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 Objections
Claim 3 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 3 recites “a front portion,” “a back portion,” “an end portion,” and “a turn,” which were already recited previously.
Appropriate correction is required.
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, 12 and 15-21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Okimitsu (US 2013/0200743 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Seto discloses an electric machine (abstract) comprising a rotor (FIG. 8, magnet rotor) and a stator (FIG. 1, armature), wherein at least one of the rotor and/or stator comprises a toroidal winding (101) comprising a plurality of preformed conductors (111, 112, 121, 122).
Regarding claim 2/1, Seto was discussed above in claim 1. Seto further discloses wherein the stator (armature) comprises the toroidal winding (101; FIG. 2).
Regarding claim 3/2, Seto was discussed above in claim 2. Seto further discloses the stator further comprises a stator core (201) having a back side (outer circumference) facing away from the rotor (FIG. 8, inner rotor) and a front side (inner circumference) facing towards the rotor, and
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the toroidal winding (101) comprises a plurality of turns (111, 112, 121, 122), each turn having a back portion (see annotation below) adjacent to the back side of the stator core (201) and a front portion (see annotation below) adjacent to the front side of the stator core (201), the back portion and the front portion linked by an end portion (FIG. 6).
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Regarding claim 4/3, Seto was discussed above in claim 3. Seto further discloses wherein the stator core (201) comprises a plurality of slots (213) configured to receive the toroidal winding (101), each slot (213) comprising a radial opening facing the rotor (FIG. 5).
Regarding claim 5/4, Seto was discussed above in claim 4. Seto further discloses wherein each slot (213) receives only a single turn of the winding (101; FIG. 5).
Regarding claim 6/3, Seto was discussed above in claim 3. Seto further discloses i) at least some of the plurality of preformed conductors (111, 112, 121, 122) are U-shaped conductors (112), wherein each U-shaped conductor (112) comprises:
a front portion of a turn (see annotation below);
a back portion of a turn (see annotation below); and
an end portion (see annotation below) connecting the front portion and the back portion; and/or
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ii) at least some of the plurality of preformed conductors are L-shaped conductors (121, 122), wherein each L-shaped conductor (121, 122) comprises:
a front portion or a back portion of a turn (see annotation below); and
an end portion (see annotation below) for connecting the front portion of the L-shaped conductor (121, 122) to a back portion of an adjacent turn, or for connecting the back portion of the L-shaped conductor (121, 122) to a front portion of an adjacent turn; and/or
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iii) at least some of the plurality of preformed conductors are S-shaped conductors, wherein each S-shaped conductor is configured to provide an end portion linking a front portion with a back portion of the winding; and/or
iv) at least one end portion comprises two straight sections offset from each other by an angled linking section (111, 121; FIG. 3, 4).
Regarding claim 12/1, Seto was discussed above in claim 1. Seto further discloses i) some of the plurality of preformed conductors (111 ,112, 121, 122) are extended end portions (111, 121), configured to connect a winding portion at a slot (213) to a winding portion at a non-adjacent slot (FIG. 5); and/or
ii) the toroidal winding comprises six phases and/or wherein the stator comprises at least 200 slots; and/or
iii) the toroidal winding is not coated or sleeved with an insulator and/or wherein the stator core comprises an insulating material covering surfaces of the stator that may contact the toroidal winding.
Regarding claim 15, Seto discloses a method of manufacturing an electric motor (abstract), the electric motor comprising:
a toroidal winding (101);
a stator (FIG. 2, armature) comprising a plurality of slots (213); and
a rotor (FIG. 8, magnet rotor);
wherein the toroidal winding (101) comprises a plurality of performed conductors (111, 112, 121, 122);
wherein the method comprises:
inserting at least some of the plurality of conductors (111, 112, 121, 122) into the slots (213; FIG. 5);
joining the plurality of preformed conductors (111, 112, 121, 122) to form the toroidal winding (101; FIG. 6).
Regarding claim 16, Okimitsu discloses a winding portion (20) configured for use in an electric machine (¶ [0054]), comprising a plurality of preformed conductors (21-24),
wherein the plurality of preformed conductors (21-24) comprises:
a first preformed conductor (21) with a male feature (¶ [0090] crimp fitting; FIG. 8), and
a second preformed conductor (22-24) comprising a female feature (FIG. 8; holes),
wherein the male feature is configured to be received in the female feature in order to connect the first preformed conductor (21) with the second preformed connector (22-24; FIG. 8).
Regarding claim 17/16, Okimitsu was discussed above in claim 16. Okimitsu further discloses wherein the male feature comprises a pin (FIG. 8; ends 21a, 21b are pins), and the female feature comprises a hole (FIG. 8; conductors 22-24 has holes for ends 21a, 21b).
Regarding claim 18/16, Okimitsu was discussed above in claim 16. Okimitsu further discloses wherein one of the first preformed conductor (21) and the second performed conductor (22-24) comprises a first axial conductor (21) of the winding portion (20), and the other of the first preformed conductor (21) and the second preformed conductor (22-24) comprises an end conductor (22-24) configured to connect the first axial conductor (21) with a second axial conductor (21; FIG. 3).
Regarding claim 19/18, Okimitsu was discussed above in claim 18. Okimitsu further discloses wherein at least one of the performed conductors (21-24) comprises a step (24a1).
Regarding claim 20/19, Okimitsu was discussed above in claim 19. Okimitsu further discloses the end conductor (22-24) comprises an axial step (24a1) varying an axial position of the end conductor (24) and/or a lateral step (22b1, 24b1) varying a circumferential position of the end conductor (22-24).
Regarding claim 21/16, Okimitsu was discussed above in claim 16. Okimitsu further discloses the male feature is welded or soldered to the female feature (¶ [0090] welding).
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.
Claims 8-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Okimitsu (US 2013/0200743 A1) in view of Tsutsui (JP 2010-148230 A).
Regarding claim 8/3, Okimitsu was discussed above in claim 3. Okimitsu does not discloses a housing for the stator, the housing defining a fluid container for coolant in direct contact with winding portions at the front side and/or the back side of the stator.
Tsutsui discloses a housing (11) for the stator (21), the housing (11) defining a fluid container (40) for coolant in direct contact with winding portions (17) at the front side and/or the back side of the stator (21; FIG. 6 discloses arrows as flow of coolant on front and back side).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing of the claimed invention to have modified Okimitsu in view of Tsutsui to disclose a housing for the stator, the housing defining a fluid container for coolant in direct contact with winding portions at the front side and/or the back side of the stator, for a method of cooling stator coils even as a toroidal winding (Background).
Regarding claim 9/8, Okimitsu in view of Tsutsui was discussed above in claim 8. Tsutsui further discloses the housing (11) further comprises a plurality of nozzles (44) configured to circulate a coolant fluid in the fluid container (40).
Regarding claim 10/9, Okimitsu in view of Tsutsui was discussed above in claim 8. Okimitsu further discloses the portion of the at least some of the preformed conductors (111, 121) comprises an angled region (FIG. 3-6),
While Okimitsu does not disclose wherein the angled region is configured such that a flow of coolant fluid is redirected by the angled region onto an adjacent preformed conductor, when combined with Tsutsui as discussed above in claim 8, the coolant from of the fluid container of Tsutsui would be directed to the angled regions of Okimitsu, redirecting the flow of the coolant.
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Okimitsu (US 2013/0200743 A1) in view of Stieger et al. (US 10,938,279 B2).
Regarding claim 11/2, Okimitsu was discussed above in claim 2. Okimitsu does not disclose at least some winding portions at the back side of the stator conductors have:
i) at least one cooling protrusion on a surface of the preformed conductor; and/or
ii) a cooling hole that extends at least partially through the preformed conductor; and/or
iii) larger cross sectional area than winding portions not at the back side of the stator.
Stieger discloses at least some winding portions at the back side (30a) of the stator conductors (30) have:
i) at least one cooling protrusion (31c) on a surface of the preformed conductor (FIG. 4); and/or
ii) a cooling hole (34) that extends at least partially through the preformed conductor (FIG. 5); and/or
iii) larger cross sectional area than winding portions not at the back side of the stator (FIG. 4, 5 discloses end portions with larger cross-sections).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing of the claimed invention to have modified Okimitsu in view of Stieger to disclose at least some winding portions at the back side of the stator conductors have: i) at least one cooling protrusion on a surface of the preformed conductor; and/or ii) a cooling hole that extends at least partially through the preformed conductor; and/or iii) larger cross sectional area than winding portions not at the back side of the stator, for the advantages of enhanced heat transfer (col. 2 ll. 32-35).
Claims 22-23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Okimitsu (US 2013/0200743 A1) in view of Matsuzaki (US 6,252,327 B1).
Regarding claim 22/16, Okimitsu was discussed above in claim 16. Okimitsu further discloses the male feature is a pin and the female feature is a hole (FIG. 8),
Okimitsu does not disclose the pin comprises a pin end portion that protrudes from the hole when engaged therewith.
Matsuzaki discloses the pin (6) comprises a pin end portion that protrudes from the hole (11a, 12a, 13a) when engaged therewith (col. 3 ll. 53-55, 59-65; projections 6 are pressed to create a tapered end).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing of the claimed invention to have modified Okimitsu in view of Matsuzaki to disclose the pin comprises a pin end portion that protrudes from the hole when engaged therewith, allowing the pin end to be calked to create a permanent securement between the windings and end portions.
Regarding claim 23/22, Okimitsu in view of Matsuzaki was discussed above in claim 22. Matsuzaki further discloses the pin end portion is twisted or bent (pressed or calked) to secure the first preformed conductor to the second preformed conductor (col. 3 ll. 59-65).
Conclusion
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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