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 .
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.
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 5 and 18 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.
Regarding claims 5 and 18, the phrase “particularly preferably” renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitation(s) following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d).
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.
Claims 1-3, 7-8, 14-16, and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 20060238043 A1 to Gorohata et al.
Regarding claim 1, Gorohata et al. discloses a stator comprising:
a stator core (Fig. 1: 1) with two axial end faces, and
a stator winding (3), which extends in the axial direction through the stator core and is formed from a plurality of conductor segments (31 and 32), and covers of a first and second type (S1 and S2), wherein:
the conductor segments have, on one of the end faces, end portions, which are electrically conductively and mechanically connected to one another in pairs to form end portion arrangements (Fig. 4: pairs P1-P2, P3-P4, P5-P6), wherein
the covers of the first type (S1) each cover at least two end portion (P1-P2, P3-P4) arrangements at their free end, and wherein
the covers of the second type (S2) each cover at least one end portion (P5-P6) arrangement at their free end, wherein
the covers of the first type and the covers of the second type are adjacent and radially spaced from one another [0012].
Regarding claim 2, Gorohata et al. discloses the covers of the first type and the covers of the second type are adjacent in the radial direction [0012], and the at least two end portion arrangements, which are covered by a respective cover of the first type are radially adjacent and/or are adjacent in the circumferential direction (P1-P2 and P3-P4 are radially adjacent).
Regarding claims 3 and 16, Gorohata et al. discloses the stator winding has a plurality of strands for each phase of the stator, wherein the covers of the first type and the covers of the second type cover end portion arrangements belonging to the same strand [0035].
Regarding claims 7 and 19, Gorohata et al. discloses a respective cover of the first type covers at least one end portion (S1 has two pairs) arrangement more than a respective cover of the second type (S2 has one pair).
Regarding claims 8 and 20, Gorohata et al. discloses the covers of the first type and the covers of the second type are arranged offset from one another in the circumferential direction and connected by diagonal connections (Fig. 4: 133D).
Regarding claim 14, Gorohata et al. discloses an electric machine comprising:
a stator as claimed in claim 1 (see claim 1 above); and
a rotor (Fig. 1: 2) mounted rotatably with respect to the stator;
wherein the electric machine is designed to drive an electrically driveable vehicle [0003].
Regarding claim 15, Gorohata et al. discloses a vehicle comprising an electric machine as claimed in claim 14 (see claim 14 above).
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.
Claims 4-6 and 17-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20060238043 A1 to Gorohata et al.
Regarding claims 4-5 and 17-18, Gorohata et al. discloses a stator as described above.
However, it fails to disclose the limitations from claims 4-5 and 17-18.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the covers of the first type cover at least three or four end portion arrangements and the covers of the second type cover at least two or three, particularly preferably at least four, end portion arrangements, since it has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art. In re Boesch, 617 F.2d 272, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980).
One would have been motivated to do so to optimize stator configuration.
Regarding claim 6, the combination of Gorohata et al. discloses the end portion arrangements, which are covered by a respective cover of the second type, are radially adjacent and/or are adjacent in the circumferential direction (all pairs are radially adjacent).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 7/2/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
In response to Applicant’s argument of “Regarding insulation, Gorohata states only that "the conductor segments are covered with insulation material except the connected and welded portions" (paragraph [0027]). Thus, the welded end portions of Gorohata (the structures corresponding to the claimed "end portion arrangements") are deliberately left bare. Gorohata does not merely fail to disclose the claimed covers; it teaches the opposite”, the Examiner respectfully disagrees. Based on the Applicant’s passage of paragraph [0027] above, the Examiner will argue that head portion (Fig. 1: 31 which includes S1 and S2) are the conductor segments which are covered with insulation material while the end portion (32) are the connected and welded portions that are exempt from insulation material. This is further explained in Fig. 2 and paragraph [0031] wherein end portions (331d and 331e) are welded together and thus are not covered in insulation material. The rest of the conductor segments are covered with insulation material including the head portion (331c) which is also referred to as S1. Therefore, the Examiner will argue that S1 and S2 do include covers as they are covered with insulation material.
In response to Applicant’s argument of “Indeed, Gorohata describes the configuration of bare copper segments to minimize electrical resistance and coil-end height, expressly keeping the head portions of the segments "in contact with each other" (paragraph [0039])”, the Examiner respectfully disagrees. Fig. 4 shows that there is a large distance between S1 and S2. This distance is larger than the distance between pairs in S1. Furthermore, paragraph [0013] discloses that there is a crossover portion in-between S1 and S2 meaning they are spaced from one another.
Regarding the 35 USC 103 rejection, the Examiner has shown that Gorohata discloses covers, therefore, the result effective variable remains the same.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VIET P NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-9457. The examiner can normally be reached M, T, Th, F from 12pm-8pm.
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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/VIET P NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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