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 .
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.
Claims 1-5, 9-15, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Takeuchi (US 2009/0134723).
Regarding claim 1: Takeuchi discloses an electric axial flux machine (Fig. 1), comprising:
a stator (10) having at least one stator half (10, 10);
a rotor (30) arranged in an axial direction with respect to the at least one stator half and which is rotatably mounted relative to the stator (paragraph 0048);
a rotor shaft (112) which contacts the rotor in a non-rotatable manner (shown in Fig. 1);
at least one rotor position sensor (16A, 26B, 34M, shown best in Fig. 2A) which has an active sensor section (16A, 26B) and a passive sensor section (34M), wherein one of the active sensor section or the passive sensor section is connected directly or indirectly to the stator (16A, 26B, paragraph 0048), and the other of the active sensor and the passive sensor section (34M) is connected in a non-rotatable manner to the rotor shaft in order to detect an angular position of the stator relative to the rotor (paragraph 0058); and
an adjusting element (15, Fig. 1) which determines an axial spacing (circles area in annotated Fig. 1 below) between the active sensor section and the passive sensor section (paragraph 0048).
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Regarding claim 2: Takeuchi discloses the stator (10) or a component coupled thereto has a first holding section (13) which receives the one of the active sensor section or the passive sensor section (holding the sensor 16A in Fig. 1), and the rotor or a component coupled thereto has a second holding section which receives the other of the active sensor section or the passive sensor section (in that 34M is held too), and the adjusting element is provided in an axial direction between the one of the active sensor section or the passive sensor section and the first holding section or the adjusting element is provided between the other of the active sensor section or the passive sensor section and the second holding section (paragraph 0048, the sensors may be on the stators 10, as well, as shown in Fig. 3A, resulting in 15 extending axially between the first holding section, now 12A and, the passive sensor 34M).
Regarding claim 3: Takeuchi discloses a thickness of the adjusting element is selected such that the axial spacing between the active sensor section and the passive sensor section is within a predetermined target range (inherent or else there wouldn’t be a need to change the thickness, see claim 1).
Regarding claim 4: Takeuchi discloses the first holding section is integrally formed with the stator (based on the embodiment of Fig. 3A, integrally formed with the stator) or integrally formed with an axial flux machine housing or integrally formed with a housing element formed separately from the stator and from the axial flux machine housing and connected to the stator or the axial flux machine housing, and the one of the active sensor section and the passive sensor section is formed separately from the first holding section (in that the passive sensor is on the rotor).
Regarding claim 5: Takeuchi discloses the second holding section is integrally formed with the rotor or the rotor shaft (in this case since the second sensor is part of the rotor, the holding section can either be the any part of the rotor or rotor shaft), or a component connected in a non-rotatable manner to the rotor or the rotor shaft, and the second holding section is the passive sensor section (in this case, the second holding section is the sensor) or the passive sensor section is formed separately from the second holding section, which is connected directly to the rotor or the rotor shaft or is coupled in a non-rotatable manner to the rotor or the rotor shaft (as it rotates with the shaft).
Regarding claim 9: Takeuchi discloses in the case in which the first holding section is integrally formed with the axial flux machine housing (such as the embodiment in Fig. 1), a first axial flux machine housing section is connected to the stator (via 15) at a first connection point (at 114) and a second axial flux machine housing section, which forms the first holding section (at 13), is connected to the first axial flux machine housing section at a second connection point (the left side), and the adjusting element is arranged at the first connection point or second connection point (in this case the first connection point).
Regarding claim 10: Takeuchi discloses at least one of a power electronics unit or a high-voltage battery (for example 3330, Fig. 27).
Regarding claim 11: Takeuchi discloses an electric axial flux machine (Fig. 1), comprising:
a stator (10);
a rotor (30) arranged in axial direction with respect to the stator and which is rotatably mounted relative to the stator (paragraph 0048);
a rotor shaft (112) connected non-rotatably to the rotor (Fig. 1);
a rotor position sensor (16A, 26B, 34M, shown best in Fig. 2A) which has an active sensor section (16A, 26B) and a passive sensor section (34M), wherein one of the active sensor section or the passive sensor section is connected directly or indirectly to the stator (16A, 26B, paragraph 0048), and the other of the active sensor and the passive sensor section (34M) is connected in a non-rotatable manner to the rotor shaft in order to detect an angular position of the stator relative to the rotor (paragraph 0058); and
an adjusting element (15, Fig. 1) having a selected thickness (shown circles in above annotated Fig. 1) which sets an axial spacing between the active sensor section and the passive sensor section (paragraph 0048).
Regarding claim 12: Takeuchi discloses the stator (10) or a component coupled thereto has a first holding section (13) which receives the one of the active sensor section or the passive sensor section (holding the sensor 16A in Fig. 1), and the rotor or a component coupled thereto has a second holding section which receives the other of the active sensor section or the passive sensor section (in that 34M is held too), and the adjusting element is provided in an axial direction between the one of the active sensor section or the passive sensor section and the first holding section or the adjusting element is provided between the other of the active sensor section or the passive sensor section and the second holding section (paragraph 0048, the sensors may be on the stators 10, as well, as shown in Fig. 3A, resulting in 15 extending axially between the first holding section, now 12A and, the passive sensor 34M).
Regarding claim 13: Takeuchi discloses the thickness of the adjusting element is selected such that the axial spacing between the active sensor section and the passive sensor section is within a predetermined target range (inherent or else there wouldn’t be a need to change the thickness, see claim 1).
Regarding claim 14: Takeuchi discloses the first holding section is integrally formed with the stator (based on the embodiment of Fig. 3A, integrally formed with the stator) or integrally formed with an axial flux machine housing or integrally formed with a housing element formed separately from the stator and from the axial flux machine housing and connected to the stator or the axial flux machine housing, and the one of the active sensor section and the passive sensor section is formed separately from the first holding section (in that the passive sensor is on the rotor).
Regarding claim 15: Takeuchi discloses the second holding section is integrally formed with the rotor or the rotor shaft (in this case since the second sensor is part of the rotor, the holding section can either be the any part of the rotor or rotor shaft), or a component connected in a non-rotatable manner to the rotor or the rotor shaft, and the second holding section is the passive sensor section (in this case, the second holding section is the sensor) or the passive sensor section is formed separately from the second holding section, which is connected directly to the rotor or the rotor shaft or is coupled in a non-rotatable manner to the rotor or the rotor shaft (as it rotates with the shaft).
Regarding claim 19: Takeuchi discloses in the case in which the first holding section is integrally formed with the axial flux machine housing (such as the embodiment in Fig. 1), a first axial flux machine housing section is connected to the stator (via 15) at a first connection point (at 114) and a second axial flux machine housing section, which forms the first holding section (at 13), is connected to the first axial flux machine housing section at a second connection point (the left side), and the adjusting element is arranged at the first connection point or second connection point (in this case the first connection point).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-8 and 16-18 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter.
Regarding claims 6-7 and 16-17: The prior art of record, alone or in combination does not explicitly teach, suggest, or render obvious, at least to the skilled artisan axial flux machine of claim 6, specifically comprising:
a sleeve which has a radially extending sleeve section and an axially extending sleeve section, and the axially extending sleeve section is in radially abutting contact with a corresponding mating contour on the second holding section, in the context of the other components in the claim.
Claim 16 is allowable for reciting a similar limitation.
Claims 7 and 17 are allowable due to their dependency on an allowable claim.
Regarding claims 8 and 18: The prior art of record, alone or in combination does not explicitly teach, suggest, or render obvious, at least to the skilled artisan axial flux machine of claim 8, specifically comprising:
the active sensor section has a projection which extends in the axial direction and which forms an extension at a free end thereof which projects into a mating contour formed complementarily thereto on the first holding section, in the context of the other components in the claim.
Claim 18 is allowable for reciting a similar limitation.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SEAN GUGGER whose telephone number is (571)272-5343. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 9:00am - 5:00pm EST.
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/SEAN GUGGER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834