DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . This Office Action is responsive to the Applicant's communication filed 16 December 2024. In view of this communication, claims 1-7 are now pending in the application.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d) or (f), 365(a) or (b), or 386(a), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) submitted on 16 December 2024, 08 May 2025, and 16 December 2025 was/were filed before mailing of the first action on the merits. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement(s) is/are being considered by the examiner.
Disclosure
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: Motor Unit Cooling Medium System with Circumferential and Axial Channels.
The 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 § 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 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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-4 and 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kosaka et al. (US 2026/0135422 A1), hereinafter referred to as “Kosaka”.
Regarding claim 1, Kosaka discloses a motor unit [1] (fig. 1-8; ¶ 0045) comprising:
a motor [10] extending along a central axis (fig. 1; ¶ 0044-0045);
a housing [20] that houses the motor [10] (fig. 1; ¶ 0046-0047); and
a channel [300A] provided in the housing [20] and configured to allow a cooling medium to flow through the channel [300A] in a circumferential direction of the housing [20] (fig. 1-2, 8; ¶ 0094), wherein the channel [300A] includes:
a supply channel [321,IN] through which the cooling medium is supplied (¶ 0068),
a discharge channel [321,OUT] through which the cooling medium is discharged and that is provided at a different position in the circumferential direction from the supply channel [312,IN] (fig. 8; ¶ 0068-0070),
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a first cooling medium system [305,311,312] provided in a first range [r1], the first range [1r] being a range from the supply channel [321,IN] toward one side in the circumferential direction to the discharge channel [321,OUT] (fig. 8; ¶ 0094-0096), and
a second cooling medium system [306,311,312] provided in a second range [r2], the second range [r2] being a range from the supply channel [321,IN] toward another side in the circumferential direction to the discharge channel [321,OUT] (fig. 8; ¶ 0094-0096); and
the first cooling medium system [305,311,312] includes a first cooling medium channel [305] that connects the supply channel [321,IN] and the discharge channel [321,OUT], and a second cooling medium channel [306] that is independent of the first cooling medium channel [311] and that connects the supply channel [321,IN] and the discharge channel [321,OUT] (fig. 8; ¶ 0065-0069, 0094-0096).
Regarding claim 2, Kosaka discloses the motor unit [1] according to claim 1, as stated above, wherein a first length that is a length in the circumferential direction of the first range [r1] is greater than a second length that is a length in the circumferential direction of the second range [r2] (fig. 8).
Regarding claim 3, Kosaka discloses the motor unit [1] according to claim 1, as stated above, wherein each of the first cooling medium channel [305] and the second cooling medium channel [306] includes a plurality of axial channels [301] extending in an axial direction of the housing [20], and at least one circumferential channel [301c] extending in the circumferential direction, the at least one circumferential channel [301c] connecting the axial channels [301] in series (fig. 1-3, 8; ¶ 0094-0096).
Regarding claim 4, Kosaka discloses the motor unit [1] according to claim 3, as stated above, wherein:
the housing [20] includes a cylindrical middle housing [23], a first cover [21] connected to one end in the axial direction of the middle housing [23], and a second cover [22] connected to another end in the axial direction of the middle housing [23] (fig. 1; ¶ 0047-0050);
the axial channels [301] are provided in the middle housing [23] (fig. 1-3; ¶ 0059-0060, 0065); and
the at least one circumferential channel [301c] is provided in either the first cover [21] or the second cover [22] (fig. 1-3, 8; ¶ 0068).
Regarding claim 7, Kosaka discloses the motor unit [1] according to claim 1, as stated above, wherein the second cooling medium system [306,311,312] includes a third cooling medium channel [311] that connects the supply channel [321,IN] and the discharge channel [321,OUT], and a fourth cooling medium channel [312] that is independent of the third cooling medium channel [311] and that connects the supply channel [321,IN] and the discharge channel [321,OUT] (fig. 8; ¶ 0065-0069, 0094-0096).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 5-6 is/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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 5, and all claims dependent thereon, the prior art does not disclose, inter alia, the motor unit according to claim 4, wherein:
all of the axial channels are positioned at equal distances from the central axis of the cylindrical middle housing; and
the at least one circumferential channel includes a first circumferential channel that connects adjacent two of the axial channels, and a second circumferential channel that connects two of the axial channels that are located on both sides of the adjacent two axial channels.
While the prior art discloses cooling systems having various arrangements of manifolds, with circumferential channels, connecting the axial channels of the cooling system, it does not disclose first and second circumferential channels connecting the axial channels as recited above and as shown in figures 3-4 of the application. Further, no motivation has been found why one of ordinary skill in the art would connect the axial channels as recited, thereby rerouting the cooling fluid flow. Thus, the claimed invention is neither anticipated nor rendered obvious by the prior art.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Citation of Relevant Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure. Prior art:
Han et al. (US 2024/0048020 A1) discloses a motor cooling system having adjacent axial channels connected by first and second circumferential channels.
Lambourg et al. (US 2021/0281143 A1) discloses a motor cooling system having serpentine channels traveling in opposite circumferential directions.
Marino (US 2019/0207439 A1) discloses a motor cooling system having a central housing with axial channels and first and second covers each with circumferential channels which serve to connect adjacent axial channels.
Masoudipour et al. (US 2008/0185924 A1) discloses a motor cooling system with serpentine channels traveling in opposite circumferential directions.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Michael Andrews whose telephone number is (571)270-7554. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Thursday, 8:30am-3:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Oluseye Iwarere can be reached at 571-270-5112. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Michael Andrews/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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