DETAILED ACTION
Claim Objections
Claim 23 is objected to because of the following informalities: the term “brushing” in line 4 should be changed to --bushing--. Appropriate correction is required.
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 13-22 and 24 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 13 recites, “each cable bushing” in line 7. This limitation is indefinite because only one cable bushing has been defined in the claim. Thus, it is unclear if there are multiple cable bushings or just one. Therefore, claim 13 is indefinite.
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 13, 19-22, and 24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Eis 3,218,490.
Eis discloses, regarding claim 13, an apparatus comprising: a pump unit with a pump (see impeller within 57) which is driven by a wet-rotor motor 14/10, wherein the wet-rotor motor 14/10 (cooled water floods the shaft 52 and rotor 14 cavity, pumped by 114) is surrounded by a motor housing (combination of elements 12, 16, and 36), the motor housing comprises a bushing arrangement (see Fig. 2) for supplying power to the wet-rotor motor 14/10, and the bushing arrangement (Fig. 2) has, on a part 12 of the motor housing, openings into which one cable bushing (see 124 and 134) is arranged fixedly with the aid of a holding element (see holding elements 150, 152, 154), each cable bushing has a conducting body 124 and an insulating body 134, and the insulating body 134 has at least partially conical surfaces (see opposing end surfaces of 134 which comprise rounded ends, these can be interpreted as “at least partially conical” surfaces) which interact with the conducting body 124 (substantially broad); Re claim 19, wherein the insulating body 134 has a metallization 146; Re claim 20, wherein the cable bushing 124/134 has a field-control element 148 (substantially broad); Re claim 21, wherein at least one first sealing ring 140 and one second sealing ring 142 are arranged on the cable bushing; Re claim 22, wherein the conducting body 124 has a connection to a connector wire 126 of the stator winding 24 of the wet-rotor motor 14/10, wherein the connection is formed as a press connection (Determination of patentability in a product-by-process claim is based on the product itself, even though the claim may be limited and defined by the process. That is, the product in such a claim is unpatentable if it is the same as or obvious from the product of the prior art, even if the prior product was made by a different process. In re Thorpe, 777 F.2d 695, 697, 227 USPQ 964, 966 (Fed. Cir. 1985). A product-by-process limitation adds no patentable distinction to the claim, and is unpatentable if the claimed product is the same as a product of the prior art.) Re claim 24, in a power-plant circuit (124/134 is a power circuit connector for the motor) with high system pressure to seal the power supply of the wet-rotor motor 14/10 against high system pressure with the aid of a cable bushing 124/134.
Claims 13-24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Keane 3,043,903.
Keane discloses, regarding claim 13, an apparatus comprising: a pump unit with a pump 24 which is driven by a wet-rotor motor 10, wherein the wet-rotor motor 10 (liquid coolant fills housing 11 under pressure, from 28/30) is surrounded by a motor housing 11, the motor housing 11 comprises a bushing arrangement (see Figs. 2-4) for supplying power to the wet-rotor motor 10, and the bushing arrangement has, on a part of the motor housing 10, openings into which one cable bushing (combination of 42, 44, and 54) is arranged fixedly with the aid of a holding element 70/72, each cable bushing 42/44 has a conducting body 42 and an insulating body 44, and the insulating body 44 has at least partially conical surfaces (see conical surfaces of sleeve 44 Figs 2-4) which interact with the conducting body 42; Re claim 14, wherein the conducting body 42 has at least partially conical surfaces (clearly shown in Fig. 2); Re claim 15, wherein the conducting body 42 comprises a rod-shaped part and a part in the form of a double cone (clearly shown in Fig. 2); Re claim 16, wherein the insulating body 44 is of shrink-fitted configuration on the conducting body 42 (see col. 3, lines 18-45); Re claim 17, wherein the conical surfaces of the insulating body 44 interact with the conical surfaces of the conducting body 42 (clearly shown in Fig. 2); Re claim 18, wherein the insulating body 44 is made of a high-performance plastic (see col. 3, lines 18-45, layers 46 and 48 are polyethylene); Re claim 19, wherein the insulating body 44 has a metallization (see col. 3, lines 50-58); Re claim 20, wherein the cable bushing (42, 44, 54) has a field-control element 54 (substantially broad); Re claim 21, wherein at least one first sealing ring 74 and one second sealing ring 76 are arranged on the cable bushing (42, 44, 54); Re claim 22, wherein the conducting body 42 has a connection to a connector wire 36 of the stator winding 25 of the wet-rotor motor 10, wherein the connection is formed as a press connection (Determination of patentability in a product-by-process claim is based on the product itself, even though the claim may be limited and defined by the process. That is, the product in such a claim is unpatentable if it is the same as or obvious from the product of the prior art, even if the prior product was made by a different process. In re Thorpe, 777 F.2d 695, 697, 227 USPQ 964, 966 (Fed. Cir. 1985). A product-by-process limitation adds no patentable distinction to the claim, and is unpatentable if the claimed product is the same as a product of the prior art.) Re claim 24, in a power-plant circuit (42/44/54 is a power circuit connector for the motor 10) with high system pressure to seal the power supply of the wet-rotor motor 10 against high system pressure with the aid of a cable bushing (42, 44, 54).
Keane discloses, regarding claim 23, a method comprising: producing a pump unit with a pump 24 which is driven by a wet-rotor motor 10; and supplying power with a bushing arrangement (see Fig. 4) to the wet-rotor motor 10, wherein the bushing arrangement has a cable bushing (combination of elements 42, 44, and 54) which comprises a conducting body 42 and an insulating body 44, and the insulating body 44 is shrink-fitted onto the conducting body 42 (see col. 3, lines 18-45).
Conclusion
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PJB
/PETER J BERTHEAUD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3746
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