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.
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) 1-7 and 15-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. (US 20130221889) in view of Roopnarine (US 20120025636).
1. Kim et al. teach:
An aircraft electric machine (fig 1B) (there is no structural limitations within the body of the claim that would distinguish the claimed “an aircraft electrical machine” over any other electrical machine other than the limitation in the preamble…that being said, the limitation will be construed as not having any patentable weight, MPEP 2111.02 II) comprising:
a rotor 200 operably connected to a shaft 230, the rotor comprising a plurality of rotor teeth 220 and air gaps (fig 1B below) defined between adjacent rotor teeth about a circumference of the laminated rotor;
a modular stator assembly 100a comprising at least one stator segment 110a having a winding 130 wrapped about a center body 120c of the at least one stator segment;
a cooling element 150 arranged at least one of adjacent to or within the winding (fig 1B below); and
at least one power module system 700 comprising an active rectifier (the rectifier is inherent since the electric machine is multiphase, para 0039 & MPEP 2112) and wherein the rotor and modular stator are arranged as a switched reluctance rotor-stator assembly (for SRM, see para 0039); but does not teach that the rotor is laminated.
Roopnarine teaches both laminated rotor and stator for use in an aircraft (para 0035) to reduce core losses which prolongs the service life of the electric machine.
As a result, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art prior to the invention of Kim et al. being filed to modify it such that the rotor is laminated, as taught by Roopnarine so as to prolong the service life of the electric machine.
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2. Kim et al. teach:
The aircraft electric motor of claim 1, wherein the center body is a first center body (fig above) and the at least one stator segment comprises a second center body (fig above) adjacent the first center body, wherein the first center body is wrapped with a respective first winding and the second center body is wrapped with a respective second winding (fig above).
3. Kim et al. teach:
The aircraft electric motor of claim 2, wherein the at least one power module is configured to selectively direct current into the first winding and the second winding (this functionality is inherent since the electric machine is multiphase, MPEP 2112).
4. Kim et al. teach:
The aircraft electric motor of claim 1, further comprising a cooling system configured to supply a cooling fluid (para 0061) into the cooling element to provide cooling to the winding (since the cooling part is between stator segments, fig above).
5. The aircraft electric motor of claim 4, wherein the cooling system comprises a cold plate and at least one fluid connector configured to fluidly connect the cold plate to the winding and provide a flow path for the cooling fluid.
6. Kim et al. teach:
The aircraft electric motor of claim 1, wherein the cooling element is a first cooling element arranged on a first side of the winding (fig above), the aircraft electric motor further comprising a second cooling element (fig above) arranged on a second side of the winding opposite the first cooling element (the cooling elements are arranged circumferentially about the stator assembly, fig above).
7. Kim et al. teach:
The aircraft electric motor of claim 6, wherein the first cooling element is fluidly connected to the second cooling element by at least one fluid connector (the fluid connector and the cooling elements being fluidly connected is an inherent feature since the stator is being cooled, MPEP 2112).
15. Kim et al. in view of Roopnarine teach:
The aircraft electric motor of claim 1, wherein neither the laminated rotor (of Kim et al. in view of Roopnarine) nor the modular stator (of Kim et al.) includes a magnet (since the electric machine is an SRM).
16. Kim et al. in view of Roopnarine teach:
The aircraft electric motor of claim 1, wherein the air gaps defined between adjacent rotor teeth are configured to define a reluctance path (since the electric machine is an SRM) within the laminated rotor (of Kim et al. in view of Roopnarine).
17. Kim et al. teach:
an electric machine (fig 1B);
at least one electrical device 700/600; and
a power bus (the power bus is inherent, see lines from controller and sensor to stator, fig above) electrically connecting the at least one electrical device to at least the electric machine, wherein the electric machine comprises:
a rotor 200 operably connected to a shaft 230, the rotor comprising a plurality of rotor teeth 220 and air gaps (fig 1B below) defined between adjacent rotor teeth about a circumference of the laminated rotor;
a modular stator assembly 100a comprising at least one stator segment 110a having a winding 130 wrapped about a center body 120c of the at least one stator segment;
a cooling element 150 arranged at least one of adjacent to or within the winding; and at least one power module system 700 comprising an active rectifier (the rectifier is inherent since the electric machine is multiphase, para 0039 & MPEP 2112) and wherein the laminated rotor and modular stator are arranged as a switched reluctance rotor-stator assembly (for SRM, see para 0039); but does not teach i) an aircraft comprising: an aircraft engine and ii) that the rotor is laminated.
Roopnarine teaches both laminated rotor and stator for use in an aircraft (para 0035) which includes a teaching of an aircraft along with its engine to reduce core losses which prolongs the service life of the electric machine.
As a result, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art prior to the invention of Kim et al. being filed to modify it such that i) an aircraft comprising: an aircraft engine and ii) that the rotor is laminated, as taught by Roopnarine so as to prolong the service life of the electric machine.
18. Kim et al. teach:
The aircraft of claim 17, further comprising a cooling fluid reservoir (this is inherent since the fluid is circulated, it must be collected somewhere, MPEP 2112) fluidly coupled to the cooling element to provide a cooling fluid (this is inherent since the fluid is circulated, it must be the reservoir must be connected to the cooling element somewhere, MPEP 2112) into the cooling element to cool the winding (this is inherent since the fluid is circulated and the cooling elements are arranged between stator segments, MPEP 2112).
19. Kim et al. teach:
The aircraft electric motor of claim 18, further comprising a fluid pump (the pump is inherent since the fluid is circulated, MPEP 2112) configured to pump the cooling fluid from the cooling fluid reservoir into and through the cooling element; wherein the pump is powered by the electric machine (the electric machine of Roopnarine is a generator, in which case the pump of Kim et al. would be powered by the generator, Roopnarine para 0035 and MPEP 2112).
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. in view of Roopnarine and in further view of Sjoeberg et al. (SE 517323).
8. Kim et al. in view of Roopnarine has been discussed above, re claim 7; but does not teach that the first cooling element and the second cooling element are arranged in series such that a cooling fluid will pass through the first cooling element and then the second cooling element.
Sjoeberg et al. teach that the first cooling element 5 and the second cooling element 5 are arranged in series such that a cooling fluid will pass through the first cooling element and then the second cooling element via pipe pieces 16 to cool the windings which prolongs the service life of the electric machine.
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Consequently, it would have been obvious before the invention of Kim et al. was effectively filed to modify it such that the first cooling element and the second cooling element are arranged in series such that a cooling fluid will pass through the first cooling element and then the second cooling element, as taught by Sjoeberg et al., so as to prolong the service life of the electric machine.
Claim(s) 10, 11 & 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. in view of Roopnarine and in further view of Choi et al. (KR 20230012393).
10. Kim et al. has been discussed above, re claim 1; but does not teach that the cooling element comprises a primary cooling body arranged in a radial orientation relative to the shaft and at least one secondary cooling extension that extends from the primary cooling body in a direction tangential or circumferential relative to the shaft.
Choi et al. teach that the cooling element 114 comprises a primary cooling body 114a arranged in a radial orientation relative to the shaft 121 and at least one secondary cooling extension 114b and 114c that extends from the primary cooling body in a direction tangential or circumferential relative to the shaft to prolong the service life of the winding.
Thus, it would have been obvious prior to the effective filing date of the invention of Kim et al. to modify it such that the cooling element comprises a primary cooling body arranged in a radial orientation relative to the shaft and at least one secondary cooling extension that extends from the primary cooling body in a direction tangential or circumferential relative to the shaft, as taught by Choi et al. so as to prolong the service life of the winding.
11. Kim et al. in view of Roopnarine and in further view of Choi et al. teach:
The aircraft electric motor of claim 10, wherein the primary cooling body (of Choi et al.) is arranged adjacent the winding 113a and the at least one secondary cooling extension extends into the winding (Choi et al. fig 6a).
13. Kim et al. in view of Roopnarine and in further view of Choi et al. teach:
The aircraft electric motor of claim 10, wherein the at least one secondary cooling extension comprises two or more secondary cooling extensions 114b and 114c that are arranged at different radial positions along the primary cooling body (Choi et al. fig 5a).
Claim(s) 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. in view of Roopnarine and in further view of Czarnik et al. (US 20220255401).
20. Kim et al. in view of Roopnarine has been discussed above, re claim 17; but does not teach that the shaft is a shaft of the aircraft engine.
Czarnik et al. teach that the shaft 216 is a shaft of the aircraft engine 100. This allows for direct torque transmission that provide power to other generators in the aircraft system which improves the versatility of the aircraft system.
As a result, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art prior to the invention of Kim et al. being filed to modify it so that the shaft is a shaft of the aircraft engine, as taught by Czarnik et al. so as to improve the versatility of the aircraft system.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9, 12 & 14 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TERRANCE L KENERLY whose telephone number is (571)270-7851. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-5pm.
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/TERRANCE L KENERLY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834