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 . Claims 1-20 are pending.
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 (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.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
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Claim(s) 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Paul et al. (DE 102012110157 A1) in view of Stein et al. (DE 102021209416 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Paul discloses a rotor assembly, comprising:
a first end cap (first end cap, annotated fig. 9);
a second end cap (first end cap, annotated fig. 9);
a rotor core (core, annotated fig. 9) surrounding a cavity (cavity, annotated fig. 9) and positioned between the first end cap and the second end cap (see fig. 9); and
a fastener (fastener, annotated fig. 9) extending axially along an axis through the first end cap, the second end cap, and the cavity, the fastener affixing the first end cap and the second end cap to the rotor core.
Paul does not disclose: the first end cap and the second end cap have cap cooling channels to distribute a coolant fluid among stack cooling channels extending axially through the rotor core.
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Stein discloses a rotor assembly wherein a first end cap and a second end cap have cap cooling channels to distribute a coolant fluid among stack cooling channels extending axially through the rotor core (see annotated fig. 10, Stein). This is done to cool the rotor.
To cool the rotor assembly, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the end caps and the rotor core in such a way that: the first end cap and the second end cap have cap cooling channels to distribute a coolant fluid among stack cooling channels extending axially through the rotor core.
Regarding claim 2, Paul as modified by Stein in claim 1 discloses the rotor assembly of claim 1, Stein further discloses: wherein the cap cooling channels include first cooling channels (first channels, annotated fig. 10) at a first angle with the axis (90 degrees, see annotated fig. 10).
Regarding claim 3, Paul as modified by Stein in claim 1 discloses the rotor assembly of claim 2, Stein further discloses: wherein the cap cooling channels further include second cooling channels (second channels, annotated fig. 10) at a second angle greater than the first angle with the axis (270 degrees, see annotated fig. 10).
Regarding claim 4, Paul as modified by Stein in claim 1 discloses the rotor assembly of claim 2, wherein the cap cooling channels further include third cooling channels (third channels, annotated fig. 10) parallel with the axis and the coolant fluid exits the rotor assembly via the third cooling channels.
Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Paul et al. (DE 102012110157 A1) in view of Stein et al. (DE 102021209416 A1) as evidenced by Leonardi et al. (US 20230105407 A1).
Regarding claim 18, Paul as modified by Stein and discussed in claims 1-4, discloses an electric machine, comprising:
a rotor assembly adapted to rotate about an axis, the rotor assembly comprising: a first end cap and a second end cap; a rotor core circumferentially surrounded by the stator lamination stacks and positioned axially between the first end cap and the second end cap; and a fastener extending along the axis and adapted to apply axial force on the first end cap and second end cap, wherein stack cooling channels extend axially through the rotor core parallel to the axis and cap cooling channels extend through the first end cap and the second end cap, and wherein the cap cooling channels are adapted to distribute coolant fluid to the stack cooling channels and distribute fluid to the end windings.
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Paul and Stein disclose rotors for radial electric machines and it’s well-known to a person having ordinary skills in the art that such radial machines generally: have a stator assembly including stator lamination stacks and conductors extending through the stator lamination stacks, the conductors including end windings extending beyond the stator lamination stacks, as an example, see stator 74, laminations 78 and end windings 98 in fig. 2 in Leonardi.
For a radial electric machine, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention that: the electric machine further comprising: a stator assembly including stator lamination stacks and conductors extending through the stator lamination stacks, the conductors including end windings extending beyond the stator lamination stacks.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-7 and 19-20 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.
Claims 8-17 allowed.
Regarding claim 8, Paul, as modified by Stein in claims 1-4, discloses a rotor assembly, comprising: a rotor core including lamination stacks surrounding a cavity and centered around an axis; a first end cap at a first end of the rotor core, the first end cap including a protrusion (protrusion, annotated fig. 10, Stein); a second end cap at a second end of the rotor core; and a cooling system, where fluid enters the rotor assembly via the cooling passages; stack cooling channels through which the fluid flows axially within the lamination stacks; and cap cooling channels through which the fluid flows within the first end cap and the second end cap.
Paul and Stein do not disclose: the protrusion adapted to receive a cup and the cooling system comprising cooling passages in the cup.
None of the prior art of record anticipates or in combination renders obvious the limitations of claim 8; hence, claim 8 is allowed.
Claims 9-17 are also allowed because they depend on claim 8.
Conclusion
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/MASOUD VAZIRI/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/OLUSEYE IWARERE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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