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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS’s) submitted on 01/21/2025, 05/13/2025 and 07/06/2026 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
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.
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.
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.
Claim(s) 1,2,4,7,8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zheng et al. (CN 116032039) in view of Sato (EP 2589841).
Regarding claim 1, Zheng et al. discloses:
A motor (abstract), comprising:
a stator core (31);
a case (11) accommodating the stator core (31), the case including a facing portion (by an axial end of 30 and by numeral 11 in Fig 2) that faces one end surface (by numeral 30 in Fig 2) of the stator core (31);
a guide ring (20,22) accommodated in the case (11),
the guide ring (20,22) having a ring shape extending around a motor shaft (not shown, but would be by dotted lines indicating center of motor in Fig 3, also 2 center lines in Fig 1) and being sandwiched between the end surface and the facing portion (guide ring 20 is sandwiched between the facing portions of case 11 and end surface of stator core 31 due to the stepped design of the guide ring 20, Fig 2, the interface with the case facing portion is in a recessed section of case 11); and
a seal member (R1, R2, Fig 3) provided at a target interface that is at least one of an interface between the guide ring (20,22) and the end surface and an interface between the guide ring (20,22) and the facing portion,
wherein a space surrounded by an inner surface of the case (11), an outer peripheral surface of the guide ring (20,22), and the end surface configures a circular-ring coolant flow path (A2).
Zheng et al. do not appear to disclose the seal member is configured of a linear member, and the linear member is sandwiched at the target interface in a state of being annularly bent along the guide ring such that both end portions of the linear member are in contact with each other.
Sato teach an apparatus the seal member (1) is configured of a linear member (Fig 1 shows 1 being circular and linear), and the linear member is sandwiched at the target interface in a state of being annularly bent along the guide ring (see annotated Fig 1 below) such that both end portions of the linear member are in contact with each other (Figs 1-2b).
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing of the invention to modify Zheng et al. wherein the seal member is configured of a linear member, and the linear member is sandwiched at the target interface in a state of being annularly bent along the guide ring such that both end portions of the linear member are in contact with each other, as Sato teach.
The motivation to do so is it would provide sealing of the machine as desired (abstract and “summary of invention, solution to problem” of Sato).
Regarding claim 2/1, Zheng et al. in view of Sato disclose the invention as discussed above. Zheng et al. do not teach wherein the linear member includes an overlap portion in which both the end portions overlap in a radial direction of the guide ring.
Sato teaches wherein the linear member includes an overlap portion in which both the end portions overlap in a radial direction of the guide ring (see annotated Fig 1 above and Fig 1b).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing of the invention to modify Zheng et al. in view of Sato wherein the linear member includes an overlap portion in which both the end portions overlap in a radial direction of the guide ring, as Sato teach.
The motivation to do so is it would provide sealing of the machine as desired (abstract and “summary of invention, solution to problem” of Sato).
Regarding claim 4/1, Zheng et al. in view of Sato disclose the invention as discussed above. Zheng et al. do not teach wherein one tip end surface and the other tip end surface of the linear member are bonded or welded to each other.
Sato teaches wherein one tip end surface and the other tip end surface of the linear member are bonded or welded to each other (para 26).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing of the invention to modify Zheng et al. in view of Sato wherein one tip end surface and the other tip end surface of the linear member are bonded or welded to each other, as Sato teach.
The motivation to do so is it would provide sealing of the machine as desired (abstract and “summary of invention, solution to problem” of Sato).
Regarding claim 7/1, Zheng et al. discloses wherein, inside of the stator core (31), a core-interior coolant flow path (A1, 111-113,322, paras 31,32,36,43) through which a coolant supplied from the circular-ring coolant flow path (A2) flows is provided (paras 31,32,36,43,46).
Regarding claim 8/1, Zheng et al. discloses wherein a coil end (by 32, Fig 3) is disposed on an inner peripheral side of the guide ring (20,22), and the guide ring has a coolant ejection flow path (201, Fig 3, paras 31,32,36,43,46) that passes through the guide ring in a radial direction.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3,5 and 6 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: In claim 3/2 inter alia, the specific limitations of “…wherein a surface of the guide ring configuring the target interface is provided with an annular groove, the linear member is disposed in the annular groove, the annular groove includes a narrow portion and a wide portion having a width larger than a width of the narrow portion, and the overlap portion is disposed in the wide portion.”, in the combination as claimed are neither anticipated nor made obvious over the prior art made of record.
In claim 5/1 inter alia, the specific limitations of “…wherein the seal member is disposed so as to be inclined with respect to a horizontal plane, and a part of the linear member in which both the end portions are in contact with each other is disposed in a range including a lowermost portion of the seal member.”, in the combination as claimed are neither anticipated nor made obvious over the prior art made of record.
In claim 6/1 inter alia, the specific limitations of “…wherein the case stores a coolant, and a part of the linear member in which both the end portions are in contact with each other is disposed lower than a liquid level of the coolant in the case.”, in the combination as claimed are neither anticipated nor made obvious over the prior art made of record.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Please see PTO-892 for details.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NAISHADH N DESAI whose telephone number is (571)270-3038. The examiner can normally be reached 9-5.
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NAISHADH N. DESAI
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2834
/NAISHADH N DESAI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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