DETAILED ACTION
Claims 1-12 of U.S. Application No. 18981998 filed on 12/16/2024 are presented for examination.
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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 12/16/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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 1-5, 7-8, 10-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Frohlich et al. (US 2019/0027987; Hereinafter, “Frohlich”).
Regarding claim 1: Frohlich discloses an electric machine (5; fig. 7) having a thermal management system (27; fig. 7) and for use in an electrified vehicle (abstract, line 1), the electric machine (5) including a rotor (1), a stator (28) and a housing (26), the electric machine (5) comprising:
an oil feed channel (18) at least partly positioned in the housing (26) and configured to provide cooling oil to at least the rotor (para [0039-0040] and fig. 7); the rotor (1) including:
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a rotor shaft (19) having a longitudinal axis of rotation (L);
a rotor core (2) positioned about the rotor shaft (19), the rotor core includes a first axial end (16.1) and a second, opposed axial end (16.2);
a helical oil channel (9.1, 9.2) formed and positioned in the rotor core (2), and forming a helical or spiral oil flow path (fig. 3-4) between the first and second axial ends (16.1, 16.2) of the rotor (1) for receiving cooling oil flow from the oil feed channel (18) to cool at least the rotor (para [0055]).
Regarding claim 2/1: Frohlich discloses the limitations of claim 1 and further discloses that the helical oil flow path comprises a plurality of spirals (each formed by aperture 8; fig. 3) circumferentially positioned around the longitudinal axis (L) and axially offset from each other (fig. 3).
Regarding claim 3/1: Frohlich discloses the limitations of claim 1 and further discloses that a length of the helical oil channel (9.1 and 9.2), measured in terms of a distance the cooling oil travels through the helical oil channel, is greater than an axial length of the rotor core (since a helical path is naturally longer than a straight path).
Regarding claim 4/1: Frohlich discloses the limitations of claim 1 and further discloses that the helical oil channel comprises two helical oil channels (9.1 and 9.2).
Regarding claim 5/1: Frohlich discloses the limitations of claim 1 and further discloses that the helical oil channel includes an arcuate shape (see channel 9.1 in fig. 3) in cross-section from the viewpoint of a radial cross-section of the rotor (1).
Regarding claim 7/1: Frohlich discloses the limitations of claim 1 and further discloses that the rotor core (2) comprises a plurality of lamination plates (7) stacked in a stacked configuration together (para [0007]) in a direction of the longitudinal axis (L) from the first axial end (16.1) to the second axial end (16.2) to form the rotor (1), and wherein each of the plurality of staked lamination plates (7) includes an arc-shaped channel (9.1, 9.1) such that the helical oil channel is formed in and by the stacked configuration of the plurality of lamination plates (para [0025]).
Regarding claim 8/7/1: Frohlich discloses the limitations of claim 7 and further discloses that the stacked configuration of the plurality of lamination plates (7) comprises a first laminate plate proximate the first axial end (the lamination 7 has axial face forming the rotor end face 16.1) and remaining stacked lamination plates (7), and wherein the arc-shaped channel (forming the helical or spiral flow path) in each remaining stacked lamination plate (7) is rotationally offset (fig. 3) from a prior lamination plate (7) while partially overlapping the arc-shaped channel (9.1, 9.2) in the prior lamination plate (7) thereby forming the helical oil channel.
Regarding claim 10/1: Frohlich discloses the limitations of claim 1 and further discloses that the cooling oil for the helical oil channel flows into the rotor core (2) from the shaft (19) of the rotor (through feed line 18 in the shaft 19).
Regarding claim 11/1: Frohlich discloses the limitations of claim 1 and further discloses that the helical or spiral oil flow path (9.1, 9.2) of the helical oil channel is a continuous path (from the feed point to the exit point with no interruption).
Regarding claim 12/1: Frohlich discloses the limitations of claim 1 and further discloses that the rotor shaft (19) comprises a hollow shaft (see feed line 18) configured to receive the cooling oil and direct the same to contact end windings (29, 30) of the electric machine (5) to cool the end windings (para [0055] and fig. 7).
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 (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 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.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Frohlich in view of Frohlich et al. (US 2019/0356187; Hereinafter, “Frohlich ‘87”).
Regarding claim 6/1: Frohlich discloses the limitations of claim 1 including the helical oil channel is positioned in the rotor core, but does not disclose that the rotor core comprises one or more magnets positioned at a radial distance from the rotor shaft, and wherein the helical channel is positioned in the rotor core in an area between the rotor shaft and the one or more magnets.
Frohlich ’87 discloses rotor core (6) comprises one or more magnets (29) positioned at a radial distance from the rotor shaft (21), and wherein the helical channel is positioned in the rotor core (6) in an area between the rotor shaft (21) and the one or more magnets (29).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have formed the rotor of Frohlich with the rotor core comprises one or more magnets positioned at a radial distance from the rotor shaft, and wherein the helical channel is positioned in the rotor core in an area between the rotor shaft and the one or more magnets as disclosed by Frohlich ’87 since permanent magnet rotor provides superior power density and high efficiency.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Frohlich in view of Krais et al. (US 2020/0036248; Hereinafter, “Krais”).
Regarding claim 9/1: Frohlich discloses the limitations of claim 1 including the cooling oil for the helical oil channel.
Frohlich does not disclose that the cooling channel flows into the rotor core (2) from an end plate of the rotor.
Krais discloses the cooling channel (23a, 23b) flows into the rotor core (2) from an end plate (25) of the rotor (1).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have configured the rotor of Frohlich to have the cooling channel flows into the rotor core from an end plate of the rotor as disclosed by Krais to simplify the rotor structure and manufacturing process.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AHMED ELNAKIB whose telephone number is (571)270-0638. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00AM-4:00PM.
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/AHMED ELNAKIB/Primary Examiner,
Art Unit 2834
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