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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 15-20 and 24-29 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Schluchter et al. (DE3506628, “Schluchter”, using machine translation).
Re claim 15, Schluchter discloses an electric machine, comprising:
a housing comprising a bearing receptacle 5, 6 for receiving a bearing (figs 1-2, [0014] & [0016]); and
a segmented ring adapter 22 designed to fasten the bearing to the housing (figs 1-2, [0023]).
Re claim 16, Schluchter discloses claim 15 as discussed above and further discloses the bearing receptacle 5, 6 is double-walled (fig 1, [0016], has walls 9 & 10), the electric machine further comprising a reinforcement arranged between a first wall 9 of the double-walled bearing receptacle and a second wall 10 of the double-walled bearing receptacle (fig 1, reinforcements formed by 11-14, [0016]).
Re claim 17, Schluchter discloses claim 16 as discussed above and further discloses the reinforcement comprises a plurality of ribs 11, 12 (fig 1).
Re claim 18, Schluchter discloses claim 16 as discussed above and further discloses the reinforcement comprises a plurality of plates 13, 14 (fig 1).
Re claim 19, Schluchter discloses claim 16 as discussed above and further discloses the bearing is rigidly connected to one of the first and second walls of the double-walled bearing receptacle (figs 1-2).
Re claim 20, Schluchter discloses claim 15 as discussed above and further discloses the housing comprises a first housing-side coupling element 28 (fig 4c, [0034-0035]), the electric machine further comprising a stator comprising a stator laminated core 4 (fig 1, [0014]) and a first stator-side coupling element 29 (fig 4c, [0034-0035]), wherein the first stator-side coupling element 29 and the first housing-side coupling element 28 are located at an axial height of the electric machine in a region of the stator laminated core 4 (figs 1 & 4c).
Re claim 24, Schluchter discloses claim 20 as discussed above and further discloses the housing comprises a second housing-side coupling element 28 (figs 4c & below), each of the first housing-side coupling element 28 and the second housing-side coupling element 28 comprising a connection to the first stator-side coupling element 29 (fig 4c, 1st housing coupling element is connected to itself & 2nd housing coupling element connected to 1st housing coupling element through 10).
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Re claim 25, Schluchter discloses claim 20 as discussed above and further discloses the stator comprises stator ring elements ([0035], states 29 connected to stator end plate which is inherently ring shaped to match stator core), the first stator-side coupling element 28 being accommodated in the stator ring elements ([0035]).
Re claim 26, Schluchter discloses claim 20 as discussed above and further discloses at least four of said housing-side coupling element 28 (figs 1, 4c & above for claim 24, two on each axial sides since 10 is on both sides of the stator), wherein the stator is fastened by at least four connections between the at least four housing-side coupling elements 28 and stator-side coupling elements 29 in the housing (figs 1, 4c & above for claim 24), wherein the at least four connections have a flat configuration to span planes (figs 4c & below), with an axis of rotation of the electric machine lying in a space between planes in opposition to one another (figs 4c & below).
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Re claim 27, Schluchter discloses claim 26 as discussed above and further discloses at least one of the housing-side coupling elements 28 is connected to a base point of the housing (figs 1 & 4c, 10 connected to bottom or base point of the housing or 7-8).
Re claim 28, Schluchter discloses claim 20 as discussed above and further discloses at least one of the housing-side coupling elements 28 is connected to a stabilization element (figs 1 & 4c, 7-8, 10-14).
Re claim 29, Schluchter discloses claim 15 as discussed above and further discloses the housing comprises a base element (figs 1 & below, bottom of housing) and a cover element 2, 3 connectable to the base element (figs 1 & below).
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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 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.
Claims 20-23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Schluchter in view of Winkler (US20150349592, “Winkler”).
Re claim 20, Schluchter discloses the electric machine further comprising a stator comprising a stator laminated core 4 (fig 1, [0014]), but is silent with respect to:
the housing comprises a first housing-side coupling element, the electric machine further comprising a first stator-side coupling element, wherein the first stator-side coupling element and the first housing-side coupling element are located at an axial height of the electric machine in a region of the stator laminated core.
Winkler discloses the housing 10 comprises a first housing-side coupling element 60, 62 (figs 1, 3, 5 & 8-9, [0047], slot for 16), the electric machine further comprising a first stator-side coupling element 28 (figs 2, 5, & 8-9, [0038] & [0040]), wherein the first stator-side coupling element 28 and the first housing-side coupling element 60, 62 are located at an axial height of the electric machine in a region of the stator laminated core 22 (fig 8, axial height @ horizontal dashed line).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to configure the housing and stator of Schluchter so the housing comprises a first housing-side coupling element, the electric machine further comprising a first stator-side coupling element, wherein the first stator-side coupling element and the first housing-side coupling element are located at an axial height of the electric machine in a region of the stator laminated core, as disclosed by Winkler, in order to provide torque support for the stator core, as taught by Winkler ([0038]).
Re claims 21, 22 and 23, Schluchter in view of Winkler disclose claim 20 as discussed above and further discloses:
screw connections 36 designed to provide a connection between the first stator-side coupling element 28 and the first housing-side coupling element 60, 62 (Winkler, [0040]);
a feather key 16 forming part of the connection between the first stator-side coupling element 28 and the first housing-side coupling element 60, 62 (Winkler, figs 5 & 8-9, [0040]); and
the stator 22 is aligned to the housing 10 via at least two of said feather key 16 (Winkler, figs 5 & 8-9, [0038]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ERIC JOHNSON whose telephone number is (571)270-5715. The examiner can normally be reached on Mon-Fri 8:30-5pm EST.
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/ERIC JOHNSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834