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 amendment filed on 05/06/24. 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 6-9 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 claim 6, the limitation “said foundation” in line 3 and “the foundation” in lines 3-4 are unclear because the claims recite both “said foundation” and “the foundation” referring to the same feature. The mixed use of “said” and “the” for the same element is unclear and may create ambiguity as to whether these terms refer to the same or different elements. For clarity and proper antecedent basis, consistent terminology should be used throughout the claim.
Regarding claim 8, the limitation “said core sections” in line 3 is unclear because the parent claim 2 claim recited “the core sections” referring back to “core sections” in line 2 of claim 2. It is unclear that “said core sections” and “the core sections” refer to the same feature. The mixed use of “said” and “the” for the same element is unclear and may create ambiguity as to whether these terms refer to the same or different elements. For clarity and proper antecedent basis, consistent terminology should be used throughout the claim.
Claim 9 recites the limitation "the foundation" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 7 is rejected because of it 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) 1-3, 6, and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tang et al. (CN 110417139 A).
Regarding claim 1, Tang teaches a stator core (fig 3) for an axial flux rotating electric machine, wherein comprising a central structure (10) formed of conductive material (iron core), wherein the central structure (10, fig 1) comprises at least one intermittence (104) formed by a discontinuity of the conductive material.
Regarding claim 2, Tang teaches the central structure (10) is formed by two identical single-part core sections which are juxtaposed to form said core (fig 3), each of the core sections (10) comprising a central body (100) and the at least one intermittence (104) being formed in the central body (100, fig 1).
Regarding claim 3, Tang teaches the at least one intermittence (104) of the central body (100) is a straight slot which extends along a portion of a longitudinal geometric axis of the core section (fig 1).
Regarding claim 6, Tang teaches each of the core sections (10) comprises a foundation (200) and the central body (100) projects from said foundation (200), the foundation (200) forming an edge around a bottom perimeter of the central body (100, fig 1).
Regarding claim 10, Tang teaches a stator (fig 3) for an axial flux rotating electric machine comprising a plurality of cores (10) wherein each of the plurality of cores (10) comprises a central structure (100) formed of conductive material (iron), wherein the central structure (100) comprises at least one intermittence (104) formed by a discontinuity of the conductive material (fig 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.
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) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tang in view of Asano et al. (JP 2010017072 A).
Regarding claim 9, Tang teaches the claimed invention as set forth in claim 1, except for the added limitation of an outer surface of the foundation of the core section has a plurality of grooves forming parallel channels transverse to a central longitudinal geometric axis of the core section.
Asano teaches an armature core having armature core section (1) is provided with a back yoke (11) and teeth (12). The teeth (12) is provided with a plurality of magnetic plates foundation (121) that are laminated along the lamination direction wherein an outer surface of the foundation (121) of the core section (1) has a plurality of grooves (space between plate foundation 121) forming parallel channels transverse to a central longitudinal geometric axis of the core section (1, fig 3) to reduce eddy current generated by magnetic flux of the core section (abstract).
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 Tang’s stator core with an outer surface of the foundation of the core section has a plurality of grooves forming parallel channels transverse to a central longitudinal geometric axis of the core section as taught by Asano. Doing so would reduce eddy current generated by magnetic flux of the core section (abstract).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-5, 7-8 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.
Claim 8 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include 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 reference does not show a stator core wherein the central body is a segmented body with two lowered blocks and two bulging blocks, the lowered blocks are disposed diagonally considering a transverse plane that passes through a longitudinal geometric axis of the core section and the bulging blocks are disposed diagonally in a mirrored manner considering the same transverse plane; and the at least one intermittence is formed between the two bulging blocks, as recited in claim 4, or the stator core wherein the edge of the foundation has at least one intermittence having the shape of a slot which extends between the lower perimeter of the central body and an outer perimeter of the edge, as recited in claim 7, or the stator core wherein each one of said core sections comprises a foundation and the central body projects from the foundation, the foundation forming an edge around a bottom perimeter of the central body wherein the edge of the foundation has at least one intermittence which is contiguous with the at least one intermittence of the central body, the contiguous intermittence taking the shape of a slot which extends from an outer perimeter of the edge as far as an inner region of the central body, as recited in claim 8.
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.
Takahashi et al. (US 10,454,325 B2) teaches an axial air gap rotating electric machine has: a stator comprising a plurality of core members arranged in a ring shape, said core members each having an iron core, a coil wound in an iron core outer periphery direction, and a bobbin disposed between the iron core and the coil; and a rotor plane-facing an end surface of the iron core via an air gap in a rotating shaft radial direction. The bobbin has: a tubular portion facing the outer peripheral side surface of the iron core and shorter than the length of the iron core; flange portions extending in the vicinity of both ends of the tubular portion from the outer periphery of the tubular portion toward the vertical direction outside by a predetermined length; and a projection portion being on the outside surface of at least one of the flange portions and near the inner edge of the tubular portion, having an inner peripheral surface facing the end outer peripheral side surface of the inserted iron core, and further projecting in an extending direction of the tubular portion.
Asano et al. (US 8,736,135 B2) teaches an armature core having teeth are arranged annularly around a rotation axis. The yoke has through holes. The through holes open in a radial direction around the rotation axis and in an axial direction along the rotation axis. The teeth are inserted through the through holes. A metal plate is arranged to face the yoke in the axial direction. A reinforcing plate is fixed to the teeth.
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/LEDA T PHAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834