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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I and Claims 16-31 in the reply filed on 2/3/2025 is acknowledged.
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) 16, 18-19, 27, 29-31, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Minkner et al. [CN 102057454 A1] in view of Jochen et al. [DE 10110062 A1].
Regarding claims 16 and 18-19, Minkner et al. discloses an instrument transformer [figures 1-4] for high current and/or high voltage conversion, the instrument transformer comprising:
a housing [figures 1 and 3] and at least an active part [504, 4] disposed to form a space between the housing and the at least one active part; and
isolation material [512, 13] electrically insulating the active part, the isolation material comprising particles in powder form that are dissolved in a liquid insulation fluid, forming a solution and/or slurry of particle material within the insulation fluid [silica gel or oilpaper];
the particles being composed of or including paper material, cellulose, or silicon; and
the solution and/or slurry of the particle material in the insulation fluid filling the space between the housing and the active parts, wherein the particles are impregnated by an insulating fluid and embedded in the fluid and wherein the insulating fluid is at least one of a liquid or a gas.
Regarding claim 27, Minkner et al. further discloses the particles are in spherical form and/or the particles are in fibrous form.
Regarding claims 29-31, Minkner et al. further discloses the isolation material with the particles is arranged in the housing between the housing and at least one active part of the instrument transformer, wherein the isolation material with the particles is arranged in at least one of in a head housing, an isolator, a base, and/or between the housing and a measuring assembly and wherein the isolation material with the particles is disposed to fill a space between a head housing and/or an isolator and/or a base, and active parts including a measuring assembly.
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) 16 and 23, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Banaszczk et al. [EP 2,800,113 A1] in view of Jochen et al. [DE 10110062 A1].
Regarding claim 16, Banaszcyk et al. discloses an instrument transformer for high current and/or high voltage conversion [abstract], the instrument transformer comprising:
- a housing [12];
- at least an active part [5, 6]; and
- isolation material [7, 15] electrically insulating the active part, wherein the isolation material comprising particles.
Banaszcyk et al. disclose the instant claimed invention except for the isolation material comprising particles in powder form that are fully or partly solved in a liquid insulation fluid, forming a solution and/or slurry of particle material within the insulation fluid.
Jochen et al. discloses the use of insulator [6] filled in a housing [1] including a transformer core [4] and windings [2, 3], wherein the insulator formed of insulating liquid [8] having particle/powder/granulator [7] formed of silicone that are partly or fully solved in the insulating liquid [figure 1].
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 insulation material of Jochen et al. in Banaszcyk et al. for the purpose of facilitating insulation/isolation and/or assembling/manufacturing.
Regarding claim 23, Banaszcyk et al. further discloses the particle in a micrometer and/or in nanometer range. Jochen et al. also discloses the suitable grain/powder size can be determined.
Claim(s) 16, 18-19, 23, 27 and 29-31, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Belz et al. [WO 2009/146569 A1] in view of Jochen et al. [DE 10110062 A1].
Regarding claims 16, 18 and 27, Belz et al. discloses an instrument transformer for high current and/or high voltage conversion [abstract], the instrument transformer comprising:
- a housing [1];
- at least an active part [4]; and
- isolation material [13] electrically insulating the active part, wherein the isolation material comprising particles, wherein the particles are impregnated by an insulating fluid and/or embedded in fluid, wherein the particles are in spherical form and/or the particles are in fibrous form.
Belz et al. discloses the instant claimed invention except for the isolation material comprising particles in powder form that are partly or fully solved in a liquid insulation fluid, forming a solution and/or slurry of particle material within the insulation fluid.
Jochen et al. discloses the use of insulator [6] filled in a housing [1] including a transformer core [4] and windings [2, 3], wherein the insulator formed of insulating liquid [8] having particle/powder/granulator [7] formed of silicone that are partly or fully solved in the insulating liquid [figure 1].
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 insulation material of Jochen et al. in Belz et al. for the purpose of facilitating insulation/isolation and/or assembling/manufacturing.
Regarding claim 19, Belz et al. further discloses the insulating fluid is a gas material.
Regarding claim 23, Belz et al. further disclose the isolation material comprises particles with a size in a micrometer and/or nanometer range.
Regarding claim 28, Belz et al. further discloses wherein a fill factor of the particles in the isolation material is maximized.
Regarding claim 29, Belz et al. further discloses the isolation material with the particles is arranged in the housing between the housing and at least one active part of the instrument transformer [figure 3].
Regarding claims 30-31, Belz et al. further discloses the isolation material with the particles is arranged in at least one of in a head housing, an isolator, a base, and/or between the housing and a measuring assembly and disposed to fill a space between a head housing and/or an isolator and/or a base, and active parts including a measuring assembly
Claim(s) 16, 18, 20, 25-26, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Krivda et al. [US 2008/0179077 A1] in view of Jochen et al. [DE 10110062 A1].
Regarding claims 16, 18 and 20, Krivda et al. discloses an instrument transformer for high current and/or high voltage conversion [figure 3], the instrument transformer comprising:
- a housing [figure 4];
- at least an active part [figure 3; and
- isolation material [1, 2, 3] electrically insulating the active part, wherein the isolation material comprising particles [14], wherein the particles are impregnated by an insulating fluid and/or embedded in fluid such as oil.
Krivda et al. discloses the instant claimed invention except for the isolation material comprising particles in powder form that are partly or fully solved in a liquid insulation fluid, forming a solution and/or slurry of particle material within the insulation fluid.
Jochen et al. discloses the use of insulator [6] filled in a housing [1] including a transformer core [4] and windings [2, 3], wherein the insulator formed of insulating liquid [8] having particle/powder/granulator [7] formed of silicone that are partly or fully solved in the insulating liquid [figure 1].
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 insulation material of Jochen et al. in Krivda et al. for the purpose of facilitating insulation/isolation and/or assembling/manufacturing.
Regarding claim 22, Krivda et al. further discloses the particles are composed of or comprise a material selected from the group consisting of paper material, cellulose, and silicon [abstract].
Regarding claims 25-26, Krivda et al. discloses the isolation material is in the form of sheet and/or plate. This would result in the particles formed in a surface-to-volume ratio of the particle at least two times and/or ten times greater than given material.
The specific sheet/surface-to-volume ratio would have been an obvious design consideration for the purpose of facilitating improving manufacturing and/or assembling.
Claim(s) 21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Belz et al. or Krivda et al. or Banaszcyk et al. in view of Jochen et al. and further in view of Turpin et al. [CN 105934800 A].
Belz et al. Krivda et al. or Banaszcyk et al. in view of Jochen et al. disclose the instant claimed invention except for the specific oil.
Turpin et al. discloses insulative material [paper] for the use in a transformer, wherein the insulative material including/embedding in mineral oil.
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 mineral oil for the insulating fluid in Belz et al. or Krivda et al. or Banaszcyk et al., as suggested by Turpin et al., for the purpose of providing strength and improving insulation.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 16, 18-21, 23 and 25-31 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.
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/TUYEN T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837