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 .
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 cooling module comprising a cavity forming a cooling pool housing the electric transformer 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 § 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.
Claim 6 is 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 6, applicant should clarify the structure and/or arrangement intended by “a cooling module comprising a cavity forming a cooling pool housing the electric transformer.” The “cooling module” with cavity forming a cooling pool is unclear. Does applicant intend the cooling module to be a housing/casing/enclosure for the transformer? Applicant should clarify.
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) 1-5, 7-9 and 12-13, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li et al. [US 2019/0385785 A1] in view of Zhi et al. [CN 209168896 U].
Regarding claim 1, Li et al. discloses a magnetic component comprising two ferromagnetic half-cores stacked and superposed to form a ferromagnetic core [figure 3] comprising three legs [102a, 102b, 102c, 204a, 204b, 204c], namely two first legs [102a, 204a, 102c, 204c] and one second leg [102b, 204b], each leg being formed from two facing half-legs separated by a gap [106a, 106b, 106c], each leg comprising a primary winding [104a] and a secondary winding [104b] having a winding direction, on each of the half-legs forming the leg, respectively.
Le et al. further discloses cancelation flux with the core/gaps/winding structure.
Li et al. disclose the instant claimed invention except for the specific of the inverted or opposite winding direction of the windings.
Zhi et al. discloses a magnetic device [101, figure 1] comprising magnetic core having three core legs [31, 32, 33], a plurality of primary windings [41a, 42a, 43a] and a plurality of secondary windings [41b, 42b, 43b] wound around the core legs, wherein the magnetic flux between the primary and secondary winding canceled each other [primary winding and secondary winding wound in opposite direction].
It would have been an obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to wound the primary and secondary windings of Li et al. in opposite direction, as suggested by Zhi et al., for the purpose of controlling magnetic field/flux.
Regarding claim 2, Zhi et al. discloses “triangular” arrangement of the core legs at 120 degrees.
The specific triangular spacing/arrangement would have been an obvious design consideration for the purpose of facilitating different magnetic flux/field desired.
Regarding claim 3, Li et al. discloses the use of E-shape cores.
Regarding claims 4-5, 9 and 12, both Li et al. and Zhi et al. discloses the magnetic core and winding structure for a transformer which can be use as/in an electric equipment.
Regarding claims 7-8 and 13, the specific use of the transformer in an electric charger or a power converter would have been an obvious design consideration for the purpose of intended use.
Claim(s) 6 and 10-11, as best in view of the rejection under 35 USC 112 second paragraph, is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Li et al. in view of Zhi et al. as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of HAN [CN87208043U].
Regarding claim 6, Li et al. further discloses a cooling module [110] supporting the transformer [figure 1].
Li et al. in view of Zhi et al. disclose the instant claimed invention except for the specific of the cooling module.
HAN discloses a cooling module [2, figure 2] comprising a cavity forming a cooling pool housing a transformer [3] with cooling fins [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 include a housing for the transformer of Li et al., as suggested by HAN, for the purpose of protecting the transformer and improving cooling.
Regarding claims 10-11, the specific use of the transformer in an electric charger or a power converter would have been an obvious design consideration for the purpose of intended use.
Conclusion
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/TUYEN T NGUYEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837