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 Objections
The claims are objected to because they include reference characters which are not enclosed within parentheses.
Reference characters corresponding to elements recited in the detailed description of the drawings and used in conjunction with the recitation of the same element or group of elements in the claims should be enclosed within parentheses so as to avoid confusion with other numbers or characters which may appear in the claims. See MPEP § 608.01(m).
An abbreviation “SB” (claim 1, line 10) should be spelled out in its first appearance.
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.
Claims 1-4 are 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 applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
“laminates the laminar member 101 in the inner diameter surface of the squeeze ring 132 to manufacture a laminated core 100” (claim 1, last two line) is confusing because the limitation is positive method step in this apparatus claims that renders the claim unclear.
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.
Claims 1 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent 10,201,844 to Nishinaka.
Regarding claim 1, Nishinaka discloses an apparatus (see Fig. 3) for manufacturing a laminated core (19) with heating adhesion, comprising: a lower die (4) comprising a plurality of piercing dies (corresponding to punch step 1-5), an adhesive applying unit (12) installed on one side of the piercing dies (see fig. 3), and a
laminating unit (14-16) installed on one side of the adhesive applying unit (12); an upper die (3) comprising piercing punches (5-9) arranged above the piercing dies and a blanking punch (13) arranged above the laminating unit (14-16); and an SB steel strip (W) continuously fed to an upper part of the lower die, for being formed into a laminar member (19) by operation of the piercing punches (5-9) and the blanking punch (13), wherein the laminating unit (14-16) comprises a blanking die (14), a squeeze ring (16) installed at a lower part of the blanking die (14), and a first heating unit (18) installed at a lower part of the squeeze ring (16), and laminates the laminar member (19) in the inner diameter surface of the squeeze ring (16) to manufacture a laminated core (2, see Fig. 14).
Regarding claim 5, Nishinaka discloses a method for manufacturing a laminated core with heating adhesion, comprising: a piercing process for forming the shape of a laminar member (19) in steps on an SB steel strip (W) sequentially transferred (steps 1-5); an applying process for applying an adhesive to the surface of the SB steel strip (W) formed into the shape of the laminar member (19, step 6); a blanking process for performing blanking on the SB steel strip (W) to form the laminar members (19) in sheets (step 7), and laminating and heating the laminar members (19) to cure the adhesive (step 8); and a post-heating process for curing an adhesive layer coated on the surface of the laminar member (see Col. 9, lines 26-30).
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 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nishinaka in view of U.S. Patent 8,720.039 to Natsubara et al.
Nishinaka does not disclose the structures of claim 2, Natsubara teaches a core laminating apparatus having a back pressure unit (see Fig. 5) installed at a lower part of the laminating unit, the back pressure unit comprising: a back pressure plate (254) for supporting a lower part of a laminated core (810) laminated in the squeeze ring (253); a back pressure cylinder (244) for moving the back pressure plate (254) up and down; and a cylinder rod (not label) coupled to a lower part of the back pressure plate
(254), moving up and down by the back pressure cylinder (255, see Figs. 5-6) for lowering and transporting the laminated core from the laminating station (see Col. 8, lines 14-25). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention Nishinaka by utilizing a back pressure unit as taught by Natsubara et al for lowering and removing the laminated core from the laminating station.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-4 and 6 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
the following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the prior art fails to teach or suggest the steps of second heating process of claim 6 and the structural element of the second heating unit of claims 3-4.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The prior art cited for the general teaching of method and apparatus for manufacturing a laminated core.
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/DN/ /DONGHAI D NGUYEN/August 22, 2026 Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3729
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