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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claims 1-4 and 13-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 20200161898 A1 to Seibert et al.
Regarding claim 1, Seibert et al. discloses an apparatus comprising:
a stator (Fig. 1: 74) configured to be connected to the spindle so that the stator is outboard of the spindle [0021]; and
a rotor (76) configured to be connected to the outboard end portion (26) of the wheel hub (18) so that the rotor is outboard of the wheel hub and spaced outboard from the wheel mounting flange (34), the rotor configured to rotate at the same speed as the wheel hub with the rotor connected to the outboard end portion of the wheel hub [0033].
Regarding claim 2, Seibert et al. discloses the rotor includes a wheel hub interface, the wheel hub interface comprising fasteners (110) configured to extend inboard from the rotor and into threaded axial bores of the wheel hub outboard end portion to connect the rotor to the outboard end portion of the wheel hub.
Regarding claim 3, Seibert et al. discloses the rotor (76) is rotatable around an axis relative to the stator (74); and wherein the rotor includes at least one magnet spaced axially outboard of the wheel hub with the rotor connected to the wheel hub [0021].
Regarding claim 4, Seibert et al. discloses the rotor comprises a rotor body (111) for rotating around the stator and a generator adapter assembly (110), the generator adapter assembly having a first releasable connection (130) with the rotor body and a second releasable connection (120) with the wheel hub.
Regarding claim 13, Seibert et al. discloses the rotor includes a rotor body (111) extending about the stator and a support shaft (28) extending in the stator.
Regarding claim 14, Seibert et al. discloses one or more bearings (32) connecting the support shaft and the stator to permit rotation of the support shaft relative to the stator.
Regarding claim 15, Seibert et al. discloses bearings (32) connecting the support shaft (28) and the stator (74) and maintaining a radial spacing between the rotor body (76) and the stator.
Regarding claim 16, Seibert et al. discloses in combination with the wheel hub, the wheel hub (18) rotatable around a central axis (50), the outboard end portion of the wheel hub including an outboard end surface (118) extending perpendicular to and about the central axis; wherein the wheel hub includes a plurality of threaded axial bores (114) in the outboard end surface; and wherein the rotor comprises fasteners (112) to engage the threaded axial bores and secure the rotor to the outboard end surface of the wheel hub.
Regarding claim 17, Seibert et al. discloses in combination with the wheel hub, the wheel hub having bosses (118); and wherein the rotor includes alignment portions (112) configured to engage the bosses and rotationally align the rotor relative to the wheel hub.
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 9-11 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20200161898 A1 to Seibert et al. in view of CN 102738921 A to Jin et al.
Regarding claims 9-11, Seibert et al. discloses an apparatus as described above.
However, it fails to disclose the limitations from claims 9-11.
Jin et al. teaches:
the stator comprises: stator laminations and metallic windings (abstract); a water jacket supporting the windings (abstract); and a stator interface (6) to connect the water jacket to the spindle, the stator interface having a key (between 6 and 2) to engage a keyway of the spindle.
the stator comprises: a stator interface having a key (between 6 and 2); and a seal body having an inboard seal (14) to engage the spindle and an outboard seal (14) to engage the stator interface.
an electrical and coolant connector having a first connector portion to be mounted to the spindle and a second connector portion to be mounted to the stator [0010], the first and second connector portions configured to be releasably connectable with one another [0010].
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the teaching of the water jacket, stator interface, and electrical and coolant connector as disclosed by Jin et al. to the apparatus disclosed by Seibert et al.
One would have been motivated to do so for cooling and securing connection.
Regarding claim 18, Seibert et al. discloses an apparatus as described above including the wheel hub comprising a wheel hub body (18) including the outboard end portion (16) and the wheel hub mounting flange (34), the wheel hub further comprising outboard and inboard bearings (32) to rotatably mount the wheel hub body to the spindle (at 28) and a spindle nut (42) to secure the wheel hub body and outboard and inboard bearings to the spindle.
However, it fails to disclose the stator includes a stator interface having a key to extend in a keyway of the spindle, the stator interface configured to connect the stator to the spindle so that the spindle nut is intermediate the stator interface and the outboard bearing along the spindle.
Jin et al. teaches the stator includes a stator interface having a key (between 6 and 2) to extend in a keyway of the spindle, the stator interface configured to connect the stator to the spindle so that the spindle nut (16) is intermediate the stator interface and the outboard bearing along the spindle.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the teaching of the stator interface as disclosed by Jin et al. to the apparatus disclosed by Seibert et al.
One would have been motivated to do so for securing connection.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-8 and 12 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 19-26 are allowed.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VIET P NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-9457. The examiner can normally be reached M, T, Th, F from 12pm-8pm.
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/VIET P NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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