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 with traverse of Group I, Sub-Species IIe, Figures 9-10 and claims 1-11 and 13-20 in the reply filed on 12/29/2025 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that searching Sub-Species IIe with other Sub-Species IIa-IId would not impose a serious burden on the Examiner. This is not found persuasive because searching other Species or Sub-Species would require additional search and/or consideration in other areas, class/subclass.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
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, 6, 8-11, 13-15 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lu et al. [CN 206619484 U] in view of Huang et al. [CN 107275042 A].
Regarding claim 1, Lu et al. discloses a transformer [figures 3-7], comprising:
- a magnetic core [9] comprising a first cover plate, a second cover plate and a winding column disposed between the first cover plate and the second cover plate [figures 4 and 6];
- a winding region [figures 4 and 6] disposed on the winding column and comprising a plurality of winding units; and
- a primary coil [2] and a secondary coil [3], wherein the primary coil is wound in a part of the plurality of winding units to form a primary winding of the transformer, and the secondary coil is wound in the other part of the plurality of winding units to form a secondary winding of the transformer, wherein the primary coil and the secondary coil are at least partially wound alternately in part of the plurality of winding units [figure 6].
Lu et al. disclose the instant claimed invention except for a number of winding layers along an axial direction of the winding column in each of the plurality of winding units is less than or equal to two.
Huang et al. discloses a transformer structure [figures 1-6] comprising:
- a magnetic core structure [3];
- primary and secondary coils [4, 5] arranged about the magnetic core structure, wherein the primary and secondary coils having a number of winding layers less than or equal to two [figures 2-6] and arranged alternately around the magnetic core structure.
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 winding layers design of Huang et al. in Lu et al. for the purpose of improving heat dissipation.
Regarding claims 6 and 8, Lu et al. further discloses the primary coil comprises a first primary coil [201] and a second primary coil [202], the first primary coil is wound in the second winding space, and the second primary coil is wound in the corresponding first winding unit or first winding units of the first winding space [figure 6], wherein the plurality of winding units further comprises a third winding unit [104] which forms a third winding space, the second winding space and the third winding space are located at two opposite sides of the first winding space respectively [figure 6]. Lu et al. further discloses spaces [or distances] between these winding spaces and/or coils. The specific distances would have been an obvious design consideration for the purpose of improving insulating between the coils.
Regarding claims 9-10 and 13-14, Lu et al. further discloses the primary coil comprises a first primary coil [201] and a second primary coil [202], the first primary coil is wound in the second winding space, and the second primary coil is wound in the corresponding first winding unit or first winding units of the first winding space [figure 6], wherein the plurality of winding units further comprises a third winding unit [104] which forms a third winding space, the second winding space and the third winding space are located at two opposite sides of the first winding space respectively [figure 6]. Lu et al. further discloses a plurality of bobbin spaces [101, 102, 103, 104] with the coils [201, 3, 202] arranged in sequence. Huang et al. also discloses a plurality of primary coils [4] and a plurality of secondary coils [5] arranged alternatively around the magnetic core structure [3].
The specific use of two or three primary coils and/or secondary coils arranged alternately in a transformer would have been an obvious design consideration for the purpose of reducing leakage and improving magnetic coupling.
Regarding claim 11, Huang et al. discloses the primary coils [4] having the same number of turns [figures 2 and 6].
Regarding claim 15, Lu et al. discloses the distance between any two neighboring first winding units is identical [figures 4 and 6].
Regarding claim 20, the specific turn ratio between the primary and secondary coils would have been an obvious design consideration based on the intended inductances and/or output for the transformer.
Claim(s) 2-5 and 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lu et al. in view of Huang et al. as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Zhang [CN 102360794 A].
Regarding claim 2, Lu et al. discloses the plurality of winding units including winding spaces for the primary and secondary coils with spacing and/or distance between the winding spaces.
Lu et al. in view of Huang et al. disclose the instant claimed invention except for the specific of distances between the winding units.
Zhang discloses a transformer structure [figures 2-3 and 5-7] comprising an iron core [11], a primary coil [13] and a secondary coil [12, 14, 15], wherein the coils having spacing or distance [d, d1, d2, d3] formed there-between, wherein the distances can be selected according to the safety design [greater, less than or equal distance, see figures 2-3 and 5-7].
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 distance between the coils of Zhang et al. in Lu et al, as modified, for the purpose of optimizing the safety insulating distance between the coils [see abstract].
Regarding claims 3-5, the specific length and/or ratio of the distances would have been an obvious design consideration for the purpose of improving insulating distances between the coils.
Regarding claim 7, Huang et al. discloses the secondary coil [5] including first, second and third secondary coils [figure 2] alternately arranged with the primary coil [4]. The combination of Lu et al. and Huang et al. would have the primary and the secondary coils arranged in the winding units and/or space.
Claim(s) 16-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lu et al. in view of Huang et al. as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Liu et al [CN 111462996 A or US 20210358673 A1].
Regarding claim 16, Lu et al. in view of Huang et al. disclose the instant claimed invention except for a housing.
Liu et al. discloses a housing [3] accommodating a transformer [figure 4a] having a core and coil structure, wherein the housing having side walls and bottom surface/plate forming a space [31] therein supporting the transformer.
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 structure of Lu et al., as modified, as suggested by Liu et al., for the purpose of providing protection for the transformer.
Regarding claim 17, Liu et al. further discloses a heat dissipation material [radiating or thermally conductive glue compound], wherein the heat dissipation material is at least partially filled in the accommodation space, and the heat dissipation material is at least partially in thermal contact with the primary winding, the secondary winding and the magnetic core [figure 4b].
Regarding claim 18, both Lu et al. and Liu et al. discloses the use of a bobbin structure for accommodating the coils, wherein the bobbin structure a hollow channel and plurality of wire slots forming the winding units supporting the coils.
Regarding claim 19, Lu et al. in view of Huang et al. disclose the instant claimed invention except for a heat dissipation material.
Liu et al. discloses a thermally conductive glue material filled the housing with the coils and core structure [para 0090].
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 heat dissipation material in Lu et al. as modified, as suggested by Liu et al., for the purpose of improving heat dissipation.
Conclusion
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/TUYEN T NGUYEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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