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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 07/7/2024, 11/11/2024, 01/14/2025, 08/14/2025, 01/15/2026 and 03/16/2026 are 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
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) 1-9 and 13-15, 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ramu (US PG Pub 2005/0151437).
As to independent claim 1, Ramu teaches an electric machine (500) comprising: a housing (see annotated figure 5A); a radial motor (501, 502) located inside the housing (see annotated figure 5A), the radial motor (501, 502) configured to produce a radial flux in a first direction, wherein the radial flux influences a radial motor magnetic unit (502) to produce a first torque on a rotor arm attached to a common motor shaft (511); a first axial motor (503, 504) located on a first side of the radial motor (501, 502) inside the housing (see annotated figure 5A) and inside the radial motor (501, 502), wherein the first axial motor (503, 504) is configured to produce a first axial flux in a second direction, wherein the first axial flux influences a first axial motor magnetic unit (504) to produce a second torque on the rotor arm attached to the common motor shaft (511); a second axial motor (507, 508) located on a second, opposing side of the radial motor inside the housing (see annotated figure 5A) and inside the radial motor (501, 502), wherein the second axial motor (507, 508) is configured to produce a second axial flux in a third direction, wherein the second axial flux influences a second axial motor magnetic unit (508) to produce a third torque on the rotor arm attached to the common motor shaft (511); and a controller configured to independently control at least one of the first torque, the second torque, and the third torque (see paragraph [0062, 0074, 0086, 0108]).
As to claims 2/1 and 15/14, Ramu teaches wherein the controller controls d-axis current or q-axis current applied to at least one of the radial motor( 501, 502), the first axial motor (503, 504), or the second axial motor (507, 508), or a combination thereof to reduce torque oscillation on the common motor shaft (511) (see paragraph [0108]).
As to claims 3/1 and 2013, Ramu teaches wherein the radial motor (501, 502) comprises an induction motor as shown in figure 5A, (see paragraph [0139], [0146]).
As to claim 4/1, Ramu teaches wherein the radial motor (501,502) comprise of a wound-field synchronous motor as shown in figure 5A, 6A, (see paragraph [0083-0084], [0109-0110]).
As to claim 5/1, Ramu teaches wherein the radial motor (501, 502) comprises of a DC motor (see paragraph [0109]).
As to claim 6/1, Ramu teaches wherein the radial motor (501, 502) comprises of a universal motor (see paragraph [0085], [0090], [0142].
As to claim 7/1, Ramu teaches wherein the radial motor (501, 502) comprises of a reluctance motor (see paragraph [0013-0014], [0084], [0088]).
As to claim 8/1, Ramu teaches wherein the first axial motor (503, 504) and the second axial motor (507, 508) comprises an induction motor (see paragraph [[0139], [0146]).
As to claim 9/1, Ramu teaches wherein the second direction and the third direction are a same direction as shown n figure 5A.
As to independent claim 13, Ramu teaches a method of generating torque on a common motor shaft (511) for a propulsion system, the method comprising: receiving a first current at a radial motor (501, 502) having a rotor arm attached to the common motor shaft (511), wherein the radial motor (501, 502) is positioned in a housing (see annotated figure 5A) ; producing radial flux in a first direction in response to the first current; generating a first torque on the rotor arm based on the radial flux interacting with a first magnetic unit (502); receiving a second current at a first axial motor (503, 504) positioned on a first side of the radial motor (501, 502) inside the housing (see annotated figure 5A) and inside the radial motor (501, 502); producing first axial flux in a second direction; generating, based on the first axial flux interacting with a first axial motor magnetic unit (504), a second torque on the rotor arm; receiving a third current at a second axial motor (507, 508) positioned on a second, opposing side of the radial motor (501, 502) inside the housing (see annotated figure 1) and inside the radial motor (501, 502) ; producing second axial flux in a third direction; and generating, based on the second axial flux interacting with a second axial motor magnetic unit (508) , a third torque on the rotor arm as shown in figure 5A.
As to claim 14/13, Ramu teaches wherein the first current comprises a first set of d-axis and q-axis currents applied to the radial motor (501, 502), the second current comprises a second set of d-axis and q-axis currents applied to the first axial motor (503, 504) , and the third current comprises a third set of d-axis and q-axis currents applied to the second axial motor (507, 508) as shown in figure 5A, and (see paragraph [0108]).
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)10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ramu (US PG Pub 2005/0151437) as applied in claim 1 above, and further in view of Yin (CN106100271).
As to claim 10/1, Ramu teaches the claimed limitation as discussed above except wherein the housing is mounted in a vehicle, vessel, or aircraft.
However Yin teaches the housing (8) is mounted in a vehicle, vessel, or aircraft (see abstract) and as shown in figures 1-2, for the advantageous benefit of providing an adjustable magnetic motor of new axial and radial magnetic flux.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify Ramu by using the housing is mounted in a vehicle, vessel, or aircraft, as taught by Yin, to provide an adjustable magnetic motor of new axial and radial magnetic flux.
Claim(s)11, 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ramu (US PG Pub 2005/0151437) as applied in claims 1 and 13 above, and further in view of Kobayashi (DE112015003310).
As to claims 11/1 and 18/13, Ramu teaches the claimed limitation as discussed above except further comprising a propellor affixed to the common motor shaft.
However Kobayashi teaches a propellor (110) affixed to the common motor shaft (137) as shown in figure 14, for the advantageous benefit of providing a motorized aircraft capable of ensuring safety while preventing an increase in the overall weight of a drive system, and a method of determining the power and the number of electric motors to provide in the motorized aircraft.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify Ramu by using a propellor affixed to the common motor shaft, as taught by Kobayashi, to provide a motorized aircraft capable of ensuring safety while preventing an increase in the overall weight of a drive system, and a method of determining the power and the number of electric motors to provide in the motorized aircraft.
Claim(s) 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ramu (US PG Pub 2005/0151437) as applied in claim 13 above, and further in view of in view of Balogh et al. (8,682,516).
As to claims 16/13, Ramu teaches the claimed limitation as discussed above except further comprising operating the propulsion system in a boost mode by: setting the first current at a first maximum value; setting the second current at a second maximum value; and setting the third current at a third maximum value.
However Balogh et al. teaches the propulsion system in a boost mode by: setting the first current at a first maximum value; setting the second current at a second maximum value; and setting the third current at a third maximum value (see abstract and see column 5, lines 53-58 and column 7, lines 1-8, for the advantageous benefit of providing the added power to the marine propulsor.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify Ramu by using operating the propulsion system in a boost mode by: setting the first current at a first maximum value; setting the second current at a second maximum value; and setting the third current at a third maximum value, as taught by Yin, to provide the added power to the marine propulsor.
Claim(s) 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ramu (US PG Pub 2005/0151437) as applied in claim 13 above, and further in view of in view of Jones et al. (4,393,338).
As to claim 17/13, Ramu teaches the claimed limitation as discussed above except further comprising selectively reducing at least one of the first current, the second current, the third current, or a combination thereof to operate the propulsion system in a coast mode.
However Jones et al. teaches reducing at least one of the first current, the second current, the third current, or a combination thereof to operate the propulsion system in a coast mode (see column 4, lines 52-68, column 5, lines 1-5), for the advantageous benefit of improving the desired current balancing in both the motor mode and the brake mode of operation.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to modify Ramu by using selectively reducing at least one of the first current, the second current, the third current, or a combination thereof to operate the propulsion system in a coast mode, as taught by Jones et al., to provide the added power to the marine propulsor.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 12, and 19 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOSE A GONZALEZ QUINONES whose telephone number is (571)270-7850. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday: 6:30-2:30 EST.
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/JOSE A GONZALEZ QUINONES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834 April 1, 2026
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