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 .
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the first, second, and third size of the slots of claim 17 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Objections
Claim 16 is objected to because of the following informalities: line 3 recites “core 10”, it appears “10” should be deleted. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claim 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Regarding claim 17: There is no support in the specification for the plurality of slots being a first, second, and third size, as required by claim 17.
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 6, 11, and 18 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.
Regarding claims 6 and 11: Line 2 recites “a second insulating film section”, however, no first insulating film section has been introduced. Thus, it is unclear how many insulating film sections are required. Note, perhaps claim 6 should depend on claim 5 and claim 11 should depend on claim 10.
Regarding claim 18: Claim 18 requires the plurality of secondary conductors to be housing in the plurality of slots. However, the secondary conductors are introduced in claim 1 as rotor components, and the plurality of slots are introduced in claim 16 as stator components. Thus, it is unclear how the conductors of the rotor can be housed in slots of the stator.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
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 1-3, 7, 8, and 12-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takashi (JP 2014-236617 A, English translation attached), in view of Kelleter et al. (“Kelleter”; US 2017/0282725).
Regarding claim 1: Takashi discloses a motor (1) comprising:
a cylindrical stator (2); and
a cylindrical rotor (11) rotatably provided in the stator (2) coaxially with a center axis of the stator,
the rotor includes a cage (14, 16) including a single short-circuit ring (16) formed in a ring shape and a plurality of secondary conductors (14), and
first end portions and second end portions of the secondary conductors (14) are respectively connected to positions separated in a circumferential direction in the single short-circuit ring (for example, see the arrows annotated Fig. 2 below: 14a is connected at two ends to 16 at two different positions in the circumferential direction).
Takashi does not explicitly disclose the motor driving driving wheels of a vehicle with rotation of the rotor.
However, Kelleter discloses the motor driving driving wheels of a vehicle with rotation of the rotor (paragraph 0021).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the motor of Takashi to drive wheels of a vehicle, as disclosed by Kelleter, in order to increase the applications of the motor.
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Regarding claim 2: Takashi discloses the plurality of secondary conductors include a first secondary conductor and a second secondary conductor, and
a first end portion of the second secondary conductor is between a first end portion and a second end portion in the circumferential direction in the first secondary conductor (in the above annotated Fig. 2, there are two secondary conductor ends between the arrow, which is between the two ends of 14a).
Regarding claim 3: Takashi discloses the plurality of secondary conductors are formed in a U shape (as 14 are U-shaped).
Regarding claim 7: Takashi discloses a plurality of insertion holes in the circumferential direction in the single short-circuit ring (as the secondary conductors are inserted into the ring in Fig. 2), and
the first end portions and the second end portions of the secondary conductors are bonded to the single short-circuit ring in a state in which the first end portions and the second end portions are inserted into the plurality of insertion holes (as shown in Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 8: Takashi discloses the plurality of secondary conductors are formed in a U shape (as 14 are U-shaped).
Regarding claim 12: Takashi discloses a plurality of insertion holes in the circumferential direction in the single short-circuit ring (as the secondary conductors are inserted into the ring in Fig. 2), and
the first end portions and the second end portions of the secondary conductors are bonded to the single short-circuit ring in a state in which the first end portions and the second end portions are inserted into the plurality of insertion holes (as shown in Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 13: Takashi discloses the stator includes a stator core (3a) and a plurality of primary conductors (4).
Regarding claim 14: Takashi discloses a pitch between the plurality of secondary conductors is set in accordance with a pitch between magnetic poles of rotating magnetic field formed by the plurality of primary (last paragraph, page 2 of translation: “The two rotor bars 14 of the rotor bar pair 15 are provided at angular positions that are at the same angle (45 ° in the present embodiment) as the pole pitch of the stator 2 at an angle around the rotational axis”).
Regarding claim 15: Takashi discloses the pitch between the plurality of secondary conductors is equal to the pitch between magnetic poles of rotating magnetic field formed by the plurality of primary (last paragraph, page 2 of translation: “The two rotor bars 14 of the rotor bar pair 15 are provided at angular positions that are at the same angle (45 ° in the present embodiment) as the pole pitch of the stator 2 at an angle around the rotational axis”).
Regarding claim 16: Takashi discloses the stator core includes a plurality of slots (3c) recessed from an inner circumferential surface of the stator core toward a radial-direction outer side (shown in Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 17: Takashi discloses the plurality of slots includes slots of a first size, a second size, and a third size, but does not explicitly disclose the first size being larger than the second size and the second size being larger than the third size.
However, it has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art, In re Antonie, 195 USPQ 6 (C.C.P.A. 1977).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the slot sizes of Takashi to be three different sizes in order to design an optimal system.
Regarding claim 18: Takashi discloses the plurality of secondary conductors are housed in respective slots of the plurality of slots (as stated above, this is indefinite, however, Fig. 1 of Takashi shows windings 4 in slots 3c).
Claims 4-5 and 9-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takashi and Kelleter as applied to claims 2 and 1 above, and further in view of Anderson et al. (“Anderson”; US 3,777,198).
Regarding claim 4: Takashi discloses insulating the outer surfaces of the plurality of secondary conductors, but does not explicitly disclose a first insulating film section including an insulative film on outer surfaces of the plurality of secondary conductors.
However, Anderson discloses a first insulating film section including an insulative film on outer surfaces of the plurality of secondary conductors (column 2, lines 45-52).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the insulation of Takashi to be the film of Anderson in order to effectively ensure the conductors are properly insulated.
Regarding claim 5: Takashi discloses the first insulating film section is not in connecting portions to the single short-circuit ring in the plurality of secondary conductors (in that Takashi does not disclose this as this is a negative limitation).
Regarding claim 9: Takashi discloses insulating the outer surfaces of the plurality of secondary conductors, but does not explicitly disclose a first insulating film section including an insulative film on outer surfaces of the plurality of secondary conductors.
However, Anderson discloses a first insulating film section including an insulative film on outer surfaces of the plurality of secondary conductors (column 2, lines 45-52).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the insulation of Takashi to be the film of Anderson in order to effectively ensure the conductors are properly insulated.
Regarding claim 10: Takashi discloses the first insulating film section is not in connecting portions to the single short-circuit ring in the plurality of secondary conductors (in that Takashi does not disclose this as this is a negative limitation).
Claims 6 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takashi and Kelleter as applied to claims 2 and 1 above, and further in view of Buntschuh (US 3,281,746).
Regarding claim 6: Takashi discloses insulating the outer surfaces of the plurality of secondary conductors, but does not explicitly disclose a second insulating film section including an insulative film on an outer surface of the single short-circuit ring.
However, Buntschuh discloses a second insulating film section (20, Fig. 1) including an insulative film (20) on an outer surface of the single short-circuit ring (14).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the insulation of Takashi to be on the single short-circuit ring, as disclosed by Buntschuh, in order to properly insulate the rotor.
Regarding claim 11: Takashi discloses insulating the outer surfaces of the plurality of secondary conductors, but does not explicitly disclose a second insulating film section including an insulative film on an outer surface of the single short-circuit ring.
However, Buntschuh discloses a second insulating film section (20, Fig. 1) including an insulative film (20) on an outer surface of the single short-circuit ring (14).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the insulation of Takashi to be on the single short-circuit ring, as disclosed by Buntschuh, in order to properly insulate the rotor.
Conclusion
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/SEAN GUGGER/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834