CTNF 18/848,774 CTNF 86457 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. Drawings 06-36 AIA 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 hole portion is formed by at least one or more voids of claim 5 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered. 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. Specification 06-11 AIA The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed. 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 5-7 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. In claim 5 “the rotor core includes at least one hole portion at a position that overlaps with the d-axis, the at least one hole portion being between the first layer magnet and the second layer magnet, and the hole portion is formed by at least one or more voids ” is unclear. The specification discloses the hole portion 10 can be at least one or more voids, but there is no demonstration of this in the figures. Does this mean there a plurality of hole portions 10 formed (see 1 st fig below) or is one hole portion 10 made of several voids (see 2 nd fig below). Claims 6-7 are rejected since they depend on claim 5. PNG media_image1.png 294 407 media_image1.png Greyscale PNG media_image2.png 278 407 media_image2.png Greyscale 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 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 1-2 and 5-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102( a)(1 ) as being anticipated by Sidiropoulos (US20170373573, “Sidiropoulos”) . Re claim 1, Sidiropoulos discloses a rotary electric machine comprising: a rotor core 3 having a plurality of magnet holes (figs 1-2, [0021]); and a plurality of magnets 8, 9, 10 respectively inserted into the plurality of magnet holes (figs 1-2, [0021]), wherein the magnet includes a pair of first layer magnets 5 arranged in a V-shape and a pair of second layer magnets 6, 7 arranged in a V-shape on an inner diameter side of the first layer magnets 5 (figs 1-2, [0021], either 6 or 7 can be the 2 nd layer magnets), and the rotor core 3 has a hole portion 18, 19 at a position that overlaps with a d-axis which is a magnetic pole center of the rotor core 3 (figs 2-3, [0024], hole portion is only 18 when 6 is the 2 nd layer magnet; 18, 19 or 18 and 19 when 7 is the 2 nd layer magnet), the hole portion 18, 19 being between the first layer magnet 5 and the second layer magnet 6, 7 (fig 2). Re claim 2, Sidiropoulos discloses claim 1 as discussed above and further discloses the hole portion 18, 19 is disposed in a region formed by joining a corner on an innermost diameter side among corners of the first layer magnets 5 and a corner closest to the d-axis among corners of the second layer magnets 6, 7 (figs 2 & below, a portion of 18, 19 disposed in the region). PNG media_image3.png 387 553 media_image3.png Greyscale Re claim 5, Sidiropoulos discloses claim 1 as discussed above and further discloses the rotor core 3 includes at least one hole portion 18, 19 at a position that overlaps with the d-axis (fig 2, both 18 & 19 are the hole portion or there are two hole portions 18, 19), the at least one hole portion 18, 19 being between the first layer magnet 5 and the second layer magnet 7 (fig 2), and the hole portion 18, 19 is formed by at least one or more voids (fig 2, each of 18 & 19 are formed of one voids or the hole portion has two voids formed by 18 & 19). Re claim 6, Sidiropoulos discloses claim 1 as discussed above and further discloses a maximum diameter dimension of the hole portion is larger than a bridge width formed between a pair of magnet holes into which the second layer magnets 7 are respectively inserted (figs 2 & below, where each of 18 & 19 form a hole poriton) . PNG media_image4.png 387 553 media_image4.png Greyscale Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 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 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. 07-20-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 1, 4-5 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Beringer et al. (WO2019179862, “Beringer”) in view of Xiao et al. (US20210057946, “Xiao”) . Re claim 1, Beringer discloses a rotary electric machine comprising: a rotor core RK having a plurality of magnet holes T1-6 (figs 1-3, [0010] & [0014]); and a plurality of magnets PM1-6 respectively inserted into the plurality of magnet holes (figs 1-3, [0013]), wherein the magnet PM1-6 includes a pair of first layer magnets PM1-2 arranged in a V-shape (figs 2-3) and a pair of second layer magnets PM3-6 arranged in a V-shape on an inner diameter side of the first layer magnets PM1-2 (figs 2-3), and the rotor core RK has a hole portion C1 at a position that overlaps with a d-axis which is a magnetic pole center of the rotor core RK (figs 2-3, [0020]). Beringer discloses claim 1 except for the hole portion being between the first layer magnet and the second layer magnet. Xiao discloses the hole portion 131 being between the first layer magnet 11 and the second layer magnet 12 (figs 2-3); and moving the hole portion from a radially outer position outside the first and second layer magnet (fig 1) to between the first and second layer magnet (fig 2) reduces deformation during high speeds (figs 1-2, [0023] & [0048-0049]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to configure the hole portion of Beringer to be between the first layer magnet and the second layer magnet, as disclosed by Xiao, in order to reduce deformation during high speeds, as taught by Xiao. Re claim 4, Beringer in view of Xiao disclose claim 1 as discussed above. Beringer further discloses the hole portion C1 includes a lower side that has a predetermined curvature and protrudes inward in a radial direction (figs 1-3), and an upper side that has a curvature larger than the predetermined curvature and protrudes outward in the radial direction (figs 1-3). Re claim 5, Beringer in view of Xiao discloses claim 1 as discussed above and further discloses the rotor core includes at least one hole portion at a position that overlaps with the d-axis (Beringer, fig 3; Xiao, fig 2), the at least one hole portion being between the first layer magnet and the second layer magnet (Beringer, fig 3, shows 1 st & 2 nd mag layer; Xiao, fig 2, shows hole portion between 1 st & 2 nd layers), and the hole portion is formed by at least one or more voids (Beringer, fig 3; Xiao, fig 2). Re claim 7, Beringer in view of Xiao disclose claim 5 as discussed above. Beringer further discloses a first angle formed by the first layer magnet PM1-2 and the d-axis (fig 3, half of a1) is larger than a second angle formed by the second layer magnet PM 3-6 and the d-axis (fig 3, half of a2) . 07-21-aia AIA Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Beringer in view of Xiao and in further view of Soma et al. (US20200185990, “Soma”) . Re claim 3, Beringer in view of Xiao disclose claim 1 as discussed above. Beringer is silent with respect to the hole portion includes a lower side that has a predetermined curvature and protrudes inward in a radial direction, and an upper side that has a curvature smaller than the predetermined curvature and protrudes outward in the radial direction. Beringer further discloses the hole portion C1 can be other shapes ([0020]). Soma discloses the hole portion 60 includes a lower side that has a predetermined curvature and protrudes inward in a radial direction (fig 2), and an upper side that has a curvature smaller than the predetermined curvature and protrudes outward in the radial direction (fig 2, [0029-0030]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to configure the hole portion of Beringer in view of Xiao to include a lower side that has a predetermined curvature and protrudes inward in a radial direction, and an upper side that has a curvature smaller than the predetermined curvature and protrudes outward in the radial direction, as disclosed by Soma, in order to increase the difference between d axis inductance and q axis inductance for effectively used reluctance torque, as taught by Soma ([0030]), as well as to try another shape, since Beringer teaches other shapes can be employed . Conclusion 07-96 AIA The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Miyama (US20230344316, fig 6) and Zhang (CN209709784, fig 2) disclose at least claim 1 . Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ERIC JOHNSON whose telephone number is (571)270-5715. The examiner can normally be reached on Mon-Fri 8:30-5pm EST. 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, Seye Iwarere can be reached on (571)270-5112. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /ERIC JOHNSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834 Application/Control Number: 18/848,774 Page 2 Art Unit: 2834 Application/Control Number: 18/848,774 Page 3 Art Unit: 2834 Application/Control Number: 18/848,774 Page 4 Art Unit: 2834 Application/Control Number: 18/848,774 Page 5 Art Unit: 2834 Application/Control Number: 18/848,774 Page 6 Art Unit: 2834 Application/Control Number: 18/848,774 Page 7 Art Unit: 2834 Application/Control Number: 18/848,774 Page 8 Art Unit: 2834
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