DETAILED ACTION
1. Claims 1-13 of U.S. Application 19/171265 filed on April 6, 2025 are presented for examination.
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
2. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Information Disclosure Statement
3. The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on April 6, 2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
4. 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.
5. Claims 1-6, 9 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Goykhman (US 20220416613) in view of Stieger (US 20190214887).
Regarding claim 1, Goykhman teaches (see figs. 8 and 25 below) an electric machine (title, Abstract) comprising:
a stator (114) comprising a plurality of stator teeth (126); a winding (124) disposed on each stator tooth (126) of the plurality of stator teeth (126) (¶ 149; ¶ 176);
a heat sink (230) mounted in thermal contact with an end winding (see annotated fig. 25 below) of each winding (124) and comprising a plurality of microchannels (230b); a heat-transfer fluid disposed within the plurality of microchannels (230b) (¶ 176).
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Goykhman does not explicitly teach a condenser configured to exchange heat with the heat sink.
However, Stieger teaches (see fig. 6 below) a condenser (35) configured to exchange heat with the heat sink (31) (¶ 47; ¶ 42 to ¶ 44) in order to improve cooling efficiency (Stieger, ¶ 12; ¶ 13).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Goykhman and provide a condenser configured to exchange heat with the heat sink as taught by Stieger in order to improve cooling efficiency (Stieger, ¶ 12; ¶ 13).
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Regarding claim 2/1, Goykhman in view of Stieger teaches the device of claim 1, Goykhman further teaches (see figs. 8 and 25 above) a thermal energy storage material (230) in contact with an end winding (see annotated fig. 25 above) of each winding (124) (¶ 176).
Regarding claim 3/2/1, Goykhman in view of Stieger teaches the device of claim 2, Goykhman further teaches (see figs. 8 and 25 above) the thermal energy storage material (230) comprises an adsorbent (it absorbs heat, see ¶ 176).
Regarding claim 4/1, Goykhman in view of Stieger teaches the device of claim 1 but does not explicitly teach the condenser is a two-phase flow through condenser.
However, Stieger further teaches (see fig. 6 below) the condenser (35) is a two-phase flow through condenser (¶ 47) in order to improve cooling efficiency (Stieger, ¶ 12; ¶ 13).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Goykhman in view of Stieger and provide the condenser is a two-phase flow through condenser as further taught by Stieger in order to improve cooling efficiency (Stieger, ¶ 12; ¶ 13).
Regarding claim 5/1, Goykhman in view of Stieger teaches the device of claim 1, Goykhman further teaches (see figs. 8 and 25 above) the heat sink (230) is positioned proximate to a radially-outside end of the end winding (see annotated fig. 25 above) (¶ 47; ¶ 42 to ¶ 44).
Regarding claim 6/1, Goykhman in view of Stieger teaches the device of claim 1, Goykhman further teaches (see figs. 8 and 25 above) the heat sink (230) is positioned proximate to a radially-inside end of the end winding (see annotated fig. 25 above) (¶ 47; ¶ 42 to ¶ 44).
Regarding claim 9/1, Goykhman in view of Stieger teaches the device of claim 1, Goykhman further teaches (see fig. 25 above and fig. 24 below) the end windings (see annotated fig. 25 above) are shaped to comprise fins (¶ 47; ¶ 42 to ¶ 44).
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Regarding claim 10/1, Goykhman in view of Stieger teaches the device of claim 1 but does not explicitly teach the end windings are shaped with apertures within which the heat-transfer fluid may flow.
However, Stieger teaches (see fig. 5 below) the end windings (30a) are shaped with apertures (34) within which the heat-transfer fluid may flow (¶ 45) in order to improve cooling efficiency (Stieger, ¶ 12; ¶ 13).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Goykhman in view of Stieger and the end windings are shaped with apertures within which the heat-transfer fluid may flow as further taught by Stieger in order to improve cooling efficiency (Stieger, ¶ 12; ¶ 13).
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Allowable Subject Matter
6. Claims 7, 8 and 11-13 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.
Conclusion
7. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEXANDER A SINGH whose telephone number is (571)270-0243. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am to 5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Seye Iwarere can be reached at 571-270-5112. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ALEXANDER A SINGH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
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