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.
Double Patenting
Claims 1-20 provisionally rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 as claiming the same invention as that of claims 1-20 of copending Application No. 18/955,565 (reference application). This is a provisional statutory double patenting rejection since the claims directed to the same invention have not in fact been patented. The two claim sets are identical.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 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 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Heeter et al. (US 20250112523 A1).
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Regarding claim 1, Teeter discloses an electric motor (figs. 1 and 3-5) including a rotor and a stator, the rotor comprising:
a circumferential wall (wall, annotated fig. 5) configured to receive and support an array of magnets;
a plurality of magnets (magnets, annotated fig. 5) arranged against the circumferential wall to form the array of magnets; and
an adhesive (para [0062]: “Adhesive may be applied between outer surface 552 of magnets and inner surface 542 of rotor body 539. Retention ring 580 may then be inserted to secure second end 554 of magnets 550.”) coupling the plurality of magnets to the circumferential wall, the adhesive being in contact with the plurality of magnets and with one or more recesses (first recess and second recess, annotated fig. 5) formed in the circumferential wall.
Regarding claim 2, Teeter discloses the electric motor of claim 1, wherein a recess of the one or more recesses is formed with an undercut such that a mechanical joint is formed between the undercut and adjacent adhesive (see the first recess formed under protrusion 547 in fig 5).
Regarding claim 3, Teeter discloses the electric motor of claim 1, wherein the rotor further comprises a ledge (ledge, annotated fig. 5) adjacent to the circumferential wall for receiving and supporting the array of magnets, the ledge having a recess (second recess, annotated fig. 5) formed therein for receiving the adhesive (implied).
Regarding claim 4, Teeter discloses the electric motor of claim 2, wherein the rotor further comprises a ledge (ledge, annotated fig. 5) adjacent to the circumferential wall for receiving and supporting the array of magnets, the ledge having a recess (second recess, annotated fig. 5) formed therein for receiving the adhesive.
Claims 10-11 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Krug et al. (US 20220109341 A1).
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Regarding claim 10, Krug discloses an electric motor (fig. 1) including a rotor and a stator (para [0022]: “The electric motor 100 may include a stator 118 that may be disposed within a housing 102 and a shaft 106 that may extend through at least a portion of the housing. The shaft 106 may be fixed to a rotor (not illustrated) and may define a rotational axis R.”), the stator (118, fig. 4) comprising:
a plurality of teeth (122, fig. 4); and
a wire coil (wire coil, annotated fig. 3) wound around each one of the plurality of teeth,
an end of the wire coil (wire end, annotated fig. 3) being stripped of insulation (implied to make electrical contacts) and wound around two spaced-apart posts (post-1 and post-2, annotated fig. 3) formed on or adjacent to each one of the plurality of teeth (see annotated fig. 3).
Regarding claim 11, Krug discloses the electric motor of claim 10, further comprising:
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a circuit board (board, annotated fig. 2) for receiving the plurality of teeth (in fig. 2, the teeth are covered by the wound wire coils 120), the circuit board including a plurality of spaced-apart conductive tabs (tabs, annotated fig. 2) positioned to make contact with the stripped ends of the wire coils (wire ends, annotated fig. 2) of the plurality of teeth,
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the circuit board further comprising electrical conductors between the conductive tabs (the tabs are connected to busbars, see fig. 6) and a plurality of terminals in an electrical connector (terminals 184, 186 and 188, see fig. 5; see also para [0037]: “The contact adapter 168 may lie along or be spaced apart from the top surface 180. The contact adapter 168 may receive end portions 184, 186, 188 of the busbars 114 so that the second busbars 172 are electrically connected to the busbars 114.”).
Regarding claim 15, Krug discloses the electric motor of claim 10, wherein the plurality of teeth are arranged in pairs comprising a first tooth and a second tooth (coil-1 and coil-2 are wound around a first tooth and a second tooth, see annotated fig. 3), the first tooth having a first stripped end of a wire coil wrapped around a first set of posts (wire end-1 wrapped around post-1, annotated fig. 3), and the second tooth having a second stripped end of the wire coil wrapped around a second set of posts (wire end-2 wrapped around post-3, annotated fig. 3).
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.
Claim(s) 5-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Heeter et al. (US 20250112523 A1) in view of Krug et al. (US 20220109341 A1).
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Regarding claim 5, Teeter discloses the electric motor of claim 1, wherein the stator comprises: a plurality of teeth (teeth, annotated fig. 2B); and a wire coil wound around each one of the plurality of teeth (para [0047]: “Stator 270 may include windings configured to interact with magnets 250 to generate electrical power. As shown in FIG. 2, stator 270 may include exterior surface 272, first end 273, and second end 274.”), an end of the wire coil being stripped of insulation (implied to make electrical connection).
Teeter does not disclose: an end of the wire coil being wound around two spaced-apart posts formed on or adjacent to each one of the plurality of teeth.
As discussed above regarding claim 10, Krug discloses an end of the wire coil being wound around two spaced-apart posts formed on or adjacent to each one of the plurality of teeth. This is done to support the end wire as it’s attached to a tab of a busbar.
To support the end wire as it’s attached to a tab of a busbar, 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 stator in such a way that: an end of the wire coil being wound around two spaced-apart posts formed on or adjacent to each one of the plurality of teeth.
Regarding claim 6, Teeter as modified by Krug in claim 5 discloses the electric motor of claim 5, Krug as discussed regarding claim 11, above, discloses further comprising: a circuit board for receiving the plurality of teeth, the circuit board including a plurality of spaced-apart conductive tabs positioned to make contact with the stripped ends of the wire coils of the plurality of teeth, the circuit board further comprising electrical conductors between the conductive tabs and a plurality of terminals in an electrical connector.
Claim(s) 7-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Heeter et al. (US 20250112523 A1) in view of Krug et al. (US 20220109341 A1) and further in view of Chou et al. (US 20220271577 A1).
Regarding claim 7, Teeter as modified by Krug in claims 5 and 6 discloses the electric motor of claim 6, wherein the circuit board is formed as a flat ring with an inner circumference and an outer circumference, and the conductive tabs are arranged at intervals along
Teeter as modified by Krug does not disclose: the conductive tabs are arranged at intervals along the inner circumference.
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Chou discloses a circuit board wherein the conductive tabs are arranged at intervals along the inner circumference and the outer circumference (see end wires 311 connected to bus bars in fig. 8).
For ease of routing of the wire ends, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify the circuit board in such a way that: the conductive tabs are also arranged at intervals along the inner circumference.
Regarding claim 8, Teeter as modified by Krug and Chou discloses the electric motor of claim 7, Krug as discussed above regarding claim 15 discloses wherein the plurality of teeth are arranged in pairs comprising a first tooth and a second tooth, the first tooth having a first stripped end of a wire coil wrapped around a first set of posts, and the second tooth having a second stripped end of the wire coil wrapped around a second set of posts.
Claim(s) 12-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Krug et al. (US 20220109341 A1) in view of Chou et al. (US 20220271577 A1).
Regarding claim 12, Krug discloses the electric motor of claim 11, wherein the circuit board is formed as a flat ring with an inner circumference and an outer circumference (see figs. 2 and 5), and the conductive tabs are arranged at intervals along
Krug does not disclose: the conductive tabs are arranged at intervals along the inner circumference. As discussed above regarding claim 7, Chou discloses conductive tabs are arranged at intervals along the inner circumference and the outer circumference.
For ease of routing of the wire ends, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify the circuit board in such a way that: the conductive tabs are also arranged at intervals along the inner circumference.
Regarding claim 13, Krug as modified by Chou in claim 12 discloses the electric motor of claim 12, Krug as discussed above regarding claim 8 further discloses wherein the plurality of teeth are arranged in pairs comprising a first tooth and a second tooth, the first tooth having a first stripped end of a wire coil wrapped around a first set of posts, and the second tooth having a second stripped end of the wire coil wrapped around a second set of posts.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9, 14 and 16-20 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.
As allowable subject matter has been indicated, applicant's reply must either comply with all formal requirements or specifically traverse each requirement not complied with. See 37 CFR 1.111(b) and MPEP § 707.07(a).
Conclusion
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/MASOUD VAZIRI/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/OLUSEYE IWARERE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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