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 . Claims 1-21 are pending.
Claim Objections
Claims 11 and 18 objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 11, “are formed by” in “the first pin and the second pin are formed by”, and in “overlap with each other are formed by”, is appropriate for a process claim. For an apparatus claim, “are formed by” should be replaced by “are.”
In claim 18, in “the stator core is is smaller”, the extra “is” should be deleted.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 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.
Claims 1-11, 13, 15-16 and 18-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tanaka et al. (US 20160329766 A1).
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Regarding claim 1, Tanaka discloses a stator of a motor (1, fig. 1), the stator comprising:
a stator core having a plurality of winding slots (slot, annotated fig. 7),
the plurality of winding slots being formed at an end surface (end surface, annotated fig. 7) of the stator core in an axial direction of the stator core and arranged at intervals in a circumferential direction of the stator core (see annotated fig. 7),
each of the plurality of winding slots extending through an inner wall (inner wall, annotated fig. 7) and an outer wall (outer wall, annotated fig. 7) of the stator core; and
a stator winding comprising at least one coil unit (coil, annotated fig. 7),
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each of the at least coil unit (fig. 9) comprising a plurality of first conductors assembled together (first conductors, annotated fig. 10A),
each of the plurality of first conductors comprising at least one insertion portion (insertion portion, annotated fig. 7) inserted into a corresponding one of the plurality of winding slots.
Regarding claim 2, Tanaka discloses the stator according to claim 1, wherein:
at least two of the plurality of first conductors of the coil unit are offset from each other in the circumferential direction of the stator (fig. 10A);
each of the plurality of first conductors comprises a plurality of insertion portions respectively inserted into different winding slots of the plurality of winding slots (fig. 7); and the stator winding is provided with at least two insertion portions stacked together in the axial direction of the stator core in each of the plurality of winding slots (figs. 3, 4 and 19).
Regarding claim 3, Tanaka discloses the stator according to claim 2, wherein:
the coil unit comprises a plurality of conductive branches, each of the plurality of conductive branches comprising several first conductors connected in series (see annotated fig. 7);
two adjacent first conductors of each of the plurality of conductive branches are connected to each other to form a connection structure (see annotated fig. 7); and
all the connection structures of the coil unit are arranged outside of the outer wall (see annotated fig. 7).
Regarding claim 4, Tanaka discloses the stator according to claim 2, wherein: each of the plurality of first conductors further comprises at least one connection portion (connection portion, annotated fig. 10A); adjacent insertion portions are connected to each other by the connection portion (connection portion, annotated fig. 10A); and the at least one connection portion is located at an inner side of the inner wall (connection portion, annotated fig. 10A).
Regarding claim 5, Tanaka discloses the stator according to claim 4, wherein the at least one connection portion located at the inner side of the inner wall is folded in the axial direction, to position two insertion portions connected to the folded connection portion at different layers (see the folded portion 20e in figs. 9 and 10A).
Regarding claim 6, Tanaka discloses the stator according to claim 5, wherein in the axial direction of the stator core, a maximum dimension of each of the at least one connection portion is greater than a total dimension of the two insertion portions (see the axial thickness of the loop 20e in figs. 9 and 10A).
Regarding claim 7, Tanaka discloses the stator according to claim 5, wherein all the connection portions located at the inner side of the inner wall are arranged in the circumferential direction of the stator core (see annotated figs. 9 and 10A).
Regarding claim 8, Tanaka discloses the stator according to claim 3, wherein:
each of the plurality of first conductors is provided with a first pin and a second pin at two ends of the first conductor (20a and 20i in fig, 10A); and
in two adjacent first conductors of each of the plurality of conductive branches, the first pin of one of the two adjacent first conductors and the second pin of another one of the two adjacent first conductors are connected to each other to form the connection structure (see fig. 10A, pin 20i is connected to pin 20a).
Regarding claim 9, Tanaka discloses the stator according to claim 8, wherein:
in two adjacent first conductors of each of the plurality of conductive branches, the first pin of one of the two adjacent first conductors and the second pin of another one of the two adjacent first conductors overlap with each other in the axial direction of the stator core (see fig. 10A); and
the first pin and the second pin are welded to each other to form the connection structure in an overlapping region (see fig. 10A).
Regarding claim 10, Tanaka discloses the stator according to claim 8, wherein:
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the coil unit is one of a plurality of coil units of the stator winding that are stacked together in the axial direction of the stator core (see stacked layers in fig. 4);
all the connection structures of each of the plurality of coil units are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the stator core (see fig. 4); and
in two adjacent coil units of the plurality of coils units, at least one connection structure of one of the two adjacent coil units and the connection structure of another one of the two adjacent coil units are offset from each other in the circumferential direction of the stator core (implied from comparing figs. 4 and 7).
Regarding claim 11, Tanaka discloses the stator according to claim 8, wherein: the first pin and the second pin are formed by radially extending away from the center of the stator core (see figs. 7 and 10A); or the first pin and the second pin overlap with each other are formed by extending towards each other in the circumferential direction of the stator core.
Regarding claim 13, Tanaka discloses the stator according to claim 8, wherein:
each of the plurality of first conductors further comprises a first connection arm and a second connection arm (connection arm, annotated fig. 10A);
the first pin is connected to one of the two adjacent insertion portions by the first connection arm; and the second pin is connected to another one of the two insertion portions by the second connection arm (see annotated fig. 10A).
Regarding claim 15, Tanaka discloses the stator according to claim 2, wherein a span between the first insertion portion and the second insertion portion of one first conductor is equal to a pole pitch (implied, see 8 magnetic poles in rotor 3a in fig. 3 and corresponding 8 loop sections shown in fig. 7).
Regarding claim 16, Tanaka discloses the stator according to claim 1,
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wherein the stator core has the plurality of winding slots formed at two end surfaces in the axial direction of the stator core (see fig. 17).
Regarding claim 18, Tanaka discloses the stator according to claim 1, wherein:
a slot surface of each of the plurality of winding slots comprises a bottom wall surface and two side wall surfaces connected to the bottom wall surface, the two side surfaces being spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the stator core, and the plurality of insertion portions being arranged between the two side wall surfaces (see fig. 7);
each of the plurality of winding slots has a slot opening located at an end of the winding slot in the axial direction of the stator core, the slot opening being opposite to the bottom wall surface in the axial direction of the stator core (see fig. 7); and
a dimension of the slot opening (its width at the inner wall) in the circumferential direction of the stator core is [[is]] smaller than or equal to a spacing between the two side wall surfaces in the circumferential direction of the stator core (implied).
Regarding claim 19, Tanaka discloses a motor (100, figs. 1 and 2), comprising the stator according to claim 1.
Regarding claim 20, Tanaka discloses a manufacturing method of a stator, comprising:
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providing a stator core, wherein the stator core has a plurality of winding slots, the plurality of winding slots being formed at an end surface of the stator core in an axial direction of the stator core and arranged at intervals in a circumferential direction of the stator core, each of the plurality of winding slots extending through an inner wall and an outer wall of the stator core (see fig. 6); and
pressing a coil unit formed by pre-assembling a plurality of first conductors into the plurality of winding slots in the axial direction of the stator core to insert an insertion portion of each of the plurality of first conductors into a corresponding one of the plurality of winding slots (implied, see fig. 7).
Regarding claim 21, Tanaka discloses the manufacturing method according to claim 20, further comprising, prior to pressing the coil unit formed by pre-assembling the plurality of first conductors into the plurality of winding slots in the axial direction of the stator core to insert the insertion portion of each of the plurality of first conductors into the corresponding one of the plurality of winding slots (implied, slots are the only places that could hold the conductors):
providing a conductor of a linear shape (straight), wherein the conductor comprises a wire and an insulation layer wrapping around the wire (para [0045]: “Further, the disk-shaped stator 1 is formed by disposing annular stator coils 10a and 10b formed as copper rectangular wire conductors (rectangular conductors) insulation-coated by enamel or the like in the core slot 7 formed by the cores 5 at both upper and lower surfaces of the holding member 4.”);
removing the insulation layer at two ends of the conductor (implied in order to weld the ends, see para [0050]: “a connection process such as welding”); and
bending the conductor to form the first conductor, wherein the first conductor comprises a plurality of insertion portions arranged at intervals (implied, see bent pieces in figs. 9 and 10A).
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.
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 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tanaka et al. (US 20160329766 A1).
Regarding claim 17, Tanaka discloses the stator according to claim 1, but does not disclose: wherein an extending direction of the plurality of winding slots is inclined relative to a radial direction of the stator core.
However, it’s known to those having ordinary skills in the art that by having inclined/skewed slots the cogging torque of an electric machine can be reduced.
For reducing the cogging torque, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the stator in claim 1 in such a way that: an extending direction of the plurality of winding slots is inclined relative to a radial direction of the stator core.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 12 and 14 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.
As allowable subject matter has been indicated, applicant's reply must either comply with all formal requirements or specifically traverse each requirement not complied with. See 37 CFR 1.111(b) and MPEP § 707.07(a).
Conclusion
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/MASOUD VAZIRI/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/OLUSEYE IWARERE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834