DETAILED ACTION
1. This action is in response to applicant's amendment received on 11/3/2025. Amended claims 1-11 and new claims 12-13 are acknowledged and the following new grounds of rejection below are formulated.
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.
Claim(s) 1-4 and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Laukemann (DE 102010009757), hereinafter “Laukemann”.
Regarding claim 1, Laukemann discloses an expansion vessel (3) for a cooling circuit (abstract) including a receptacle (3) suitable for containing a cooling liquid, wherein the expansion vessel includes a deformable membrane (21) which is configured to match a shape of a surface of the cooling liquid (shown in figure 5).
Regarding claim 2, Laukemann discloses the expansion vessel (3) according to claim 1, wherein said deformable membrane (21) delimits two compartments (underneath 21 in figure 5 and above 21 in figure 5) in the receptacle (3), including a first compartment (compartment underneath 21 in figure 5) configured to contain the cooling liquid, and a second compartment (compartment above 21 in figure 5) comprising a venting opening (opening for 15 shown in figure 5).
Regarding claim 3, Laukemann discloses the expansion vessel (3) according to claim 1 (shown in figure 5), wherein said membrane (21) is elastically stretchable (paragraph 29 that state “Both the membrane 21 as well as the piston 22 could be elastic”). The same membrane used in air tank (12) is also used in expansion tank (3).
Regarding claim 4, Laukemann discloses the expansion vessel (3) according to claim 1, wherein said membrane (21) is made of a flexible material and has folds or undulations (paragraph 29, shown in figure 5).
Regarding claim 12, Laukemann discloses an expansion vessel for a cooling circuit that circulates a cooling liquid, the expansion vessel comprising: a receptacle comprising: a coolant liquid opening connected to the cooling circuit so that the cooling liquid can pass between the cooling circuit and the receptable; a venting opening through which air at atmospheric pressure can pass between an interior and an exterior of the receptable; and a deformable membrane within the receptacle that separates the interior of the receptable into an air compartment open to the venting opening and a cooling liquid compartment open to the coolant liquid opening, wherein the deformable membrane is configured to match a shape of a surface of the cooling liquid. Refer to the rejection of claim 1 for further details since the limitations are similar.
Claim(s) 5-11 and 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Bethge (DE 102006049326), hereinafter “Bethge”.
Regarding claim 5, Bethge discloses a motor unit (M) including an electric motor (M) and a cooling circuit (SK) configured to cool the electric motor (M), the cooling circuit comprising an inlet (F2) and outlet (F3), the inlet and outlet being connected to the electric motor (M, shown in figure 2), said cooling circuit (100) further comprising: a cooling liquid pump (KP, shown in figure 2), a heat exchanger (WT), and an expansion vessel (A, shown in figure 1), according to claim 1. Bethge teaches claim 1 as the expansion vessel (A) including a deformable membrane to match the shape of the cooling liquid (claim 9).
Regarding claim 6, Bethge discloses the motor unit (M) according to claim 5, wherein the electric motor (M) comprises a casing (K), a rotor (R) and a stator (S) equipped with coils delimiting stator slots between them (mentions in paragraph 24, abstract, shown in figure 2), wherein the casing (K) delimits an annular manifold (radial nature mentioned in paragraph 24) comprising an inlet (ES) that is connected to the outlet (AS) of the cooling circuit (SK) and that opens into each of the stator slots (paragraph 24) via separate openings (KB, paragraph 24).
Regarding claim 7, Bethge closes the motor unit (M) according to claim 6, the motor unit being configured so that, in operation, the cooling liquid undergoes a pressure reduction between the outlet of the annular manifold (radial nature mentioned in paragraph 24) and the outlet of said openings (KB), the pressure reduction being strictly greater than a pressure reduction undergone by the cooling liquid during its passage in the stator slots (claims 8-10).
Regarding claim 8, Bethge discloses the motor unit (M) according to claim 6, wherein separating means (there are different openings KB to separate coolant flow) are provided for isolating the cooling liquid flow paths between each said opening (KB) and each said stator slot (paragraph 24, claims 3-5).
Regarding claim 9, Bethge discloses the motor unit (M) according to claim 6, further comprising a baffle arranged between each said opening (KB) and each stator slot (paragraph 24), each said baffle being configured to force the cooling liquid to change direction at least twice (figure 2 shows the cooling circuit changing directions at least two times within the stator 2 by arrows for SK). The baffles can be any component that allows the direction to of the coolant to change. This claim is broad and does not exemplify the nature of figure 3 of the present invention. More structure should be provided.
Regarding claim 10, Bethge discloses the motor unit (M) according to claim 5, wherein the cooling liquid is an oil (paragraph 9).
Regarding claim 11, Bethge discloses the motor unit according to claim 6, wherein the cooling liquid undergoes a pressure reduction between the outlet of the annular manifold and the outlet of said openings, the pressure reduction being greater than a pressure reduction undergone by the cooling liquid between the outlet of the openings and the inlet of the cooling circuit. Refer to the rejection of claim 7 above for further details since the limitations are similar.
Regarding claim 13, Bethge discloses a motor unit comprising: an electric motor; and a cooling circuit configured to cool the electric motor, the cooling circuit comprising an inlet and outlet, the inlet and the outlet being connected to the electric motor, said cooling circuit further comprising: a cooling liquid pump; a heat exchanger; and the expansion vessel of claim 12. Refer to the rejection of claim 5 for further details since the limitations are similar.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 11/3/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant argues that Laukemann’s air tank (12) is not an expansion vessel. However, examiner has changed the rejection to regard the expansion vessel (3) within Laukemann in light of the amendments confirming the cooling “liquid”. Figure 5 of Laukemann still shows a deformable membrane (21) within the expansion vessel (3). Although the membrane shown in figure 5 is located above the liquid level, the invention still has the capability to have the liquid reach the membrane when the coolant level is higher. The claims as presented do not teach away from this broadest reasonable interpretation. Coolant reservoirs have different coolant levels throughout the operation of the vehicle.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Refer to PTO-892.
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
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/SYED O HASAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3747 2/10/2026