DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is in response to applicant’s communication filed on 11.25.24. In view of this communication, claims 8-14 are now pending in this application.
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 .
Specification
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.
The following title is suggested: Structure of electric machine, transmission and electric circuit in electric drive unit.
Claim Objections
Claims below are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 12 recites “an outer peripheral side on an outer peripheral side “where in underlined is being removed as it seems a repetition.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claims below 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 14 recites the limitations “the front” which does not have any basis in claims 13 or 8 upon which it depends. To advance prosecution Examiner interprets “when viewed from the axial direction”.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
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.
(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.
Claims 8,10,13-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Hotta et al(US20210344295A1), hereinafter Hotta.
Regarding Claim 8, Hotta discloses (Figs 1-6) a unit (100) comprising:
a capacitor(20) ;
an electric circuit (50) electrically connected (Fig 2) to the capacitor;
a rotating electrical machine (83) electrically connected (Fig 2) to the electric circuit; and
a shaft (X3 is axis for 87 output shaft in Fig 1 ) connected downstream [0029] of the rotating electrical machine in terms of power, wherein
one of the capacitor and the electric circuit (1 has 20,50) extends (Fig 3) along a horizontal direction (H) orthogonal to an axial direction (L),
the shaft overlaps (Fig 3) a rotor of the rotating electrical machine in the horizontal direction,
the shaft does not overlap the rotating electrical machine when viewed in a vertical direction (S), the vertical direction being orthogonal (S,H,L are all orthogonal to each other) are orthogonal to the horizontal direction,
one of the capacitor and the electric circuit overlaps (Fig 3 and Fig 6 combined) the rotating electrical machine when viewed in the vertical direction (S), and
the other of the capacitor and the electric circuit overlaps (Fig 3 and Fig 6 combined) the shaft when viewed in the vertical direction (S)(Figs 3 and 6 together disclose there is overlap of 1 which has 20,50 with 83 and 87) .
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Regarding Claim 10, Hotta discloses the unit according to claim 8. Hotta further discloses wherein the electric circuit (50) includes a board (50), and the board is disposed to be inclined (Fig 5 shows inclination of 0 degrees) with respect to the capacitor (20).
Regarding Claim 13, Hotta discloses the unit according to claim 8. Hotta further discloses
wherein the shaft (87 shaft) overlaps (combination of Figs 3 and 6) a rotation shaft (X1 shaft) of the rotating electrical machine (83) when viewed in horizontal direction (H) , and the other of the capacitor (20) and the electric circuit (50) is disposed to extend (Fig 4) along the vertical direction (S).
Regarding Claim 14, Hotta discloses the unit according to claim 13. Hotta further discloses wherein a dimension of the other of the capacitor (20) and the electric circuit (50) in the vertical direction (S) is larger than a dimension of one of the capacitor and the electric circuit in the horizontal direction when viewed from the .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
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 11-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hotta in view of Suzuki (US20210316602A1).
Regarding Claim 11, Hotta discloses the unit according to claim 8. Hotta further discloses comprising: a power connector (Fig 2, 14) electrically connected to the capacitor (20) but does not explicitly disclose wherein the capacitor is disposed between the power connector and the electric circuit when viewed in the horizontal direction.
Suzuki discloses (Fig 3) wherein the capacitor (62A) is disposed between the power connector (82 of 81,82) and the electric circuit (61B) when viewed in the horizontal direction (H).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have formed unit of Hotta with capacitor between electrical circuit and power connector when viewed in the horizontal direction in order to spread out the inverter packaging over multiple axis while also aligning with the electrical connection sequence between supply power, capacitor and control board.
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Regarding Claim 12, Hotta in view of Suzuki discloses the unit according to claim 11. Hotta in view of Suzuki further discloses further comprising: a case member (Hotta, 9) that accommodates the rotating electrical machine (83), wherein the case member has a protruding portion (Fig discloses many protruding portions of 9) that protrudes toward an outer peripheral side (Fig 3) between a tip portion of the power connector and the capacitor when viewed in the horizontal direction.
Suzuki further discloses (Fig 3) the protruding portion (Pr) is disposed between a tip portion of the power connector (81) and the capacitor (62A) when viewed in the horizontal direction (H).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have formed unit of Hotta in view of Suzuki with case protruding portion between capacitor and power connector when viewed in the horizontal direction in order to align case design with inverter packaging while finding shortest distance to low power connection to the circuit board.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims below are 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claim 9 recites “ The unit according to claim 8, wherein the shaft is connected, in terms of power, to the rotating electrical machine via a gear mechanism, the gear mechanism has a portion that is offset from the rotating electrical machine when viewed in an axial direction, the capacitor and the electric circuit are offset from the gear mechanism when viewed in the vertical direction, and the capacitor and the electric circuit each have a portion that overlaps the gear mechanism when viewed in the axial direction”. Hotta discloses the unit according to claim 8, wherein the shaft (87 shaft) is connected, in terms of power, to the rotating electrical machine (83) via a gear mechanism [0029], the gear mechanism has a portion that is offset (Fig 3) from the rotating electrical machine when viewed in an axial direction (L), the capacitor (20)and the electric circuit (50), and the electric circuit (50) each have a portion that overlaps the gear mechanism (50 overlaps with 86) when viewed in the axial direction (L) (Fig 6) but does not explicitly disclose capacitor and electric circuit are offset from the gear mechanism when viewed in the vertical direction and the capacitor has a portion that overlaps gear mechanism when viewed in the axial direction. In Hotta, 1 which has 50,20 is overlapping gear mechanism in S direction and in Fig 6, the curvature of 86 seems not to overlap with 20 when viewed in L direction. Therefore claim 9 is allowable.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VISWANATHAN SUBRAMANIAN whose telephone number is (571)272-4814. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:30 am - 5:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Christopher M Koehler can be reached at 5712723560. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/VISWANATHAN SUBRAMANIAN/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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