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 Species 2, Figure 3, Claims 1-11 and 13 in the reply filed on 10/27/2025 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 7-9 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 7, there is no antecedent basis for “the third winding set”. Claims 8-9 inherit the defect of the parent claim.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kim et al. [US 2013/0033351 A1].
Regarding claims 1-3, Kim et al. discloses an inductor device [500, figure 5], comprising:
a frame portion [figure 5];
a first winding set having a first winding wire [540] and a first magnetic core [510];
a second winding set having a second winding [550] wire and a second magnetic core [520], wherein winding numbers of the two winding sets are identical or different and winding directions of the two winding sets are identical or different; and
a first metal piece [530], wherein the first winding set, the second winding set and the first metal piece are disposed in the frame portion, the first metal piece substantially connects the first winding set, the second winding set and the frame portion, and a material of the two winding sets is different from a material of the first metal piece.
Regarding claims 4-5, Kim et al. discloses the first metal piece is formed of a high magnetic permeability material; the two winding sets and the frame portion are formed of a low magnetic permeability material [para 0082], wherein the two magnetic cores are tightly engaged with two contact surfaces of the first metal piece [figure 5].
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) 6-10, 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 Kim et al.
Regarding claims 6-7, Kim et al. disclose the instant claimed invention except for a third winding set and a second metal piece.
Kim et al., in other embodiment of figure 30, discloses additional winding set with windings [3060, 3070, 3080, 3090], cores [3010, 3020, 3030, 3040] and metal pieces [I-cores 3050].
It would have been an obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the structure of figure 5 in Kim et al., to include more winding set of figure 30, also in Kim et al., for the purpose of providing different purposes and/or functions for the device and/or providing multiphase(s).
Regarding claims 8-9, Kim et al., discloses in figure 30, the winding numbers of adjacent two of the three winding sets are identical or different and winding directions of adjacent two of the three winding sets are identical or different.
Regarding claim 10, the specific low permeability material uses for the first and second metal pieces would have been an obvious design consideration for the purpose of facilitating different desired magnetic field/flux characteristics [note, Kim et al. discloses different embodiments use different magnetic materials for the core and/or the metal pieces].
Claim(s) 1-11 and 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Masahiro [JP 2001-230134 A] in view of Kim et al.
Regarding claims 1-3 and 6-7, Masahiro discloses a magnetic device [figure 4] comprising;
- a frame portion [figure 4];
- a first winding set having a first winding wire and a first magnetic core of the frame portion [figure 4]
- a second winding set having a second winding wire and a second magnetic core of the frame portion, wherein winding numbers of the two winding sets are identical or different and winding directions of the two winding sets are identical or different;
- a first metal piece [one of the I-shaped cores], wherein the first winding set, the second winding set and the first metal piece are disposed in the frame portion, the first metal piece substantially connects the first winding set, the second winding set and the frame portion;
- a third winding set and a second metal piece [one of the I-shaped cores], wherein the third winding set and the second metal piece are disposed in the frame portion, the first metal piece and the second metal piece respectively connect adjacent two of the first, second and third winding sets and the frame portion [figure 4].
Masahiro disclose the instant claimed invention except for a material of the two winding sets is different from a material of the first metal piece.
Kim et al. discloses an inductor device [500, figure 5], comprising:
a frame portion [figure 5];
a first winding set having a first winding wire [540] and a first magnetic core [510];
a second winding set having a second winding [550] wire and a second magnetic core [520], wherein winding numbers of the two winding sets are identical or different and winding directions of the two winding sets are identical or different; and
a first metal piece [530], wherein the first winding set, the second winding set and the first metal piece are disposed in the frame portion, the first metal piece substantially connects the first winding set, the second winding set and the frame portion, and a material of the two winding sets is different from a material of the first metal piece.
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 material different between the core and the metal piece of Kim et al., in Masahiro for the purpose of facilitating different desired magnetic flux/field characteristic and reducing eddy current losses [para 0083].
Regarding claims 4-5, Kim et al. discloses the first metal piece is formed of a high magnetic permeability material; the two winding sets and the frame portion are formed of a low magnetic permeability material [para 0082], wherein the two magnetic cores are tightly engaged with two contact surfaces of the first metal piece [figure 5].
Regarding claims 8-9, Masahiro discloses the winding numbers of adjacent two of the three winding sets are identical or different and winding directions of adjacent two of the three winding sets are identical or different [figure 4].
Regarding claim 10, Kim et al. further discloses different materials between the metal piece and the cores/frames [figures 5-6, 12-13]. Kim et al. also discloses different arrangement of the metal piece(s) [5-6, 12-13, 30].
The specific low permeability material uses for the first and second metal pieces would have been an obvious design consideration for the purpose of facilitating different desired magnetic field/flux characteristics [note, Kim et al. discloses different embodiments use different magnetic materials for the core and/or the metal pieces].
Regarding claim 11, Masahiro discloses adjacent two of the three winding sets respectively are tightly engaged with two contact surfaces of the first and the second metal pieces [figure 4].
Regarding claim 13, Masahiro discloses the frame portion comprises a first frame portion, a second frame portion, and a third frame portion, wherein the first and third frame portions, respectively stacked on top and bottom of the first metal piece, are tightly engaged with two opposite sides of the first metal piece, wherein the third and second frame portions, respectively stacked on top and bottom of the second metal piece, are tightly engaged with two opposite sides of the second metal piece [figure 4 shows 3 different core/winding assemblies stacked and separated by metal pieces I-shaped cores].
Conclusion
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/TUYEN T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837