DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . This Office Action is responsive to the Applicant's communication filed 02 September 2026. In view of this communication, claims 1-10 are now pending in the application.
Election/Restrictions
Claim(s) 10 is/are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 02 September 2026.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d) or (f), 365(a) or (b), or 386(a), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) submitted on 21 November 2024 was/were filed before mailing of the first action on the merits. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement(s) is/are being considered by the examiner.
Disclosure
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested:
Axial Gap Type Rotary Electric Machine with Lightweight Rotor Support Plate.
The specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant's cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
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.
Claim(s) 1-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Shinohara et al. (JP 2004-297902 A), hereinafter referred to as “Shinohara”.
Regarding claim 1, Shinohara discloses an axial gap type rotary electric machine [1] (fig. 1-3; ¶ 0017-0018), comprising:
a stator [2] and a rotor [3] which are magnetically coupled in an axial gap in an axial direction (fig. 1; ¶ 0017-0018),
wherein the rotor [3] includes:
a permanent magnet [6] disposed to face the axial gap (fig. 1, 3; ¶ 0022);
a support plate [5] disposed behind the permanent magnet [5] (fig. 1-2; ¶ 0023),
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wherein the support plate [5] is positioned behind the permanent magnet [5], is disposed in a rotational symmetry with respect to a central axis of the rotor [3] (fig. 1-3; ¶ 0024), and has a plurality of vertical walls [52a-52h] extending in the axial direction (fig. 2-3; ¶ 0025-0029).
Regarding claim 2, Shinohara discloses the axial gap type rotary electric machine [1] according to claim 1, as stated above, wherein the plurality of vertical walls [52a-52h] are disposed in a radial shape so that each of the vertical walls [52a-52h] extends along a radial direction (fig. 2-3; ¶ 0025-0029).
Regarding claim 3, Shinohara discloses the axial gap type rotary electric machine [1] according to claim 2, as stated above, wherein the support plate [5] includes:
an inner core [52] having the plurality of vertical walls [52a-52h] (fig. 2; ¶ 0025-0029); and an end plate [54] joined to at least one end surface of the inner core [52] (fig. 2-3; ¶ 0031).
Regarding claim 4, Shinohara discloses the axial gap type rotary electric machine [1] according to claim 3, as stated above, wherein the plurality of vertical walls [52] include a plurality of radial vertical walls [52a-52h] extending along the radial direction (fig. 2-3; ¶ 0025-0029).
Regarding claim 5, Shinohara discloses the axial gap type rotary electric machine [1] according to claim 4, as stated above, wherein the plurality of vertical walls [52] include only the plurality of radial vertical walls [52a-52h] (fig. 2-3; ¶ 0025-0029).
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 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shinohara.
Regarding claim 6, Shinohara discloses the axial gap type rotary electric machine [1] according to claim 5, as stated above, wherein the inner core [52] includes a plurality of rectangular members [52a-52h] disposed in a radial shape along a circumferential direction (fig. 2-3; ¶ 0025-0029).
Shinohara does not disclose the members having a cylindrical shape.
However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to form the rectangular members of Shinohara instead having cylindrical shapes, since it has been held that a mere change in shape of a particular component of a device is a matter of design choice involving only routine skill in the art. In re Dailey, 357 F.2d 669, 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1966).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 7-9 is/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 a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 7, and all claims dependent thereon, the prior art does not disclose, inter alia, the axial gap type rotary electric machine according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of vertical walls include:
the plurality of radial vertical walls; and
a plurality of intersecting vertical walls extending in a direction intersecting the radial vertical wall.
While the prior art discloses various arrangements of axial-gap rotors being formed from magnets and a support plate, it does not disclose the support plate having the structure as recited above and best shown in figures 18-19 of the application. Specifically, the prior art discloses the support plate comprising radial vertical walls extending in the axial direction, but does not disclose additional intersecting walls extending inclined to the radial direction. Thus, the prior art neither anticipates nor renders obvious the claimed invention.
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.”
Citation of Relevant Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure. Prior art:
Sromin (US 2015/0229194 A1) discloses an axial air gap machine comprising a rotor with permanent magnets mounted on a support plate having an end plate and a plurality of radial vertical walls (fig. 10A).
Sullivan et al. (US 2014/0042868 A1) discloses an axial air gap machine comprising a rotor with permanent magnets mounted on a support plate having an end plate and a plurality of radial vertical walls (fig. 11).
Langford et al. (US 2010/0164316 A1) discloses an axial air gap machine comprising a rotor with permanent magnets mounted on a support plate having an end plate and a plurality of radial vertical walls (fig. 1).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Michael Andrews whose telephone number is (571)270-7554. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Thursday, 8:30am-3:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Oluseye Iwarere can be reached at 571-270-5112. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Michael Andrews/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
