DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . This Office Action is responsive to the Applicant's communication filed 27 December 2024. In view of this communication, claims 1, 3, 5-7, and 9 are now pending in the application.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d) or (f), 365(a) or (b), or 386(a), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) submitted on 27 December 2024 was/were filed before mailing of the first action on the merits. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement(s) is/are being considered by the examiner.
Disclosure
The specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant's cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 3, 5-7, and 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and/or 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Schweinert (US 2017/0126084 A1), hereinafter referred to as “Schweinert”.
Regarding claim 1, Schweinert discloses a connection device [10] for the electrical and hydraulic connection of a plurality of electrical hollow conductors [1] of an internally cooled electrical machine (fig. 1-3; ¶ 0079-0081), comprising:
a connection piece [17] with which the hollow conductors [1] can be electrically and hydraulically connected (fig. 3, 9-10; ¶ 0088), the connection piece [17] including:
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one or more interfaces [13] operably associated with the connection piece [17] and configured to attach ends of the electrical hollow conductor [1] (fig. 3, 9-10; ¶ 0081-0087);
a hollow interior [12] communicating with the hollow conductors [1] (¶ 0081); and
a section [11b] designed as a pipe socket [11b] (fig. 3, 9-10; ¶ 0081-0082; section [11c] of the housing [11] sockets into section [11b] of the housing [11]);
an electrical connection [15] operably associated with the connection piece [17] and configured to connect the hollow conductors [1] to an electrical potential (fig. 3; ¶ 0081, 0088),
wherein an electrically insulating pipe [16] {is} hydraulically connected to the connection piece [17] and the hollow conductor(s) [1] (fig. 3; ¶ 0081-0083);and
an adapter element [11a] having a first connection, to which the pipe socket [11b] of the connecting piece [17] is connected, and a second connection, to which the electrically insulating pipe [16] is connected (fig. 3, 9-10; ¶ 0081; “housing 11 is configured as a two-piece housing, but can also be configured as a single-piece or as a multiple-piece housing” being connected to the conductors on one side and connected to the coolant pipe on another side);
wherein the first connection and the second connection are designed as a crimp connection (¶ 0088; while threaded connections are shown the male and female connections can alternatively be “tightly coiled or rather crimped”).
Regarding claim 3, Schweinert discloses the connection device [10] according to claim 1, wherein the pipe [16] is designed as an electrically insulating hose [16] (fig. 3; ¶ 0081; “electrically insulating separator element”).
Regarding claim 5, Schweinert discloses the connection device [10] according to claim 3, wherein the hose [16] is a Teflon hose or a PEEK capillary (¶ 0017; the coolant lines can be made from “polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, Teflon®)”).
Regarding claim 6, Schweinert discloses the connection device [10] according to claim 1, wherein the connection piece [17] has one or more openings for connecting ends of the hollow conductors [1] or an additional plate-shaped element with one or more openings for connecting ends of the hollow conductors [1] (fig. 3, 9-10; ¶ 0088-0089).
Regarding claim 7, Schweinert discloses the connection device [10] according to claim 1, wherein the connecting piece [17] or the adapter element [11a] has an external thread (fig. 9; ¶ 0084; the male connector is shown having threads on its outer circumferential surface).
Regarding claim 9, Schweinert discloses the connection device [10] according to claim 1, wherein the hollow conductor [1] includes one or more windings (fig. 1-2, 18-22; ¶ 0079; “the electrical hollow conductor 1 is very advantageously suited for the continuous winding of an electromagnetic coil of a small or mid-sized electromagnetic machine”).
Citation of Relevant Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure. Prior art:
Freely et al. (US 2022/0069670 A1) discloses a connection device for the electrical and hydraulic connection of hollow conductors.
Osama et al. (US 2022/0069655 A1) discloses hollow conductors for use in electric machines, defining a coolant channel therein.
Breznak et al. (US 2007/0158397 A1) discloses a connection device for the electrical and hydraulic connection of hollow conductors used in the armature of a generator.
Iversen et al. (US 6,784,573 B1) discloses a connection device for the electrical and hydraulic connection of hollow conductors of an armature.
Thiard-Laforet et al. (US 5,659,944) discloses a connection device for the electrical and hydraulic connection of hollow conductors of a stator winding.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Michael Andrews whose telephone number is (571)270-7554. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Thursday, 8:30am-3:00pm.
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, Oluseye Iwarere can be reached at 571-270-5112. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Michael Andrews/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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