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, sub-Species I, Figures 4A-4B and 9 [also include Figures 3A-3B, 5-6, 7-8B and 10] with claims 1-3, 5-14 and 17-21 in the reply filed on 6/4/2025 is acknowledged.
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 1-3, 5-14 and 17-21 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.
Regarding claim 1, applicant should clarify the structure and/or arrangement intended by "a magnetic device, comprising: M middle legs; 2N lateral legs arranged around the M middle legs, wherein M and N are integers greater than 1". The structure of the M middle legs and 2N lateral legs is/are unclear. Applicant should also clarify the structure and/or arrangement intended by "a second winding wound around the M middle legs, and formed as a closed loop, wherein the second winding is wound around each of the M middle legs for at least one turn". The structure and/or arrangement of the second winding relative to the middle legs is/are unclear. Claims 2-3, 5-14 and 17-21 inherit the defect of the parent claim.
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) 1-3, 5-14 and 18-21, as best understood in view of the rejection under 35 USC 112 second paragraph, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jin et al. [CN 112104200 A] in view of Singh [UK 630761 A].
Regarding claim 1, Jin et al. discloses a magnetic device [30], comprising:
- M middle legs [figures 1-2];
- 2N lateral legs [33, 34] arranged around the M middle legs, wherein M and N are integers greater than 1; and
- a plurality of planar coils [not shown] arranged with the core legs.
Jin et al. disclose the instant claimed invention except for the specific of the coils.
Singh discloses a magnetic device comprising:
- a magnetic core structure having a middle leg and a plurality of lateral legs [17, 18];
- a single coil [14] wound around the middle leg, wherein the single coil having at least one turn around the middle leg, and
- a plurality of coils [15, 16, 19, 20] wound around lateral legs.
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 coil arrangement of Singh in Jin et al. for the purpose of facilitating different and/or desired magnetic flux/field characteristics.
Regarding claim 2, Singh discloses the second winding having ends for connecting to external device.
The specific external inductor [or parasitic inductor] connecting to the second coil would have been an obvious consideration for the purpose of intended usage.
Regarding claim 3, the coil arrangement of Jin et al. on a printed circuit board in combination of second coil of Singh would have a plurality of portions connected in serial and forming a single coil.
Regarding claim 5, Singh also discloses different current flowing though the coils
5. The magnetic device according to claim 1, wherein directions of DC currents flowing through the 2N first windings are identical.
Regarding claim 6, the combination of Jin et al. and Singh would have at least two lateral legs of the 2N lateral legs and at least two first windings of the 2N first windings wound around the at least two lateral legs are located on a first side of the M middle legs, and the other lateral legs of the 2N lateral legs and the other first windings of the 2N first windings wound around the other lateral legs are located on a second side of the M middle legs.
Regarding claims 7-11 and 13, Jin et al. discloses the magnetic device further comprises W magnetic cover pairs [31, 32], and each pair of the W magnetic cover pairs, at least one middle leg of the M middle legs and at least two lateral legs of the 2N lateral legs are collaboratively formed as one magnetic element. Jin et al. also discloses different phase arranged at an angle [90 degrees].
The specific phase of the coil and/or angle different of the legs would have been an obvious design consideration for the purpose of facilitating different environments and/or applications uses.
Regarding claim 18, Singh discloses different magnetic direction between the middle leg and the lateral legs [see figure and specification].
Regarding claim 19, Jin et al. discloses the M middle legs and the 2N lateral legs are made of a single magnetic material [or same material]. Ferrite is a known material use magnetic core for magnetic component.
Regarding claim 21, Jin et al. further discloses air gap between the core and different resistance. The specific magnetic resistance would have been an obvious design consideration based on the specific air gap between the magnetic core.
Regarding claim 12 and 14, Jin et al. discloses the magnetic device further comprises W magnetic cover pairs [31, 32], and each pair of the W magnetic cover pairs, one middle leg of the M middle legs and four lateral legs of the 2N lateral legs are collaboratively formed as one magnetic element, wherein each magnetic element comprises a first side, a second side, a third side and a fourth side, the first side and the second side are opposed to each other, the third side and the fourth side are opposed to each other, and the third side and the fourth side are arranged between the first side and the second side, wherein the middle leg of each magnetic element is located at center of the magnetic element, and the four lateral legs of each magnetic element comprises a first lateral leg, a second lateral leg, a third lateral leg and a fourth lateral leg, wherein the first lateral leg is adjacent to the first side and the third side of the magnetic element, the second lateral leg is adjacent to the first side and the fourth side of the magnetic element, the third lateral leg is adjacent to the second side and the third side of the magnetic element, and the fourth lateral leg is adjacent to the second side and the fourth side of the magnetic element, wherein the fourth side of each magnetic element is corresponding to the third side of an adjacent magnetic element, wherein a first channel is formed between the first and second lateral legs and the middle leg of each magnetic element, a second channel is formed between the third and fourth lateral legs and the middle leg of each magnetic element, and a third channel is formed between the middle leg of each magnetic element and the middle leg of an adjacent magnetic element [figures 2-3].
Claim(s) 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jin et al. in view of Singh as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Chandrasekaran et al. [US 6,980,077 B1].
Jin et al. in view of Singh disclose the instant claimed invention except for the specific material for the legs.
Chandrasekaran et al. discloses a magnetic component [figures 6a-6b, 8a-9c, 10a] having a plurality of core legs formed of different magnetic material [ferrite material for legs 52, and different material 54 of iron powder for a middle leg]
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 magnetic material for the legs of Jin et al., as suggested by Chandrasekaran et al., for the purpose of preventing fringing flux and/or controlling/facilitating different magnetic flux/field in the magnetic component.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 12/15/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues that:
[1] for the 112 second paragraph, Figure 7 shows twenty lateral legs 411 disposed around five legs 412 and the second winding 45 wound around each of the middle legs 412 for at least one turn.
[2] Singh does not disclose the input [14] formed as the closed loop.
The Examiner disagrees.
Regarding [1], the structure of the middle legs and lateral legs are still unclear. The second winding relative to the middle legs also unclear. Jin et al. discloses two middle legs and eight lateral legs [33, 34, figures 1-2].
Applicant discloses in the specification, [Figure 7 and para 0122], the closed loop structure of the secondary winding [45] formed by connecting ends of the secondary winding [45] with the external inductor [45a, or the parasitic inductor]. The input inductor [14] of Singh, as best understood in view of the rejection under 35 USC 112 second paragraph, wound around the middle leg and having ends that could be connected to any external device such as inductor [or parasitic inductor] to form a closed loop and at least one turn on top and bottom portions of the middle leg.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 17 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
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