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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5-12 and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Palafox et al. (herein Palafox) (US 2012/0025638).Regarding Claims 1 and 11:In Figures 1-13, Palafox discloses a dynamoelectric machine (100) comprising: a stator (106) having a substantially cylindrical body (106, 108, 113b see Figures 4 and 6) with end faces including winding heads (faces at 112 with winding heads depicted as 118), a rotor (102) arranged substantially within the stator (see Figure 1), two ring elements (both depicted as 138 in Figures 3-4), each ring element arranged on a respective end face of the stator body (see Figures 3-6), wherein each ring element has inlet nozzles (142, see end of paragraph [0032]), through which a cooling fluid can be sprayed onto the winding heads of the stator (see paragraph [0032]), wherein each ring element radially and axially encloses the winding heads of each respective end face (see Figures 3 and 6), so that the winding heads are encased in an annular space (shown in annotated Figure A below) bounded by the respective ring element and the respective end face of the stator body (annular space shown in Figures 3, 4 and 6) (per claims 1 and 11), and two end face housing sections (2 sections divided by parallel branches 133, see Figure 5 and depicted in Figure A below as HS), the ring elements each being arranged between an end face (EF in Figure A) of the stator body and one of the housing sections (as shown in Figure A below, certain portions of the respective ring element are located between the end face and one of the housing sections along an arbitrary straight line connecting these three elements, depicted as dotted line in Figure A) such that between each ring element and associated end face housing section, a cavity (generally depicted as 140 in Figure 6, the cavity is located between an outer wall of the ring element and EF) is defined which can be filled with the cooling fluid via at least one inlet (134), the cavity being connected to the annular space via the inlet nozzles (as seen in Figure A and depicted by arrows 150) (per claim 1).Further regarding claim 11: wherein the ring element has a collecting channel arranged so the cooling fluid sprayed onto the winding heads drains into the collecting channel (126, see paragraph [0031], wherein the collecting channel portion within the ring element is depicted as CC in Figure A) and is prevented from penetrating an air gap of the machine (barrier 144 prevents fluid from entering the air gap, see paragraph [0033]), and wherein the ring element (138) comprises circumferentially distributed outlet openings (as seen in Figures 3 and 5 all circumferentially distributed channels 128 are connected to 126 and subsequently to the fluid outlet 136, see paragraph [0038]) integrated into the collecting channel (the fluid outlet openings 128 are all connected to 126 as seen in Figure 3).
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Regarding Claim 2 and 12:In Figures 1-13, Palafox discloses a dynamoelectric machine (100) wherein the inlet nozzles (142) are arranged at radially different positions (depicted in Figure 6-7) distributed over a circumference of each ring element such that radially adjacently positioned inlet nozzles can spray radially stacked conductors of the winding heads (see Figure 6).Regarding Claim 3:In Figures 1-13, Palafox discloses a dynamoelectric machine (100) wherein the ring elements each have a collecting channel arranged so the cooling fluid sprayed onto the winding heads drains into the collecting channel (126, see paragraph [0031], wherein the collecting channel portion within the ring element is depicted as CC in Figure A) and is prevented from penetrating an air gap of the machine (barrier 144 prevents fluid from entering the air gap, see paragraph [0033]).Regarding Claim 5:In Figures 1-13, Palafox discloses a dynamoelectric machine (100), wherein the end face housing sections are configured as bearing shields (end sections capable of serving as bearing shields if needed).Regarding Claim 6:In Figures 1-13, Palafox discloses a dynamoelectric machine (100), wherein each cavity is divided into circular arc-shaped cavity segments via radially and axially extending partition walls (walls defined by 130, 133 as shown in Figure 5 which would extend into the ring elements) arranged on the respective ring element (multiple arc shaped cavity segments can be seen in each ring element in Figure 6).Regarding Claim 7:In Figures 1-13, Palafox discloses a dynamoelectric machine (100), wherein each ring element (138) comprises circumferentially distributed outlet openings (openings emanating from 133, see Figure 5), and each end face housing section comprises a drainage channel (133, 136) and a drainage opening, wherein the inlet nozzles (142), the outlet openings, the drainage channel and the drainage opening are arranged such that the cooling fluid sprayed through the inlet nozzles onto the winding heads can be directed via the outlet openings from the annular space into the drainage channel (as seen in Figure 6), and from there to the drainage opening (as seen in Figure 6).Regarding Claim 8:In Figures 1-13, Palafox discloses a dynamoelectric machine (100), wherein the outlet openings are integrated into the collecting channel (as seen in Figures 3 and 5 all channels 128 are connected to 126 and subsequently to the fluid outlet 136, see paragraph [0038]).Regarding Claims 9 and 15:In Figures 1-13, Palafox discloses a dynamoelectric machine (100), wherein the outlet openings (128) in the collecting channel are circumferentially separated from one another by separating webs (webs formed by 130, 132, 133) which extend in radial and axial directions into the annular space (see Figures 5-6).Regarding Claim 10:In Figures 1-13, Palafox discloses a dynamoelectric machine (100), wherein the stator body has substantially axially extending bores (130, 132) which are distributed circumferentially over an outer lateral surface of the stator body (see Figure 4) and form stator cooling channels (see paragraph [0031]), wherein the stator cooling channels (130, 132) are connected to the annular space via the inlet nozzles (142) to form a common cooling circuit (as seen in Figure 1-7).
Response to Arguments
With regards to the rejection of claim 4 which has now been incorporated into claim 1, the applicant has argued that Palafox fails to disclose ring elements arranged between an end face of the stator body and one of the housing sections. In response to this argument, the examiner has provided annotated Figure A above to show that certain portions of each ring element (138) are located between Palafox’s end face (EF) and the respective housing section (HS) as view along an arbitrary straight line connecting these elements (depicted as a dotted line in Figure A).
Applicant has also argued that Palafox fails to teach a cavity defined between each ring element and associated end face housing section. However, this argument relies on the fact that Palafox’s cavity (140) is formed within the ring element (138) and so the applicant argues that this cavity is not between the end face housing section and the ring element. However, this limitation does not require that the cavity is fully formed outside the ring element. As indicated in Figure A above, the cavity is formed between an outer wall of the ring element and a respective end face housing section (HS). For this argument to be persuasive, the claim would have to be further amended to state that the cavity is formed between an external surface of the ring element and the end face housing section.
Regarding claim 11, applicant has argued that Palafox’s collecting channel (previously denoted as 126 by the examiner in the rejection of claim 13) is formed in the housing portion (124) and so is not formed in the ring element as claimed. However, as shown in annotated Figure A above, the collection channel (126) has at least a portion that is formed within the ring element (138). The applicant has also argued that channel 126 is for the inlet of fluid and so cannot be a collection channel for drained fluid. However, as stated in paragraph [0038]: “Some cooling fluid 150 will enter the fluid network, via the fluid inlet 134, at the inlet manifold 130, and will pass through a fluid path 128 to the outlet manifold 132 to exit the network via the fluid outlet 136.” As seen in Figure 3, 126 and 128 are commonly connected at 130 indicating that fluid that does not exit the nozzles (142) would be drained back into 126 and then subsequently flow back to the outlet manifold such that 126 would formed multiple outlet openings 128. For these arguments to be persuasive, the claim would have to be further amended to state that the collecting channel is solely located in the ring element wherein the outlet openings of the collecting channel are formed in the ring element.
In light of the annotated Figure presented above for the further understanding of the previous rejections and the further explanation of the broadest reasonable interpretation used to reject these claims, these arguments are not persuasive. In order to expedite prosecution the applicant is requested to further amend the claims as mentioned above.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 DOMINICK L PLAKKOOTTAM whose telephone number is (571)270-7571. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 12 pm -8 pm ET.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Essama Omgba can be reached at 469-295-9278. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DOMINICK L PLAKKOOTTAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3746
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