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 § 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) 1-10 and 18-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over CHO(US20130088112A1) in view of PENNANDER(US8710711B2).
Regarding claim 1, Cho teaches an electric motor(100) assembly comprising: a stator(110); a rotor(120) configured to rotate about a central axis relative to said stator(110); said stator(110) comprising a stator body section(section of stator 110) and a first stator pole section(section of slot 111 and teeth 303) extending radially from said stator body section; said rotor(120) comprising a rotor shaft portion(140, Para[0032]) orientated about said central axis, a first rotor pole section(section of rotor 120) extending radially from said rotor shaft portion(140) relative to said central axis, and a second rotor pole section(section of rotor 130) extending radially from said rotor shaft portion relative to said central axis and spaced axially from said first rotor pole section relative to said central axis(Fig. 1); said first stator pole section(section of stator 110) disposed axially between said first rotor pole section(120) and second rotor pole section(130) relative to said central axis and radially overlapping both said first rotor pole section and said second rotor pole section relative to said central axis(Fig. 1, stator sandwiched between rotors inherently radially overlaps both rotors); a first axial air gap(Para[0102] between said first rotor pole section(120) and said first stator pole section(110); a second axial air gap(Para[0102]) between said second rotor pole section(130) and said first stator pole section(110)(Figs. 1-7); said stator(110) comprising windings(112) operatively configured to be selectively energized to provide a flux path(lq and ld) across said first axial air gap and said second axial air gap(Figs. 1-7).
Cho is silent wherein said first rotor pole section comprising a plurality of radially extending solid unitary pole pieces spaced circumferentially about said central axis.
However, Pennander teaches a motor wherein said first rotor pole section(30) comprising a plurality of radially extending solid unitary pole pieces(309) spaced circumferentially about said central axis(Fig. 3; Para[0006], describes the rotor being formed from permanent magnets separated by extending pole pieces).
Pennander is considered to be analogous to the claimed invention of Cho because they are in the same field of electric machines. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified Cho wherein said first rotor pole section comprising a plurality of radially extending solid unitary pole pieces spaced circumferentially about said central axis, as taught by Pennander. One would be motivated to do this in order to improve flux concentration and utilization of magnetic material which increases efficiency.
Regarding claim 2/1, Cho in view of Pennander teaches the electric motor assembly set forth in claim 1.
Pennander further teaches wherein aid plurality of radially extending solid unitary pole pieces(309) are each formed of a metal powder material(Para[0019], soft magnetic powder = metal powder material).
Regarding claim 3/2, Cho in view of Pennander teaches the electric motor assembly set forth in claim 2.
Pennander further teaches wherein said plurality of radially extending solid unitary pole pieces(309) are each formed of a soft magnetic composite material (Para[0019], soft magnetic powder = soft magnetic composite material).
Regarding claim 4/1, Cho in view of Pennander teaches the electric motor assembly set forth in claim 1.
Cho teaches the second rotor pole section(130).
Pennander further teaches wherein rotor pole section(30) comprises a plurality of radially extending solid unitary pole pieces(309) spaced circumferentially about said central axis(Fig. 3; Para[0006], describes the rotor being formed from permanent magnets separated by extending pole pieces).
Regarding claim 5/4, Cho in view of Pennander teaches the electric motor assembly set forth in claim 4.
Cho teaches the second rotor pole section(130).
Pennander further teaches wherein said plurality of radially extending solid unitary pole pieces(309) of said rotor pole section(30) are each formed of a soft magnetic composite material (Para[0019], soft magnetic powder = soft magnetic composite material).
Regarding claim 6/1, Cho in view of Pennander teaches the electric motor assembly set forth in claim 1.
Pennander teaches a second stator pole section(14,16) extending radially from said stator body section relative to said central axis and spaced axially from said first stator pole section relative to said central axis(Fig. 1).
Cho in view of Pennander teaches said second rotor pole section(130, Cho) is disposed axially between said first stator pole section(14, Pennander) and second stator pole section(16, Pennander) and radially overlaps both said first stator pole section and said second stator pole section; a third axial air gap is between said second rotor pole section(130) and said second stator pole section(14)(Inherent when using Pennander’s stator structure in Cho, that there would be a third air gap between the second rotor pole section 130 and second stator pole section 14); and said windings(112) operatively configured to be selectively energized to provide a flux path across said third axial air gap(Inherent that windings of the second stator pole section would provide a flux path across the third axial air gap just like the windings of the first stator pole section do for the first and second airgaps).
Regarding claim 7/6, Cho in view of Pennander teaches the electric motor assembly set forth in claim 6.
Pennander further teaches wherein each of said plurality of radially extending solid pole pieces(309) of said first rotor pole section(30) comprise discrete pole pieces having an inner end and an outer end(Figs. 3a,3b; show the pieces having inner and outer ends).
Regarding claim 8/1, Cho in view of Pennander teaches the electric motor assembly set forth in claim 1.
Cho further teaches wherein said first stator pole section(110) comprises a plurality of magnets(121) and flux concentrators(122) spaced circumferentially about said central axis(140)(Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 9/1 and 10/6, Cho in view of Pennander teaches the electric motor assembly set forth in claim 1/6.
Cho wherein said windings(112) comprise a first conductive coil(112) orientated about said central axis and disposed axially between said first rotor pole section(120) and said second rotor pole section(130) and disposed radially between said first stator pole section(110) and said rotor shaft(140) (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 18/1, Cho in view of Pennander teaches the electric motor assembly set forth in claim 1.
Pennander further teaches wherein said plurality of radially extending solid unitary pole pieces(309) spaced circumferentially about said central axis are each formed as a unitary piece, having a monolithic and isotropic structure, and being of a uniform composition of a soft magnetic composite material(Para[0019-0022], die-compaction of soft magnetic powder inherently produces monolithic bodies, fully isotropic magnetics, and uniform composite microstructures).
Regarding claim 19/1, Cho in view of Pennander teaches the electric motor assembly set forth in claim 1.
Cho in view of Pennander is silent wherein comprising a third rotor pole section, a fourth rotor pole section, a second stator pole section, and a third stator pole section, and the first rotor pole section, the first stator pole section, the second rotor pole section, the second stator pole section, the third rotor pole section, the third stator pole section, and the fourth rotor pole section stacked in the axial direction.
However, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have a third rotor pole section, a fourth rotor pole section, a second stator pole section, and a third stator pole section, and all the sections stacked in the axial direction, since it has been held that mere duplication of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art. St. Regis Paper Co. v. Bernis Co., 193 USPQ 8. The third and fourth rotor poles sections are a mere duplication of the first and second rotor pole sections(120 and 130) of Cho, while the second and third stator pole sections are a duplication of the stator pole section(110) of Cho. One would be motivated to do this in order to increase active air-gap surface area and magnetic flux utilization to increase torque output and overall motor power density.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 11-17 is/are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding claim 11/1, the prior art of record does not teach the limitation, “wherein: said rotor comprises a first rotor toroid section extending radially from said rotor shaft portion relative to said central axis; said first rotor toroid section disposed axially between said first rotor pole section and said second rotor pole section relative to said central axis; and said first rotor toroid section radially overlapping both said first rotor pole section and said second rotor pole section relative to said central axis”, in combination of the limitations of the base claim and the intervening claims.
Claims 12-17 are objected to for being dependent on claim 11.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MOHAMMED QURESHI whose telephone number is (571)-272-8310. The examiner can normally be reached on 8:30 AM - 6:00 PM.
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/MOHAMMED AHMED QURESHI/ Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/AHMED ELNAKIB/ Primary Examiner,
Art Unit 2834