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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 05/06/2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 14-25 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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 14-17, 23 and 24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Baumann et al. (WO 2018/184775 A1, hereinafter “Baumann”) in view of Stefanutti et al. (U.S. PG. Pub. No. 2017/0186524 A1, hereinafter “Stefanutti”.
With respect to claim 14, Baumann teaches an electrical appliance 10 (FIGs. 2-4) for connection to a high voltage (“connection to a high voltage” para. [0003]), the electrical appliance comprising:
an active part 22 (FIG. 3) having a magnetizable core 23 and a winding assembly 25 and or 26 enclosing a core portion 24 of said core, said winding assembly having windings (“windings” para. [0044]) that are inductively coupled to one another (para. [0046]); and
a tank 12 to be filled with an insulating fluid (para. [0041]) and completely enclosing said active part, said tank having two end casings 16 and 17 and a central part 14 and or 15 disposed between said end casings (para. [0044]);
said active part being mechanically connected to said tank only at said end casings, and said end casings being supported on a fastener 18 (para. [0044]); and
said central part being made from a lightweight material.
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Baumann does not expressly teach said central part being made from a lightweight material having a density of less than 3.9 g/cm3.
Stefanutti teaches an electrical appliance 10 (FIGs. 1-3), wherein the central part 203 being made from a lightweight material having a density of less than 3.9 g/cm3 (para. [0057]). Aluminum has density less than 3.9 g/cm3, and it is one of the preferred materials for the central part of the tank in the present invention. 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 use light weight material for the central part as taught by Stefanutti to the electrical appliance of Baumann to improve heat dissipation (para. [0057]).
With respect to claim 15, Baumann in view of Stefanutti teaches the electrical appliance according to claim 14, wherein said fastener comprises a support frame (Baumann, para. [0044]). The fastener 18 support the appliance. Therefore, the fastener 18 is proper to interpret as “support frame” as claimed.
With respect to claim 16, Baumann in view of Stefanutti teaches the teaches the electrical appliance according to claim 15, wherein said support frame has two longitudinal supports (two supports at left and right) and two transverse supports 19 extending between said longitudinal supports, and wherein each of said end casings is supported on a respective one of said transverse supports (Baumann, para. [0044]).
With respect to claim 17, Baumann in view of Stefanutti teaches the teaches the electrical appliance according to claim 14, wherein said core has two mutually parallel core limbs 24 (Baumann, para. [0047]) that are each enclosed by a winding assembly 25 and 26, and said core limbs are connected to one another by a lower yoke (“lower yoke” para. [0050]) and an upper yoke 29.
With respect to claim 23, Baumann in view of Stefanutti teaches the teaches the electrical appliance according to claim 14, wherein said end casings are box-shaped casings (Baumann, para. [0009]).
With respect to claim 24, Baumann in view of Stefanutti teaches the teaches the electrical appliance according to claim 14, wherein said end casings have a shape that is complementary to a portion of said active part lying opposite thereof (Baumann, para. [0009]).
Claims 18-20 and 25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Baumann in view of Stefanutti, as applied to claim 17 above, and further in view of Dierstein (U.S. Patent No. 3,011,139).
With respect to claim 18, Baumann in view of Stefanutti teaches the electrical appliance according to claim 17. Baumann in view of Stefanutti does not expressly teach said lower yoke and said upper yoke are in each case connected to said lower and upper end casings by way of spacers, and wherein said spacers are disposed in an interior of the respective said end casing.
Dierstein teaches an electrical appliance (Fig. 5), wherein said lower yoke (bottom yoke) and said upper yoke (top yoke) are in each case connected to said lower and upper end casings 34 by way of spacers 2a (annotated Fig. 5), and wherein said spacers are disposed in an interior of the respective said end casing (col. 4, lines 51-55).
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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 spacer as taught by Dierstein to the electrical appliance of Baumann in view of Stefanutti to provide the required insulation or isolation between different parts of the electrical appliance.
With respect to claim 19, Baumann in view of Stefanutti and Dierstein teaches the electrical appliance according to claim 18, wherein each spacer is connected to a fastening plate 19 disposed outside the respective said end casing (Baumann, para. [0044]). The combination would result in the claimed limitations.
With respect to claim 20, Baumann in view of Stefanutti and Dierstein teaches the electrical appliance according to claim 19, wherein each fastening plate is connected to said fastener (Baumann, para. [0044]).
With respect to claim 25, Baumann in view of Stefanutti teaches the electrical appliance according to claim 14. Baumann in view of Stefanutti does not expressly teach at least one of said end casings is formed with at least one of a viewing window or a hand opening.
Dierstein teaches an electrical appliance (Fig. 5), wherein at least one of said end casings 34 is formed with at least one of a viewing window 25 or a hand opening (col. 4, lines 57-49). 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 window as taught by Dierstein to the electrical appliance of Baumann in view of Stefanutti to provide visual inspection capability of the integrity of the appliance components.
Claims 21 and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Baumann in view of Stefanutti, as applied to claim 14 above, and further in view of Hanov (U.S. PG. Pub. No. 2017/0271070 A1).
With respect to claim 21, Baumann in view of Stefanutti teaches the electrical appliance according to claim 14. Baumann in view of Stefanutti does not expressly teach said end casings are formed of a metal or a metal alloy.
Hanov teaches an electrical appliance (FIG 1), wherein said end casings 12 and 12a (annotated FIG 1) are formed of a metal or a metal alloy (paras. [0034] and [0035]).
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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 steel casings as taught by Hanov to the electrical appliance of Baumann in view of Stefanutti to improve mechanical strength for stabilizing the magnetizable core (para. [0012]).
With respect to claim 22, Baumann in view of Stefanutti and Hanov teaches the electrical appliance according to claim 21, wherein said end casings are formed of steel (Hanov, paras. [0034]-[0035]).
Conclusion
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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/MANG TIN BIK LIAN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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