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 Species 5, Figures 7A-7E in the reply filed on 3/26/2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that Species 1 [Figures 2A-3F] and 5 [Figures 7A-7E] should be examined together. This is found persuasive. Claims 1-5 and 12-20 will be examined herewith.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Claim Objections
Claim 17 is objected to because of the following informalities: Claims 17 is depended on claim 17. Appropriate correction is required.
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, 3-5, 12-18 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hiroyuki et al. [JP 2004-103624 A] in view of Yang [CN 104505248 A].
Regarding claims 1, 16, 18 and 20, Hiroyuki et al. discloses a transformer comprising:
- a core; and
- primary and secondary coils [1a, 1b] arranged around a center post of the core, wherein the primary and secondary coils having turns interleaved [figures 1-2] and wherein each of the primary and the secondary coils include flat wire having a rectangular, square, or circular shape [figures 1-2]. Aluminum is a known conductive material use for the coils in transformer.
Hiroyuki et al. disclose the instant claimed invention except for the specific of the primary and secondary coils.
Yang discloses a coil structure [figures 1-2] comprising two coils [10, 11], wherein each coil includes a first section [101/111] and a second section [102/112], and each of the first and second sections include a first set of turns having a first diameter and a second set of turns having a second diameter with the first diameter is larger than the second diameter [figure 2]. Yang further discloses the first and second sections are wound around a common winding axis, with the second set of turns of the second section positioned within the first set of turns of the first section, and the second set of turns of the first section positioned within the first set of turns of the second section, when viewed along the common winding axis [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 coil structure of Yang in Hiroyuki et al. for the purpose of enhancing the inductances.
The specific electrically parallel connection of the coil sections would have been an obvious design consideration for the purpose of combining two sections into one.
Regarding claim 3, Hiroyuki et al. discloses turns of the primary coil and turns of the second coil alternate along the common winding axis [figures 1-2].
Regarding claims 4-5 and 12, Hiroyuki et al. discloses the primary and secondary coils are identical, wherein the coils rotated/arranged by 180 degrees about the common winding axis and fully overlap when viewed along the common winding axis [figures 1-2].
Regarding claim 13, Yang discloses a number of turns in the first set of turns of the first section and a number of turns in the first set of turns of the second section are equal, and a number of turns in the second set of turns of the first section and a number of turns in the second set of turns of the second section are equal.
Regarding claims 14-15, Yang discloses for each of the first and the second sections of each of the primary and the secondary coils, a number of turns in the first set of turns is equal to a number of turns in the second set of turns, wherein the first set of turns and the second set of turns of each of the first and the second sections of each of the primary and the secondary coils are concentric about the common winding axis [figure 2].
Regarding claim 17, the specific width and/or thickness of the flat wire would have been an obvious design consideration based on the intended applications and/or environments uses.
Claim(s) 2 and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hiroyuki et al. in view of Yang as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Honna et al. [WO 2012/169325 B1].
Hiroyuki et al. in view of Yang disclose the instant claimed invention except for the specific interleaved of the primary and secondary coils.
Honna et al. discloses a transformer comprising:
- a core [3]; and
- primary and secondary coils [1, 2] arranged about the core, wherein the primary and secondary coils arranged in alternate arrangements [figures 2, 4, 9, 11, 15-16 ….49, 54].
Honna et al. discloses the number of turns of the primary coil different than that of the secondary coil [turn ratio, primary coil having more turns than secondary coil, see specification and figures 1-6 and 14-18].
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 turn ratio design of Honna et al. in Hiroyuki for the purpose of facilitating different voltages and/or current for various applications.
Conclusion
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/TUYEN T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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