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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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)(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.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kebukawa et al. (US 2026/0074583 A1).
RE claim 1, Kebukawa teaches a motor device 100 (Fig.1), comprising a stator (120, 130) (see Fig.1 and ¶ 61) and a rotor (S, 112), wherein the stator comprises: a stator core 130, fixed radially inside a motor case 140; and a coil 120, wound on teeth provided on the stator core (see ¶ 6 or Fig.7), the rotor comprises: a rotating shaft (S), rotatably supported by a bearing 113b fixed to the motor case 140; a magnet 112, integrally provided on the rotating shaft (S); and an abutment member 117b, fixed to the rotating shaft (S) and abutted against the bearing 113b from one axial side of the rotating shaft (S) toward an other axial side (a) of the rotating shaft (S), wherein an axial central part of the magnet 112 deviates to a side opposite (a) to an abutment direction (b) of the abutment member 117b against the bearing 113b with respect to an axial central part of the stator core 130 (see Fig.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.
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 3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kebukawa in view of Shintani (JP 2014147277 A).
RE claim 2/1, Kebukawa teaches the one axial side of the rotating shaft is rotatably supported by another bearing 113a fixed to the motor case 140; a facing member 117a facing the another bearing 113a in the axial direction of the rotating shaft (S) is provided between the another bearing 113a and the magnet 112 in the axial direction of the rotating shaft.
Kebukawa does not teach a coil spring with a compressive load applied thereto is arranged between the another bearing and the facing member in the axial direction of the rotating shaft.
Shintani teaches a coil spring 7 (Fig.1) with a compressive load applied thereto is arranged between the another bearing 3 and the facing member 8 in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 10, doing so would prevent rotor beating sound in the thrust direction (see translation page 5).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Kebukawa by having a coil spring with a compressive load applied thereto is arranged between the another bearing and the facing member in the axial direction of the rotating shaft, as taught by Shintani, for the same reasons as discussed above.
RE claim 3/2, Kebukawa in view of Shintani has been discussed above. Kebukawa further teaches the bearing 113b and the another bearing 113a are each a rolling bearing (¶ 40) comprising: an outer ring (113bo) (Fig.2), arranged radially outside; an inner ring (113bi), arranged radially inside; and a rolling body (ball, see ¶ 40 and Fig.2), arranged between the outer ring (113bo) and the inner ring (113bi), wherein the outer ring (113bo) is fixed to a bearing fixing part 114 provided in the motor case 140; and the inner ring (113bi) is mounted on the rotating shaft (S) in a manner allowing movement in the axial direction of the rotating shaft (S).
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kebukawa in view of Suzuki (US 2018/0152088 A1).
RE claim 4/1, Kebukawa has been discussed above. Kebukawa does not teach a magnetic sensor facing the magnet in the axial direction of the rotating shaft is provided in the motor case.
Suzuki teaches a magnetic sensor 35 (Fig.5) facing the magnet 4 in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 2 is provided in the motor case 11 (Fig.5), doing so allows the magnetic flux of the magnet to be detected (¶ 11) and rotational position of the rotor can be detected thereof (¶ 3).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Kebukawa by having a magnetic sensor facing the magnet in the axial direction of the rotating shaft is provided in the motor case, as taught by Suzuki, for the same reasons as discussed above.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kebukawa in view of Kobayashi (US 2021/0190181 A1).
RE claim 5/1, Kebukawa has been discussed above. Kobayashi does not teach a drive gear driving a driving target is fixed to the rotating shaft.
Kobayashi evidenced that it is well-known in the art for a rotational driving force to be transmits to a target via transmission device such as gears (¶ 7).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Kebukawa by having a drive gear driving a driving target is fixed to the rotating shaft, as taught by Kobayashi, for the same reasons as discussed above.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THOMAS TRUONG whose telephone number is (571)270-5532. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9AM-6PM EST.
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/THOMAS TRUONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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