DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim 1 is amended
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
Claims -5, 9-11 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yen (US 20190221350 A1) in view of Dai (US 20190043653 A1).
Regarding Claim 1:
Yen teaches an inductor device, comprising:
a first winding (C1, Drawing: 1; para 0056-0059) in a first metal layer,
wherein the first winding comprises a first coil (F1, Drawing: 1) and a second coil (F2, Drawing: 1);
a second winding (C2, Drawing: 1) in a second metal layer, wherein the
second winding comprises a third coil (S3, Drawing: 1) and a fourth coil (S4), the third coil is overlapped with the first coil vertically (i.e. vertical direction when look from top in Drawing: 1), and the fourth coil is overlapped (construed from Drawing: 1) with the second coil in vertically (i.e. vertical direction when look from top in Drawing: 1)
a first connecting structure (CN1) comprising:
a first crossing structure having a first crossing point (CP1) and configured
to couple the first coil and the second coil; and
a second crossing structure having a second crossing point (CP2) and
configured to couple the third coil and the fourth coil, wherein the first crossing
point is not overlapped with the second crossing point; and
a second connecting structure (CN2) configured to couple the second coil and
the third coil.
Yen teaches that a first crossing structure having a first crossing point and configured to couple the first coil and the second coil; and a second crossing structure having a second crossing point and configured to couple the third coil and the fourth coil except a first crossing structure having a first crossing point and configured to directly couple the first coil and the second coil; and a second crossing structure having a second crossing point and configured to directly couple the third coil and the fourth coil.
However, this feature is very well known in industry as taught by Dai in para 0045 that the flux going through fourth leg 114 generated by driver primary winding 810 would be all directly coupled to driver secondary winding 814 wounded on fourth leg 114. Furthermore, a search of the USPGPUB (US20230154670A1) specification in paragraph 0027-0032 does not reveal any criticality of having directly couple to the coil.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to have a first crossing structure having a first crossing point and configured to directly couple the first coil and the second coil; and a second crossing structure having a second crossing point and configured to directly couple the third coil and the fourth coil.to provide seamless transfer of both AC and DC signals and for better signal integrity.
(Note: The Examiner interpret C1, C2, F1-F2, S3-S4, CP1-CP2 as a first winding, second winding, first coil/second coil, third/fourth coil and so on as shown in Drawing 1 in view of Applicant disclosure of those elements in Fig. 1).
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Drawing: 1, an annotated version of Fig, 4
Regarding Claim 2:
As applied to claim 1, Yen teaches the first crossing structure comprises a first connecting member (71, Drawing: 1) in the first metal layer (see para 0059), and the first connecting member is configured to couple the first coil and the second coil.
Regarding Claim 3:
As applied to claim 2, Yen teaches the first crossing structure further comprises a second connecting member in the second metal layer, and the second connecting member (72, Drawing: 1) is configured to couple the first coil and the second coil,
wherein the first connecting member is intersected with the second connecting member to form the first crossing point (construed from Drawing: 1).
Regarding Claim 4:
As applied to claim 3, Yen teaches the second crossing structure comprises a third connecting member (73, Drawing: 1) in the first metal layer, and the third connecting member is configured to couple the third coil and the fourth coil, wherein the third connecting member is intersected with the second connecting member, and the third connecting member is not overlapped with the first connecting member (construed from Drawing: 1).
Regarding Claim 5:
As applied to claim 4, Yen teaches wherein the second crossing structure further comprises a fourth connecting member (74, Drawing: 1) in the second metal layer, and the fourth connecting member is configured to couple the third coil and the fourth coil, wherein the fourth connecting member is intersected with the third connecting member to form the second crossing point, wherein the fourth connecting member is intersected with the first connecting member, and the fourth connecting member is not overlapped with the second connecting member (construed from Drawing: 1).
Regarding Claim 9:
As applied to claim 1, Yen teaches the first coil is located outside the second coil, and the third coil is located outside the fourth coil (construed from Drawing: 1).
Regarding Claim 10:
As applied to claim 1, Yen teaches the first winding further comprises a plurality of coils (i.e. winding F1-F4), and the inductor device further comprises: an input-output terminal (400A-400B; see para 0058) configured to couple a outermost coil of the first winding (construed from Drawing: 1), wherein the input-output terminal and the second connecting structure are located on a first side (i.e. upper side 40 in Drawing: 1) of the inductor device.
Regarding Claim 11:
As applied to claim 10, Yen teaches the first connecting structure is located on a second side (i.e. bottom part of 40 in Drawing: 1) of the inductor device, and the first side is different from the second side.
Regarding Claim 20:
As applied to claim 1, Yen teaches the that first metal layer is different from the second metal layer, and a thickness of the second metal layer is smaller than a thickness of the first metal layer (see para 0038).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-8 and 12-19 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:
Claim 6 recites, the second connecting structure comprises a fifth connecting member in the first metal layer, and the fifth connecting member is configured to couple the second coil and the third coil.
.
Claim 12 recites, the first coil comprises a first half coil and a second half coil, the second coil comprises a third half coil and a fourth half coil, the first half coil and the third half coil are located on a third side of the inductor device, the second half coil and the fourth half coil are located on a fourth side of the inductor device, and the third side is different from the fourth side.
The references of record do not teach or suggest the aforementioned limitations, nor would it be obvious to modify those references to include such limitations.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments have been fully considered. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of different interpretation of the previously applied reference, and/or newly found prior art reference(s).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 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.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. A list of pertinent prior art is attached in form 892.
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/KAZI HOSSAIN/
Examiner, Art Unit 2837
/SHAWKI S ISMAIL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2837