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 § 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamakage (US 11670983), and in view of Okuma (JP 2023128379), Yim (US 20200355405), Takayama (DE 102020124743), and Sasaki (DE 112017000894).
As to claim 1, Yamakage discloses an electric compressor comprising: a rotary shaft (Fig. 1); a compression part that is driven by rotation of the rotary shaft to compress fluid (Fig. 1); a motor that rotates the rotary shaft (Fig. 1); an inverter that has an inverter circuit configured to drive the motor (Fig. 1); an inverter housing in which the inverter is accommodated (Fig. 1); a motor housing and in which the motor is accommodated (Fig. 1); a compression part (Fig. 1); a conductive pin that is inserted into a first through hole formed in a bottom wall of the motor housing (Fig. 1), the conductive pin being held by the first through hole and electrically connected to the motor (Fig. 1); an inverter terminal that is disposed inside the inverter housing and electrically connected to the inverter circuit (Fig. 1); and an electrical connecting member through which the conductive pin is electrically connected to the inverter terminal (“Further, the motor-driven compressor 10 includes a connector 35 accommodated in the inverter accommodation chamber 14a. The connector 35 includes one or more busbars and a resin case 40. The busbars are electrically connected to the circuit board 31”), wherein the electrical connecting member has a busbar, a first terminal, a second terminal, and a case (“Further, the motor-driven compressor 10 includes a connector 35 accommodated in the inverter accommodation chamber 14a. The connector 35 includes one or more busbars and a resin case 40. The busbars are electrically connected to the circuit board 31”), the busbar has a plate shape (“the case 40 includes an input busbar cover 43 that closes the openings of the two input busbar accommodation recesses 42. The cover 43 includes a cover end wall 43a and a cover peripheral wall 43b. The cover end wall 43a is plate-like”), the first terminal is disposed at one end portion of the busbar and the conductive pin is connected to the first terminal outside the motor housing (Fig. 2), the second terminal is disposed at the other end portion of the busbar and the inverter terminal is connected to the second terminal inside the inverter housing (Fig. 3), the case has a second through hole through which the conductive pin passes to be oriented toward the first terminal, the case being fixed to the bottom wall of the motor housing and accommodating the first terminal and the busbar (Fig. 1).
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Yamakage fails to disclose a motor housing that has a bottomed cylindrical shape and is arranged next to the inverter housing in a radial direction of the rotary shaft, a compression part housing that has a bottomed cylindrical shape and in which the compression part is accommodated, a shaft support member that has an insertion hole through which the rotary shaft is inserted, the shaft support member being disposed between the motor housing and the compression part housing, the shaft support member rotatably supporting the rotary shaft, the shaft support member defining with the motor housing a motor chamber in which the motor is accommodated and defining with the compression part housing a compression part chamber; and the busbar is bent such that the first terminal is engaged with the conductive pin and the second terminal is engaged with the inverter terminal by moving the electrical connecting member in an axial direction of the rotary shaft.
Okuma, however, discloses a motor housing that has a bottomed cylindrical shape and is arranged next to the inverter housing in a radial direction of the rotary shaft (Fig. 1).
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the compressor of Yamakage with a motor housing that has a bottomed cylindrical shape and is arranged next to the inverter housing in a radial direction of the rotary shaft, as disclosed by Okuma, to simplify assembly and manufacturing.
Yim, however, discloses a compression part housing that has a bottomed cylindrical shape and in which the compression part is accommodated (Fig. 2).
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the compressor of Yamakage with a compression part housing that has a bottomed cylindrical shape and in which the compression part is accommodated, as disclosed by Yim, to protect the compression part during operation.
Takayama, however, discloses a shaft support member that has an insertion hole through which the rotary shaft is inserted, the shaft support member being disposed between the motor housing and the compression part housing, the shaft support member rotatably supporting the rotary shaft, the shaft support member defining with the motor housing a motor chamber in which the motor is accommodated and defining with the compression part housing a compression part chamber (Fig. 1).
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the compressor of Yamakage with a shaft support member that has an insertion hole through which the rotary shaft is inserted, the shaft support member being disposed between the motor housing and the compression part housing, the shaft support member rotatably supporting the rotary shaft, the shaft support member defining with the motor housing a motor chamber in which the motor is accommodated and defining with the compression part housing a compression part chamber, as disclosed by Takayama, to better support the shaft.
Sasaki, however, discloses the busbar is bent such that the first terminal is engaged with the conductive pin and the second terminal is engaged with the inverter terminal by moving the electrical connecting member in an axial direction of the rotary shaft (“the other end of the busbar 31 bent into the L-shape and has the fastening through holes 31b. However, the shape of the busbar is 31 not limited to this shape and another shape can be used”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the compressor of Yamakage with the busbar is bent such that the first terminal is engaged with the conductive pin and the second terminal is engaged with the inverter terminal by moving the electrical connecting member in an axial direction of the rotary shaft, as disclosed by Sasaki, to allow for more complex designs of busbar and terminal connections.
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamakage, Okuma, Yim, Takayama, Sasaki, and in view of Werner (US 20040174664).
As to claim 2, the combination of Yamakage, Okuma, Yim, Takayama, and Sasaki discloses the electric compressor according to claim 1, wherein the first terminal is a receptacle terminal with which the conductive pin is engaged in the axial direction, the second terminal extends in the axial direction (Fig. 1).
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Yamakage fails to disclose the busbar has an edge-wise bending portion at which the busbar is bent by edge-wise bending so that the second terminal is engaged with the inverter terminal and a pair of flat-wise bending portions at which the busbar is bent between the edge-wise bending portion and the receptacle terminal by flat-wise bending so that a position of the receptacle terminal is adjusted in a surface direction of the bottom wall of the motor housing, the surface direction being perpendicular to the axial direction.
Werner, however, discloses the busbar has an edge-wise bending portion at which the busbar is bent by edge-wise bending so that the second terminal is engaged with the inverter terminal and a pair of flat-wise bending portions at which the busbar is bent between the edge-wise bending portion and the receptacle terminal by flat-wise bending so that a position of the receptacle terminal is adjusted in a surface direction of the bottom wall of the motor housing, the surface direction being perpendicular to the axial direction (Para 0017).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the compressor of Yamakage with the busbar has an edge-wise bending portion at which the busbar is bent by edge-wise bending so that the second terminal is engaged with the inverter terminal and a pair of flat-wise bending portions at which the busbar is bent between the edge-wise bending portion and the receptacle terminal by flat-wise bending so that a position of the receptacle terminal is adjusted in a surface direction of the bottom wall of the motor housing, the surface direction being perpendicular to the axial direction, as disclosed by Werner, to allow for more complex designs of busbar and terminal connections.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamakage, Okuma, Yim, Takayama, Sasaki, Werner, and in view of Heo (US 20200395807).
As to claim 3, the combination of Yamakage, Okuma, Yim, Takayama, Sasaki, and Werner discloses the electric compressor according to claim 2.
Yamakage fails to disclose wherein the receptacle terminal has an opening into which the conductive pin is inserted; and an opening diameter of the opening is larger than a diameter of the conductive pin.
Heo, however, discloses the receptacle terminal has an opening into which the conductive pin is inserted (Fig. 3); and an opening diameter of the opening is larger than a diameter of the conductive pin (Fig. 3).
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the compressor of Yamakage with the receptacle terminal has an opening into which the conductive pin is inserted; and an opening diameter of the opening is larger than a diameter of the conductive pin, as disclosed by Heo, to simplify assembly and accommodate for manufacturing tolerances.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamakage, Okuma, Yim, Takayama, Sasaki, and in view of Park (KR 20210027571).
As to claim 5, the combination of Yamakage, Okuma, Yim, Takayama, and Sasaki discloses the electric compressor according to claim 1.
Yamakage fails to disclose wherein the inverter housing has an extending portion that extends from the bottom wall of the motor housing in the axial direction, and the extending portion protrudes from the bottom wall of the motor housing in the axial direction over the electrical connecting member.
Park, however, discloses the inverter housing has an extending portion that extends from the bottom wall of the motor housing in the axial direction (Fig. 1), and the extending portion protrudes from the bottom wall of the motor housing in the axial direction over the electrical connecting member (Fig. 1).
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the compressor of Yamakage with the inverter housing has an extending portion that extends from the bottom wall of the motor housing in the axial direction, and the extending portion protrudes from the bottom wall of the motor housing in the axial direction over the electrical connecting member, as disclosed by Park, to optimize space management.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4 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.
As to claim 4, the combination of Yamakage, Okuma, Yim, Takayama, and Sasaki discloses the electric compressor according to claim 1, wherein a high voltage connector that supplies power from an external power source to the motor (“The high-voltage connector 71 is electrically connected to an external power supply”).
Yamakage fails to disclose a communication connector that sends control signals from an external controller to the inverter are each connected to the inverter housing, the control signals having a power smaller than the power supplied from the external power source, and the high voltage connector is disposed on an opposite side to the communication connector across the electrical connecting member.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner
should be directed to ETHAN N VO whose telephone number is (571)270-7593. The examiner can
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/ETHAN NGUYEN VO/
Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/CHRISTOPHER M KOEHLER/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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