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 Objections
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. See MPEP § 606.01.
Claim Rejections — 35 U.S.C. 112(b)
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 5 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 5, the recitation “a surface of the circuit board opposite to the surface on the side opposing the base portion” lacks antecedent basis. Claim 5 depends from claim 3; however, “the surface on the side opposing the base portion” is first introduced in claim 4, which is not in the dependency chain of claim 5. Further, claim 5 recites that the frame ground portion “further includes a second frame ground plane” although no first frame ground plane is recited in the chain of claims from which claim 5 depends. It is therefore unclear whether claim 5 requires the first frame ground plane of claim 4.
Regarding claim 6, the claim recites “further comprising: a plurality of fixing mechanisms including at least a first fixing mechanism and a second fixing mechanism,” while parent claim 3 recites “a fixing mechanism.” It is unclear whether the fixing mechanism of claim 3 is one of the recited plurality of fixing mechanisms, or whether the plurality is in addition to the fixing mechanism of claim 3, rendering the total number of fixing mechanisms required by the claim indefinite. The specification discloses exactly two fixing mechanisms 18 and 19 (paragraph [0049]). For purposes of examination, the fixing mechanism of claim 3 is interpreted as being the first fixing mechanism of claim 6.
Claim Rejections — 35 U.S.C. 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:
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.
Claims 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sugiyama(US2014/0300255A1) in view of Takemoto (US2021/0036563A1) and further in view of Kim(US2022/0399776A1).
Regarding claim 1, Sugiyama teaches a motor(motor 10; ¶[0018]; FIG. 1)
comprising: a stator including coil portions arranged along a circumferential direction(stator 11 including stator core 14 and coils 15 wound around the stator core, the coils arranged about center axis O-O′; ¶[0019]; FIGS. 1-2);
a rotor to cover a radially outer side of the stator and rotatable about a central axis extending in an axial direction(rotor holder 21 and magnet 20 covering the stator from radially outward, the magnet opposed to and positioned radially outward of the outer circumferential surface of stator core 14, the rotary unit rotatable about center axis O-O′ extending up and down; ¶[0018], ¶[0020]; FIG. 1);
a stator holder (base member 13) including a tubular portion including an outer peripheral surface in contact with an inner peripheral surface of the stator(tubular bearing holding portion 16, the stator 11 supported on the outer surface of the bearing holding portion 16; ¶[0019]; FIG. 1),
a base portion extending radially outward from a lower portion of the tubular portion(stator holding portion 17 including radially-protruding seat 28, extending radially outward below the stator; ¶[0019], ¶[0022]; FIG. 1);
a circuit board fixed to the stator holder(PCB 12 fixed to seat 28 of stator holding portion 17 at PCB fixing portions 24; ¶[0021]-¶[0022]; FIG. 1);
and a fastening screw including a head portion and a screw body, the fastening screw not only holding with the circuit board clamped between the head portion and the stator holder while the screw body is screwed to the stator holder(screws 26 passing through PCB fixing portions 24 and screwed into seat 28, clamping the PCB between the screw heads and the seat; ¶[0022]; FIG. 1: 24, 26, 28).
Sugiyama does not explicitly teach the stator holder including an outer wall extending downward from an outer portion of the base portion.
However, Takemoto teaches a stator holder including an outer wall at an outer portion thereof, the wall extending axially toward and around the circuit board(frame protruding portion 52 in a tubular shape extending axially from a radially outer edge of frame planar portion 50 and enclosing the periphery of circuit board 7; ¶[0028], ¶[0030]; FIG. 1).
Sugiyama and Takemoto are in the same field of outer-rotor brushless motors having a circuit board supported by a stationary holder and address the same problem of supporting and protecting the circuit board. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the base member of Sugiyama to include a peripheral wall extending from the outer portion of the base toward the circuit board, i.e., downward in the orientation of Sugiyama in which the circuit board is disposed below the stator, as taught by Takemoto, for the predictable benefits of increasing the rigidity of the holder and protecting the circuit board from contamination by foreign substances from outside the motor(Takemoto, ¶[0030]).
Sugiyama in view of Takemoto does not explicitly teach the stator holder and the fastening screw each being with electrical conductivity, and the fastening screw being in contact with both a frame ground portion of the circuit board and the stator holder.
However, Kim teaches a fastening screw with electrical conductivity (first screw 810 including a conductive material; ¶[0038])
in contact with both a frame ground portion of the circuit board (ground pattern GP formed around first hole 711h and contacted by the first screw passing through the hole; ¶[0042], ¶[0050])
and an electrically conductive holder (first screw coupled into coupling hole 522h of coupling block 522 protruding from bracket 520, the first screw connecting the circuit board and the coupling block in a ground state while fixing the circuit board to the coupling block, the circuit board thereby grounded through the bracket; ¶[0038], ¶[0049]-¶[0050]).
Kim and the combination of Sugiyama and Takemoto are in the same field of motors having circuit boards fixed to a holder by screws and address the same problem of electromagnetic interference from motor circuit boards(Kim, ¶[0004]). 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 screws and base member of Sugiyama as modified of conductive material and to provide the circuit board with a frame ground portion contacted by the fastening screw as taught by Kim, for the predictable benefit of grounding the circuit board through the stator holder while simultaneously fixing the circuit board, reducing the risk of electromagnetic interference without requiring separate ground wiring(Kim, ¶[0004], ¶[0038], ¶[0050]). The combination applies a known screw-grounding technique to a known screw-fastened circuit board arrangement to yield predictable results. KSR Int'l Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 416 (2007).
Regarding claim 2/1, Sugiyama in view of Takemoto and Kim teaches the motor of claim 1.
Takemoto further teaches wherein the circuit board includes an outer peripheral edge portion covered with the outer wall(frame protruding portion 52 enclosing the periphery of circuit board 7; ¶[0030]; FIG. 1).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to arrange the outer wall of Sugiyama as modified to cover the outer peripheral edge portion of the circuit board as taught by Takemoto, for the predictable benefit of protecting the circuit board from contamination by foreign substances from outside the motor(Takemoto, ¶[0030]).
Regarding claim 3/1, Sugiyama in view of Takemoto and Kim teaches the motor of claim 1.
Sugiyama further teaches wherein the stator holder further include a fastened portion provided integrally with at least one of the base portion and the outer wall to allow the screw body to be screwed into the fastened portion(seat 28 included in stator holding portion 17 of base member 13, the screws 26 screwed into the seat; ¶[0022]; FIG. 1);
and wherein the circuit board is fixed to the stator holder via a fixing mechanism including the fastening screw and the fastened portion(PCB 12 fixed by screws 26 and seat 28; ¶[0022]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4 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 4: the closest prior art of Sugiyama, Takemoto, and Kim teaches every limitation of claims 1 and 3 as set forth above, but does not teach or render obvious “the frame ground portion includes a first frame ground plane on a surface of the circuit board on a side opposing the base portion; and the first frame ground plane is in contact with the fastened portion”. The claimed direct contact between a frame ground plane on the holder-facing board surface and the fastened portion of the stator holder, in combination with the remaining limitations of claims 1 and 3, is neither anticipated by nor obvious over the prior art of record.
Claims 5 and 6 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejections under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding claim 5: the prior art of record does not teach or render obvious “the head portion includes a flat surface at or adjacent to the screw body; and the flat surface is in contact with the second frame ground plane” in combination with the first frame ground plane of claim 4 being in contact with the fastened portion. The prior art of record does not disclose frame ground planes on both surfaces of the circuit board, one contacted by the fastened portion of the stator holder and the other contacted by the flat surface of the screw head.
Regarding claim 6: the prior art of record does not teach or render obvious “the first fixing mechanism extending counterclockwise from a power cable portion about the central axis as viewed in the axial direction; and the second fixing mechanism extending clockwise from the power cable portion about the central axis as viewed in the axial direction”, i.e., the placement of the two fixing mechanisms on circumferentially opposite sides of the power cable portion.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MOHAMMED AHMED QURESHI whose telephone number is (571) 272-8310. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM ET.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Tulsidas Patel, can be reached at (571) 272-2098. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MOHAMMED AHMED QURESHI/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/TULSIDAS C PATEL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
Prosecution Insights