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 13-16 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.
Claim 13 recites the limitations "the left cover body" and “the right cover body”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. The limitations are first introduced in claim 11, which is on a separate dependency chain then claims 13-16. Therefore claims 14 and 16 which are dependent on claim 13 are also rejected under U.S.C 112(b).
Claim 15 recites the limitations "the mounting seat”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. The limitation is first introduced in claim 13, which is on a separate dependency chain.
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.
Claim(s) 1-8, 17, and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over URABE(US20110303471A1) in view of FREITAG(WO2014108231A2).
Regarding claim 1, Urabe teaches a hollow hub motor (10); comprising a wheel rim for mounting a tire and a hollow hub cover (Para[0032], Para[0042], Para[0050]: front rim 121f of the front wheel 106f constitutes the wheel rim for mounting a tire; the first case member 32, which is non-rotatably coupled to the hub axle 15, constitutes the hollow hub cover, the interior of which defines the second space 34a; the second case member 34 carries hub flanges 40a, 40b for coupling to the rim via spokes);
a supporting frame being connected to an outer edge of a side wall of the hub cover, the supporting frame being used for connecting the hub motor and a driving subject (Para[0042]: "the first case member 32 has a recessed portion 32a which is formed on an outside surface and which is capable of receiving the distal end portion of the front fork 103"; Para[0046]: "the recessed portion 32a is formed depressed in an approximate U-shape...formed slightly wider than a distal end shape of an ordinary front fork so as to enable front forks of various shapes to be inserted"; Para[0044]: the first cylindrical portion 36c extends from an outer circumferential portion of the first circular plate portion 36b, the outer edge of the hub cover side wall and the front fork 103 is received there; Para[0039]–[0040]: the front fork 103 constitutes the supporting frame connecting the hub motor to the bicycle as the driving subject);
a bearing being rotatably connected between the hub cover and the wheel rim (Para[0044]: "an inner ring 30a of for example, a ball bearing-type first axle bearing 30 that rotatably supports the first end of the second case member 34 is mounted to the outer circumferential surface of the first cylindrical portion 36c" bearing 30 is expressly between the hub cover (first case member 32) and the rotating second case member 34 which carries the wheel rim);
the bearing comprising an inner ring matched with the hub cover (Para[0044]: "An inner ring 30a...is mounted to the outer circumferential surface of the first cylindrical portion 36c", the inner ring 30a is expressly mounted on and matched with the first cylindrical portion 36c of the hub cover);
the wheel rim and the hub cover are matched to form an accommodating cavity (Para[0042]: "A second space 34a is internally formed by the second case member 34 and the first case member 32" the second case member 34, which carries the wheel rim, and the first case member 32, the hub cover, together form the accommodating cavity);
a stator and a rotor are oppositely arranged in the accommodating cavity (Para[0039]: "the motor-integrated hub 10 has a motor 11...housed inside the motor case 17", motor 11, comprising a stator and rotor oppositely arranged, is housed within the second space 34a);
the stator is fixed on the hub cover (Para[0042]–[0043]: the first case member 32 is non-rotatably coupled to the hub axle 15 and is the fixed, non-rotating member; the stator of motor 11 is fixed to this non-rotating hub cover);
Urabe does not explicitly teach a sealing cover plate is arranged between the bearing and the side wall of the hub cover; a sealing member is fixedly connected to the sealing cover plate; the sealing member is sleeved on a supporting portion on the inner ring and tightly attached to the supporting portion; and the sealing cover plate is arranged on one side of the bearing, so that the stator and the rotor are isolated from the outside.
However, Freitag teaches stator plate 15a formed as a disc ring or circular ring positioned between the bearing 18a and the stator side wall, constituting a sealing cover plate arranged between the bearing and the side wall of the hub cover. Freitag further discloses sealing element 34 in the form of a V-ring or U-ring connected to stop plate 39, which is bolted to stator plate 15a via screw 28a, constituting a sealing member fixedly connected to the sealing cover plate. The main body 35 of sealing element 34 is press-fitted to the rotor shaft in a groove, wherein the rotor shaft constitutes the supporting portion extending from the inner ring of bearing 18a, and the sealing lip 36 bears tightly against stop plate 39 at standstill, satisfying the sealing member is sleeved on a supporting portion on the inner ring and tightly attached to the supporting portion. The sealing chamber formed by stator plate 15a, stop plate 39, and sealing element 34 all on one side of bearing 18a together with O-ring 26a and gasket 30a, satisfies the sealing cover plate is arranged on one side of the bearing, so that the stator and the rotor are isolated from the outside.
Freitag is considered to be analogous to the claimed invention of Urabe because they are in the same field of electric machines. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified Urabe wherein a sealing cover plate is arranged between the bearing and the side wall of the hub cover; a sealing member is fixedly connected to the sealing cover plate; the sealing member is sleeved on a supporting portion on the inner ring and tightly attached to the supporting portion; and the sealing cover plate is arranged on one side of the bearing, so that the stator and the rotor are isolated from the outside, as taught by Freitag. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to adopt the known sealing cover plate and sealing member arrangement taught by Freitag to improve the bearing-side sealing of Urabe's hub motor, with a reasonable expectation of success that the combination would produce the predictable result of improved isolation of the stator and rotor from the outside. See KSR Int'l Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 416 (2007).
Regarding claim 2/1, Urabe in view of Freitag teaches the hollow hub motor according to claim 1.
Urabe is silent wherein a section of the sealing cover plate is L-shaped or C-shaped, a pressurizing circular ring is sleeved on the sealing member, and the sealing member is tightly attached to the supporting portion through the pressurizing circular ring.
However, Freitag teaches wherein a section of the sealing cover plate is L-shaped or C-shaped(the sealing element 34 is a U-ring or V-ring, elements having a U-shaped or C-shaped cross-section in profile), a pressurizing circular ring is sleeved on the sealing member("an outwardly pressing spring ring can also be used for fastening the U-ring"), and the sealing member is tightly attached to the supporting portion through the pressurizing circular ring(The compressive force of the spring ring causes the sealing lip 36 to press tightly against stop plate 39, which is the supporting portion of the inner ring).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to use the L/C-shaped sealing element with a pressurizing spring ring as taught by Freitag to achieve tight attachment at the inner ring supporting portion, as this is a known sealing configuration producing predictable results.
Regarding claim 3/2, Urabe in view of Freitag teaches the hollow hub motor according to claim 2.
Urabe does not explicitly teach wherein one side of the inner ring is flush with an outer ring, and the other side of the above inner ring extends towards the side wall of the hub cover to form the supporting portion, and the supporting portion is used for mounting the sealing cover plate and attached to the sealing member to realize sealing.
Freitag teaches one side of the inner ring is flush with an outer ring, and the other side of the above inner ring extends towards the side wall of the hub cover to form the supporting portion(bearing 18a in which one face of the inner ring is flush with the outer ring on the bearing side, while the rotor shaft extends axially toward the stator side wall (hub cover)), the supporting portion is used for mounting the sealing cover plate and attached to the sealing member to realize sealing(Stop plate 39 is mounted on this supporting portion and sealing element 34 is tightly attached thereto).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to implement the inner ring geometry of Freitag in the bearing of Urabe, as this is a conventional bearing configuration producing the predictable result of sealing at the hub cover side wall.
Regarding claim 4/2, Urabe in view of Freitag teaches the hollow hub motor according to claim 2.
Urabe is silent wherein an opening of the L-shaped or C-shaped sealing cover plate is oriented to the side wall of the hub cover.
However, Freitag teaches wherein an opening of the L-shaped or C-shaped sealing cover plate is oriented to the side wall of the hub cover(FIG. 1 of Freitag expressly shows the U-ring or C-shaped sealing element 34 arranged with its open end facing the stator side wall (hub cover side wall); stop plate 39 extends radially inward from stator plate 15a toward the hub interior, with the C-shaped opening of the sealing cover plate oriented directly toward the stator side wall of the hub cover).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to orient the opening of the L-shaped or C-shaped sealing cover plate toward the hub cover side wall as taught by Freitag, as this is the natural and intended orientation for a C-shaped seal to engage the hub cover wall and achieve effective sealing, producing predictable results.
Regarding claim 5/2, Urabe in view of Freitag teaches the hollow hub motor according to claim 2.
Urabe is silent wherein a groove is formed in an upper surface of the sealing member, and the pressurizing circular ring is embedded in the groove.
However, Freitag teaches wherein a groove is formed in an upper surface of the sealing member(Freitag states the sealing element 34 "may be press-fitted to the rotor shaft in a groove" and that attachment may be achieved "using a groove and/or using a clamping ring"; the main body 35 of the sealing element has a groove formed in its surface for retention), and the pressurizing circular ring is embedded in the groove(the clamping ring or spring ring is embedded within the groove formed in the upper surface of the sealing member, retaining it on the supporting portion of the inner ring).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to embed the pressurizing circular ring in a groove formed in the upper surface of the sealing member as taught by Freitag, as groove and ring retention is a standard and well-known method for securing sealing elements on a shaft, producing predictable results.
Regarding claim 6/2, Urabe in view of Freitag teaches the hollow hub motor according to claim 2.
Urabe teaches the bearing further comprises an outer ring and a rolling member(Para[0044], inner ring 30a and outer ring 30b of ball bearing-type first axle bearing 30, with ball rolling elements therebetween), the outer ring is matched with an inner side of the wheel rim(Para[0044], Para[0050], outer ring 30b is mounted to the inner circumferential surface of the second case member 34, which carries the wheel rim 121f via hub flanges 40a, 40b), the rolling member is sandwiched between the outer ring and the inner ring(Para[0044], ball rolling elements are sandwiched between inner ring 30a and outer ring 30b in the standard ball bearing configuration).
Urabe does not explicitly teach wherein the sealing cover plate covers one side of the outer ring and the rolling member and is matched with the outer side of the hub cover and inner side of the wheel rim to form the closed accommodating cavity.
Freitag teaches wherein the sealing cover plate covers one sides of the outer ring and the rolling member, and is matched with the outer side of the hub cover and the inner side of the wheel rim to form the closed accommodating cavity(stator plate 15a is positioned on one side of bearing 18a, covering the outer ring and rolling members; stator plate 15a is matched with the outer side of stator 14a (hub cover) and the inner side of rim 20a, together forming the closed motor compartment — the closed accommodating cavity).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to apply the sealing cover plate arrangement of Freitag to the hub motor of Urabe, as both references employ the same class of outer rotor hub motor and the combination of a sealing cover plate covering the bearing to form a closed accommodating cavity yields predictable results.
Regarding claim 7/6, Urabe in view of Freitag teaches the hollow hub motor according to claim 6.
Urabe teaches a plurality of rolling members are sandwiched between the outer ring and the inner ring(Para[0044], bearing 30 is a "ball bearing-type" bearing comprising a plurality of ball rolling elements between inner ring 30a and outer ring 30b), the rolling members are connected through a cage(Para[0044], ball bearing-type bearing 30 inherently comprises a cage retaining and connecting the ball rolling elements, as is standard in all ball bearing designs).
Urabe does not explicitly teach wherein the rolling member is made of metal or ceramic.
However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to use metal or ceramic rolling elements in the ball bearing of Urabe, as this is the universally known and standard material choice for rolling elements in hub motor bearing applications, producing predictable results.
Regarding claim 8/7, Urabe in view of Freitag teaches the hollow hub motor according to claim 7.
Urabe further teaches wherein two bearings are provided and symmetrically arranged on two sides of the hub cover(Para[0044], "An inner ring 30a of...a ball bearing-type first axle bearing 30...is mounted to the outer circumferential surface of the first cylindrical portion 36c" which is the first bearing on one side of the hub cover; Para[0051], "The second axle bearing 31 is mounted on an inner circumferential surface of the second boss portion 34b between the hub axle 15 and the second boss portion 34b" which is the second bearing on the opposite side; therefore the two bearings are symmetrically arranged on two sides of the hub cover).
Regarding claim 17/1, Urabe in view of Freitag teaches the hollow hub motor according to claim 1.
Urabe teaches the rotor comprises a magnetic mounting member and multiple groups of magnetic elements(Para[0039], motor 11 is a three-phase brushless DC motor; in a brushless DC motor the rotor inherently comprises a rotor core which is the magnetic mounting member, bearing multiple groups of permanent magnets which are the magnetic elements. This is inherent in any brushless DC motor rotor), the magnetic element is arranged on the inner side of the wheel rim through the magnetic mounting member(Para[0042], Para[0050], the rotor of motor 11 is housed within the second case member 34, which carries the wheel rim 121f via hub flanges 40a, 40b; the magnetic elements (permanent magnets on the rotor core) are thus arranged on the inner side of the wheel rim through the rotor core which is the magnetic mounting member), and the rotor and the stator are oppositely arranged(Para[0042]–[0043], the first case member 32 is non-rotatably coupled to the hub axle 15 (stator side) and the second case member 34 rotatably carries the rotor and wheel rim which the stator and rotor are thus oppositely arranged within the accommodating cavity of the motor case).
Regarding claim 19/1, Urabe in view of Freitag teaches the hollow hub motor according to claim 1.
Urabe in view of Freitag does not explicitly teach a ratio of an inner diameter to an outer diameter of the hollow hub cover is greater than or equal to 30%.
However, Urabe discloses Para[0042]–[0044], that the first case member 32,the hollow hub cover, has a defined inner diameter at the central bore through which hub axle 15 passes and a defined outer diameter at the first cylindrical portion 36c and second case member 34 interface. The hollow hub cover contains the motor control circuit 19 inside the first space 32c, which demonstrates a larger hollow interior relative to the outer diameter. Therefore, the inner hollow region of the hub cover represents a substantial fraction of the outer diameter that is inherently consistent with a ratio greater than or equal to 30%, as a hollow hub cover designed to house motor electronics must by necessity have a substantial inner bore relative to its outer dimension.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to design the hollow hub cover to have a ratio of an inner diameter to an outer diameter greater than or equal to 30%, as maximizing the hollow interior of the hub cover to house motor electronics and reduce weight is an expressly recognized design goal in Urabe (Para[0008]–[0009]), and the 30% ratio is an inherent and predictable geometric result of designing a hollow hub cover large enough to house the motor and control electronics.
Claim(s) 9-12, 15, and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over URABE(US2011303471A1) in view of FREITAG(WO2014108231A2) and further in view of JIN(CN102738921A).
Regarding claim 9/1, Urabe in view Freitag teaches the hollow hub motor according to claim 1.
Urabe is silent wherein a cooling channel is arranged in the hub cover, the stator comprises a winding bracket, and the cooling channel is located right below the winding bracket.
However, Jin teaches wherein a cooling channel is arranged in the hub cover(Jin teaches stator support body 6, which is constituting the hub cover, having water jacket axial grooves 26 forming a circulating cooling channel arranged within the stator support body), the stator comprises a winding bracket(the stator winding is wound on stator core 8, which is embedded in stator support body 6; the stator support front and rear end covers 7, 13 and support body 6 together constitute the winding bracket of the stator), and the cooling channel is located right below the winding bracket(the water jacket axial grooves 26 are positioned within the stator support body 6 directly adjacent to and below the stator core 8 on which the winding is wound, placing the cooling channel right below the winding bracket).
Jin is considered to be analogous to the claimed invention of Urabe in view of Freitag because they are in the same field of electric machines. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified Urabe to incorporate the cooling channel arrangement of Jin into the hub motor of Urabe to address the known problem of heat dissipation in hub motors, as providing a cooling channel below the winding bracket is a known technique for efficiently cooling stator windings producing predictable results.
Regarding claim 10/9, Urabe in view of Freitag and Jin teaches the hollow hub motor according to claim 9.
Urabe in view of Freitag is silent wherein a water inlet pipe and a water outlet pipe are fixed on the hub cover, the water inlet pipe is used for introducing a liquid into the cooling channel for cooling, and the water outlet pipe is used for discharging the liquid after cooling from the cooling channel.
However, Jin teaches wherein a water inlet pipe and a water outlet pipe are also fixed on the hub cover(Jin teaches that the stator support body 6 has axially extending bores 23 "respectively used for connecting water inlet pipe and return pipe," with the water inlet pipe and return pipe fixed on the stator support body (hub cover)), the water inlet pipe is used for introducing a liquid into the cooling channel for cooling(the water inlet pipe introduces coolant liquid into the water jacket axial grooves 26 for cooling the stator winding), and the water outlet pipe is used for discharging the liquid after cooling from the cooling channel(the return pipe discharges the coolant after it has circulated through the water jacket cooling channel).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to fix water inlet and outlet pipes on the hub cover as taught by Jin, as providing inlet and outlet pipes for a liquid cooling channel in the hub cover is a known and standard implementation for liquid-cooled hub motors producing predictable results.
Regarding claim 11/10, Urabe in view of Freitag and Jin teaches the hollow hub motor according to claim 10.
Urabe teaches the hub cover comprises a left cover body and a right cover body(Para[0042-0043], the first case member 32 comprises case main body 36 (left cover body) and cover member 38 (right cover body) fixed together by mounting bolts 37, forming the two-part hub cover).
Urabe in view of Freitag does not explicitly teach wherein one sides of the left cover body and the right cover body are respectively provided with a cooling groove, the two cooling grooves are oppositely arranged and matched to form the cooling channel, and the two cooling grooves are respectively communicated with the water inlet pipe and the water outlet pipe, although Urabe does expressly disclose the hub cover comprises a left cover body and a right cover body.
However, Jin teaches wherein one sides of the left cover body and the right cover body are respectively provided with a cooling groove(Front end cover 7 and rear end cap 13, the left and right cover bodies, each having water jacket axial grooves 26 on the facing surfaces), the two cooling grooves are oppositely arranged and matched to form the cooling channel("intake chamber and return flume are symmetrical structure", the two opposing grooves on the facing surfaces of the left and right cover bodies are oppositely arranged and matched together to form the complete cooling channel), and the two cooling grooves are respectively communicated with the water inlet pipe and the water outlet pipe(the intake groove on front end cover 7 communicates with the water inlet pipe, and the return groove on rear end cap 13 communicates with the return (outlet) pipe, with each cooling groove respectively communicated to its corresponding pipe).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to implement the two-part cover body with oppositely arranged cooling grooves forming a cooling channel as taught by CN'921 in the two-part hub cover of Urabe, as this is a known and efficient design for liquid-cooled hub motor housings producing predictable results.
Regarding claim 12/11, Urabe in view of Freitag and Jin teaches the hollow hub motor according to claim 11.
Urabe in view of Freitag is silent wherein a sealing gasket is arranged between the left cover body and the right cover body, the sealing gasket is used for blocking a liquid in the cooling groove, and a plurality of communication holes are arranged in the sealing gasket.
However, Jin teaches wherein a sealing gasket is arranged between the left cover body and the right cover body(a sealed connection between front end cover 7 (left cover body) and rear end cap 13 (right cover body) of the stator support, with a sealing interface between the two mating cover body surfaces to prevent coolant leakage), the sealing gasket is used for blocking a liquid in the cooling groove(the sealing interface between the two cover bodies prevents coolant from leaking out of the cooling grooves while the motor is in operation), and a plurality of communication holes are arranged in the sealing gasket(water jacket front and rear end through slots 27, 31, which function as a plurality of communication holes in the sealing gasket arrangement between the cover bodies, allowing coolant to pass between adjacent axial grooves to form the continuous cooling channel).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to arrange a sealing gasket with communication holes between the left and right cover bodies as taught by Jin, as providing a sealed interface with communication holes between mating cooling jacket cover bodies is a standard design practice in liquid-cooled motor housings producing predictable results.
Regarding claim 15/10, Urabe in view of Freitag and Jin teaches the hollow hub motor according to claim 10.
Urabe in view of Freitag is silent wherein the water inlet pipe is located on a side wall of one of the mounting seats of the left cover body, and the water outlet pipe is located on a side wall of one of the mounting seats of the right cover body.
However, Jin teaches wherein the water inlet pipe is located on a side wall of one of the mounting seats of the left cover body(axially extending bores 23 processed radially through the stator support body 6; the water inlet pipe is connected through a bore on one side of the stator support (front end cover 7 = the left cover body), with the bore located on the side wall of the mounting interface of the left cover body), and the water outlet pipe is located on a side wall of one of the mounting seats of the right cover body(the return (outlet) pipe is connected through a bore on the opposing side of the stator support (rear end cap 13 = the right cover body), with the bore located on the side wall of the mounting interface of the right cover body, placing the water outlet pipe on the side wall of one of the mounting seats of the right cover body).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to route the water inlet pipe through the side wall of the mounting seat of the left cover body and the water outlet pipe through the side wall of the mounting seat of the right cover body as taught by Jin, as this placement enables efficient coolant routing through the structural mounting interfaces of the two-part hub cover, producing predictable results.
Regarding claim 18/11, Urabe in view of Freitag and Jin teaches the hollow hub motor according to claim 11.
Urabe does not explicitly teach wherein an embedding groove for mounting the winding bracket is formed by matching the left cover body with the right cover body.
However, Jin teaches wherein an embedding groove for mounting the winding bracket is arranged in the hub cover(Jin discloses that "the outer circle of the stator support is embedded into the inner bore of a stator core" which the hub cover defines an embedding groove into which the stator core (winding bracket) is received and mounted), and the embedding groove is formed by matching the left cover body with the right cover body(the embedding groove is defined by the inner bore formed when front end cover 7 (left cover body) and rear end cap 13 (right cover body) are matched together. The combined inner bore of the two matched cover bodies forms the embedding groove that receives and mounts the stator core (winding bracket)).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to form an embedding groove for the winding bracket by matching the left and right cover bodies as taught by Jin in the two-part hub cover structure of Urabe, as forming a winding bracket receiving groove by assembling two mating cover body halves is a direct and predictable consequence of the two-part hub cover structure.
Claim(s) 13-14 and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over URABE(US2011303471A1) in view of FREITAG(WO2014108231A2) and further in view of KARIA(WO2017122226A1).
Regarding claim 13/8, Urabe in view of Freitag teaches the hollow hub motor according to claim 8.
Urabe in view of Freitag does not explicitly teach wherein the supporting frame comprises two symmetrically arranged V-shaped frames, the left cover body and the right cover body are both provided with two mounting seats, and the two mounting seats are used for fixing one ends of the V-shaped frames.
However, Karia teaches wherein the supporting frame comprises two symmetrically arranged V-shaped frames(Karia teaches a hub motor mounted to a vehicle by two telescopic shock absorber arms (TSA 13a, 13b) extending symmetrically from either side of the wheel hub, forming two symmetrically arranged V-shaped fork arms that constitute the supporting frame), the left cover body and the right cover body are both provided with two mounting seats(fixed mounting interfaces T-plate 11 and C-clamp 12, on both the left side and the right side of the hub motor structure, providing two fixed connection points on each side of the hub cover, constitute two mounting seats on each of the left and right cover bodies), and the two mounting seats are used for fixing one ends of the V-shaped frames(the T-plate 11 and C-clamp 12 mounting seat interfaces on each side of the hub cover are used to fix the ends of the V-shaped fork arms (TSA 13a, 13b) to the hub motor structure).
Karia is considered to be analogous to the claimed invention of Urabe in view of Freitag because they are in the same field of electric machines. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified Urabe in view of Freitag to implement V-shaped frames with mounting seats on the left and right cover bodies as taught by Karia in the hub motor, since the use of symmetrical V-shaped fork arms fixed to mounting seats on each side of the hub cover is a known and standard vehicle hub motor mounting arrangement providing symmetrical structural support, producing predictable results.
Regarding claim 14/13, Urabe in view of Freitag and Karia teaches the hollow hub motor according to claim 13.
Urabe in view of Freitag is silent wherein a cushion block is arranged between the hub cover and the V-shaped frame, and the cushion block is used for connecting the V-shaped frame and the hub cover.
However, Karia teaches wherein a cushion block is arranged between the hub cover and the V-shaped frame(T-plate 11 and C-clamp 12 bolted assembly at the interface between the hub motor hollow shaft/hub cover and the V-shaped fork arm (TSA), providing an intermediate connecting element positioned between the hub cover structure and the V-shaped supporting frame), and the cushion block is used for connecting the V-shaped frame and the hub cover(the T-plate and C-clamp intermediate connecting element is used to connect and secure the V-shaped fork arm to the hub cover structure, with the cushion block representing a standard design element for reducing vibration transmission between the hub motor and the vehicle frame).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to incorporate a cushion block between the hub cover and the V-shaped frame as taught in view of Karia, as the use of elastomeric vibration-damping mounts between a hub motor and its vehicle frame mounting structure is a conventional and well-known technique for vibration isolation in vehicle hub motor assemblies. See KSR Int'l Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 416 (2007).
Regarding claim 16/13, Urabe in view of Freitag and Karia teaches the hollow hub motor according to claim 13.
Urabe does not explicitly teach wherein a brake ring is provided on the wheel rim and a brake caliper is fixed on one of the V-shaped frames between the V-shaped frame and the side wall of the hub cover, and matched with the brake ring.
However, Karia teaches wherein one side of the wheel rim is provided with a brake ring(wheel rim having a braking interface at which brake shoe pads 16 engage, the wheel rim thus has a brake ring on one side against which the brake assembly operates), a brake caliper is fixed on one of the V-shaped frames(brake shoe cover plate 17 with brake shoe pads 16 operated by brake lever 17a, with the brake assembly fixed on the fork arm structure (V-shaped frame) via left cover plate 9b which has cavity 15 for the brake pads), the brake caliper is located between the V-shaped frame and the side wall of the hub cover(Discloses that the brake assembly is positioned between the cover plate which constitutes the hub cover side wall and the fork arm (V-shaped frame)), and a brake assembly is matched with the brake ring(the brake shoe pads 16 of the brake assembly engage and match with the braking interface (brake ring) on the wheel rim to effect braking).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to implement the brake ring, brake caliper, and V-shaped frame arrangement of Karia in the hub motor system of Urabe in view of Freitag, as integrating a braking assembly with the wheel rim hub motor in the manner taught by Karia is a conventional design practice in hub motor vehicles producing predictable results.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MOHAMMED QURESHI whose telephone number is (571)-272-8310. The examiner can normally be reached on 8:30 AM - 6:00 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Tulsidas Patel can be reached on 571-272-2098. 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://pairdirect. 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).
/MOHAMMED AHMED QURESHI/ Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/TULSIDAS C PATEL/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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