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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the stator flow" in line 6. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
For examination purpose, limitation “the stator flow” being interpreted as “the stator
Claim 4 recites the limitation "the rotating electric machine flows" in lines 3, 4. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claims 2-7 are rejected for their dependency on claim 1.
Claims 5-7 are also rejected for their dependency on claim 4.
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.
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.
Claims 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bradfield (US 2020/0389070 A1) in view of Takenaka et al. (US 2010/0045125 A1).
RE claim 1, Bradfield teaches a rotating electric machine system equipped with a rotating electric machine 10 (Figs.1, 2) including a rotor 12 and a stator 14, and a housing 15 in which the rotating electric machine 10 is accommodated (Fig.2), wherein the housing 15 includes a stator chamber in which the stator 14 is accommodated and through which a liquid coolant configured to cool the stator flows 14 (see ¶ 20), and the stator 14 comprises: a stator core 16; a coil unit 20 including a plurality of electromagnetic coils 20 formed by a plurality of conductive wires 20 that are wound around the stator core 16, and a coil end portion (24, 28) (Fig.1) serving as end parts 24, 28 of the plurality of electromagnetic coils 20; and a neutral point terminal 134 (Fig.1 and ¶ 26) provided for a neutral point (¶ 26) that is formed by terminal ends of the plurality of conductive wires 20 that are pulled out from the coil unit (see ¶ 26 and Fig.8 for neutral bar 134 connect with selected one of windings 20), and wherein the rotating electric machine system includes a partition member (44, 46), the partition member 46 includes a first wall surface 151 that forms one portion of an inner surface of the stator chamber, and faces toward an end part of the coil end portion (24, 28) in the axial direction (Fig.1), and a concave portion that is formed in the first wall surface 151 and is recessed in a direction to separate away from the coil end portion, and a bottom surface (of wall 151) of which is formed by one portion of the first wall surface, and a liquid coolant flow path 157 (Fig.1) through which the liquid coolant flows is formed between the neutral point terminal 134 and the bottom surface of the concave portion (of wall 151) (¶ 27, 28).
Bradfield does not teach the rotor includes a rotating shaft, the rotating shaft extending in an axial direction and wherein the partition member accommodated in the housing and being a separate body from the housing.
Takenaka teaches the rotor (R) includes a rotating shaft (A) (¶ 42), the rotating shaft (A) extending in an axial direction and wherein the partition member 40 accommodated in the housing (MC1, MC2) and being a separate body from the housing (MC1, MC2) (see Figs.1, 2), doing so provided an insulating space/distance between the coil end and housing, such structure also eliminate the need to provide new space for disposing the oil jacket. As a result, an increase in the size of the rotary electric machine M can be prevented (¶ 55). The shaft allows the rotor to be rotatable relative to the stator/housing (¶ 42).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Bradfield by having the rotor includes a rotating shaft, the rotating shaft extending in an axial direction and wherein the partition member accommodated in the housing and being a separate body from the housing, as taught by Takenaka, for the same reasons as discussed above.
RE claim 2/1, Bradfield in view of Takenaka has been discussed above. Bradfield further teaches the bottom surface of the concave portion (of partition member 46) has a shape (round shape) corresponding to a shape of the neutral point terminal 134 (Figs.8, 9).
RE claim 3/2, Bradfield in view of Takenaka has been discussed above. Bradfield further the neutral point terminal 134 includes a first curved surface (Fig.8), and the bottom surface of the concave portion (of partition wall 46) includes a second curved surface (Fig.9) that is curved corresponding to a shape of the first curved surface of the neutral point terminal 134.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-7 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
RE claim 4/1, the prior-art does not teach, inter alia, the housing includes a gaseous coolant flow path through which a gaseous coolant configured to cool the rotating electric machine flows, and the partition member includes a second wall surface which is a rear surface of the first wall surface, and the second wall surface forms one portion of an inner surface of the gaseous coolant flow path.
Claims 5-7 are allowable for their dependency on claim 4.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THOMAS TRUONG whose telephone number is (571)270-5532. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9AM-6PM EST.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Seye Iwarere can be reached at (571) 270-5112. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/THOMAS TRUONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834