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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after allowance or after an Office action under Ex Parte Quayle, 25 USPQ 74, 453 O.G. 213 (Comm'r Pat. 1935). Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, prosecution in this application has been reopened pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 4/3/26 has been entered.
Regarding the amendment, claims 9-10, 18-19, 21-22 are canceled, claims 1-8, 11-17, and 20 are present for examination.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 08/03/26 is being considered by the examiner.
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) 1-7,11-16, 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hideaki et al. (JP 2017/158339A).
Regarding claim 1, Hideaki teaches a stator unit (140) for a molded motor comprising:
a stator core (141) that faces a rotor (110) of the molded motor (100);
a coil (150) that is wound around the stator core (141); and
a molded resin (122) that covers the stator core (141) and the coil (150), wherein:
the stator core (141) has a rotor facing surface (stator inner surface) that faces the rotor (110),
the molded resin (122) covers the rotor facing surface (fig 3),
the molded resin (122) includes a pin hole (614, fig 16),
a surface (outer surface) of the stator core (141) includes a pin hole surface (fig 13),
the pin hole surface (the outer surface containing pin hole 614) is a surface other than the inner peripheral surface of the stator core (141),
the pin hole surface is exposed to the pin hole (614),
the stator core (141) includes a yoke (142) and a plurality of teeth (143) that protrude toward the rotor (110) from the yoke portion (142),
the stator core (141) includes a cutout portion (147) formed at an outer peripheral portion of the stator core (141),
the cutout portion (147) is provided at a portion of the yoke (142) between adjacent two teeth (143) among the plurality of teeth (fig 7), and
the pin hole (614) and the cutout portion (147) overlap with each other when viewed along a shaft center direction of a rotating shaft of the rotor (fig 13, 15-16).
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Regarding claim 2, Hideaki teaches the stator core (141) is disposed to surround the rotor (110), and the rotor facing surface is an inner peripheral surface of the stator core (fig 3).
Regarding claim 3, Hideaki teaches a pin (515) that directly supports the stator core (141) is inserted into the pin hole (fig 13), when the molded resin (122) is molded is formed in the molded resin.
Regarding claim 4, Hideaki teaches the pin hole surface is an outer surface of the stator core (141) on an opposite side of the rotor facing surface in a direction orthogonal to a shaft center direction of a rotating shaft (101) of the rotor (fig 13).
Regarding claim 5, Hideaki teaches the pin hole surface is an outer surface of the stator core (141) in a shaft center direction of a rotating shaft (101) of the rotor (110, fig 13).
Regarding claim 6, Hideaki teaches the pin hole surface includes an outer surface of the stator core (141) in a direction orthogonal to a shaft center direction of a rotating shaft (101) of the rotor (110) and an outer surface of the stator core (141) in the shaft center direction of the rotating shaft (101) of the rotor (10, fig 13).
Regarding claim 7, Hideaki teaches the stator core (141) has a core hole (147) that is recessed inward from an outer surface, and the pin hole communicates with the core hole (fig 10-13).
Regarding claim 8, Hideaki teaches a stator unit for a molded motor comprising:
a stator core (141) that faces a rotor (110) of the molded motor including a rotating shaft (101);
a coil (150) that is wound around the stator core (141); and
a molded resin (122) that covers the stator core (141) and the coil (150), wherein:
the stator core (141) has a rotor facing surface that faces the rotor (110),
the molded resin (122) covers the rotor facing surface,
the molded resin (122) includes a pin hole (614) into which a pin (515) that supports the stator core (141) is inserted, when the molded resin (122) is molded is formed in the molded resin,
the pin hole (614) is filled with a resin,
the resin (122) contacts the pin hole surface of the stator core (141),
the stator core (141) includes a yoke (142) and a plurality of teeth (143) that protrude toward the rotor (110) from the yoke portion,
the stator core (141) includes a cutout portion (147) formed at an outer peripheral portion of the stator core (141),
the cutout portion (147) is provided at a portion of the yoke (142) between adjacent two teeth (143) among the plurality of teeth (fig 7), and
the pin hole (614) and the cutout portion (147) overlap with each other when viewed along a shaft center direction of a rotating shaft of the rotor (fig 13, 15-16).
Regarding claim 11, Hideaki teaches each of the plurality of teeth (142) has a front end surface as the rotor facing surface (fig 7-8).
Regarding claim 12, Hideaki teaches a molded motor comprising the stator unit (140) and the rotor (110) that faces the stator core included in the stator unit (fig 3).
Regarding claim 13, Hideaki teaches a method of manufacturing a stator unit, the method comprising:
disposing a stator (140) having a stator core (141) and a coil (150) wound around the stator core (141) in a mold (511, 513);
supporting the stator core (141) with a pin (515) by directly contacting the pin (515) to a surface of the stator core (141) other than a rotor facing surface; and
molding a molded resin (122) that covers the stator (140) by injecting a liquid resin into the mold (511, 513) and curing the liquid resin, wherein
during the molding, a pin hole (614) into which the pin (515) is inserted is prevented from being formed in the molded resin by removing the pin from the liquid resin before the liquid resin is cured (para [0071]- [0072]).
Regarding claim 14, Hideaki teaches the rotor facing surface is an inner peripheral surface of the stator core (141, fig 3).
Regarding claim 15, Hideaki teaches the pin (515) supports an outer surface of the stator core (141) on a side (fig 13).
Regarding claim 16, Hideaki teaches the pin (515) supports an outer surface of the stator core (141) in a vertical direction (fig 13).
Regarding claim 20, Hideaki teaches the molded resin (122) covers the rotor facing surface (fig 13).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hideaki in view of Hiroyuki (JP 4351929 B2).
Regarding claim 17, Hideaki teaches the claimed invention as set forth in claim 13, except for the added limitation of the pin has a step and the stator core is supported by the step of the pin.
Hiroyuki teaches a stator unit having a pin (17) with a step (17a) wherein the stator core (1) is supported by the step (17a) of the pin (17) to secure the stator in place.
Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Hideaki’s stator unit with the pin has a step and the stator core is supported by the step of the pin as taught by Hiroyuki. Doing so would secure the stator in place.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LEDA T PHAM whose telephone number is (571)272-5806. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8:00-5:00.
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/LEDA T PHAM/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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