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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 8 and 10-13 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 5/28/2026.
Claim 9 has been withdrawn by the Examiner as it is drawn to a non-elected species. Specifically, claim 9 recites a disc which has identified as 154. The disc is shown to be associated with the non-elected species shown in fig 3 and not fig 2 and therefore claim 9 has been withdrawn.
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 1-7 and 14-20 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 1 recites the limitation "the transmission" in line 6. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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.
Claim(s) 1-7, 14-16, 18 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Sauter et al., US PGPub 2020/0309246.
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Regarding claim 1, Sauter et al. discloses an oil cooling arrangement (see fig 4, 6) for cooling at least an electric traction machine (EM) of a vehicle (motor vehicle), the arrangement comprising: a cooling circuit (see [0032] – cooling of EM) arranged to provide oil to the electric traction machine (EM), a planetary gear set (P-RS) comprising a plurality of planetary members (see fig 6), the planetary members being a sun gear (connected to P-EM), a ring gear (Connected to P-A) and a planet carrier carrying a plurality of planet gears (gears connecting ring and sun - see [0039]), a pinion (ZR) operably driven by the transmission (G) of the vehicle (as described above), the pinion (ZR) being connected to drive (via intermediary planetary gears - see fig 6) a first planetary member (out planetary gears) of the planetary gear set (P-RS), an electric motor (P-EM) connected to drive a second planetary member (sun) of the planetary gear set (P-RS), the second planetary member (sun) being different to the first planetary member (as described ), at least one oil pump (P) connected to a third planetary member (gear rotating about P-A, see fig 2, 6) of the planetary gear set (P-RS) such that the at least one oil pump (P) is operably driven by the planetary gear set (P-RS) to pressurize oil in the cooling circuit (as described above), the third planetary member (as described above) being different to the first (as described above) and second planetary members (as described above).
Regarding claim 2, Sauter et al. discloses the arrangement of claim 1, wherein the at least one oil pump (P) is arranged radially outside of at least a part of the planetary gear set (P is located radially outward from ZR).
Regarding claim 3, Sauter et al. discloses the arrangement of claim 1, wherein the planetary gear set (P-RS) further comprises a sun gear shaft (ZR-A) connecting the pinion (ZR) and the sun gear (as described above).
Regarding claim 4, Sauter et al. discloses the arrangement of claim 1, wherein the second planetary member (sun) is the planet carrier carrying a plurality of planet gears (between sun and ring), such that the electric motor (P-EM) is connected to drive the planet carrier (as described above).
Regarding claim 5, Sauter et al. discloses the arrangement of claim 1, wherein the planet carrier (containing planetary gears between sun and ring) is connecting the electric motor (P-EM) and the planet gears (as described above) of the planetary gear set (P-RS).
Regarding claim 6, Sauter et al. discloses the arrangement of claim 4, wherein the third planetary member (connected to P-A) is the ring gear (see fig 6) of the planetary gear set (P-RS), such that the ring gear (as described above) is connected to drive (via P-A) the at least one oil pump (P).
Regarding claim 14, Sauter et al. discloses the arrangement of claim 1, wherein the at least one oil pump is a mechanical displacement pump, such as a gerotor oil pump (see [0007]).
Regarding claim 15, Sauter et al. discloses the arrangement of claim 14, wherein the cooling circuit (as described above) is further arranged to cool the transmission (G) of the vehicle.
Regarding claim 16, Sauter et al. discloses the arrangement of claim 1, further comprising a first housing (enclosing P-EM – fig 6) for the electric motor (P-EM) and a second housing (enclosing P – see fig 6) for the at least one oil pump (P), wherein the first housing (as described above) is separate (opposite sides of planetary gears – see fig 6) from the second housing (as described above), and wherein the arrangement further comprises a third housing (GG) for the planetary gear set P-RS), wherein the first, second and third housings are separated (see fig 2 and 6).
Regarding claim 18, Sauter et al. discloses the arrangement of claim 1, wherein the first planetary member (connected to P-EM) is the sun gear (see fig 6).
Regarding claim 20, Sauter et al. discloses a vehicle (motor vehicle – see [0002]) comprising the oil cooling arrangement of claim 1.
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.
Claim(s) 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sauter et al. in view of Katoh et al., US PGPub 2011/0319215. Regarding claim 17, Sauter et al. discloses the arrangement of claim 1 but does not specify a one way clutch. Katoh et al. teach a similar lubrication system wherein the pump (7) is connected to a one-way clutch (8) arranged to prevent the electric motor from spinning in reverse. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the one way clutch described by Katoh et al. to the system disclosed by Sauter et al. in order to prevent backflow of lubricant during reverse driving operations and optimize the system efficiency by avoiding operating under low lubricant conditions.
Claim(s) 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sauter et al. in view of Karasawa. Regarding claim 19, Sauter et al. discloses the arrangement of claim 1 further comprising a control unit (HCU) configured to operate the electric motor (P-EM), but does not explicitly discloses the that control operates the motor in a predefined manner in response to a predefined operation of the vehicle. Karasawa discloses a similar lubrication device and pump wherein the control operates the motor in a predefined manner in response to a predefined operation of the vehicle (see column 2, lines 14-29). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the control described by Karasawa to the system disclosed by Sauter et al. in order to reduce a period while a mechanical oil pump and an electric oil pump are driven in an overlapping manner in the vehicle oil supply device including the mechanical oil pump and the electric oil pump.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL A RIEGELMAN whose telephone number is (571)270-7956. The examiner can normally be reached 8-6 EST Monday - Friday.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Robert Hodge can be reached at (571) 272-2097. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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MICHAEL A. RIEGELMAN
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3654
/MICHAEL A RIEGELMAN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3654
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