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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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, 3, and 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kinoto (WIPO Document No.: WO 2021/166171 A1).
For claim 1, Kinoto discloses the claimed invention comprising: a rotating electrical machine (i.e. machine 100F comprising stator 2, see figures 1-3); a case (reference numeral 1o) that houses the rotating electrical machine (see figures 1, 2); and a channel forming member (reference numeral 1i) disposed between an outer peripheral surface of the rotating electrical machine (i.e. outer peripheral surface of stator 2, figure 2) and an inner peripheral surface of the case (i.e. inner peripheral surface of case 1o, see figure 2), and forming a refrigerant channel (reference numeral 1g) through which a refrigerant passes (see figures 1, 2), wherein the channel forming member (reference numeral 1i) has a cylindrical shape and has one end side in an axial direction fastened to the case (i.e. one end side having flange 1f of channel forming member 1i being fastened to case 1o, see figures 1-3), and in a case where a rectangle circumscribing an outer shape of the rotating electrical machine and having two sides parallel to an up-down direction as viewed in an axial direction (i.e. a rectangle can be drawn to circumscribe machine 100F in an axial direction shown in figure 3), each of fastening parts (i.e. fastening parts 1h, 1j) of the channel forming member with respect to the case overlaps at least one corner of four corners of the rectangle as viewed in an axial direction (the fastening parts 1h, 1j can occupy corners of a rectangle that can be drawn around machine 100F in figure 3).
For claim 3, Kinoto discloses a transmission mechanism (i.e. gear set for transmission to drive shaft DS, see English translation of Kinoto, second page of Description, lines 25-31 starting with "First, the front MG100F will be described...") that transmits drive force from the rotating electrical machine to a wheel via a shaft member (i.e. drive shaft DS, see figure 3), wherein an axial center of the shaft member (drive shaft DS) is parallel to an axial center of the rotating electrical machine (i.e. axial center of machine 100F, see figure 3), and offsets to one side of one direction intersecting in an axial direction (see figure 3), and the at least one corner includes a corner on an upper side and on another side of the one direction (i.e. corners of a rectangle that can be drawn around machine 100F in figure 3 can be considered a corner on an upper side and on another side of the one direction).
For claim 4, Kinoto discloses the fastening parts being provided at three or more points (i.e. fastening parts 1h, 1j being provided at three or more points in figure 3), and two of the three or more fastening parts are disposed on two corners on another side of the one direction, among the four corners (i.e. fastening parts 1h, 1j can occupy two corners on another side of the one direction on machine 100F in figure 3).
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) 2, 6, and 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kinoto as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Nagao et al. (WIPO Document No.: WO 2013/069319 A1).
For claim 2, Kinoto discloses the claimed invention except for a wiring connector of an electronic component provided in association with the rotating electrical machine, wherein the wiring connector overlaps the at least one corner as viewed in an axial direction. Having a wiring connector overlapping machine components is a known skill as exhibited by Nagao et al. (reference numerals 121a, 121b, see figure 7) which when applied to the machine of Kinoto would disclose the wiring connector overlapping the at least one corner as viewed in an axial direction. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the wiring connector as disclosed by Nagao et al. for the machine of Kinoto for predictably providing desirable configuration for facilitating optimal assembly of the device.
For claim 6, Kinoto discloses a transmission mechanism (i.e. gear set for transmission to drive shaft DS, see English translation of Kinoto, second page of Description, lines 25-31 starting with "First, the front MG100F will be described...") that transmits drive force from the rotating electrical machine to a wheel via a shaft member (i.e. drive shaft DS, see figure 3), wherein an axial center of the shaft member (drive shaft DS) is parallel to an axial center of the rotating electrical machine (i.e. axial center of machine 100F, see figure 3), and offsets to one side of one direction intersecting in an axial direction (see figure 3), and the at least one corner includes a corner on an upper side and on another side of the one direction (i.e. corners of a rectangle that can be drawn around machine 100F in figure 3 can be considered a corner on an upper side and on another side of the one direction).
For claim 7, Kinoto discloses the fastening parts being provided at three or more points (i.e. fastening parts 1h, 1j being provided at three or more points in figure 3), and two of the three or more fastening parts are disposed on two corners on another side of the one direction, among the four corners (i.e. fastening parts 1h, 1j can occupy two corners on another side of the one direction on machine 100F in figure 3).
Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kinoto as applied to claim 3 above, and further in view of Takahashi et al. (US Patent Application Pub. No.: US 2020/0271194 A1).
For claim 5, Kinoto discloses the case (reference numeral 1o, see figures 1-3) further housing the transmission mechanism (i.e. gear set for transmission to drive shaft DS, see English translation of Kinoto, second page of Description, lines 25-31 starting with "First, the front MG100F will be described..."), but Kinoto however does not specifically disclose including a catch tank that catches oil scraped up by rotation of a gear of the transmission mechanism, and the catch tank overlapping the at least one corner as viewed in an axial direction. Having a catch tank for catching oil from the transmission is a known skill as exhibited by Takahashi et al. which disclose a catch tank (reference numeral 70, figure 6) catching oil from the transmission (reference numerals 3, 30, see figure 6), which when applied to the case of Kinoto would disclose the catch tank overlapping the at least one corner as viewed in an axial direction (i.e. corner of a rectangle that can be drawn around machine 100F in figure 3 of Kinoto). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a catch tank as disclosed by Takahashi et al. for positioning at one corner of Kinoto for predictably providing desirable configuration for facilitating optimal assembly of the device.
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kinoto in view of Nagao et al. as applied to claim 6 above, and further in view of Takahashi et al. (US Patent Application Pub. No.: US 2020/0271194 A1).
For claim 8, Kinoto discloses the case (reference numeral 1o, see figures 1-3) further housing the transmission mechanism (i.e. gear set for transmission to drive shaft DS, see English translation of Kinoto, second page of Description, lines 25-31 starting with "First, the front MG100F will be described..."), but Kinoto in view of Nagao et al. however do not specifically disclose including a catch tank that catches oil scraped up by rotation of a gear of the transmission mechanism, and the catch tank overlapping the at least one corner as viewed in an axial direction. Having a catch tank for catching oil from the transmission is a known skill as exhibited by Takahashi et al. which disclose a catch tank (reference numeral 70, figure 6) catching oil from the transmission (reference numerals 3, 30, see figure 6), which when applied to the case of Kinoto in view of Nagao et al. would disclose the catch tank overlapping the at least one corner as viewed in an axial direction (i.e. corner of a rectangle that can be drawn around machine 100F in figure 3 of Kinoto). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have a catch tank as disclosed by Takahashi et al. for positioning at one corner of Kinoto in view of Nagao et al. for predictably providing desirable configuration for facilitating optimal assembly of the device.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The following references disclose embodiments of transmission/cooling configurations: US 11434977 B2 (Takahashi; Katsutoshi et al.), US 8736119 B2 (Iwamoto; Kazuyuki et al.), US 8653704 B2 (Atarashi; Tomoo et al.), US 8344566 B2 (Koshida; Takafumi), US 20220294317 A1 (NAKAMURA; Keigo et al.), US 20220286016 A1 (NAKATA; Keisuke et al.), US 20220281310 A1 (NAKATA; Keisuke et al.), US 20220209625 A1 (TAKAMURA; Kengo et al.), US 20220209619 A1 (FUJIMOTO; Shohei et al.), US 20220205529 A1 (TAKADA; Hibiki et al.), US 20220149701 A1 (NAKAMATSU; Shuhei et al.), US 20210091629 A1 (IWASE; Takuro et al.), US 20200106325 A1 (OKUHATA; Yoshihisa), US 20090251018 A1 (Koshida; Takafumi), GB 2604245 A (RYOHEI INOUE), CN 112714994 A (TORII, TAKESHI et al.).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEX W MOK whose telephone number is (571)272-9084. The examiner can normally be reached 8am-4pm.
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/ALEX W MOK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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