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
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) or 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Seguchi (US 20080079375).
1. Seguchi teaches:
A winding field rotor (title) applied to a winding field type rotating electric machine, comprising:
a rotor core 221X having main pole portions/tooth portions 26 provided for each magnetic pole Փ arranged in a circumferential direction (fig 2) and protruding in a radial direction (fig 2); and
a field winding 122 wound around the main pole portions (fig 42); wherein
the field winding has coil bodies (fig 42) formed by winding a conductor wire (flat wire, para 0210 last sentence) in multiple layers (fig 39A) in the radial direction for each of the main pole portions (figs 39A & 42), and
each of the coil bodies is connected in series (para 0198 and fig 2) in the circumferential direction (para 0198 and figs 2, 35 & 42), each of the coil bodies has an inner end 221b which is one end of the conductor wire at a position on a radially inner side of the coil body (fig 39A), and an outer end 222b which is the other end of the conductor wire at a position on a radially outer side of the coil body (fig 39A), and
in the coil body, the inner end is connected to the inner end of another coil body adjacent to the coil body on one circumferential side, and the outer end is connected to the outer end of another coil body adjacent to the coil body on the other circumferential side (this apparent since there is only one rotor winding 122 that is wound in segments 221 & 222 on each tooth and the direction of the flux Փ on each rotor tooth is in the opposite direction which can only happen when the rotor segments on each tooth are connected in the claimed manner, see para 0198 and figs 2, 35 & 42).
2. Seguchi teaches:
The winding field rotor according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the inner end and the outer end of each of the coil bodies adjacent in the circumferential direction has an extension portion that extends toward the coil body that is connected in the circumferential direction (this is apparent since the coil segments on each tooth are connected in series, MPEP 2112).
3. Seguchi teaches:
The winding field rotor according to claim 1, wherein the coil body is an a-winding coil (para 0206) using a rectangular wire (fig 39A) as the conductor wire and having an inner coil portion on a radial inside and an outer coil portion on a radial outside (fig 39A), the inner coil portion is provided with the inner end (fig 39A), and the outer coil portion is provided with the outer end (fig 39A), and at least one of the inner end and the outer end of each of the coil bodies adjacent in the circumferential direction has an extension portion that extends toward the coil body that is connected in the circumferential direction (this is apparent since the coil segments on each tooth are connected in series, MPEP 2112).
4. Seguchi teaches:
The winding field rotor according to claim 2, wherein in each of the coil bodies adjacent in the circumferential direction, each of joint portions at the inner end and each of joint portions at the outer end are alternated in the circumferential direction and are provided at intervals of one magnetic pole pitch (Examiner’s Note: all of the limitations of this claim are implicitly taught/derived from the alternating polarity of fig 2 of Seguchi and the way the coil segments of each tooth being wound the same direction and the same way … MPEP 2112).
5. Seguchi teaches:
The winding field rotor according to claim 1, wherein the field winding has a plurality of series winding portions (figs 39C & 39D) formed by connecting in series the coil body for one complete turn of the rotor wound around each of the main pole portions (figs 39C & 39D) arranged in the circumferential direction, and the series winding portions (figs 39C & 39D) arranged in the radial direction are connected in series to each other.
6. Seguchi teaches:
The winding field rotor according to claim 5, wherein at least one of the inner end of the series winding portion on the radially outer side and the inner end of the series winding portion on the radially inner side among the series winding portions lined up in the radial direction (figs 39C & 39D), or at least one of the outer end of the series winding portion on the radially outer side and the outer end of the series winding portion on the radially inner side among the series winding portions lined up in the radial direction, is offset in the radial direction, and the series winding portions are connected to each other at an offset portion.
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.
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.
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Seguchi in view of Seguchi (US 20190207491) (hereinafter Seg1).
7. Seguchi has been discussed above, re claim 1; but does not teach that the field winding has a first winding portion and a second winding portion connected in series with each other, a rectifying element is connected between both ends of the first winding portion and the second winding portion, and a capacitor is connected in parallel to the second winding portion, the first winding portion and the second winding portion are serial winding portions formed by connecting in series the coil bodies wound around each of the main pole portions arranged in the circumferential direction, for at least one turn of the rotor, and are wound around the main pole portions in the radial direction such that the first winding portion is wound on a stator side of the rotating electric machine, and the second winding portion is wound on the opposite side to the stator, and either the inner end or the outer end of the first winding portion and at least one of the inner end or the outer end of the second winding portion that is on the same side as the first winding portion are radially offset, and the first winding portion and the second winding portion are connected at an offset portion.
Seg1 teaches that the field winding 44 has a first winding portion 44-2 and a second winding portion 44-1 connected in series with each other (figs 6-8), a rectifying element 52 is connected between both ends of the first winding portion (figs 6-8) and the second winding portion (figs 6-8), and a capacitor 54 is connected in parallel to the second winding portion (figs 6-8), the first winding portion and the second winding portion are serial winding portions formed by connecting in series the coil bodies wound around each of the main pole portions arranged in the circumferential direction, for at least one turn of the rotor (hence the reason why they are called coils or windings), and are wound around the main pole portions in the radial direction such that the first winding portion is wound on a stator side of the rotating electric machine (both Seguchi and Seg1 teach this, Seg1 fig 10), and the second winding portion is wound on the opposite side to the stator (both Seguchi and Seg1 teach this, Seg1 fig 10), and either the inner end or the outer end of the first winding portion and at least one of the inner end or the outer end of the second winding portion that is on the same side as the first winding portion are radially offset (both Seguchi and Seg1 teach this, Seg1 fig 10), and the first winding portion and the second winding portion are connected at an offset portion (see Seg1 figs 6-8) to reduce torque ripples which makes the motor more reliable.
Thus, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art prior to the invention of Seguchi being effectively filed to modify it such that the field winding has a first winding portion and a second winding portion connected in series with each other, a rectifying element is connected between both ends of the first winding portion and the second winding portion, and a capacitor is connected in parallel to the second winding portion, the first winding portion and the second winding portion are serial winding portions formed by connecting in series the coil bodies wound around each of the main pole portions arranged in the circumferential direction, for at least one turn of the rotor, and are wound around the main pole portions in the radial direction such that the first winding portion is wound on a stator side of the rotating electric machine, and the second winding portion is wound on the opposite side to the stator, and either the inner end or the outer end of the first winding portion and at least one of the inner end or the outer end of the second winding portion that is on the same side as the first winding portion are radially offset, and the first winding portion and the second winding portion are connected at an offset portion, as taught by Seg1 so as to improve the reliability of the motor.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 8 is 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TERRANCE L KENERLY whose telephone number is (571)270-7851. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-5pm.
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/TERRANCE L KENERLY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834
