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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I and Species II in the reply filed on 1/6/2026 is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
The claims are generally indefinite, failing to conform with current U.S. practice. They appear to be a literal translation into English from a foreign document and are replete with grammatical and idiomatic errors. Below is a small sampling of the 112 issues and is not intended as a comprehensive list of necessary edits. Complete revision of the claims is necessary.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the needs based control" in line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the flow temperatures" in line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the rotational speed" in line 7. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the stator" in line 10. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the rotor" in line 11. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
What is the relationship between “the pressure level” from claim 1, lines 12 and 14 and the “a first pressure level and a second pressure level” from claim 1, line 5-6? Does “the pressure level” mean either the first or second pressure level? What structure is being claimed?
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the inflow of the gearbox" in line 15. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the inflow of the rotor" in line 15. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the inflow of the stator" in line 16. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the flow path" in line 17. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the volume flow" in line 21. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the outlet" in line 22. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
What is the relationship between the “a fluid line” and the “a non-return valve” introduced in claim 2 line 2 and the “a fluid line” and the “a non-return valve” introduced in claim 1, lines 22 and 25 respectively?
Claim 3 recites the limitation "the pump rotational speed" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 3 recites the limitation "the clockwise direction" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 3 recites the limitation "the entire volume flow" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
What is the relationship between the “a third partial flow” introduced in claim 3, line 5 and the third partial volume flow introduced in claim 1, line 9?
Claim 4 recites the limitation "the pump rotational speed" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 4 recites the limitation "the clockwise direction" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 4 recites the limitation "the open position" in line 7. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
What is the relationship between the “a fluid line” introduced in claim 4, line 8 and the “a fluid line” introduced in claim 1, line 23?
Claim 5 recites the limitation "the pump rotational speed" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 5 recites the limitation "the counter-clockwise direction" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 5 recites the limitation "the entire volume flow" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
What is the relationship between the “a third partial volume flow” introduced in claim 5, line 6 and the “a third partial volume flow” introduced in claim 1, line 24?
What is the relationship between the “a first partial volume flow” introduced in claim 5, line 8 and the “a first partial volume flow” introduced in claim 1, line 9?
What is the relationship between the “a first direction of rotation” and “second direction of rotation” introduced in claim 6, line 4-5 and the first and second direction of rotation introduced in claim 1, line 4?
Claim 6 recites the limitation "the setting of the pressure level" in line 5. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
What is the relationship between the “a first and/ or a second and or a third partial volume flow” introduced in claim 6, line 6 and those features introduced in claim 1, line 9?
Claim 7 recites the limitation "the windings" in line 4. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 8 recites the limitation "the electric motor" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 9 recites the limitation "the first operating mode" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 9 recites the limitation "the pump rotational speed" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 9 recites the limitation "the clockwise direction" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 10 recites the limitation "the second operating mode" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 10 recites the limitation "the pump rotational speed" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 10 recites the limitation "the clockwise direction" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 11 recites the limitation "the third operating mode" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 11 recites the limitation "the pump rotational speed" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 11 recites the limitation "the counterclockwise direction" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-11 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
Claims 12-16 allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The claims are patentable over the prior art of record because the teachings of the references taken as a whole do not show or render obvious the combination set forth in claims 1 and 12, including every structural element recited in the claims, especially the configuration of the 3/2 directional control valve adjustable between a first position and a second position via a control line and a control pressure, wherein, in the first position of the 3/2 directional control valve, a fluid line connects the motor- pump unit to the heat exchanger, an outlet of the heat exchanger branches into the second and third partial volume flows, the third partial volume flow runs directly to the stator, and the second partial volume flow is fed to the rotor via a hydraulically controllable non-return valve, and wherein a first fluid path bypasses the heat exchanger to provide the first partial volume flow to the gearbox.
More specifically, regarding claims 1 and 12, Schweiger et al., DE 102022214389 is considered the closest prior art of record.
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Schweiger et al. discloses an arrangement for needs-based control of flow temperatures of cooling and lubricating oil in an electric traction drive (see abstract), the arrangement comprising: an electrically controllable motor-pump unit (2) configured to operate in a first direction of rotation (A) and an opposite second direction of rotation (B), and to provide a selectable first pressure level and a higher second pressure level by closed-loop control of rotational speed (“the distribution of the partial volume flows can be additionally influenced via the control pressure and thus via the pump speed of pump 4”); a hydraulic unit (see fig 5) coupled to the motor-pump unit (2); a heat exchanger (5) fluidly coupled to the hydraulic unit (as described above); multiple fluid outlets (connected to 11,12,13) configured to provide a first partial volume flow (10”’) to a gearbox (13), a second partial volume flow (10’) to a rotor (11) of an electric drive unit (11,12), and a third partial volume flow (10”) to a stator of the electric drive unit (12), each for at least one of cooling, heating, and lubrication, wherein the hydraulic unit (as described above) includes: a shuttle valve (7) downstream of the motor-pump unit (2); and a hydraulically controllable valve (25). Schweiger et al. does not specify that the valve comprises a 3/2 directional control valve adjustable between a first position and a second position via a control line and a control pressure, wherein, in the first position of the 3/2 directional control valve, a fluid line connects the motor- pump unit to the heat exchanger, an outlet of the heat exchanger branches into the second and third partial volume flows, the third partial volume flow runs directly to the stator, and the second partial volume flow is fed to the rotor via a hydraulically controllable non-return valve, and wherein a first fluid path bypasses the heat exchanger to provide the first partial volume flow to the gearbox. Incorporating this feature into the system of Schweiger et al. is consider non-obvious.
None of the references of the prior art teach or suggest the elements of the lubrication system as advanced above and such do not provide the necessary motivation, absent applicant's specification, for modifying the system in the manner required by the claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL A RIEGELMAN whose telephone number is (571)270-7956. The examiner can normally be reached 8-6 EST Monday - Friday.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Robert Hodge can be reached at (571) 272-2097. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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MICHAEL A. RIEGELMAN
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3654
/MICHAEL A RIEGELMAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3654
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