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 .
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.
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.
Claims 12 and 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Evans (DE 102013225238 A1) in view of Urquhart (GB 2506932).
RE claim 12, Evans teaches a rotor assembly 200 (Figs.1-3) for use in a radial flux electric motor assembly 100 (Fig.1), the rotor assembly 200 comprising: a rotor shaft (in opening 215, see translation page 4); a rotor core 300 coupled to the rotor shaft (inside opening 215), the rotor core 300 comprising a plurality of core magnets 240 circumferentially spaced from one another and extending at least partially between two opposing ends of the rotor core 300; and at least one end plate 220 connected to the rotor shaft (shaft in opening 215), the at least one end plate 220 comprising a plurality of end magnets 420 coupled to the at least one end plate 220, the plurality of end magnets 420 positioned between the at least one end plate 220 and one end of the two opposing ends of the rotor core 300.
Evans does not teach a position of the plurality of end magnets being adjustable relative to the plurality of core magnets.
Urquhart teaches a position of the plurality of end magnets 26 being adjustable relative to the plurality of core magnets 18. Therefore, flux can be redirected as need and thereby optimum efficiency of the motor can be achieved (see translation page 9 last two ¶)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Evans by having a position of the plurality of end magnets being adjustable relative to the plurality of core magnets., as suggested by Urquhart, for the same reasons as discussed above.
RE claim 23/12, Evans in view of Urquhart has been discussed above. Evans further teaches a plurality of rotor poles 211, 212 circumferentially spaced about a central axis of the rotor shaft, wherein each end magnet covers 220 an interface between a rotor pole of the plurality of rotor poles 212 and an adjacent core magnet 240 of the plurality of core magnets 240; and a plurality of radial apertures (where magnets 240 inserted) alternately spaced with the plurality of rotor poles 211, 212, each radial aperture of the plurality of radial apertures receiving at least one core magnet 240 of the plurality of core magnets 240 (Fig.3).
Claims 24 and 31 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Evans (DE 102013225238 A1) in view of Zhao et al. (US 20130049493 A1).
RE claim 24, Evans teaches an electric motor assembly (Fig.1) comprising: a stator assembly 150 comprising a stator core 120 and winding; and a rotor assembly 200 comprising: a rotor core 300 configured to receive a rotor shaft (in opening 215, see translation page 4), the rotor core 300 comprising a plurality of core magnets 240 circumferentially spaced from one another, and extending at least partially between two opposing ends of the rotor core 300; at least one end plate 220 connected to the rotor shaft (inside opening 215), the at least one end plate 220 comprising a plurality of end magnets 420 coupled to the at least one end plate 220, the plurality of end magnets 420 positioned between the at least one end plate and one end of the two opposing ends of the rotor core 300.
Evans does not teach a plurality of windings (Evan only disclosed one winding 130) and a hub assembly affixed to the at least one end plate, the hub assembly configured to receive the rotor shaft.
Zhao teaches stator includes a plurality of windings (¶ 31) and a hub assembly 27 affixed to the at least one end plate 22, 23, the hub assembly 27 configured to receive the rotor shaft 21 (¶ 32). The hub is provided to fix the core/magnets to the shaft (¶ 32). Accordingly, stress concentration can be small which can leads to a longer life of the rotor (¶ 33). Further, the number of windings can be adjusted to meet the power requirement of the motor
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Evans by having a plurality of windings (Evan only disclosed one winding 130) and a hub assembly affixed to the at least one end plate, the hub assembly configured to receive the rotor shaft, as taught by Zhao, for the same reasons as discussed above.
RE claim 31/24, Evans in view of Zhao has been discussed above. Evans further teaches the rotor core 300 of the rotor assembly 200 further comprises: a plurality of rotor poles 211, 212 circumferentially spaced about the rotor shaft, wherein each end magnet covers 220 an interface between a rotor pole of the plurality of rotor poles and an adjacent core magnet 240 of the plurality of core magnets 240 (see Fig.2).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 13-22 and 25-30 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.
RE claim 13/12, the prior-art does not teach, inter alia, at least one frame coupled to the at least one end plate, the at least one frame positioned between the at least one end plate and the rotor core.
Claims 14 and 15 are allowable for their dependency on claim 13.
RE claim 16/12, the prior-art does not teach, inter alia, a hub assembly affixed to at least one of the at least one end plate, the hub assembly further comprising: an inner hub coupled to the at least one end plate, the inner hub defining an opening sized to receive the rotor shaft therethrough; and a drum surrounding the inner hub and coupled to the rotor core, wherein the inner hub and the at least one end plate are configured to rotate at a rotational speed equal to a rotational speed of the rotor shaft during operation.
Claims 25-30 are allowable for similar reasons as claims 13-15.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THOMAS TRUONG whose telephone number is (571)270-5532. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9AM-6PM EST.
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/THOMAS TRUONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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