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 .
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.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in Japan on 2/20/2024. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the 2024-023502 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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.
Claims 1, 4-7, and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN 116085269 A to Jiang et al. in view of US 20210194313 A1 to Kanada et al.
Regarding claim 1, Jiang et al. discloses a device comprising:
a first reservoir portion (Fig. 1: 201) configured to store oil, the first reservoir portion being provided above a first bearing (401) that rotatably supports the shaft (4) above the rotor;
a flow path portion (902) configured to guide the oil stored in the first reservoir portion (201) to the shaft (4) via the first bearing (401), and guide the oil guided to the shaft to a second bearing (402) that rotatably supports the shaft below the rotor.
However, it fails to disclose a second reservoir portion provided below the second bearing and configured to store the oil guided to the second bearing; and a pump configured to send, to the first reservoir portion, the oil that has reached the second reservoir portion.
Kanada et al. teaches a second reservoir portion (Fig. 3: R2) provided below the second bearing and configured to store the oil guided to the second bearing; and a pump (152) configured to send, to the first reservoir portion (R1), the oil that has reached the second reservoir portion.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the teaching of the second reservoir and pump as disclosed by Kanada et al. to the device disclosed by Jiang et al.
One would have been motivated to do so to circulate cooling oil throughout the device.
Regarding claim 4, Jiang et al. and Kanada et al. discloses a device including a gearbox (Kanada et al., Fig. 3: 80) is provided inside the second reservoir portion (R2).
However, it fails to disclose a gearbox is provided inside the first reservoir portion.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the gearbox inside the first reservoir portion instead, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70.
One would have been motivated to do so to change the order of cooling process.
Regarding claim 5, Jiang et al. discloses the shaft is provided with an inlet (Fig. 1: top of 902) through which the oil having passed through the first bearing is introduced, an outlet (bottom of 902) through which the oil introduced from the inlet is discharged, and an internal hollow part (902) communicating with the inlet and the outlet.
Regarding claim 6, Jiang et al. discloses the inlet is formed in a portion of a side surface of the shaft, the portion being located below the first bearing, and the outlet is formed in a portion of the side surface of the shaft, the portion being located below the inlet (Fig. 2: bottom portion of 902 has open side surfaces).
Regarding claim 7, Jiang et al. and Kanada et al. discloses a device including the inlet, outlet, and hollow part.
However, it fails to disclose the inlet comprises a plurality of the inlets formed at intervals in a circumferential direction of the shaft, the outlet comprises a plurality of the outlets formed at intervals in the circumferential direction of the shaft, and the internal hollow part comprises a plurality of the internal hollow parts formed at intervals in the circumferential direction of the shaft.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use a plurality of flow paths, since it has been held that mere duplication of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art. St. Regis Paper Co. v. Bemis Co., 193 USPQ 8.
One would have been motivated to do so to improve cooling.
Regarding claim 10, the combination of Jiang et al. and Kanada et al. discloses the cooling device according to claim 1: and the rotating electric machine according to claim 1 (see claim 1 above).
Claims 2-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN 116085269 A to Jiang et al. in view of US 20210194313 A1 to Kanada et al. as applied to claim 1 above and further in view of US 20240055939 A1 to Ito et al.
Regarding claims 2-3, Jiang et al. and Kanada et al. discloses a device as described above.
However, it fails to disclose the limitations from claims 2-3.
Ito et al. teaches:
a first air vent passage (217) configured to allow communication between an inside of the first reservoir portion and an outside of the first reservoir portion is connected to the first reservoir portion.
a second air vent passage (217) configured to allow communication between an inside of the second reservoir portion and an outside of the second reservoir portion is connected to the second reservoir portion.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the teaching of the air vent passages as disclosed by Ito et al. to the first and second reservoirs disclosed by Jiang et al. and Kanada et al.
One would have been motivated to do so to optimize fluid flow.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8-9 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VIET P NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-9457. The examiner can normally be reached M, T, Th, F from 12pm-8pm.
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/VIET P NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
