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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 12/17/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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.
Claim(s) 1-6 and 8-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Bradfield et al. (US 2022/0239170; IDS).
In claim 1, Bradfield discloses (Fig. 1-9) a stator (26) for a motor (10), the stator (26) comprising: an iron core (28) having at least one lamination unit (39, 41) disposed in an axial direction of the stator (26), said at least one lamination unit (39, 41) having at least one cavity channel (44, 48, 72, 73, 83) formed therein, said at least one lamination unit (39, 41) for each of said at least one cavity channel (44, 48, 72, 73, 83) having an inlet (22) and an outlet (24) formed on outer surfaces of said at least one lamination unit (39, 41) and being in communication with a respective one of said at least one cavity channel (44, 48, 72, 73, 83), and in the axial direction of the stator (26), said outlet (22) and said inlet (24) have a height difference.
In claim 2, Bradfield discloses wherein said inlet (22) and outlet (24) that are in communication with a same said at least one cavity channel (44, 48, 72, 73, 83) are respectively formed on said outer surfaces on different sides of said at least one lamination unit (39, 41).
In claim 3, Bradfield discloses wherein said at least one lamination unit (39, 41) contains a plurality of laminations ([0020]), each of said laminations having a hole portion (71) formed therein, and said hole portion (71) is suitable for forming a part of said at least one cavity channel (44, 48, 72, 73, 83).
In claim 4, Bradfield discloses wherein said at least one lamination unit (39, 41) contains a plurality of laminations ([0020]) in a same shape, wherein said plurality of laminations sequentially rotate by a preset angle ([0020]) to stack into said at least one lamination unit (39, 41), in each of said laminations is a plurality of hole portions (71) being formed therein in a circumferential direction of the stator (26), and said plurality of hole portions (71) respectively formed in every two adjacent said laminations are penetrated in the axial direction of the stator (26), to form a plurality of cavity channels (44, 48, 72, 73, 83).
In claim 5, Bradfield discloses wherein: said at least one lamination unit (39, 41) contains laminations including a first lamination (39), a second lamination (41), a third lamination (respective 39), and a fourth lamination (respective 41) that are sequentially disposed in the axial direction of the stator (26); said laminations have a first hole (71; hereinforth ref 71a), a second hole (respective 71; hereinforth ref 71b), a third hole (other respective 71; hereinforth ref 71c), and a fourth hole (another respective 71; hereinforth ref 71d) formed therein and are sequentially disposed in a circumferential direction of the stator (26); said at least one cavity channel contains (44, 48, 72, 73, 83) a first cavity channel (hereinforth ref C1), a second cavity channel (hereinforth ref C2), a third cavity channel (hereinforth ref C3), and a fourth cavity channel (hereinforth ref C4); every two of said first hole (71a) of said first lamination (39), said second hole (71b) of said second lamination (41), said third hole (71c) of said third lamination (respective 39), and said fourth hole (71d) of said fourth lamination (respective 41) are penetrated in the axial direction of the stator (26) to form said first cavity channel (C1); every two of said second hole (71b) of said first lamination (39), said third hole (71c) of said second lamination (41), said fourth hole (71d) of said third lamination (respective 39), and said first hole (71a) of said fourth lamination (respective 41) are penetrated in the axial direction of the stator (26) to form said second cavity channel (C2); every two of said third hole (71c) of said first lamination (39), said fourth hole (71d) of said second lamination (41), said first hole (71a) of said third lamination (respective 39), and said second hole (71b) of said fourth lamination (respective 41) are penetrated in the axial direction of the stator (26) to form said third cavity channel (C3); and every two of said fourth hole (71d) of said first lamination (39), said first hole (71a) of said second lamination (41), said second hole (71b) of said third lamination (respective 39), and said third hole (71c) of said fourth lamination (respective 41) are in communication in the axial direction of the stator (26) to form said fourth cavity channel (C4).
In claim 6, Bradfield discloses wherein for each of said cavity channels (44, 48, 72, 73, 83), projections of said hole portions (71) formed in adjacent said laminations (39, 41) and suitable for forming a cavity channel (44, 48, 72, 73, 83) at least partially overlap in the axial direction of the stator (26).
In claim 8, Bradfield discloses wherein in the axial direction of the stator (26), said projections of said hole portions (71) that are formed in each of said laminations ([0020]) contained in said at least one lamination unit (39, 41) and that are suitable for forming a same cavity channel deflect clockwise or anticlockwise in the axial direction of the stator (26).
In claim 9, Bradfield discloses wherein: said at least one lamination unit (39, 41) is one of a plurality of lamination units ([0020]); and for said lamination units (39, 41) other than first and last lamination units (39, 41) among said plurality of lamination units (39, 41), said hole portions (71) formed in said first and last laminations in said lamination unit (39, 41) are in communication with edges of respective said laminations where said hole portions (71) are located (based on inherent property of rotated elements; [0020]).
In claim 10, Bradfield discloses wherein a number of said plurality of laminations contained in said at least lamination unit (39, 41) is related to a size of said hole portions (71) formed in each of said laminations and an overlapping area of said hole portions (71) formed in adjacent said laminations in the axial direction of the stator (26).
In claim 11, Bradfield discloses wherein said at least one cavity channel (44, 48, 72, 73, 83) contains at least one channel group (44, 48, 72, 73) disposed in a circumferential direction of the stator, wherein said at least one channel group (44, 48, 72, 73) contains at least one first channel (44, 72) disposed in the axial direction of the stator (26).
In claim 12, Bradfield discloses wherein said at least one channel group (72, 73, 83) includes a first channel group (44, 48, 72, 73) and a second channel group (respective 44, 48, 72, 73), and in the axial direction of the stator (26), said second channel group (respective 44, 48, 72, 73) and said first channel group (44, 48, 72, 73) have a height difference, wherein said outlet (24) in communication with each said first channel (44, 72) in said first channel group (44, 48, 72, 73) and said inlet (22) in communication with each said first channel (44, 72) in said second channel group (respective 44, 48, 72, 73) are disposed on an outer surface of a same side of said at least one lamination unit (39, 41).
In claim 13, Bradfield discloses wherein: said at least one first channel (44, 72) is one of a plurality of first channels (44, 72); and said at least one cavity channel (44, 48, 72, 73, 83) further comprises second channels (48, 73), and at least some adjacent first channels (44, 72) of said plurality of first channels (44, 72) are in communication with each other through said second channels (48, 73).
In claim 14, Bradfield discloses a motor (10), comprising: the stator (26) according to claim 1.
In claim 15, Bradfield discloses a household appliance, comprising: a housing (14); and the motor (10) according to claim 14, said motor (10) disposed in said housing (14).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 7 is 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The cited prior art taken singularly or in combination fails to anticipate or fairly suggest the limitation of the (in)dependent claim(s), in such a manner that a rejection under 35 U.S.C. 102 or 103 would be proper. The prior art fails to teach a combination of all the features as presented in the (in)dependent claim(s) with the allowable feature being:
Claim 7: “wherein said projections of said hole portions formed in at least two adjacent said laminations completely overlap in the axial direction of the stator.”
The examiner found no prior art satisfies all above conditions by itself or as combined during the examination period.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Bradfield et al. (US 2020/0227977) teaches an electric machine including a stator formed from a plurality of stator laminations arranged in a first lamination group and a second lamination group that is circumferentially off-set from the first lamination group.
Chong et al. (US 2014/0361649) teaches a laminated core for an electrical machine, including: a plurality of laminations configured to define a channel in a surface of the laminated core for the flow of a cooling fluid.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RASHAD H JOHNSON whose telephone number is (571)272-1231. The examiner can normally be reached 9:30am-5pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Christopher Koehler can be reached at 571-272-3560. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
RASHAD H. JOHNSON
Examiner
Art Unit 2834
/RASHAD H JOHNSON/Examiner, Art Unit 2834