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.
Claim(s) 1, 10, and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Okada et al. (WIPO Document No.: WO 2018/066076 A1).
For claim 1, Okada et al. disclose the claimed invention of a stator (reference numeral 30B) for an electric machine (see figure 15), having a laminated stator core (reference numeral 31) and stator windings (reference numeral 34, see figure 15), which are designed for generating an electrical rotating field in an current-carrying state (see figure 15), and having a device for cooling the stator with a cooling liquid (i.e. jacket 10I for cooling stator 30B, see figure 15), characterized in that the device comprises a hollow-cylindrical stator jacket (reference numeral 10I) which surrounds the laminated stator core (reference numeral 31) and the stator windings (reference numeral 34) and has a radial inlet (reference numeral 28, figure 15), formed on the internal side of the stator jacket (reference numeral 10I) being helically extending protrusions (reference numerals 74, 75) which conjointly with the external side of the laminated stator core (i.e. outer portion 35 of stator core 31) form ducts (reference numeral 2C) for the cooling liquid (see figure 15).
For claim 10, Okada et al. disclose an electric machine having a stator as claimed in claim 1 (i.e. stator for an electric machine as shown in figure 15), which surrounds a rotor (reference numeral 90) that is rotatable relative to the stator (reference numeral 30B, see figure 15).
For claim 14, Okada et al. already disclose the electric machine as explained for claim 10 above, and applying this machine for driving a vehicle merely discloses the intended use of the invention, which does not result in a structural difference between the claimed invention and the prior art.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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) 2 and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Okada et al. as applied to claims 1 and 10 above, and further in view of Cimatti (US Patent Application Pub. No.: US 2014/0175920 A1).
For claim 2, Okada et al. disclose the claimed invention except for the inlet for the cooling liquid in terms of the axial direction being disposed at least approximately in the center of the stator jacket, and the helical ducts for the cooling liquid extending from the inlet to both axial ends of the stator jacket. Cimatti discloses the inlet (reference numeral 13, see figure 11) for the cooling liquid in terms of the axial direction being disposed at least approximately in the center of the stator jacket (i.e. inlet 13 located in the center along the axial direction of cooling circuit 12, see figures 7, 11), and the helical ducts (reference numeral 14) for the cooling liquid extending from the inlet to both axial ends of the stator jacket (i.e. ducts 14 extending from inlet 13 to axial ends 15, see figures 7, 11). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the inlet at the center and the ducts extending from the inlet to the axial ends of the jacket as disclosed by Cimatti for the stator jacket of Okada et al. for predictably providing desirable configuration for facilitating effective cooling within the device.
For claim 11, Okada et al. disclose the claimed invention except for the cooling liquid comprising an oil. Having oil for the cooling liquid is a known skill as exhibited by Cimatti (see paragraph [0005]), and it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have oil as disclosed by Cimatti for the cooling liquid of Okada et al. for predictably providing desirable configuration for facilitating effective cooling within the device.
Claim(s) 3-7, 9, and 16-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Okada et al. as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Stephan et al. (Foreign Patent Document No.: EP 3553922 A1).
For claim 3, Okada et al. disclose the claimed invention except for the stator jacket having a first half-shell and connected thereto a second half-shell. Stephan et al. disclose a stator jacket (reference numeral 1) having a first half-shell and connected thereto a second half-shell (i.e. jacket 1 having two half-shells 6.1, 6.2, see figures 1, 2a-2c), and it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the first and second half-shell as disclosed by Stephan et al. for the stator jacket of Okada et al. for predictably providing desirable configuration for facilitating the cooling arrangement within the device.
For claim 4, Okada et al. in view of Stephan et al. disclose the claimed invention except for the two half-shells being welded and/or adhesively bonded and/or latched to one another. Stephan et al. further disclose the shells latching to one another (i.e. snap into one another, see English translation of Stephan et al., Description, paragraph [0015]), and it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the two half-shells being latched to one another as disclosed by Stephan et al. for the half-shells of Okada et al. in view of Stephan et al. for predictably providing desirable configuration for facilitating the cooling arrangement within the device.
For claims 5 and 16, Okada et al. in view of Stephan et al. disclose the claimed invention except for interconnected edges of the half-shells defining a separating plane in which the first half-shell has one or a plurality of recesses and the second half-shell has one or a plurality of protrusions which are formed so as to be complementary to the recesses and are inserted into the recesses and/or latched thereto. Stephan et al. further disclose the shells latching to one another (i.e. snap into one another, see English translation of Stephan et al., Description, paragraph [0015]) which would constitute complementary recesses and protrusions for facilitating the latching function. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the latching effect provided by recesses and protrusions as disclosed by Stephan et al. for the half-shells of Okada et al. in view of Stephan et al. for predictably providing desirable configuration for facilitating the cooling arrangement within the device.
For claims 6 and 17, Okada et al. in view of Stephan et al. disclose the claimed invention except for the two half-shells being produced from a plastics material. Stephan et al. further disclose the shells being made of plastic (see English translation of Stephan et al., Description, paragraph [0009]), and it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the shells made of plastic as disclosed by Stephan et al. for the two half-shells of Okada et al. in view of Stephan et al. for predictably providing desirable configuration for facilitating the cooling arrangement within the device.
For claims 7 and 18, Okada et al. in view of Stephan et al. disclose the claimed invention except for the two half-shells being produced by injection molding. Stephan et al. further disclose the shells manufactured by injection molding (see English translation of Stephan et al., Description, paragraph [0021]), and it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the injection molding as disclosed by Stephan et al. for the half-shells of Okada et al. in view of Stephan et al. for predictably providing desirable configuration for facilitating the cooling arrangement within the device.
For claim 9, Okada et al. disclose the claimed invention including providing a laminated stator core (reference numeral 31) having stator windings (reference numeral 34, figure 15), but Okada et al. however do not specifically disclose disposing a first half-shell and a second half-shell of a stator jacket around the laminated stator core; and connecting the first half-shell and the second half-shell in order to form the hollow-cylindrical stator jacket. Stephan et al. disclose disposing a first half-shell and a second half-shell of a stator jacket (i.e. half-shells 6.1, 6.2, figures 2a-2c) being connected to form the jacket (see figures 1, 2a-2c), and it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the first and second half-shell as disclosed by Stephan et al. for the stator core of Okada et al. for predictably providing desirable configuration for facilitating the cooling arrangement within the device.
Claim(s) 8, 12, and 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Okada et al. as applied to claims 1 and 10 above, and further in view of Hanumalagutti et al. (US Patent Application Pub. No.: US 2017/0310189 A1).
For claim 8, Okada et al. disclose the claimed invention except for disposed on one axial side or on both axial sides of the stator being in each case one ring having passage openings in order to supply coolant from the ducts to winding heads of the stator windings. Hanumalagutti et al. disclose ring components (reference numerals 100, 122) on axial sides of the stator (see figures 5-7) with openings (reference numeral 62, see figure 5) for supplying coolant to the windings (reference numeral 98a, see figures 5-7). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a ring with openings for coolant as disclosed by Hanumalagutti et al. for the stator of Okada et al. for predictably providing desirable configuration for facilitating the cooling arrangement within the device.
For claim 12, Okada et al. disclose the claimed invention except for having a flange having a plurality of passage openings for fastening the electric machine, wherein the inlet for the cooling liquid of the stator jacket is disposed in the circumferential direction so as to be adjacent to one of the passage openings. Hanumalagutti et al. disclose a flange (reference numeral 100, figures 5-10) with openings (i.e. reference numeral 62, figure 5; reference numeral 202a in figure 8), and also disclose the openings at different positions (i.e. reference numerals 202a, 204a, see figures 8, 9) which would allow the inlet to be adjacent to one of the passage openings. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the flange with passage openings as disclosed by Hanumalagutti et al. for the machine of Okada et al. for predictably providing desirable configuration for facilitating the cooling arrangement within the device.
For claim 13, Okada et al. in view of Hanumalagutti et al. disclose the claimed invention except for the inlet being co-aligned in the axial direction with the passage opening. Hanumalagutti et al. already disclose the openings at different positions (i.e. reference numerals 202a, 204a, see figures 8, 9) which would allow the inlet to be co-aligned in the axial direction with the passage opening. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the openings at difference positions as disclosed by Hanumalagutti et al. so that the inlet is co-aligned in the axial direction with the passage opening for Okada et al. in view of Hanumalagutti et al. for predictably providing desirable configuration for facilitating the cooling arrangement within the device.
Claim(s) 15 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Okada et al. in view of Cimatti as applied to claim 2 above, and further in view of Stephan et al. (Foreign Patent Document No.: EP 3553922 A1).
For claim 15, Okada et al. in view of Cimatti disclose the claimed invention except for the stator jacket having a first half-shell and connected thereto a second half-shell. Stephan et al. disclose a stator jacket (reference numeral 1) having a first half-shell and connected thereto a second half-shell (i.e. jacket 1 having two half-shells 6.1, 6.2, see figures 1, 2a-2c), and it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the first and second half-shell as disclosed by Stephan et al. for the stator jacket of Okada et al. in view of Cimatti for predictably providing desirable configuration for facilitating the cooling arrangement within the device.
For claim 20, Okada et al. disclose the claimed invention including providing a laminated stator core (reference numeral 31) having stator windings (reference numeral 34, figure 15), but Okada et al. in view of Cimatti however do not specifically disclose disposing a first half-shell and a second half-shell of a stator jacket around the laminated stator core; and connecting the first half-shell and the second half-shell in order to form the hollow-cylindrical stator jacket. Stephan et al. disclose disposing a first half-shell and a second half-shell of a stator jacket (i.e. half-shells 6.1, 6.2, figures 2a-2c) being connected to form the jacket (see figures 1, 2a-2c), and it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the first and second half-shell as disclosed by Stephan et al. for the stator core of Okada et al. in view of Cimatti for predictably providing desirable configuration for facilitating the cooling arrangement within the device.
Claim(s) 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Okada et al. in view of Cimatti as applied to claim 2 above, and further in view of Hanumalagutti et al. (US Patent Application Pub. No.: US 2017/0310189 A1).
For claim 19, Okada et al. in view of Cimatti disclose the claimed invention except for disposed on one axial side or on both axial sides of the stator being in each case one ring having passage openings in order to supply coolant from the ducts to winding heads of the stator windings. Hanumalagutti et al. disclose ring components (reference numerals 100, 122) on axial sides of the stator (see figures 5-7) with openings (reference numeral 62, see figure 5) for supplying coolant to the windings (reference numeral 98a, see figures 5-7). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a ring with openings for coolant as disclosed by Hanumalagutti et al. for the stator of Okada et al. in view of Cimatti for predictably providing desirable configuration for facilitating the cooling arrangement within the device.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The following references disclose embodiments of stator cooling configurations: US 7948126 B2 (Fulton; David A. et al.), US 7109626 B2 (McClelland; Michael L. et al.), US 7009317 B2 (Cronin; Michael G. et al.), US 6909210 B1 (Bostwick; Peter), US 20220190655 A1 (Wehlen; Timo et al.), US 20200235640 A1 (Sanderson; Jason et al.).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEX W MOK whose telephone number is (571)272-9084. The examiner can normally be reached 8am-4pm.
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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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/ALEX W MOK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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