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.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in Europe on November 15, 2023. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the EP23210164.2 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on October 30, 2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1, “the plurality of coil cords” should be changed to “the plurality of coil cores”
Appropriate correction is required.
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 1, 3, 4, 9-12, 14, and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Holenstein (US 2019/0356195), in view of Collins (US 2015/0318752), Otzipka (US 3,476,997), and Brey (US 2014/0085827).
Regarding claim 1, Holenstein discloses a magnetic levitation device (1 of Figure 2) for contactless magnetic levitation of a rotor (3 of Figure 2), comprising a disk-shaped or ring-shaped magnetically effective core (31 of Figure 2; Para. 0067), the magnetic levitation device comprising:
a housing (401 of Figure 29);
a stator (2 of Figure 2);
the stator comprising a plurality of coil cores (4 of Figure 2), each of the plurality of coil cores having a longitudinal leg (41 of Figure 2) extending from a first end in an axial direction to a second end (see Figures 1-4, 6-8, 24-29), and a transverse leg (42 of Figure 2) arranged at the second end of the longitudinal leg, and extending in a radial direction perpendicular to the axial direction (see Figures 1-4, 6-8, 24-29), a concentrated winding (6 of Figure 2) provided at each longitudinal leg of the plurality of coil cores surrounding a respective longitudinal leg, the stator including a cup-shaped recess (405 of Figure 29; see Figure 29) into which the rotor is capable of being inserted, the cup-shaped recess being arranged at an axial end of the stator (see Figure 29).
Holenstein does not explicitly disclose a controller,
the controller comprising a circuit board with a front side and a back side, circuit breakers to control the windings arranged on the front side,
the housing comprising an outer wall, a stator housing to receive the stator, a control housing to receive the controller, and a separating wall separating the stator housing from the control housing; and
a web arranged on the separating wall and adjacent to the outer wall, the web projecting into the control housing, the back side of the circuit board supported on the web, the circuit breakers arranged in an area of the circuit board with which the back side of the circuit board is supported on the web, and thermal connecting elements to dissipate heat are provided between the circuit breakers and the web.
Collins discloses a controller (82 of Figure 3-5),
the controller comprising a circuit board (84 of Figure 3, 5) with a front side and a back side, circuit breakers (88 of Figure 4-5; Para. 0057) arranged on the front side,
the housing (40 of Figure 1-5) comprising an outer wall, a stator housing (44 of Figure 1-5) to receive the stator (16 of Figure 3-5), a control housing (46 of Figure 1-5) to receive the controller, and a separating wall (58 of Figure 1-5; Para. 0064) separating the stator housing from the control housing; and
a web (62 of Figure 1, 3-5, 8) arranged on the separating wall and adjacent to the outer wall, the web projecting into the control housing (see Figure 3, 5), the back side of the circuit board supported on the web (via 110 of Figure 2, 4, 5), the circuit breakers arranged in an area of the circuit board with which the back side of the circuit board is supported on the web (see Figure 4), and thermal connecting elements (106 of Figure 1-5) to dissipate heat.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before effective filing of the claimed invention to have a housing with a separating wall creating a control housing and stator housing and a web supporting the circuit board comprising circuit breakers and a thermal connecting element to dissipate heat in the motor of Holenstein, as taught by Collins, to restrict the passage of contaminants therethrough to the controller and to disperse heat from the controller [Collins: Para. 0060, 0068].
Otzipka discloses a controller comprising a circuit board with a front side and a back side, circuit breakers to control the windings (Col. 1:60-Col. 2:2).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before effective filing of the claimed invention to have the control of the coils of Holenstein comprise a circuit board with circuit breakers to control the windings, as taught by Otzipka, for the advantage that the control can be effected directly at the transistors, it no longer being necessary to provide any complicated arrangement for controlling the transistors [Otzipka: Col. 2:3-8].
Brey discloses thermal connecting elements (11 of Figure 2) to dissipate heat are provided between the circuit breakers (13 of Figure 2) and the web (10 of Figure 2).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before effective filing of the claimed invention to have the control of the coils of Holenstein comprise a circuit board with thermal connecting elements to dissipate heat provided between the circuit breakers and the web, as taught by Brey, to provide a significantly improved cooling of the component, as a result of which the risk of overheating of the electric component is significantly reduced and the operational reliability of the circuit board is thereby significantly improved [Brey: Para. 0007].
Regarding claims 3, 4, Holenstein discloses all of the elements of the current invention as mentioned above, however does not explicitly disclose wherein each of the circuit breakers is arranged on a respective separate mounting surface, each of the respective mounting surfaces is connected to the back side of the circuit board via the thermal connecting elements, and each of the thermal connecting elements extends from the front side to the back side of the circuit board (claim 3);
wherein the thermal connecting elements are a first set of thermal connecting elements and a second set of thermal connecting elements are provided, each of the second set of thermal connecting elements extending from the front side to the back side of the circuit board, and each of the second set of thermal connecting elements is arranged outside the respective mounting surfaces (claim 4).
Brey discloses wherein each of the circuit breakers (13 of Figure 2) is arranged on a respective separate mounting surface (14 of Figure 2), each of the respective mounting surfaces is connected to the back side of the circuit board (13 of Figure 2) via the thermal connecting elements (11 of Figure 4B), and each of the thermal connecting elements extends from the front side to the back side of the circuit board (see Figure 4B) (claim 3);
wherein the thermal connecting elements (11 of Figure 4B) are a first set of thermal connecting elements and a second set of thermal connecting elements are provided (see Figures 2, 4-6), each of the second set of thermal connecting elements extending from the front side to the back side of the circuit board (see Figure 4B), and each of the second set of thermal connecting elements is arranged outside the respective mounting surfaces (14 of Figure 2) (claim 4).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before effective filing of the claimed invention to have the control of the coils of Holenstein comprise a circuit board with thermal connecting elements extending from the front side to the back side of the circuit board and circuit breakers arranged on a mounting surface, as taught by Brey, to provide a significantly improved cooling of the component, as a result of which the risk of overheating of the electric component is significantly reduced and the operational reliability of the circuit board is thereby significantly improved [Brey: Para. 0007].
Regarding claims 9, 10, 11, 14, Holenstein discloses all of the elements of the current invention as mentioned above, however does not explicitly disclose wherein the control housing of the housing includes an interior space having a substantially rectangular or square cross-sectional area perpendicular to the axial direction (claim 9);
wherein the stator housing of the housing includes an interior space having a substantially round cross-sectional area perpendicular to the axial direction (claim 10);
wherein a housing cover is arranged at one axial end of the magnetic levitation device, the housing cover configured to close the control housing (claim 11);
wherein the windings (6 of Figure 2) are configured to be inserted into the stator housing in a first installation direction in the axial direction, and the controller is configured to be inserted into the control housing in a second installation direction, and the first installation direction is directed in the opposite direction to the second installation direction (claim 14).
Collins discloses wherein the control housing (46 of Figure 1-5) of the housing (40 of Figure 1-5) includes an interior space (90 of Figure 3-4) having a substantially rectangular or square cross-sectional area perpendicular to the axial direction (see annotated figure 1 below) (claim 9);
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Collins Figure 1
wherein the stator housing (44 of Figure 1-5) of the housing (40 of Figure 1-5) includes an interior space (66 of Figure 4) having a substantially round cross-sectional area perpendicular to the axial direction (see Figure 4, 14) (claim 10);
wherein a housing cover (92 of Figure 1) is arranged at one axial end of the magnetic levitation device, the housing cover configured to close the control housing (46 of Figure 1-5) (claim 11);
wherein the windings (26 of Figure 3) are configured to be inserted into the stator housing (44 of Figure 1-5) in a first installation direction in the axial direction (see Figure 5), and the controller (82 of Figure 3-5) is configured to be inserted into the control housing in a second installation direction (see Figure 5), and the first installation direction is directed in the opposite direction to the second installation direction (see Figure 5) (claim 14).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before effective filing of the claimed invention to have a housing for the stator and controller in the motor of Holenstein, as taught by Collins, to restrict the passage of contaminants therethrough to the controller and to disperse heat from the controller [Collins: Para. 0060, 0068].
Regarding claim 12, Holenstein discloses wherein the stator (2 of Figure 2) comprises a containment can forming one axial end of the stator (see Figure 29), the containment can including the cup-shaped recess (405 of Figure 29; see Figure 29).
Regarding claim 15, Holenstein discloses wherein the stator (2 of Figure 2) is configured to generate torque with which the rotor (3 of Figure 2) is configured to be driven magnetically without contact for rotation about the axial direction (abstract).
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Holenstein (US 2019/0356195), in view of Collins (US 2015/0318752), Otzipka (US 3,476,997), and Brey (US 2014/0085827) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Yang (US 2025/0167634).
Regarding claim 2, Holenstein and Collins disclose all of the elements of the current invention as mentioned above, however does not explicitly disclose wherein the outer wall of the housing (Holenstein: 401 of Figure 29; Collins: 40 of Figure 1-5), the separating wall (Collins: 58 of Figure 1-5; Para. 0064) and the web (Collins: 62 of Figure 1, 3-5, 8) are a single-piece unit.
Yang discloses wherein the outer wall of the housing (Para. 0028-0029), the separating wall (Para. 0028-0029) and the web are a single-piece unit (Para. 0028-0029).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before effective filing of the claimed invention to have the housing structure of Holenstein be made of a single-piece unit, as taught by Yang, to eliminate weak points caused by bolts, welds, or adhesives which result in improved vibration resistance.
Claims 5-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Holenstein (US 2019/0356195), in view of Collins (US 2015/0318752), Otzipka (US 3,476,997), and Brey (US 2014/0085827) as applied to claim 4 above, and further in view of Vrankovic (US 2023/0170765).
Regarding claim 5, Holenstein discloses all of the elements of the current invention as mentioned above, however does not explicitly disclose wherein for each of the respective mounting surfaces a contact pad is provided on the back side of the circuit board, the contact pad thermally coupling the thermal connecting elements belonging to the respective mounting surfaces to each other.
Vrankovic discloses wherein for each of the respective mounting surfaces (120 of Figure 7 on 92A) a contact pad (120 of Figure 7 at bottom of 92D) is provided on the back side of the circuit board (90 of Figure 7), the contact pad thermally coupling the thermal connecting elements (115 of Figure 7) belonging to the respective mounting surfaces to each other.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before effective filing of the claimed invention to have the control of the coils of Holenstein comprise a circuit board with mounting surfaces having a contact pad on the back side of the circuit board coupling the thermal connecting elements, as taught by Vrankovic, to radiate heat from the body of the integrated circuit package to the copper layer and through the vias to the lower surface of the circuit board [Vrankovic: Para. 0038].
Regarding claims 6, 7, 8, Holenstein discloses all of the elements of the current invention as mentioned above, however does not explicitly disclose wherein a heat conducting layer is arranged between the web and the back side of the circuit board, with which heat can be transferred from the circuit board to the housing (claim 6);
wherein the heat conducting layer is a film attached to the back side of the circuit board (claim 7);
wherein the heat conducting layer is a metallic material (claim 8).
Vrankovic discloses wherein a heat conducting layer (120 of Figure 7) is arranged between the web (100 of Figure 5-6) and the back side of the circuit board (90 of Figure 4-5, 7), with which heat can be transferred from the circuit board to the housing (80 of Figure 4-6; Para. 0039, 0041, 0042) (claim 6);
wherein the heat conducting layer is a film (120 of Figure 7; Para. 0038) attached to the back side of the circuit board (90 of Figure 4-5, 7) (claim 7);
wherein the heat conducting layer (120 of Figure 7) is a metallic material (Para. 0038) (claim 8).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before effective filing of the claimed invention to have the control of the coils of Holenstein comprise a circuit board, wherein a heat conducting layer is arranged between the web and the back side of the circuit board, as taught by Vrankovic, to radiate heat from the body of the integrated circuit package to the copper layer and through the vias to the lower surface of the circuit board [Vrankovic: Para. 0038].
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Holenstein (US 2019/0356195), in view of Collins (US 2015/0318752), Otzipka (US 3,476,997), and Brey (US 2014/0085827) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Bedin (US 2018/0372118).
Regarding claim 13, Holenstein discloses all of the elements of the current invention as mentioned above, however does not explicitly disclose wherein the separating wall comprises an inner cup having a substantially cylindrical configuration and being arranged radially inwardly with respect to the windings in an interior space surrounded by the windings.
Bedin discloses wherein the separating wall (17 of Figure 4) comprises an inner cup having a substantially cylindrical configuration (see Figure 4) and being arranged radially inwardly with respect to the windings (8 of Figure 4) in an interior space surrounded by the windings (see Figure 4).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before effective filing of the claimed invention to have the housing structure of Holenstein have a separating wall comprising an inner cup having a cylindrical configuration and being arranged radially inwardly with respect to the windings in an interior space surrounded by the windings, as taught by Bedin, to realize a waterproof motor body and a watertight coil, avoiding fluid, or liquid, to seep into the motor body [Bedin: Para. 0064].
Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Ling (US 2023/0241954) disclose a motor with a stator and controller housing as a single-piece unit.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHARLES H REID whose telephone number is (571)272-9248. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:30-4:45 PM.
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/Charles Reid Jr./ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
