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 § 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.
Claim(s) 1-3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shin (US 2020/0391547 A1) in view of Xu (US 2020/0158222 A1).
As to claim 1, Shin shows (FIG. 3) An in-wheel motor 1 of an outer rotor type including a stator 46,48 and a rotor 10,42,44, the in-wheel motor 1 comprising:
a sensor 80 which detects a rotational state of the rotor 10,42,44;
an attachable/detachable member 72 which is attachable to and detachable from the rotor 10,42,44 and is provided with the sensor 80 on a surface facing an inner circumferential surface of the stator 46,48 (para [0021], [0042], [0054]).
Shin does not show a friction member which is provided between the rotor and the attachable/detachable member and is secured, together with the attachable/detachable member, to the rotor.
Xu shows (FIG. 2):
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a friction member 3 which is provided between the rotor 4 and the attachable/detachable member 1A and is secured, together with the attachable/detachable member 1A, to the rotor 4 (para [0005], [0007], damping coating 3 is rubber para [0008] which is capable of performing the friction function).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the rotor of Shin to have a friction member 3 which is provided between the rotor 10,42,44 and the attachable/detachable member 72 and is secured, together with the attachable/detachable member 72, to the rotor 10,42,44 as taught by Xu, for the advantageous benefit of reducing vibration and noise as taught by Xu (para [0005]).
As to claim 2/1, Shin in view of Xu was discussed above with respect to claim 1, and Shin further shows (FIG. 3) the attachable/detachable member 72 includes:
a tubular body that includes, as an outer circumferential surface, a surface facing the inner circumferential surface of the stator 46,48; and
a flange which faces an outer surface of the rotor 10,42,44 and is provided continuously to the tubular body (at bolt 100).
Shin does not show the friction member is disposed between the flange and a surface of the rotor.
Xu shows (FIG. 2) the friction member 3 is disposed between the flange 1F and a surface of the rotor 4 (bolt B is through the coating 3 para [0005], [0007], [0008]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the rotor of Shin in view of Xu to have the friction member 3 is disposed between the flange and a surface of the rotor 10,42,44 as taught by Xu, for the advantageous benefit of reducing vibration and noise as taught by Xu (para [0005]).
As to claim 3/1, Shin in view of Xu was discussed above with respect to claim 1, except for the friction member is bolted, together with the attachable/detachable member, to the rotor.
Xu shows (FIG. 2) the friction member 3 is bolted B, together with the attachable/detachable member 1A, to the rotor 4 (bolt B is through the coating 3 para [0005], [0007], [0008]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the rotor of Shin in view of Xu to have the friction member 3 is bolted, together with the attachable/detachable member 72, to the rotor 10,42,44 as taught by Xu, for the advantageous benefit of reducing vibration and noise as taught by Xu (para [0005]).
Conclusion
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/ROBERT E MATES/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/TULSIDAS C PATEL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834