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 4-17 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.
Regarding claim 4, it is unclear what is meant by the phrase “wherein the additional blind-hole is up to the surface”. For examining purposes, the limitation will be interpreted as being taught by the prior art. Claims 5-17 depend directly/indirectly from claim 4 and are likewise rejected. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 1-7, 9-11, and 14-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) or (a)(2) as being anticipated by Moreno et al. (US 20240243634).
1. Moreno et al. teach:
A busbar (fig 1) comprising:
a plurality of bars (the body part of busbar which power terminals 41A, 42A, 43A and conductive parts 41B-41C, 42B-42C, 43B-43C extend from);
a plurality of bus pins (the tip end of 41B-41C, 42B-42C, & 43B-43C which are connected to hairpin ends 36U-36W and 37U-37W), wherein the plurality of bus pins are connected to the plurality of bars (paras 0044-0046 explain this limitation);
a neutral bus (not shown but disclosed, para 0040); and
an overmold/holding unit 70, wherein the overmold supports the plurality of bars (see figs 2 and 5-8), the plurality of bus pins (see figs 2 and 5-8), and the neutral bus (not shown but disclosed, para 0040), wherein the overmold defines:
a plurality of hairpin housings/recesses 74, wherein the plurality of hairpin housings define a plurality of blind-holes (recesses are blind holes, see fig 6; the multi-phase coil 32 is being taken as an inherent winding composed of multiple hairpin conductors since the conductors only protrude from one end of the stator, MPEP 2112); and
a temperature sensor housing (any one of ref numerals 28A, 60, and 77 would qualify as a thermistor housing, fig 5), wherein the temperature sensor housing defines an additional blind-hole (conduit 60 runs into protruding portion 75B which is almost perpendicular to the conduit, qualifying the hole in 60 as a blind hole, see figs 5 and 7).
2. Moreno et al. teach:
The busbar of claim 1, wherein the overmold defines a surface (top of holding unit is the surface), wherein the plurality of hairpin housings (extending circumferentially and from the bottom of the holding unit, fig 6) and the temperature sensor housing extend from the surface (extending circumferentially and radially, fig 7).
3. Moreno et al. teach:
The busbar of claim 2, wherein the plurality of blind-holes and the additional blind-hole are oriented in parallel (since the surface is sandwiched between the plurality of blind holes and the additional blind hole, fig 7), wherein the plurality of blind-holes and the additional blind-hole are orthogonal to the surface (since the surface is sandwiched between the plurality of blind holes and the additional blind hole, fig 7).
4. Moreno et al. teach:
The busbar of claim 3, wherein the additional blind-hole is up to the surface.
5. Moreno et al. teach:
The busbar of claim 4, wherein the temperature sensor housing comprises a base portion/protruding portion 75 and a tip portion, wherein the base portion extends from the surface, wherein the tip portion/socket 77 extends from the base portion, wherein the additional blind-hole is defined through the base portion (see dotted lines, fig 7) and the tip portion up to the surface (see dotted lines, fig 7).
6. Moreno et al. teach:
The busbar of claim 5, wherein the temperature sensor housing comprises an L-shaped cross-section disposed orthogonal to the surface, wherein the base portion defines a base of the L-shaped cross-section, wherein the tip portion defines a tip of the L-shaped cross-section (fig below).
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7. Moreno et al. teach:
The busbar of claim 6, wherein the base portion comprises a rectangular-shaped cross-section which is parallel to the surface (annotated fig below), wherein the tip portion comprises a U-shaped cross-section parallel to the surface (since it does not intersect the surface, annotated fig below).
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9. Moreno et al. teach:
The busbar of claim 6, wherein the temperature sensor housing is taller than the plurality of hairpin housings (the base portion is taller in all directions than the hairpin housings, fig 5).
10. Moreno et al. teach:
The busbar of claim 9, wherein the base portion is taller than the plurality of hairpin housings (the base portion is taller in all directions than the hairpin housings, fig 5).
11. Moreno et al. teach:
The busbar of claim 6, wherein the additional blind-hole is longer than the plurality of blind-holes (see figs 2 and 5-8).
14. Moreno et al. teach:
The busbar of claim 6, wherein the additional blind-hole comprises a draft angle of at least one-degree (see figs 2 and 5-8).
15. Moreno et al. teach:
The busbar of claim 6, wherein the surface comprises an arcuate shape (the entire holding unit is circular, fig 7) defining an inner-radius and an outer-radius of the busbar (base 75A is defined by the surface and contains the busbars, fig 7), wherein the tip portion is a radially outermost portion of the temperature sensor housing (see annotated figs above).
16. Moreno et al. teach:
The busbar of claim 15, wherein the busbar is a three-phase busbar (41, 42, and 43 represent phases), wherein the plurality of bars comprise a first-phase bar 41, a second-phase bar 42, and a third-phase bar 43, wherein the plurality of bus pins comprise a plurality of first-phase bus pins 41B-41C, a plurality of second-phase bus pins 42B-42C, and a plurality of third-phase bus pins 43B-43C, wherein the plurality of first-phase bus pins are connected to the first-phase bar (the body part of busbar conductive parts 41B-41C, 42B-42C, 43B-43C extend from), wherein the plurality of second-phase bus pins are connected to the second-phase bar (the body part of busbar which conductive parts 41B-41C, 42B-42C, 43B-43C extend from), wherein the plurality of third-phase bus pins are connected to the third-phase bar (the body part of busbar which conductive parts 41B-41C, 42B-42C, 43B-43C extend from).
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.
The factual inquiries 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(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Moreno et al..
8. Moreno et al. has been discussed above, re claim 7; but does not explicitly teach that the rectangular-shaped cross-section is a rounded-rectangle.
However, a rounded rectangle is not far from, in structure, a rounded rectangle.
Still further, a change in the cross-sectional shape of the base portion from a rectangle to a rounded rectangle would only involve routine skill in the art to improve the design of the (if it is routine in the art, it is also obvious, see In re Dailey, 357 F.2d 669, 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1966)).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 12, 13, and 17 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.
Claims 18-20 are allowed.
The primary reason for allowing claim 18 is the limitation “a temperature sensor, wherein the temperature sensor and a pair of the plurality of hairpins are housed within the additional blind-hole, wherein the temperature sensor abuts one of the pair of the plurality of hairpins” combined with the limitations regarding the hairpins, busbar, overmold, winding, stator core, and temperature sensor were found to be inventive. Moreno et al. teaches the gist of the invention but fails to anticipate/make obvious the aforementioned limitations. This is why claim 18 is allowed. Claim 19 depends from claim 18 and is likewise allowed. Claim 20 is being allowed for similar reasons.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TERRANCE L KENERLY whose telephone number is (571)270-7851. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-5pm.
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/TERRANCE L KENERLY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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