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 18 December 2024. In view of this communication, claims 1-4 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 18 December 2024, 21 April 2025, and 29 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: Stator with Slot Cooling Medium Flow Paths.
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)(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.
(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) 1-3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and/or 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Engelhardt et al. (US 2022/0393538 A1), hereinafter referred to as “Engelhardt”.
Regarding claim 1, Engelhardt discloses a stator [1] (fig. 1-3) comprising:
a stator core [2] having a circularly cylindrical shape and having a plurality of slots [3] axially penetrating the stator core [2] (fig. 1-2; ¶ 0035-0036), and
coils [4] attached to the stator core [2] by being inserted into the plurality of slots [3] (fig. 1-2; ¶ 0035-0036),
wherein the plurality of slots [3] each have inner walls including:
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a pair of side walls [3sw1,3sw2] which extend radially outward from an inner circumference part of the stator core [2] such that a corresponding one of the plurality of slots [3] is open radially inward, the pair of side walls [3sw1,3sw2] circumferentially facing each other (fig. 1); and
a bottom wall [3bw] connected to an end of each of the pair of side walls [3sw1,3sw2] (fig. 1),
in each of the plurality of slots [3], an outer coil [4o] arranged radially outermost among the coils [4] is arranged radially apart from the bottom wall [3bw] such that a space [6] is provided between the bottom wall [3bw] and the outer coil [4o] (fig. 1), and
the space [6] forms an in-core flow path [6] through which a cooling medium flows (fig. 1-2; ¶ 0038-0041).
Regarding claim 2, Engelhardt discloses the stator [1] of claim 1, as stated above, wherein the pair of side walls [3sw1,3sw2] have first projections [swp1] configured to inhibit the outer coil [4o] from moving radially outward (fig. 1; the inward projections, on either side of the flow path [6], physically block the inner/outer-most coils from moving radially inward or radially outward, respectively).
Regarding claim 3, Engelhardt discloses the stator [1] of claim 1, as stated above, wherein the pair of side walls [3sw1,3sw2] have second projections [swp2] configured to inhibit an inner coil [4i], arranged radially innermost among in the coils [4] in each of the plurality of slots [3], from moving radially inward (fig. 1; the inward projections, on either side of the flow path [6], physically block the inner/outer-most coils from moving radially inward or radially outward, respectively).
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 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(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Engelhardt in view of Tanno et al. (US 2023/0231432 A1), hereinafter referred to as “Tanno”.
Regarding claim 4, Engelhardt discloses the stator [1] of claim 1, as stated above. Engelhardt does not disclose a guide member.
Tanno discloses a stator core [6] comprising an in-core flow path [10] through which a cooling medium flows (fig. 1-3; ¶ 0025-0026), the stator core [6] further comprising a guide member [12] having a ring shape and arranged coaxially with the stator core [6] on at least one side in an axial direction of the stator core [6] (fig. 4-5; ¶ 0058-0061),
wherein the guide member [12] includes:
an introduction part [17] to which the cooling medium which is externally supplied is introduced (fig. 5; ¶ 0058), and
a core connector [14] which communicates with the introduction part [17] and which is connected to an inflow port of the in-core flow path [10] (fig. 5; ¶ 0100-0103).
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to form the stator of Engelhardt having a guide member as taught by Tanno, in order to control the flow of cooling medium to the in-core flow paths thereby improving heat conduction (¶ 0126-0129 of Tanno).
Citation of Relevant Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure. Prior art:
Haas et al. (US 2023/0253844 A1) discloses a stator core having in-core flow paths between the bottom walls of the slots and the radially outermost coils, the slots having first and second projections preventing the coils from moving radially outward and radially inward, respectively.
Engelhardt et al. (US 2022/0385127 A1) discloses a stator core having in-core flow paths between the bottom walls of the slots and the radially outermost coils, the slots having first and second projections preventing the coils from moving radially outward and radially inward, respectively.
Hoerz et al. (US 2020/0185993 A1) discloses a stator core having in-core flow paths between the bottom walls of the slots and the radially outermost coils, the slots having first and second projections preventing the coils from moving radially outward and radially inward, respectively.
Sugimoto et al. (US 2011/0133580 A1) discloses a stator core having in-core flow paths between the bottom walls of the slots and the radially outermost coils, the slots having first and second projections preventing the coils from moving radially outward and radially inward, respectively.
Takenaka et al. (US 2010/0045125 A1) discloses a stator core having coils and a guide member directing a cooling medium to the coil end turns.
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.
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, 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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