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 .
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.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in Europe on July 24, 2023. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the EP23187249.0 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Objections
Claims 2-4 and 6-14 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claims 2, 3, 4, “An electrical machine” should be changed to “The electrical machine”
Claims 6-14, “A power system” should be changed to “The power system”
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Crane (US 2014/0062269).
Regarding claim 1, Crane discloses an electrical machine (see Figure 12) comprising:
first machine terminals (22 of Figure 12; abstract, first and second load terminals) electrically connectable to one or more first loads or power sources;
second machine terminals (22 of Figure 12; abstract, first and second load terminals) electrically connectable to one or more second loads or power sources;
a stator (6 of Figure 12) comprising:
a plurality of first stator coil groups, each first stator coil group defining a respective stator phase and comprising one or more interconnected first stator coils (abstract, plurality of coils and plurality of stator phases), and
a plurality of second stator coil groups, each second stator coil group defining a respective stator phase and comprising one or more interconnected second stator coils (abstract, plurality of coils and plurality of stator phases); and
a power electronic switching assembly (abstract) comprising:
a plurality of first switching module assemblies (2 of Figure 12; abstract, plurality of switching modules) electrically connected to or between the first machine terminals, each first switching module assembly comprising one or more interconnected first switching modules, each first switching module being electrically connected to a respective first stator coil group (abstract; each switching module includes power electronic devices and is connected to a respective stator coil); and
a plurality of second switching module assemblies (2 of Figure 12; abstract, plurality of switching modules) electrically connected to or between the second machine terminals, each second switching module assembly comprising one or more interconnected second switching modules, each second switching module being electrically connected to a respective second stator coil group (abstract; each switching module includes power electronic devices and is connected to a respective stator coil).
Regarding claim 2, Crane discloses further comprising a first switch (Para. 0012; see Figures 8, 10, 11) electrically connected between the first and second machine terminals (22 of Figure 12; abstract, first and second load terminals), the first switch optionally being an electrical switch including one or more controllable semiconductor switches.
Regarding claim 3, Crane discloses wherein the first switching module assemblies (2 of Figure 12; abstract, plurality of switching modules) are electrically connected to the first electrical terminals (22 of Figure 12; abstract, first and second load terminals) in parallel (Para. 0023) and/or the second switching module assemblies (2 of Figure 12; abstract, plurality of switching modules) are electrically connected to the second electrical terminals (22 of Figure 12; abstract, first and second load terminals) in parallel (Para. 0023).
Regarding claim 4, Crane discloses wherein the first switching module assemblies are electrically connected in series (2 of Figure 12; abstract, plurality of switching modules) between the first machine terminals (22 of Figure 12; abstract, first and second load terminals) and/or the second switching module assemblies are electrically connected in series (2 of Figure 12; abstract, plurality of switching modules) between the second machine terminals (22 of Figure 12; abstract, first and second load terminals).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 5 is 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.
Claims 6-15 are objected to due to their dependency upon claim 5.
As allowable subject matter has been indicated, applicant's reply must either comply with all formal requirements or specifically traverse each requirement not complied with. See 37 CFR 1.111(b) and MPEP § 707.07(a).
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
With respect to claim 5 and claims dependent thereon, the prior art of record when considered as a whole, alone or in combination, neither anticipates nor renders obvious an electrical machine as recited by independent claim 1, comprising:
first machine terminals electrically connectable to one or more first loads or power sources;
second machine terminals electrically connectable to one or more second loads or power sources;
a stator comprising:
a plurality of first stator coil groups, each first stator coil group defining a respective stator phase and comprising one or more interconnected first stator coils, and
a plurality of second stator coil groups, each second stator coil group defining a respective stator phase and comprising one or more interconnected second stator coils; and
a power electronic switching assembly comprising:
a plurality of first switching module assemblies electrically connected to or between the first machine terminals, each first switching module assembly comprising one or more interconnected first switching modules, each first switching module being electrically connected to a respective first stator coil group; and
a plurality of second switching module assemblies electrically connected to or between the second machine terminals, each second switching module assembly comprising one or more interconnected second switching modules, each second switching module being electrically connected to a respective second stator coil group; and
a power system comprising the electrical machine and a second electrical machine, the second electrical machine comprising:
first machine terminals;
a stator comprising a plurality of first stator coil groups, each first stator coil group defining a respective stator phase and comprising one or more interconnected first stator coils; and
a power electronic switching assembly comprising a plurality of first switching module assemblies electrically connected to or between the first machine terminals, each first switching module assembly comprising one or more interconnected first switching modules, each first switching module being electrically connected to a respective first stator coil group;
wherein the first machine terminals of the second electrical machine are electrically connected to the first machine terminals of the first electrical machine.
Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Shrestha (US 2017/0353083) discloses an electrical machine comprising a stator core and a plurality of windings subdivided into a plurality of multiphase motor cells.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHARLES H REID whose telephone number is (571)272-9248. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:30-4:45 PM.
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/Charles Reid Jr./ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834