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 . Claims 1-20 are pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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) 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Engelhardt et al. (US 20220385127 A1).
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Regarding claim 1, Engelhardt discloses an electric machine (fig. 1) defining a radial direction, a circumferential direction, and an axial direction, the electric machine comprising:
a stator core (core, annotated fig. 1) including a first end (first end, annotated fig. 1) and a second end (second end, annotated fig. 1) and defining a plurality of axial slots extending in the axial direction from the first end to the second end (para [0028]: “The sheet-metal blanks 14, and thus the laminated stator core 13, have a plurality of slots 20, which serve to accommodate stator windings 21.”);
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a seal member (seal, annotated fig. 6) extending through the plurality of axial slots in the axial direction from the first end of the stator core to the second end of the stator core (implied);
a plurality of windings (winding, annotated fig. 6) extending through the seal member in the axial direction and disposed in the plurality of axial slots (see annotated figs. 1 and 6);
a first outer casing (end cap-1, annotated fig. 1) disposed at the first end over the seal member, the first outer casing including a fluid port (inlet, annotated fig. 1); and
a second outer casing (end cap-2, annotated fig. 1) disposed at the second end over the seal member, wherein the first outer casing, the second outer casing, and the seal member encapsulate the plurality of windings within the plurality of axial slots (see annotated fig. 1 wherein the coolant is limited to the stator and isolated from the rotor).
Regarding claim 2, Engelhardt discloses the electric machine of claim 1, further comprising a fluid supply in fluid communication with the fluid port of the first outer casing (see annotated fig. 1, supply 33 provides coolant to inlet port).
Regarding claim 3, Engelhardt discloses the electric machine of claim 2, wherein the fluid supply includes a coolant fluid (see para [0036], “coolant inflow 27”).
Regarding claim 4, Engelhardt discloses the electric machine of claim 3, wherein the coolant fluid is disposed through each of the plurality of axial slots (implied, see fig. 6).
Regarding claim 5, Engelhardt discloses the electric machine of claim 1, wherein the first outer casing, the second outer casing, and the seal member form a fluidtight chamber encapsulating the plurality of windings (see annotated fig. 1, the rotor is isolated- limiting the cooling fluid only to the stator).
Regarding claim 6, Engelhardt discloses the electric machine of claim 1, wherein the second outer casing includes a second fluid port (outlet, annotated fig. 1).
Regarding claim 7, Engelhardt discloses the electric machine of claim 6, wherein the fluid port of the first outer casing is in fluid communication with the second fluid port of the second outer casing via the plurality of axial slots (implied, see the cooling circuit in fig. 1).
Regarding claim 8, Engelhardt discloses the electric machine of claim 1, wherein the seal member includes a plurality of axial seals that extend around the stator core in the circumferential direction (the slots extend in the stator core in axial direction and distributed in the circumferential direction) and a terminal seal (terminal seal, annotated fig. 1) disposed on the second end of the stator core.
Regarding claim 9, Engelhardt discloses the electric machine of claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of axial seals includes: a slot member (slot member, annotated fig. 6) extending through one of the plurality of axial slots; and a stop (stop, annotated fig. 6) extending in the circumferential direction across a width of the one of the plurality of axial slots.
Regarding claim 10, Engelhardt discloses the electric machine of claim 1, wherein the stator core further comprises an inner surface in the radial direction and the seal member is flush with the inner surface of the stator core (see the inner surface of slot 20 in annotated fig. 20 and the seal member).
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Diehl et al. (US 20210328472 A1) in view of Diehl et al. (US 20210328472 A1).
Regarding claim 11, Engelhardt discloses the electric machine of claim 1, wherein the stator core defines a plurality of channels (see two channel 24 in annotated fig. 6), but does not disclose: each channel disposed between two of the plurality of windings.
Diehl, with reference to annotated fig. 2, below, teaches a very similar electric machine wherein a seal (seal) is used to enclose the windings and a cooling channel (channel) within a stator core slot and the cooling channel is between two of the plurality of windings. Accordingly, having each channel disposed between two of the plurality of windings is an obvious option with predictable outcome when only two windings share a slot.
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For an electrical machine with two windings per slot, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention that each channel disposed between two of the plurality of windings. This would reduce the number of channels per slot while cooling the two windings equally.
Claim(s) 12-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Engelhardt et al. (US 20220385127 A1) in view of Pena et al. (WO 2024046562 A1).
Regarding claim 12, Engelhardt, as already discussed regarding claim 1, discloses an electric machine defining a radial direction, a circumferential direction, and an axial direction, the electric machine comprising:
a stator core including a first end and a second end opposing the first end in the axial direction,
the stator core defining a plurality of slots extending in the axial direction from the first end to the second end and a plurality of channels extending in the axial direction from the first end to the second end; and
a plurality of stops, each one of the plurality of stops disposed in one of the plurality of slots and extending in the circumferential direction across a width of the respective one of the plurality of slots and in the axial direction from the first end to the second end.
Engelhardt does not disclose: each one of the plurality of channels being disposed between two adjacent ones of the plurality of slots in the circumferential direction.
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Pena teaches (see annotated fig. 15, above) a similar electric machine wherein at least one internal cooling channels is used for cooling the teeth (teeth, annotated fig. 15) of the stator. While Engelhardt disclosed cooling channels for cooling the windings, clearly, additional channels can be used to cool the teeth of the stator.
For cooling the stator teeth, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the electric machine in such a way that: each one of the plurality of channels being disposed between two adjacent ones of the plurality of slots in the circumferential direction.
Regarding claim 13, Engelhardt as modified by Pena in claim 12 discloses the electric machine of claim 12, further comprising a plurality of windings, each one of the plurality of windings disposed in one of the plurality of slots (discussed regarding claim 1).
Regarding claim 14, Engelhardt as modified by Pena in claim 12 discloses the electric machine of claim 13, wherein each one of the plurality of stops is disposed inward in the radial direction of the respective one of the plurality of windings disposed in the one of the plurality of slots (see stop in annotated fig. 6).
Regarding claim 15, Engelhardt as modified by Pena in claim 12 discloses the electric machine of claim 14, wherein, in each one of the plurality of slots, the respective one of the plurality of stops disposed therein defines a stop channel with the respective one of the plurality of windings disposed therein (see stop in annotated fig. 6), the stop channel extending in the axial direction from the first end of the stator core to the second end of the stator core (implied- see the cooling channels in the axial direction in fig. 1).
Regarding claim 16, Engelhardt as modified by Pena in claim 12 discloses the electric machine of claim 13, further comprising an outer casing disposed at the first end of the stator core and the second end of the stator core, the outer casing encapsulating the plurality of windings within the plurality of slots (discussed regarding claim 1).
Regarding claim 17, Engelhardt as modified by Pena in claim 12 discloses the electric machine of claim 12, wherein the stator core defines an inner surface in the radial direction, and the plurality of stops are flush with the inner surface of the stator core (discussed regarding claim 10; see annotated fig. 6).
Regarding claim 18, Engelhardt as modified by Pena in claim 12, discloses the electric machine of claim 12, but does not disclose: further comprising an extension disposed on an exterior surface of the stator core in the radial direction, the extension defining an outer channel with the exterior surface of the stator core.
Pena also teaches cooling the stator core via a cooling jacket that includes: an extension (housing) disposed on an exterior surface of the stator core in the radial direction, the extension defining an outer channel (external cooling channel) with the exterior surface of the stator core. The cooling jacket will remove heat from the bulk of stator core.
For removing heat from the outer surface of the stator core, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the electric machine in such a way that: the electric machine of claim 12, further comprising an extension disposed on an exterior surface of the stator core in the radial direction, the extension defining an outer channel with the exterior surface of the stator core.
Regarding claim 19, Engelhardt as modified by Pena in claim 12 discloses the electric machine of claim 12, further comprising a fluid port in fluid communication with the plurality of channels (discussed regarding claim 1).
Regarding claim 20, Engelhardt as modified by Pena in claim 12 discloses the electric machine of claim 12, wherein the plurality of slots are arranged into a plurality of pairs of slots, each pair of slots including a first slot and a second slot, and wherein each of the plurality of channels is disposed between the respective first slot and the respective second slot of each of the plurality of pairs of slots (see internal cooling channels in annotated fig. 15, Pena).
Conclusion
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/MASOUD VAZIRI/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/OLUSEYE IWARERE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834