DETAILED ACTION
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
Claims 13-20 are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Omori et al. (US Pat.Pub.2011/0227430) in view of Morreale (US 4,224,543) and Kristen et al. (US 3,809,935).
Regarding claim 13, Omori teaches a power tool (impact driver) 1 comprising:
a brushless direct current (DC) motor 3 having a rotor 3a and a stator 3b, wherein the rotor is coupled to a motor shaft 12 to produce an output outside of a housing 2 of the power tool, wherein the motor shaft 12 is configured to rotate about a longitudinal axis (not numbered), which extends through the motor shaft (¶[0047]; Fig.1);
a combined printed circuit (inverter) board (PCB) 4 having a Hall sensor 33, power switching elements (FETS) 5 (Q1-Q6) configured to drive the brushless motor 3, and a through-hole 4a (Fig.5A),
wherein the power switching elements are mounted on the combined PCB 4 in a flat orientation and wherein the longitudinal axis (corresponding to shaft 12) extends through the through-hole (¶[0059]; Figs.1&5A-5B),
wherein the Hall sensor 33 is located radially outward of the through-hole 4a (Fig.1), and
wherein at least one of the motor lead wires (not numbered) passes at least partially in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis along a thickness of the board from one axial side of the board to the other axial side (this is implicit since the leads of U, V, W stator windings are electrically coupled to the switching elements/FETs 5 on the side of the PCB 4 opposite the stator, ¶[0066]; Fig.8); Figs.1,5A-5B&8).
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417
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897
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Omori does not specifically teach the PCB includes “a plurality of motor lead pads that each include an opening cut out from an outer peripheral edge of the combined PCB, each motor lead pad configured to receive a motor lead wire of the stator”. Also, Omori does not teach “a heat sink in thermal contact” with the plurality of the power switching elements (FETS) 5 “wherein the heat sink includes an inner edge and an outer edge, the inner edge located radially closer to the longitudinal axis than the outer edge, at least one of the inner edge and the outer edge having a shape that is substantially parallel with a portion of a circumference of the combined PCB [4]” wherein the Hall sensor 33 is “located…radially inward of the inner edge of the heat sink, wherein the heat sink is located between the brushless DC motor [3] and the combined PCB [4], and wherein at least one of the motor lead wires “passes at least partially in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis along a thickness of the heat sink from one axial side of the heat sink to the other axial side of the heat sink.”
But, regarding the first difference, Morreale teaches a printed circuit terminal for interconnecting stator coils comprising a printed circuit board 22 located on the end face of a stator core 10 with salient poles 12, the printed circuit board comprising a plurality of motor lead pads (conductive strips) 28 that each include an opening (V-shaped notch) 26 cut out from an outer peripheral edge of the board, each motor lead pad configured to receive a motor lead wire (i.e., two wire ends of each coil are secured in adjacent notches; abstract; c.1:36-40; Fig.2). Morreale teaches this construction secures the two wire ends of each coil and improves the interconnection of the coil windings (abstract; c.1:5-40).
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Thus, it would have been obvious to provide Omori’s combined PCB with a plurality of motor lead pads that each include an opening cut out from an outer peripheral edge of the combined PCB, each motor lead pad configured to receive a motor lead wire of the stator, since
Morreale teaches this construction would have secured the wire ends of each coil and improved the interconnection of the coil windings.
Regarding the second difference, Kristen teaches a DC electric motor including a heat sink 24 in thermal contact with a plurality of solid state switching elements 23 mounted on printed circuit board (PCB) 22 wherein the heat sink 24 includes an inner edge and an outer edge (not numbered), the inner edge located radially closer to the longitudinal axis than the outer edge (i.e., heat sink is annular; c.1:62-63), at least one of the inner edge and the outer edge having a shape that is substantially parallel with a portion of a circumference of the PCB 22 (Fig.2), wherein a Hall sensor 21 is located radially inward of the inner edge of the heat sink (Fig.1), wherein the heat sink is located between the brushless DC motor and the PCB 22, and wherein at least one of the motor lead wires (i.e., a “connecting conductor” of field winding 4) passes at least partially in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis along a thickness of the heat sink 24 from one axial side of the heat sink to the other axial side of the heat sink, i.e., the conductors for the field windings 4 extend as usual towards the right-hand end of the motor, to connect as directly as possible with their associated electrical parts on PCB 22, including circuit components 27 (c.1:7-13 & 48-51, c.2:47-49, c.2:66-c.3:2; c.3:35-37; Fig.1), thus implying the conductors pass through the heat sink 24 from one axial side to the other as claimed. Kristen’s heat sink mounts and dissipates heat produced by the solid state switching elements in an integrated construction (abstract; c.1:40-52; c.3:5-8).
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Thus, it would have been obvious to further modify Omori & Morreale and provide a heat sink in thermal contact with the plurality of the power switching elements and a motor lead wire arrangement as in Kristen to mount and dissipate heat produced by the solid state switching elements in an integrated construction
Regarding claim 14, Omori teaches the control PCB 8 includes a processor (CPU) and a memory (ROM) mounted on a calculation portion 41 (¶[0067]-¶[0070]; Fig.8), the processor (on control PCB 8) configured to receive motor positional information from the Hall sensor and control the power switching elements to drive the brushless DC motor (¶[0052]; Fig.8).
Regarding claim 15, Omori’s processor (CPU) and memory (ROM) are located on a control PCB (i.e., on calculation portion 41 of control circuit board 8; ¶[0067]; Fig.8).
Regarding claim 16, Omori teaches a transmission (including planet reduction gear 22, wherein the motor shaft 12 is coupled to the transmission); and at least one selected from the group consisting of a chuck and a bit holder (not shown) that is coupled to an output of the transmission, wherein the longitudinal axis extends through the at least one selected from the group consisting of the chuck and the bit holder, and wherein the motor shaft 12 is arranged to drive the at least one selected from the group consisting of the chuck and the bit holder via the transmission to produce the output outside of the housing (¶[0046]; Fig.1).
Regarding claim 17, in Omori the output outside of the housing is a rotational output (Fig.1).
Regarding claim 18, Kristen’s heat sink 24 includes a second through-hole (i.e., heat sink is annular, c.1:62-63; Fig.2) wherein the second through-hole defines the inner edge of the heat sink (corresponding to the internal diameter of the annular heat sink), “the inner edge of the heat sink having the shape that is substantially parallel with the portion of the circumference of the PCB [22]” [sic] (note generally circular shape of annular heat sink inner edge and PCB circumference; Fig.2).
Regarding claim 19, in Kristen the longitudinal axis extends through the second through-hole (Fig.1).
Regarding claim 20, in Omori the motor shaft 12 extends through the through-hole 4a (Fig.1).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-12 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding claims 1-12, Applicant submits a terminal disclaimer to obviate multiple double patenting rejections over prior patent US 11,031,843 or the same in combination with Kristen. The terminal disclaimer was approved and therefore the double patenting rejections are withdrawn.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 17 December have been fully considered but they are not wholly persuasive.
Regarding the rejection of claims 13-20 under 35 USC 103 over Omori, Morreale and Kristen, Applicant argues that because Kristen’s switching elements 23 are on the left side of the heat sink 24 that faces the motor 2/3, the most direct connection of the field winding wires 4 to the switching elements would not involve the field winding wires 4 passing through the heat sink from one axial side to the other side to connect to the PCB, but instead would be a direct connection to the switching elements 23 on the left/motor-facing side of the heat sink (Response, pp.10-11).
This is not persuasive. Applicant mischaracterizes Kristen as teaching “switching elements 23…, to which the field winding wires 4 would connect…” (Response, p.11). But, Kristen c.2:67-c.3:2 teaches “…all of the conductors [including the field winding wires] extend from the same side of the motor and should desirably be connected as directly as possible with their associated electrical parts.” The “associated electrical parts” include “circuitry components” 27 mounted to circular circuit board (PCB) 22 (c.3:2-4 & c.3:35-37). In other words, the “associated electrical parts” are not limited to only switching elements 23, as Applicant mistakenly assumes. Thus, as readily apparent from Fig.1, the most “direct” connection between the field winding wire conductors and the circuitry components 27 mounted to the PCB 22 would be for the conductors to pass through the heat sink 24 from one axial side to the other as claimed.
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 BURTON S MULLINS whose telephone number is (571)272-2029. The examiner can normally be reached 9-5. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
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/BURTON S MULLINS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834