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.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: MOTOR WITH SPACE BETWEEN BEARING AND SHAFT.
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.
Claim(s) 11-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Shinoda et al. (US 2020/0173490 A1, hereinafter Shinoda).
As to claim 11, Shinoda shows (FIG. 3):
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A motor 8 comprising:
a shaft 2 with a hollow shape to form a space S inside;
a rotor 3 coupled to the shaft 2;
a stator 11 disposed to correspond to the rotor 3; and
a first bearing 5 configured to support the shaft 2,
wherein the shaft 2 includes a first region ABC overlapping with the first bearing 5 in a radial direction,
wherein the first region ABC includes a second section BC including one end of the shaft 2 and a first section A extending along the axial direction from the second section B, and
wherein the radial thickness of the second section BC is formed to be smaller than the radial thickness of the first section A to form a space between the second section BC and the first bearing 5 (para [0023],[0024]; FIG. 3 above shows the shaft 2 to be hollow with a central bore S).
As to claim 12/11, Shinoda further shows (FIG. 3 above) wherein an inner diameter of the first section A is equal to an inner diameter of the second section BC (the inner bore S is the same across A, B and some of C).
As to claim 13/11, Shinoda further shows (FIG. 3) wherein an axial length of the second section BC is in the range of 40% to 60% of an axial length of the first region ABC.
As to claim 14/11, Shinoda further shows (FIG. 3) the second section BC includes a 2-1 section C and a 2-2 section B partitioned in the axial direction, and wherein an outer diameter of the 2-2 section B is greater than an outer diameter of the 2-1 section C.
As to claim 15/14/11, Shinoda further shows (FIG. 3) wherein the 2-1 section C is connected to an end of the shaft 2.
As to claim 16/11, Shinoda further shows (FIG. 3) wherein an axial length of the first section A is greater than an axial length of the second section BC.
As to claim 17/16/11, Shinoda further shows (FIG. 3) wherein the axial length of the second section BC is in the range of 0.67 to 1.0 times the axial length of the first section A.
As to claim 18/11, Shinoda further shows (FIG. 4) a second bearing 6 supporting the other end of the shaft 2, wherein the inner diameter of the first bearing 5 is greater than the inner diameter of the second bearing 6.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Jo (WO 2020242222 A1) shows a rotor supported by bearings.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROBERT E MATES whose telephone number is (571)270-5293. The examiner can normally be reached M to F 12:00pm to 8pm.
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/ROBERT E MATES/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/TULSIDAS C PATEL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834