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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the drive motor, reducer, range extender including the housing for each respectively, a first oil return passage, a second oil return passage of claim 1, the connecting oil passage of claim 4, the stator assembly of claim 5, must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
The drawings are objected to because figs. 2 and 3 are a water cooling module and an oil cooling module respectively. Figs. 2 and 3 should include an element number identifying the water cooling module and the oil cooling module. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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 4, 13 and 18 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 4 recites the limitation "the connecting oil passage" in line 4. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claims 5, 6, 14 and 19 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 5 recites the limitation "the stator assembly" in line 9. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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.
Claims 1, 9 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakawatari et al., CN116105052 (U.S. Patent Publication 2023/0146341 used as a translation) in view of CN114734799.
As per claim 1, Nakawatari et al. disclose a cooling and lubrication system for a hybrid powertrain (paras [0026, 0039]) (figs. 1-3) that includes a drive motor (MG2), a reducer (128) and a range extender (MG1), the cooling and lubrication system comprising:
a water cooling module (para [0039]) that includes a water inlet nozzle, a first water passage, an oil cooler (138) and a water outlet nozzle connected in sequence, the first water passage being arranged on a housing (60) of the drive motor; and
an oil cooling module (para [0040]) that includes an oil pump (56), a first oil delivery passage (166), a second oil delivery passage (164), a third oil delivery passage (162), and a first oil return passage,
wherein an oil inlet of the oil pump (56) is communicated with a bottom of the housing of the reducer (128), an oil outlet of the oil pump (56) is communicated with the oil cooler (138), the lubricating oil in the oil cooler (138) is delivered into the housing of the reducer (128), the housing of the drive motor (MG2) and the housing of the range extender (MG1) respectively via the first oil delivery passage (166), the second oil delivery passage (164) and the third oil delivery passage (162), the first oil return passage is arranged at the bottom of the housing (60) of the drive motor (MG2) (fig. 2).
Nakawatari et al. do not disclose the water cooling module including a second water passage, the first water passage being arranged on a housing of the drive motor, and the second water passage being arranged on a housing of the reducer. However, CN114734799 in their Shell Structure of Electric Drive Assembly and Electric Drive Assembly invention teach cooling various housings with a water cooling assembly including a first water channel and a second water channel arranged on different housings to facilitate efficient cooling (figs. 1, 2) (page 4, lines 23-31). 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 invention of Nakawatari et al. with a second water passage, as taught by CN ‘799, for the purpose of cooling additional structure of the hybrid powertrain.
Nakawatari et al. disclose at least a first oil return passage at the bottom of the housing (60) (fig. 2). Nakawatari et al. do not explicitly disclose a second oil return passage arranged at the bottom of the housing of the range extender. However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to add a second oil return passage if the structure of the housing resulted in a separate quantity of oil at the bottom of the range extender
since it has been held that mere duplication of essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art. In re Regis Paper Co. v. Bemis Co., 193 USPQ 8.
As per claim 9, Nakawatari et al. and CN114734799 as set forth above, Nakawatari et al as modified, disclose the first water passage (8) is arranged in an S shape (fig. 1, CN’799) on the housing of the drive motor (MG2). Both first and second water passages would be S-shaped to increase heat transfer based on the teaching of CN’799 since Nakawatari et al. is silent on water passage shape.
As per claim 10, Nakawatari et al. and CN114734799 as set forth above, Nakawatari et al as modified, discloses the oil cooling module further comprises an oil filter (130, 132) [strainer] arranged between the oil inlet of the oil pump (56) and the housing of the reducer (128).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-8 and 11-20 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: the prior art of record fails to teach or suggest a cooling and lubrication system for a hybrid powertrain that includes a drive motor, a reducer and a range extender, the cooling and lubrication system comprising: a water cooling module that includes a water inlet nozzle, a first water passage, a second water passage, an oil cooler and a water outlet nozzle connected in sequence, the first water passage being arranged on a housing of the drive motor, and the second water passage being arranged on a housing of the reducer; and an oil cooling module that includes an oil pump, a first oil delivery passage, a second oil delivery passage, a third oil delivery passage, a first oil return passage and a second oil return passage, wherein an oil inlet of the oil pump is communicated with a bottom of the housing of the reducer, an oil outlet of the oil pump is communicated with the oil cooler, the lubricating oil in the oil cooler is delivered into the housing of the reducer, the housing of the drive motor and the housing of the range extender respectively via the first oil delivery passage, the second oil delivery passage and the third oil delivery passage, the first oil return passage is arranged at the bottom of the housing of the drive motor, and the second oil return passage is arranged at the bottom of the housing of the range extender; the first oil delivery passage comprises a first main oil passage, a first branch oil passage, a second branch oil passage and a third branch oil passage; and an oil inlet end of the first main oil passage is communicated with the oil cooler, an oil outlet end of the first main oil passage is communicated with the first branch oil passage, the second branch oil passage and the third branch oil passage respectively, the lubricating oil is delivered to a first bearing journal and a second bearing journal in the housing of the reducer via the first branch oil passage, the lubricating oil is delivered to a third bearing journal and a fourth bearing journal in the housing of the reducer via the second branch oil passage, and the lubricating oil is delivered to the fifth bearing journal and the sixth bearing journal in the housing of the reducer via the third branch oil passage. The closest art is considered to be Nakawatari et al., U.S. Patent Publication 2023/0146341. Nakawatari discloses a similar lubrication system for a hybrid powertrain but does not disclose a common oil delivery passage with first, second and third branch passages, each branch passage lubricating two bearing journals of the reducer housing. For these reasons, in conjunction with the rest of the structure as claimed in claims 1 and 2.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARK KENNETH BUSE whose telephone number is (571)270-3139. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
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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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/M.K.B/Examiner, Art Unit 3654
/ROBERT W HODGE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3654
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