between such as showing in fig.5b structure 400 similar to a cooling disc, but it fails to be in a recess/ wherein the first coil carrier and/or the second coil carrier comprise/comprises a substantially annular recess; and wherein the first ceramic delimitation and/or the second ceramic delimitation are/is provided in form of a substantially annular ceramic disc which is arranged in the substantially annular recess on the first coil carrier and/or the second coil carrier.” The prior art of record also fail to teach they are “ceramic” discs”. PNG media_image4.png 891 711 media_image4.png Greyscale Another close prior art, US 20200220406, “Schuler” which also teach “coil carrier discs, and cooling via air, no cooling disc, and no recess in the coil carrier, having delimitation discs inside recess which have discs for cooling channel in between, nor have ceramic structure. Another prior art, US 20100001610, “Iki”, which teach coil disc carrier 200, witch cooling disc 212 see fig.6, but does not show ceramic disc, nor recess nor the structure claimed in claim 16. Another close prior art, Iki, US 2011028522, which shows coil carrier discs, with no discs or recessed in discs for cooling nor ceramic structure of discs. Furthermore, Prior art Stahulhut, (US 20080100166), also is close prior art with coil carrier, 114, and cooing side of core 16, which is a disc, but it fails to show carrier has recess, and / wherein the first coil carrier and/or the second coil carrier comprise/comprises a substantially annular recess; and wherein the first ceramic delimitation and/or the second ceramic delimitation are/is provided in form of a substantially annular ceramic disc which is arranged in the substantially annular recess on the first coil carrier and/or the second coil carrier.” The prior art of record also fail to teach they are “ceramic” discs, PNG media_image5.png 560 546 media_image5.png Greyscale PNG media_image6.png 761 452 media_image6.png Greyscale PNG media_image7.png 683 465 media_image7.png Greyscale The prior art of record, or ip.com NPL and Patent Search nor PLUS Search nor Google Patent search fail to teach the combination of claims 1 where “ a first ceramic delimitation; a second coil disc with a second coil carrier made of an electrically insulating material, at least one winding embedded in the second coil carrier and made of an electrically conductive material, and a second ceramic delimitation; wherein the first coil disc and the second coil disc are configured and attached to each other such that a substantially annular cooling channel for a coolant is formed between the first coil disc and the second coil disc; and wherein the first ceramic delimitation and the second ceramic delimitation each form at least partially an inner wall of the substantially annular cooling channel; wherein the first coil carrier and/or the second coil carrier comprise/comprises a substantially annular recess; and wherein the first ceramic delimitation and/or the second ceramic delimitation are/is provided in form of a substantially annular ceramic disc which is arranged in the substantially annular recess on the first coil carrier and/or the second coil carrier.”.”. The combination is unique and is not taught by the prior art of record. The combination of references do not teach new claim 16 limitations, furthermore, adding more references to rejected new claim 16 is not proper nor would teach the new claim limitations combined or modify the references or other combination of references. Many of the references in the search, ip.com NPL and Patent Search, Similarity Search , AI Search, Global Dossier Search all fail alone or insemination to suggest or teach the combination of limitations of claim 16. Claims 17-29 are allowed based on dependency from allowed claim 16. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MAGED M ALMAWRI whose telephone number is (313)446-6565. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Thursday. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Quyen Leung can be reached on 5712728188. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /MAGED M ALMAWRI/Primary Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Oct 27, 2023
Application Filed
Nov 21, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §112 (current)

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
74%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+24.0%)
2y 10m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 538 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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