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 . Claims 1-13 are pending.
Specification
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: Cooling a Motor Unit Using Two Cooling Circuits.
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.
Claims 1-2, 5 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kizaki, H. (JP 2023050239 A).
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Regarding claim 1, Kizaki discloses a motor unit (fig. 1) comprising:
a stator (stator, annotated fig. 1) having a tubular shape (“The cylindrical member 11 has a cylindrical shape centered on the central axis J1. The tubular member 11 is open on both sides in the axial direction. The tubular member 11 radially surrounds the stator 40 . Cylindrical member 11 holds stator 40 .”) centered on a central axis (J1, fig. 1);
a housing including a peripheral wall (wall, annotated fig. 1) configured to hold the stator from a radially outer side (see annotated fig. 1);
one or more water passages (water passages, annotated fig. 1) provided in the peripheral wall of the housing, with each of the one or more water passages extending along an axial direction parallel to the central axis (see annotated fig. 1; see also fig. 2) and allowing aqueous coolant to flow (implied); and
one or more oil passages (oil passages, annotated fig. 1; see also fig. 2) provided in the peripheral wall of the housing, with each of the one or more oil passages extending along the axial direction (see annotated fig. 1) and allowing oil-based coolant to flow (implied), wherein
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the one or more water passages and the one or more oil passages are arranged along a peripheral direction (see annotated figs. 3-4).
Regarding claim 2, Kizaki discloses the motor unit according to claim 1, wherein each of the one or more water passages has the same cross-sectional shape, perpendicular to the axial direction, as each of the one or more oil passages (see annotated figs. 3-4).
Regarding claim 5, Kizaki discloses the motor unit according to claim 1, wherein: each of the one or more water passages is isolated from an internal space of the housing configured to house the stator (see water inlet 60a and outlet 60b in fig. 1; see also fig. 2); and each of the one or more oil passages communicates with the internal space of the housing (see the secondary oil passages pouring onto the end windings in fig. 1).
Regarding claim 13, Kizaki discloses the motor unit according to claim 1, wherein the housing includes a central housing including the peripheral wall, a first cover (first cover, annotated fig. 1) connected to a first end part of the central housing in the axial direction, and a second cover (second cover, annotated fig. 1) connected to a second end part of the central housing in the axial direction.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 3-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kizaki, H. (JP 2023050239 A).
Regarding claim 3, Kizaki discloses the motor unit according to claim 2, but does not disclose wherein each of the one or more water passages has the same distance from the central axis as each of the one or more oil passages.
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Kizaki in figs. 3-5 discloses that the two channels can have different cross-sectional shapes and their relative radial positions can be interchanged. It’s noticed that in fig. 4, one of the channels has a rectangular cross-section. Therefore, it’s a matter of design to have each of the one or more water passages has the same distance from the central axis as each of the one or more oil passages.
As a design option, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention that: each of the one or more water passages has the same distance from the central axis as each of the one or more oil passages.
Regarding claim 4, Kizaki discloses the motor unit according to claim 3, wherein the one or more water passages and the one or more oil passages are arranged at an equal interval in the peripheral direction (see figs. 3-5).
Claim(s) 6-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kizaki, H. (JP 2023050239 A) in view of Ohashi et al. (US 20130038151 A1).
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Regarding claim 6, Kizaki discloses the motor unit according to claim 5, wherein: the one or more oil passages include a first oil passage (first oil passage, annotated fig. 1) located vertically below the central axis (see annotated fig. 1).
Kizaki does not disclose: the peripheral wall of the housing is provided with one or more first opening portions through which the internal space of the housing and the first oil passage communicate with each other.
Ohashi teaches a motor unit wherein the peripheral wall of the housing is provided with one or more first opening portions (first openings, annotated fig. 1) through which the internal space of the housing and the first oil passage communicate with each other. Ohashi states the designed cooling system provides “a rotary machine that efficiently converts electric power into torque, or torque into electric power.” (see para [0004]).
“To provide a rotary machine that efficiently converts electric power into torque, or torque into electric power”, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skills in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the Kizaki’s motor unit in such a way that: the peripheral wall of the housing is provided with one or more first opening portions through which the internal space of the housing and the first oil passage communicate with each other.
Regarding claim 7, Kizaki as modified by Ohashi in claim 6 discloses the motor unit according to claim 6, Ohashi further discloses: wherein the one or more first opening portions include a first inlet opening portion (first inlet, annotated fig. 1) through which the oil-based coolant in the internal space of the housing is introduced into the first oil passage (see annotated fig. 1, Ohashi).
Regarding claim 8, Kizaki as modified by Ohashi in claim 6 discloses the motor unit according to claim 7, Ohashi further discloses wherein the one or more first opening portions further include a first outlet opening portion (first outlet, annotated fig. 1) through which the oil-based coolant in the first oil passage is discharged to the internal space of the housing or to an outside of the housing (see annotated fig. 1, Ohashi).
Regarding claim 9, Kizaki as modified by Ohashi in claim 6 discloses the motor unit according to claim 8, Ohashi further discloses wherein: the first inlet opening portion is located on a first side (left side in fig. 1) in the axial direction with respect to a first-side end surface of the stator in the axial direction; and the first outlet opening portion is located on a second side in the axial direction (right side in fig. 1) with respect to a second-side end surface of the stator in the axial direction (see annotated fig. 1, Ohashi).
Regarding claim 10, Kizaki as modified by Ohashi in claim 6 discloses the motor unit according to claim 6, Kizaki further discloses wherein: the one or more oil passages further include a second oil passage (second oil passage, annotated fig. 1) located vertically above the central axis; and the peripheral wall of the housing is provided with one or more second opening portions (second outlets, annotated fig. 1) through which the internal space of the housing and the second oil passage communicate with each other (see annotated fig. 1).
Regarding claim 11, Kizaki as modified by Ohashi in claim 6 discloses the motor unit according to claim 10, Kizaki further discloses wherein: the second oil passage is configured to supply the oil-based coolant from an outside (50e, fig. 1); and the one or more second opening portions include one or more second outlet opening portions (second outlets, annotated fig. 1) through which the oil-based coolant in the second oil passage is supplied to the stator (see annotated fig. 1).
Regarding claim 12, Kizaki as modified by Ohashi in claim 6 discloses the motor unit according to claim 11, Kizaki further discloses wherein the one or more second outlet opening portions (second outlets, annotated fig. 1) are directed toward a coil end (2, fig. 1) of the stator (see annotated fig. 1).
Conclusion
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/MASOUD VAZIRI/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/OLUSEYE IWARERE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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