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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 01/20/2023, 04/04/2024, 02/24/2024 and 07/01/2024 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “a thickness of each of the plurality of the first gap members in the first leg portion is different from a thickness of each of the plurality of the second gap members in the second leg and a thickness of each of the plurality of the third gap members in the third leg” as recited in claim 13, the “a thickness of each of the plurality of the first gap members in the first leg portion is different from a thickness of each of the plurality of the second gap members in the second leg and a thickness of each of the plurality of the third gap members in the third leg” as claimed in claim 14 and the “the thickness of each of the plurality of second and third gap members is thicker than the thickness of each of the plurality of first gap members” of claim 15 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-5 and 7-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wagoner et al. (U.S. PG. Pub. No. 2015/0123402 A1)in view of Chu et al. (U.S. PG. Pub. No. 2015/0170828 A1).
With respect to claim 1, Wu et al., hereinafter referred to as “Wu,” teaches a power conversion device 550 (FIG. 9) comprising:
a core 510;
a first conductive member 522 and 532; and
a second conductive member 524 and 534,
wherein the core includes
a first member 510a (annotated FIG. 9) and a second member 510b arranged at a distance from each other, and
a first leg portion 512, a second leg portion 514, and a third leg portion 516 each connecting the first member and the second member to each other,
the first leg portion is arranged between the second leg portion and the third leg portion, the first conductive member includes
a first winding wound 522 around the first leg portion, and
a second winding 532 connected in series to the first winding and wound around the second leg portion,
the second conductive member includes
a third winding 524 wound around the first leg portion, and
a fourth winding 534 connected in series to the third winding and wound around the third leg portion, and
the first leg portion includes
a first core member (member of the core leg portion) composed of a soft magnetic material and provided with a gap 511 (paras. [0060]-[0061]).
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Wu does not expressly teach
the first leg portion includes
a first core member provided with a plurality of gaps, and
a plurality of first gap members each composed of a non-magnetic body and arranged in respective ones of the plurality of gaps in the first core member.
Chu et al., hereinafter referred to as “Chu,” teaches a power conversion device (Figs. 3-4), wherein
the first leg portion 103a (annotated Fig. 3) includes
a first core member provided with a plurality of gaps 104, and
a plurality of first gap members (“materials such as epoxy resins or insulating paper” para. [0030]) each composed of a non-magnetic body and arranged in respective ones of the plurality of gaps in the first core member (para. [0030]).
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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 the plurality of magnetic gaps and the gap members as taught by Chu to the power conversion device of Wu to provide the required magnetic saturation characteristics to meet design requirements.
With respect to claim 2, Wu in view of Chu teaches the power conversion device according to claim 1, wherein
the second leg portion 103 includes
a second core member (member of the second core leg) composed of a soft magnetic material and provided with a plurality of gaps 104, and
a plurality of second gap members (“materials such as epoxy resins or insulating paper” para. [0030]) each composed of a non-magnetic body and arranged in respective ones of the plurality of gaps in the second core member, and
the third leg portion includes
a third core member 103b composed of a soft magnetic material and provided with a plurality of gaps, and
a plurality of third gap members (“materials such as epoxy resins or insulating paper” para. [0030]) each composed of a non-magnetic body and arranged in respective ones of the plurality of gaps in the third core member (Chu, para. [0030]).
With respect to claim 3, Wu in view of Chu teaches the power conversion device according to claim 1, wherein
at least a part of the first winding and the third winding is wound to cover at least one of the plurality of first gap members.
With respect to claim 4, Wu in view of Chu teaches the power conversion device according to claim 1, wherein
the first winding and the third winding are each wound such that a magnetic flux generated by the first winding and a magnetic flux generated by the third winding cancel each other when a normal-mode current flows through the first conductive member and the second conductive member (Chu, para. [0030]). The combination of the plurality of gaps teaching of Chu to the power conversion device of Chu would also result in the device of Chu having the claimed limitations.
With respect to claim 5, Wu in view of Chu teaches the power conversion device according to claim 1, wherein
each of the first member and the second member includes a core piece having a cross-section in an E shape (Wu, para. [0061]).
With respect to claim 7, Wu in view of Chu teaches the power conversion device according to claim 1, wherein
the first winding and the third winding are each wound such that an orientation of a magnetic flux generated by the first winding and an orientation of a magnetic flux generated by the third winding are reverse to each other when a normal-mode current flows through the first conductive member and the second conductive member (Wu, para. [0061]). The current directions of the first winding and the third winding in Wu are opposite, so the respective magnetic flux generated would be reversed.
With respect to claim 8, Wu in view of Chu teaches the power conversion device according to claim 1, wherein
the first winding and the third winding are each wound such that a magnetic flux generated by the first winding and a magnetic flux generated by the third winding are in orientations to cancel each other when a normal-mode current flows through the first conductive member and the second conductive member (Wu, para. [0061]). The current directions of the first winding and the third winding in Wu are opposite, so the respective magnetic flux generated would cancel each other.
With respect to claim 9, Wu in view of Chu teaches the power conversion device according to claim 1, wherein
the number of turns of the first winding wound around the first leg portion is equal to the number of turns of the third winding wound around the first leg portion (Wu, para. [0061]).
With respect to claim 10, Wu teaches a power conversion device 550 (FIG. 9) comprising:
a core 510;
a first conductive member 522 and 532; and
a second conductive member 524 and 534, wherein
the core includes
a first member and a second member arranged at a distance from each other, and
a first leg portion 510a (annotated FIG. 9 above), a second leg portion 510b, and a third leg portion 516 each connecting the first member and the second member to each other,
the first leg portion is arranged between the second leg portion and the third leg portion,
the first conductive member includes
a first winding 522 wound around the first leg portion, and
a second winding 532 connected in series to the first winding and wound around the second leg portion,
the second conductive member includes
a third winding 524 wound around the first leg portion, and
a fourth winding 534 connected in series to the third winding and wound around the third leg portion, and
each of the second and third leg portions includes
a first core member composed of a soft magnetic material and provided with a gap 513 and 515 (paras. [0060]-[0061]).
Wu does not expressly teach
each of the second and third leg portions includes
a first core member composed of a soft magnetic material and provided with a plurality of gaps, and
a plurality of first gap members each composed of a non-magnetic body and arranged in respective ones of the plurality of gaps in the first core member.
Chu teaches a power conversion device (Figs. 3-4), wherein
each of the second and third leg portions 103 and 103b (annotated Fig. 3 above) includes
a first core member (member of each core leg portions) composed of a soft magnetic material and provided with a plurality of gaps 104, and
a plurality of first gap members (“materials such as epoxy resins or insulating paper” para. [0030]) each composed of a non-magnetic body and arranged in respective ones of the plurality of gaps in the first core member (para. [0030]).
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 the plurality of magnetic gaps and the gap members as taught by Chu to the power conversion device of Wu to provide the required magnetic saturation characteristics to meet design requirements.
With respect to claim 11, Wu in view of Chu teaches the power conversion device according to claim 1, wherein
the core is composed of a dust core, and
a length of each of the plurality of gaps is set to a length from 0.1 to 20 mm (Chu, paras. [0035].
With respect to claim 12, Wu in view of Chu teaches the power conversion device according to claim 1, wherein
the core is composed of a ferrite core, and
a length of each of the plurality of gaps is set to a length from 0.1 to 40 mm (Wu, para. [0022], Chu, paras. [0029] and [0038]).
With respect to claim 13, Wu in view of Chu teaches the power conversion device according to claim 1, wherein
a thickness of each of the plurality of the first gap members in the first leg portion is different from a thickness of each of the plurality of the second gap members in the second leg and a thickness of each of the plurality of the third gap members in the third leg (Wu, see FIG. 9, paras. [0028 and [0061]).
With respect to claim 14, Wu in view of Chu teaches the power conversion device according to claim 13, wherein
the thickness of each of the plurality of first gap members is thicker than the thickness of each of the plurality of second and third gap members (Wu, see FIG. 9, paras. [0028] and [0061]).
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu in view of Chu, as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Wohlforth (U.S. PG. Pub. No. 2013/0342942 A1).
With respect to claim 6, Wu in view of Chu teaches the power conversion device according to claim 1. Wu in view of Chu does not expressly teach
each of the first member and the second member includes a first core piece having a cross-section in a U shape and a second core piece having a cross-section in a U shape.
Wohlforth teaches a power conversion device (FIG. 3), wherein
each of the first member (upper yoke of cores 12-15) and the second member (lower yoke of cores 12 and 14) includes a first core piece 12 and or 14 having a cross-section in a U shape and a second core piece 13 and or 15 having a cross-section in a U shape (para. [0031]). 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 the U shape core pieces as taught by Wohlforth to the power conversion device of Wu in view of Chu to increase the cross sectional area of the first core leg portion to provide the desired flux density.
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wu in view of Chu, as applied to claim 13 above, and further in view of Hansson (U.S. PG. Pub. No. 2010/0101936 A1).
With respect to claim 15, Wu in view of Chu teaches the power conversion device according to claim 13. Wu in view of Chu does not expressly teach
the thickness of each of the plurality of second and third gap members is thicker than the thickness of each of the plurality of first gap members. However, Wu expressly teaches the gap forming different gap sizes (para. [0028]).
Hansson teaches a power conversion device (Fig. 3), wherein
the thickness of each of the plurality of second and third gaps (“gaps”) is thicker than the thickness of each of the plurality of first gap members (para. [0040]). The combination of the gap teaching of Hansson to the power conversion device of Wu in view of Chu would result in the claimed limitations. Therefore, 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 the gaps as taught by Hansson to the power conversion of Wu in view of Chu to provide the desired magnetic saturation characteristics to meet design requirements.
Conclusion
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 PTO-892.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MANGTIN LIAN whose telephone number is (571)270-5729. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 0800-1700.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Shawki S. Ismail can be reached at 571-272-3985. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MANG TIN BIK LIAN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837