DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
Claim 15 is withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 1/19/2026.
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.
Claims 1, 2, and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Randall 3,950,686.
Randall discloses, regarding claim 1, a motor 10 comprising: a stator comprising a plurality of circumferentially spaced stator poles 41-44 and a plurality of stator coils (see coils wrapped around poles 41-44 in Figs. 1-2), the plurality of stator coils comprising a plurality of stator pole coils (again, see coils wrapped around poles 41-44 in Figs. 1-2) corresponding to the plurality of stator poles 41-44; a first rotor (comprising elements 20, 25, 60, 15’, and 41’-43’) comprising a plurality of circumferentially spaced first rotor poles (see poles on either end of 25 in Fig. 2) and a plurality of first rotor coils (see coils wrapped around rotor poles 41’ and 43’ in Figs. 1), the plurality of first rotor coils comprising a plurality of first rotor pole coils (again, see coils wrapped around poles 41’ and 43’ in Fig. 1) corresponding to the plurality of first rotor poles (substantially broad – the poles of 25 correspond to the poles 41’ and 43’ as they rotate as one in a fixed orientation), wherein the plurality of first rotor poles (of 25) are positioned in a facing arrangement with the plurality of stator poles 41-44 (see Figs. 1-2); and at least one controller (see circuit in Figs. 3-4), the at least one controller operable to independently control activation of the stator poles 41-44 and the first rotor poles (of 25) to thereby induce rotation of the motor 10, wherein the at least one controller is operable to control the provision of a rotor control signal to the first rotor, wherein the rotor control signal is defined to control the activation of the first rotor poles (see col. 2, lines 18-25); Re claim 2, wherein the at least one controller is operable to independently control a stator switching frequency of the stator poles 41-44 (substantially broad – this is clearly the case, see col. 2, lines 18-25); Re claim 4, wherein one of the stator switching frequency of the stator poles 41-44 and the first rotor switching frequency of the first rotor poles (of 25) is a fixed frequency (this is clearly the case).
Claims 1-5, 7, and 11-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Faxon 3,478,237.
Faxon discloses, regarding claim 1, a motor M comprising: a stator 10 comprising a plurality of circumferentially spaced stator poles 36 and a plurality of stator coils 40, the plurality of stator coils comprising a plurality of stator pole coils 40 corresponding to the plurality of stator poles 36; a first rotor 20 comprising a plurality of circumferentially spaced first rotor poles 50 and a plurality of first rotor coils 54, the plurality of first rotor coils comprising a plurality of first rotor pole coils 54 corresponding to the plurality of first rotor poles 50, wherein the plurality of first rotor poles 50 are positioned in a facing arrangement with the plurality of stator poles 36 (see Figs. 1-2); and at least one controller C, the at least one controller C operable to independently control activation of the stator poles 36 and the first rotor poles 50 to thereby induce rotation of the motor M, wherein the at least one controller C is operable to control the provision of a rotor control signal to the first rotor 20, wherein the rotor control signal is defined to control the activation of the first rotor poles 36 (see col. 2, lines 45-52); Re claim 2, wherein the at least one controller C is operable to independently control at least one of a stator switching frequency of the stator poles 36 and a first rotor switching frequency of the first rotor poles 50 (substantially broad – see individual wiring 26 and 30, as well as brushes 62, and switching elements 46 and 48); Re claim 3, wherein the at least one controller C is operable to independently control the stator switching frequency of the stator poles 36 and the first rotor switching frequency of the first rotor poles 50 (substantially broad – see individual wiring 26 and 30, as well as brushes 62, and switching elements 46 and 48); Re claim 4, wherein one of the stator switching frequency of the stator poles 36 and the first rotor switching frequency of the first rotor poles 50 is a fixed frequency (this is clearly the case based on the disclosed operation in col. 3, line 56 to col. 4, line 3); Re claim 5, wherein the at least one controller C is operable to independently control at least one of a stator pole active number of stator poles 36 or a first rotor pole active number of first rotor poles 50 (substantially broad, the stator poles and rotor poles can be activated individually, see 26 and 30, so that is “at least one” of both types of poles); Re claim 7, wherein the first rotor 20 receives first rotor power to activate the first rotor poles 50 from the stator via brushes 62; Re claim 11, wherein the first rotor 20 is coupled to an external power source B and the stator 10 is separately coupled to the external power source B, and the first rotor 20 receives first rotor power to activate the first rotor poles 50 from the external power source B; Re claim 12, wherein the at least one controller C includes a rotor controller 46/48 positioned onboard the first rotor 20, wherein the rotor controller 46/48 is operable to define a first rotor pole switch signal to control the activation of the first rotor poles 50; Re claim 13, wherein the first rotor 20 is operable to receive a first rotor pole switch signal (via 46/48) to control the activation of the first rotor poles 50; Re claim 14, wherein the first rotor 20 comprises a passive switching circuit operable to adjust a frequency of activation of the first rotor poles 50 in response to receiving the first rotor pole switch signal (see col. 3, lines 3-15).
Claims 1-3 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Satake 5,285,124.
Satake discloses, regarding claim 1, a motor 20/30 comprising: a stator 20 comprising a plurality of circumferentially spaced stator poles (see col. 5, lines 16-18) and a plurality of stator coils 21, 22, the plurality of stator coils comprising a plurality of stator pole coils (each of the 4 poles of stator 20 has a coil of winding 21 or 22) corresponding to the plurality of stator poles (again, see col. 5, lines 16-18); a first rotor 30 comprising a plurality of circumferentially spaced first rotor poles (see the 4 poles of rotor cores 31 and 32 in Figs. 1 and 3) and a plurality of first rotor coils 33, 34, the plurality of first rotor coils 33, 34 comprising a plurality of first rotor pole coils corresponding to the plurality of first rotor poles (see how the coils of 33 and 34 are wrapped around the poles of the rotor in Fig. 3), wherein the plurality of first rotor poles are positioned in a facing arrangement with the plurality of stator poles (this is clearly the case Figs. 1 and 3); and at least one controller 25, the at least one controller 25 operable to independently control activation of the stator poles and the first rotor poles to thereby induce rotation of the motor 20/30, wherein the at least one controller 25 is operable to control the provision of a rotor control signal to the first rotor 30, wherein the rotor control signal is defined to control the activation of the first rotor poles (see col. 6, lines 12-35); Re claim 2, wherein the at least one controller 25 is operable to independently control at least one of a stator switching frequency of the stator poles and a first rotor switching frequency of the first rotor poles (substantially broad – see col. 6, line 12-35 as well as col. 6, line 45 to col. 7, line 10); Re claim 3, wherein the at least one controller 25 is operable to independently control the stator switching frequency of the stator poles and the first rotor switching frequency of the first rotor poles (substantially broad – see col. 6, line 12-35 as well as col. 6, line 45 to col. 7, line 10); Re claim 6, wherein the first rotor 30 receives first rotor power to activate the first rotor poles from the stator 20 via an electromagnetic coupling between the stator 20 and the first rotor 30 (this is clearly the case in this brushless motor assembly – see col. 6, lines 12-35).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8-10 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.
Claims 16-20 are allowed. It is noted by the examiner, and stated here for the record of prosecution, that the aspect of the instant invention determined to be novel and patentably distinct from the prior art is the movable second stator being drivingly connected to the first rotor, the second stator comprising a plurality of circumferentially spaced second stator coils, the plurality of second stator coils defining a plurality of second stator poles, wherein rotation of the second stator is driven by rotation of the first rotor, a second rotor comprising a plurality of circumferentially spaced second rotor coils, the plurality of second rotor coils defining a plurality of second rotor poles, and wherein the plurality of second rotor poles are positioned in a facing arrangement with the plurality of second stator poles. These limitations, in combination with the first stator comprising a plurality of circumferentially spaced first stator coils, the plurality of first stator coils defining a plurality of first stator poles, wherein the first stator is fixed, a first rotor comprising a plurality of circumferentially spaced first rotor coils, the plurality of first rotor coils defining a plurality of first rotor poles, and wherein the plurality of first rotor poles are positioned in a facing arrangement with the plurality of first stator poles, make the claim read over the prior art. The sum of these limitations is not disclosed by the prior art and it would not be obvious to combine references in an effort to meet all of the claimed elements.
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Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Peter J Bertheaud whose telephone number is (571)272-3476. The examiner can normally be reached 9am - 5pm M-F.
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PJB
/PETER J BERTHEAUD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3746