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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 27 May 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant’s amendment required the new grounds of rejection shown below – it appears Faulhaber and Morita disclose the newly amended subject matter.
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.
Claims 1-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Faulhaber (US 3,944,857), in view of Morita et al. (“Morita”; US 2019/0245401).
Regarding claim 1: Faulhaber discloses a coil substrate (Fig. 1), comprising:
a flexible substrate (10); and
a coil (20) comprising a plurality of turns (40a, 40b, 42a, 42b) formed in a staggered manner such that each of the turns includes a first wiring forming a half turn (solid lines in Fig. 1) formed on a first surface (upper face) of the flexible substrate and a second wiring forming a half turn (broken lines in Fig. 1) formed on a second surface (reverse face) of the flexible substrate on an opposite side with respect to the first surface (column 3, lines 7-12),
wherein the flexible substrate is configured to be wound around an axis extending in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of the flexible substrate such that the flexible substrate is formed into a cylindrical shape (claim 1, the substrate is rolled into a spiral configuration, which is in other words, a cylindrical shape, inherently having an axis), and the coil is formed such that the first wiring in each of the turns has a first orthogonal part extending along the orthogonal direction, that the second wiring in each of the turns has a second orthogonal part (as shown in Fig. 1) extending along the orthogonal direction that the second orthogonal part in each of the turns in one of the coils is overlapping with the first orthogonal part in each of the turns in an adjacent one of the coils (in Fig. 1, each wiring is shown crossing at a 90 degree angle) in a cross section of the first orthogonal part (when the embodiment of Fig. 2 is used), the flexible substrate, and the second orthogonal part, and that at least one of the first orthogonal part and the second orthogonal part has at least one slit (110, Fig. 5) formed along the orthogonal direction (as the orthogonal direction is the axial direction, when rolled, the slit 110 will be in the orthogonal direction).
This embodiment in Fig. 5 of Faulhaber does not explicitly disclose that the at least one slit of the second orthogonal part in each of the turns in the one of the coils is overlapping with the at least one slit of the first orthogonal part in each of the turns in the adjacent one of the coils. However, when combined with the embodiment of Fig. 1 and 2, the slit would be located in the overlapping portion.
Faulhaber further does not explicitly disclose a plurality of coils.
However, Morita discloses a plurality of coils (C1, C2, C3, Fig. 2A) with a half turn formed on a first surface (24F) and a second half turn formed on a second surface (24S, paragraph 0023).
Thus, since Faulhaber teaches a first wiring formed on a first surface (upper face) of the flexible substrate and a second wiring (broken lines in Fig. 1) formed on a second surface (reverse face) of the flexible substrate on an opposite side with respect to the first surface (column 3, lines 7-12), it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the wirings in Fig. 5 of Faulhaber to be on opposites of the same flexible substrates, as disclosed in column 3, lines 7-12, in order to reduce the number of required substrates.
And, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the coil of Faulhaber to have a plurality of coils, as disclosed by Morita, in order to allow for multi-phase generation.
Regarding claim 2: Faulhaber modified by Morita disclose a plurality of coils, Faulhaber further discloses each coil is formed such that the at least one slit of the first orthogonal part and the at least one slit of the second orthogonal part have a same width (such as 102, each slit is the same).
Regarding claim 3: Faulhaber modified by Morita disclose a plurality of coils, Faulhaber further discloses each coil is formed such that each of the first orthogonal part (73) and the second orthogonal part (77) is extending orthogonal to long sides of the flexible substate (Fig. 2).
Regarding claims 4-6: Faulhaber modified by Morita disclose a plurality of coils, Faulhaber further discloses each is formed such that each of the first orthogonal part and the second orthogonal part has a plurality of slits (given the combination of claim 1, 104 in Fig. 5 has two slits 112 and 114).
Regarding claim 7: Faulhaber modified by Morita disclose a plurality of coils, Morita further discloses the first orthogonal part in each of the turns in the one of the coils (C1) is not overlapping with the second orthogonal part in each of the turns in the adjacent one of the coils (C2) in a cross section of the first orthogonal part, the flexible substrate, and the second orthogonal part (as shown in Fig. 2A).
Regarding claim 8: Faulhaber discloses the coil is formed such that the at least one slit of the first orthogonal part and the at least one slit of the second orthogonal part have a same width (such as 102, each slit is the same).
Regarding claim 9: Faulhaber discloses the coil is formed such that each of the first orthogonal part (73) and the second orthogonal part (77) is extending orthogonal to long sides of the flexible substate (Fig. 2).
Regarding claims 10-12: Faulhaber discloses the coil is formed such that each of the first orthogonal part and the second orthogonal part has a plurality of slits (given the combination of claim 1, 104 in Fig. 5 has two slits 112 and 114).
Regarding claims 13 and 15-17: Faulhaber discloses a motor coil substrate (column 1, line 6), comprising:
the coil substrate of Claim 1 wound into the cylindrical shape such that the first surface of the flexible substrate is positioned on an inner peripheral side of the cylindrical shape and that the second surface is of the flexible substrate is positioned on an outer peripheral side of the cylindrical shape (when 10 is wound in the spiral, or cylinder, it would result in the upper surface of the flexible substrate facing on the outer peripheral side, and the reverse surface being on the inner peripheral side, or vice versa).
Regarding claim 14: Faulhaber discloses the coil substrate of Claim 1 is wound into the cylindrical shape such that the coil substrate has a polygonal cylindrical shape (inherent when would into a spiral or cylinder), but does not explicitly disclose a polygonal cross-sectional shape of 48 or more sides.
However, it has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art, In re Antonie, 195 USPQ 6 (C.C.P.A. 1977).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the polygonal cylinder of Faulhaber to have 48 or more sides in order to have an optimal design.
Regarding claim 18: Faulhaber discloses a motor coil substrate (column 1, line 6), comprising:
the coil substrate of Claim 1 wound into the cylindrical shape such that the first surface of the flexible substrate is positioned on an inner peripheral side of the cylindrical shape and that the second surface is of the flexible substrate is positioned on an outer peripheral side of the cylindrical shape (when 10 is wound in the spiral, or cylinder, it would result in the upper surface of the flexible substrate facing on the outer peripheral side, and the reverse surface being on the inner peripheral side, or vice versa).
Claims 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Faulhaber and Morita as applied to claims 13 and 14 above, and further in view of Yan et al. (“Yan”; US 2009/0072651).
Regarding claims 19 and 20: Faulhaber discloses the motor coil substrate of claim 13, but does not explicitly disclose a motor, comprising: a cylindrical yoke; the motor coil substrate on an inner side of the cylindrical yoke; a rotation shaft positioned on the inner side of the cylindrical yoke such that the rotation shaft is positioned on an inner side of the motor coil substrate; and a magnet fixed to the rotation shaft positioned on the inner side of the cylindrical yoke such that the magnet is positioned on the inner side of the motor coil substrate.
However, Yan discloses a motor (1A, Fig. 1a), comprising:
a cylindrical yoke (11);
the motor coil substrate (12) positioned on an inner side of the cylindrical yoke;
a rotation shaft (14) positioned on the inner side of the cylindrical yoke such that the rotation shaft is positioned on an inner side of the motor coil substrate; and
a magnet (13) fixed to the rotation shaft positioned on the inner side of the cylindrical yoke such that the magnet is positioned on the inner side of the motor coil substrate (Fig. 1a).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the motor coil substrate of Faulhaber to be on yoke and shaft of Yan in order to form a functional motor.
Conclusion
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/SEAN GUGGER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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