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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 06/27/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d).
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: “PRESSURE RING WITH ROTOR BALANCING BLOCK FOR ELECTRIC MACHINE ROTOR,ELECTRIC MACHINE”
Inventorship
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a), the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned at the time any inventions covered therein were made absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and invention dates of each claim that was not commonly owned at the time a later invention was made in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(c) and potential pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(e), (f) or (g) prior art under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a).
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 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 of this title, 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.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim 1-3,7-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee (US PG Pub 20200220425 hereinafter “Lee”) in view of Doepker et al. (US PG Pub 20060133944 hereinafter “Doepker”).
Re-claim 1, Lee discloses a pressure ring (230,1230) for an electric machine rotor, the pressure ring comprising:
an annular shell (annotated fig.14a); and
a balancing block (1238);
wherein the annular shell (annotated fig.14a) comprises an annular flat surface (surface of shell in fig.14a) and a columnar flat surface (annotated fig.14a);
wherein a first installation hole (1235) is formed in the annular flat surface (see fig.14a), and a bottom edge of the columnar flat surface (annotated fig.14a) coincides with an outer ring edge (edge of annular flat surface shown in fig.14a) of the annular flat surface;
wherein an annular groove (groove of 1238,1236,1234,1232) provided on the annular flat surface of the annular shell (see annotated fig.14a, 14b);
wherein the balancing block (1238) is disposed in the annular groove (1236,1234,1232) and is adapted to adjust balance of the electric machine rotor, the first installation hole (1235)is adapted to receive a rotation shaft (400) of the electric machine rotor.
Even though, Lee shows holes (in fig.12 , or other figures such as fig.1 and fig.12) on (1230, or 230), which are adapted to connect to body of the rotor to secure the annular shell into the rotor.
Lee fails to explicitly recites such a first fixing hole are provided on the annular flat surface of the annular shell; the first fixing hole is adapted to facilitate mounting of the electric machine rotor to the annular shell.
However, Doepker teaches a first fixing hole (124) are provided on the annular flat surface of the annular shell (104); the first fixing hole (124) is adapted to facilitate mounting of the electric machine rotor (46) to the annular shell (104).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to modify the shell and rotor of Lee wherein a first fixing hole are provided on the annular flat surface of the annular shell; the first fixing hole is adapted to facilitate mounting of the electric machine rotor to the annular shell as shown by Koepker to secure the shell to the rotor with screws or bolts providing good alignment and better securing of plates of rotor for better structure of device making it more reliable (Koepker, P[0032]).
PNG
media_image1.png
516
638
media_image1.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image2.png
529
617
media_image2.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image3.png
528
516
media_image3.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image4.png
733
602
media_image4.png
Greyscale
Re-claim 2, Lee as modified discloses the pressure ring of claim 1, wherein the annular groove () is configured as a trapezoidal groove (annotated fig.14a, 15a), and a width of a groove mouth (annotated fig.14a) in the trapezoidal groove is less than a width of a groove bottom (annotated fig.14a).
Re-claim 3, Lee as modified discloses the pressure ring of claim 1, further comprising a fan blade (1233), wherein the fan blade (1233, see fig.14a) is distributed inside the annular shell (annotated fig.14a) and positions of the first fixing hole (location annotated fig.5) and the fan blade (233) do not coincide (they are not same).
Re-claim 7, Lee discloses an electric machine rotor (200):
A rotor body (200); a rotation shaft (400)
A pressure ring (230, 1230) the comprises:
an annular shell (annotated fig.14a); and wherein the annular shell (annotated fig.14a) comprises an annular flat surface (surface of shell in fig.14a) and a columnar flat surface (annotated fig.14a);
wherein a first installation hole (1235) is formed in the annular flat surface (see fig.14a), and a bottom edge of the columnar flat surface (annotated fig.14a) coincides with an outer ring edge (edge of annular flat surface shown in fig.14a) of the annular flat surface;
wherein an annular groove (groove of 1238,1236,1234,1232) provided on the annular flat surface of the annular shell (see annotated fig.14a, 14b);
a balancing block (1238);
wherein the rotation shaft (400) passes through the first installation hole (1235);
wherein the balancing block (1238) is distributed in the annular groove (1236,1234,1232) of the annular flat surface (fig.14a, fig.14b) to adjust rotor balance when the rotor body rotates (1238 provide balancing of the rotor).
Even though, Lee shows holes (in fig.12 , or other figures such as fig.1 and fig.12) on (1230, or 230), which are adapted to connect to body of the rotor to secure the annular shell into the rotor.
Lee fails to explicitly recites such a first fixing hole are provided on the annular flat surface of the annular shell; wherein the pressure ring is fixed to the rotor body via the first fixing hole.
However, Doepker teaches a first fixing hole (124) are provided on the annular flat surface of the annular shell (104); the pressure ring (104) is fixed to the rotor body (46) via the first fixing hole (124).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to modify the shell and rotor of Lee wherein a first fixing hole are provided on the annular flat surface of the annular shell; wherein the pressure ring is fixed to the rotor body via the first fixing hole as shown by Doepker to secure the shell to the rotor with screws or bolts providing good alignment and better securing of plates of rotor for better structure of device making it more reliable (Doepker, P[0032]).
Re-claim 8, Lee discloses an electric machine (Title):
A rotor (200); an electric machine body (body of 200)
A pressure ring (230, 1230) the comprises:
an annular shell (annotated fig.14a); and wherein the annular shell (annotated fig.14a) comprises an annular flat surface (surface of shell in fig.14a) and a columnar flat surface (annotated fig.14a);
wherein a first installation hole (1235) is formed in the annular flat surface (see fig.14a), and a bottom edge of the columnar flat surface (annotated fig.14a) coincides with an outer ring edge (edge of annular flat surface shown in fig.14a) of the annular flat surface;
wherein an annular groove (groove 1236,1234,1232) provided on the annular flat surface of the annular shell (see annotated fig.14a, 14b);
a balancing block (1238);
wherein a rotation shaft (400) of the electric machine passes through the first installation hole (1235);
wherein the balancing block (1238) is distributed in the annular groove (1236,1234,1232) of the annular flat surface (fig.14a, fig.14b) and adjust rotor balance when the rotor body rotates (1238 provide balancing of the rotor).
Even though, Lee shows holes (in fig.12 , or other figures such as fig.1 and fig.12) on (1230, or 230), which are adapted to connect to body of the rotor to secure the annular shell into the rotor.
Lee fails to explicitly recites such a first fixing hole are provided on the annular flat surface of the annular shell; wherein the pressure ring is fixed to the rotor body via the first fixing hole.
However, Doepker teaches a first fixing hole (124) are provided on the annular flat surface of the annular shell (104); the pressure ring (104) is fixed to the rotor body (46) via the first fixing hole (124).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to modify the shell and rotor of Lee wherein a first fixing hole are provided on the annular flat surface of the annular shell; wherein the pressure ring is fixed to the rotor body via the first fixing hole as shown by Koepker to secure the shell to the rotor with screws or bolts providing good alignment and better securing of plates of rotor for better structure of device making it more reliable (Koepker, P[0032]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 4 and 5 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Re-claim 4, combined with claims 3 and 1, recites” Inter alia” 1. A pressure ring for an electric machine rotor, the pressure ring comprising: an annular shell; and a balancing block; wherein the annular shell comprises an annular flat surface and a columnar flat surface; wherein a first installation hole is formed in the annular flat surface, and a bottom edge of the columnar flat surface coincides with an outer ring edge of the annular flat surface; wherein an annular groove and a first fixing hole are provided on the annular flat surface of the annular shell; wherein the balancing block is disposed in the annular groove and is adapted to adjust balance of the electric machine rotor, the first installation hole is adapted to receive a rotation shaft of the electric machine rotor, and the first fixing hole is adapted to facilitate mounting of the electric machine rotor to the annular shell.3.The pressure ring of claim 1, further comprising a fan blade, wherein the fan blade is distributed inside the annular shell and positions of the first fixing hole and the fan blade do not coincide.4. The pressure ring of claim 3, wherein an angle formed by two rays extending from a center position of the first installation hole to two adjacent fan blades is not greater than 30°.”
PNG
media_image5.png
593
570
media_image5.png
Greyscale
The combination of limitations of claims 4,3 and1 is unique, none of the prior art of record, ip.com search, AI Sim Search or any other search teach alone or combined fail to teach the combination as indicated above. They do not show the center position of the whole and blades and also the angle indicated is not taught or suggested by any of the prior art of record above.
Re-claim 5, combined with claims 3 and 1, recites” Inter alia” 1. A pressure ring for an electric machine rotor, the pressure ring comprising: an annular shell; and a balancing block; wherein the annular shell comprises an annular flat surface and a columnar flat surface; wherein a first installation hole is formed in the annular flat surface, and a bottom edge of the columnar flat surface coincides with an outer ring edge of the annular flat surface; wherein an annular groove and a first fixing hole are provided on the annular flat surface of the annular shell; wherein the balancing block is disposed in the annular groove and is adapted to adjust balance of the electric machine rotor, the first installation hole is adapted to receive a rotation shaft of the electric machine rotor, and the first fixing hole is adapted to facilitate mounting of the electric machine rotor to the annular shell.3.The pressure ring of claim 1, further comprising a fan blade, wherein the fan blade is distributed inside the annular shell and positions of the first fixing hole and the fan blade do not coincide. 5. The pressure ring of claim 3, wherein the fan blade comprises a trapezoidal shape, and a length of a lower base of the trapezoidal shape is greater than a length of an upper base, wherein the lower base is an edge in contact with the annular flat surface.”
PNG
media_image5.png
593
570
media_image5.png
Greyscale
The combination of limitations of claims 5,3 and1 is unique, none of the prior art of record, ip.com search, AI Sim Search or any other search teach alone or combined fail to teach the combination as indicated above. They do not show trapezoidal shape, and a length of a lower base of the trapezoidal shape is greater than a length of an upper base, wherein the lower base is an edge in contact with the annular flat surface indicated is not taught or suggested by any of the prior art of record above.
PNG
media_image6.png
589
660
media_image6.png
Greyscale
Claim 6 is objected to as being dependent form claim 5.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure in PTO892.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MAGED M ALMAWRI whose telephone number is (313)446-6565. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Thursday.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Christopher M. Koehler can be reached on 5712723560. 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://pair-direct.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). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/MAGED M ALMAWRI/Primary Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
Prosecution Insights