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.
Claim 3 is 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 3, it is unclear what is meant by “the teeth end portions” found in line 9 because there are multiple recitations of the term. For examining purposes, the limitation at question will be construed as being taught by the prior art. 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 & 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Jang et al. (WO 2021235647).
1. Jang et al. teach:
A rotating electrical machine 400a comprising:
a rotor 450 including a magnetic body 455 and a shaft member 451 that rotates integrally with the magnetic body;
a stator 410 including a stator core 420 and coils 425; and
a bearing 460 rotatably supporting the shaft member in a housing 480 that accommodates the rotating electrical machine (fig 4),
the stator core, when a line extending in a perpendicular direction perpendicular to an axial line of the shaft member is defined as a perpendicular axial line (annotated fig below), including a yoke 510 formed in a tubular shape (fig 7) extending around the axial line in an axial direction (fig 7) in which the axial line of the shaft member extends and teeth 530 located inside the yoke and extending from the yoke along the perpendicular axial line (figs 6 & 7), and
the coils being each wound around a corresponding one of the teeth by concentrated winding, wherein
the following equation is satisfied:
La/2 − Lb/2 = Lc + Ld (the diameter of the stator core – the diameter of the rotor is always equal to the length of the teeth + the length of the core, Lc + Ld, annotated fig 6 below),
wherein a point on the perpendicular axial line at a center of the yoke when the yoke is viewed in the axial direction is defined as a center point (annotated fig 6 below), La/2 (annotated fig 6 below) represents a length from the center point to an intersection point between the perpendicular axial line and an outer peripheral surface of the yoke, Lb/2 (annotated fig 6 below) represents a length from the center point to an intersection point between the perpendicular axial line and an end surface of each of the teeth, Lc (annotated fig 6 below) represents a thickness of the yoke on the perpendicular axial line, and Ld (annotated fig 6 below) represents a length of each of the teeth on the perpendicular axial line, and the
wherein conditions of 0.15 ≤ Lb/La ≤ 0.35 (The diameter of the rotor is not greater than 35% of the diameter of the stator, annotated fig 6 below) and Lc/Ld ≥ 0.35 (the length Lc is close to 35% of the length Ld, annotated fig 6 below) are satisfied (annotated fig 6 below).
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2. Jang et al. teach:
The rotating electrical machine according to claim 1, wherein slots that are spaces each located between the teeth arranged side by side in a circumferential direction of the yoke are formed inside the stator core (fig 6 above), six of the slots are arranged in the circumferential direction of the yoke (fig 6 above), and the magnetic body is magnetized in the perpendicular direction (inherent MPEP 2112) and has two magnetic poles (excerpt below).
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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) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jang et al. in view of Hasegawa et al. (JP 2002209354).
3. Jang et al. teach:
The rotating electrical machine according to claim 1, wherein the teeth have teeth main body portions 532 that are each formed in a shaft shape (fig 8) extending in the perpendicular direction from the yoke (fig 7) and teeth end portions 533 & 535, one of opposite end portions of each of the teeth main body portions in the perpendicular direction is defined as a first end portion 535, which is connected to the yoke (fig 7), and the other of the opposite end portions of each of the teeth main body portions in the perpendicular direction is defined as a second end portion (fig 7), which is located opposite to the first end portion across the teeth main body portion, the teeth end portions 533 (see 112 rejection above) extend from the second end portions in the circumferential direction of the yoke (figs 6 and 8 above), and each of the coils is wound around a portion of a corresponding one of the teeth main body portions near the yoke in the perpendicular direction (fig 6 above); but does not teach that the coil is not wound around a portion of the corresponding one of the teeth main body portions near a corresponding one of the teeth end portions in the perpendicular direction.
Enter Hasegawa et al. who teach that the coil 29 is not wound around a portion of the corresponding one of the teeth main body portions (the part of the teeth that is surrounded by space 34, fig 2) near a corresponding one of the teeth end portions (see fig 2) in the perpendicular direction to shorten the axial length of the motor which reduces the length of the shaft thereby improving the stability of the motor/lengthen the service life of the motor.
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Consequently, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art prior to the invention of Jang et al. being effectively filed to modify it such that the coil is not wound around a portion of the corresponding one of the teeth main body portions near a corresponding one of the teeth end portions in the perpendicular direction, as taught by Hasegawa et al. so as to lengthen the service life of the motor.
Conclusion
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/TERRANCE L KENERLY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834