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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of group I, claims 1-8 and 18, in the reply filed on 12/17/25 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that improper legal standard applied, claims lack distinctness under MPEP § 806.05(f), and no serious burden on the Examiner. This is found persuasive, Examiner withdrawn the restriction, and claims 1-19 are present for examination.
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) 1, 4, 6-8, 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Morimoto et al. (US 2023/0387775 A1) in view of Su et al. (CN 105743236 A).
Regarding claim 1, Morimoto teaches a method for manufacturing a magnetic modulator (fig 12-14) that includes a magnetic pole piece member (32) having a plurality of magnetic pole pieces (100) arranged in a circumferential direction and a connection portion (200) connecting adjacent magnetic pole pieces (100) to each other in the circumferential direction, and a shaft member (31), the method comprising:
a first process of manufacturing the magnetic pole piece member (32) by axially laminating electromagnetic steel sheets each having the plurality of magnetic pole pieces (100) and the connection portions (200, fig 12);
a second process of performing resin (300) molding to integrate the magnetic pole piece member (32) and the shaft member (31) with resin. However, Morimoto does not teach a third process of performing removal processing on at least one of an inner peripheral surface and an outer peripheral surface of the magnetic pole piece member.
Su teaches process of making a servo motor comprising a process of performing removal processing on an inner peripheral surface of magnetic pole piece member (10, fig 2, step 5) to increase motor torque and improve motor efficiency (abstract).
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 Morimoto’s method with a third process of performing removal processing on at least one of an inner peripheral surface and an outer peripheral surface of the magnetic pole piece member as taught by Su. Doing so would increase motor torque and improve motor efficiency (abstract).
Regarding claim 4, Morimoto in view of Su teaches the claimed invention as set forth in claim 1, Morimoto further teaches the shaft member (31) and the magnetic pole piece member (32) are fixed by resin (300) on one end side in an axial direction with respect to the magnetic pole piece member (32), and a bearing support ring (52, 53) and the magnetic pole piece member (32) are fixed by resin on the other end side in the axial direction with respect to the magnetic pole piece member (32, fig 1).
Regarding claim 6, Morimoto in view of Su teaches the claimed invention as set forth in claim 1, Morimoto further teaches the connection portion (200) is removed (fig 4).
Regarding claim 7, Morimoto in view of Su teaches the claimed invention as set forth in claim 1, Morimoto further teaches the magnetic pole piece member (32) includes a recessed portion (211, fig 13) on a peripheral surface, and in the second process, the recessed portion (211) is filled with resin (fig 14B).
Regarding claim 8, Morimoto in view of Su teaches the claimed invention as set forth in claim 1, Morimoto further teaches the shaft member (31) includes a shaped portion that suppresses mutual movement in a radial direction and an axial direction, at a joining portion (220) with the resin that is integrated in the second process (fig 4).
Regarding claim 18, Morimoto in view of Su teaches the claimed invention as set forth in claim 1, Morimoto further teaches an input shaft (21) having a plurality of inner pole magnets (22) disposed on an inner diameter side of the magnetic pole piece member (100) and arranged in a circumferential direction; and a plurality of outer pole magnets (13) disposed on an outer diameter side of the magnetic pole piece member (100) and arranged in the circumferential direction.
Claim(s) 2-3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Morimoto in view of Su, further in view of Enomoto et al. (US 2008/0224574 A1).
Regarding claim 2, Morimoto in view of Su teaches the claimed invention as set forth in claim 1, except for the added limitation of at least one of the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface of the magnetic pole piece member is subjected to removal processing until at least one of circularity equal to or higher than a predetermined value and coaxiality with the shaft member equal to or higher than a predetermined value is obtained.
Enomoto teaches a method of manufacturing a motor having a removal processing step wherein at least one of the inner peripheral surface (1a) and the outer peripheral surface of the magnetic pole piece member (1) is subjected to removal processing until at least one of circularity equal to or higher than a predetermined value (para [0052]) and coaxiality with the shaft member (5) equal to or higher than a predetermined value is obtained (para [0052]) to reduce cogging torque (para [0019]).
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 Morimoto in view of Su’s method with at least one of the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface of the magnetic pole piece member is subjected to removal processing until at least one of circularity equal to or higher than a predetermined value and coaxiality with the shaft member equal to or higher than a predetermined value is obtained as taught by Enomoto. Doing so would reduce cogging torque (para [0019]).
Regarding claim 3, Morimoto in view of Su teaches the claimed invention as set forth in claim 1, except for the added limitation of the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface of the magnetic pole piece member are cut or polished.
Enomoto teaches a motor having the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface of the magnetic pole piece member (1) are cut or polished (fig 2B, para [0053]) to reduce cogging torque (para [0019]).
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 Morimoto in view of Su’s motor with the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface of the magnetic pole piece member are cut or polished as taught by Enomoto. Doing so would reduce cogging torque (para [0019]).
Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Morimoto in view of Su, further in view of Pawellek et al. (WO 0017986 A1).
Regarding claim 5, Morimoto in view of Su teaches the claimed invention as set forth in claim 1, except for the added limitation of in the magnetic pole piece member, an inner peripheral surface of the magnetic pole piece and an inner peripheral surface of the connection portion are flush with each other.
Pawellek teaches an electric motor having magnetic pole piece member (1), an inner peripheral surface of the magnetic pole piece (3) and an inner peripheral surface of the connection portion (4) are flush with each other (fig 2) to obtain reduced torque ripple and minimize leakage flux.
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 Morimoto in view of Su’s method wherein in the magnetic pole piece member, an inner peripheral surface of the magnetic pole piece and an inner peripheral surface of the connection portion are flush with each other as taught by Pawellek. Doing so would obtain reduced torque ripple and minimize leakage flux.
Claim(s) 9-17, 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Morimoto in view of Enomoto.
Regarding claim 9, Morimoto teaches a magnetic modulator comprising:
a magnetic pole piece member (32) made by axially laminating electromagnetic steel sheets each having a plurality of magnetic pole pieces (100) arranged in a circumferential direction and a connection portion (200) connecting adjacent magnetic pole pieces to each other in the circumferential direction; and a shaft member (31). However, Morimoto does not teach at least one of an inner peripheral surface and an outer peripheral surface of the magnetic pole piece member has circularity of 10 μm or less and coaxiality with the shaft member of 5 μm or less.
Enomoto teaches a motor having an inner peripheral surface and an outer peripheral surface of the magnetic pole piece member has circularity of 10 μm or less (para [0121]) and coaxiality with the shaft member of 5 μm or less (para [0052]) to reduce cogging torque (para [0019]).
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 Morimoto’s motor with an inner peripheral surface and an outer peripheral surface of the magnetic pole piece member has circularity of 10 μm or less and coaxiality with the shaft member of 5 μm or less as taught by Enomoto. Doing so would reduce cogging torque (para [0019]).
Regarding claim 10, Morimoto in view of Enomoto teaches the claimed invention as set forth in claim 9, Morimoto further teaches the plurality of magnetic pole pieces (100) are concentrically disposed between an inner diameter side of a outer pole magnet (13) and an outer diameter side of an inner pole magnet (22) with a predetermined gap (fig 2) from each of the inner diameter side of the outer pole magnet (13) and the outer diameter side of the inner pole magnet (22).
Regarding claim 11, Morimoto in view of Enomoto teaches the claimed invention as set forth in claim 10, Morimoto further teaches the number of magnetic pole pieces (100) is the number obtained by subtracting the number of pole pairs of the inner pole magnet (22) from the number of pole pairs of the outer pole magnet (13).
Regarding claim 12, Morimoto in view of Enomoto teaches the claimed invention as set forth in claim 9, Morimoto further teaches the connection portion (200) has a predetermined radial width smaller than a radial width of the magnetic pole piece (100), and connects adjacent magnetic pole pieces (100) to each other in the circumferential direction (fig 9).
Regarding claim 13, Morimoto in view of Enomoto teaches the claimed invention as set forth in claim 12, Morimoto further teaches the connection portion (200) is located at an innermost diameter of the magnetic pole piece member (100, fig 9).
Regarding claim 14, Morimoto in view of Enomoto teaches the claimed invention as set forth in claim 9, Morimoto further teaches a resin portion (300), wherein an end portion on an output side of the resin portion protrudes toward an inner diameter side and is connected to an output shaft portion of the shaft member (fig 9).
Regarding claim 15, Morimoto in view of Enomoto teaches the claimed invention as set forth in claim 14, Morimoto further teaches a plurality of protrusions protruding toward the inner diameter side are arranged in the circumferential direction on an inner peripheral portion of the end portion on the output side of the resin portion (300, fig 14B).
Regarding claim 16, Morimoto in view of Enomoto teaches the claimed invention as set forth in claim 15, Morimoto further teaches the plurality of protrusions (300) are molded to correspond to a plurality of recessed portions provided on an outer peripheral surface of the output shaft portion of the shaft member (31).
Regarding claim 17, Morimoto in view of Enomoto teaches the claimed invention as set forth in claim 16, Morimoto further teaches the plurality of recessed portions of the shaft member (31) and the plurality of protrusions of the resin portion (300) are engaged with each other (fig 6).
Regarding claim 19, Morimoto in view of Enomoto teaches the claimed invention as set forth in claim 9, Morimoto further teaches an input shaft (21) having a plurality of inner pole magnets (22) disposed on an inner diameter side of the magnetic pole piece member (100) and arranged in a circumferential direction; and a plurality of outer pole magnets (13) disposed on an outer diameter side of the magnetic pole piece member (100) and arranged in the circumferential direction.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Endo et al. (US 2018/0048194 A1) teaches an electric motor includes: a rotor that has a rotation axis; and a stator that includes an annular yoke portion having the rotation axis as a center, and a plurality of teeth portions which protrude in a radial direction from the yoke portion, in which the stator is configured with split stators including a plurality of split yoke portions which are split in a circumferential direction, and each of the split stators includes an abutting portion on which the adjacent split yoke portions abut each other, on a side close to the rotor, and a welding portion on which the adjacent split yoke portions are welded in a state of being separated from each other, on a side further distant from the rotor than the abutting portion.
Lee et al. (US 2024/0106285 A1) teaches a stator for an AFPM motor and a method of manufacturing the stator are disclosed. The stator includes a stator housing having radially extending blades, a stacked core, and a winding core wound along an outer circumferential surface of the stacked core. The stacked core is coupled to the plurality of blades. The stator has an outer housing coupled to an outer circumferential surface of the stator housing to seal an inner space of the stator housing and has outer ring covers coupled to opposite side surfaces of the stator housing, respectively.
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/LEDA T PHAM/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834