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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDSs) submitted on 11/20/24 and 9/24/25 are being considered by the examiner.
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.
Claim(s) 1-7, 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Ito (US 2025/0132625 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Ito teaches a stator (10, fig 2), comprising:
a stator core (14) having a tooth (16);
a coil (18) wound around the tooth (16);
a bus bar (22U-22W) electrically connected to the coil (18);
a bus bar holder (24) configured to hold the bus bar (22U-22W); and
a resin molded portion (32) configured to collectively cover the coil (18), the bus bar holder (24), and the bus bar (22U-22W), wherein
the bus bar holder (24) has an interposed portion (24W, fig 6) disposed between the coil (18) and the bus bar (22U-22W), and
a thermal conductivity of the bus bar holder (24) including the interposed portion is lower than the thermal conductivity of the resin molded portion (32, para [0046]).
Regarding claim 2, Ito teaches the bus bar (22U-22W) is embedded inside the bus bar holder (24) by insert molding (fig 6).
Regarding claim 3, Ito teaches the bus bar holder (24) and the bus bar (22U-22W) are provided on axial sides of the coil (18).
Regarding claim 4, Ito teaches the bus bar holder (24) includes a first covering portion (24W) as the interposed portion covering a side surface of the bus bar (22W) that faces the coil (18) in an axial direction, a second covering portion (24V) covering the bus bar (22W) on the opposite side to the first covering portion (24W) in the axial direction, and a third covering portion (24U) covering both radial sides of the bus bar (22W, fig 6).
Regarding claim 5, Ito teaches the coil (18) and the interposed portion (24W) are disposed apart from each other (fig 6), and the resin molded portion (32) has an intermediate portion disposed between the coil (18) and the interposed portion (24, para [0046]).
Regarding claim 6, Ito teaches the bus bar holder (24) has a spacing maintaining portion that maintains a spaced state between the coil (18) and the interposed portion (24W, fig 6).
Regarding claim 7, Ito teaches a connecting portion (181) that electrically connects the coils (18) to each other (fig 2), wherein the resin molded portion (32) collectively covers the coil (18), the bus bar holder (24), and the connecting portion (181), and the interposed portion (24W) of the bus bar holder (24) is located between the connecting portion (181) and the coil (18, fig 1).
Regarding claim 11, Ito teaches a rotating electric machine, comprising:
a stator (10, fig 2), and
a rotor facing the stator (not shown, para [0029]), wherein
the stator includes
a stator core (14) having a tooth (16);
a coil (18) wound around the tooth (16);
a bus bar (22U-22W) electrically connected to the coil (18);
a bus bar holder (24) configured to hold the bus bar (22U-22W); and
a resin molded portion (32) configured to collectively cover the coil (18), the bus bar holder (24), and the bus bar (22U-22W), wherein
the bus bar holder (24) has an interposed portion (24W, fig 6) disposed between the coil (18) and the bus bar (22U-22W), and
a thermal conductivity of the bus bar holder (24) including the interposed portion is lower than the thermal conductivity of the resin molded portion (32, para [0046]).
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.
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.
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ito in view of Kanashige (JP 2007336676 A).
Regarding claim 8, Ito teaches the claimed invention as set forth in claim 1, except for the added limitation of a fastening band that restrains the bus bar holder to the coil or the stator core.
Kanashige teaches an electric rotating machine having a fastening band (14) that restrains the bus bar holder (5) to the coil (6) or the stator core (4) to secure the bus bar and the stator coil (abstract).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Ito’s stator with a fastening band that restrains the bus bar holder to the coil or the stator core as taught by Kanashige. Doing so would secure the bus bar and the stator coil (abstract).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9-10 are 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.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: the record of prior art by itself or in combination with other references does not show a stator wherein the resin molded portion has a first portion that covers the coil and a second portion that covers the bus bar holder, the first portion and the second portion are formed of materials having different thermal conductivities, and the thermal conductivity of the second portion is greater than the thermal conductivity of the bus bar holder and less than the thermal conductivity of the first portion, as recited in claim 9.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Aida et al. (US 2024/0154483 A1) teaches a rotary electrical machine includes a stator and a rotor. The stator includes a plurality of iron cores that are annularly disposed, windings that are wound to each of the plurality of iron cores, connection terminals to which the windings are connected to, and molded members that partially cover the plurality of iron cores and the windings. The rotor rotates around an axis that coincides with a circular center of the plurality of iron cores. The molded members have resin portions that cover the plurality of iron cores and the windings, and a plurality of exposed terminal portions that expose the connection terminals.
Kamegawa (US 2023/0026208 A1) teaches a stator has a stator coil provided on an annular stator core. The stator coil is formed of electrical conductor wires each including an electrical conductor and an insulating coat. Each of the electrical conductor wires has a pair of exposed portions where the electrical conductor is exposed from the insulating coat and a covered portion where the electrical conductor is covered with the insulating coat. The pair of exposed portions are formed respectively at opposite end portions of the electrical conductor wire. The covered portion is formed at other portions of the electrical conductor wire than the end portions. At a coil end part of the stator coil, each corresponding pair of the exposed portions of the electrical conductor wires are welded together and each of the covered portions of the electrical conductor wires includes a coat-removed portion where the insulating coat is locally removed from the covered portion.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LEDA T PHAM whose telephone number is (571)272-5806. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8:00-5:00.
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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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/LEDA T PHAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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