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 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 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Inoue et al. (JP 2007-043845 A).
Regarding claim 1, Inoue discloses a motor (FIG. 2) comprising:
a housing (10) that includes an inner circumferential surface having a cylindrical shape (9); and
a stator (1) that includes an outer circumferential surface that abuts on the inner circumferential surface from an inner side in a radial direction (FIG. 1), wherein:
the stator (1) includes grooves (5) on the outer circumferential surface, the grooves (5) each extending along an axial direction and being arrayed along a circumferential direction (FIG. 1, 2);
the housing (10) includes at least one protrusion (14) on the inner circumferential surface, the protrusion (14) abutting on an inner surface of one of the grooves (5); and
the grooves (5) include at least one first groove (see annotation below) on which the protrusion abuts and a second groove (see annotation below) on which the protrusion does not abut (FIG. 1).
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Regarding claim 2/1, Inoue was discussed above in claim 1. Inoue further discloses the protrusion (14) and the first groove partially contact with each other (FIG. 4).
Regarding claim 3/1, Inoue was discussed above in claim 1. Inoue further discloses the protrusion (14) and an inner surface of the first groove wholly contact with each other (FIG. 2).
Regarding claim 4/1, Inoue was discussed above in claim 1. Inoue further discloses the housing (10) includes a plurality of protrusions (14) on the inner circumferential surface (FIG. 1); and
the plurality of protrusions (14) is arrayed at regular intervals in the circumferential direction (FIG. 1).
Regarding claim 5/4, Inoue was discussed above in claim 4. Inoue further discloses the grooves (5) are arrayed at regular intervals in the circumferential direction (FIG. 1).
Regarding claim 6/1, Inoue was discussed above in claim 1. Inoue further discloses the protrusion (14) extends along the axial direction (FIG. 2).
Regarding claim 8/1, Inoue was discussed above in claim 1. Inoue further discloses the housing (10) holds the stator by interference fit (protrusion 14 is deformed by caulking to hold the stator with friction fit).
Claims 1 and 6-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wu (CN 202334074 U).
Regarding claim 1, Wu discloses a motor (invention relating to motor shell) comprising:
a housing (1) that includes an inner circumferential surface having a cylindrical shape (FIG. 1); and
a stator (3) that includes an outer circumferential surface that abuts on the inner circumferential surface from an inner side in a radial direction (FIG. 1), wherein:
the stator (3) includes grooves (4) on the outer circumferential surface, the grooves (4) each extending along an axial direction and being arrayed along a circumferential direction (FIG. 1);
the housing (1) includes at least one protrusion (2) on the inner circumferential surface, the protrusion (2) abutting on an inner surface of one of the grooves (3); and
the grooves (3) include at least one first groove (see annotation below) on which the protrusion abuts and a second groove (see annotation below) on which the protrusion does not abut (FIG. 1).
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Regarding claim 6/1, Wu was discussed above in claim 1. Wu further discloses the protrusion (2) extends along the axial direction (FIG. 2; the protrusion has a length along the axial direction).
Regarding claim 7/6, Wu was discussed above in claim 6. Wu further discloses the protrusion (2) includes a taper section (FIG. 2) where a protrusion height from the inner circumferential surface increases toward one side 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 9 and 11-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Inoue et al. (JP 2007-043845 A) in view of Ossenkopp et al. (US 2010/0187944 A1).
Regarding claim 9, Inoue discloses a production method of a motor (FIG. 2), comprising:
disposing an outer circumferential surface of a stator (1) such that the outer circumferential surface faces the inner circumferential surface of the housing (10; FIG. 1, 2); and
contracting the inner circumferential surface of the housing (10), to cause the inner circumferential surface to abut on the outer circumferential surface of the stator (1; the protrusion 14 is deformed to contact groove 5 to hold the stator; FIG. 1), wherein:
the stator (1) includes grooves (5) on the outer circumferential surface, the grooves (5) each extending along an axial direction and being arrayed along a circumferential direction (FIG. 2);
the housing (10) includes at least one protrusion (14) on the inner circumferential surface, the protrusion (14) abutting on an inner surface of one of the grooves (5);
when the stator (1) is disposed so as to face the housing (10), positioning of the housing (10) and the stator (1) in the circumferential direction is performed such that the protrusion (14) faces one of the grooves (5); and
when the housing (10) is caused to abut on the stator (1), the protrusion (14) is caused to abut on at least one first groove (see annotation below) of the grooves (5) and not to abut on a second groove (see annotation below) of the grooves (5).
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Inoue does not disclose expanding an inner circumferential surface of a housing to an outer side in a radial direction.
Ossenkopp discloses expanding an inner circumferential surface of a housing to an outer side in a radial direction (¶ [0052]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing of the claimed invention to have modified Inoue in view of Ossenkopp to disclose expanding an inner circumferential surface of a housing to an outer side in a radial direction, as disclosed by Ossenkopp in ¶ [0052], the method of expanding an outer housing to insert an object, then cooling down the housing for shrink fit is well known within the art as a simple substitution for one know method for another method.
Regarding claim 11/9, Inoue in view of Ossenkopp was discussed above in claim 9. Inoue further discloses when the housing (10) is caused to abut on the stator (1), at least a part of the protrusion (14) is plastically deformed (plastic deformation by caulking) by abutting on the first groove.
Regarding claim 12/11, Inoue in view of Ossenkopp was discussed above in claim 11. Inoue further discloses when the housing (10) is caused to abut on the stator (1), the first groove is filled with the protrusion (14) without space (FIG. 2).
Regarding claim 13/9, Inoue in view of Ossenkopp was discussed above in claim 9. Ossenkopp further discloses wherein when the housing (16) is caused to abut on the stator (15), the protrusion (3, 3’, 3”) is not plastically deformed (¶ [0055] the lugs are made smaller and touches the grooves after joining).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 10 is 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.
Regarding claim 10/9, the specific limitation of “the housing and the stator are relatively displaced in the circumferential direction, by force that is generated between the protrusion and an inner surface of the first groove that abut on each other” in the combination as claimed are neither anticipated nor made obvious over the prior art made of record.
Carrasco et al. (US 2016/0285342 A1) discloses a method of inserting a stator into a housing, where the stator is axially inserted than circumferentially rotated to be fixed together, but Carrasco does not disclose the stator and the housing are circumferentially displaced due to a force that is generated between the stator and the housing.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Carrasco et al. (US 2016/0285342 A1) discussed above in allowable subject matter.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MINKI CHANG whose telephone number is (571)270-0521. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Seye 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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/MINKI CHANG/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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