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
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1-5, 7, 9-17 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ooiwa et al. (US 2010/0026132 A1) in view of Leonardi et al. (US 2022/0216743 A1).
RE claim 1, Ooiwa teaches a stator 2 (Figs.1, 8) for an electric machine 1, comprising a stator body 22 (Fig.8) with a plurality of stator teeth 26 arranged over a periphery of the stator body 22 in a distributed manner and stator slots 25 formed between the stator teeth 26 and extending in an axial direction through the stator body 22 (Fig.8), a stator winding 23 with a plurality of electrical conductors 231, 232 being arranged in the stator slots 25, and the stator slots 25 along a radial extension thereof having a slot base at a radially outer end thereof and a slot opening at a radially inner end thereof (Fig.8), or the stator slots 25 along the radial extension thereof having a slot base at the radially inner end thereof and a slot opening at the radially outer end thereof, and the electrical conductors 231, 232 of the stator winding 23 having a width (L1) and a height (S1) in cross section, the width (L1) being greater than the height (S1), and the electrical conductors 231, 232 being arranged in the stator slots 25 such that the width (L1) thereof extends in a circumferential direction and the height (S1) thereof extends in the radial direction in the stator slots 25, , wherein at least one of the electrical conductors 231, 232 is arranged in at least one of the stator slots 25 such that at least in sections the width (L1) thereof extends in the radial direction and the height (S1) thereof extends in the circumferential direction in the corresponding stator slot 25 (see Fig.8).
While Ooiwa teaches stator being coolant via cooling fluid formed by fan 11, 12 (¶ 35, 60), Ooiwa does not expressively teaches that the cooling fluid being able to flow through at least one of the stator slots.
Leonardi evidenced that it is well-known for the cooling fluid being able to flow through at least one of the stator slots 454 (Fig.7), doing so would enhance the heat removal efficiency of winding conductor (¶ 39)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Ooiwa by having the cooling fluid being able to flow through at least one of the stator slots, as taught by Leonardi, for the same reasons as discussed above.
RE claim 2/1, Ooiwa in view of Leonardi has been discussed above. Ooiwa further teaches at least one of the plurality of the electrical conductors 231, 232 has a substantially rectangular contour in cross section (Fig.8).
RE claim 3/1, Ooiwa in view of Leonardi has been discussed above. Ooiwa further teaches at least two of the plurality of the electrical conductors 231a, 231b have a substantially identical contour in cross section (Fig.8).
RE claim 4/1, Ooiwa in view of Leonardi has been discussed above. Ooiwa further teaches at least the one of the electrical conductors 231, 232 which is arranged in at least one of the stator slots 25 such that the width (L1) thereof extends in the radial direction and the height (S1) thereof extends in the circumferential direction in the corresponding stator slot 25 has a contour (twist) that changes over the axial extension thereof through the stator slot (see Fig.10).
RE claim 5/4, Ooiwa in view of Leonardi has been discussed above. Ooiwa further teaches the contour that changes over the axial extension through the stator slot 25 is caused by a torsion of the electrical conductor about a longitudinal axis thereof (Fig.10 and ¶ 90).
RE claim 7/1, Ooiwa in view of Leonardi has been discussed above. Ooiwa further teaches the electrical conductors 231, 232 have insulation 24 on the outer lateral surfaces thereof (Fig.4).
RE claim 9/1, Ooiwa in view of Leonardi has been discussed above. Ooiwa further teaches a plurality of the stator slots 25 the electrical conductors are arranged in a substantially identical manner (Fig.4).
RE claim 10/1, Ooiwa in view of Leonardi has been discussed above. Ooiwa further teaches an even number of a first group of electrical conductors 231a, 232a is arranged in a plurality of the stator slots such that the width (L1, L2) thereof extends in each case in the radial direction and the height (S1, S2) thereof extends in each case in the circumferential direction in the corresponding stator slot 25, and an even number of a second group of electrical conductors 231b, 232b is arranged in said plurality of stator slots such that the width (L1, L2) thereof extends in each case in the circumferential direction and the height S1, S2) thereof extends in each case in the radial direction in the stator slots 25 (Fig.8).
RE claim 11/1, Ooiwa in view of Leonardi has been discussed above. Ooiwa further teaches the stator winding 23 is configured as a hairpin winding (230) (Fig.4).
RE claim 12/11, Ooiwa in view of Leonardi has been discussed above. Ooiwa further teaches at least one hairpin of the hairpin winding 230 has a first electrical conductor 231 and a second electrical conductor 232 parallel to the first electrical conductor with substantially identical cross-sectional contours (Fig.4), wherein the first electrical conductor 231 is rotated with respect to the second electrical conductor 232 at least once by approximately 90° about the longitudinal axis of the first electrical conductor 231 (Fig.4, 5).
Claims 13-17, 19 are rejected for the same reason as claims 1-5 and 7.
Claims 8 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ooiwa in view of Leonardi as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Drubel (US 2005/0189835 A1).
RE claims 8/1 and 20/13, Ooiwa in view of Leonardi has been discussed above. Ooiwa does not teach a ratio of the width to the height of an electrical conductor is between 1.01:1 and 1.5:1.
Drubel teaches a ratio of the width to the height of an electrical conductor is between 1.01:1 and 1.5:1 (¶ 12). The use of such upright conductors prevents, inter alia, the problems which occur with conductors located in the slots of bending of the conductors under the influence of centrifugal forces (¶ 12).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Ooiwa in view of Leonardi by having a ratio of the width to the height of an electrical conductor is between 1.01:1 and 1.5:1, as taught by Drubel, for the same reasons as discussed above.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6 and 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.
RE claims 6/1 and 18/13, the prior-art does not teach, inter alia, at least the one of the electrical conductors which is arranged in at least one of the stator slots such that the width extends in the radial direction and the height thereof extends in the circumferential direction in the corresponding stator slot is surrounded in the radial direction by electrical conductors, the width of each of which extends in the circumferential direction and the height of each of which extends in the radial direction in the stator slots.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THOMAS TRUONG whose telephone number is (571)270-5532. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9AM-6PM EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Seye Iwarere can be reached at (571) 270-5112. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/THOMAS TRUONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834