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, 8, and 12-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Morley et al. (GB 2608833).
In Reference to Claim 1
(See Morley, Figures 1-7 and 9-12, and Figure 8 as annotated by Examiner below)
Morley et al. (Mor) discloses:
A fan motor comprising:
a rotational shaft (86);
an impeller (84) rotatably mounted on the rotational shaft (86) and forming an airflow in an axial direction (See Mor, Page 15, Lines 21-23);
a motor (10,12) arranged upstream of the impeller (84) in a direction of the airflow, and configured to drive the impeller (84) by comprising a rotor (12) coupled to the rotational shaft (86), and a stator (10) surrounding an outer circumferential surface of the rotor (12) (See Mor, Page 12, Lines 1-17);
a motor housing (14) accommodating the motor (10,12) (See Mor, Page, 16, Lines 9-27);
a plurality of bearings (74,76) configured to support the rotational shaft (86), and comprising a first bearing (74) located upstream of the motor (10,12), and a second bearing (76) located downstream of the motor (10,12) (See Mor, Page, 16, Lines 9-27);
a spring (90) configured to apply preload to the first bearing (74) (See Mor, Page 16, Lines 4-7); and
a stopper (A) arranged inside the motor housing (14), surrounding a portion of one surface of the second bearing (76) facing the rotor (12), and configured to restrict movement of the second bearing (76) in a thrust direction (Upward in Figure 8) opposite to the direction of the airflow (Downward in Figure 8).
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In Reference to Claim 2
(See Morley, Figures 1-7 and 9-12, and Figure 8 as annotated by Examiner above)
Mor discloses:
wherein the second bearing (76) is arranged adjacent to the impeller (84). (See Mor, Figure 8 as annotated by Examiner above).
In Reference to Claim 3
(See Morley, Figures 1-7 and 9-12, and Figure 8 as annotated by Examiner above)
Mor discloses:
wherein the second bearing (76) is arranged upstream or downstream of the impeller (84). (See Mor, Figure 8 as annotated by Examiner above).
In Reference to Claim 8
(See Morley, Figures 1-7 and 9-12, and Figure 8 as annotated by Examiner above)
Mor discloses:
wherein the motor housing (14) comprises: a first bearing housing (100) arranged upstream of the motor (10,12) and accommodating the first bearing (74) therein; and a second bearing housing (102) arranged downstream of the motor (10,12), and accommodating the second bearing (76). (See Mor, Page 16, Lines 9-15).
In Reference to Claim 12
(See Morley, Figures 1-7 and 9-12, and Figure 8 as annotated by Examiner above)
Mor discloses:
wherein the motor housing (14) comprises:
a motor support portion (98) extending in the axial direction while surrounding an outer circumferential surface of the motor, and supporting the motor (See Mor, Page, 16, Lines 9-27);
a first bridge (B) radially extending from an outer circumferential surface of the first bearing housing (100) toward an upstream end portion of the motor support portion (98) (See Mor, Page, 16, Lines 9-27); and
a second bridge (C) radially extending from an outer circumferential surface of the second bearing housing (102) toward a downstream end portion of the motor support portion (98). (See Mor, Page, 16, Lines 9-27 & Figure 8 as annotated by Examiner above).
In Reference to Claim 13
(See Morley, Figures 1-7 and 9-12, and Figure 8 as annotated by Examiner above)
Mor discloses:
wherein the motor support portion (98) is arranged as a plurality of motor support portions, arranged spaced apart in a circumferential direction along the outer circumferential surface of the motor (10,12), and the motor housing (14) further comprises an outer ring part (96) extending in the circumferential direction to connect the downstream end portions of the plurality of motor support portions (98). (See Mor, Page 16, Lines 9-15).
In Reference to Claim 14
(See Morley, Figures 1-7 and 9-12, and Figure 8 as annotated by Examiner above)
Mor discloses:
wherein the stopper (A) is arranged toward the motor (10,12), and protrudes from an inner circumferential surface of the second bearing housing (102) to secure the one surface of the second bearing (76). (See Mor, Page 16, Lines 9-15).
In Reference to Claim 15
(See Morley, Figures 1-7 and 9-12, and Figure 8 as annotated by Examiner above)
Mor discloses:
wherein a diameter of the second bearing (76) is larger than or equal to a diameter of the first bearing (74). (See Mor, Page 15, Lines 17-19).
The Examiner notes that the bearings are at least equal in size.
In Reference to Claim 16
(See Morley, Figures 1-7 and 9-12, and Figure 8 as annotated by Examiner above)
Mor discloses:
further comprising a vane (136) arranged downstream of the impeller (84), and configured to guide the airflow. (See Mor, Page 22, Lines 13-17).
In Reference to Claim 17
(See Morley, Figures 1-7 and 9-12, and Figure 8 as annotated by Examiner above)
Mor discloses:
further comprising: an impeller housing (D) coupled to a downstream end portion of the motor housing (14) and accommodating the impeller (84); and
a vane housing (134) coupled to a downstream end portion of the impeller housing (D) and supporting the vane (136). (See Mor, Page 22, Lines 12-17).
In Reference to Claim 18
(See Morley, Figures 1-7 and 9-12, and Figure 8 as annotated by Examiner above)
Mor discloses:
wherein an upstream end portion of the impeller housing (D) is coupled to an inner circumferential surface of the downstream end portion of the motor housing (14), and the downstream end portion of the impeller housing (D) is coupled to an inner circumferential surface of an upstream end portion of the vane housing (134). (See Mor, Page 22, Lines 12-17).
The Examiner notes that both housings are coupled to the respective circumferential surfaces either directly or at least via another portion.
In Reference to Claim 19
(See Morley, Figures 1-7 and 9-12, and Figure 8 as annotated by Examiner above)
Mor discloses:
wherein the vane (136) is a one-stage vane or a two-stage vane. (See Mor, Page 22, Lines 12-17).
In Reference to Claim 20
(See Morley, Figures 1-7 and 9-12, and Figure 8 as annotated by Examiner above)
Mor discloses:
wherein the vane housing (134) supporting the vane (136) comprises: a vane outer wall connected to a radially outer end portion of the vane (136) and coupled to a downstream end portion of the impeller housing (D); and a vane inner wall connected to a radially inner end portion of the vane (136) and arranged downstream of the impeller (84). (See Mor, Figure 8).
Claim(s) 1, 4, and 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ishimori et al. (JP 2015-007451).
In Reference to Claim 1
(See Ishimori, Figure 1 as annotated by Examiner below)
Ishimori et al. (Ish) discloses:
A fan motor comprising:
a rotational shaft (2);
an impeller (3) rotatably mounted on the rotational shaft (2) and forming an airflow in an axial direction (See Ish, Paragraph [0011]);
a motor (5,6) arranged upstream of the impeller (3) in a direction of the airflow, and configured to drive the impeller (3) by comprising a rotor (5) coupled to the rotational shaft (2), and a stator (6) surrounding an outer circumferential surface of the rotor (5) (See Ish, Paragraph [0017]);
a motor housing (1) accommodating the motor (5,6);
a plurality of bearings (10) configured to support the rotational shaft (2), and comprising a first bearing (X) located upstream of the motor (5,6), and a second bearing (Y) located downstream of the motor (5,6);
a spring (21) configured to apply preload to the first bearing (X) (See Ish, Paragraph [0016]); and
a stopper (Z) arranged inside the motor housing (1), surrounding a portion of one surface of the second bearing (Y) facing the rotor (5), and configured to restrict movement of the second bearing (Y) in a thrust direction (Fa) opposite to the direction of the airflow (Upward in Figure 1).
The Examiner notes that the stopper (Z) is the entire seating portion of bearing (Y).
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In Reference to Claim 4
(See Ishimori, Figure 1 as annotated by Examiner above)
Ish discloses:
wherein the plurality of bearings (10) are each configured as a ball bearing, and the ball bearing comprises: an inner ring (11) coupled to the rotational shaft (2); an outer ring (12) arranged radially outside the inner ring (11); and balls (13) arranged in rolling contact between the inner ring (11) and the outer ring (12). (See Ish, Paragraph [0010]).
In Reference to Claim 6
(See Ishimori, Figure 1 as annotated by Examiner above)
Ish discloses:
wherein the spring (21) applies the preload in the direction of the airflow (upward in figure 1) to the outer ring (12) of the first bearing (X), and an axial distance (V) between the outer ring (12) of the first bearing (X) and the outer ring (12) of the second bearing (Y) is smaller than an axial distance (W) between the inner ring (11) of the first bearing (X) and the inner ring (11) of the second bearing (Y).
The Examiner notes that the claim recitations merely require “an axial distance”. The axial distance between the insides of the outer rings is smaller than the axial distance of the outsides of the inner rings in the axial direction.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 4-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Morley et al. (GB 2608833) in view of Ishimori et al. (JP 2015-007451).
In Reference to Claim 4
Morley discloses:
A plurality of bearings (74,76).
Morley discloses the claimed invention except:
wherein the plurality of bearings are each configured as a ball bearing, and the ball bearing comprises: an inner ring coupled to the rotational shaft; an outer ring arranged radially outside the inner ring; and balls arranged in rolling contact between the inner ring and the outer ring.
Ishimori et al. (Ish) discloses a fan motor device. (See Ish, Paragraphs [0001]-[0002]). Ish discloses a plurality of bearings are each configured as a ball bearing, and the ball bearing comprises: an inner ring coupled to the rotational shaft; an outer ring arranged radially outside the inner ring; and balls arranged in rolling contact between the inner ring and the outer ring. (See Ish, Paragraphs [0006]-[0010]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have used the bearings of Ish in the device of Morley, as both references are directed towards fan motor devices. One of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the bearings of Ish would have reduced friction and suppressed seizure and additionally extended the service life. (See Ish, Paragraphs [0006]-[0010]).
In Reference to Claim 5
The Morley-Ish combination discloses:
Wherein the spring (90) applies the preload in the thrust direction (Upward in Figure 8) to the outer ring of the first bearing (74), and an axial distance (E) between the outer ring of the first bearing and the outer ring of the second bearing is larger than an axial distance (F) between the inner ring of the first bearing and the inner ring of the second bearing. (See Mor, Figure 8 as annotated by Examiner below).
The Examiner notes that claim recitations merely require “an axial distance” and the axial distance of the outside of outer rings and the inside of inner rings disclose axial distances within the constraints of the claim recitations.
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Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7, and 9-11 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 fails to teach or fairly suggest “wherein the motor and the impeller are located between the first bearing and the second bearing.” in claim 7 and “further comprising a holder arranged inside the first bearing housing and configured to support the spring, wherein the holder comprises: a spring inner wall surrounding an inside of the spring, and coupled to an outer circumferential surface of the first bearing; a spring outer wall surrounding an outside of the spring, and arranged to face an inner circumferential surface of the first bearing housing; and a connecting portion connecting one end of the spring inner wall and one end of the spring outer wall in an opposite direction to the motor, and the motor housing further comprises a spring support portion arranged toward the motor, and protruding from the inner circumferential surface of the first bearing housing to support one end of the spring facing the rotor.” in claim 9.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Hwang, Yamashita, Ozaki, Homg, Takahashi, Sullivan, Moir, Woollenweber, Homach, Yu, Ehlers, and Kato show fan motor and bearing devices within the general state of the art of invention.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MATTHEW THOMAS LARGI whose telephone number is (571)270-3512. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00 - 4:00 M-F.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Essama Omgba can be reached at (469) 295-9278. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MATTHEW T LARGI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3746
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