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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s amendment filed 15 June 2026 has overcome the 35 USC 112 rejections of the previous Office Action. Regarding the 35 USC 103 rejections, the amendment required the new reference shown below.
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.
Claims 1-4 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhou (US 2020/0153297), in view of Yin (CN 111200324 A, English translation attached) and Cesa et al. (“Cesa”; US 2019/0199150).
Regarding claim 1: Zhou discloses a rotor (10b, Fig. 2) for a rotating electrical machine, the rotor comprising:
a rotor core (Fig. 2) having a radially outer first magnet hole (for 50b) and a radially inner second magnet hole (34b);
a first permanent magnet in the first magnet hole (paragraph 0009); and
a second permanent magnet in the second magnet hole (paragraph 0010), wherein
the rotor core includes a first portion located radially outward of the first magnet hole (for example, anywhere along 12b that is radially outward of 38b, such as the area encircled by the solid-lined circle in annotated Fig. 2 below),
a second portion extending between the first magnet hole and the second magnet hole in such a manner that both sides in a circumferential direction of the second portion extend to an outer peripheral surface of the rotor core (outer peripheral is shown by the arrows in annotated Fig. 2 below, the second portion is the area between 40b and 38b, shown by the circle with the dashed-line in annotated Fig. 2 below),
a third portion extending radially inward of the second magnet hole in such a manner that both sides in the circumferential direction of the third portion extend to the outer peripheral surface of the rotor core (the area radially inward of 40b, the area below the curved line in annotated Fig. 2 below, though the figure cuts off, this third portion clear would extend to the outer peripheral surface of the rotor, at the very least at the small circled areas on each side near 18b), and a plurality of bridge portions (46b) located radially inward of the outer peripheral surface of the rotor core and connecting the third portion and the second portion (as shown in Fig. 2),
the second permanent magnet includes a d-axis-side second permanent magnet located on a d-axis or near the d-axis (in that there are multiple second permanent magnets 34b, so the d-axis side can be either side of any magnet with another magnet next to it, as stated above, this limitation is unclear),
a separation distance of the d-axis-side second permanent magnet from the first permanent magnet is smaller at a position closer to at least one of the plurality of bridge portions in the circumferential direction than at a position farther from the at least one bridge portion in the circumferential direction along a side of the d-axis-side second permanent magnet that faces the first permanent magnet, as viewed in an axial direction (given the angle of the second permanent magnets 34b, the radially outward corners are closer together).
Zhou does not explicitly disclose the d-axis second permanent magnet located adjacent the d-axis is arranged such that a side closer to the d-axis in the circumferential direction is positioned radially outward relative to a side farther from the d-axis in the circumferential direction and the at least one bridge portion extends radially inward beyond a radially inner edge of a circumferential end of the d-axis-side second permanent magnet facing the at least one bridge portion in the circumferential direction.
However, Cesa discloses the d-axis second permanent magnet (6-3 or 6-4, Fig. 3) located adjacent the d-axis (labelled ‘d axis’) is arranged such that a side closer to the d-axis in the circumferential direction is positioned radially outward relative to a side farther from the d-axis in the circumferential direction (as shown in Fig. 3, in other words, the d-axis side is slanted upwards towards the perimeter).
And, Yin discloses the at least one bridge portion (23, Fig. 1) extends radially inward beyond a radially inner edge of a circumferential end of the d-axis-side second permanent magnet facing the at least one bridge portion in the circumferential direction (as shown in the B circles portion of Fig. 2, also included below).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the second permanent magnet of Zhou to have the orientation of Cesa in order to help reduce flux leakage (paragraph 0055), and to modify the bridge portion of Zhou to extend in the manner of Yin in order to improve the electromagnetic property (second to last full paragraph of page 4 of the translation).
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Regarding claim 2: Zhou modified by Yin disclose bridge portions, Zhou further discloses a plurality of second magnet holes including the second magnet hole (along the line of 56a); and
a plurality of second permanent magnets including the second permanent magnet, one of the second permanent magnets being in a respective second magnet hole of the second magnet holes (as shown in Fig. 1).
However, Zhou does not explicitly disclose wherein for a pair of the second permanent magnets in adjacent two of the second magnet holes with the at least one bridge portion interposed between the two second magnet holes in the circumferential direction, when a line segment connecting radially inner and circumferentially opposing vertices of the pair of the second permanent magnets is used as a reference, the at least one bridge portion terminates radially inward of the line segment.
However, Yin discloses wherein for a pair of the second permanent magnets in adjacent two of the second magnet holes with the at least one bridge portion interposed between the two second magnet holes in the circumferential direction, when a line segment connecting radially inner and circumferentially opposing vertices of the pair of the second permanent magnets is used as a reference (dashed line in annotated Fig. 2, below), the at least one bridge portion terminates radially inward of the line segment (shown by the solid annotated line in Fig. 2, below).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to modify to modify the second magnet holes of Zhou to extend in the manner of Yin in order to improve the electromagnetic property (second to last full paragraph of page 4 of the translation).
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Regarding claim 3: Zhou discloses a plurality of second magnet holes including the second magnet hole (along the line of 56a); and
a plurality of second permanent magnets including the second permanent magnet, one of the second permanent magnets being in a respective second magnet hole of the second magnet holes (as shown in Fig. 1), wherein:
two of the second magnet holes and two of the second magnet holes are provided on each side in the circumferential direction of the d-axis for each magnetic pole (shown in Fig. 2, assuming 12b is the d-axis), the plurality of bridge portions includes a center bridge portion extending in a radial direction so as to extend on the d-axis (shown in Fig. 2), and an intermediate bridge extending at a position away from the d-axis in the circumferential direction (bridge portions where 46b is explicitly pointing in Fig. 2), and the at least one bridge portion is the center bridge portion or the intermediate bridge (as these are all bridge portions).
Regarding claim 4: Zhou discloses the at least one bridge portion is the center bridge portion, and the second magnet holes and the second permanent magnets are configured symmetrically with respect to the d-axis (shown in Fig. 2, 34b is symmetrically about 12b).
Regarding claim 6: Zhou modified by Yin disclose bridge portions, Yin further discloses the second magnet hole adjacent to the center bridge portion in the circumferential direction includes a first overhang portion at a first end of the second magnet hole that is located closer to the center bridge portion in the circumferential direction (B circled portion in Fig. 2), and
the first overhang portion extends toward the second permanent magnet in the second magnet hole in the circumferential direction on a radially inner side of the first end, and overlaps the second permanent magnet in the second magnet hole as viewed in the radial direction (as shown within the B circle in Fig. 2).
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhou, Cesa, and Yin as applied to claim 6 above, and further in view of Inuzuka (JP 2017-050965 A, English translation attached).
Regarding claim 7: Zhou discloses the second magnet hole adjacent to the center bridge portion.
But, Zhou does not explicitly discloses the second magnet hole adjacent to the center bridge portion in the circumferential direction includes a second overhang portion at a second end of the second magnet hole that is located farther from the center bridge portion in the circumferential direction, and the second overhang portion extends toward the second permanent magnet in the second magnet hole in the circumferential direction on a radially outer side of the second end, and overlaps the second permanent magnet in the second magnet hole as viewed in the radial direction.
However, Inuzuka discloses the second magnet hole adjacent to the center bridge portion in the circumferential direction includes a second overhang portion at a second end of the second magnet hole that is located farther from the center bridge portion (along d) in the circumferential direction (point 7 in Fig. 1), and
the second overhang portion extends toward the second permanent magnet in the second magnet hole in the circumferential direction on a radially outer side of the second end, and overlaps the second permanent magnet in the second magnet hole as viewed in the radial direction (as shown by 7 in Fig. 1).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the bridge portion of Zhou to have the overlapping configuration of Inuzuka in order to better design a flux barrier (third full paragraph of page 4 of the translation).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5 and 8 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include 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.
The prior art of record, alone or in combination does not explicitly teach, suggest, or render obvious, at least to the skilled artisan, the rotor of claim 5, specifically comprising:
Each of the second permanent magnets in adjacent two of the second magnet holes with the center bridge portion interposed between the two second magnet holes in the circumferential direction is disposed in such an orientation that a side of the second permanent magnet that is closer to the d-axis in the circumferential direction is located radially outward of a side of the second permanent magnet that is farther from the d-axis in the circumferential direction, in the context of the other components in the claim.
Claim 8 is allowable due to its dependency on claim 5.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/SEAN GUGGER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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