Prosecution Insights
Last updated: October 02, 2026
Application No. 18/899,140

MOTOR AND MOBILITY DEVICE INCLUDING THE SAME

Non-Final OA §103
Filed
Sep 27, 2024
Priority
Jan 29, 2024 — RE 10-2024-0013052
Examiner
TRUONG, THOMAS
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Kia Corporation
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
73%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
7m
Est. Remaining
89%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 73% — above average
73%
Career Allowance Rate
950 granted / 1295 resolved
+13.4% vs TC avg
Strong +16% interview lift
Without
With
+15.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 7m
Avg Prosecution
32 currently pending
Career history
1316
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
1.2%
-38.8% vs TC avg
§103
53.2%
+13.2% vs TC avg
§102
18.5%
-21.5% vs TC avg
§112
24.0%
-16.0% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1295 resolved cases

Office Action

§103
CTNF 18/899,140 CTNF 87281 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. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 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. 07-20-02-aia AIA 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. 07-21-aia AIA Claim s 1, 2, 5-7, 9-11 and 13-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee et al. (US 7876014 B2) in view of Takahashi (US 2018/0034332 A1) . RE claim 1, Lee teaches a motor (Figs.1, 8, 9 and ¶ 3), comprising: a stator (S) including a plurality of stator coils (col.5: 20-25); a rotor 20 mounted inside the stator (S) to be rotatable about a rotation shaft 10 and including a plurality of rotor coils 60 interacting with the stator coils (col.11: 10-19); and an auxiliary magnet 50 mounted between the rotation shaft 10 and the rotor coils 60 in a radial direction of the rotation shaft 10. Lee does not teach the stator coils repeated mounted in a circumferential direction of the stator. Takahashi teaches stator coils 12 repeatedly mounted in a circumferential direction of the stator 101 (Fig.5), doing so allows the stator coil to be easily wound around each of the teeth of the split cores (¶ 7). Accordingly, it is possible to increase the number of turns of the stator coil wound around the teeth, thus increasing the space factor of the stator coil in a slot. Therefore, it is possible to improve the motor efficiency (¶ 7). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Lee by having the stator coils repeated mounted in a circumferential direction of the stator, as taught by Takahashi, for the same reasons as discussed above. RE claim 2/1, Lee in view of Takahashi has been discussed above. Lee further teaches the auxiliary magnet 50 is a permanent magnet 50 (col.10: 25-30). RE claim 5/1, Lee in view of Takahashi has been discussed above. Lee further teaches the rotor includes: a back yoke 15 (Figs.4, 9) into which the rotation shaft 10 is inserted (Figs.8, 9); a plurality of teeth (T) (where coils 50 wounded, see annotated Fig. 9 below) extending from the back yoke in the radial direction; and a corresponding rotor coil 60 wound around the teeth (Fig.9). [AltContent: textbox (anti-scattering protrusion (AP))] [AltContent: arrow] [AltContent: textbox (Back yoke (BY))] [AltContent: arrow] [AltContent: textbox (Shoe (S))] [AltContent: arrow] [AltContent: arrow] [AltContent: textbox (Teeth (T))] PNG media_image1.png 432 440 media_image1.png Greyscale RE claim 6/5, Lee in view of Takahashi has been discussed above. Lee further teaches the rotor further includes a shoe (S) extending from an end portion of the teeth (T) in the circumferential direction (Fig.9). RE claim 7/5, Lee in view of Takahashi has been discussed above. Lee further teaches the auxiliary magnet 50 is mounted in a second slot formed in the back yoke (BY) (Fig.9). RE claim 9/7, Lee in view of Takahashi has been discussed above. Lee further teaches the auxiliary magnet 50 is disposed to be staggered with the teeth (T) in the circumferential direction (Fig.9). RE claim 10/7, Lee in view of Takahashi has been discussed above. Lee further teaches the auxiliary magnet 50 is in plural and the plurality of auxiliary magnets 50 is repeatedly mounted at intervals in the circumferential direction (Fig.9). RE claim 11/7, Lee in view of Takahashi has been discussed above. Lee further teaches the auxiliary magnet 50 is in plural and the plurality of auxiliary magnets 50 is continuously mounted in the circumferential direction (Fig.9). RE claim 13/5, Lee in view of Takahashi has been discussed above. Lee further teaches the auxiliary magnet 50 is mounted in a space between the back yoke (BY) and a corresponding rotor coil 60 (Fig.9). RE claim 14/13, Lee in view of Takahashi has been discussed above. Lee further teaches an anti-scattering protrusion (AP) (see annotated Fig.9 above) is formed to protrude from the teeth (T) toward an end portion of the auxiliary magnet 50 (Fig.9). RE claim 15/14, Lee in view of Takahashi has been discussed above. Lee further teaches the anti-scattering protrusion includes a bridge (AP), which is interconnected to continuously surround the end portion of the auxiliary magnet 50 in the circumferential direction (Fig.9). RE claim 16, Lee teaches a motor (Figs.1, 8, 9 and ¶ 3), comprising: a stator 32 including a plurality of stator coils (col.5: 20-25) direction of the stator; a rotor 20 mounted inside the stator (S) to be rotatable about a rotation shaft 10 and including a plurality of rotor coils 60 interacting with the stator coils (col.11: 10-19); and an auxiliary magnet 50 mounted between the rotation shaft 10 and the rotor coils 60 in a radial direction of the rotation shaft 10, wherein the rotor coils 60 include an inset type inserted into the rotor 20, and wherein the auxiliary magnet 50 is inserted between the rotation shaft 10 and the rotor coils 60 in the inset type (Fig.9). Lee does not teach the stator coils repeated mounted in a circumferential direction of the stator. Takahashi teaches stator coils 12 repeatedly mounted in a circumferential direction of the stator 101 (Fig.5), doing so allows the stator coil to be easily wound around each of the teeth of the split cores (¶ 7). Accordingly, it is possible to increase the number of turns of the stator coil wound around the teeth, thus increasing the space factor of the stator coil in a slot. Therefore, it is possible to improve the motor efficiency (¶ 7). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Lee by having the stator coils repeated mounted in a circumferential direction of the stator, as taught by Takahashi, for the same reasons as discussed above. RE claim 17/16, Lee in view of Takahashi has been discussed above. Lee further teaches the auxiliary magnet 50 is in plural 50 and the plurality of auxiliary magnets 50 is repeatedly mounted continuously in the circumferential direction (Fig.9). RE claim 18/17, Lee in view of Takahashi has been discussed above. Lee further teaches the auxiliary magnet 50 is in plural and the plurality of auxiliary magnets 50 is mounted with N-poles and S-poles repeatedly in the circumferential direction (col.7: 50-60). RE claim 19/16, Lee in view of Takahashi has been discussed above. Lee further teaches the auxiliary magnet 50 is in plural, and the plurality of auxiliary magnets 50 is spaced apart in the circumferential direction and is repeatedly mounted with N and S-poles (col.7: 50-60) . 07-22-aia AIA Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee in view of Takahashi as applied to claim 2 above, and further in view of Kuwahara (US 6756870 B2) . RE claim 3/2, Lee in view of Takahashi has been discussed above. Lee does not teach an amount of magnetic flux generated by the auxiliary magnet is less than an amount of magnetic flux generated by the rotor coils. Kuwahara teaches an amount of magnetic flux generated by the auxiliary magnet 30 is less than an amount of magnetic flux generated by the rotor coils 20 (col.6: 40-50, col.16: 20-50), making it possible to obtain a compact structure at decreased weight/cost (col.16: 45-50). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Lee in view of Takahashi by having an amount of magnetic flux generated by the auxiliary magnet is less than an amount of magnetic flux generated by the rotor coils, as taught by Kuwahara, for the same reasons as discussed above . 07-22-aia AIA Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee in view of Takahashi as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Akemakou (US 2006/0119206 A1) . RE claim 4/1, Lee in view of Takahashi has been discussed above. Lee does not teach the rotor coils are formed by winding a superconducting wire, copper, or aluminum. Akemakou teaches the rotor coils are formed by winding a superconducting wire, copper (¶ 93), or aluminum. The copper material is well-known for having good conductivity while being widely available with lower cost. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Lee in view of Takahashi by having the rotor coils are formed by winding a superconducting wire, copper, or aluminum, as taught by Akemakou, for the same reasons as discussed above. Furthermore, one ordinary skill would have found it obvious to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416 . 07-22-aia AIA Claim s 8 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee in view of Takahashi as applied to claim s 7, 5 (respectively) above, and further in view of Mathoy (US 2010/0308686 A1) . RE claim 8/7, Lee in view of Takahashi has been discussed above. Lee does not teach the auxiliary magnet is disposed to be parallel to the teeth in the radial direction. Mathoy teaches the auxiliary magnet 13 is disposed to be parallel to the teeth 5 in the radial direction (Fig.2, ¶ 61) for eliminating the magnetic conductivity of the lamellar bridges (¶ 68). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Lee in view of Takahashi by having the auxiliary magnet is disposed to be parallel to the teeth in the radial direction, as taught by Mathoy, for the same reasons as discussed above. RE claim 12/5, Lee in view of Takahashi has been discussed above. Lee does not teach the auxiliary magnet is mounted in a first slot formed in the teeth. Mathoy teaches the auxiliary magnet 13 is mounted in a first slot formed in the teeth 5 (Fig.2, ¶ 61) for eliminating the magnetic conductivity of the lamellar bridges (¶ 68). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Lee in view of Takahashi by having the auxiliary magnet is mounted in a first slot formed in the teeth, as taught by Mathoy, for the same reasons as discussed above . 07-22-aia AIA Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee in view of Takahashi as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Trawick (US 2024/0007025 A1) . RE claim 20/1, Lee in view of Takahashi has been discussed above. Lee does not teach a mobility device, comprising: a body; at least one driving means mounted in the body; a battery mounted in the body; and the motor of claim 1, which is connected to the battery and supplies driving force to the at least one driving means. Lee provided a motor/generator with capability of increasing magnetic flux to enhance generation efficiency (col.2 45-55). Trawick teaches a mobility device 10, comprising: a body 12 (Fig.1); at least one driving means 26 mounted in the body; a battery 36 mounted in the body 12; and the motor 32, which is connected to the battery 36 and supplies driving force to the at least one driving means 26. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the motor/generator disclosed by Lee in any applicable application such as mobility device as shown in Fig.1, as evidenced by Trawick. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THOMAS TRUONG whose telephone number is (571)270-5532. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9AM-6PM 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 at (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 published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /THOMAS TRUONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834 Application/Control Number: 18/899,140 Page 2 Art Unit: 2834 Application/Control Number: 18/899,140 Page 3 Art Unit: 2834 Application/Control Number: 18/899,140 Page 4 Art Unit: 2834 Application/Control Number: 18/899,140 Page 5 Art Unit: 2834 Application/Control Number: 18/899,140 Page 6 Art Unit: 2834 Application/Control Number: 18/899,140 Page 7 Art Unit: 2834 Application/Control Number: 18/899,140 Page 8 Art Unit: 2834 Application/Control Number: 18/899,140 Page 9 Art Unit: 2834 Application/Control Number: 18/899,140 Page 10 Art Unit: 2834
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Prosecution Timeline

Sep 27, 2024
Application Filed
May 27, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103 (current)

Precedent Cases

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
73%
Grant Probability
89%
With Interview (+15.8%)
2y 7m (~7m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 1295 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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