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 .
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.
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.
Claims 1-2, 4, and 10-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by EP 3883093 A1 to Kawamoto.
Regarding claim 1, Kawamoto discloses a motor comprising:
a stator [0010];
a rotor (Fig. 1: 10) rotatably disposed with respect to the stator, and including a rotor core (21) that is constituted by an electrical steel sheet [0015] and includes one or more protruding portions (Fig. 9: 61) protruding in a radial direction toward the stator, and a rotating shaft (101) that is fixed to the rotor core; and
a plurality of permanent magnets (31) aligned in a circumferential direction of the rotor, each of which includes an arc-shaped stator-facing surface (outer arc surface of 21) facing the stator with a gap therebetween, a rotor-core-fixing surface (inner surface of 31) positioned on a side opposite to the stator-facing surface and fixed to an outer circumferential surface of the rotor core (21), and a recessed portion (62) connected to a part of the rotor-core-fixing surface and into which the protruding portion (61) is fitted, wherein
polarities of the stator-facing surfaces of two permanent magnets adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction among the plurality of permanent magnets are different from each other (inherent N-S polarities in permanent magnet generators),
in the circumferential direction, each of the plurality of permanent magnets has a first magnet end (Fig. 8: 46) connected to the rotor-core-fixing surface, and a second magnet end (45) connected to the rotor-core-fixing surface and positioned on a side opposite to the first magnet end,
in the circumferential direction, the recessed portion of each of the plurality of permanent magnets has a first recessed-portion end connected to the rotor-core-fixing surface, and a second recessed-portion end connected to the rotor-core-fixing surface and positioned on a side opposite to the first recessed-portion end (Fig. 8 shows a protruding portion 33, however, Fig. 9 shows that 33 can be recessed. The two recessed-portion ends would be the left and right side of 33),
the rotor-core-fixing surface has a first region (right of 33, shown at 41) positioned between the first magnet end and the first recessed- portion end, and a second region (left of 33) positioned between the second magnet end and the second recessed-portion end,
the recessed portion (33) is positioned between the first region and the second region, and
L1 ≠ L2 is satisfied provided that a distance between the first magnet end and the first recessed-portion end in the first region is L1, and a distance between the second magnet end and the second recessed-portion end in the second region is L2 (right side is larger than left side).
Regarding claim 2, Kawamoto discloses the plurality of permanent magnets include a first magnet group (Figs. 5-6: 36A) and a second magnet group (36J) adjacent to each other in an axial direction in which the rotating shaft extends (vertical axis), each of the plurality of permanent magnets constituting the first magnet group is a first permanent magnet (36A), each of the plurality of permanent magnets constituting the second magnet group is a second permanent magnet (36J), a skew angle is referred to as θ [0017], the first permanent magnet is displaced by θ/2 with respect to a d-axis of the permanent magnet synchronous electric motor in a counterclockwise direction in the circumferential direction (skew towards L3), the second permanent magnet is displaced by θ/2 with respect to the d-axis of the permanent magnet synchronous electric motor in a clockwise direction in the circumferential direction (skew towards L4), a magnet center line (Fig. 8: located at 44) extending radially outward from an axial center of the rotating shaft and passing through a circumferential center point of each of the plurality of permanent magnets intersects the first region, and L1 ≠ L2 is satisfied and L1 > L2 is satisfied (right of 33 is greater than left of 33).
Regarding claim 4, Kawamoto discloses a surface forming a bottom of the recessed portion has an arc shape [0057].
Regarding claim 10, Kawamoto discloses the rotor includes a first rotor portion, and a second rotor portion adjacent to the first rotor portion in an axial direction in which the rotating shaft extends, the plurality of permanent magnets include a first magnet group disposed in the first rotor portion, and a second magnet group disposed in the second rotor portion, each of the plurality of permanent magnets constituting the first magnet group is a first permanent magnet, each of the plurality of permanent magnets constituting the second magnet group is a second permanent magnet, a circumferential center position of the stator-facing surface of the first permanent magnet and a circumferential center position of the stator-facing surface of the second permanent magnet coincide with each other in the axial direction, the protruding portion of the rotor core has a first protruding portion disposed in the first rotor portion, and a second protruding portion disposed in the second rotor portion, the first protruding portion is fitted into the recessed portion of the first permanent magnet, the second protruding portion is fitted into the recessed portion of the second permanent magnet, and the second protruding portion is displaced at a skew angle with respect to the first protruding portion in the circumferential direction (Fig. 6: 133 of 36A is skewed from 133 of 36J).
Regarding claim 11, Kawamoto discloses the rotor includes a first rotor portion, and a second rotor portion adjacent to the first rotor portion in an axial direction in which the rotating shaft extends, the plurality of permanent magnets include a first magnet group disposed in the first rotor portion, and a second magnet group disposed in the second rotor portion, each of the plurality of permanent magnets constituting the first magnet group is a first permanent magnet, each of the plurality of permanent magnets constituting the second magnet group is a second permanent magnet, a circumferential center position of the stator-facing surface of the first permanent magnet and a circumferential center position of the stator-facing surface of the second permanent magnet do not coincide with each other in the axial direction, the protruding portion of the rotor core extends continuously from the first rotor portion to the second rotor portion, the protruding portion is fitted into the recessed portion of the first permanent magnet and the recessed portion of the second permanent magnet, and a circumferential center position of the stator-facing surface of the first permanent magnet is displaced at a skew angle with respect to a circumferential center position of the stator- facing surface of the second permanent magnet in the circumferential direction (Fig. 5: the circumferential center position is the center line that runs parallel to sides 45 and 46. It can be seen that lines 45 and 46 skews from magnets 36A to 36J).
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.
Claims 3 and 6-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over EP 3883093 A1 to Kawamoto in view of WO 2022113181 A1 to Motoyoshi et al.
Regarding claims 6-7, Kawamoto discloses a motor as described above.
However, it fails to disclose the limitations from claims 6-7.
Motoyoshi et al. teaches:
the recessed portion has a first bottom end forming a bottom of the recessed portion, a second bottom end forming the bottom of the recessed portion and spaced apart from the first bottom end, a first inner wall formed between the first recessed-portion end and the first bottom end and extending in the radial direction, and a second inner wall formed between the second recessed-portion end and the second bottom end, and wherein the second inner wall has a vertical surface connected to the second recessed-portion end and extending in the radial direction, and an inclined surface connected to the vertical surface and the second bottom end and extending linearly to be inclined with respect to the vertical surface (Fig. 26: inclined surface 252a).
the recessed portion has a first bottom end forming a bottom of the recessed portion, a second bottom end forming the bottom of the recessed portion and spaced apart from the first bottom end, a first inner wall formed between the first recessed-portion end and the first bottom end and extending in the radial direction, and a second inner wall formed between the second recessed-portion end and the second bottom end, and wherein the second inner wall has a curved surface connected to the second bottom end (Fig. 24: curved surface 252a).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the teaching of the inclined/curved surfaces as disclosed by Motoyoshi et al. to the motor disclosed by Kawamoto.
One would have been motivated to do so to curb the degradation of torque characteristics due to irreversible demagnetization.
Regarding claims 3 and 8-9, Kawamoto discloses a motor as described above.
However, it fails to disclose the limitations from claims 3 and 8-9.
Motoyoshi et al. teaches:
the recessed portion has a first bottom end forming a bottom of the recessed portion, and a second bottom end forming the bottom of the recessed portion and spaced apart from the first bottom end, and H1 ≠ H2 is satisfied provided that a distance between the first recessed-portion end and the first bottom end in the radial direction is H1 and a distance between the second recessed- portion end and the second bottom end in the radial direction is H2 (Figs. 24 and 26: protrusion 242a have different heights on left and right side).
the recessed portion has a first inner wall formed between the first recessed-portion end and the first bottom end and extending in the radial direction, and a second inner wall formed between the second recessed-portion end and the second bottom end, and the second inner wall has a vertical surface connected to the second recessed-portion end and extending in the radial direction, and an inclined surface connected to the vertical surface and the second bottom end and extending linearly to be inclined with respect to the vertical surface (Fig. 26: inclined surface 252a).
the recessed portion has a first inner wall formed between the first recessed-portion end and the first bottom end and extending in the radial direction, and a second inner wall formed between the second recessed-portion end and the second bottom end, and wherein the second inner wall has a curved surface connected to the second bottom end (Fig. 24: curved surface 252a).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the teaching of the inclined/curved surfaces as disclosed by Motoyoshi et al. to the motor disclosed by Kawamoto.
One would have been motivated to do so to curb the degradation of torque characteristics due to irreversible demagnetization.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 5 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.
Conclusion
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/VIET P NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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