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 .
This Office Action is in response to papers filed on 6/4/2026. Amendments made to the claims and the Applicant's remarks have been entered and considered.
Claim 1 has been amended. Claim 2 is cancelled.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 6/4/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
The Applicant argued that Aoki teaches heat exchange between the auxiliary partition wall 22 having heat exchange fins 23 and the capacitor 5 by air flowing through the gap, which is different from the feature of "the field capacitor directly abutting the heat sink", i.e., no gap between the field capacitor and the heat sink existed for air flowing as recited in amended claim 1 of the present application.
This argument is not persuasive because Aoki describes that capacitor 5 is on a surface side of the flow chamber 6 on the opposite side of the partition wall 22. Aoki shows the fins 23 are formed on the wall 22 of the flow chamber 6 such that the flow chamber 6 is itself a heat sink for the capacitor 5 including the fins 23 formed thereon (FIG. 5, para [0024]). The capacitor 5 directly abuts the flow chamber 6 which is a heat sink transferring heat through the fins 23. The claimed feature is also known as shown by Nishikawa which describes a capacitor abutting a heat sink (Nishikawa et al. US 2018/0183294 A1 para [0036]).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Aoki et al. (US 2009/0243443 A1, hereinafter Aoki).
As to claim 1, Aoki shows (FIG. 1, 4, 5) An electric drive unit comprising:
a housing 2 assembly that defines a capacitor cavity Rc and a first output shaft bore A1;
a motor MG1 received in the housing assembly 2;
a transmission 15 received in the housing assembly 2, the transmission 15 being driven by the motor;
a first output shaft Do driven by the transmission 15 , the first output shaft DFo extending through the output shaft bore A3; and
an inverter 4 housed in the housing assembly 2 and being electrically coupled to the motor MG1, the inverter 4 including a field capacitor 5 that is received in the capacitor cavity Rc;
wherein the housing assembly 2 includes a heat sink 23 that is disposed in the capacitor cavity Rc, the heat sink 23 being configured to receive heat that is rejected from the field capacitor 5
wherein the field capacitor 5 directly abuts the heat sink 23 (rotary electric machine MG1 includes a motor para [0030]; R1 houses differential DF and the gear mechanism 14, the transmission 15 is between them para [0018]; Rc para [0020], bore of A3 holds output shaft Do, capacitor 5 is on a surface side of the flow chamber 6 including the heat exchange fin 23 para [0024]).
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Aoki et al. (US 2009/0243443 A1, hereinafter Aoki) in view of Spearman (US 2013/0207490 A1).
As to claim 3/1, Aoki was discussed above with respect to claim 1 except for a thermally conductive paste is disposed between the field capacitor and the heat sink.
Spearman shows (FIG. 8) for a thermally conductive paste is disposed between the field capacitor 204 and the heat sink 29 (para [0037]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the capacitor 5 of Aoki to have a thermally conductive paste is disposed between the field capacitor 5 and the heat sink 23 as taught by Spearman, for the advantageous benefit of cooling the field capacitor 5 as taught by Spearman (para [0037]).
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Aoki et al. (US 2009/0243443 A1, hereinafter Aoki) in view of Ziech (US 2020/0300346 A1).
As to claim 4/1, Aoki further shows (FIG. 1, 4):
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a differential assembly DF received in the housing assembly 2, the differential assembly DF having a differential input member N15, which is coupled to a transmission output member N14 of the transmission 15 for rotation therewith, and a differential output member A3; and
wherein the first output shaft DFo is coupled to a first one of the differential output members A3 for rotation therewith (DFo is differential output shaft para [0017]; R1 houses differential DF para [0018]).
Aoki does not show:
a second differential output member;
a second output shaft; and
the second output shaft is coupled to a second one of the differential output members for rotation therewith.
Ziech shows (FIG. 1):
a second differential output member 42;
a second output shaft 20; and
the second output shaft 20 is coupled to a second one of the differential output members 42 for rotation therewith.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the differential of Aoki to have:
a second differential output member 42;
a second output shaft 20; and
the second output shaft 20 is coupled to a second one of the differential output members 42 for rotation therewith
as taught by Ziech, for the advantageous benefit of powering two wheels as taught by Ziech (para [0022]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The additional cited references each show claimed elements such as Nishikawa et al. (US 2018/0183294 A1, para [0036]).
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 ROBERT E MATES whose telephone number is (571)270-5293. The examiner can normally be reached M to F 12:00pm to 8pm.
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/ROBERT E MATES/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/TULSIDAS C PATEL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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