DETAILED ACTION
This office action is in response to claims filed on 03/06/2024. Claims 1-6 are pending.
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.
Claims 1 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Masuda US 20220063754 A1 (Hereinafter “Masuda”), in view of Campbell US 20100184560 A1 (Hereinafter “Campbell”).
Regarding Claim 1, Masuda teaches an electric motor system for use in a personal transportation device (Fig. 1, 2), said electric motor system comprised of:
a first power source (Fig. 1, 34) that includes at least one battery ([0075]);
a second power source (Fig. 1, 36) that includes at least one capacitor ([0076]);
an electric motor ([0060], An electric assisting system including an electric motor can be applied to the human-powered vehicle 2 (e.g., the bicycle) to assist muscular motive power of the user); and
a wire harness (Fig. 5, 62, EW1, and EW2) that is coupled at a motor connector to the electric motor (Implicit), that is coupled at a first connector to the first power source, and that is coupled at a second connector to the second power source, wherein the wire harness places the first power source and the second power source in a parallel configuration relative to the electric motor ([0097]).
Masuda does not expressly disclose a wire harness that is coupled at a motor connector to the electric motor.
However, Campbell teaches a wire harness (Campbell Fig. 2, 18) that is coupled at a motor connector to the electric motor (Campbell Fig. 2, 24), that is coupled at a first connector to the first power source (Campbell Fig. 2, 14), and that is coupled at a second connector to the second power source (Campbell Fig. 2, 20), wherein the wire harness places the first power source and the second power source in a parallel configuration relative to the electric motor (Campbell [0028]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement a wire harness that is coupled at a motor connector to the electric motor as taught by Campbell, in the electric motor system of Masuda, for the purpose to regulate when additional electric current is discharged from the capacitor box 20 to the electric motor 24.
Regarding Claim 6, Masuda teaches a method of providing power to an electric motor system for use in a personal transportation device (Fig. 1, 2), said method comprising:
providing a first power source (Fig. 1, 34) that includes at least one battery ([0075]), providing a second power source (Fig. 1, 36) that includes at least one capacitor ([0076]), and providing an electric motor ([0060], An electric assisting system including an electric motor can be applied to the human-powered vehicle 2 (e.g., the bicycle) to assist muscular motive power of the user); and
providing a wire harness (Fig. 5, 62, EW1, and EW2) that is coupled at a motor connector to the electric motor (Implicit), that is coupled at a first connector to the first power source, and that is coupled at a second connector to the second power source, wherein the wire harness places the first power source and the second power source in a parallel configuration relative to the electric motor ([0097]); and
operating the electric motor by providing power from the first power source and the second power source ([0077]).
Masuda does not expressly disclose a wire harness that is coupled at a motor connector to the electric motor.
However, Campbell teaches a wire harness (Campbell Fig. 2, 18) that is coupled at a motor connector to the electric motor (Campbell Fig. 2, 24), that is coupled at a first connector to the first power source (Campbell Fig. 2, 14), and that is coupled at a second connector to the second power source (Campbell Fig. 2, 20), wherein the wire harness places the first power source and the second power source in a parallel configuration relative to the electric motor (Campbell [0028]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement a wire harness that is coupled at a motor connector to the electric motor as taught by Campbell, in the electric motor system of Masuda, for the purpose to regulate when additional electric current is discharged from the capacitor box 20 to the electric motor 24.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-5 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Ambrosio US 20150283911 A1 teaches the system preferably provides drive in a vehicle whereby the secondary source of DC electric power (such as for example, an ultra-capacitor bank) is utilized for acceleration of the vehicle and for regeneration of the first DC power source, such as battery pack.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CORTEZ M COOK whose telephone number is (571)270-7954. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 7:30-5pm.
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/CORTEZ M COOK/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2846