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, page 4 whole page, with respect to claims 1 – 4 and 8 – 10 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. Claims 1 – 4 and 8 – 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. in view of Gray et al. and further in view of Nakata et al. (US 20220286011 A1).
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:
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.
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 – 4 and 8 – 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. in view of Gray et al. and further in view of Nakata et al.
Regarding Claim 1, Kim et al. discloses a motor (1) (Kim et al. Fig. 1) comprising:
a motor housing (40) (Kim et al. Fig. 1);
a stator (30) provided in the motor housing (Kim et al. Fig. 2);
a coil (33) wound around the stator (Kim et al. Fig. 2);
a rotor (20) rotatably provided inside the stator (Kim et al. Fig. 2);
a water-cooled cooling part (second flow path 200) provided in the motor housing (Kim et al. Fig. 5) and including a water jacket (also 200) configured to define a coolant flow path (also 200) through which a coolant circulates (Kim et al, c. 14, l. 19 – 23);
and an oil-cooled cooling part (first flow path 100) provided in the motor housing and configured to spray cooling oil to the coil (Kim et al. c. 13, l. 27 – 30 and Kim et al. Fig. 8 disclose first outlets 150 of first flow path 100 that spray oil directly on the coils 33),
wherein the oil-cooled cooling part (Kim et al. Fig. 8) comprises:
a cooling oil flow path provided in the motor housing and configured to guide the cooling oil (Kim et al. Fig. 8),
which is stored at one side of the motor housing (Kim et al. c. 13, l. 27 – 37 discloses oil is discharged from the first outlets of 150a and 150b to inner space of motor housing 40, such that the lower side of the inner space of motor housing 40 can serve as a temporary storage of oil before flowing through first inlet 130),
to another side of the motor housing to surround the coil (Kim et al. Fig. 12);
and an oil pump (80) provided in the cooling oil flow path and configured to pump the cooling oil (Kim et al. Fig. 10).
Kim does not disclose:
a power transmission part configured to transmit a rotational force of the rotor to the oil pump as driving power and comprising a first gear connected to a shaft of the rotor and a second gear connected to the oil pump and configured to engage with the first gear,
and the cooling oil flow path passes through at least a space between the first and second gears and the coil.
Gray et al. discloses:
a power transmission part configured to transmit a rotational force of the rotor to the oil pump as driving power (Gray et al. c. 14, l. 33 discloses the oil pump 140 can be a ring gear pump which is known to have a power transmission through the use of gears) and comprising a first gear (inner ring gear 141) connected to a shaft (113) of the rotor (Gray et al. c. 14, l. 46 – 50) and a second gear (outer ring gear 141) connected to the oil pump and configured to engage with the first gear (Gray et al. Fig. 12).
Gray et al. and Nakata et al. structurally disclose:
the cooling oil flow path (first path 91) passes through at least a space (also first path 91) ((of Nakata et al. Fig. 1) between the first and second gears (of Gray et al. Fig. 12) and the coil (26) (of Nakata et al. Fig. 1).
Kim et al., Gray et al., and Nakata et al. disclose cooling oil in motors therefore, Gray et al. and Nakata et al. constitute as prior art. Gray et al. discloses a motor having an oil pump driven by the rotation of a rotor via a shaft and Nakata et al. discloses a motor having a cooling flow path between a set of gears and a stator coil. It would be obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a power transmission part configured to transmit a rotational force of the rotor to the oil pump as driving power and comprising a first gear connected to a shaft of the rotor and a second gear connected to the oil pump and configured to engage with the first gear of Gray et al. and the cooling oil flow path passes through at least a space between the first and second gears and the coil of Nakata et al. for the purpose of 1) generating pressure and to transport oil to other areas within the motor housing and 2) cool both the power transmission part and the motor.
Regarding Claim 2, Kim et al., Gray et al., and Nakata et al. disclose the motor of claim 1, wherein the water jacket is provided to surround a periphery of the stator while corresponding to the stator (Kim et al. Fig. 5),
and the oil-cooled cooling part sprays the cooling oil to an end turn portion of the coil exposed to an end of the stator (Kim et al. c. 13, l. 30 – 33).
Regarding Claim 3, Kim et al., Gray et al., and Nakata et al. disclose the motor of claim 1, wherein the oil-cooled cooling part (Kim et al. Fig. 8) further comprises:
a spray hole (also 150a and 150 b) provided in the motor housing and configured to communicate with the cooling oil flow path to spray the cooling oil to the coil (Kim et al. Fig. 12).
Regarding Claim 4, Kim et al., Gray et al., and Nakata et al. disclose the motor of claim 3, wherein the spray hole (Kim et al. Fig. 8) comprises:
a first spray hole (150a) provided in the motor housing while corresponding to a first end turn portion of the coil exposed to one end of the stator (Kim et al. c. 13, l. 27 – 30);
and a second spray hole (150b) provided in the motor housing while corresponding to a second end turn portion of the coil exposed to the other end of the stator (Kim et al. c. 13, l. 27 – 30).
Regarding Claim 8, Kim et al., Gray et al., and Nakata et al. disclose the motor of claim 1.
Kim et al. does not disclose:
wherein the first and second gears are defined to be different in number of teeth,
and the second gear rotates at a lower rotational speed than the first gear.
Gray et al. discloses:
wherein the first and second gears are defined to be different in number of teeth (Gray et al. c. 14, l. 41 – 45),
and the second gear rotates at a lower rotational speed than the first gear (Kim et al. Fig. 12 disclose a larger outer gear and a smaller inner gear, and it is known in the art that larger outer gears always rotate at a lower rotational speed than smaller inner gears).
It would be obvious for a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have wherein the first and second gears are defined to be different in number of teeth, and the second gear rotates at a lower rotational speed than the first gear of Gray et al. for the purpose of giving less torque and more speed to the inner gear connected to the shaft, and more torque and less speed to the outer gear connected to the oil pump.
Regarding Claim 9, Kim et al., Gray et al., and Nakata et al. disclose the motor of claim 1, comprising:
a heat exchange part (first heat exchanger 110 and second heat exchanger 210) configured to allow the coolant and the cooling oil to exchange heat with each other (Kim et al. Fig. 8).
Regarding Claim 10, Kim et al., Gray et al., and Nakata et al. disclose the motor of claim 9, wherein the heat exchange part comprises a heat exchange flow path (first heat exchange cells 111 of first heat exchanger 110 and second heat exchange cells 211 of second heat exchanger 210) defined between the stator and the motor housing (Kim et al. Fig. 9),
and the cooling oil, which is stored at a lower side of the motor housing (Kim et al. c. 18, l. 43 – 45 discloses the first heat exchanger 111-1 can be used as temporary storage before discharge to the oil pump 80), is cooled by heat exchange with the coolant while moving along the heat exchange flow path (Kim et al. Fig. 10).
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THEODORE L PERKINS whose telephone number is (703)756-4629. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00am- 17:00pm.
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/THEODORE L PERKINS/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/TERRANCE L KENERLY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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