CTNF 18/788,506 CTNF 97316 DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia 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 Amendment The preliminary amendment to the claims dated 7/30/2024 is acknowledged. Claim 7 was amended and new claims 8-12 were added. Drawings The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “two bearings supporting the rotor shaft” of claims 7-12 must be shown or the features canceled from the claims. No new matter should be entered. 06-22 Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance. Claim Objections 07-29-01 AIA Claim s 7-12 objected to because of the following informalities: In claims 7-12 it appears that the phrase “a stator having a cylindrical rotor core” should instead be “a stator having a cylindrical stator core.” For examination purposes, the claims shall be interpreted to mean “a stator having a cylindrical stator core.” Appropriate correction is required. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 07-30-02 AIA 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. 07-34-01 Claims 1-12 are 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 1 recites the limitation "each magnetic pole" in lines 3-4. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claims 2-12 are also rejected for at least the same reasons due to their dependence on claim 1. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 07-06 AIA 15-10-15 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. 07-07-aia AIA 07-07 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 – 07-08-aia AIA (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. 07-12-aia AIA (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. 07-15 AIA Claim s 1, 3-7, and 9-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102( a)(1)/(a)(2 ) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent No. 4,327,302 to Hershberger (cited by Applicant on 7/30/2024) . Regarding claim 1, Hershberger teaches an interior permanent-magnet rotor (FIG. 10, 43) comprising: a rotor shaft (FIG. 10, 155) extending in a direction of a rotation axis; a plurality of permanent magnets (FIG. 8; 89, 91) at least one of which is provided at each magnetic pole; and a rotor core (FIG. 8; 49, 53) attached to a radially outer side of the rotor shaft and formed with a plurality of permanent magnet housing holes (FIG. 8, portion between 49 and 53) for storing the plurality of permanent magnets, respectively, wherein: each of the permanent magnet housing holes has an opening part (FIG. 8, 135) in communication with a radially outer side of the rotor core and sandwiched between an opening-part circumferentially inner-side tip (FIG. 8, portion opposing 141, 143) and an opening-part circumferentially outer-side tip (FIG. 8; 141, 143) of the rotor core; and the rotor core has a relaxing part (FIG. 8; 135, 141, 143) formed with shapes of the opening-part circumferentially inner-side tip and the opening-part circumferentially outer-side tip to relax a rapid change in a circumferential direction in magnetic reluctance with respect to a magnetic flux penetrating into the rotor core from the radially outer side of the rotor core (FIG. 8; incline in 141, 143 results in a gradual change in magnetic reluctance before gap 135 in circumferential direction). Regarding claim 3, Hershberger teaches the interior permanent-magnet rotor according to claim 1, wherein: the relaxing part has an inner-side tip extension wall where the opening-part circumferentially inner-side tip faces the opening part (FIG. 8, portion opposing 141, 143), and an outer-side tip facing wall where the opening-part circumferentially outer-side tip faces the opening part (FIG. 8; 141, 143); and a virtual plane located at a center between the inner-side tip extension wall and the outer-side tip facing wall is formed to have an angle with respect to a virtual plane including a center of the opening part and the rotation axis (see annotated FIG. 11). PNG media_image1.png 331 492 media_image1.png Greyscale Regarding claim 4, Hershberger teaches the interior permanent-magnet rotor according to claim 1, wherein the relaxing part has an outer-side tip inner surface inclined wall formed at an outer-side tip inner wall of the opening-part circumferentially outer-side tip (FIG. 8; 141, 143). Regarding claim 5, Hershberger teaches the interior permanent-magnet rotor according to claim 1, wherein the relaxing part has an outer-side tip outer surface inclined wall formed at an outer-side tip outer wall of the opening-part circumferentially outer-side tip (FIG. 8; 141, 143). Regarding claim 6, Hershberger teaches the interior permanent-magnet rotor according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of permanent magnets include two permanent magnets (FIG. 8; 89, 91) arranged side by side in a circumferential direction and facing each other at each magnetic pole. Regarding claim 7, Hershberger teaches an interior permanent-magnet rotating electric machine (FIG. 18, 45) comprising: the interior permanent-magnet rotor according to claim 1; a stator (FIG. 18, 163) having a cylindrical stator core (FIG. 13, 163) arranged to surround a radially outer side of the rotor core, and a stator winding (FIG. 14, 173) passing through an inside of a plurality of stator slots (FIG. 14, 165) formed on an inner circumferential surface of the stator core and wound around the stator core; and two bearings (FIG. 18; 237, 239) supporting the rotor shaft. Regarding claim 9, Hershberger teaches an interior permanent-magnet rotating electric machine (FIG. 18, 45) comprising: the interior permanent-magnet rotor according to claim 3; a stator (FIG. 18, 163) having a cylindrical stator core (FIG. 13, 163) arranged to surround a radially outer side of the rotor core, and a stator winding (FIG. 14, 173) passing through an inside of a plurality of stator slots (FIG. 14, 165) formed on an inner circumferential surface of the stator core and wound around the stator core; and two bearings (FIG. 18; 237, 239) supporting the rotor shaft. Regarding claim 10, Hershberger teaches an interior permanent-magnet rotating electric machine (FIG. 18, 45) comprising: the interior permanent-magnet rotor according to claim 4; a stator (FIG. 18, 163) having a cylindrical stator core (FIG. 13, 163) arranged to surround a radially outer side of the rotor core, and a stator winding (FIG. 14, 173) passing through an inside of a plurality of stator slots (FIG. 14, 165) formed on an inner circumferential surface of the stator core and wound around the stator core; and two bearings (FIG. 18; 237, 239) supporting the rotor shaft. Regarding claim 11, Hershberger teaches an interior permanent-magnet rotating electric machine (FIG. 18, 45) comprising: the interior permanent-magnet rotor according to claim 5; a stator (FIG. 18, 163) having a cylindrical stator core (FIG. 13, 163) arranged to surround a radially outer side of the rotor core, and a stator winding (FIG. 14, 173) passing through an inside of a plurality of stator slots (FIG. 14, 165) formed on an inner circumferential surface of the stator core and wound around the stator core; and two bearings (FIG. 18; 237, 239) supporting the rotor shaft. Regarding claim 12, Hershberger teaches an interior permanent-magnet rotating electric machine (FIG. 18, 45) comprising: the interior permanent-magnet rotor according to claim 6; a stator (FIG. 18, 163) having a cylindrical stator core (FIG. 13, 163) arranged to surround a radially outer side of the rotor core, and a stator winding (FIG. 14, 173) passing through an inside of a plurality of stator slots (FIG. 14, 165) formed on an inner circumferential surface of the stator core and wound around the stator core; and two bearings (FIG. 18; 237, 239) supporting the rotor shaft . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-20-aia AIA 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. 07-21-aia AIA Claim s 2 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hershberger in view of U.S. Patent No. 6,392,324 to Kuwahara (cited by Applicant on 7/30/2024) . Regarding claim 2, Hershberger teaches the interior permanent-magnet rotor according to claim 1. Hershberger does not teach a first surface where the opening-part circumferentially inner-side tip faces the opening part and a second surface where the opening-part circumferentially outer-side tip faces the opening part are formed parallel to each other. However, Kuwahara teaches a first surface (FIG. 17, 18a, left side of gap D) faces the opening part and a second surface where the opening-part circumferentially outer-side tip faces the opening part (FIG. 17, 18a, right side of gap D) are formed parallel to each other (Column 16 lines 31-39). Therefore, 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 interior permanent-magnet rotor of Hershberger by providing the parallel first and second surfaces facing the opening part as taught by Kuwahara as the arrangement could result in a reduced cogging torque and more stable rotation at higher speeds (Kuwahara Column 17 lines 18-34). Regarding claim 8, Hershberger in view of Kuwahara teaches an interior permanent-magnet rotating electric machine (Hershberger FIG. 18, 45) comprising: the interior permanent-magnet rotor according to claim 6; wherein Hershberger further teaches a stator (FIG. 18, 163) having a cylindrical stator core (FIG. 13, 163) arranged to surround a radially outer side of the rotor core, and a stator winding (FIG. 14, 173) passing through an inside of a plurality of stator slots (FIG. 14, 165) formed on an inner circumferential surface of the stator core and wound around the stator core; and two bearings (FIG. 18; 237, 239) supporting the rotor shaft. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOSHUA KIEL MIGUEL RODRIGUEZ whose telephone number is (571)272-9881. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9:30am - 7:00pm ET. 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If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /JOSHUA KIEL M RODRIGUEZ/Examiner, Art Unit 2834 Application/Control Number: 18/788,506 Page 2 Art Unit: 2834 Application/Control Number: 18/788,506 Page 3 Art Unit: 2834 Application/Control Number: 18/788,506 Page 4 Art Unit: 2834 Application/Control Number: 18/788,506 Page 5 Art Unit: 2834 Application/Control Number: 18/788,506 Page 6 Art Unit: 2834 Application/Control Number: 18/788,506 Page 7 Art Unit: 2834 Application/Control Number: 18/788,506 Page 8 Art Unit: 2834 Application/Control Number: 18/788,506 Page 9 Art Unit: 2834 Application/Control Number: 18/788,506 Page 10 Art Unit: 2834
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