DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is in response to applicant’s communication filed on 3.22.24. In view of this communication, claims 1-14 are now pending in this application.
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 .
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: Cooling with outer and inner shaft structure in rotating electric machine.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-3, 6-9, 12-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Rustichelli (US20240014710A1 Filing date 8.27.21).
Regarding Claim 1, Rustichelli discloses (Figs 2-3) a rotating electric machine (10) comprising a rotor (12) and a stator (62) surrounding (Fig 2) the rotor, the rotor including a permanent magnet (66) and a rotating shaft (16),
wherein the rotating shaft (16) includes an outer shaft (20) having a hollow tubular shape (Fig 3), an inner shaft (40,18) configured to be inserted in an interior of the outer shaft (Fig 2), and a coolant flow path (44 to 50) through which a coolant flows (Fig 2), and
the coolant flow path includes a first flow path (42,22) formed in the inner shaft (18), a second flow path (26) formed in the outer shaft (20), and a communication flow path (28A,28B) configured to place the first flow path and the second flow path in communication with each other (Fig 2).
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Regarding Claim 2, Rustichelli discloses the rotating electric machine according to claim 1. Rustichelli further discloses wherein the first flow path (22) is disposed upstream (44 inlet is connected to 22) in a flow direction (Fig 2) in which the coolant flows, the second flow path (26) is disposed downstream (26 is connected to 50 outlet) in the flow direction, and the communication flow path (28A,28B) is positioned between (Fig 2) the first flow path and the second flow path.
Regarding Claim 3, Rustichelli discloses the rotating electric machine according to claim 2. Rustichelli further discloses wherein the inner shaft (40,18) includes a first small diameter portion (D1) and a second small diameter portion (D2) whose outer circumferential surfaces are not in contact (Fig 2) with an inner circumferential surface of the outer shaft (20), and a large diameter portion (D3) positioned between the first small diameter portion (D1) and the second small diameter portion (D2) and having a diameter larger (Fig 2) than a diameter of the first small diameter portion and a diameter of the second small diameter portion, the first small diameter portion being positioned at one end part of the inner shaft in an axial direction of the inner shaft (D1 is towards left end in Fig 2), the first flow path (42) is formed in an interior of the first small diameter portion (D1), the second flow path (26) is formed in an outer circumferential portion (Fig 2) of the outer shaft (20), and the communication flow path (28A,28B) extends from an inner side toward an outer side of the outer shaft in a diametrical direction (Fig 2) of the outer shaft.
Regarding Claim 6, Rustichelli discloses the rotating electric machine according to claim 3. Rustichelli further discloses wherein the first flow path (42) is a space extending linearly in the axial direction (A) and toward the large diameter portion (D3), in the interior of the first small diameter portion (D1).
Regarding Claim 7, Rustichelli discloses the rotating electric machine according to claim 3. Rustichelli further discloses wherein the rotating shaft (16) further includes a magnet holder (14,12) configured to cover an outer circumferential surface of the outer shaft (20) and retain the permanent magnet (66), and the second flow path (26) is formed between the outer shaft (20) and the magnet holder (14).
Regarding Claim 8, Rustichelli discloses the rotating electric machine according to claim 7. Rustichelli further discloses wherein an outer groove (26) is formed in the outer circumferential surface of the outer shaft (20), and the second flow path (26) is formed by covering (Fig 3) the outer groove with the magnet holder (14,12).
Regarding Claim 9, Rustichelli discloses the rotating electric machine according to claim 7. Rustichelli further discloses wherein the coolant is oil [0035 discloses “oil”], and the coolant that has flowed through the second flow path (26) is supplied to a bearing (54) configured to rotatably support the rotating shaft (16) in a housing (46) [0037 discloses “ The at least one lubrication path can be inclined with respect to the axis of rotation and with respect to a flow direction of the coolant in the outlet passage”].
Regarding Claim 12, Rustichelli discloses the rotating electric machine according to claim 1. Rustichelli further discloses wherein the inner shaft (40,18) includes an extending portion protruding in an axial direction (A) of the outer shaft (20) from one end of the outer shaft (Fig 2, 40 extends to the left from 20 left end) in the axial direction (A).
Regarding Claim 13, Rustichelli discloses (Figs 2-3) a rotating electric machine (10) comprising a rotor (12) and a stator (62) surrounding the rotor (Fig 2), the rotor including a permanent magnet (66) and a rotating shaft (16),
wherein the rotating shaft includes a coolant flow path (44 to 50) through which a coolant flows (Fig 2),
the coolant flow path includes:
a first flow path (42,22) extending from one end part (left end in Fig 2) toward another end part (right end in Fig 2) of the rotating shaft, along an axial direction (A) of the rotating shaft;
a second flow path (26) communicating with a terminal end (right end of 22in Fig 2) of the first flow path (42,22) in a flow direction in which the coolant flows, and extending toward the other end (left end in Fig 2) part of the rotating shaft (16) on an outer circumferential side (26 is radially outer of 22) of the first flow path; and
a communication flow path (28A,28B) extending from an inner side (18) toward an outer side (20) of the rotating shaft in a diametrical direction (Fig 2) of the rotating shaft (16) and placing the terminal end of the first flow path and the second flow path in communication with each other (Fig 2) .
Regarding Claim 14, Rustichelli discloses the rotating electric machine according to claim 13. Rustichelli further discloses wherein the coolant is oil [0035 discloses “oil”], and the coolant that has flowed through the second flow path (26) is supplied to a bearing (54) configured to rotatably support the rotating shaft (16) in a housing (46) [0037 discloses “ The at least one lubrication path can be inclined with respect to the axis of rotation and with respect to a flow direction of the coolant in the outlet passage”].
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 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
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.
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Rustichelli in view of Cross (US20220052578A1).
Regarding Claim 10, Rustichelli discloses the rotating electric machine according to claim 1. Rustichelli does not explicitly disclose wherein the second flow path includes an outbound path extending from a first end part, which is one end part of the outer shaft, toward a second end part, which is another end part of the outer shaft, and an inbound path communicating with the outbound path and extending from the second end part toward the first end part of the outer shaft.
Cross discloses (Fig 4) [0073] wherein the second flow path (50) includes an outbound path extending from a first end part (46 left), which is one end part of the outer shaft (46), toward a second end part (46 right), which is another end part of the outer shaft (46), and an inbound path communicating with the outbound path and extending from the second end part toward the first end part of the outer shaft [0073 discloses a double-pass helical path].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have formed rotating electric machine of Rustichelli modified by double helical flow path of Cross in order to maximize heat dissipation from the entire length and circumference of the outer shaft.
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Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-5, 11 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claim 4 recites “The rotating electric machine according to claim 3, wherein the large diameter portion includes a relay flow path interposed between the first flow path and the communication flow path and extending from an inner side toward an outer side of the inner shaft in a diametrical direction of the inner shaft”. Rustichelli does not disclose this structure. In Rustichelli, the large diameter portion which has the two small diameter portions on either side does not have the communication flow path in a diametral direction, instead it is at the right side end in Fig 2. Therefore claim 4 is allowable. Claim 5 is allowable as it is dependent upon Claim 4.
Claim 11 recites “The rotating electric machine according to claim 3, wherein the rotating shaft includes a tubular body retained by the outer shaft and surrounding the outer circumferential surface of the first small diameter portion, and the second flow path includes an outbound path extending from a first end part, which is one end part of the outer shaft, toward a second end part, which is another end part of the outer shaft, an inbound path communicating with the outbound path and extending from the second end part toward the first end part of the outer shaft, a first discharge path extending from the inbound path toward the first small diameter portion, and a second discharge path formed between the tubular body and the outer shaft”. Rustichelli in view of Cross does not read on all of the limitations, specifically the discharge path structure along with the double helical outer shaft structure. Therefore claim 11 is allowable.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VISWANATHAN SUBRAMANIAN whose telephone number is (571)272-4814. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:30 am - 5:00 pm.
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/VISWANATHAN SUBRAMANIAN/Examiner, Art Unit 2834