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 § 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 3–6 and 15-20 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.
Claim 3 recites the electric motor is configured as a DC motor that is divisible, and claim 4 similarly recites a multi-phase motor that is divisible. The metes and bounds of “divisible” cannot be ascertained: the claims do not specify what is divided, into what, or along what boundary, and in some sense every physical assembly is capable of being divided. The specification describes components formed of circumferentially arranged segments divided every turn of winding (e.g., magnet segments 32a–32f, [0074]), but the claims do not tie “divisible” to any such structure. For purposes of examination, “divisible” is interpreted as meaning that at least one component of the motor is formed of separable segments. Clarification or deletion of the phrase may overcome this rejection.
Claim 4 depends from claim 3. Claim 3 requires the motor to be configured as a DC motor to which a DC voltage is applied via a DC voltage application portion, whereas claim 4 requires the same motor to be configured as a multi-phase motor to which a multi-phase AC voltage is applied. It is unclear whether the claimed motor is a DC motor or an AC motor, since the same conductive wire cannot simultaneously be defined by the mutually exclusive DC and multi-phase AC drive configurations recited.
Claims 5 and 6 depend from claim 4; claims 15, 19, and 20 depend from claim 3; claim 16 depends from claim 4; claim 17 depends from claim 5; and claim 18 depends from claim 6. Each of these claims inherits the indefiniteness of claim 3 or claim 4 through its dependency and is rejected for the same reasons. See MPEP § 2173.05(g). Claims 7, 8, and 14 depend from claim 2 and do not inherit these defects.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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, 7 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by GUTZ(US4373148).
Regarding claim 1, Gutz teaches an electric motor(FIG. 1; col. 2, ll. 33–38, two-phase brushless torque motor 11)
comprising: a first element forming a helix angle with a line extending in a circumferential direction of an annular body(col. 3, ll. 5–12, coils 39, 41, 43, and 45 each wound in a toroidal helix configuration around cylindrical ring 37; FIGS. 2A–2E, windings slanted relative to the circumferential direction; col. 5, l. 55, angled conductors),
the first element being wound on the annular body without being turned back in the circumferential direction(FIGS. 2A–2E, each coil progresses continuously around ring 37 at a constant slant without reversal; col. 3, ll. 9–12, each coil completely wound around ring 37 with one hundred and four turns);
and a second element located in association with the first element to make an electromagnetic interaction with the first element to generate an electromagnetic force or a magnetic force acting in the circumferential direction of the annular body(col. 2, ll. 48–55, magnetic assembly 23 having alternately eight south pole permanent magnets 25 and eight north pole permanent magnets 27 across air gap 31; col. 4, ll. 45–60, force upon rotor 15 per F = L×I×B×N),
wherein one of the first and second elements constitutes at least a part of a stator of the electric motor(col. 2, ll. 35–40, toroidal winding assembly 19 coaxially mounted within housing 17 of stator 13),
and the other of the first and second elements constitutes at least a part of a rotor of the electric motor, the rotor being rotatable by the electromagnetic force or the magnetic force in the circumferential direction of the annular body(col. 2, ll. 41–55, rotor 15 carrying magnetic assembly 23 at its periphery, coaxially rotatable within stator 13; col. 5, ll. 22–31, rotor 15 rotates in a counterclockwise direction).
Regarding claim 2/1, Gutz teaches the electric motor of claim 1.
Gutz further teaches wherein the first element includes a conductive wire(col. 3, ll. 5–12, coils 39–45 of wound conductors; col. 4, ll. 50–56, wire of winding assembly 19),
the second element includes a magnetic line source(col. 2, ll. 48–52, magnetic assembly 23 of permanent magnets 25 and 27),
and the magnetic line source includes a permanent magnet … that faces at least a part of the conductive wire(FIG. 1; col. 2, ll. 48–55, permanent magnets 25 and 27 face toroidal winding assembly 19 across cylindrical air gap 31). Claim 2 recites the enclosing configuration and the facing configuration in the alternative; anticipation of the facing alternative is sufficient.
Regarding claim 7/2, Gutz teaches the electric motor of claim 2.
Gutz further teaches wherein the first element includes a first facing portion facing the second element(col. 3, ll. 14–21, inner surface of each coil adjacent air gap 31),
the second element includes a second facing portion facing the first element(col. 2, ll. 48–55, peripheral surfaces of magnets 25 and 27 bounding air gap 31),
and the first and second facing portions, as viewed in a direction orthogonal to a thickness direction of the annular body, have curved shapes conforming to each other(FIG. 1, concentric cylindrical surfaces of winding assembly 19 and magnetic assembly 23 across annular air gap 31, as viewed along the rotational axis).
Regarding claim 14/2, Gutz teaches the electric motor of claim 2.
Gutz further teaches wherein the first element includes a first facing portion facing the second element(col. 3, ll. 14–21, inner surface of each coil adjacent air gap 31),
the second element includes a second facing portion facing the first element(col. 2, ll. 48–55, peripheral surfaces of magnets 25 and 27 bounding air gap 31),
and the first and second facing portions, as viewed in a direction orthogonal to a thickness direction of the annular body, include curved portions or straight portions conforming to each other(FIG. 1, concentric cylindrical — curved — surfaces of winding assembly 19 and magnetic assembly 23 across annular air gap 31, as viewed along the rotational axis). Claim 14 recites the curved and straight configurations in the alternative; anticipation of the curved alternative is sufficient.
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.
Claims 3, 15, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over GUTZ(US4373148) in view of JACQUES(US3354333).
Regarding claim 3/2, Gutz teaches the electric motor of claim 2.
Gutz does not explicitly teach wherein the electric motor is configured as a DC motor that is divisible, and the conductive wire includes a DC winding portion making at least one loop around the annular body in the circumferential direction of the annular body and a DC voltage application portion located on the DC winding portion to apply a DC voltage to the DC motor. Gutz’s motor is excited by electronically generated two-phase signals derived from Hall sensors, multipliers, and amplifiers (col. 4, ll. 1–34) and is silent regarding a brush-commutated DC configuration with voltage-application taps on the winding itself.
However, in the analogous art of toroidally wound dynamoelectric machines, Jacques teaches a DC machine whose toroidal winding is electrically connected in a closed loop making a loop around the toroidal core in the circumferential direction(col. 1, ll. 10–17, Gramme armature comprising a toroid carrying a uniformly wound winding connected in a closed loop; col. 2, ll. 46–52, continuous closed spiral formed of conductor sections joined by thru-connections 21 and 22), with DC voltage application portions located on the winding portion(col. 2, ll. 35–44, commutator sections 13 are end portions or extensions of the winding conductors, contacted by brushes 23 to conduct DC to the winding).
Gutz and Jacques are in the same field of toroidally wound electric machines and address the same problem of efficiently exciting a toroidal winding. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to configure the Gutz motor as a brush-commutated DC motor having voltage-application taps located on the toroidal winding, as taught by Jacques, for the predictable benefit of DC operation through a commutator formed integrally with the winding, dispensing with Gutz’s sensor, multiplier, and amplifier excitation electronics and maximizing use of the toroidal surface(Jacques, col. 1, ll. 21–33; col. 3, ll. 10–13). The combination is the application of a known DC commutation technique to a known toroidally wound machine, yielding predictable results. KSR Int’l Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 416 (2007).
Regarding claim 15/3, Gutz in view of Jacques teaches the electric motor of claim 3.
Gutz further teaches wherein the first element includes a first facing portion facing the second element(col. 3, ll. 14–21, inner surface of each coil adjacent air gap 31),
the second element includes a second facing portion facing the first element(col. 2, ll. 48–55, peripheral surfaces of magnets 25 and 27 bounding air gap 31),
and the first and second facing portions, as viewed in a direction orthogonal to a thickness direction of the annular body, include curved portions or straight portions conforming to each other(FIG. 1, concentric cylindrical — curved — surfaces of winding assembly 19 and magnetic assembly 23 across annular air gap 31, as viewed along the rotational axis). Claim 15 recites the curved and straight configurations in the alternative; teaching of the curved alternative is sufficient.
Regarding claim 19/3, Gutz in view of Jacques teaches the electric motor of claim 3.
Gutz further teaches wherein the first element includes a first facing portion facing the second element(col. 3, ll. 14–21, inner surface of each coil adjacent air gap 31),
the second element includes a second facing portion facing the first element(col. 2, ll. 48–55, peripheral surfaces of magnets 25 and 27 bounding air gap 31),
and the first and second facing portions, as viewed in a direction orthogonal to a thickness direction of the annular body, have curved shapes conforming to each other(FIG. 1, concentric cylindrical — curved — surfaces of winding assembly 19 and magnetic assembly 23 across annular air gap 31, as viewed along the rotational axis).
Claims 4-6 and 16-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over GUTZ(US4373148) in view of JACQUES(US3354333) and further in view of LIPO(US2004/0239199A1).
Regarding claim 4/3, Gutz in view of Jacques teaches the electric motor according to claim 3.
Gutz further teaches wherein the electric motor is configured as a multi-phase motor(col. 1, ll. 8–11, two-phase brushless torque motor; col. 5, ll. 30–36, excitation by sinusoidal waveform signals displaced ninety electrical degrees),
and the conductive wire includes a plurality of AC winding portions the number of which is equal to the number of phases(col. 3, ll. 40–55 and FIG. 4, a first phase winding of coils 39 and 41 in series and a second phase winding of coils 43 and 45 in series — two winding portions for two phases)
and which make at least one loop around the annular body in the circumferential direction of the annular body without intersecting each other(col. 3, ll. 9–12, each coil completely wound around ring 37; FIG. 2E, coils interleaved side by side without intersecting),
and a plurality of AC voltage application portions located in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of AC winding portions to apply each of the phases … to a corresponding one of the plurality of AC winding portions(FIG. 4, terminal 51 applying the first phase excitation to the winding of coils 39 and 41 and terminal 65 applying the second phase excitation to the winding of coils 43 and 45; col. 3, ll. 40–55).
Gutz in view of Jacques does not explicitly teach the applied excitation being a multi-phase AC voltage applied to the multi-phase motor, the excitation being described as sensor-derived winding excitation signals.
However, in the analogous art of toroidally wound permanent magnet machines, Lipo teaches a plurality of polyphase windings toroidally wound around a torus-shaped stator and excited as a polyphase AC machine([0011]; [0044], polyphase windings 74 toroidally-wound around stator 60).
Gutz and Lipo are in the same field of toroidally wound electric machines and address the same problem of improving efficiency by shortening the end windings. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to drive the phase windings of Gutz in view of Jacques with a multi-phase AC voltage in the manner taught by Lipo, for the predictable benefits of very short end windings, high efficiency, and high torque density identified by Lipo([0014]; [0042]). KSR Int’l Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 416 (2007).
Regarding claim 5/4, Gutz in view of Jacques and Lipo teaches the electric motor of claim 4.
Gutz further teaches wherein the conductive wire is one of a plurality of conductive wires(col. 3, ll. 5–8, four coils 39, 41, 43, and 45),
and each of the plurality of conductive wires includes a corresponding one of the plurality of AC winding portions(col. 3, ll. 40–55; FIG. 4).
Regarding claim 6/4, Gutz in view of Jacques and Lipo teaches the electric motor of claim 4.
Gutz is silent wherein the conductive wire is a single conductive wire and the single conductive wire includes the plurality of AC winding portions.
However, Jacques teaches a toroidal winding formed as a single continuous closed conductor including a plurality of winding portions between voltage-application taps located on the winding(col. 2, ll. 46–52, continuous closed spiral; col. 2, ll. 35–44, commutator sections as extensions of the winding conductors).
One would be motivated to form the plural winding portions of the Gutz/Lipo motor from a single continuous conductor as taught by Jacques to eliminate inter-coil joints and their associated contact resistance, thereby maximizing winding efficiency(Jacques, col. 3, ll. 10–13, conductors distributed over the quasi-totality of the core surface, from which the efficiency of the armature is maximum).
Regarding claim 16/4, Gutz in view of Jacques and Lipo teaches the electric motor of claim 4.
Gutz further teaches wherein the first element includes a first facing portion facing the second element(col. 3, ll. 14–21, inner surface of each coil adjacent air gap 31),
the second element includes a second facing portion facing the first element(col. 2, ll. 48–55, peripheral surfaces of magnets 25 and 27 bounding air gap 31),
and the first and second facing portions, as viewed in a direction orthogonal to a thickness direction of the annular body, include curved portions or straight portions conforming to each other(FIG. 1, concentric cylindrical — curved — surfaces of winding assembly 19 and magnetic assembly 23 across annular air gap 31, as viewed along the rotational axis). Claim 16 recites the curved and straight configurations in the alternative; teaching of the curved alternative is sufficient.
Regarding claim 17/5, Gutz in view of Jacques and Lipo teaches the electric motor of claim 5.
Gutz further teaches wherein the first element includes a first facing portion facing the second element(col. 3, ll. 14–21, inner surface of each coil adjacent air gap 31),
the second element includes a second facing portion facing the first element(col. 2, ll. 48–55, peripheral surfaces of magnets 25 and 27 bounding air gap 31),
and the first and second facing portions, as viewed in a direction orthogonal to a thickness direction of the annular body, include curved portions or straight portions conforming to each other(FIG. 1, concentric cylindrical — curved — surfaces of winding assembly 19 and magnetic assembly 23 across annular air gap 31, as viewed along the rotational axis). Claim 17 recites the curved and straight configurations in the alternative; teaching of the curved alternative is sufficient.
Regarding claim 18/6, Gutz in view of Jacques and Lipo teaches the electric motor of claim 6.
Gutz further teaches wherein the first element includes a first facing portion facing the second element(col. 3, ll. 14–21, inner surface of each coil adjacent air gap 31),
the second element includes a second facing portion facing the first element(col. 2, ll. 48–55, peripheral surfaces of magnets 25 and 27 bounding air gap 31),
and the first and second facing portions, as viewed in a direction orthogonal to a thickness direction of the annular body, include curved portions or straight portions conforming to each other(FIG. 1, concentric cylindrical — curved — surfaces of winding assembly 19 and magnetic assembly 23 across annular air gap 31, as viewed along the rotational axis). Claim 18 recites the curved and straight configurations in the alternative; teaching of the curved alternative is sufficient.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8–13 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.
Claim 20 is 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 and rewritten to overcome the rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) set forth above (indefiniteness inherited from claim 3).
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter.
Regarding claims 8 and 20, the prior art of record does not teach or fairly suggest the first and second facing portions of the wound first element and the second element having straight shapes conforming to each other as viewed in a direction orthogonal to the thickness direction of the annular body, in combination with the winding of claim 1 wound on the annular body without being turned back in the circumferential direction.
Regarding claims 9–11, the prior art of record does not teach or fairly suggest that the first element wound on the annular body at a helix angle without circumferential turn-back includes a permanent magnet.
Regarding claims 12 and 13, the closest prior art (Takahashi, US2014/0117793A1) teaches a transverse-flux motor having an annular armature coil with U-shaped ferromagnetic cores disposed thereabout, but neither Takahashi nor any other art of record teaches or fairly suggests a ferromagnet having second and third portions extending in opposite directions from a first portion, each forming a helix angle with the line extending in the circumferential direction of the annular body and wound on the annular body and the conductive wire, with a permanent magnet or an electromagnet fixed to the ferromagnet producing the recited alternating first and second magnetized states upon application of an AC voltage.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure:
a. Sasaki (US2019/0386551A1) teaches a helically wound sheet coil for a rotating electrical machine having inner and outer coil end portions at which the coil is turned back, and is the coil-end art to which the claimed no-turn-back winding is addressed.
b. Takahashi (US2014/0117793A1) teaches a transverse-flux motor having an annular armature coil and U-shaped stator cores disposed around the coil, pertinent to claims 12 and 13.
c. Inglis (US2017/183938A1) teaches a stator core assembly for an axial-flux electric machine with a toroidal winding topology, pertinent to claims 8 and 20.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MOHAMMED QURESHI whose telephone number is (571)-272-8310. The examiner can normally be reached on 8:30 AM - 6:00 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Tulsidas Patel can be reached on 571-272-2098. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pairdirect. uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free).
/MOHAMMED AHMED QURESHI/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
Prosecution Insights