Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/112,173

TRANSFORMER AND POWER CONVERTER

Final Rejection §102§103
Filed
Feb 21, 2023
Examiner
NGUYEN, TUYEN T
Art Unit
2837
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Fuji Electric Co. Ltd.
OA Round
2 (Final)
82%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
2y 9m
To Grant
82%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 82% — above average
82%
Career Allow Rate
1001 granted / 1226 resolved
+13.6% vs TC avg
Minimal +1% lift
Without
With
+0.8%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 9m
Avg Prosecution
50 currently pending
Career history
1276
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.1%
-39.9% vs TC avg
§103
54.5%
+14.5% vs TC avg
§102
22.9%
-17.1% vs TC avg
§112
17.7%
-22.3% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 1226 resolved cases

Office Action

§102 §103
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 . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action: A person shall be entitled to a patent unless – (a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claim(s) 1-5 and 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by 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 and 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JPS59-044184U in view of Usui [US 2006/0158908 A1]. Regarding claim 1, JPS59-044184U discloses a transformer [T, figure 1] comprising: a primary winding [N1]; a plurality of secondary windings [N01, N02, N03] to generate voltages different from a voltage applied to the primary winding and to be connected to different loads [RL1, RL2, RL3], respectively; and a bobbin [figure 2] on which the primary winding and the plurality of secondary windings are wound in layers therearound; wherein the plurality of secondary windings includes a feedback winding [N01, N02, N03] to feed back an output voltage thereof to a feedback circuit operable to perform feedback from a secondary winding side to a primary winding side, and a non-feedback winding [N01, N02, N03] other than the feedback winding; wherein the primary winding, the feedback winding, and the non-feedback winding have substantially equal winding widths in an axial direction of the bobbin [figure 2]. JPS59-044184U disclose the instant claimed invention except for barrier tapes and insulating tapes in the transformer. Usui discloses a transformer [5, figure 8] comprising: - a bobbin [5l]; - a magnetic core [5g, 5h] having leg [5k] arranged inside hole of the bobbin; - a plurality of coils [5a, 5b, 5c] wound around the bobbin; - barrier tapes [5p] proved at both ends of each of the coils in the axial direction of the bobbin and the radially extending portion of the bobbin so as to contact with both ends of each of the coils in the axial direction of the bobbin to ensure a creepage distance for insulation between the coils; and - insulating tapes [5q] respectively provided between the coils and extending between adjacent barrier tapes to insulate the coils from each other. 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 barrier tapes and insulating tapes in the transformer of JPS59-044184U, as suggested by Usui for the purpose of improving insulation. Regarding claims 2-3, JPS59-044184U discloses the primary winding, the feedback winding, and the non-feedback winding have substantially the same end positions in the axial direction of the bobbin [figure 2], wherein the non-feedback winding includes a plurality of non- feedback windings [N01, N02, N03]; the plurality of non-feedback windings includes a first non-feedback winding to be connected to a first load so as to output a voltage with first accuracy, and a second non-feedback winding to be connected to a second load so as to output a voltage with second accuracy lower than the first accuracy; and the first non-feedback winding is wound in a layer around the bobbin so as to be closer to the feedback winding than the second non-feedback winding in a radial direction of the bobbin [figure 1]. Regarding claims 4-5, JPS59-044184U discloses the first non-feedback winding is wound in a layer around the bobbin so as to be adjacent to the feedback winding in the radial direction of the bobbin [figure 2], wherein the first non-feedback winding includes a plurality of first non-feedback windings; and the feedback winding is wound in a layer around the bobbin so as to be adjacent to the plurality of first non-feedback windings on opposite sides in the radial direction of the bobbin [figures 1-2]. Regarding claim 8, JPS59-044184U discloses a power supply/converter [figure 1] comprising: - a transformer including a primary winding [N1], - a plurality of secondary windings [N01, N02, N03] to generate voltages different from a voltage applied to the primary winding and to be connected to different loads, respectively, and a bobbin on which the primary winding and the plurality of secondary windings are wound in layers therearound; and a feedback circuit [figure 1] to perform feedback from a secondary winding side to a primary winding side; wherein the plurality of secondary windings includes a feedback winding [N01, N02, N03] to feed back an output voltage thereof to the feedback circuit, and a non-feedback winding [N01, N02, N03] other than the feedback winding; and the primary winding, the feedback winding, and the non- feedback winding have substantially equal winding widths in an axial direction of the bobbin [figure 2]. JPS59-044184U disclose the instant claimed invention except for barrier tapes and insulating tapes in the transformer. Usui discloses a transformer [5, figure 8] comprising: - a bobbin [5l]; - a magnetic core [5g, 5h] having leg [5k] arranged inside hole of the bobbin; - a plurality of coils [5a, 5b, 5c] wound around the bobbin; - barrier tapes [5p] proved at both ends of each of the coils in the axial direction of the bobbin and the radially extending portion of the bobbin so as to contact with both ends of each of the coils in the axial direction of the bobbin to ensure a creepage distance for insulation between the coils; and - insulating tapes [5q] respectively provided between the coils and extending between adjacent barrier tapes to insulate the coils from each other. 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 barrier tapes and insulating tapes in the transformer of JPS59-044184U, as suggested by Usui for the purpose of improving insulation. Claim(s) 1, 6-8 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nagamune [JP 2007-403811A or US 2007/0030404 A1] in view of Usui [US 2006/0158908 A1]. Regarding claims 1 and 8, Nagamune discloses a power supply [Figure 1] comprising: - a transformer including a plurality of primary winding [P1, P2], - a plurality of secondary windings [Sn, S1, S2, S3] to generate voltages different from a voltage applied to the primary winding and to be connected to different loads, respectively, and a bobbin on which the primary winding and the plurality of secondary windings are wound in layers therearound; and a feedback circuit [5] to perform feedback from a secondary winding side to a primary winding side; wherein the plurality of secondary windings includes a feedback winding [Sn, S1, S2, S3] to feed back an output voltage thereof to the feedback circuit, and a non-feedback winding [Sn, S1, S2, S3] other than the feedback winding; and the primary winding, the feedback winding, and the non- feedback winding have substantially equal winding widths in an axial direction of the bobbin [figure 2]. Nagamune discloses the instant claimed invention except for barrier tapes and insulating tapes in the transformer. Usui discloses a transformer [5, figure 8] comprising: - a bobbin [5l]; - a magnetic core [5g, 5h] having leg [5k] arranged inside hole of the bobbin; - a plurality of coils [5a, 5b, 5c] wound around the bobbin; - barrier tapes [5p] proved at both ends of each of the coils in the axial direction of the bobbin and the radially extending portion of the bobbin so as to contact with both ends of each of the coils in the axial direction of the bobbin to ensure a creepage distance for insulation between the coils; and - insulating tapes [5q] respectively provided between the coils and extending between adjacent barrier tapes to insulate the coils from each other. 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 barrier tapes and insulating tapes in the transformer of Nagamune, as suggested by Usui for the purpose of improving insulation. Regarding claims 6-7, Nagamune discloses the primary winding includes a primary first winding portion [P1] and a primary second winding portion [P2] arranged in a layer different from a layer of the primary first winding portion; and the feedback winding and the non-feedback winding [S1, S2, S3] are wound in layers around the bobbin so as to be sandwiched between the primary first winding portion and the primary second winding portion in a radial direction of the bobbin [figure 2], wherein the non-feedback winding includes a plurality of non- feedback windings [S1, S2, S3] and the feedback winding is wound in a layer around the bobbin so as to be sandwiched between the primary first winding portion and the primary second winding portion and sandwiched between the plurality of non-feedback windings in the radial direction of the bobbin [figure 2]. Regarding claim 10, Nagamune further discloses the non-feedback windings with at least one of the non-feedback windings include first winding/portion and second winding/portion [Sn, S1, S2, S3] wherein the primary first winding [P1], the first portion of the non-feedback winding [Sn], the second portion of the non-feedback winding [S1] and the primary second winding {p2] around in layers around the bobbin and aligned. The specific order arrangement of the windings would have been an obvious design consideration for the purpose of facilitating different magnetic flux/field and/or desire inductances. Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JPS59-044184U in view of Usui as applied to claims 1-3 above, and further in view of Nagamune. JPS59-044184U in view of Usui disclose the instant claimed invention except for the primary winding formed of first and second portions. Nagamune discloses the primary winding including first and second winding portions [P1, P2], wherein the first primary winding portion arranged in the innermost of the bobbin and the second primary winding portion arrange in the outer of the bobbin [figure 2]. 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 primary design and/or arrangement of Nagamune in JPS59-044184U, as modified, for the purpose of controlling leakage reactance and/or flux/field. Response to Arguments Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-10 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. Conclusion Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a). A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TUYEN T NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-1996. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 8:30-5:30. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Shawki 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. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /TUYEN T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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Prosecution Timeline

Feb 21, 2023
Application Filed
Nov 26, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §102, §103
Feb 20, 2026
Response Filed
Mar 07, 2026
Final Rejection — §102, §103 (current)

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
82%
Grant Probability
82%
With Interview (+0.8%)
2y 9m
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 1226 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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