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 .
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
In paragraph [0056] it appears that the phrase “the first and the second recess 12” should instead be “the first and the second recess 12 and 14.”
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Objections
Claim 6 is objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 6 the phrase “the peripheral direction” lacks antecedent basis. A more appropriate limitation would be “a peripheral direction.”
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1-3 and 6-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018/0175683 to Froehlich et al. (hereinafter Froehlich; cited by Applicant on 3/27/2025).
Regarding claim 1, an embodiment of Froehlich teaches a laminated core (Paragraph [0013]) for a rotor (FIG. 6, 1) of an electric motor (Paragraph [0002]-[0003]), the laminated core comprising:
a plurality of laminations arranged one above another in an axial direction (Paragraph [0013]);
said laminations being formed with a magnet pocket (FIG. 3, 2) for receiving a rotor magnet (FIG. 3, 8), and with a core recess (FIG. 3, 10) for reducing a laminated core moment of inertia, said core recess being formed radially inwardly with respect to said magnet pocket (FIG. 3; 2, 10);
at least one of said laminations having a contiguous lamination recess forming said magnet pocket and said core recess (FIG. 3; 2, 10).
The embodiment of Froehlich does not teach a fixing arm of said at least one lamination protruding in a radial direction into said magnet pocket for clamping the rotor magnet.
However, another embodiment of Froehlich teaches a fixing arm (FIG. 7; 11a, R) of said at least one lamination protruding in a radial direction into said magnet pocket for clamping the rotor magnet (Paragraph [0045]).
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 the laminated core of Froehlich with the teachings of another embodiment of Froehlich to further secure the rotor magnet to the magnet pocket in the radial direction.
Regarding claim 2, Froehlich teaches the laminated core according to claim 1.
The two embodiments of Froehlich do not teach at least one of said laminations being formed with a clamping lug projecting from at least one of a side delimiting said magnet pocket in a peripheral direction or from a side delimiting said magnet pocket in a direction opposite the peripheral direction.
However, another embodiment of Froehlich teaches at least one of said laminations being formed with a clamping lug (FIG. 11, 16) projecting from a side delimiting said magnet pocket in a peripheral direction.
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 the laminated core of Froehlich with the teachings of another embodiment of Froehlich to further secure the rotor magnet to the magnet pocket in the circumferential direction.
Regarding claim 3, Froehlich teaches the laminated core according to claim 2, wherein said clamping lug projects perpendicularly from the side delimiting said magnet pocket (FIG. 12, 16).
Regarding claim 6, Froehlich teaches the laminated core according to claim 1, wherein said at least one lamination having said fixing arm has a further fixing arm (FIG. 7, 11b), and wherein said fixing arm and said further fixing arm for clamping the rotor magnet protrude into said magnet pocket at a distance from one another with respect to the peripheral direction (Paragraph [0045]).
Regarding claim 7, Froehlich teaches the laminated core according to claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of laminations has a contiguous lamination recess (FIG. 3; 2, 10) for forming said magnet pocket (FIG. 3, 2) and said core recess (FIG. 3, 10) and a fixing arm (FIG. 7, 11a).
Regarding claim 8, Froehlich teaches the laminated core according to claim 7, wherein said fixing arms of at least two of said laminations protrude into said magnet pocket (FIG. 7, 11a; Paragraph [0013]), and wherein said fixing arms protruding into said magnet pocket are spaced apart from one another in the axial direction (Paragraph [0013]: fixing arms repeat axially with multiple laminations stacked together).
Regarding claim 9, Froehlich teaches the laminated core according to claim 1, wherein said at least one lamination with said contiguous lamination recess has a further contiguous lamination recess for forming a further magnet pocket and a core recess radially inwardly from said further magnet pocket (FIG. 6, multiple instances of magnet pocket 2).
Regarding claim 10, Froehlich teaches the laminated core according to claim 1, wherein each of said laminations with said contiguous lamination recess has a further contiguous lamination recess for forming a further magnet pocket and a core recess radially inwardly from said further magnet pocket (FIG. 6, multiple instances of magnet pocket 2; Paragraph [0013]).
Regarding claim 11, Froehlich teaches the laminated core according to claim 2, wherein at least one of said clamping lugs or said fixing arm extend only in a plane perpendicular to the axial direction (FIG. 6, features of magnet pocket 2 only extend in the plane of the lamination perpendicular to the axial direction; FIG. 7, 11a)
Regarding claim 12, Froehlich teaches an electric motor (Paragraph [0002]-[0003]), comprising a rotor (FIG. 6, 1) having a laminated core according to claim 1.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Froehlich in view of German Patent No. 10 2016 204 972 to Schuler (provided by Applicant on 3/27/2025).
Regarding claim 4, Froehlich teaches the laminated core according to claim 2.
Froehlich does not teach the side which delimits the magnet pocket in the peripheral direction being inclined with respect to the side which delimits the magnet pocket in the direction opposite the peripheral direction.
However, Schuler teaches the side (FIG. 2, 6, left portion of pocket 3) which delimits the magnet pocket (FIG. 2, 3) in the peripheral direction being inclined with respect to the side which delimits the magnet pocket in the direction opposite the peripheral direction (FIG. 2, 6, right portion of pocket 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 the laminated core of Froehlich with the teachings of Schuler to incline the sides of the magnet pocket with respect to each other in order to fit more space for a larger magnet for an increased magnetic flux for the rotor.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Froehlich in view of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0049837 to Helbling (cited by Applicant on 3/27/2025).
Regarding claim 5, Froehlich teaches the laminated core according to claim 2.
Froehlich does not teach said clamping lugs arranged offset radially inwardly.
However, Helbling teaches clamping lugs (FIG. 6, on inner surface 678 of crossbar 621) being offset radially inwardly.
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 the laminated core of Froehlich with the teachings of Helbling to offset the clamping lugs radially inwardly in order to also clamp the rotor magnet radially outwards as well as circumferentially (FIG. 7, 220).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOSHUA KIEL MIGUEL RODRIGUEZ whose telephone number is (571)272-9881. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9:30am - 7:00pm ET.
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/JOSHUA KIEL M RODRIGUEZ/Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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