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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “one or more complementary electrical connecting elements are attached to the motor casing by a threaded connection” 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 Objections
Claims 3, 7 and 11 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 3 recites “an inverter casing,” “ a connector,” “an inverter,” “an electrical interconnecting bar,” “tracks,” “a plurality of orifices,” which were already recited in claim 1.
Claim 7 recites “a motor casing,” “an electric motor,” “complementary electrical connecting elements,” which were already recited in claims 1 and 4.
Claim 11 recites “an inverter casing,” “a connector,” which was already recited in claim 1.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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 1-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
The claims are generally narrative and indefinite, failing to conform with current U.S. practice. They appear to be a literal translation into English from a foreign document and are replete with grammatical and idiomatic errors.
Claim 1 recites “in order to electrically connect them to one another,” which is unclear as to what “them” is referring to. For examination purposes, “them” will be understood as referring to “a plurality of connecting elements” and “a complementary electrical connecting element.”
Claims 2-14 are rejected for depending upon claim 1.
Regarding claim 2, the phrase "such as" renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitations following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d). For examination purposes and broadest reasonable interpretation, the phrase after “such as” is not included in the limitations.
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, 3-8 and 12-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yim et al. (US 2020/0355405 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Yim discloses connector (600) intended to make an electrical connection between an electric motor (400) and an inverter (300), the connector (600) comprising:
a plurality of connecting elements (622), each connecting element (622) being intended to interlock with a complementary electrical connecting element (¶ [0296] electrically conductive member provided in the output terminal housing part 430) of the electric motor (400) in order to electrically connect them to one another; and
a plurality of connecting pins (621), each connecting pin (621) being electrically connected to one of the connecting elements (622) and configured to pass through an orifice (312b) in order to come into contact with a track (printed circuit board 340 inherently has electrical tracks) of an electrical interconnecting bar (342) of the inverter (300), the orifice (312b) being formed in a wall (310) of an inverter casing (310, 320) comprising the inverter (300).
Regarding claim 3/1, Yim was discussed above in claim 1. Yim further discloses system (10) comprising an inverter casing (310, 320), a connector (600) according to claim 1 attached to the inverter casing (310, 320), an inverter (300) housed inside the inverter casing (310, 320) and an electrical interconnecting bar (342) which is housed inside the inverter casing (310, 320), is electrically connected to the inverter (300) and comprises tracks (printed circuit board 340 inherently has electrical tracks), the inverter casing (310, 320) comprising a plurality of orifices (312b);
each orifice (312b) being positioned opposite one of the tracks of the electrical interconnecting bar (342);
each connecting pin (621) passing through one of the orifices (312b; FIG. 12) and being in contact with one of the tracks (through bar 342).
Regarding claim 4/3, Yim was discussed above in claim 3. Yim further discloses the inverter casing (310, 320) forms a cover (310) intended to close a motor casing (100) inside which an electric motor (400) is housed (FIG. 6).
Regarding claim 5/4, Yim was discussed above in claim 4. Yim further discloses the connecting elements (622) of the connector (600) are each adapted to interlock with a complementary electrical connecting element (¶ [0296] electrically conductive member provided in the output terminal housing part 430) of the electric motor (400) during a movement of closing the motor casing by the inverter casing (310, 320; FIG. 11-13).
Regarding claim 6/4, Yim was discussed above in claim 4. Yim further discloses the connecting elements (622) of the connector (600) are configured to interlock with the complementary electrical connecting elements (¶ [0296] electrically conductive member provided in the output terminal housing part 430) in mutually parallel interlocking directions (the insertion part 431 would require parallel connection) and wherein the inverter casing (310, 320) is configured to close the motor casing (100) in a closing movement directed in a closing direction and wherein the closing direction is parallel to the interlocking directions (FIG. 12-13).
Regarding claim 7/4, Yim was discussed above in claim 4. Yim further discloses a motor casing (100) and an electric motor (400) housed in the motor casing, the electric motor (400) comprising complementary electrical connecting elements (¶ [0296] electrically conductive member provided in the output terminal housing part 430); the inverter casing (310, 320) and the motor casing configured to be positioned in a relative closed position in which the connecting elements (622) of the connector (600) are interlocked with the complementary electrical connecting elements (¶ [0296]) of the electric motor (400).
Regarding claim 8/7, Yim was discussed above in claim 7. Yim further discloses the inverter casing (310, 320) and the motor casing (100) are configured so that there is only one relative closed position (FIG. 6).
Relative closed position is understood as recited in claim 7 above, where “the connecting elements of the connector are interlocked with the complementary electrical connecting elements of the electric motor.”
Regarding claim 12/5, Yim was discussed above in claim 5. Yim further discloses the connecting elements (622) of the connector (600) are configured to interlock with the complementary electrical connecting elements (¶ [0296] electrically conductive member provided in the output terminal housing part 430) in mutually parallel interlocking directions (the insertion part 431 would require parallel connection) and wherein the inverter casing (310, 320) is configured to close the motor casing (100) in a closing movement directed in a closing direction and wherein the closing direction is parallel to the interlocking directions (FIG. 12-13).
Regarding claim 13/5, Yim was discussed above in claim 5. Yim further discloses a motor casing (100) and an electric motor (400) housed in the motor casing, the electric motor (400) comprising complementary electrical connecting elements (¶ [0296] electrically conductive member provided in the output terminal housing part 430); the inverter casing (310, 320) and the motor casing configured to be positioned in a relative closed position in which the connecting elements (622) of the connector (600) are interlocked with the complementary electrical connecting elements (¶ [0296]) of the electric motor (400).
Regarding claim 14/6, Yim was discussed above in claim 6. Yim further discloses a motor casing (100) and an electric motor (400) housed in the motor casing, the electric motor (400) comprising complementary electrical connecting elements (¶ [0296] electrically conductive member provided in the output terminal housing part 430); the inverter casing (310, 320) and the motor casing configured to be positioned in a relative closed position in which the connecting elements (622) of the connector (600) are interlocked with the complementary electrical connecting elements (¶ [0296]) of the electric motor (400).
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 2 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yim et al. (US 2020/0355405 A1) in view of Shimokawa et al. (US 2020/0021151 A1).
Regarding claim 2/1, Yim was discussed above in claim 1. Yim further discloses the connecting elements (622) and the connecting pins (621) each comprise an insulating body (630) and electrical conductors (621 and 622 are electrical conductors).
Yim does not disclose each insulating body being notably made of a plastic material such as polymers.
Shimokawa discloses each insulating body (3) being notably made of a plastic material such as polymers (¶ [0039]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing of the claimed invention to have modified Yim in view of Shimokawa to disclose each insulating body being notably made of a plastic material such as polymers, as evidenced by Shimokawa in ¶ [0039], polymer as an insulator is commonly used within the art.
Regarding claim 11/2, Yim in view of Shimokawa was discussed above in claim 2. Yim further discloses system (10) comprising an inverter casing (310, 320), a connector (600) according to claim 2 attached to the inverter casing (310, 320), an inverter (300) housed inside the inverter casing (310, 320) and an electrical interconnecting bar (342) which is housed inside the inverter casing (310, 320), is electrically connected to the inverter (300) and comprises tracks (printed circuit board 340 inherently has electrical tracks), the inverter casing (310, 320) comprising a plurality of orifices (312b);
each orifice (312b) being positioned opposite one of the tracks of the electrical interconnecting bar (342);
each connecting pin (621) passing through one of the orifices (312b; FIG. 12) and being in contact with one of the tracks (through bar 342).
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yim et al. (US 2020/0355405 A1) in view of Chang (US 10,263,490 B2).
Regarding claim 9/8, Yim was discussed above in claim 8. Yim does not disclose the one or more complementary electrical connecting elements are attached to the motor casing by a threaded connection.
Chang discloses the one or more complementary electrical connecting elements (410) are attached to the motor casing (100) by a threaded connection (500).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing of the claimed invention to have modified Yim in view of Chang to disclose the one or more complementary electrical connecting elements are attached to the motor casing by a threaded connection, for the advantages of directly mounting the terminals to the motor housing.
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yim et al. (US 2020/0355405 A1).
Regarding claim 10/7, Yim was discussed above in claim 7. Yim does not disclose the limitations as recited in claim 10, but claim 10 is a product-by-process. A product-by-process claim’s patentability is based on the product itself, not the process of making the product. As Yim discloses all the structure of the product of claim 10, claim 10 is unpatentable over Yim. See MPEP 2113.
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.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
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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