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.
Specification
35 U.S.C. 112(a) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, requires the specification to be written in “full, clear, concise, and exact terms.” The specification is replete with terms which are not clear, concise and exact. The specification should be revised carefully in order to comply with 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112. Examples of some unclear, inexact or verbose terms used in the specification are: “permanent magnet” [20] when used to denote what appears to be a stator with poles (Fig.1); “magnetic strips” [11] when used to denote what appear to be N/S rotor poles forming magnetic ring 10.
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.
Claims 1-16 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.
The claims are replete with indefinite, non-idiomatic language.
For instance, in claim 1, “…a rotor assembly comprising a central axis, a magnetic ring, and a permanent magnet; wherein, the magnetic ring rotates around the central axis in a clockwise direction or a counter clockwise direction, the magnetic ring is arranged outside the permanent magnet…” makes no sense since the “permanent magnet” 20 appears to be a stator with poles (i.e., “magnetic ends” 23) with coils 60 and therefore is not part of the rotor. See Fig.1.
Similarly, “wherein, the permanent magnet comprises a plurality of magnetic ends, the plurality of magnetic ends are arranged around the central axis, and the plurality of magnetic ends corresponding to the magnetic strips” is vague and indefinite. The “permanent magnet” [20] here appears to refers to a stator with poles (i.e., “magnetic ends” 23) with coils 60. See Fig.1. It is unclear in what sense the plurality of magnetic ends “correspon[d] to the magnetic strips”. Further, “the master hall element is arranged at the plurality of the magnetic ends” makes no sense. It is unclear how a single hall element is arranged at plural magnetic ends. Further, “the control assembly signal connects the master hall element and the secondary hall element” is indefinite. “[T]he control assembly signal” lacks antecedent basis and it is unclear how a signal “connects” the hall elements.
In claim 2, functional language “the first signal is set to polarity signals of the two adjacent magnetic strips detected by the master hall element” is vague and indefinite.
Similar rejections apply to the same language appearing in the other dependent claims.
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.
(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.
Claims 1-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Horng et al. (US Pat.Pub.2012/0049698).
Regarding claim 1, as best understood, Horng teaches a single-phase motor with positive and negative turn detection, comprising:
a rotor assembly 1 comprising a central axis, a magnetic ring (magnet portion) 12, and a “permanent magnet” [sic] (i.e., stator 2 with salient-poles 221); wherein, the magnetic ring 12 rotates around the central axis in a clockwise direction or a counter clockwise direction, the magnetic ring is arranged outside the permanent magnet 2, the magnetic ring comprises magnetic strips (N/S poles), the magnetic strips are end to end connected to each other and arranged around the central axis, and magnetic poles of any adjacent two magnetic strips of the magnetic strips are opposite” [sic] (i.e., N and S poles; [0027]).
wherein, the permanent magnet (i.e., stator) 2 comprises a plurality of “magnetic ends” [sic] (i.e., salient-poles/faces) 221/222, the plurality of magnetic ends are arranged around the central axis, and the plurality of magnetic ends “corresponding to the magnetic strips” [sic] (i.e., four rotor poles correspond to four stator poles; Fig.5);
the single-phase motor with positive and negative turn detection further comprises a master hall element 231, a secondary hall element 232, and a control assembly 23; the master hall element 231 is “arranged at the plurality of the magnetic ends” [sic], and the master hall element 231 is “located at a leading position of the permanent magnet” [sic] (Fig.2), when the magnetic ring (rotor) 1 rotates along the clockwise direction, the leading position is set to a position where the master hall element 231 is configured to detect a polarity change of the magnetic ring 12 before the secondary hall element 232 (i.e., at position of hall element 231), a “jitter point” [sic] is defined between one of the plurality of magnetic ends corresponding to the master hall element 231 and one of the plurality of magnetic ends 221/222 adjacent to the master hall element in the clockwise direction (Fig.2);
the secondary hall element 232 is arranged on the one of the plurality of magnetic ends corresponding to the master hall element 231, and the secondary hall element is located on a side facing the counter clockwise direction of the master hall element (Fig.2); a first angle between the secondary hall element 232 and the master hall element 232 is greater than a second angle between the jitter point and the leading position (Fig.2);
“the control assembly signal connects the master hall element and the secondary hall element”, and the control assembly compares polarities of the magnetic strips detected by the master hall element and the secondary hall element (inherent to driving unit 233, which is electrically connected to the first sensor 231 and the second sensor 232 to receive the first detection signal 51 and the second detection signal S2 and, based on the received first detection signal S1 and the second detection signal S2, generates and outputs driving signals to the switching module 234; [0025]).
Regarding claim 2, as best understood, the control assembly 23/233 receives a first signal and a second signal; when two adjacent magnetic strips (i.e., N/S poles) in the magnetic ring 12 changes polarity and pass by the master hall element 231, the first signal is “set to polarity signals of the two adjacent magnetic strips detected by the master hall element” [sic]; when two adjacent magnetic strips in the magnetic ring changes polarity and pass by the secondary hall element, the second signal is “set to polarity signals of the two adjacent magnetic strips detected by the secondary hall element” [sic] ([0025]).
Regarding claim 5, as best understood, the “permanent magnet” [sic] (i.e., stator) 2 further has a center line, the center line is arranged as an angular bisector of an arc center angle of two “adjacent magnetic ends” [sic] (i.e., salient-poles/faces) 221/222 of the plurality of the magnetic ends, the jitter point coincides with the center line (Fig.2).
Regarding claim 6, the leading position is arranged on one of the plurality of the “magnetic ends” [sic] (i.e., salient-poles/faces) 221/222 adjacent to the center line, and the leading position is located on a side of the center line toward the counter clockwise direction (Fig.2).
Regarding claim 10, the “magnetic end” [sic] (i.e., salient-poles/face) 221/222 comprises a first end part and a second end part, the second end part is connected to a side of the first end part toward the counter clockwise direction, and the master hall element 231 is arranged on the first end part (Fig.2).
Regarding claim 12, the “permanent magnet” [sic] (i.e., stator) 2 further comprises a plurality of connecting parts, the plurality of connecting parts are arranged around the central axis with equal spacing, and the plurality of connecting parts are arranged one-to-one corresponding to the plurality of “magnetic ends” [sic] (i.e., salient-poles/faces) 221/222 (Fig.2).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BURTON S MULLINS whose telephone number is (571)272-2029. The examiner can normally be reached 9-5. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Tulsidas C Patel can be reached at 571-272-2098. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BURTON S MULLINS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834