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 .
Responsive to correspondence
This office action is in response to correspondence filed on 01/28/2025.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement filed 01/28/2025 was filed before the first action on the merits. This submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97.
Accordingly, this has been fully considered by the Office.
Abstract
The abstract filed 01/28/2025 appears to be acceptable.
Claim Objections
Following claim(s) are objected to because of the grammatical errors and informalities, for consistency and accuracy of the claim languages:
Claim 3 line 3 recites “the fixing portion”, this should be read as “the cylindrical fixing portion”.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
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.
Claim(s) 1-2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S Publication number 2023/0145998 A1 to IGNATIEV et al. (IGNATIEV) in view of U.S Publication number 2008/0170955 A1 to EBER et al. (EBER).
Re: Claim 1:
IGNATIEV discloses:
A compressor comprising:
a housing (See Figs. 1-3: ¶0047: a housing 12);
a first scroll (See Figs. 1-3: ¶0056-¶0057: first scroll 76) and a second scroll located inside (See Figs. 1-3: ¶0056-¶0057: second scroll 78) the housing (See Figs. 1-3: ¶0047: a housing 12), the first scroll (See Figs. 1-3: ¶0056-¶0057: first scroll 76) being configured to have a first end plate (See Figs. 1-3: ¶0056-¶0057: first end plate 80) and a first volute (See Figs. 1-3: ¶0056-¶0057: a first spiral wrap 82) extending from the first end plate (See Figs. 1-3: ¶0056-¶0057: first end plate 80) towards the second scroll (See Figs. 1-3: ¶0056-¶0057: second scroll 78), the second scroll (See Figs. 1-3: ¶0056-¶0057: second scroll 78) being configured to have a second end plate (See Figs. 1-3: ¶0056-¶0057: second end plate 86) and a second volute (See Figs. 1-3: ¶0056-¶0057: second spiral wrap 90) extending from the second end plate (See Figs. 1-3: ¶0056-¶0057: second end plate 86) towards the first scroll (See Figs. 1-3: ¶0056-¶0057: first scroll 76 as shown), the first volute and the second volute being configured to engage with each other to define a compression chamber therebetween (See Figs. 1-3: ¶0059: The first and second spiral wraps 82, 90 are intermeshed with each other);
a motor comprising a stator and a rotor (See Figs. 1-3: ¶0053: motor assembly 16), which is located on one side of the second scroll away from the first scroll (See Figs. 1-3: ¶0052: motor assembly 16 is positioned away from the first scroll 76) and configured for driving the first scroll (See Figs. 1-3: ¶0053- ¶0057: driveshaft 46 is driven by motor assembly 16 which causes corresponding rotation of the first scroll member 76 specifically as explained in ¶0054 and ¶0059) to rotate by the rotor (See Figs. 1-3: ¶0052- ¶0057: rotor 54) to drive the second scroll (See Figs. 1-3: ¶0053- ¶0057: second scroll 78) to rotate (See Figs. 1-3: ¶0055: a co-rotating scroll compression mechanism in which the first compression member is a first scroll member (i.e., a driver scroll member) 76 and the second compression member is a second scroll member 78 (i.e., a driven scroll member));
a driving mechanism (See Figs. 1-3: ¶0051-¶0060: discloses a driving mechanism flange 74, driveshaft 46 including driveshaft section 56, as described in ¶0053, bearing 98) comprising a receiving hub (See Figs. 1-3: ¶0051-¶0060: receiving hub 58 which receives driveshaft 46 and bearing 40) and a flange (See Figs. 1-3: ¶0054: The flange 74 extends in a radial direction) configured to extend radially from a first end of the receiving hub (See Figs. 1-3: receiving hub 58) and support the second end plate (See Fig.1: second end plate 86 as shown in figures 1 and 3);
wherein a second end of the receiving hub (See Fig.1: receiving hub 58) is secured to the rotor (See Figs. 1-3: ¶0054: receiving hub 58 extends from the second end 69 of the driveshaft section 56 and may include a first portion 70, and the first portion 70 extends in a radial direction from the second end 69 of the driveshaft section 56 (in a direction perpendicular to a rotational axis A1 of driveshaft 46) and the second portion 72 extends in an axial direction from a periphery of the first portion 70 (in a direction parallel to a rotational axis A1 of driveshaft 46)) so as to position the rotor (See Figs. 1-3: rotor 54),
IGNATIEV discloses a motor having rotor and stator , IGNATIEV is silent regarding a rotor to be spaced from the stator with a certain gap between the rotor and the stator. However, it is well known in the art that rotor and stator in a scroll compressor are spaced apparat with a needed gap, such a system is explicitly taught by U.S Publication number 2008/0170955 A1 to EBER et al. (EBER: ¶0024, ¶0029, ¶0030: motor 30 includes a stator 38 and a rotor 40 between which a gap 42), it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to provide a gap between rotor and stator to provide cooling to motor (EBER: ¶0030) which would have yielded similar benefits in the system of IGNATIEV.
Re: Claim 2:
IGNATIEV modified by EBER discloses:
The compressor according to claim 1, modified IGNATIEV discloses all the limitations of claim 1, and further comprising:
a retainer (IGNATIEV : See Figs. 1-3: ¶0052: retainer 24 having bearing support by bearing 59) configured to secure the rotor on it (IGNATIEV : See Figs. 1-3: ¶0052: the drive shaft 46 is press fit/welded with rotor 54 and is supported at retainer 24 including bearing 59 which typically supporting rotor 54 using retainer 24 and bearing 59 via drive shaft 46);
wherein the second end of the receiving hub (IGNATIEV : See Figs. 1-3: ¶0053: receiving hub 58, second end 69-67) is secured to the retainer (IGNATIEV : See Figs. 1A-4: retainer 24 using driveshaft 46) on a radial inner side of the rotor (IGNATIEV : See Figs. 1-3: radial inner side of rotor 54 as shown) to position the rotor (IGNATIEV : See Figs. 1-3: rotor 54) to be spaced from the stator (EBER: ¶0024, ¶0029, ¶0030: motor 30 includes a stator 38 and a rotor 40 between which a gap 42).
Allowable Subject Matter and Prior Art
Claim 14 is allowed, since the closest prior art of record differs in that the claimed invention as claimed in claim 14 a compressor having a rolling bearing, and the assembly method includes: fixing the bracket in the housing, installing the rolling bearing inside the connecting hub of the retainer, rotatably mounting the retainer with the rotor on the bracket and fixing the stator to the bracket, wherein the stator and the rotor are attracted to each other by magnetic attraction, and by installing the drive mechanism on the retainer so that one end of the hub is pushed against the upper side of the rolling bearing in a direction away from the stator, driving the retainer and the rotor to move together in a direction away from the stator, thereby positioning the rotor spaced apart from the stator. Therefore, claims 15-16 are allowed by virtue of their dependency on claim 14.
Claims 3-12 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:
Claim 3 contains an allowable subject matter because the prior art of record failed to teach wherein, the retainer is configured to have a connecting hub and a cylindrical fixing portion, so that the rotor is secured into the fixing portion on an outer side of the connecting hub, and the second end of the receiving hub is threaded to the connecting hub on an inner side of the connecting hub.
The claims 4-12 are objected to by virtue of their dependency on allowable claim 3.
Conclusion
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/SHAFIQ MIAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3746
February 11, 2026