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 (IDS) submitted on 11/25/2024, 05/28/2025, 08/22/2025, 12/02/2025 and 02/24/2026 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The lengthy 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 § 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.
Claim 5 is 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.
Claim 5 recites the limitation "the second inactive segment" in lines 1-2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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 (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 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 1-14 and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Takahashi et al. [2020/0161939].
Claim 1, Takahashi et al. discloses a stator [50] for interacting with magnets [42] carried by a rotor [40] of an electric machine, the stator [50] comprising:
an active region [53] arranged to be aligned with the magnets [42] carried by the rotor [40]; a first inactive region [54] and a second inactive region [55], wherein the first and second inactive regions are separated by the active region [figure 12]; and a slotless phase winding [81] comprising a plurality of conductive elements [82; paragraphs 0339-0342], wherein each conductive element comprises a conductor [82] provided in an insulating housing [82b], and wherein the slotless phase winding is arranged in a serpentine structure [figure 12] comprising: a first active segment [83] in which the conductive elements extend across the active region from the first inactive region [54] to the second inactive region [55]; a second active segment [adjacent 83] in which the conductive elements [82] extend across the active region from the second inactive region to the first inactive region; and an inactive segment [84] coupling the first active [83] segment to the second active segment [adjacent 83], wherein the inactive segment [84] comprises a turn provided in the second inactive region [55], and wherein at least one of the conductive elements [82] is twisted [82 is made from twisted wires 86; paragraph 0423] the second inactive region; wherein the turn in the inactive segment comprises a bend with a component out of the plane of the first active segment [figures 11 and 12].
Claim 2, Takahashi et al. discloses the stator of claim 1, wherein the inactive segment [84] extends out of the plane of the first active segment [83] as it turns around in the inactive region [figures 11 and 12; paragraphs 0371-0373].
Claim 3, Takahashi et al. discloses the stator of claim 1, wherein the inactive segment [84] extends radially inwards as it turns around [paragraph 0365 and 0371; figures 11 and 12].
Claim 4, Takahashi et al. discloses the stator of claim 1, wherein the inactive segment [84] extends towards the rotational axis of the rotor [paragraph 0365 and 0371; figures 11 and 12].
Claim 5, as best understood, Takahashi et al. discloses the stator of claim 1, wherein an inner surface of the second inactive segment [84 bottom figure 11] is located closer to the rotational axis of the rotor [40] as compared to an inner surface of the first active segment [83; figure 11].
Claim 6, Takahashi et al. discloses the stator of claim 1, wherein the inactive segment [84] curls radially inwards as it turns around to return to the second active segment [figures 11 and 12; paragraph 0371].
Claim 7, Takahashi et al. discloses the stator of claim 1, wherein inactive segments [84] of the rotor [40] fit radially within a housing [30] of the electric machine in regions outside the longitudinal extent of the magnets [42] on the rotor [40; figure 2].
Claim 8, Takahashi et al. discloses the stator of claim 7, wherein the inactive segment [84] extends into a hollow region of the housing of the electric machine [figure 2].
Claim 9, Takahashi et al. discloses the stator of claim 1, wherein the plurality of conductive elements [82] are substantially parallel with each other in the first and/or second active segment [83; figure 12].
Claim 10, Takahashi et al. discloses the stator of claim 1, wherein the conductive elements [82] in the first active segment [83] are substantially parallel to the conductive elements [82] in the second active segment [adjacent 83; figure 12].
Claim 11, Takahashi et al. discloses the stator of claim 1, wherein the slotless phase winding is a first slotless phase winding, and wherein the stator is a multi-phase slotless stator comprising a plurality of slotless phase windings [paragraph 0301].
Claim 12, Takahashi et al. discloses the stator of claim 11, wherein the first active segment [83] of the first slotless phase winding is offset from the second active segment [adjacent 83] of the first slotless phase winding in the active region [figure 12].
Claim 13, Takahashi et al. discloses the stator of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of slotless phase windings is arranged in a serpentine structure [figure 12].
Claim 14, Takahashi et al. discloses the stator of claim 13, wherein the serpentine structure of the first slotless phase winding is interlaced with the serpentine structure of one or more of the other slotless phase windings of the stator [figure 10, there are two conductive elements 82 that are radially offset]; and wherein a first active segment of a second slotless phase winding is arranged between the first and second active segments of the first slotless phase winding [figures 11-12].
Claim 18, Takahashi et al. discloses the stator of claim 1, wherein the inactive segment of the serpentine structure of the slotless phase winding is a first inactive segment, and wherein the serpentine structure of the slotless phase winding further comprises a second inactive segment and a third active segment; wherein the second inactive segment couples the second active segment to the third active segment, and wherein the second inactive segment comprises a turn provided in the first inactive region [active sections 83 are connected to adjacent active segment 83 via inactive segments 84; figures 11-12]; and wherein at least one of the conductive elements is twisted in the first inactive region [82 is made from twisted wires 86; paragraph 0423].
Claim 19, Takahashi et al. discloses an electric machine [figure 2] comprising: the stator [50] of claim 1; and a rotor [40] carrying a plurality of magnets [42]; wherein the electric machine is arranged so that the magnets carried by the rotor are aligned with the active region of the stator [figure 2].
Claim 20, Takahashi et al. discloses the electric machine of claim 19, wherein a distance of an air gap between the magnets of the rotor and the active region of the stator is smaller than a cross-sectional depth of the plurality of conductive elements of the slotless phase winding [paragraphs 0339, 0346, 0359 and 0360].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 15-17 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Bernard Rojas whose telephone number is (571)272-1998. The examiner can normally be reached Mon. thru Fri. 7:00 am - 4:00 pm.
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/BERNARD ROJAS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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