DETAILED ACTION
1. Claims 1-17 of U.S. Application 18/655353 filed on May 6, 2024 are presented for examination.
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
2. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Priority
3. Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
4. The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on May 6, 2024, November 19, 2024 and April 24, 2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
5. 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)(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.
6. Claims 1-3, 5-9, 11-14 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Coppola (US 20230170746).
Regarding claim 1, Coppola teaches (see fig. 1A below) a rotor device (title, Abstract) of an electric machine for a traction drive of a motor vehicle (intended use preamble limitation not given patentable weight) (Abstract, ¶ 3, ¶ 36),
the rotor device comprising: a rotor (10) comprising at least one rotor laminated core (11) and comprising at least one drum (50) radially enclosing the rotor (10) (¶ 36 to ¶ 38; ¶ 50),
wherein magnetic units comprising inner magnetic units (20, 22) and outer magnetic units (40, 42) are embedded in the rotor laminated core (11), wherein the inner magnetic units (20, 22) are each arranged between at least one inner sheet metal element (see annotated fig. 1A below) and at least one intermediate sheet metal element (see annotated fig. 1A below), wherein the outer magnetic units (40, 42) are each arranged between the at least one intermediate sheet metal element (see annotated fig. 1A below) and at least one outer sheet metal element (see annotated fig. 1A below) (¶ 36 to ¶ 38; ¶ 50),
wherein flux barriers (14, 16, 18, 34, 36, 38) extend along the magnetic units (¶ 11 to ¶ 14; ¶ 36; ¶ 37; ¶ 58),
wherein the at least one inner sheet metal element (see annotated fig. 1A below), the at least one intermediate sheet metal element (see annotated fig. 1A below), and the at least one outer sheet metal element (see annotated fig. 1A below) are mechanically held together by the at least one drum (50) (¶ 38; ¶ 39),
wherein the at least one intermediate sheet metal element (see annotated fig. 1A below) is fixed to the at least one inner sheet metal element (see annotated fig. 1A below) by fixation bars (13) in an area of the flux barriers (14, 16) (¶ 36), and
wherein each of the at least one outer sheet metal elements (see annotated fig. 1A below) are fixed to the at least one intermediate sheet metal element (see annotated fig. 1A below) by the fixation bars (33) in the area of the flux barriers (34,36) (¶ 37).
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Regarding claim 2/1, Coppola teaches (see fig. 1A above) the at least one drum (50) is configured to hold together the at least one inner sheet metal element (see annotated fig. 1A above), the at least one intermediate sheet metal element (see annotated fig. 1A above), and the at least one outer sheet metal element (see annotated fig. 1A above) alone under forces to be expected during operation of the rotor device and to secure the at least one inner sheet metal element (see annotated fig. 1A above), the at least one intermediate sheet metal element (see annotated fig. 1A above), and the at least one outer sheet metal element (see annotated fig. 1A above) against loosening and ejection (¶ 38; ¶ 39).
Regarding claim 3/1, Coppola teaches (see fig. 1A above) the fixation bars (13, 33) are configured not to hold together the at least one inner sheet metal element (see annotated fig. 1A above), the at least one intermediate sheet metal element (see annotated fig. 1A above), and the at least one outer sheet metal element (see annotated fig. 1A above) under forces to be expected during operation of the rotor device (¶ 36 to ¶ 39).
Regarding claim 5/1, Coppola teaches (see fig. 1A above) the fixation bars (13, 33) are integrally connected to the at least one rotor laminated core (11) (¶ 36; ¶ 37).
Regarding claim 6/1, Coppola teaches (see fig. 1A above) the fixation bars (13, 33) close the flux barriers (14, 16, 34, 36) radially outwards (¶ 36; ¶ 37).
Regarding claim 7/1, Coppola teaches (see fig. 1A above) the fixation bars (13, 33) form a partial section of an outer side of the at least one rotor laminated core (11) extending in a circumferential direction and are arranged flush with an outside of the at least one rotor laminated core (11) (fig. 1A, ¶ 36; ¶ 37).
Regarding claim 8/1, Coppola teaches (see fig. 1A above) the fixation bars (13, 33) are each curved so as to correspond to a curvature of the at least one rotor laminated core (11) (fig. 1A, ¶ 36; ¶ 37).
Regarding claim 9/1, Coppola teaches (see fig. 1A above) at least partially rounded corners with a defined radius are formed at transitions from the fixation bars (13, 33) to the at least one rotor laminated core (11) on a side of the flux barriers (14, 16, 34, 36) such that stresses are configured to be dissipated that occur due to forces to be expected during operation of the rotor device (fig. 1A, ¶ 36; ¶ 37).
Regarding claim 11/1, Coppola teaches (see fig. 1A above) the flux barriers (14, 16, 18, 34, 36, 38) are at least partially filled with a plastic material (¶ 5 to ¶ 7; ¶ 12; ¶ 30; ¶ 31; ¶ 36; ¶ 37).
Regarding claim 12/1, Coppola teaches (see fig. 1A above) the magnetic units (20, 22, 40, 42) are rod-shaped (fig. 1A, ¶ 36; ¶ 37).
Regarding claim 13/1, Coppola teaches (see fig. 1A above) the inner magnetic units (20, 22) of each rotor pole are arranged at least partially in a V-shape in relation to each other, and wherein the at least one intermediate sheet metal element (see annotated fig. 1A above) and the outer magnetic units (40, 42) and the at least one outer sheet metal element (see annotated fig. 1A above) of each rotor pole are arranged at least partially between the V-shaped inner magnetic units (20, 22) and/or imaginary extension axes extending therefrom (fig. 1A, ¶ 36; ¶ 37).
Regarding claim 14/1, Coppola teaches (see fig. 1A above) the at least one outer sheet metal elements (see annotated fig. 1A above) are each fixed to an intermediate sheet metal element (see annotated fig. 1A above) of the at least one intermediate sheet metal elements (see annotated fig. 1A above) by at least two of the fixation bars (33), and wherein the at least one intermediate sheet metal elements (see annotated fig. 1A above) are each fixed to an inner sheet metal element (see annotated fig. 1A above) of the at least one inner sheet metal elements (see annotated fig. 1A above) with at least two of the fixation bars (33) (fig. 1A, ¶ 36; ¶ 37).
Regarding claim 17/12/1, Coppola teaches (see fig. 1A above) the magnetic units (20, 22, 40, 42) have a cuboid basic geometry (since it’s a 3-dimensional rectangular shape) (fig. 1A, ¶ 36; ¶ 37).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
7. 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.
8. Claims 4, 15 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Coppola in view of Izumi (US 20150244244).
Regarding claim 4/1, Coppola teaches the device of claim 1 but does not explicitly teach the fixation bars have a maximum thickness of 2 mm.
However, Izumi teaches (see fig. 1A below) the fixation bars (13) have a maximum thickness of 2 mm (¶ 52) in order to provide adequate structural strength for rotor components as well as reduced magnetic leakage flux (Izumi, ¶ 52).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device Coppola and provide the fixation bars have a maximum thickness of 2 mm as taught by Izumi in order to provide adequate structural strength for rotor components as well as reduced magnetic leakage flux (Izumi, ¶ 52).
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Regarding claim 15/4/1, Coppola teaches the device of claim 4 but does not explicitly teach the maximum thickness of the fixation bars is 1.5 mm.
However, Izumi teaches (see fig. 1A above) the maximum thickness of the fixation bars (13) is 1.5 mm in order to provide adequate structural strength for rotor components as well as reduced magnetic leakage flux (Izumi, ¶ 52).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device Coppola and provide the maximum thickness of the fixation bars is 1.5 mm as taught by Izumi in order to provide adequate structural strength for rotor components as well as reduced magnetic leakage flux (Izumi, ¶ 52).
Regarding claim 16/15/4/1, Coppola teaches the device of claim 15 but does not explicitly teach the maximum thickness of the fixation bars is 1 mm.
However, Izumi teaches (see fig. 1A above) the maximum thickness of the fixation bars (13) is 1 mm in order to provide adequate structural strength for rotor components as well as reduced magnetic leakage flux (Izumi, ¶ 52).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device Coppola and provide the maximum thickness of the fixation bars is 1 mm as taught by Izumi in order to provide adequate structural strength for rotor components as well as reduced magnetic leakage flux (Izumi, ¶ 52).
9. Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Coppola in the embodiment of figure 1A (Coppola E1) in view of Coppola in the embodiment of figure 2B (Coppola E2).
Regarding claim 10/1, Coppola E1 teaches the device of claim 1 but does not explicitly teach a connecting layer made of a plastic material is arranged between the at least one drum and the at least one rotor laminated core.
However, Coppola E2 teaches (see fig. 2B below) a connecting layer (147) made of a plastic material is arranged between the at least one drum (106) and the at least one rotor laminated core (¶ 48; ¶ 49) in order to improve structural strength and temperature resistance of the rotor (Coppola, ¶ 49).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device Coppola E1 and provide a connecting layer made of a plastic material is arranged between the at least one drum and the at least one rotor laminated core as taught by Coppola E2 in order to improve structural strength and temperature resistance of the rotor (Coppola, ¶ 49).
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Conclusion
10. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEXANDER A SINGH whose telephone number is (571)270-0243. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am to 5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Seye Iwarere can be reached at 571-270-5112. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ALEXANDER A SINGH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834