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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement filed November 24, 2025 has been submitted for consideration by the Office. They have been placed in the application file and the information referred to therein has been considered.
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 (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 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, 6-8, 13, and 16-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Madbouly et al (Pub Num 2020/0028399, herein referred to as Madbouly). Madbouly discloses a lead wire (Figs 3-7) for an electrical motor (shown at 415). Specifically, with respect to claim 1, Madbouly discloses a lead wire (411, Fig 4) that may be a solid conductor (Paragraph 74) and a solid insulation (Table 1) capable of being extruded about the conductor (Paragraphs 122, 125, & 156, which states the MLE (motor lead wires) may be PEEK (Paragraph 122 & PFA (Paragraph 125)), which may be extruded (Paragraph 156)), wherein the solid insulation may be comprise a thermoplastic material selected from polyaryletherketone (PAEK, Paragraph 22, i.e. PEEK), wherein the lead wire (411) is configured to connect a winding (as shown in Fig 7, Paragraph 104) of the electrical motor (shown at 415, Fig 4) to an external power source (shown as 401, Fig 4). With respect to claim 6, Madbouly discloses that the solid insulation may have a thickness of 40-75 mils (i.e. 58-130 mils overlaps claimed range). With respect to claim 7, Madbouly discloses a method comprising a conductor (Paragraph 74) and a extruding (Paragraph 156) a single layer of solid insulation (Table 1) about the conductor (Paragraphs 122, 125, & 156, which states the MLE (motor lead wires) may be PEEK (Paragraph 122 & PFA (Paragraph 125)), to form a lead wire (411, Fig 4), wherein the solid insulation may be comprise a thermoplastic material selected from polyaryletherketone (PAEK, Paragraph 22, i.e. PEEK), and connecting the lead wire (411) is configured to connect a winding (as shown in Fig 7, Paragraph 104) of the electrical motor (shown at 415, Fig 4) to an external power source (shown as 401, Fig 4). With respect to claim 8, Madbouly discloses that the solid conductor (Paragraph 74) may be a copper conductor (Paragraphs 71-72). With respect to claim 13, Madbouly discloses a stator (Figs 6-7) for an electronic submersible pump motor (600), wherein the stator (Figs 6-7) comprises a housing (660), a plurality of laminations (680) forming a lamination stack (Fig 6) within the housing (660), slots (702, Fig 7) extending axially through the lamination stack (781, Fig 7), windings (734) extending axial through the slots (702), an end turn area at the top end of the lamination stack (located at 667, Fig 6) in which the windings (670) extend generally circumferentially (Fig 6), encapsulation material (742, Fig 7) surrounding the windings (734) in the end turn area (Fig 7), and a plurality of lead wires (732) coupled to the windings (734) and extending upward from the end turn area through the encapsulation material (742) via exit portions to connect the windings (734) to an external power source (Paragraph 103-104) and a solid insulation (Table 1) capable of being extruded about the conductor (Paragraphs 122, 125, & 156, which states the MLE (motor lead wires) may be PEEK (Paragraph 122 & PFA (Paragraph 125)), which may be extruded (Paragraph 156)), wherein the solid insulation may be comprise a thermoplastic material selected from polyaryletherketone (PAEK, Paragraph 22, i.e. PEEK). With respect to claim 16-18, Madbouly discloses that the insulation (134) may be a semicrystalline thermoplastic (i.e. PEK, PEEK, PEKEKK, Paragraph 22). With respect to claim 19, Madbouly discloses that the solid insulation (Table 1) has a thickness in a range of 70 to 75 mils (Table 1), the solid copper conductor is a #1 American Wire Gauge (AWG), #2 AWG, or #4 AWG solid copper conductor (Paragraph 71-72, & 74, Table 1), wherein the stator (Fig 6) further comprises a cover (Fig 6) positioned at the top end of the lamination stack (680), wherein the cover (Fig 6) comprising a hollow tube portion (Fig 6) and a flange portion (Fig 6) projecting radially outward from an end of the hollow tube portion (Fig 6), wherein the hollow tube portion (Fig 6) at least partially defines a rotor space (Fig 6), the plurality of lead wires (644, as shown in Fig 6) exits the encapsulation material through the cover via the exit points (Fig 6), elastomer seals (i.e. bushings, Paragraph 81), may be positioned between each lead wire (514-1, 514-2, 514-3) of the plurality of lead wires (514-1, 514-2, 514-3) and the cover at the exit points (507-1, 507-2, 507-3), wherein the lead wires of the plurality of lead wires (514-1, 514-2, 514-3) are positioned to align with female terminals (516-1, 516-2, 516-3) for a motor lead extension connection (Paragraph 81), wherein the encapsulation material (742, as shown in Fig 7) comprises cured polymeric material (Paragraph 105), and the cover (Fig 6) is configured to provide an in-situ mold for the polymeric material during curing (Paragraph 105).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1, 6-8, 13 and 16-19 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Please refer to the enclosed PTO-892 form for the citation of pertinent art in the present case, all of which disclose lead wires for forming stators for usage with electrical submersible pumps.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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.
Communication
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WILLIAM H MAYO III whose telephone number is (571)272-1978. The examiner can normally be reached on M-Thurs (5:30a-3:00p) Fri 5:30a-2p (w/alternating Fridays off).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Imani Hayman can be reached on (571) 270-5528. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/William H. Mayo III/
William H. Mayo III
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2847
WHM III
April 3, 2026