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 March 22, 2024. In view of this communication, claims 1-20 are now pending in the application.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on March 22, 2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Specification
Content of Specification
(a) TITLE OF THE INVENTION: See 37 CFR 1.72(a) and MPEP § 606. The title of the invention should be placed at the top of the first page of the specification unless the title is provided in an application data sheet. The title of the invention should be brief but technically accurate and descriptive, preferably from two to seven words. It may not contain more than 500 characters.
(b) CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS: See 37 CFR 1.78 and MPEP § 211 et seq.
(c) STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT: See MPEP § 310.
(d) THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT. See 37 CFR 1.71(g).
(e) INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A READ-ONLY OPTICAL DISC, AS A TEXT FILE OR AN XML FILE VIA THE PATENT ELECTRONIC SYSTEM: The specification is required to include an incorporation-by-reference of electronic documents that are to become part of the permanent United States Patent and Trademark Office records in the file of a patent application. See 37 CFR 1.77(b)(5) and MPEP § 608.05. See also the Legal Framework for Patent Electronic System posted on the USPTO website (https://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2019LegalFrameworkPES.pdf) and MPEP § 502.05
(f) STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR A JOINT INVENTOR. See 35 U.S.C. 102(b) and 37 CFR 1.77.
(g) BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION: See MPEP § 608.01(c). The specification should set forth the Background of the Invention in two parts:
(1) Field of the Invention: A statement of the field of art to which the invention pertains. This statement may include a paraphrasing of the applicable U.S. patent classification definitions of the subject matter of the claimed invention. This item may also be titled “Technical Field.”
(2) Description of the Related Art including information disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98: A description of the related art known to the applicant and including, if applicable, references to specific related art and problems involved in the prior art which are solved by the applicant’s invention. This item may also be titled “Background Art.”
(h) BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION: See MPEP § 608.01(d). A brief summary or general statement of the invention as set forth in 37 CFR 1.73. The summary is separate and distinct from the abstract and is directed toward the invention rather than the disclosure as a whole. The summary may point out the advantages of the invention or how it solves problems previously existent in the prior art (and preferably indicated in the Background of the Invention). In chemical cases it should point out in general terms the utility of the invention. If possible, the nature and gist of the invention or the inventive concept should be set forth. Objects of the invention should be treated briefly and only to the extent that they contribute to an understanding of the invention.
(i) BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S): See MPEP § 608.01(f). A reference to and brief description of the drawing(s) as set forth in 37 CFR 1.74.
(j) DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION: See MPEP § 608.01(g). A description of the preferred embodiment(s) of the invention as required in 37 CFR 1.71. The description should be as short and specific as is necessary to describe the invention adequately and accurately. Where elements or groups of elements, compounds, and processes, which are conventional and generally widely known in the field of the invention described, and their exact nature or type is not necessary for an understanding and use of the invention by a person skilled in the art, they should not be described in detail. However, where particularly complicated subject matter is involved or where the elements, compounds, or processes may not be commonly or widely known in the field, the specification should refer to another patent or readily available publication which adequately describes the subject matter.
(k) CLAIM OR CLAIMS: See 37 CFR 1.75 and MPEP § 608.01(m). The claim or claims must commence on a separate sheet or electronic page (37 CFR 1.52(b)(3)). Where a claim sets forth a plurality of elements or steps, each element or step of the claim should be separated by a line indentation. There may be plural indentations to further segregate subcombinations or related steps. See 37 CFR 1.75 and MPEP 608.01(i) - (p).
(l) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE: See 37 CFR 1.72 (b) and MPEP § 608.01(b). The abstract is a brief narrative of the disclosure as a whole, as concise as the disclosure permits, in a single paragraph preferably not exceeding 150 words, commencing on a separate sheet following the claims. In an international application which has entered the national stage (37 CFR 1.491(b)), the applicant need not submit an abstract commencing on a separate sheet if an abstract was published with the international application under PCT Article 21. The abstract that appears on the cover page of the pamphlet published by the International Bureau (IB) of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is the abstract that will be used by the USPTO. See MPEP § 1893.03(e).
(m) SEQUENCE LISTING: See 37 CFR 1.821 - 1.825 and MPEP §§ 2421 - 2431. The requirement for a sequence listing applies to all sequences disclosed in a given application, whether the sequences are claimed or not. See MPEP § 2422.01.
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: the specification lacks subheadings for its different sections.
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.
Claim 6 recites the limitation "in fifth to eight of the shaped conductors" in line 3 of the claim. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claims 7 and 11 are rejected due to their dependence on claim 6.
Claim 18 recites the limitation "in fifth to eight of the shaped conductors" in line 2 of the claim. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-5, 8-10, 12-17, and 19-20 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding Claim 1, closest prior art Yu (CN 112436618 A) teaches (see Figures 1-4) a stator (Abstract: “The invention claims a motor stator and a motor”) for an electrical machine (Abstract: “The invention claims a motor stator and a motor”), having a stator core (20, Page 5, ¶ 13), in which are formed a multiplicity of grooves (21, Page 5, ¶ 13) that are distributed along a circumferential direction, and which has two end sides (Annotated Figure 1) that are mutually opposite in an axial direction, and a stator winding (10, Page 6, ¶ 1) that has a multiplicity of shaped conductors (Annotated Figures 3), wherein
the shaped conductors (Annotated Figures 3-4) have in each case one first leg portion (501, Page 5, ¶ 12), one second leg portion (501, Page 5, ¶ 12) and one head portion (502, Page 6, ¶ 3) which connects the leg portions (501, Page 5, ¶ 12) in an electrically conductive manner on one of the end sides (Annotated Figure 1); wherein
the leg portions (501, Page 5, ¶ 12) of a respective shaped conductor (Annotated Figures 3) extend through different grooves (21, Page 5, ¶ 13) and are spaced apart from one another by an increment of a number of grooves (21, Page 5, ¶ 13); wherein
the head portion (502, Page 6, ¶ 3) has an inner portion (Annotated Figure 3) which extends in the circumferential direction and adjoins the first leg portion (501, Page 5, ¶ 12), and an outer portion (Annotated Figure 3) which extends in the circumferential direction, adjoins the second leg portion (501, Page 5, ¶ 12) and is disposed radially further outward than the inner portion (501, Page 5, ¶ 12); wherein
the increment in a first and a second of the shaped conductors (Annotated Figures 3) is S, in a third of the shaped conductors (Annotated Figures 3) is at least one greater than S, and in a fourth of the shaped conductors (Annotated Figures 3) is at least one smaller than S, where S is a natural number, wherein
in that the head portion (502, Page 6, ¶ 3) furthermore has an offset portion (Annotated Figure 3) which connects the inner portion (Annotated Figure 3) to the outer portion (Annotated Figure 3) and has a greater radial extent than the inner portion (Annotated Figure 3) and the outer portion (Annotated Figure 3);
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Neither Yu nor the cited prior art teaches in that the outer portion of the head portion of the third shaped conductor runs at least partially radially further outward than the outer portions of the head portions of the first, the second and the fourth shaped conductor.
Therefore, regarding claim 1, allowability resides, at least in part, with the prior art not showing or fairly teaching the specific limitation of:
-- in that the outer portion (13c) of the head portion (10c) of the third shaped conductor (7c) runs at least partially radially further outward than the outer portions (13a/b/d) of the head portions (10a/b/d) of the first, the second and the fourth shaped conductor (7a/b/d). (see Figure 5 below) – in the combination as claimed.
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Claims 2-5, 8-10, 12-17, and 19-20 are allowed due to their dependence on claim 1.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Koa et al. (WO 2020162763 A1) discloses relevant prior art in Figures 2-5.
Baba et al. (US 20120200191 A1) discloses relevant prior art in Figures 1-5.
Naganawa et al. (US 20080093948 A1) discloses relevant prior art in Figure 9.
Seguchi et al. (US 20040164637 A1) discloses relevant prior art in Figure 6.
Wada et al. (US 20030102761 A1) discloses relevant prior art in Figure 5.
Asao et al. (US 6049154 A) discloses relevant prior art in Figure 5.
Huang et al. (CN 110611387 A) discloses relevant prior art in Figures 5, 14, and 17-18.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHARLIE FRANK MANN whose telephone number is (703)756-1275. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 7:30AM - 4:30PM PST.
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, 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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/C.F.M./Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/ALEXANDER A SINGH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834