DETAILED ACTION
Claims 1-8 of U.S. Application No. 18/710,078 filed on 05/14/2024 are presented for examination.
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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 05/14/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claim 2 is objected to because of the following informalities:
The recitation, “…a main surface of the magnet” should read, “…the main surface of the magnet”. 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.
Claims 5-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claims 5-8 recites, “…A rotating electric machine comprising: the rotor of the rotating electric machine…”, it is not clear if the two rotating electrical machines are the same, or a new rotating electrical machine is being introduced. Also, if they are the same or different from the preceding claims.
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.
(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 1-2, 5-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kobayashi Yugi et al. (WO 2019087747; Hereinafter, “Kobayashi”).
Regarding claim 1: Kobayashi discloses a rotor (250) of a rotating electric machine (200) comprising:
a pair of magnets (254a, or 254b) arranged in a V shape (fig. 4); and
a rotor core (252) provided with magnet holes (253) into which the magnets (154) are inserted, wherein the rotor core (252) has, on an outside in a radial direction,
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a magnetic gap (257, 258) between the rotor core (252) and an outermost diameter corner (annotated figure 6 above) located on an outermost side in the radial direction among corners of the magnet (254a as in fig. 6), and has a protrusion (260) formed so as to protrude toward the magnet (254a) between a first outermost diameter portion (annotated figure 6 above) closer to a magnetic pole center (annotated figure 6 above) of the rotor than the outermost diameter corner (annotated figure 6 above) in an outer diameter of the magnetic gap (257, 258) and a second outermost diameter portion (annotated figure 6 above) closer to a magnetic pole boundary (annotated figure 6 above) of the rotor than the outermost diameter corner in an outermost diameter of the magnetic gap (257, 258), and
the protrusion (260) faces a main surface (262) of the magnet (254a).
Regarding claim 2/1: Kobayashi discloses the limitations of claim 1 and further discloses that the protrusion (260) faces a main surface (262) of the magnet (254a) with a predetermined gap (fig. 6) interposed therebetween.
Regarding claim 5/1, 6/2/1: Kobayashi discloses the limitations of claims 1, 2 and further discloses a rotating electric machine (200) comprising: the rotor (250) of the rotating electric machine (200) according to the rotor of the rotating electric machine according to claim 1, 2; and a stator (230) facing the rotor (250) with a predetermined air gap (222) interposed therebetween (fig. 3).
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 (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 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 3, 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kobayashi in view of Kido Osao et al. (JP 2018011466; Hereinafter, “Kido”).
Regarding claim 3/1: Kobayashi discloses the limitations of claim 1 but does not clearly show a distance between an outer peripheral surface of the rotor and the first outermost diameter portion is longer than a distance between an outer peripheral surface of the rotor and the second outermost diameter portion.
Kido discloses a distance (A; annotated figure 2 below) between an outer peripheral surface of the rotor and the first outermost diameter portion is longer than a distance (B) between an outer peripheral surface of the rotor and the second outermost diameter portion (annotated figure 2 below).
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Therefore, it would have been obvious for a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have configured the rotor of Kobayashi with the distance between the outer peripheral surface of the rotor and the first outermost diameter portion to be longer than the distance between an outer peripheral surface of the rotor and the second outermost diameter portion as taught by Kido for improved torque and improved resistance to demagnetization (para [0006]).
Regarding claim 7/3/1: Kobayashi in view of Kido discloses the limitations of claim 3 and Kobayashi further discloses a rotating electric machine (200) comprising: the rotor (250) of the rotating electric machine (200) according to the rotor of the rotating electric machine according to claim 3; and a stator (230) facing the rotor (250) with a predetermined air gap (222) interposed therebetween (fig. 3).
Claims 4, and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kobayashi in view of Kubota Yoshinaga et al. (JP 2020120444; Hereinafter, “Kubota”).
Regarding claim 4/1: Kobayashi discloses the limitations of claim 1 but does not clearly show that among corners of the magnet, a corner closest to the magnetic pole boundary is in contact with the rotor core.
Kubota discloses among corners of the magnet, a corner (annotated figure 3 below) closest to the magnetic pole boundary (Lq) is in contact with the rotor core.
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Therefore, it would have been obvious for a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have configured the rotor of Kobayashi with among corners of the magnet, a corner closest to the magnetic pole boundary is in contact with the rotor core as taught by Kubota to provide mechanical support to the magnet improving the robustness of the rotor.
Regarding claim 8/4/1: Kobayashi in view of Kubota discloses the limitations of claim 4 and Kobayashi further discloses a rotating electric machine (200) comprising: the rotor (250) of the rotating electric machine (200) according to the rotor of the rotating electric machine according to claim 3; and a stator (230) facing the rotor (250) with a predetermined air gap (222) interposed therebetween (fig. 3).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AHMED ELNAKIB whose telephone number is (571)270-0638. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00AM-4:00PM.
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/AHMED ELNAKIB/ Primary Examiner,
Art Unit 2834