Prosecution Insights
Last updated: August 16, 2026
Application No. 19/003,252

MOTOR ASSEMBLY, PUMP, AND BOILER INCLUDING THE SAME

Non-Final OA §102§103
Filed
Dec 27, 2024
Priority
Dec 29, 2023 — RE 10-2023-0197398
Examiner
SCHLAK, DANIEL KEITH
Art Unit
Tech Center
Assignee
Kyungdong Navien Co., Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
73%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
11m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 73% — above average
73%
Career Allowance Rate
43 granted / 59 resolved
+12.9% vs TC avg
Strong +37% interview lift
Without
With
+37.3%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 7m
Avg Prosecution
28 currently pending
Career history
76
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.6%
-39.4% vs TC avg
§103
38.0%
-2.0% vs TC avg
§102
28.1%
-11.9% vs TC avg
§112
30.4%
-9.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 59 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §103
DETAILED ACTION Claims 1-20 of U.S. Patent Application No. 19/003,252, filed on 27 December, 2024, were presented for examination, and are currently pending in the application. 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 . Specification Applicant is reminded of the proper content of an abstract of the disclosure. A patent abstract is a concise statement of the technical disclosure of the patent and should include that which is new in the art to which the invention pertains. The abstract should not refer to purported merits or speculative applications of the invention and should not compare the invention with the prior art. If the patent is of a basic nature, the entire technical disclosure may be new in the art, and the abstract should be directed to the entire disclosure. If the patent is in the nature of an improvement in an old apparatus, process, product, or composition, the abstract should include the technical disclosure of the improvement. The abstract should also mention by way of example any preferred modifications or alternatives. Where applicable, the abstract should include the following: (1) if a machine or apparatus, its organization and operation; (2) if an article, its method of making; (3) if a chemical compound, its identity and use; (4) if a mixture, its ingredients; (5) if a process, the steps. Extensive mechanical and design details of an apparatus should not be included in the abstract. The abstract should be in narrative form and generally limited to a single paragraph within the range of 50 to 150 words in length. See MPEP § 608.01(b) for guidelines for the preparation of patent abstracts. The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because it does not describe the inventive technical detail which is an improvement on an old apparatus. As shown by the references (almost all of them which read on claim 1 and the abstract) in attached PTO Form 892, the instant application is not of a basic nature such that the entire technical disclosure is new in the art, in which case the abstract could be only directed generally/generically to the entire disclosure. Instead, the application is in the nature of an improvement in an old apparatus, such that the abstract should include the technical disclosure of the improvement. A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b). 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 disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: in line 3 of ¶ 0073 the bearings are listed as reference numeral 300, which is the reference numeral for the shaft. The “300” should be changed to “340” to conform to the drawings and the rest of the written description. Appropriate correction is required. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 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 1-3 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee (KR 20220096800 A, provided herein with machine translation). With respect to claim 1, Lee teaches a motor assembly [motor module 200] (see fig. 1 and ¶ 0040 of the provided translation) comprising: a rotary shaft [240]; a fixing unit [combined bearing 244, stator can 220, and bearing holder 270] configured to support the rotary shaft [240] such that the rotary shaft [240] is rotatable (see ¶ 0066 and 0071-0073 and the annotated excerpt of fig. 3 attached below); and a motor housing (combined packing mounting part 211 and plug packing 280) accommodating at least a portion of the fixing unit [244/220/270] (it is within it in fig. 3), and directly contacting the fixing unit [244/220/270] (it contacts the can 220) to support the fixing unit [244/220/270]. PNG media_image1.png 477 792 media_image1.png Greyscale With respect to claim 2/1, Lee teaches the assembly of claim 1, and further teaches wherein the fixing unit includes: a bearing [244] coupled to be adjacent to one end of the rotary shaft [240] (the end visible in fig. 3 above); a stator can [220], in which at least a portion of the rotary shaft [240] (see ¶ 0064) is accommodated (still referring to the fig. 4 excerpt above); and a bushing holder [combined bearing holder 270 and plug 310], in which the bearing [244] is accommodated, and at least a portion of which is accommodated in the stator can [220], and wherein the motor housing [211/280] contacts the stator can [220] (see ¶ 0077). With respect to claim 3/2/1, Lee teaches the assembly of claim 2, and further teaches wherein the bushing holder [27/310] includes: a bushing holder body (labeled by the Examiner in the new fig. 3 excerpt attached below), to which the bearing [270] is coupled; and PNG media_image2.png 472 418 media_image2.png Greyscale a holder neck (also labeled by the Examiner in the fig. 3 excerpt above) extending along an extension direction (toward the left in fig. 3) of the rotary shaft [240] from the bushing holder body to an outside of the stator can [220], and wherein the motor housing [211/280] includes a support flange [cover portion 281] contacting the holder neck (see ¶ 0098-0100). With respect to claim 20, Lee teaches a boiler (¶ 0002 recites “the use of the pump may include a circulation pump provided in a heating pipe to circulate heating water in a boiler…) comprising: a pump [pump module 100]; and a heat exchanger configured to receive water from the pump (¶ 0002 recites “the use of the pump may include a circulation pump provided in a heating pipe to circulate heating water in a boiler. The boiler is configured to heat heating water in a heat exchanger using heat generated… and then circulates the heating water…” – since the water is circulating {whose root “circ” refers to circular motion just like circuit} through the pump, the boiler water will both receive water from the pump and pass it to the pump eventually, as they are in a circuit); a motor assembly [motor module 200] (see fig. 1 and ¶ 0040); and an impeller [130] configured to be rotated by the motor assembly [200] (see ¶ 0053 and 0064), PNG media_image3.png 375 907 media_image3.png Greyscale a rotary shaft [240] coupled to the impeller [130] (see ¶ 0064); a fixing unit [combined bearing 244, stator can 220, and bearing holder 270] configured to support the rotary shaft [240] such that the rotary shaft [240] is rotatable (see ¶ 0066 and 0071-0073 and the annotated excerpt of fig. 3 attached below); and PNG media_image4.png 474 381 media_image4.png Greyscale a motor housing (combined packing mounting part 211 and plug packing 280) accommodating at least a portion of the fixing unit [244/220/270] (it is within it in fig. 3), and directly contacting the fixing unit [244/220/270] (it contacts the can 220) to support the fixing unit [244/220/270]. 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. 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 7-10 and 14-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee in view of Takano (JP 2016200122 A, provided herein with machine translation). With respect to claim 7/2/1, Lee teaches the motor of claim 2, further comprising a stator [260] between the can [220] and the housing [210], but Lee omits explicitly teaching a core formed by stacking a plurality of stator core thin plates and a winding wound on the core, and including a through part passing through the core and a bunch part facing the core. Takano discloses a pump (compressor, see abstract) driven by a shaft [10] in turn driven by a rotor [3a] that is energized for rotation by a stator [3b], and is deemed analogous art. Takano teaches the stator comprising a core [30b] formed by stacking a plurality of stator core thin plates [30b,T] {¶ 0025 states that “the stator iron core 30b is constituted by a plurality of ring-shaped electromagnetic steel sheets (not illustrated) stacked in the axial direction…” but then fig. 4 does illustrate them without accompanying discussion – the Examiner believes this firmly establishes the stator core thin plates}; and PNG media_image5.png 545 776 media_image5.png Greyscale a winding [31] wound on the core [30b], and including a through part passing through the core [30b] (see fig. 5) and a bunch part [coil end part 31a] facing the core (see abstract). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to make the motor assembly of Lee, while incorporating the stator core thin plates and winding of Takano, in order to provide an electric field in order to drive the rotor, as is well known in the art. With respect to claim 8/7/2/1, Lee in view of Takano teaches the motor of claim 7, Takano further teaches wherein thin plate grooves [30c] are formed in the plurality of stator core thin plates [30b,T], respectively, and the thin plate grooves [30c] are located to be aligned with each other in one direction [the axial direction] (see the fig. 2 excerpt below). PNG media_image6.png 397 522 media_image6.png Greyscale It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to make the motor assembly of Lee in view of Takano, while further incorporating thin plate grooves, as taught by Takano, in order to form a stator air hole between the stator and the housing, in order to create a return oil path for lubricating oil (Takano ¶ 0025). This feature is also well known in the motor arts to reduce heat transfer to the housing from the stator and also to enable an interference fit between the stator and housing, such that a person of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to incorporate the thin plate grooves for various reasons. With respect to claim 9/7/2/1, Lee in view of Takano teaches the motor of claim 7, Takano further teaches an insulator [insulating bobbin] located between the bunch part [31a] and the motor housing [1a] to prevent the bunch part [31a] from contacting the motor housing [1a], and surrounding at least a portion of the bunch part [31a] (see also figs. 3 and 6 as well as ¶ 0028-0030). PNG media_image7.png 409 796 media_image7.png Greyscale It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to make the motor assembly of Lee in view of Takano, while further incorporating the insulator between the bunch part and motor housing, as taught by Takano, in order to guide the winding and ensure electrical insulation between the stator core and the winding (Takano ¶ 0028). With respect to claim 10/9/7/2/1, Lee in view of Takano teaches the motor of claim 9, Takano further teaches wherein the insulator includes an insulator body [wall 33b] contacting the core [3b/30b] to prevent vibration of the core [3b/30b] (see fig. 6 and ¶ 0030). PNG media_image8.png 367 373 media_image8.png Greyscale With respect to claim 14/9/7/2/1, Lee in view of Takano teaches the motor of claim 9, Takano further teaches wherein the insulator [33] is fixed to the motor housing [1a] (they are both rigidly connected to the stator and therefore are fixed relative to each other – see fig. 1). With respect to claim 15/9/7/2/1, Lee in view of Takano teaches the motor of claim 9, Takano further teaches wherein the core [3b/30b] contacts the motor housing [1a] (see fig. 1). Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee in view of Takano as applied to claim 10 above, and further in view of Sheeran (US 2001/0006312 A1). With respect to claim 11/10/9/7/2/1, Lee in view of Takano teaches the motor of claim 10, Takano further teaches wherein thin plate grooves [30c] are formed in the plurality of stator core thin plates [30b,T], respectively, and the thin plate grooves [30c] are located to be aligned with each other in one direction [the axial direction] (see the fig. 2 excerpt below). PNG media_image6.png 397 522 media_image6.png Greyscale It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to make the motor assembly of Lee in view of Takano, while further incorporating thin plate grooves, as taught by Takano, in order to form a stator air hole between the stator and the housing, in order to create a return oil path for lubricating oil (Takano ¶ 0025). This feature is also well known in the motor arts to reduce heat transfer to the housing from the stator and also to enable an interference fit between the stator and housing, such that a person of ordinary skill in the art would have found it obvious to incorporate the thin plate grooves for various reasons. Neither Lee nor Takano teaches wherein the insulator further includes fixing ribs extending from the insulator body to be accommodated in the thin pate grooves. Sheeran discloses an electric motor having a stator [22], wherein an insulator [shroud 25] including an insulating body contacting the core is located between the bunch part [end turns 16] and the motor housing [20]. PNG media_image9.png 456 936 media_image9.png Greyscale Sheeran teaches wherein the insulator [25] further includes fixing ribs [stator slot posts 66] extending from the insulator body [25] to be accommodated in the stator. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to make the motor assembly of Lee in view of Takano, while further incorporating fixing ribs extending to be accommodated in the stator, as taught by Sheeran, in order to align the cooling slots of the insulator with the bunch portions during assembly. It would have been further obvious to said person of ordinary skill in the art to put the fixing ribs on the outer perimeter of the insulator body in order to utilize the thin plate grooves of Takano, since they are already there. Allowable Subject Matter Claim 16-19 are allowed. With respect to claim 16, and claims 17-19 which depend thereon, the prior art of record does not teach or reasonably suggest a pump comprising: a motor assembly; and an impeller configured to be rotated by the motor assembly, wherein the motor assembly includes: a rotary shaft coupled to the impeller; a bearing coupled to be adjacent to one end of the rotary shaft; a stator can, at least a portion of the rotary shaft is accommodated, and in which the bearing is accommodated; a bushing holder coupled to the bearing, and including a holder neck extending along an extension direction of the rotary shaft such that at least a portion thereof protrudes to an outside of the stator can; a plug bolt coupled to an end of the bushing holder along the extension direction of the rotary shaft; and a motor housing accommodating the stator can, and including a support flange located between the plug bolt and the bushing holder, and configured to contact the holder neck to prevent distortion of the rotary shaft. Lee teaches a pump (see title) comprising: a motor assembly [motor module 200] (see fig. 1 and ¶ 0040); and an impeller [130] configured to be rotated by the motor assembly [200] (see ¶ 0053 and 0064), PNG media_image3.png 375 907 media_image3.png Greyscale wherein the motor assembly [200] includes: a rotary shaft [240] coupled to the impeller [130] (see ¶ 0064); a bearing [244] coupled to be adjacent to one end of the rotary shaft [240] (the end visible in fig. 3 below); a stator can [220], at least a portion of the rotary shaft [240] is accommodated (see ¶ 0064), and in which the bearing [244] is accommodated (see fig. 3 excerpt below); PNG media_image4.png 474 381 media_image4.png Greyscale a bushing holder coupled to the bearing, and including a holder neck extending along an extension direction of the rotary shaft. However, there are two ways to interpret Lee. On one hand, if the plug bolt is considered part of the bushing holder such that the bushing holder has a neck portion extending to an outside of the stator can, then the plug bolt cannot be coupled to an end of the bushing holder, which is required by the claim – this would require it being coupled to itself. On the other hand, if the plug bolt is not considered part of the bushing holder, such that it can be coupled thereto, then the bushing holder does not have a holder neck protruding to an outside of the stator can, which is required by the claim. Other references in attached PTO Form 892 teach many of the limitations of claim 16, and some have been summarized in the Conclusion section below. For instance, Miyazaki (US 2004/0076532 A1) has a bearing bushing holder but it does not have a holder neck protruding to an outside of the can. Kobayashi (US 5,888,053 A) in fig. 6 can be said to have a bushing holder protruding to an outside of the stator can, but the housing does not include a support flange located between the plug bolt and the bushing holder. White (US 2,763,214 A) does not have a support flange of the housing located between the plug bolt and the bushing holder and the plug bolt is not coupled to an end of the bushing holder Claims 4-6 and 12-13 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. With respect to claim 4, and claim 5 which depends therefrom, the prior art of record does not teach or reasonably suggest, inter alia, a motor assembly comprising: a rotary shaft; a fixing unit configured to support the rotary shaft such that the rotary shaft is rotatable; and a motor housing accommodating at least a portion of the fixing unit, and directly contacting the fixing unit to support the fixing unit; wherein the fixing unit includes: a bearing coupled to be adjacent to one end of the rotary shaft; a stator can, in which at least a portion of the rotary shaft is accommodated; and a bushing holder, in which the bearing is accommodated, and at least a portion of which is accommodated in the stator can, and wherein the motor housing contacts the stator can; wherein the bushing holder includes: a bushing holder body, to which the bearing is coupled; and a holder neck extending along an extension direction of the rotary shaft from the bushing holder body to an outside of the stator can, and wherein the motor housing includes a support flange contacting the holder neck; wherein the fixing unit further includes a plug bolt coupled to the holder neck along the extension direction of the rotary shaft, and wherein the support flange is located between the bushing holder body and the plug bolt. The rationale for indicating allowable subject matter in claim 4 is very similar to that for the allowance of claim 16 – specifically, there are two ways to interpret Lee. On one hand, if the plug bolt is considered part of the bushing holder such that the bushing holder has a neck portion extending to an outside of the stator can, then the plug bolt cannot be coupled to an end of the bushing holder, which is required by the claim – this would require it being coupled to itself. On the other hand, if the plug bolt is not considered part of the bushing holder, such that it can be coupled thereto, then the bushing holder does not have a holder neck protruding to an outside of the stator can, which is required by the claim. Also like claim 16, other references in attached PTO Form 892 teach many of the limitations of claim 4, and some have been summarized in the Conclusion section below. For instance, Miyazaki (US 2004/0076532 A1) has a bearing bushing holder but it does not have a holder neck protruding to an outside of the can. Kobayashi (US 5,888,053 A) in fig. 6 can be said to have a bushing holder protruding to an outside of the stator can, but the housing does not include a support flange located between the plug bolt and the bushing holder. White (US 2,763,214 A) does not have a support flange of the housing located between the plug bolt and the bushing holder and its plug bolt is not coupled to an end of the bushing holder With respect to claim 6, the prior art of record does not teach or reasonably suggest, inter alia, a motor assembly comprising: a rotary shaft; a fixing unit configured to support the rotary shaft such that the rotary shaft is rotatable; and a motor housing accommodating at least a portion of the fixing unit, and directly contacting the fixing unit to support the fixing unit; wherein the fixing unit includes: a bearing coupled to be adjacent to one end of the rotary shaft; a stator can, in which at least a portion of the rotary shaft is accommodated; and a bushing holder, in which the bearing is accommodated, and at least a portion of which is accommodated in the stator can, and wherein the motor housing contacts the stator can; wherein the bushing holder includes: a bushing holder body, to which the bearing is coupled; and a holder neck extending along an extension direction of the rotary shaft from the bushing holder body to an outside of the stator can, and wherein the motor housing includes a support flange contacting the holder neck; wherein the fixing unit further includes a holder packing located between the stator can and the support flange. Lee omits teaching a holder packing between the stator can and the support flange. Coyac (US 2002/0135248 A1 – see conclusion below) has a packing [60] between a housing [10] and the stator can [sealing bell 62]. However, if the race of the bearing were interpreted as being the bushing holder, the latter cannot be said to be accommodated in the stator can, which is required by intervening claim 2. There are other elements of intervening claims 2-3 that also cannot be proven to exist in the way put forth by claims 2-3. There were other references like Coyac in this respect, but the Examiner did not consider them for omitting the various teachings of the intervening claims 2-3. With respect to claim 12, the prior art of record does not teach or reasonably suggest, inter alia, a motor assembly comprising: a rotary shaft; a fixing unit configured to support the rotary shaft such that the rotary shaft is rotatable; and a motor housing accommodating at least a portion of the fixing unit, and directly contacting the fixing unit to support the fixing unit; wherein the fixing unit includes: a bearing coupled to be adjacent to one end of the rotary shaft; a stator can, in which at least a portion of the rotary shaft is accommodated; and a bushing holder, in which the bearing is accommodated, and at least a portion of which is accommodated in the stator can; further comprising: a stator located between the stator can and the motor housing, wherein the stator includes: a core formed by stacking a plurality of stator core thin plates; and a winding wound on the core, and including a through part passing through the core and a bunch part facing the core; further comprising: an insulator located between the bunch part and the motor housing to prevent the bunch part from contacting the motor housing, and surrounding at least a portion of the bunch part; wherein the insulator includes an insulator body contacting the core to prevent vibration of the core; wherein thin plate grooves are formed in the plurality of stator core thin plates, respectively, and the thin plate grooves are located to be aligned with each other in one direction, and wherein the insulator further includes fixing ribs extending from the insulator body to be accommodated in the thin plate grooves; wherein an outer surface of the fixing rib has a curved surface located on an imaginary curved surface, on which an outer surface of the core is formed. The last clause does not exist in Sheeran. The Examiner believes that the evidence to suggest that the feature (which probably exists on this type of insulator in the prior art) would be obvious for modification of Lee in view of Takano, further in view of Sheeran, is insufficient, and alleging that it would be obvious would be hindsight reasoning in light of the present application. The claim is extremely narrow and the chances a person of ordinary skill in the art would come to the claimed device are minimal. With respect to claim 13, the prior art of record does not teach or reasonably suggest, inter alia, a motor assembly comprising: a rotary shaft; a fixing unit configured to support the rotary shaft such that the rotary shaft is rotatable; and a motor housing accommodating at least a portion of the fixing unit, and directly contacting the fixing unit to support the fixing unit; wherein the fixing unit includes: a bearing coupled to be adjacent to one end of the rotary shaft; a stator can, in which at least a portion of the rotary shaft is accommodated; and a bushing holder, in which the bearing is accommodated, and at least a portion of which is accommodated in the stator can; further comprising: a stator located between the stator can and the motor housing, wherein the stator includes: a core formed by stacking a plurality of stator core thin plates; and a winding wound on the core, and including a through part passing through the core and a bunch part facing the core; further comprising: an insulator located between the bunch part and the motor housing to prevent the bunch part from contacting the motor housing, and surrounding at least a portion of the bunch part; wherein the insulator includes an insulator body contacting the core to prevent vibration of the core; wherein thin plate grooves are formed in the plurality of stator core thin plates, respectively, and the thin plate grooves are located to be aligned with each other in one direction, and wherein the insulator further includes fixing ribs extending from the insulator body to be accommodated in the thin plate grooves; wherein the insulator has a concave interference preventing groove at a portion, at which the fixing rib starts to extend, in an opposite direction to a direction, in which the fixing rib extends. The last clause does not exist in Sheeran. The Examiner believes that the evidence to suggest that the feature (which probably exists on this type of insulator in the prior art) would be obvious for modification of Lee in view of Takano, further in view of Sheeran, is insufficient, and alleging that it would be obvious would be hindsight reasoning in light of the present application. The claim is extremely narrow and the chances a person of ordinary skill in the art would come to the claimed device are minimal. Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Fig. 6 of Kobayashi (US 5,888,053 A) is relevant to the claims. The bearing [31] is held by a bushing holder [22] inside of a can [17]. If the bearing holder is interpreted as including the thrust bearings [24] and the holder clamping them down, the bearing holder can be said to protrude to outside of the can. However, the housing [16/21] cannot be said to have a flange between a plug bolt and the bushing holder (with respect to claims 4 and 16). The Examiner cannot even establish that it has a plug bolt. Also, there is no holder packing between the can and a support flange of a housing (with respect to claim 6). PNG media_image10.png 583 400 media_image10.png Greyscale Moriya (US 5,401,146 A) is very similar to Kobayashi, and omits the same features as Kobayashi vis-à-vis claims 4, 6, and 16. PNG media_image11.png 395 577 media_image11.png Greyscale White (US 2,763,214 A) teaches the bearing [65] held by a bushing holder [46] that can be said to have a neck that protrudes to outside of the can [60]. There is also a plug bolt [15]. However, White does not have a support flange of the housing located between the plug bolt [15] and the bushing holder [46] and the plug bolt [15] is not coupled to an end of the bushing holder [46] (with respect to claims 4 and 16). Also, there is no bolt packing located between the plug bolt [15] and the holder neck (with respect to claim 6). PNG media_image12.png 458 853 media_image12.png Greyscale Coyac (US 2002/0135248 A1), with respect to claim 6 and the indication of allowable subject matter therein, has a packing [60] between a housing [10] and the stator can [sealing bell 62]. However, if the race of the bearing were interpreted as being the bushing holder, the latter cannot be said to be accommodated in the stator can, which is required by intervening claim 2. There are other elements of intervening claims 2-3 that also cannot be proven to exist in the way put forth by claims 2-3. PNG media_image13.png 530 411 media_image13.png Greyscale Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL K SCHLAK whose telephone number is (703)756-1685. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 9:30 am - 6:00 pm EST. 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, 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. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /Daniel K Schlak//Examiner, Art Unit 2834 /OLUSEYE IWARERE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 27, 2024
Application Filed
Jul 30, 2026
Non-Final Rejection mailed — §102, §103 (current)

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
73%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+37.3%)
2y 7m (~11m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Low
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