DETAILED ACTION
Claims 1-15 of U.S. Patent Application No. 19/074,971, filed on 10 March, 2025, were presented for examination, and are currently pending in the application.
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 statement (IDS) submitted on 10 March, 2025, was filed before the mailing date of this Office Action. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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 “first axle section and the second axle section are rotatably mounted relative to each other” (claim 2) and “the first axle section is connected to the first gearbox spline…” (claim 4) must be shown or the features canceled from the claims. No new matter should be entered. Please see next drawing objection below. Claim 2 will not be rejected herein under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) because the Examiner believes the remedy for this objection is very simple.
The drawings are objected to because the leader line for reference numeral 127 (the second section of the axle according to the specification) lands on the center element which the Examiner believes is an extension of the first section 125. The unlabeled, darker-shaded, cylindrical sleeve between rotor 123 and the lighter-shaded extension of 124 (the core of the coaxial portion at the right-hand side of fig. 4) is the obvious candidate for 127, mainly because if this is the second section of the axle, then claim 2 complies with 35 U.S.C. 112(a) – meaning, the Examiner believes that the application, if fig. 4 is corrected accordingly, supports the capability of the second axle section to be rotated relative to the first axle section. If 127 as shown currently in fig. 4 (the lighter-shaded core of the coaxial structure) is indeed the second axle section, then a reader of ordinary skill in the art could not be reasonably assured that Applicant was in possession of the relevant feature of claim 2 at the time of filing, and would not be able to understand how to make the motor of claim 2.
Substitute drawing sheets having the leader line for 127 in fig. 4 landing on the appropriate portion of the axle will not be met with a new-matter objection.
The drawings are further objected to because fig. 2 contains stray gray/white arrows (leader lines) and a thick, stray black line, that should not appear in the granted patent. The lines are clearly relics of an earlier version of the drawings or another publication.
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they do not include the following reference sign(s) mentioned in the description: AXLE SPLINES 32 (mentioned in ¶ 0050).
Figure 1a should be designated by a legend such as --Prior Art-- because only that which is old is illustrated. See MPEP § 608.02(g).
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.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claims 8 and 10 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.
Claim 8 recites the limitation "the operational shear stress " in lines 2 and 4. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 10 recites that “the first motor section is electrically, thermally, mechanically and/or magnetically independent of the second motor section”. This is both contradictory to the teachings of the specification and impossible. The first and motor sections are locked together via the axle for co-rotation, and thus cannot be mechanically independent. The first motor section will always receive magnetic flux leakage and heat from the first motor section, and vice versa, absent a very elaborate insulation/isolation mechanism, which is not provided for in the specification. Thus the first motor section is not thermally and/or magnetically independent of the second motor section.
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.
Claims 1 and 5-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Beall (US 2023/0061193 A1).
With respect to claim 1, Beall teaches an axial flux electric motor [electric-motor system 200 including motors 100(1), 100(2), 100(3)] for an aircraft (see ¶ 0003), the electric motor [200] comprising:
a first motor section [100(1)] comprising a first stator [102] and a first rotor [103] {see ¶ 0014 and the joint annotated excerpts of figs. 1 and 2 attached below – it is noted that ¶ 0020, which describes fig. 2, recites that “operation of each of the electric motors 100(1), 100(2), and 100(3) is the same as discussed above relative to electric motor 100 and shown in FIG. 1…” – thus it is firmly established that each motor section 100(1), 100(2), etc. in fig. 2 contains every element from fig. 1};
a second motor section [100(2)] comprising a second stator [102] and a second rotor [103] (the Examiner has labeled the first and second rotors and stators in the fig. 2 excerpt);
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wherein the first rotor [103] and the second rotor [103] are mounted on a common axle [drive shaft 122] (see fig. 2 and ¶ 0014 – also, ¶ 0018 recites “a plurality of electric motors 100 are each driving the shaft 122…”);
wherein the first rotor [103] is secured to the common axle [122] by a first set of one or more connecting elements [shear pins 116] (via hub 118 and shear adapter 110 – see ¶ 0014 and 0016 as well as ¶ 0013 which recites “one or more shear pins…” – it is noted that two shear pins are shown in fig. 1 for each motor section);
wherein the second rotor [103] is secured to the common axle [122] by a second set of one or more connecting elements [shear pins 116] (see again ¶ 0013-0016);
wherein the first set of one or more connecting elements [116] is arranged to break when the relative torque between the common axle [122] and the first rotor [103] is greater than a first particular threshold (see ¶ 0018 which recites “if the predetermined torque threshold is exceeded, the shear pin 116 will break…” and the abstract which recites “adapted and configured to break responsive to torque between the annular shear adapter and the drive shaft exceeding a predetermined torque threshold…” – it is noted that the shear adapter is locked for rotation with the rotor); and
wherein the second set of one or more connecting elements [116] is arranged to break when the relative torque between the common axle [122] and the second rotor [103] is greater than a second particular threshold (again, see ¶ 0018 and also the portion of ¶ 0020 that establishes the motors, excepting their respective order on the axle, are each identical and operate identically).
With respect to claim 5/1, Beall teaches the motor of claim 1, and further teaches wherein the first rotor [103 of motor 100(1)] is mounted on the common axle [122] via a first axle spline [hub 118A] (separate axle splines 118A/118B have been designated and labeled by the Examiner in the new fig. 2 excerpt below); and
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wherein the second rotor [103 of motor 100(2)] is mounted on the common axle [122] via a second axle spline [118B].
With respect to claim 6/5/1, Beall teaches the motor of claim 5, and further teaches wherein the first rotor [103 of motor 100(1)] is secured to the first axle spline [118A] by the first set of one or more connecting elements [116]; and
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wherein the second rotor [103 of motor 100(2)] is secured to the second axle spline [118B] by the second set of one or more connecting elements [116] (see ¶ 0013-0014).
With respect to claim 7/1, Beall teaches the motor of claim 1, and further teaches wherein the first set of one or more connecting elements [116] comprises one or more dowel pins; and/or
the second set of one or more connecting elements [116] comprises one or more dowel pins (see ¶ 0014 where they are called “shear pins” and the fig. 1 excerpt/snapshot above wherein they are clearly dowel-shaped).
With respect to claim 8/1, Beall teaches the motor of claim 1, and further teaches wherein the first particular threshold is greater than the operational shear stress between the common axle [122] and the first rotor [103 of 100(1)] during normal operation of the axial flux electric motor [200]; and/or
wherein the second particular threshold is greater than the operational shear stress between the common axle [122] and the second rotor [103 of 100(2)] during normal operation of the axial flux electric motor (see ¶ 0013, 0018, and 0028 – it is noted that these claim clauses are simply definitions of the word “threshold” in mechanical systems, as applied to rotors and shafts).
With respect to claim 9/1, Beall teaches the motor of claim 1, and further teaches wherein the first motor section [100(1)] is arranged to continue to operate, when the second set of one or more connecting elements [116 of motor 100(2)] breaks; and/or wherein the second motor section [100(2)] is arranged to continue to operate, when the first set of one or more connecting elements [116 of motor 100(1)] breaks {see ¶ 0020 which recites “sufficient torque to cause breakage of a shear pin would typically be due to one or more of the electric motors 100(1), 100(2), and 100(3) continuing to drive the drive shaft 122 following failure of a component of one of the electric motors 100(1), 100(2), and 100(3). Thus, in similar fashion to the discussion above relative to FIG. 1, failure of one of the primary bearings 112(1), 112(2), or 112(3) does not prevent remaining ones of the electric motors 100(1), 100(2, and 100(3) from supplying torque to the drive shaft 122 and the drive shaft 122 from rotating in response to the applied torque…”}.
With respect to claim 10/1, Beall teaches the motor of claim 1, and further teaches wherein the first motor section [100(1)] is electrically, thermally, mechanically and/or magnetically independent of the second motor section [100(2)] (see rejection of claim 10 under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) above – although this claim is indefinite, contradictory, and/or impossible, Beall has a similar configuration to the instant invention so it will be independent to roughly the same extent as the instant invention is).
With respect to claim 11/1, Beall teaches the motor of claim 1, and further teaches wherein the first motor section has a diameter of the first motor section that is greater than a length of the first motor section (although the drawings are not described as drawn to-scale, the ratio of the motor section diameters to the motor section lengths are clearly greater than 3:1 in fig. 2, such that no one of ordinary skill in the art would interpret the ratio as being 1:1 or less and/or while attempting to make Beall’s motor, would make it with a ratio of 1:1 or less); and/or
wherein the second motor section has a diameter of the second motor section that is greater than a length of the second motor section.
With respect to claim 12/1, Beall teaches the motor of claim 1, and further teaches wherein the first and second motor sections [100(1)/100(2)] are spaced axially (left-to-right in fig. 2) from each other along the common axle [112].
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With respect to claim 13/1, Beall teaches the motor of claim 1, and further teaches wherein the axial flux electric motor [200] is arranged to be tolerant to one or more of: an open circuit fault, a short fault, a turn to turn fault (see ¶ 0013 which recites “the electric motor is…. adapted to permit rotation of the drive shaft in the event of a failure of the primary bearing…” and ¶ 0018 which recites “the shear pin 116 is configured to operate up to a worst-case operational torque plus a safety margin and tot break under, for example, an instantaneous lockup…”), a phase to ground fault, and a phase to phase fault.
With respect to claim 14/1, Beall teaches the motor of claim 1, and further teaches wherein the axial flux electric motor is arranged to detect a fault in the first and/or second motor sections [100(1)/100(2)] of the axial flux electric motor [200] (see claim 6 which recites “the electric motor is operable to output a signal indicative of breakage of the shear pin…” and ¶ 0013 which recites “an electrical circuit is activated by a shear-pin failure. Activation of the electrical circuit may serve to notify one or both of a flight control computer…”).
With respect to claim 15/1, Beall teaches the motor of claim 1, and further teaches wherein the axial flux electric motor comprises drive electronics [stator 102] arranged to control one or more of: the speed, the torque, and the direction of the axial flux electric motor.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-4 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:
With respect to claim 2, and all claims depending therefrom, the prior art of record does not teach or reasonably suggest, inter alia, an axial flux electric motor for an aircraft, the electric motor comprising:
a first motor section comprising a first stator and a first rotor;
a second motor section comprising a second stator and a second rotor;
wherein the first rotor and the second rotor are mounted on a common axle;
wherein the first rotor is secured to the common axle by a first set of one or more connecting elements;
wherein the second rotor is secured to the common axle by a second set of one or more connecting elements;
wherein the first set of one or more connecting elements is arranged to break when the relative torque between the common axle and the first rotor is greater than a first particular threshold; and
wherein the second set of one or more connecting elements is arranged to break when the relative torque between the common axle and the second rotor is greater than a second particular threshold;
wherein the common axle comprises a first axle section and a section axle section;
wherein the first rotor is mounted to the first axle section;
wherein the second rotor is mounted to the second axle section; wherein the first axle section and the second axle section are rotatably mounted relative to each other.
To interpret Beall broadly enough such that “the first axle section and the second axle section are rotatably mounted relative to each other”, the parts need to be re-designated differently from how the Examiner applied Beall in the rejection of claim 1 above, which the Examiner will attempt to do here.
Specifically, the common axle must now (to read on claim 2) include the shear adapters [110], which logically requires that the common axle also includes the hubs [118], such that the common axle would be [122/118/110], with the “first axle section” and “second axle section” being the shear adapters [110]. After rupture of the shear pins in the first motor section [100(1)], the shear adapter [110] of that motor section will seize and stop rotating, such that the shear adapter of the second motor section [100(2)] will be rotating relative to it, satisfying the relevant clause of claim 2.
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However, this re-designation of 118 and 110 to be a common axle [122/118/110] changes the relationship of the shear pins to the other components. In particular, claim 1 requires the first rotor (and second rotor) to be secured to the common axle [122/118/110] by a first set of one or more connecting elements [116]. If 118 and 110 are part of the common axle [122/118/110] in this interpretation, the rotor [103] is no longer connected to the common axle [122/118/110] by the first set of one or more connecting elements [116]. The common axle is connected to itself by the first set of one or more connecting elements. Therefore, this interpretation does not meet the relevant limitations of claim 1.
Applicant is reminded that claims 2-4 will face rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) if the drawing changes (see objection to fig. 4 above, about the landing point of the leader line for 127) are not made, in the ensuing response, to designate the “second axle section” [127] in fig. 4 as being the darker-shaded outer sleeve and not the lighter-shaded inner core that is presumed by the Examiner to be a narrow axial extension of the first axle section [125]. The indicated allowable subject matter is predicated on the Examiner’s expectation that this shall be the case.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Figs. 1-2 of DE 2652769 A (provided with machine translation) show a motor rotor connected to a shaft via breakable connecting elements [13] designed to “fracture at a predetermined torque in excess of the full load value…”, while the side-cross-section of fig. 1 is very similar to the corresponding elements in fig. 4 of the instant application.
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Figs. 1a and 1c of US 217/0331337 A1 show a dual-rotor motor wherein “the second rotor section 103 can be arranged to be rotatable with respect to the first rotor section 102 by breaking the above-mentioned shear pins…” The shear pins are reference numeral 107.
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Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL K SCHLAK whose telephone number is (703)756-1685. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 9:30 am - 6:00 pm EST.
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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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/Daniel K Schlak/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
/OLUSEYE IWARERE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2834
