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 .
Status of Claims
Claims 1–20 are pending and have been examined on the merits, as amended by the preliminary amendment filed February 21, 2025. Claims 1–4, 7, and 9–20 are rejected. Claims 5, 6, and 8 are objected to. Claim 9 is rejected only under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) and is otherwise indicated as containing allowable subject matter. This action is non-final.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a) because they fail to show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Corrected drawings are required.
Claim 14 recites “An electric drive assembly system, wherein the electric drive assembly system comprises the electric machine according to Claim 13.” The electric drive assembly system is not depicted or labeled in any figure of record. Corrected drawings depicting and labeling this element are required.
Claim 15 recites “A vehicle, the vehicle comprising the electric drive assembly system according to Claim 14.” The vehicle is not depicted or labeled in any figure of record. Corrected drawings depicting and labeling this element are required.
Therefore, the feature(s) must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 2, 4, 7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Anspann (DE 10 2012 022 451 A1).
Citations to Anspann are to the paragraph numbering of the published application, which is shared by the English machine translation (EPO Patent Translate) of record.
Regarding claim 1, Anspann teaches An oil cooling system for electric machine(¶[0084]–[0086], Fig. 1; cooling arrangement 50 for electric machine 12 using cooling fluid 60, an oil), the electric machine comprising a housing and a stator accommodated in the housing(¶[0077]–[0078], Fig. 1; machine housing 28, stator 32 fixed relative to housing 28), the stator having a first end part and a second end part in an axial direction of the electric machine(¶[0079], Fig. 1; winding heads 42a, 42b at the two axial ends of stator 32), the oil cooling system comprising: an oil inlet, for receiving external cooling oil(¶[0085], [0087], Fig. 1; supply channel 68 in the wall of housing 28 receiving oil 60 from pump 56); a first annular oil application pipe, located at the first end part and in fluid communication with the oil inlet(¶[0098], Fig. 1; first ring channel device 92 at the axial end of stator 32, radially outside winding head 42a, extending over 330°–360° and connected to supply channel 68); a second annular oil application pipe, located at the second end part and in fluid communication with the oil inlet(¶[0099], [0123], Figs. 1, 6; second ring channel device 94 at the opposite axial end, receiving the oil 60 supplied from supply channel 68 through cooling channels 64); an axial oil application part, located between the first end part and the second end part and formed by a housing inner wall and a stator outer wall, the axial oil application part receiving cooling oil from at least one of the first annular oil application pipe and the second annular oil application pipe(¶[0086], [0098], [0133], Figs. 1, 3, 8; cooling channels 64 formed between an inner circumferential section of housing 28 and the outer circumferential section of stator core 36, extending between winding heads 42a, 42b and fed from ring channel device 92 through openings 128), wherein, at least one of the first annular oil application pipe and the second annular oil application pipe has a first annular part and a second annular part fitted and connected thereto, such that a space for accommodating cooling oil is formed between the first annular part and the second annular part(¶[0130]–[0131], [0135], [0139], Figs. 7–8; first ring channel part 123 and second ring channel part 124 assembled with axial overlap 134, each resting on the other, and together enclosing ring channel 126 carrying oil 60).
Anspann further teaches that the two-part ring channel device 92 of Figs. 7–9 corresponds to the ring channel devices of the preceding embodiments and may be provided at either or both axial ends of the machine(¶[0106], [0127]; see also ¶[0046], [0049]).
Regarding claim 2/1, Anspann teaches the oil cooling system of claim 1.
Anspann further teaches wherein the first annular oil application pipe and the second annular oil application pipe are separate components(¶[0099], [0123], Fig. 6; ring channel devices 92, 94 provided as separate devices at the two axial ends, connected only through cooling channels 64, with no axial connecting pipe therebetween).
Regarding claim 4/1, Anspann teaches the oil cooling system of claim 1.
Anspann further teaches wherein the first annular part comprises: a first axially extending wall(¶[0134], Fig. 8; radially inner U-leg of first ring channel part 123, extending in the axial direction) and a radially extending wall disposed at a first end of the first axially extending wall and extending radially outward(¶[0032]–[0033], [0133]–[0134], Fig. 8; ring wall 130 forming the U-base, extending in the radial direction outward from the end of the inner U-leg); and the second annular part comprises: a second axially extending wall, which is arranged on a radial outer side of the first axially extending wall(¶[0135], Fig. 8; axial L-arm of second ring channel part 124, lying radially outside the inner U-leg), the second axially extending wall being connected to the radially extending wall by a first joining part arranged at a first end of the second axially extending wall(¶[0035], [0134]–[0135], Fig. 8; the L-arm rests on the radially outer U-leg of part 123, which joins the L-arm to ring wall 130 at that end of the L-arm), and connected to the first axially extending wall by a second joining part arranged at a second end of the second axially extending wall and extending radially inward(¶[0135]–[0136], Fig. 8; radially extending L-base forming second ring wall 136 at the other end of the L-arm, resting on the radially outer side of the inner U-leg).
Regarding claim 7/4, Anspann teaches the oil cooling system of claim 4.
Anspann further teaches wherein the first axially extending wall of the first annular part is provided with a predetermined number of oil application holes, to apply cooling oil to a stator wire bundle at the first end part and/or the second end part(¶[0103], [0137], [0140], Figs. 7–8; second connecting channels 100 formed in the radially inner U-leg of part 123, provided in multiples distributed about the circumference, directing oil 60 onto the outer circumferential section of winding head 42b).
Regarding claim 10/1, Anspann teaches the oil cooling system of claim 1.
Anspann further teaches wherein the first annular oil application pipe and the second annular oil application pipe are made of plastic(¶[0025]; first ring channel part formed as a sheet part of temperature-resistant plastic and second ring channel part formed as a casting of temperature-resistant plastic, the same construction applying to the ring channel device at each end, ¶[0127]).
Regarding claim 11/1, Anspann teaches the oil cooling system of claim 1.
Anspann further teaches wherein at least one cooling channel is further formed between the housing inner wall and the stator outer wall(¶[0086], [0114]–[0117], Figs. 3, 5–6; a plurality of cooling channels 64a–64h between the inner circumference of housing 28 and the outer periphery of stator 32), the at least one cooling channel being in fluid communication with the axial oil application part(¶[0116]–[0117], [0138], Figs. 5, 9; connecting devices 116 joining the ends of adjacent cooling channels 64a, 64b in a meander arrangement, so that oil supplied to one channel flows into the next).
Regarding claim 13/1, Anspann teaches the oil cooling system of claim 1.
Anspann further teaches An electric machine, wherein the electric machine comprises the oil cooling system for an electric machine according to Claim 1(¶[0077]–[0078], [0084], Fig. 1; electric machine 12 having cooling arrangement 50).
Regarding claim 14/13, Anspann teaches the electric machine of claim 13.
Anspann further teaches An electric drive assembly system, wherein the electric drive assembly system comprises the electric machine according to Claim 13(¶[0072]–[0074], Fig. 1; drive train 10 in which electric machine 12 is coupled to step transmission 16 and differential 18).
Regarding claim 15/14, Anspann teaches the electric drive assembly system of claim 14.
Anspann further teaches A vehicle, the vehicle comprising the electric drive assembly system according to Claim 14(¶[0072], [0111], Fig. 1; drive train 10 of a motor vehicle, distributing drive power to driven wheels 20L, 20R).
Regarding claim 17/2, Anspann teaches the oil cooling system of claim 2.
Anspann further teaches wherein the first annular part comprises: a first axially extending wall and a radially extending wall disposed at a first end of the first axially extending wall and extending radially outward; and the second annular part comprises: a second axially extending wall, which is arranged on a radial outer side of the first axially extending wall, the second axially extending wall being connected to the radially extending wall by a first joining part arranged at a first end of the second axially extending wall, and connected to the first axially extending wall by a second joining part arranged at a second end of the second axially extending wall and extending radially inward(¶[0032]–[0035], [0133]–[0136], Fig. 8; inner U-leg, ring wall 130, and outer U-leg of part 123, and axial L-arm and radially inward L-base 136 of part 124).
Regarding claim 18/2, Anspann teaches the oil cooling system of claim 2.
Anspann further teaches wherein at least one cooling channel is further formed between the housing inner wall and the stator outer wall, the at least one cooling channel being in fluid communication with the axial oil application part(¶[0086], [0114]–[0117], [0138], Figs. 3, 5–6, 9; cooling channels 64a–64h between housing 28 and stator 32, adjacent channels joined by connecting devices 116).
Regarding claim 19/2, Anspann teaches the oil cooling system of claim 2.
Anspann further teaches An electric machine, wherein the electric machine comprises the oil cooling system for an electric machine according to Claim 2(¶[0077]–[0078], [0084], Fig. 1; electric machine 12 having cooling arrangement 50).
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 3, 16, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Anspann in view of Gao (WO 2022/037263 A1).
Citations to Gao are to the paragraph numbering of the English machine translation (EPO Patent Translate) of record.
Regarding claim 3/1, Anspann teaches the oil cooling system of claim 1.
Anspann further teaches that the first ring channel device is connected to a supply channel formed in a wall of the machine housing(¶[0087], [0098], Fig. 1; supply channel 68).
Anspann is silent wherein the first annular oil application pipe is in fluid communication with the oil inlet via a first connecting pipeline formed by the housing inner wall and the second annular oil application pipe is in fluid communication with the oil inlet via a second connecting pipeline formed by the housing inner wall, because Anspann supplies its second ring channel device from the outflow of the cooling channels along the stator rather than through a passage of the housing(¶[0099]).
However, in the analogous art of oil cooling systems for electric machine stators, Gao teaches wherein the first annular oil application pipe is in fluid communication with the oil inlet via a first connecting pipeline formed by the housing inner wall; and the second annular oil application pipe is in fluid communication with the oil inlet via a second connecting pipeline formed by the housing inner wall(Gao ¶[0010], [0055], [0061]–[0062], Figs. 1–2, 6; cooling oil from oil inlet 131 on housing 1 enters circumferential inlet channel 111 at the axial middle of the housing and is diverted into inlet channels 112, each formed by groove 1121 in the housing inner wall, running axially in both directions to the annular oil spraying elements 4 seated at the two ends of stator core 21, whose grooves 42 communicate with those channels).
One would be motivated to supply each of Anspann’s ring channel devices from the oil inlet through its own connecting pipeline formed by the housing inner wall in order to deliver cooling oil from a single inlet to the annular spraying elements at both ends of the stator while the same housing passages cool the stator core along the way, the passages being formed integrally with the cast housing so that the stator core and both winding ends are cooled at low cost and in a small footprint(Gao ¶[0006], [0051]–[0052], [0055], [0060]).
Anspann and Gao are in the same field of oil cooling systems having annular oil distribution rings at the axial ends of an electric machine stator and address the same problem of cooling the stator and its winding heads. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to feed each of Anspann’s ring channel devices from the oil inlet through a connecting pipeline formed by the housing inner wall as taught by Gao, for the benefits identified by Gao; supplying an annular oil ring through a passage in the housing wall is a known technique applied to a known device, yielding predictable results. KSR Int’l Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 416 (2007).
Regarding claim 16/2, Anspann teaches the oil cooling system of claim 2.
Anspann is silent wherein the first annular oil application pipe is in fluid communication with the oil inlet via a first connecting pipeline formed by the housing inner wall and the second annular oil application pipe is in fluid communication with the oil inlet via a second connecting pipeline formed by the housing inner wall, because Anspann supplies its second ring channel device through the cooling channels along the stator(¶[0099]).
However, Gao teaches wherein the first annular oil application pipe is in fluid communication with the oil inlet via a first connecting pipeline formed by the housing inner wall; and the second annular oil application pipe is in fluid communication with the oil inlet via a second connecting pipeline formed by the housing inner wall(Gao ¶[0010], [0055], [0061]–[0062], Figs. 1–2, 6; inlet channels 112 formed by grooves 1121 in the housing inner wall carrying oil from inlet 131 and circumferential channel 111 to the annular oil spraying elements 4 at both ends of stator core 21).
One would be motivated to supply each of Anspann’s separate ring channel devices from the oil inlet through its own connecting pipeline formed by the housing inner wall in order to deliver oil from a single inlet to the rings at both stator ends while cooling the stator core with the same housing passages, formed integrally with the cast housing at low cost(Gao ¶[0006], [0051]–[0052], [0055], [0060]).
Regarding claim 20/3, Anspann in view of Gao teaches the oil cooling system of claim 3.
Anspann further teaches wherein at least one cooling channel is further formed between the housing inner wall and the stator outer wall, the at least one cooling channel being in fluid communication with the axial oil application part(¶[0086], [0114]–[0117], [0138], Figs. 3, 5–6, 9; cooling channels 64a–64h between housing 28 and stator 32, adjacent channels joined by connecting devices 116).
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Anspann in view of Wang (EP 4 125 184 A1).
Regarding claim 12/11, Anspann teaches the oil cooling system of claim 11.
Anspann is silent wherein the axial oil application part is disposed at an upper part of the at least one cooling channel in the direction of gravity, because Anspann distributes its cooling channels uniformly about the full circumference of the stator without reference to the direction of gravity(¶[0086], Fig. 3).
However, in the analogous art of oil cooling systems for electric machine stators, Wang teaches wherein the axial oil application part is disposed at an upper part of the at least one cooling channel in the direction of gravity(Wang ¶[0021], [0056], [0060]–[0062], [0098], [0114], Figs. 1, 7, 9–10; slit flow channel 22 formed between the outer side wall of stator core 2 and the inner side wall of casing 1, with input channel 11 and input holes 12 at the top of the casing so that the oil is applied to the channel at its highest position and flows downward through the channels on both sides under gravity to output channel 13 at the bottom).
One would be motivated to dispose the part of the housing/stator gap that receives oil from Anspann’s ring channel device at the upper part of the further cooling channel in the direction of gravity in order that the cooling oil enters and flows downward through the cooling channel under the action of gravity, covering the whole stator core and reducing the power required of the oil pump(Wang ¶[0062]).
Anspann and Wang are in the same field of oil-cooled electric machine stators having cooling channels formed between the housing inner wall and the stator outer wall and address the same problem of cooling the stator core with oil. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to arrange Anspann’s oil-fed channel above its further cooling channel in the direction of gravity as taught by Wang, for the benefits identified by Wang; gravity-assisted routing of cooling oil through channels along a stator is a known technique applied to a known device, yielding predictable results. KSR Int’l Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 416 (2007).
Double Patenting
The nonstatutory double patenting rejection is based on a judicially created doctrine grounded in public policy (a policy reflected in the statute) so as to prevent the unjustified or improper timewise extension of the “right to exclude” granted by a patent and to prevent possible harassment by multiple assignees. A nonstatutory double patenting rejection is appropriate where the conflicting claims are not identical, but at least one examined application claim is not patentably distinct from the reference claim(s) because the examined application claim is either anticipated by, or would have been obvious over, the reference claim(s). See, e.g., In re Berg, 140 F.3d 1428, 46 USPQ2d 1226 (Fed. Cir. 1998); In re Goodman, 11 F.3d 1046, 29 USPQ2d 2010 (Fed. Cir. 1993); In re Longi, 759 F.2d 887, 225 USPQ 645 (Fed. Cir. 1985); In re Van Ornum, 686 F.2d 937, 214 USPQ 761 (CCPA 1982); In re Vogel, 422 F.2d 438, 164 USPQ 619 (CCPA 1970); In re Thorington, 418 F.2d 528, 163 USPQ 644 (CCPA 1969).
A timely filed terminal disclaimer in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(c) or 1.321(d) may be used to overcome an actual or provisional rejection based on nonstatutory double patenting provided the reference application or patent either is shown to be commonly owned with the examined application, or claims an invention made as a result of activities undertaken within the scope of a joint research agreement. See MPEP § 717.02 for applications subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA as explained in MPEP § 2159. See MPEP §§ 706.02(l)(1) – 706.02(l)(3) for applications not subject to examination under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . A terminal disclaimer must be signed in compliance with 37 CFR 1.321(b).
The USPTO Internet website contains terminal disclaimer forms which may be used. Please visit www.uspto.gov/patent/patents-forms. The filing date-based forms should be used. A web-based eTerminal Disclaimer may be filled out completely online using web-screens. An eTerminal Disclaimer that meets all requirements is auto-processed and approved immediately upon submission. For more information about eTerminal Disclaimers, refer to www.uspto.gov/patents/process/file/efs/guidance/eTD-info-I.jsp.
Claims 1–4, 7, and 10–20 are rejected on the ground of nonstatutory double patenting as being unpatentable over claims 1–20 of U.S. Patent No. 12,556,065 B2 in view of Anspann.
Although the claims at issue are not identical, they are not patentably distinct from each other because the claims of the instant application and the claims of U.S. Patent No. 12,556,065 B2 (hereinafter “the ’065 patent”) are drawn to the same invention and contain only minor differences which would have been obvious in view of Anspann. Claim 1 of the ’065 patent recites the housing and stator with first and second end parts, the oil inlet, the first and second annular oil application pipes at the first and second end parts in fluid communication with the oil inlet, and the axial oil application part formed by the housing inner wall and the stator outer wall receiving cooling oil from at least one of the pipes, and is broader than instant claim 1 in that it does not recite that at least one of the pipes has a first annular part and a second annular part fitted and connected thereto such that a space for accommodating cooling oil is formed between them. The remaining claims of the ’065 patent recite the separate pipes, the connecting pipelines formed by the housing inner wall, the oil application holes directed at the stator wire bundles, the cooling channel between the housing inner wall and the stator outer wall, the disposition of the axial oil application part above the cooling channel in the direction of gravity, and the electric drive assembly system and vehicle, as set forth in the table below. Anspann teaches an annular oil distribution ring at the axial end of an electric machine stator formed of a first ring channel part and a second ring channel part assembled to enclose a ring channel between them, with the wall geometry of instant claims 4 and 17 and with the ring channel parts made of plastic(Anspann ¶[0025], [0032]–[0035], [0130]–[0136], Figs. 7–8). One would be motivated to form the annular oil application pipes of the ’065 patent claims as two annular parts fitted together in the manner taught by Anspann in order to compensate for axial tolerances between the stator and housing during assembly and to manufacture the ring cost-effectively as a formed sheet part and a casting(Anspann ¶[0023]–[0026], [0132]). The correspondence between the pending claims and the claims of the ’065 patent is as follows:
Pending claims of 19/059,865
Claims of U.S. Patent No. 12,556,065 B2
1
1 (in view of Anspann)
2
2
3
1
4
1 (in view of Anspann)
5
6
7
3, 4
8
9
10
1 (in view of Anspann)
11
6
12
8
13
13, 18
14
13, 18
15
14
16
1, 2
17
2 (in view of Anspann)
18
6, 15
19
17
20
1, 6
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5, 6, and 8 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.
Claim 9 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include 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. The closest prior art of Anspann (DE 10 2012 022 451 A1), Gao (WO 2022/037263 A1), Wang (EP 4 125 184 A1), and Luo (US 2024/0048009 A1) teaches every limitation of claim 4 but does not teach or suggest the oil cooling system of claim 5 wherein “at least one of the first annular oil application pipe and the second annular oil application pipe comprises at least one oil pipe support, the oil pipe support comprising a support part, which extends transversely to the radially extending wall from at least one of the first annular oil application pipe and the second annular oil application pipe, and a fixing part that is arranged at a free end of the support part, the fixing part being connected to the housing by a fastener,” nor the oil cooling system of claim 8 wherein “the second axially extending wall is provided with an opening for spraying oil towards the axial oil application part.” Anspann provides its openings 128 to the cooling channels in the radially extending ring wall 130 rather than in the second axially extending wall, and none of the references provides a support part extending transversely from the ring with a fixing part fastened to the housing; Luo’s fixing portion 309 lies in the radial plane of its plate 304. Modifying the references to arrive at these limitations would require a rationale that is not found in the references themselves, and a rejection on obviousness grounds must be supported by some articulated reasoning with rational underpinning. In re Kahn, 441 F.3d 977, 988 (Fed. Cir. 2006). Claims 6 and 9 are allowable by virtue of their dependency from claims 5 and 8, respectively.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure:
a. Luo (US 2024/0048009 A1) teaches an oil spraying ring at each end of a stator assembled from a hollow annular plate and two hollow barrels joined by plastic welding, with communicating internal cavities forming an oil ring channel, and a fixing portion fastened to the housing.
b. Chen (CN 114337114 A) teaches an oil-cooled motor having circumferential flow channels on the housing inner surface and a reaction-driven rotary spray ring at each end cover.
c. Christians (US 12,212,186 B2) teaches fluid rings bonded to the axial ends of a stator yoke, one of which may be formed as two half-rings, feeding axial stator ducts.
d. Zhang (US 2024/0356411 A1) teaches an integrally injection-molded L-shaped oil spray ring having an internal chamber and spray holes directed at the inner and outer windings of a winding head.
e. Zhang (US 2024/0072612 A1) teaches an oil cooling system having first and second annular oil application pipes fed from an oil inlet through connecting pipelines formed by the housing inner wall, an axial oil application part between the housing inner wall and stator outer wall, and circumferential cooling grooves in the housing below the axial oil application part in the direction of gravity.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MOHAMMED QURESHI whose telephone number is (571)-272-8310. The examiner can normally be reached on 8:30 AM - 6:00 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Tulsidas Patel can be reached on 571-272-2098. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pairdirect. uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free).
/MOHAMMED AHMED QURESHI/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
Prosecution Insights