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 Objections
Claims 3 and 4 are objected to because of the following informalities. Appropriate correction is required.
Regarding claims 3 and 4: Claim 3 recites “a motor outer peripheral passage arranged on the inverter device” and claim 4 recites “an inverter outer peripheral passage arranged on the motor device”. It seems counterintuitive that the motor passage would be on the inverter and vice versa, Fig. 9 appears to depict this as well. While the breadth of the limitation “arranged on” is still supported by Fig. 9 as they are adjacent components, it is suggested Applicant to review these claims to ensure they are worded correctly.
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 1-6, 10, and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ishimaru et al. (“Ishimaru”; US 2016/0105083).
Regarding claim 1: Ishimaru discloses a drive device to be driven by electric power (Fig. 1-4), the drive device comprising:
a motor device (20) including a motor configured to be supplied with electric power;
an inverter device (30) including an inverter configured to convert the electric power to be supplied to the motor;
an accommodating housing (40) accommodating the motor and the inverter; and
a cooling device including a refrigerant passage (70), which is configured to allow a refrigerant to circulate therethrough, and a refrigerant pump (50), which is configured to cause the refrigerant to flow through the refrigerant passage, wherein
the cooling device is configured to cool both the motor device (via 73) and the inverter device (via 71) with the refrigerant which flows through the refrigerant passage, and
the refrigerant passage includes a common passage arranged on both the motor device and the inverter device (as 71 and 73 are both part of 70).
Regarding claim 2: Ishimaru discloses the common passage extends in a circumferential direction of a rotation axis of the motor and is arranged on both the motor device (shown by 73 in Fig. 4) and the inverter device (71 in Fig. 3) in a direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction, such that the refrigerant cools both the motor device and the inverter device (as 71 and 73 are both part of the common passage 70).
Regarding claim 3: Ishimaru discloses the refrigerant passage includes, as the common passage, a motor outer peripheral passage (71 in Fig. 4) arranged on the inverter device (as it cools the inverter) in an axial direction of the rotation axis (the perspective of Fig. 4) and provided on an outer peripheral side of the motor device (the top side).
Regarding claim 4: Ishimaru discloses the refrigerant passage includes, as the common passage, an inverter outer peripheral passage (73 in Fig. 4) arranged on the motor device (as it cools the motor device) in an axial direction of the rotation axis and provided on an outer peripheral side of the inverter device (below the inverter device).
Regarding claim 5: Ishimaru discloses the refrigerant passage includes, as the common passage, a common outer peripheral passage extending to span the motor device and the inverter device in an axial direction of the rotation axis and provided on an outer peripheral side of each of the motor device and the inverter device (as 71 and 73 run along the outer periphery of motor 20 and inverter 31, note, the limitation peripheral is not given any context as to a direction in relation to the center axis, so it can be the outer circumferential direction of the motor and the inner circumferential direction of the inverter).
Regarding claim 6: Ishimaru discloses the refrigerant passage includes, as the common passage, a radially interposed passage provided between the motor device and the inverter device in a radial direction of the rotation axis (as 71 and 73 are arranged between the inverter 30 and motor 20, Fig. 4)
Regarding claim 10: Ishimaru discloses the refrigerant passage includes an internal passage provided to allow the refrigerant to flow inside the accommodating housing (in that passage 70 is internal to the accommodating housing, see Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 11: Ishimaru discloses the internal passage includes a motor passage (73), which is to cool the motor device, and an inverter passage (71), which is to cool the inverter device, and is provided to allow the refrigerant to flow through the motor passage after flowing through the inverter passage (as shown by the flow diagram in Fig. 1, the arrow shows the coolant flowing across the top from left to right).
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.
Claims 7, 12, and 15-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ishimaru, in view of Koyama et al. (“Koyama”; US 2007/0273220).
Regarding claim 7: Ishimaru discloses a drive device to be driven by electric power (Fig. 1-4), the drive device comprising:
a motor device (20) including a motor configured to be supplied with electric power;
an inverter device (30) including an inverter configured to convert the electric power to be supplied to the motor;
an accommodating housing (40) accommodating the motor and the inverter; and
a cooling device including a refrigerant passage (70), which is configured to allow a refrigerant to circulate therethrough, and a refrigerant pump (50), which is configured to cause the refrigerant to flow through the refrigerant passage, wherein
the cooling device is configured to cool both the motor device (via 73) and the inverter device (via 71) with the refrigerant which flows through the refrigerant passage,
the motor device includes:
a motor shaft (21, Fig. 3) configured to rotate, as the motor is driven, a bearing portion (5, 6) that rotatably supports the motor shaft, and
a bearing support portion (41, 42) that supports the bearing portion,
Ishimaru does not explicitly disclose the refrigerant passage includes a support-portion cooling passage configured to cool the bearing support portion.
However, Koyama discloses the refrigerant passage includes a support-portion cooling passage (26, Fig. 3) configured to cool the bearing support portion (11, paragraph 0084).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the refrigerant passage of Ishimaru to cool the bearing support portion, as disclosed by Koyama, in order to ensure the bearing doesn’t overheat.
Regarding claim 12: Ishimaru discloses the motor device includes a motor shaft (21, Fig. 3) configured to rotate, as the motor is driven, a bearing portion (5, 6) that rotatably supports the motor shaft, and a bearing support portion (41, 42) that supports the bearing portion, but does not explicitly disclose the refrigerant passage includes a support-portion cooling passage configured to cool the bearing support portion.
However, Koyama discloses the refrigerant passage includes a support-portion cooling passage (26, Fig. 3) configured to cool the bearing support portion (11, paragraph 0084).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the refrigerant passage of Ishimaru to cool the bearing support portion, as disclosed by Koyama, in order to ensure the bearing doesn’t overheat.
Regarding claim 15: Ishimaru discloses the outer surface of the accommodating housing, but does not explicitly disclose a refrigerant fin provided on an outer surface of the accommodating housing and configured to dissipate heat of the refrigerant.
However, Koyama discloses a refrigerant fin (17, Fig. 5) provided on an outer surface of the accommodating housing and configured to dissipate heat of the refrigerant (paragraph 0050).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the accommodating housing of Ishimaru to include the fins of Koyama in order to allow for better heat transfer.
Regarding claim 16: Ishimaru discloses the accommodating housing, but does not explicitly disclose a blower fan provided to the accommodating housing and configured to blow air to cause a gas to flow along the refrigerant fin.
However, Koyama discloses a blower fan (4, Fig. 3) provided to the accommodating housing and configured to blow air to cause a gas to flow along the refrigerant fin (paragraph 0050).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the accommodating housing of Ishimaru to include the fan of Koyama in order to allow for improved cooling.
Claims 8-9 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ishimaru, in view Takahashi (US 2021/0328488).
Regarding claim 8: Ishimaru discloses a drive device to be driven by electric power (Fig. 1-4), the drive device comprising:
a motor device (20) including a motor configured to be supplied with electric power;
an inverter device (30) including an inverter configured to convert the electric power to be supplied to the motor;
an accommodating housing (40) accommodating the motor and the inverter; and
a cooling device including a refrigerant passage (70), which is configured to allow a refrigerant to circulate therethrough, and a refrigerant pump (50), which is configured to cause the refrigerant to flow through the refrigerant passage, wherein
the cooling device is configured to cool both the motor device (via 73) and the inverter device (via 71) with the refrigerant which flows through the refrigerant passage,
the drive device further comprising:
an inverter device including the inverter and an inverter housing (62, 63), which is included in the accommodating housing and accommodating the inverter, wherein the inverter device includes:
a switch component (31) configured to convert the electric power, and
a capacitor (32) component electrically connected to the switch component.
Ishimaru does not explicitly disclose the switch component is provided between the capacitor component and an inner wall surface of the inverter housing in a radial direction of a rotation axis of the motor.
However, Takahashi discloses the switch component is provided between the capacitor component and an inner wall surface of the inverter housing in a radial direction of a rotation axis of the motor (paragraph 0497: the capacitor does not abut against the inner circumferential wall of the inverter housing, but the switch module does abut against the inner circumferential wall, this means the switch is between the wall and the capacitor).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the inverter and housing of Ishimaru to have the configuration of Takahashi in order to make the design more efficient.
Regarding claim 9: Ishimaru modified by Takahashi disclose the switch component, Takahashi further discloses the switch component is provided on the inner wall surface (paragraph 0497) to allow heat of the switch component to be transferred to the inner wall surface (inherently heat will transfer to the wall).
Regarding claim 14: Ishimaru discloses an inverter device including the inverter and an inverter housing (62, 63), which is included in the accommodating housing and accommodating the inverter, wherein the inverter device includes:
a switch component (31) configured to convert the electric power, and
a capacitor (32) component electrically connected to the switch component.
Ishimaru does not explicitly disclose the switch component is provided between the capacitor component and an inner wall surface of the inverter housing in a radial direction of a rotation axis of the motor.
However, Takahashi discloses the switch component is provided between the capacitor component and an inner wall surface of the inverter housing in a radial direction of a rotation axis of the motor (paragraph 0497: the capacitor does not abut against the inner circumferential wall of the inverter housing, but the switch module does abut against the inner circumferential wall, this means the switch is between the wall and the capacitor).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the inverter and housing of Ishimaru to have the configuration of Takahashi in order to make the design more efficient.
Claims 13 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ishimaru, in view of Lacaux et al. (“Lacaux”; US 2022/0119121).
Regarding claim 13: Ishimaru discloses a motor cooling passage, but does not explicitly disclose the refrigerant passage includes a coil cooling passage configured to cool a coil of the motor.
However, Lacaux discloses the refrigerant passage includes a coil cooling passage (arrows of 3 in Fig. 7B) configured to cool a coil (27) of the motor (paragraph 0080).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the refrigerant passage of Ishimaru to include the coil cooling passage of Lacaux in order to directly cool the coils (paragraph 0080).
Regarding claim 17: Ishimaru discloses the drive device, but does not explicitly disclose the drive device is provided in a flight vehicle and to be driven by electric power to cause the flight vehicle to fly.
However, Lacaux discloses the drive device is provided in a flight vehicle and to be driven by electric power to cause the flight vehicle to fly (paragraph 0001).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the drive device of Ishimaru to be provided in a flight vehicle in order to increase applications.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SEAN GUGGER whose telephone number is (571)272-5343. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 9:00am - 5:00pm EST.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, T.C. Patel can be reached at 571 272 2098. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/SEAN GUGGER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
Prosecution Insights