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 § 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.
Claim(s) 1-4, 10, 21, and 23-25 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fenner et al. [US 2006/0152326 A1] in view of Jitaru [US 6,967,553 B2] and Rippel [US 2010/0127810 A1]
Regarding claims 1-2, Fenner et al. discloses a magnetic device [figure 3], comprising:
- a first magnetic core segment [220] having a winding support portion [230b] that includes a first ferromagnetic material and having an extension portion [250b] that includes a second ferromagnetic material extending from the winding support portion;
- a winding lamina [216] attached to the winding support portion by an adhesive material [242], the winding lamina including at least one first winding lamina comprises a first winding loop [228] of electrically conductive material surrounding the second ferromagnetic material of the extension portion, wherein the winding loop extends completely around the extension portion [figure 3], the winding lamina further including a second winding lamina [226] attached to the first winding lamina, the second winding lamina comprises a second winding loop of electrically conductive material surrounding the extension portion [figure 3];
- a filler material [para 0041-0042] between the winding lamina and the first magnetic core segment, the filler material having a composition that is different from the adhesive material;
- a second magnetic core segment [218] that includes a third ferromagnetic material attached to the extension portion by another adhesive material [246]; and
- electrical connections between the winding loop and external leads of the microelectronic device [para 0028.]
Fenner et al. disclose the instant claimed invention except for the specific of the first and second laminas and E-I type core structure.
Jitaru discloses a planar inductive element [figure 2] comprising:
- E-I type core structure [30, 32]; and
- at least one winding [8] arranged between the E-I core structure.
It would have been an obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to use the E-I type core structure of Jitaru in Fenner et al. for the purpose of facilitating manufacturing/assembling and/or achieving different magnetic flux/field desired.
Fenner et al. in view of Jitaru disclose the instant claimed invention except for package material.
Rippel discloses a magnetic device [figure 5] comprising:
- at least one coil [500];
- E-I type core structure [512a, 512b] formed of laminated plates/sheets [510]; and
- package material [504] that is electrically non-conductive dielectric material [resin] covering the core, the at least one coil the magnetic device with external leads/terminals [figure 5].
It would have been an obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to include a package material in Fenner et al. in view of Jitaru, as suggested by Rippel, for the purpose of providing protection for the device.
Regarding claim 3, Fenner et al. further discloses the first magnetic core segment includes lateral portions of a fourth ferromagnetic material that extend from the winding support portion, the lateral portions being located on opposite sides of the winding loop [E-type cores structure of Figure 3].
Regarding claim 10, Fenner et al. discloses the winding loop is configured on more than one level [figure 3], separated by layers of electrically insulating material of the winding lamina.
Regarding claim 21, Fenner et al. discloses the first, second and third ferromagnetic materials are of the same material.
Regarding claim 23, Fenner et al. further discloses types of the first and second adhesive materials [para 0039]. Fenner et al. also discloses the filter material [encapsulating/molding material] may also be different from the first and second adhesive material.
Ikeda et al. further discloses heat dissipating insulating grease [adhesive material with filler] arranged in the magnetic device.
It would have been obvious to use the filler material is different from the first adhesive material for the purpose of improving filling and/or adhesion.
Regarding claim 24, Rippel discloses the package material comprises mold compound [summary of the invention].
Regarding claim 25, Fenner et al. further discloses the first adhesive and the second adhesive [242, 246] formed of the same material [non-conductive material, para 0033]
Claim(s) 8-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fenner et al. in view of Jitaru and Rippel, as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Najashima [US 2004/0070480 A1].
Fenner et al. further discloses types of the first and second adhesive materials [para 0039]. Fenner et al. also discloses the filter material [encapsulating/molding material] may also be different from the first and second adhesive material.
Fenner et al., as modified, disclose the instant claimed invention except for different adhesive materials [different volume percent].
Nakashima further discloses the use of different adhesive materials [18, 18a] and/or different insulating materials [13] arranged in different layer of a winding structure having E-type cores disposed around thereof [figures 1-6].
Fenner et al., as modified, disclose the instant claimed invention except for the specific gap dimension and materials for the adhesive and/or filler.
Nakashima discloses that any gap dimension between the E-type cores figures would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill for the purpose of facilitating magnetic saturation. Nakashima further discloses the use of different type of adhesive materials.
The specific color of the material and space/gap dimension between the extension portion and the second magnetic core segment would have been an obvious design consideration for the purpose providing and/or differentiate the filler from the magnetic core segments and to achieve the specific desired dimension to facilitate the magnetic flux/field characteristics [note the adhesive material and the filler material are different which may have different shade of colors.]
Claim(s) 22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fenner et al. in view of Jitaru and Rippel as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Sato et al. [JP 2007-123308 A].
Fenner et al., as modified, disclose the instant claimed invention except for different magnetic material.
Sato et al. discloses a coil component [figure 1] comprising a magnetic core structure including first and second core elements [5, 6] and a winding [1], wherein the core elements formed of different materials.
It would have been an obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to use different materials for the magnetic core segments of Fenner et al., as modified, as suggested by Sato et al., for the purpose facilitating magnetic flux/field characteristics.
Claim(s) 7 and 26-27, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fenner et al. in view of Jitaru and Rippel, as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Choi et al. [US 2014/0167897 A1].
Fenner et al., as mofieid, discloses the instant claimed invention except for the specific of the first adhesive and the filler material.
Choi et al. discloses a magnetic device comprising a coil structure [41, 42] embedded in a molding/adhesive/filler structure [11, 12, 13], wherein the structure has different filler particles [61, 62] with different shapes [flakes/spherical/round] and volume [figure 2].
It would have been an obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to use the filler particles design of Choi et al. in Fenner et al., as modified, for the purpose of facilitating different adhesive/molding and/or magnetic characteristics.
Claim(s) 28 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fenner et al. in view of Kanedo et al. and Jitaru and Rippel as applied to claims 1 and 10 above, and further in view of Downing et al. [US 6,278,353, B1].
Fenner et al., as modified, disclose the instant claimed invention except for the use polyimide as insulating material.
Downing et al. discloses a planar coil structure for a magnetic device, wherein the planar coil structure including a plurality of polyimide layers [134, 136, 140, 146, 150, 158, 160, 164] arranged with a plurality of conductive layers [132, 138, 144, 148, 150, 156, 162].
It would have been an obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to use polyimide for the insulating layers of Fenner et al. coil structure, as suggested by Downing et al., for the purpose improving thermal stability.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-3, 7-10 and 21-28 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the date of this final action. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TUYEN T NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-1996. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 8:30-5:30.
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/TUYEN T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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