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, see pages 7-8, filed 06/02/2026, with respect to rejections under 35 USC 112 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejection of claims 3-6 has been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-11 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 1-5 and 7-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by HORIBA (US 20130004345).
Regarding claim 1, HORIBA discloses a rotating electric machine system equipped with a rotating electric machine 10 including a rotor 14 and a stator 15, and a housing 12 in which the rotating electric machine is accommodated (see para [0021]),
wherein the housing 12 accommodates the stator 15 (see para [0021]), and further includes a stator chamber (Fig. 1) through which a liquid coolant configured to cool the stator 15 flows (para [0005]), and
the stator 15 comprises:
a stator core 23;
a coil unit including a plurality of coils (24U/V/W) formed by a plurality of wires that are wound around the stator core 23 (see para [0023]), and a coil end portion (241,242) serving as end parts of the plurality of coils (24U/V/W); and
a neutral point fixing structure (see Fig. 1 and 3) configured to fix to the coil end portion (241,242) a neutral point 361 formed by bundling together and connecting terminal ends of the plurality of conductive wires (35U/V/W) that are pulled out from the coil unit (see para [0034]),
wherein the neutral point fixing structure comprises:
a neutral point terminal 36 that is disposed between the neutral point 361 and the coil end portion (241,242) and is a conductive member configured to fix the terminal ends of the plurality of conductive wires (para [0033]);
an insulating member (32, 37) disposed between the neutral point terminal 36 and the coil end portion (241,242) (see Fig. 1-3); and
a coolant passage in order to allow the liquid coolant to pass between the neutral point terminal 36 and the insulating member (32, 37) (see para [0046] and Fig. 1),
wherein the neutral point terminal 36 is fixed to the coil end portion (241,242) via the insulating member (32, 37) (see Fig. 1 and 3) and
the neutral point terminal 36 is disposed at the insulating member (32, 37), and the insulating member (32, 37) is disposed to abut against the coil end portion (241,242) (see Fig. 1).
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Regarding claim 2, HORIBA discloses the rotating electric machine system according to claim 1, wherein the insulating member (32, 37) is a pedestal disposed at the coil end portion (241,242) and on which the neutral point terminal 36 is disposed (see Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 3, HORIBA discloses the rotating electric machine system according to claim 2, wherein the pedestal includes a first surface 381 and a second surface 382 382 wherein the first surface 381 faces in a first direction and the second surface 382 faces in a second direction, said first direction being opposite to said second direction, the neutral point terminal 36 is arranged on the first surface 381, the second surface 382 abuts against the coil end portion (241,242), and the coolant passage (121 to 131, generally) extends in parallel with the first surface 381 and the second surface 382 (see Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 4, HORIBA discloses the rotating electric machine system according to claim 3, wherein a first concave portion is formed along the first surface 381 on the first surface 381 of the pedestal (see Fig. 1), and the first concave portion constitutes the coolant passage (see Fig. 1 at 231).
Regarding claim 5, HORIBA discloses the rotating electric machine system according to claim 4, wherein two of the first concave portions are formed along the first surface 381 on the first surface 381 of the pedestal, and the two first concave portions intersect one another (see annotated Fig 1, below).
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Regarding claim 7, HORIBA discloses the rotating electric machine system according to claim 2 wherein the neutral point fixing structure further comprises a first threaded member wound around the pedestal and the neutral point terminal that is arranged on the pedestal (i.e., any one of the intertwined sections of wires 35U/V/W; see Fig. 1-3).
Regarding claim 8, HORIBA discloses the rotating electric machine system according to claim 7, wherein a locking groove configured to cause the first threaded member to be locked is formed on a portion within a surface of the pedestal that does not come into contact with the neutral point terminal (i.e. the distal end of the insulation 37; see Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 9, HORIBA discloses the rotating electric machine system according to claim 2, wherein the neutral point fixing structure further comprises a second threaded member wound around the coil end portion (241,242) and the pedestal that is disposed on the coil end portion (241,242) (i.e., any one of the intertwined sections of wires 35U/V/W; see Fig. 1-3).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 10-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over HORIBA in view of (KAWAMOTO - US 20220271595; previously disclosed).
Regarding claim 10, HORIBA discloses the rotating electric machine system according to claim 1, wherein the rotor 14 includes a rotating shaft 33, and permanent magnets 26 disposed on the rotating shaft 33, the rotating electric machine system further comprises an liquid circulation supply device (19,121) configured to circulate and supply a cooling liquid, which is the liquid coolant, to the stator chamber, and the liquid circulation supply device includes a liquid supply line 121 configured to supply the cooling liquid to the stator chamber, and a liquid recovery line 131 configured to recover the cooling liquid that has flowed through the stator chamber (see para [0022]).
However, HORIBA does not disclose oil.
KAWAMOTO discloses a compressor motor with a liquid supply 11p and recovery 11q which allows coolant to flow through the interior of the machine, in which the coolant may be refrigerant (para [0024]) or oil (para [0120]).
It 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 to provide the system of HORIBA with oil, similar to KAWAMOTO.
A person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains would have been motivated to make such modification in order to provide pressurized lubricant transfer to an outside apparatus instead of refrigerant, as taught by KAWAMOTO (paras [0116-0120])
Regarding claim 11, HORIBA in view of KAWAMOTO teaches the rotating electric machine system according to claim 10, further comprising a cylindrically shaped partition wall member 34 interposed between the rotor 14 and the stator 15 in a diametrical direction of the rotating shaft, wherein the partition wall member partitions the interior of the housing 12 into the stator chamber, and a rotor chamber in which the rotor 14 is accommodated.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6 and 12 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: the prior art of record neither teaches nor discloses a neutral point terminal having the concave portion formed along the first surface as claimed in claim 4, from which claim 6 depends, and a tubular shaped member which abuts against the first surface, as claimed in claim 6, with the second concave portion within the tubular member, formed by recessing a portion facing toward the first concave portion, as claimed in claim 6, those concaves together forming the coolant passage. Claim 12 depends from claim 6.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Silvery US 20260081486 discloses cooling passages 18 in a busbar insulator 9. Bohnen US 20250030319 discloses cooling passages 13 in a busbar insulator 50. KUROYANAGI US 20210367472 discloses a neutral busbar 33 in an insulator 42 with cooling passages 42b.
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/JUSTIN STEFANON/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/OLUSEYE IWARERE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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