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 . This Office Action is responsive to the Applicant's communication filed on February 29, 2024. In view of this communication, claims 1-14 are now pending in the application.
Election/Restrictions
Claims 15-16 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Group 2, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on January 30, 2026.
Claim Objections
Claim 10 is objected to because of the following informalities: the limitation “one of the stator carrier the rotor shaft of the rotor” is missed an “or” between “the stator carrier” and “the rotor shaft”. Appropriate correction is required.
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 4-14 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.
Claim 4 recites the limitation "a stator body" in paragraph 1 of claim 4. There is redundant antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 4 recites the limitation "a second gap" in paragraph 1 of claim 4. There is redundant antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claims 5-14 are rejected solely for their dependency on claim 4.
Regarding claim 12: the limitation “The axial flux machine according claim 4, wherein at least one means for controlling a flow rate of cooling fluid” has been evaluated under the three-prong test set forth in MPEP § 2181, subsection I, but the result is inconclusive. Thus, it is unclear whether this limitation should be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because claim 12 also contains a structural limitation of “arranged in the first cooling channel and/or the second cooling channel.” The boundaries of this claim limitation are ambiguous; therefore, the claim is indefinite and is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph.
In response to this rejection, applicant must clarify whether this limitation should be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. Mere assertion regarding applicant’s intent to invoke or not invoke 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph is insufficient. Applicant may:
(a) Amend the claim to clearly invoke 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, by reciting “means” or a generic placeholder for means, or by reciting “step.” The “means,” generic placeholder, or “step” must be modified by functional language, and must not be modified by sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function;
(b) Present a sufficient showing that 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, should apply because the claim limitation recites a function to be performed and does not recite sufficient structure, material, or acts to perform that function;
(c) Amend the claim to clearly avoid invoking 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, by deleting the function or by reciting sufficient structure, material or acts to perform the recited function; or
(d) Present a sufficient showing that 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, does not apply because the limitation does not recite a function or does recite a function along with sufficient structure, material or acts to perform that function.
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) 1-10 and 12-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated BOEKER (WO 2016005082 A1).
Regarding claim 1, BOEKER teaches:
An axial flux machine(Fig 5; 1)[0035], comprising:
a rotor(Fig 5; 4) rotatably mounted relative to a stator(Fig 5; 3), wherein the stator (Fig 5; 3)has at least one first disc-shaped stator body (Fig 5; 31)[0037] and the rotor (Fig 5; 4)as well as the first stator body (Fig 5; 31) are arranged such that a first magnetically effective gap (Fig 5; 7) through which a cooling fluid can flow is formed axially between the first stator body (Fig 5; 31)and the rotor(Fig 5; 4) [0034],
wherein the axial flux machine (Fig 5; 1) has at least one first cooling circuit(arrows in Fig 5 denote air circuits, the examiner will reference cooling circuits as C1 and C2 respectfully), in which the cooling fluid(air [abstract]), during operation of the axial flux machine(Fig 5; 1), enters the first gap (Fig 5; 7) at a radially inner periphery(Fig 5; 9), flows through the first gap (Fig 5; 7)outwardly in a radial direction, and exits the first gap(Fig 5; 7) at a radially outer periphery(Fig 5; 8) (indicated by the arrow in Fig 5)[0019],
wherein at least one first cooling channel (Fig 5; C1) through which the cooling fluid can flow is arranged at the outer periphery (Fig 5; 8)of the first gap(Fig 5; 7) and guides the cooling fluid back to the radially inner periphery (Fig 5; 9)of the first gap(Fig 5; 7)[0048].
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Regarding claim 2, BOEKER teaches the axial flux machine according to claim 1:
wherein the rotor (Fig 5; 4)has a rotor shaft (Fig 5; 5) with at least one first disc-shaped rotor body (Fig 5; 4)[0036] arranged on the rotor shaft (Fig 5; 5)in a non-rotatable manner[0042].
Regarding claim 3, BOEKER teaches the axial flux machine according to claim 2:
wherein the stator comprises at least one second disc-shaped stator body(Fig 5; 31)(two units [0036]), which is arranged coaxially to the first stator body (Fig 5; 31)and to the rotor shaft (Fig 5; 5)with axial interposition of one of the rotor bodies(Fig 5; 4) spaced apart from the first stator body(Fig 5; 31).
Regarding claim 4, BOEKER teaches the axial flux machine according to claim 3:
wherein the axial flux machine (Fig 5; 1) has at least one second cooling circuit(Fig 5; C2), in which the cooling fluid, during operation of the axial flux machine(Fig 5; 1), enters a second gap (Fig 5; 7)at a radially inner periphery (Fig 5; 9) between a stator body (Fig 5; 31)and the rotor (Fig 5; 4) or a second gap (Fig 5; 7)between a motor housing (Fig 5; 13)and the rotor(Fig 5; 14), flows through the second gap (Fig 5; 7)outwardly in a radial direction, and exits the second gap (Fig 5; 7) at a radially outer periphery(Fig 5; 8) (indicated by the arrow in Fig 5)[0019],
wherein at least one of the first cooling channel (Fig 5; C1)or at least one second cooling channel(Fig 5; C2) through which the cooling fluid can flow is arranged at the outer periphery (Fig 5; 9) of the second gap (Fig 5; 7) and guides the cooling fluid back to the radially inner periphery (Fig 5; 8)of the second gap(Fig 5; 7)[0048].
Regarding claim 5, BOEKER teaches the axial flux machine according to claim 4:
wherein at least one of the first stator body (Fig 5; 31) or the second stator body (Fig 5; 31)is accommodated in a stator carrier(Fig 5; 2)[0036].
Regarding claim 6, BOEKER teaches the axial flux machine according to claim 5:
wherein the stator (Fig 5; 3) is surrounded by the motor housing (Fig 5; 13) at least in sections, wherein at least one of:
the first cooling channel (Fig 5; C1)or the at least one second cooling (Fig 5; C2)channel is formed at least in sections between the motor housing (Fig 5; 13)and the stator(Fig 5; 3)(space 10 in Fig 5); or
the first cooling channel (Fig 5; C1)or the second cooling channel (Fig 5; C2)is formed at least in sections in the motor housing(Fig 5; 13)(space 25 in Fig 7); or
the first cooling channel (Fig 5; C1)or the second cooling channel (Fig 5; C2)is formed at least in sections in or on one of the stator bodies or the stator carrier(space 10 in Fig 4).
Regarding claim 7, BOEKER teaches the axial flux machine according to claim 6:
wherein at least one of the first cooling channel (Fig 5; C1)or the second cooling channel (Fig 5; C2)has, in a region of the outer periphery (Fig 5; 8) of one of the gaps(Fig 5; 7), a first cooling channel section (Fig 5; 14)open in the radial direction towards the gap(Fig 5; 7)[0048].
Regarding claim 8, BOEKER teaches the axial flux machine according to claim 7:
wherein the first cooling channel (Fig 5; C1)section has, at least in sections, a channel section associated with the first gap and a channel section associated with the second gap(each gap 7 corresponds to each channel section 10).
Regarding claim 9, BOEKER teaches the axial flux machine according to claim 8:
wherein at least one of the first cooling channel (Fig 5; C1)and/or the second cooling channel (Fig 5; C2) has a second cooling channel section extending in the axial direction(Fig 5; 12), which connects the first cooling channel section(Fig 5; 14) to a third cooling channel section extending in the radial direction(Fig 5; 12)(cooling channel 12 has two parts a radial and axial portion).
Regarding claim 10, BOEKER teaches the axial flux machine according to claim 9:
wherein at least one of the stator carrier(Fig 5; 2) the rotor shaft (Fig 5; 5)of the rotor (Fig 5; 4) has at least one fourth cooling channel section (Fig 5; 15)extending in the axial direction, which connects the radially inner periphery (Fig 5; 9)of one of the gaps (Fig 5; 7)to the third cooling channel section(Fig 5; 12).
Regarding claim 12, BOEKER teaches the axial flux machine according to claim 4:
wherein at least one means for controlling a flow rate of cooling fluid is arranged in the first cooling channel (Fig 5; C1)and/or the second cooling channel(Fig 5; C2)(flow generated by the rotation of the rotor disk[0019], the collection of cooling channels make up the cooling circuits).
Regarding claim 13, BOEKER teaches the axial flux machine according to claim 12:
wherein the control of the flow rate of cooling fluid is implemented in at least one of a speed-dependent, pressure-dependent, centrifugal force-dependent or temperature- dependent manner(the rotor acts as a compressor, which is a pressure dependent manner[0019]).
Regarding claim 14, BOEKER teaches the axial flux machine according to claim 13:
wherein the control of the flow rate of cooling fluid is designed such that a circulation of cooling fluid through one of the first or second cooling channels(Fig 5; C1/C2) is enabled in a field weakening region(the field weakening region occurs in the gap 7, and causes a media build up in the outer periphery[0019]) of the axial flux machine, while a circulation of cooling fluid through one of the first or second cooling channels (Fig 5; 10)outside of the field weakening region (Fig 5; 7)of the axial flux machine is at least reduced.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over BOEKER (WO 2016005082 A1) in view of CUI (CN 205319816 U).
Regarding claim 11, BOEKER teaches the axial flux machine according to claim 10.
BOEKER does not teach:
wherein the rotor shaft has a fifth cooling channel section extending in the axial direction through the rotor shaft, which connects the gaps to one another in a communicating manner.
CUI teaches:
wherein the rotor shaft (Fig 1; 1) has a fifth cooling channel section (Fig 1; 7) extending in the axial direction through the rotor shaft(Fig 1; 1), which connects the gaps to one another in a communicating manner[pg 2; 19-26].
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the rotary shaft disclosed in BOEKER by the fifth cooling channel section taught by CUI in order to increase the cooling capacity of the stator disc [pg 1; 24-28 CUI].
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NICHOLAS L SETZER whose telephone number is (571)272-3021. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Oluseye 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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/N.L.S./Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/OLUSEYE IWARERE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834