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 .
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 arguments filed 10/13/2025 have been fully considered. Applicant argues that Osama’s housing is not configured and operative to provide heat transfer to Osama’s stator windings. Para 46 discloses that the cooling jacket 224 can be integral with the housing; thus the housing provides heat transfer from the forcer coils 222. The housing 210 is not explicitly shown as mounted to a separate stator mounting structure in the aircraft, however, it is obvious that the stator housing is not floating randomly in the aircraft wing in an unmounted state. However, since the housing 210 includes the cooling jacket 224 it does provide heat transfer from the coils to the structure it is mounted to.
Furthermore, the claim requires the stator housing “being configured and operative to provide heat transfer” so if the housing is not thermally insulative (made of metal) then the heat from the coils will necessarily pass in to the housing with or without the cooling jacket and be conducted to whatever the housing is mounted to. This satisfies the functional recitation that the housing is “configured and operative” to perform the heat transfer function.
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.
Claims 6, 2, 4, 8, and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Osama (US2022069641A1) in view of Obviousness .
Claim 6
Osama teaches: An axial air gap motor (200), comprising: a planar rotor (212) having a pattern of permanent magnetic portions (220); and a stator (214A, 214B) disposed proximate to a planar face of the rotor (212) with an axial air gap therebetween (as evident in spacing between rotor and stator in Fig. 8), the stator (214A, 214B) having a planar stator housing (210) containing and supporting a set of side-by-side forcer coils (222A, 222B), the forcer coils (222A, 222B) being operable to induce motion of the rotor (212) by magnetic interaction therewith, the stator housing (210) being configured and operative to provide heat transfer (Para 46 discloses that the cooling jacket 224 can be integral with the housing; thus the housing provides heat transfer from the forcer coils 222) from the forcer coils (222A, 222B) while minimizing eddy currents (intermodular electric current flow, para. 0052) and associated effects in the stator housing (210).
Osama’s housing 210 is not explicitly shown as mounted to a separate stator mounting structure in the aircraft, however, it is obvious that the stator housing is not floating randomly in the aircraft wing in an unmounted state. Additionally, person of ordinary skill in the art of the claimed invention would be able to ascertain that since the housing 210 includes the cooling jacket 224 it does provide heat transfer from the coils to the structure it is mounted to.
Claim 2/6
Osama teaches: The axial air gap motor (200) of claim 6, wherein the stator housing (210) includes a coil-housing portion (slot liners, para. 0024) for holding the forcer coils (222A, 222B) and a distinct mounting portion (260) for attaching the stator (214A, 214B) to the stator mounting structure (224), the coil- housing portion (slot liners, para. 0024) being of an electrically non-conductive material effective to provide for heat transfer from the forcer coils (222A, 222B) to the mounting portion while avoiding eddy currents and associated effects in at least the coil-housing portion (slot liners, para. 0024) of the stator housing (210).
Claim 4/2/6
Osama teaches: The axial air gap motor (200) of claim 2, wherein the mounting portion is of a metal material (galvanic material, para. 0073) to promote heat transfer from the stator housing (210) to the stator mounting structure (224).
Claim 8/4/2/6
Osama teaches: The axial air gap motor (200) of claim 4, wherein the mounting portion (260) has a narrow shape substantially away (see separation in Fig. 8) from the forcer coils (222A, 222B) so as to be located substantially outside a primary magnetic flux field (produced by 220).
Claim 10/8/4/2/6
Osama teaches: The axial air gap motor (200) of claim 8, wherein the narrow shape of the mounting portion (264) is provided by narrowed radial-direction thickness of the mounting portion (260).
Claim 11/6
The axial air gap motor of claim 6, where the planar rotor (212) is constructed and arranged to rotate about an axis of rotation (AX); and wherein the planar stator housing (210) and the set of side-by-side forcer coils (222A, 222B) extend along a plane that passes perpendicularly through the axis of rotation.
Claim(s) 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Osama in view of Patel (US 20220079749 A1).
Claim 7/4/2/6
Osama teaches: The axial air gap motor (200) of claim 4, but is silent to: wherein the coil housing portion is a fully plastic coil holder region and the mounting portion is an aluminum mounting portion.
Patel conversely teaches motor comprising a coil holder 3100 that can be made of a plastic material suitable for maintaining separation of individual coils and preventing sticking or agglomerating of the coils, including polymers, such as an acetal homopolymer (para. 0385).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified Osama’s air gap motor such that the coil housing portion is a fully plastic coil holder region and the mounting portion is an aluminum mounting portion. Such a modification would be advantageous as a fully plastic coil holder region would maintain separation of individual coils while preventing sticking or agglomerating of the coils, including polymers, such as an acetal homopolymer (para. 0385).
Claim(s) 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Osama in view of Sullivan (US2008179146A1).
Claim 9/6
Osama teaches: The axial air gap motor (200) of claim 6, but is silent to: wherein the forcer coils are discrete wire coils configured in a slotless and ironless manner.
Sullivan conversely teaches an axial air gap motor (para. 0030) comprising of forcer coils that are discrete wire coils configured in a slotless and ironless manner (para. 0036).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified Osama’s air gap motor such that the forcer coils are discrete wire coils configured in a slotless and ironless manner. An implementation of a slotless and ironless design results in a smaller and lighter motor compared to a slotted counterpart making it ideal for space constrained applications (in aircrafts for example, para. 0059).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 12 and 13 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.
Claim 12/11/6
Claim 12 is allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Osama teaches: The axial air gap motor of claim 11, wherein the planar stator housing (210) includes: an electrically non-conductive coil housing portion (260) constructed and arranged to house the set of side-by-side forcer coils,
The prior art fails to teach or fairly suggest, alone or in obvious combination, inter alia:
and a distinct metallic mounting portion coupled with the electrically non-conductive coil housing portion, the distinct metallic mounting portion being constructed and arranged to attach the stator to the stator mounting structure; and wherein the electrically non-conductive coil housing portion and the distinct metallic mounting portion extend along the plane that passes perpendicularly through the axis of rotation.
Claim 13 stands allowed over all prior art based on their virtue of depending on claim 12.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AHMED F SECK whose telephone number is (571)272-4638. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 7:30 am - 4:30 pm.
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/AHMED F SECK/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/MAGED M ALMAWRI/Primary Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834