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 .
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)(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.
Claims 1, 4-11 and 14-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Roehm (US 20180154507 A1).
With respect to claim 1, Roehm discloses a power tool comprising: a housing having a clamshell structure and comprising an elongated body defining a motor case (fig. 2, housing 105), a handle portion extending from a rear end of the motor case (fig. 2, handle 115), and a battery receptacle that couples to a removeable battery pack located at a rear end of the handle portion (fig. 2, battery pack 117); an electric motor comprising a motor can having a substantially cylindrical body (fig. 2, motor 180), a stator fixedly supported within the motor can (paragraph 26 “Drive motor 180 is preferably designed as a DC motor including a stator (512 in FIG. 5) and a rotor (514 in FIG. 5) provided with at least one permanent magnet (612 in FIG. 6).”), and a rotor mounted on a rotor shaft and rotatably driven relative to the stator (paragraph 26 “Drive motor 180 is preferably designed as a DC motor including a stator (512 in FIG. 5) and a rotor (514 in FIG. 5) provided with at least one permanent magnet (612 in FIG. 6).”), wherein the motor can is partially contained within the motor case (fig. 2, motor 180 is partially contained within housing 105), and the motor can includes a front annular portion that projects out of a front end of the motor case and includes a first threaded exterior surface (paragraph 51 “The thread-like connection between the at least one engagement element 344 and male thread 382 of gear unit housing 175 is preferably utilized for guiding adjustment ring 342 on male thread 382 by way of twisting torque adjustment sleeve 165”); a head assembly including an output member driven by the electric motor (fig. 2-4, operating element 165), and a rear annular portion with a diameter that is substantially equal to a diameter of the front annular portion of the motor can and that includes a second threaded exterior surface (figs. 2-4 adjustment ring 342); and a nut mounted onto the first threaded exterior surface and the second threaded exterior surface proximate the front end of the motor case to securely fasten the head assembly to the motor can (paragraph 51 “nut-like adjustment ring 342, on which preferably at least one radially inwardly directed engagement element 344 is formed, which preferably engages with a male thread 382 provided on the outer circumference of gear unit housing 175.”).
With respect to claim 4, Roehm discloses the motor can includes an open rear end opposite the front annular portion (figs. 2 and 6, and paragraph 64 “Fan wheel 120 is preferably designed as a hybrid fan which is preferably designed for drawing in air in the axial direction of fan wheel 120 or along an air-flow direction 604 and giving off air in the radial direction of fan wheel 120 or along an air-flow direction 602 and/or in the axial direction of fan wheel 120 or along an air-flow direction 606.”), and a radial wall located between the stator and the front annular portion, wherein the radial wall forms a bearing pocket arranged to support a bearing mounted on the rotor shaft (fig. 5 , bearing 124, bearing requires a mount in order to provide stability for the motor 180).
With respect to claim 5, Roehm discloses a fan mounted on the rotor shaft inside the motor can to generate an airflow through the motor can (fig. 2, fan 120).
With respect to claim 6, Roehm discloses the motor can includes a plurality of exhaust openings formed around the fan to allow the airflow to be expelled radially away from the fan, and a plurality of intake openings formed at a distance from the plurality of exhaust openings to allow an airstream to be received radially into the motor can (fig. 6, air flow direction 602 depicting exhaust).
With respect to claim 7, Roehm discloses a pinion mounted on a front end of the rotor shaft for engagement with at least one gear component of the head assembly (fig. 2, gear unit 170).
With respect to claim 8, Roehm discloses the pinion is located within the front annular portion of the motor can (fig. 3, drive spindle).
With respect to claim 9, Roehm discloses an outer surface of the motor can includes an annular groove and the housing includes an annular projection proximate the front end of the motor case that is received into the annular groove of the motor can (see figure 2 marked below).
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With respect to claim 10, Roehm discloses the nut includes an outer diameter that is smaller than or equal to a diameter of the motor case (fig. 2, diameter of gear unit 175 and threads is smaller than the outer housing 105).
With respect to claim 11, Roehm discloses electric ratchet comprising: a housing having a clamshell structure and comprising an elongated body defining a motor case (fig. 2, housing 105), a handle portion extending from a rear end of the motor case (fig. 2, handle 115), and a battery receptacle that couples to a removeable battery pack located at a rear end of the handle portion (fig. 2, battery pack 117); an electric motor comprising a motor can having a substantially cylindrical body (fig. 2, motor 180), a stator fixedly supported within the motor can (paragraph 26 “Drive motor 180 is preferably designed as a DC motor including a stator (512 in FIG. 5) and a rotor (514 in FIG. 5) provided with at least one permanent magnet (612 in FIG. 6).”), and a rotor mounted on a rotor shaft and rotatably driven relative to the stator (paragraph 26 “Drive motor 180 is preferably designed as a DC motor including a stator (512 in FIG. 5) and a rotor (514 in FIG. 5) provided with at least one permanent magnet (612 in FIG. 6).”), wherein the motor can is partially contained within the motor case (fig. 2, motor 180 is partially contained within housing 105), and the motor can includes a front annular portion that projects out of a front end of the motor case and includes a first threaded exterior surface (paragraph 51 “The thread-like connection between the at least one engagement element 344 and male thread 382 of gear unit housing 175 is preferably utilized for guiding adjustment ring 342 on male thread 382 by way of twisting torque adjustment sleeve 165”); a ratchet head including an output member extending perpendicularly from an axis of the rotor shaft and driven by the rotor shaft (fig. 2-4, operating element 165), and a rear annular portion with a diameter that is substantially equal to a diameter of the front annular portion of the motor can (figs. 2-4 adjustment ring 342) and that includes a second threaded exterior surface (paragraph 51 “nut-like adjustment ring 342, on which preferably at least one radially inwardly directed engagement element 344 is formed, which preferably engages with a male thread 382 provided on the outer circumference of gear unit housing 175”); and a nut mounted onto the first threaded exterior surface and the second threaded exterior surface proximate the front end of the motor case to securely fasten the ratchet head to the motor can (fig. 2-3, tool holder 140).
With respect to claim 14, Roehm discloses the motor can includes an open rear end opposite the front annular portion (figs. 2 and 6, and paragraph 64 “Fan wheel 120 is preferably designed as a hybrid fan which is preferably designed for drawing in air in the axial direction of fan wheel 120 or along an air-flow direction 604 and giving off air in the radial direction of fan wheel 120 or along an air-flow direction 602 and/or in the axial direction of fan wheel 120 or along an air-flow direction 606.”), and a radial wall located between the stator and the front annular portion, wherein the radial wall forms a bearing pocket arranged to support a bearing mounted on the rotor shaft (fig. 5 , bearing 124, bearing requires a mount in order to provide stability for the motor 180).
With respect to claim 15, Roehm discloses comprising a fan mounted on the rotor shaft inside the motor can to generate an airflow through the motor can (fig. 2, fan 120).
With respect to claim 16, Roehm discloses the motor can includes a plurality of exhaust openings formed around the fan to allow the airflow to be expelled radially away from the fan, and a plurality of intake openings formed at a distance from the plurality of exhaust openings to allow an airstream to be received radially into the motor can (fig. 6, air flow direction 602 depicting exhaust).
With respect to claim 17, Roehm discloses a pinion mounted on a front end of the rotor shaft for engagement with at least one gear component of the ratchet head (fig. 2, gear unit 170).
With respect to claim 18, Roehm discloses pinion is located within the front annular portion of the motor can (fig. 3, drive spindle).
With respect to claim 19, Roehm discloses an outer surface of the motor can includes an annular groove and the housing includes an annular projection proximate the front end of the motor case that is received into the annular groove of the motor can (see figure 2 marked above).
With respect to claim 20, Roehm discloses the nut includes an outer diameter that is smaller than or equal to a diameter of the motor case (fig. 2, diameter of gear unit 175 and threads is smaller than the outer housing 105).
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 2-3 and 12-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fan et al (US 11787009 B2)
With respect to claim 2, Roehm teaches the stator comprises a stator core having an aperture extending therethrough (fig. 5, stator 512, aperture for shaft 182), and the rotor comprises a cylindrical rotor core supporting at least one permanent magnet around an outer surface of the stator core (fig. 6 rotor 514).
Roehm does not teach “a plurality of stator teeth radially extending outwardly from the stator core and defining a plurality of slots therebetween and a plurality of stator windings wound around the plurality of stator teeth.”
Fan teaches a plurality of stator teeth radially extending outwardly from the stator core and defining a plurality of slots therebetween (fig. 8, tooth portions 412), and a plurality of stator windings wound around the plurality of stator teeth (col. 5, ln 9 “The coil winding 42 is wound around the stator core 41”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill, in the art at the time of filing, to combine the motor and tool of Roehm with stator core and teeth of Fan in order to rotate the rotor thereby powering the tool for use.
With respect to claim 3, Roehm in view of Fan teaches the above-mentioned limitations. Roehm further teaches a stator mount including an axial member on which the stator is mounted (fig. 2 and paragraph 28 “drive motor 180 is situated in a motor housing 185 and gear unit 170 is situated in a gear unit housing 175, gear unit housing 175 and motor housing 185 being situated in tool housing 105, by way of example. Gear unit 170 is preferably situated between drive motor 180 and tool holder 140”), and a radial member coupled to the motor can, the radial member forming a bearing pocket arranged to support a bearing mounted on the rotor shaft (fig. 2, bearing 122 and its respective mount).
With respect to claim 12, Roehm teaches the stator comprises a stator core having an aperture extending therethrough (fig. 5, stator 512, aperture for shaft 182), and the rotor comprises a cylindrical rotor core supporting at least one permanent magnet around an outer surface of the stator core (fig. 6 rotor 514).
Roehm does not teach “a plurality of stator teeth radially extending outwardly from the stator core and defining a plurality of slots therebetween, and a plurality of stator windings wound around the plurality of stator teeth”
Fan teaches a plurality of stator teeth radially extending outwardly from the stator core and defining a plurality of slots therebetween (fig. 8, tooth portions 412), and a plurality of stator windings wound around the plurality of stator teeth (col. 5, ln 9 “The coil winding 42 is wound around the stator core 41”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill, in the art at the time of filing, to combine the motor and tool of Roehm with stator core and teeth of Fan in order to rotate the rotor thereby powering the tool for use.
With respect to claim 13, Roehm in view of Fan teaches the above-mentioned limitations. Roehm further teaches the electric motor further comprises a stator mount including an axial member on which the stator is mounted (fig. 2 and paragraph 28 “drive motor 180 is situated in a motor housing 185 and gear unit 170 is situated in a gear unit housing 175, gear unit housing 175 and motor housing 185 being situated in tool housing 105, by way of example. Gear unit 170 is preferably situated between drive motor 180 and tool holder 140”), and a radial member coupled to the motor can, the radial member forming a bearing pocket arranged to support a bearing mounted on the rotor shaft (fig. 2, bearing 122 and its respective mount).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RILEY OWEN STOUT whose telephone number is (571)272-0068. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:30-5:30pm EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Christopher M Koehler can be reached at (571)272-3560. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/R.O.S./Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/CHRISTOPHER M KOEHLER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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