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.
Response to Amendment
This office action is in response to preliminary amendment filed on 05/03/24. Regarding the amendment, claims 1-10 are present for examination.
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 1-10 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 flat base" in line 5. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claims 2-10 are rejected because of their dependency.
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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 4, 7, 9-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ji et al. (CN 116054519 A).
Regarding claim 1, Ji teaches a rotor yoke (100) for a rotor of a rotating electric machine (fig 1) wherein comprising:
a yoke base (110); and
at least one grooved plate (300) fastened to the yoke base (110),
wherein a flat base (111) is arranged to receive the at least one grooved plate (300);
a grooved plate (300) comprising a plurality of through-grooves (310) formed by radially-distributed grooved sections (320, fig 2);
wherein, between two adjacent grooved sections (320), a non-grooved plate section (321) is formed, such that the grooved plate (300) comprises a plurality of non-grooved plate sections (321, fig 3).
Regarding claim 2, Ji teaches a plurality of magnets (200) fastened on the grooved plate (300), wherein a central radial geometric line (L) of each magnet is coincident with a central radial geometric line matching each non-grooved section (231, fig 8).
Regarding claim 4, Ji teaches the yoke base (110) comprises a ring disk with a central hole (fig 10), an outer edge wall (113) and an inner edge wall (112), wherein the flat base (111) is a lowered flat base formed between the outer edge wall (113) and the inner edge wall (112).
Regarding claim 7, Ji teaches each one of the grooved sections (310) comprises a continuous zig-zag-shaped through-groove (fig 1), the continuous zig-zag-shaped through-groove (310) having portions substantially parallel that decrease in length as they approach the central hole (fig 1).
Regarding claim 9, Ji teaches each one of the grooved sections (310) comprises a continuous zig-zag-shaped through-groove, the continuous zig-zag-shaped through-groove (310) having a plurality of portions substantially parallel which extend radially (fig 1).
Regarding claim 10, Ji teaches two grooved plates (310, fig 3).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ji in view of Pei et al. (CN 110212727 A).
Regarding claim 3, Ji teaches the claimed invention as set forth in claim 1, except for the added limitation of each one of the plurality of grooved sections present recesses for allocating glue for magnets.
Pei teaches a permanent magnet axial flux motor having a rotor comprising rotor back iron (1) plurality of grooved sections present recesses for allocating glue for magnets (2, fig 3) to provide a small volume and compact structure motor.
Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Ji’s rotor with each one of the plurality of grooved sections present recesses for allocating glue for magnets as taught by Pei. Doing so would provide a small volume and compact structure motor.
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ji in view of Ziegler et al. (DE 102022004616 A1).
Regarding claim 8, Ji teaches the claimed invention as set forth in claim 7, except for the added limitation of the continuous zig-zag-shaped through-groove is formed by laser cutting.
Ziegler teaches an axial flux machine having continuous zig-zag-shaped through-groove (16) is formed by laser cutting to provide a simple with time and cost effective production.
Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Ji’s rotor with the continuous zig-zag-shaped through-groove is formed by laser cutting as taught by Ziegler. Doing so would provide a simple with time and cost effective production.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-6 are 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.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: the record of prior art by itself or in combination with other references does not show the rotor yoke wherein the outer edge wall comprises a cut-out wall formed by a plurality of wall portions of a first height and a plurality of wall portions of a second height, wherein the second height is higher than the first height, as recited in claim 5
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Yao et al. (US 12301060 B2) teaches rotor includes a rotor yoke having an outer circumference and an inner circumference. The rotor further includes a plurality of rotor ribs on a surface the rotor yoke and extending between the outer circumference and the inner circumference. The rotor further includes a plurality of magnets, each of the plurality of magnets being disposed adjacent to and between two of the plurality of rotor ribs.
Geng et al. (US 20240039350 A1) teaches a motor rotor, a motor, and an electric vehicle are disclosed. The motor rotor includes an iron core yoke, a spoke plate, and at least two permanent magnets. The at least two permanent magnets are fastened to the iron core yoke and sequentially spaced apart in the circumferential direction. The spoke plate is located between adjacent permanent magnets. A quadrature-axis magnetic circuit is reserved between adjacent permanent magnets, and the spoke plate whose reluctance is less than that of air or the permanent magnet material is disposed on the quadrature-axis magnetic circuit, that is, the spoke plate is disposed between the adjacent permanent magnets. In this way, reluctance of the quadrature-axis magnetic circuit may be reduced, and quadrature-axis inductance may be increased. Accordingly, a reluctance torque is increased, and a torque output capability of the motor is improved.
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/LEDA T PHAM/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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