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 § 103
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-5 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kizu (WO 2018096704) and in view of JP674 (JP 6749169) and Fukuda (WO 2021059793).
As to claim 1, Kizu discloses an electric device comprising: a housing (10; Fig. 1); a power consumption part (53; Fig. 1), housed in the housing; and a substrate, fixed to an end part of the housing (70; Fig. 1), fixing parts fixing an edge of the substrate to the housing are provided at two positions (Fig. 15).
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Kizu fails to disclose wherein the substrate includes a plurality of terminal-soldered parts to which a plurality of terminals including a power supply terminal connected to the power consumption part and a connector terminal held by the housing is soldered one by one, respectively, and when a distance between a maximum mass element having the largest mass among electric elements fixed to the substrate and a proximal fixing part closest to the maximum mass element among the two fixing parts is taken as a first distance, and a distance between the proximal fixing part and a proximal soldering part closest to the proximal fixing part among the plurality of terminal-soldered parts is taken as a second distance, the first distance is shorter than the second distance.
JP674, however, discloses the substrate includes a plurality of terminal-soldered parts to which a plurality of terminals including a power supply terminal connected to the power consumption part and a connector terminal held by the housing is soldered one by one (Para 0050; Fig. 8).
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to provide the device of Kizu with the substrate includes a plurality of terminal-soldered parts to which a plurality of terminals including a power supply terminal connected to the power consumption part and a connector terminal held by the housing is soldered one by one, as disclosed by JP674, to properly supply power to the device.
Fukuda, however, discloses a distance between a maximum mass element having the largest mass among electric elements fixed to the substrate and a proximal fixing part closest to the maximum mass element among the two fixing parts is taken as a first distance, and a distance between the proximal fixing part and a proximal soldering part closest to the proximal fixing part among the plurality of terminal-soldered parts is taken as a second distance, the first distance is shorter than the second distance (Fig. 3).
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the device of Kizu with a distance between a maximum mass element having the largest mass among electric elements fixed to the substrate and a proximal fixing part closest to the maximum mass element among the two fixing parts is taken as a first distance, and a distance between the proximal fixing part and a proximal soldering part closest to the proximal fixing part among the plurality of terminal-soldered parts is taken as a second distance, the first distance is shorter than the second distance, as disclosed by Fukuda, to improve the structure of the substrate.
As to claim 2, the combination of Kizu, JP674, and Fukuda discloses the electric device according to claim 1, wherein the maximum mass element is disposed on a virtual line connecting the two fixing parts (Fig. 3 of Fukuda).
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As to claim 3, the combination of Kizu, JP674, and Fukuda discloses the electric device according to claim 1, wherein when one side of the virtual line connecting the two fixing parts is taken as a first region, and a side of the virtual line opposite to the first region is taken as a second region on the substrate, the maximum mass element is disposed in a region with a smaller area among the first region and the second region (Fig. 3 of Fukuda).
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As to claim 4, the combination of Kizu, JP674, and Fukuda discloses the electric device according to claim 1, wherein the substrate has a circular shape or a shape in which the circular shape is partially cut (Fig. 3 of Fukuda), the virtual line connecting the two fixing parts is located in a position deviating from a center of the circular shape, and when one side of the virtual line is taken as a first region, and a side of the virtual line opposite to the first region is taken as a second region on the substrate, the maximum mass element is disposed in a region not including the center among the first region and the second region (Fig. 3 of Fukuda).
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As to claim 5, the combination of Kizu, JP674, and Fukuda discloses the electric device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of terminal-soldered parts includes: a first terminal-soldered part to which the power supply terminal is soldered; and a second terminal-soldered part to which the connector terminal is connected, when one side of the virtual line connecting the two fixing pats is taken as a first region, and a side of the virtual line opposite to the first region is taken as a second region on the substrate, the first terminal-soldered part is disposed in one of the first region and the second region, and the second terminal-soldered part is disposed in the other of the first region and the second region (Fig. 8 of JP674).
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As to claim 7, the combination Kizu, JP674, and Fukuda discloses the electric device according to claim 1, wherein the fixing parts are fixed to the housing by means of a screw (Para 0053 of JP674).
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kizu, JP674, Fukuda, and in view of Tahara (US 2021/0226506) and Sugiura (US 2020/0029471).
As to claim 6, the combination of Kizu, JP674, and Fukuda discloses the electric device according to claim 5, wherein the maximum mass element is a capacitor (Para 0029 of JP674).
Kizu fails to disclose the electric elements include a noise cut filter element with the second largest mass after the capacitor, the first terminal-soldered part, the capacitor, and the noise cut filter element are disposed in a region with a smaller area among the first region and the second region, and the noise cut filter element is disposed in a position closer to the first terminal- soldered part than the capacitor.
Tahara, however, discloses the electric elements include a noise cut filter element with the second largest mass after the capacitor (Fig. 1).
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the device of Kizu with the electric elements include a noise cut filter element with the second largest mass after the capacitor, as disclosed by Tahara, to reduce the noise in the device.
Sugiura, however, discloses the first terminal-soldered part, the capacitor, and the noise cut filter element are disposed in a region with a smaller area among the first region and the second region (Fig. 3), and the noise cut filter element is disposed in a position closer to the first terminal- soldered part than the capacitor (Fig. 3).
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the device of Kizu with the first terminal-soldered part, the capacitor, and the noise cut filter element are disposed in a region with a smaller area among the first region and the second region, and the noise cut filter element is disposed in a position closer to the first terminal- soldered part than the capacitor, as disclosed by Sugiura, in order to optimize the elimination of noise.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kizu, JP674, Fukuda, and in view of Sugiura269 (US 2020/0036269).
As to claim 8, the combination of Kizu, JP674, and Fukuda discloses the electric device according to claim 7.
Kizu fails to disclose wherein the housing includes a wall portion surrounding a periphery of the substrate, and the screw penetrates the substrate and is screwed to a columnar part in a state where the substrate is in contact with the columnar part provided in a position spaced apart from the wall portion in the housing in each of the two fixing parts.
Sugiura269, however, discloses wherein the housing includes a wall portion surrounding a periphery of the substrate (Fig. 3), and the screw penetrates the substrate and is screwed to a columnar part in a state where the substrate is in contact with the columnar part provided in a position spaced apart from the wall portion in the housing in each of the two fixing parts (Fig. 3).
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the device of Kizu with the housing includes a wall portion surrounding a periphery of the substrate, and the screw penetrates the substrate and is screwed to a columnar part in a state where the substrate is in contact with the columnar part provided in a position spaced apart from the wall portion in the housing in each of the two fixing parts, as disclosed by Sugiura269, to properly secure the substrate.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kizu, JP674, Fukuda and in view of Yamasaki (US 2012/0104886) and Sugiura.
As to claim 9, the combination of Kizu, JP674, and Fukuda discloses the electric device according to claim 1, wherein the electric device is a motor (Para 0051 of Kizu), a stator is housed in the housing (Para 0005 of Kizu), a rotor is disposed inside the stator (Para 0078 of Kizu), and the power consumption part is the coil (Para 0081 of Kizu).
Kizu fails to disclose the stator includes a stator core provided with a plurality of salient poles lining in a circumferential direction, and a coil wound around the salient poles, and the power supply terminal is a winding-wire terminal connected to the coil, and the rotor is rotated with respect to the stator by applying current to the coil.
Yamasaki, however, discloses the stator includes a stator core provided with a plurality of salient poles lining in a circumferential direction (Para 0063), and a coil wound around the salient poles (Para 0063), and the power supply terminal is a winding-wire terminal connected to the coil (Para 0141).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the device of Kizu with the stator includes a stator core provided with a plurality of salient poles lining in a circumferential direction, and a coil wound around the salient poles, and the power supply terminal is a winding-wire terminal connected to the coil, as disclosed by Yamasaki, to allow for better operation at higher torques.
Sugiura, however, discloses the rotor is rotated with respect to the stator by applying current to the coil (Para 0038).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the device of Kizu with discloses the rotor is rotated with respect to the stator by applying current to the coil, as disclosed by Sugiura, to optimize the generation of electrical power.
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kizu, JP674, Fukuda, Yamasaki, Sugiura, and in view of Ishida (CN 208015465).
As to claim 10, the combination of Kizu, JP674, Fukuda, Yamasaki, and Sugiura discloses a pump device (Para 0202 of Kizu) comprising: the electric device according to claim 9.
Kizu fails to disclose an impeller, rotary driven by the electric device.
Ishida, however, discloses an impeller, rotary driven by the electric device (“The rotor 1 has a rotating shaft 11, a rotor holder 12, and a magnetic body 13. The transmission shaft 11 is a rotation shaft that extends in the vertical direction in the axial direction. The rotor holder 12 is a member that holds the magnetic body 13, and both the transmission shaft 11 and the impeller 101 are rotatable.”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the device of Kizu with an impeller, rotary driven by the electric device, as disclosed by Ishida, to improve efficiency and performance of the motor.
Conclusion
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/ETHAN NGUYEN VO/
Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/CHRISTOPHER M KOEHLER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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