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 .
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) 1-3 and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang [CN 202110715168 A]
Regarding claim 1, Wang discloses a magnetic device [100, 200, figures 5 and 11], comprising:
- a magnetic core assembly comprising:
- a first magnetic cover [110];
- a second magnetic cover [120] opposed to the first magnetic cover;
- a first outer magnetic leg [111] disposed between a first end of the first magnetic cover and a first end of the second magnetic cover;
- a second outer magnetic leg [111] disposed between a second end of the first magnetic cover and a second end of the second magnetic cover;
- a first inner magnetic leg group [112a, 112c] disposed between the first magnetic cover and the second magnetic cover, and between the first outer magnetic leg and the second outer magnetic leg, and located beside the first outer magnetic leg [figures 5 and 11], wherein a first channel is formed between the first inner magnetic leg group and the first outer magnetic leg [figures 5 and 11]; and
- a second inner magnetic leg group [112b, 112d] disposed between the first magnetic cover and the second magnetic cover, and between the first outer magnetic leg and the second outer magnetic leg, and located beside the second outer magnetic leg, wherein a second channel is formed between the second inner magnetic leg group and the first inner magnetic leg group [figures 5 and 11], and a third channel is formed between the second inner magnetic leg group and the second outer magnetic leg [figures 5 and 11]; and
- a winding assembly comprising four coupled windings [200a, 200b, 200c, 200d], wherein the four coupled windings comprise four first terminals and four second terminals [or ends, figure 11], wherein a first one of the four first terminals/ends of the four coupled windings is located near a first lateral side of the magnetic core assembly and the first channel [figure 11], a second one of the four first terminals of the four coupled windings is located near the first lateral side of the magnetic core assembly and the third channel [figure 11], wherein a second one of the four second terminals of the four coupled windings is located near the second lateral side of the magnetic core assembly and the third channel, and the other two of the four second terminals of the four coupled windings are located near the second lateral side of the magnetic core assembly and the second channel [figure 11].
Wang further discloses different coils/cores arrangement with different terminals and current flow directions [different embodiments and modifications may be made without departing from the principle of the invention, figures 2-4, 6-10, and 12].
The specific terminals arrangement between the windings and channels/legs/lateral side would have been an obvious design consideration for the purpose of facilitating different mounting and/or internal/external connections.
Regarding claims 2-3, Wang further discloses the first inner magnetic leg group comprises a first inner magnetic leg [112a] and a second inner magnetic leg [112c], and the second inner magnetic leg group comprises a third inner magnetic leg [112b] and a fourth inner magnetic leg [112d], wherein the first inner magnetic leg and the second inner magnetic leg are located near the first outer magnetic leg [figures 5 and 11], the first inner magnetic leg is located near the first lateral side of the magnetic core assembly, and the second inner magnetic leg is located near the second lateral side of the magnetic core assembly [figures 5 and 11], wherein the third inner magnetic leg and the fourth inner magnetic leg are located near the second outer magnetic leg [figures 5 and 11], the third inner magnetic leg is located near the second lateral side of the magnetic core assembly, and the fourth inner magnetic leg is located near the first lateral side of the magnetic core assembly [figures 5 and 11], wherein a fourth channel is formed between the first inner magnetic leg and the second inner magnetic leg, and the fourth channel is in communication with the first channel and the second channel, wherein a fifth channel is formed between the third inner magnetic leg and the fourth inner magnetic leg, and the fifth channel is in a communication with the second channel and the third channel [figures 5 and 11], wherein a first part of the first channel is disposed between the first inner magnetic leg and the first outer magnetic leg [figures 5 and 11], a second part of the first channel is disposed between the second inner magnetic leg and the first outer magnetic leg [figures 5 and 11], a first part of the second channel is disposed between the first inner magnetic leg and the fourth inner magnetic leg [figures 5 and 11], a second part of the second channel is disposed between the second inner magnetic leg and the third inner magnetic leg [figures 5 and 11], a first part of the third channel is disposed between the fourth inner magnetic leg and the second outer magnetic leg [figures 5 and 11], and a second part of the third channel is disposed between the third inner magnetic leg and the second outer magnetic leg [figures 5 and 11], wherein the four coupled windings comprise: a first secondary winding [200a], wherein a first terminal of the first secondary winding is located near the first lateral side of the magnetic core assembly and the first part of the second channel [figure 11]; a second secondary winding [200c], a second terminal of the second secondary winding is located near the second lateral side of the magnetic core assembly and the second part of the second channel, wherein the second secondary winding is sequentially transferred through the first part of the first channel, wherein the first secondary winding is sequentially transferred through the first part of the second channel; a third secondary winding [200b], wherein a first terminal of the third secondary winding is located near the first lateral side of the magnetic core assembly and the first part of the third channel [figure 11], wherein the third secondary winding is sequentially transferred through the first part of the third channel, the fifth channel and the second part of the second channel [figure 11]; and a fourth secondary winding [200d], wherein a second terminal of the fourth secondary winding is located near the second lateral side of the magnetic core assembly and the second part of the third channel, wherein the fourth secondary winding is sequentially transferred through the first part of the second channel, the fifth channel and the second part of the third channel from the first terminal, and the third secondary winding and the fourth secondary winding in the fifth channel are crossed with each other [figure 11].
The specific terminals arrangement between the first, second, third and fourth windings would have been an obvious design consideration based on the intended applications and/or connections between the device and external devices.
Regarding claim 17, Wang further discloses the first end and the second end of the first magnetic cover are opposed to each other [figure 5], the first end and the second end of the second magnetic cover are opposed to each other [figure 5], the first lateral side and the second lateral side of the magnetic core assembly are opposed to each other [figure 5], the first inner magnetic leg group is connected between the first magnetic cover and the second magnetic cover [figure 5 and 2], and the second inner magnetic leg group is connected between the first magnetic cover and the second magnetic cover [figure 5 and 2] and currents flow through the four coupled windings along a same direction with magnetic flux cancelled out [figures 7-11].
Claim(s) 12-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang in view of Chandrasekaran et al. [US 6,980,077B1].
Wang discloses the core assembly formed of magnetic material. Wang disclose the instant claimed invention except for the specific material of the magnetic core assembly.
Chandrasekaran et al. discloses a magnetic core for a switch-mode power converter [figures 6a-9c] comprising:
- a magnetic core including at least one core leg, side cores and top/bottom plates/covers [figures 6a-9b]; and
- at least one coil [84,120] wound around the at least one core leg, wherein the at least one core leg formed of one magnetic material and the rest of the magnetic core formed of a magnetic material that different from the one magnetic material of the at least one core leg [figures 6a-9c, 10a].
Chandrasekaran et al. further discloses the magnetic materials could be ferrite or other magnetic materials.
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 different magnetic material design for the core of Wang, as suggested by Chandrasekaran et al., for the purpose of facilitating the desired magnetic field/flux.
Chandrasekaran et al. further discloses the magnetic material including ferrite [52] and ferrite [54] formed of powdered iron.
The specific ferrite materials use would have been an obvious design consideration based on the intended magnetic flux/field and/or applications.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 4 is 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.
Conclusion
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/TUYEN T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
