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 § 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 1-4 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 control part controls a d-axis current to increase the temperature of the winding, and wherein when a rotation torque due to the d-axis current is generated at the rotor, the control part controls a q-axis current such that a rotation torque with the same magnitude as that of the rotation torque due to the d-axis current in a direction opposite to a direction of the rotation torque due to the d-axis current is generated at the rotor ".
it is not specifically clear why and what kind of rotational torque is assumed to be generated when the d-axis current is controlled so that the temperature of the winding rises at the time of starting the electric motor, and it is not specifically clear how the rotor is controlled so that a rotational torque having the same magnitude as the rotational torque is generated in the rotor in the direction opposite to the generated rotational torque. Appropriate corrections are required.
Dependent claims 2-4 are rejected based on dependency from claim 1.
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.
Claims 1-2 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kenta JP-2023-047854 in view of Yasuhi et al. WO2008/154733 A1.
Regarding claim 1, Kenta teaches, A control apparatus for an electric motor (motor 3, figure 1), comprising: a rotor (rotor 31 ,figure 2) provided with one of a permanent magnet and a winding (see paragraph 33, where a rotor includes a permanent magnet); and a stator (stator 32, figure 2) provided with the other of the permanent magnet and the winding, wherein the control apparatus includes a control part (controller 20, figure 1), wherein when a temperature of the winding (temperature sensor 11, figure 1) is lower than a predetermined temperature at activation of the electric motor (see paragraphs 32-33 and 56, where the temperature of the stator includes coils compared to the predetermined threshold), the control part controls a d-axis current to increase the temperature of the winding, and wherein when a rotation torque due to the d-axis current is generated at the rotor (see paragraphs 50-54, where the d-axis current is controlled until the temperature of the winding is warmed up).
Kenta is silent on specifically teaching: the control part controls a q-axis current such that a rotation torque with the same magnitude as that of the rotation torque due to the d-axis current in a direction opposite to a direction of the rotation torque due to the d-axis current is generated at the rotor.
However, Yasushi et al. is in the same field of art and teach: the control part controls a q-axis current such that a rotation torque with the same magnitude as that of the rotation torque due to the d-axis current in a direction opposite to a direction of the rotation torque due to the d-axis current is generated at the rotor (see page 4 and specifically equations 2-3, where it is explained that the torque pulsation generated is corrected by producing a rotational torque with the same magnitude).
In view of Yasushi et al.’s teachings, it would’ve been obvious to one with the ordinary skills in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention, with the apparatus as taught by Kenta to include; the control part controls a q-axis current such that a rotation torque with the same magnitude as that of the rotation torque due to the d-axis current in a direction opposite to a direction of the rotation torque due to the d-axis current is generated at the rotor, for the purpose of improving the control of the motor.
Regarding claim 2, Kenta as modified teach d-axis current is controlled as seen in paragraph 50-54 of Kenta and q-axis correction values are generated based on the equations 2-3 of Yasushi et al. but Is silent on specifically teaching: further comprising a calculation part configured to calculate a current value of the q-axis current based on an equation representing a mutual relationship of the d-axis current, the q-axis current and the rotation torque.
However, one with ordinary skills in the art could’ve easily configured such relationship into an equation, before the effective filing date of the invention, with the apparatus as taught by Kenta as modified to include; further comprising a calculation part configured to calculate a current value of the q-axis current based on an equation representing a mutual relationship of the d-axis current, the q-axis current and the rotation torquer, for the purpose of improving the control of the motor.
Regarding claim 4, Kenta as modified teach d-axis current is controlled as seen in paragraph 50-54 of Kenta and q-axis correction values are generated based on the equations 2-3 of Yasushi et al. but Is silent on specifically teaching: The control apparatus for the electric motor according to claim 2, wherein the calculation part calculates the current value of the q-axis current based on a predetermined current value of the d-axis current.
However, one with ordinary skills in the art could’ve easily configured such relationship into an equation, before the effective filing date of the invention, with the apparatus as taught by Kenta as modified to include; wherein the calculation part calculates the current value of the q-axis current based on a predetermined current value of the d-axis current, for the purpose of improving the control of the motor.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 3 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.
Conclusion
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/ZOHEB S IMTIAZ/Primary Examiner , Art Unit 2846