DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is in response to an Amendment to a Non-Final office action, filed on 01/07/2026, on an application filed on 01/20/2023. Claims 1-2 and 5-10 are presented for examination consideration.
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 .
Specification
Applicant’s Specification Amendments (filed on 01/07/2026) is persuasive in the cited specification objections from the last office action (mailed on 10/07/2025) due to the following:
Amending ¶[0072] to clearly define the CONSISTENCY with Fig. 7, where “magnet 45 is facing the coil 424” and “magnet 46 is facing the coil 414”.
The specification objections cited in the last office action is withdrawn.
Response to Applicant’s Remarks and Amendments
Applicant's Claim Amendments (filed on 01/07/2026) with respect to the 35 USC § 102 of amended independent claim 1, has been fully considered and is not persuasive. The amended limitation “a first wiring board that includes a first coil and a first insulator that covers the first coil; a second wiring board that includes a second coil and a second insulator that covers the second coil” rolled-up and incorporated into amended independent claim 1 is NOT the allowable subject matter of objective claim 4. Applicant’s Remarks (filed on 01/07/2026) never explained or described in the original filed disclosure where the amended limitation was supported, except to indicate “few modifications of expression for further clarification”. In addition, the limitation phrase “third insulation” in the limitation “a third insulator that seals the first coil, the second coil, and the first magnet” incorporated in amended independent claim 1, is CONTRADICTING the abstract and ¶[0025].
Nevertheless, Applicant's Amendments and Remarks (filed 01/07/2026) with respect to the 102 rejection of independent claim 1 are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection due to the amended limitations.
Specification Objections
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
One skilled in the arts would not have full appreciation of the invention since the specification does not clearly support the claimed structural terms in amended independent claim 1 in Applicant's Claim Amendments (filed on 01/07/2026). Specifically, the limitation phrase “third insulator” in the limitation “a third insulator that seals the first coil, the second coil, and the first magnet” incorporated in amended independent claim 1, is CONTRADICTING the abstract and ¶[0025]. Both the abstract and ¶[0025] indicates “first insulator seals the first coil, the second coil, and the first magnet”.
Appropriate correction is required as well as no new matter should be entered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-2 and 5-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
In independent claim 1, the limitation phrase “third insulator” in the limitation “a third insulator that seals the first coil, the second coil, and the first magnet”, is confusing. Specifically, the limitation phrase “third insulator” in the cited limitations is CONTRADICTING the abstract and ¶[0025]. Both the abstract and ¶[0025] indicates “first insulator seals the first coil, the second coil, and the first magnet”. Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention given the cited limitation phrase of claim 1 in RELATION to the filed disclosure.
Claims 2and 5-10 are rejected since the base independent claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102/103
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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
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 of this title, 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 set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied 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 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by or, in the alternative, under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over Kao et al. (US20210375525A1 and Kao hereinafter, cited in the 10/02/2025 IDS and the 07/08/2025 Japanese Office Action).
Regarding claim 1, Kao discloses an isolator comprising (item 400 of Fig. 6 and ¶[0013 & 0047-0048] shows and indicates isolator 400 {printed circuit transformer/isolation transformer 400}): a first wiring board that includes a first coil and a first insulator that covers the first coil (items 430, 420, 410, 422 of Fig. 6 and ¶[0047-0051] shows and indicates first wiring board 430_420_410 {wiring board formed by the following structures: dielectric core 430; lamination 420; and the bottom magnetic layer 410} that includes first coil 422 and first insulator 430 {dielectric core 430} that covers first coil 422); a second wiring board that includes a second coil and a second insulator that covers the second coil, the second coil being aligned with the first coil along a first axis and facing the first coil (items 460, 450, 412, 452 of Fig. 6 and ¶[0047-0051] shows and indicates a second wiring board 460_450_412 {wiring board formed by the following structures: lamination 460; copper clad lamination 450; and the upper magnetic layer 412} that includes second coil 452 and second insulator 460 {lamination 460} that covers second coil 452; where second coil 452 being aligned with first coil 422 along the first axis top-bottom and facing first coil 422); a plate-shaped first magnet provided on a side of the second coil and facing the second coil, the side being opposite to a side where the first coil is located (item 412 of Fig. 6 and ¶[0047-0049 & 0051] shows and indicates plate-shaped first magnet 412 {upper magnetic layer 412} provided on the side of second coil 452 and facing second coil 452 and to the side being opposite to the side where first coil 422 is located), the first magnet extending along a first plane intersecting the first axis (Fig. 6 and ¶[0047-0051] shows first magnet 412 extending along the first plane left-right intersecting the first axis top-bottom).
Kao discloses the claimed invention of isolator 400 except a third insulator that seals the first coil, the second coil, and the first magnet, wherein the first coil and the second coil have a conductor having a track extending along the first plane.
Kao discloses a third insulator that seals the first coil, the second coil, and the first magnet, wherein the first coil and the second coil have a conductor having a track extending along the first plane (items 600, 662, 611, 620, 630 of Fig. 8 and ¶[0015 & 0058-0060] shows and indicates where packaged integrated circuit 600 comprises third insulator 662 {mold compound 662} that seals the first coil, the second coil, and the first magnet of isolation structure/isolation transformer 611; and where the first coil and the second coil of isolation structure/isolation transformer 611 has the track 620-via-611 & 630-pad-611 {conductor track extending from first coil and the second coil of isolation structure/isolation transformer 611 that is formed by first coil and the second coil of isolation structure/isolation transformer 611 electrically connecting primary semiconductor die 620 through a via structure & electrically connecting second semiconductor die 630 through a pad structure} extending along the first plane).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate a third insulator that seals the first coil, the second coil, and the first magnet, wherein the first coil and the second coil have a conductor having a track extending along the first plane into the structure of Kao. One would have been motivated to take the isolator of Kao and have the third insulator that seals the first coil, the second coil, and the first magnet, where the first coil and the second coil has a conductor that has a track extending along the first plane, in order to have a packaged integrated circuit arrangement incorporating the isolator, as indicated by Kao in ¶[0015 & 0062], in the isolator of Kao.
Regarding claim 2, modified Kao discloses an isolator, wherein the first magnet includes a first surface and a second surface aligned with each other along the first axis, and one of the first surface and the second surface is a north pole and another of the first surface and the second surface is a south pole (Kao: Fig. 6 and ¶[0047-0049 & 0051] shows where first magnet 412 includes a first surface and a second surface aligned with each other along first axis top-bottom; and where first magnet 412 will have and one of the first surface and the second surface; and where first magnet 412 will inherently have the north pole being the first or second surface and the south pole being the second or second surface).
Regarding claim 5, modified Kao discloses an isolator, wherein the second coil and the first magnet overlap, when viewed along the first axis (Kao: Fig. 6 and ¶[0047-0051] shows where second coil 452 and first magnet 412 overlap, when viewed along first axis top-bottom).
Regarding claim 6, modified Kao discloses an isolator, wherein the first magnet covers the second coil, when viewed along the first axis (Kao: Fig. 6 and ¶[0047-0051] shows where first magnet 412 covers second coil 452, when viewed along first axis top-bottom).
Regarding claim 7, modified Kao discloses an isolator, further comprising a plate-shaped second magnet provided on a side of the first coil and facing the first coil, the side of the first coil being opposite to a side where the second coil is located, the second magnet extending along the first plane, wherein the third insulator seals the second magnet (Kao: item 410 of Fig. 6 and ¶[0047-0051] shows and indicates where isolator 400 is further comprised of a plate-shaped second magnet 410 {bottom magnetic layer 410} provided on the side of first coil 422 and facing first coil 422; and where the side of first coil 422 is opposite to the side where second coil 452 is located; and where second magnet 410 is extending along the first plane left-right; Kao: Fig. 8 and ¶[0015 & 0058-0060] shows and indicates where third insulator 662 seals the second magnet of isolation structure/ isolation transformer 611).
Regarding claim 8, modified Kao discloses an isolator, wherein the second magnet includes a third surface and a fourth surface aligned with each other along the first axis, and one of the third surface and the fourth surface is a north pole and another of the third surface and the fourth surface is a south pole (Kao: Fig. 6 and ¶[0047-0051] shows and indicates where second magnet 410 includes the third surface and the fourth surface aligned with each other along first axis top-bottom; and where second magnet 410 will have and one of the third surface and the fourth surface; and where second magnet 410 will inherently have the north pole being the third or fourth surface and the south pole being the fourth or third surface).
Regarding claim 9, modified Kao discloses an isolator, wherein the first coil and the second magnet overlap, when viewed along the first axis (Kao: Fig. 6 and ¶[0047-0051] shows and indicates where first coil 422 and second magnet 410 overlap, when viewed along the first axis top-bottom).
Regarding claim 10, modified Kao discloses an isolator, wherein the second magnet covers the first coil, when viewed along the first axis (Kao: Fig. 6 and ¶[0047-0051] shows and indicates where second magnet 410 covers first coil 422, when viewed along first axis top-bottom).
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 GUILLERMO J EGOAVIL whose telephone number is (571)270-1325. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8:00-5:00.
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/GUILLERMO J EGOAVIL/Examiner, Art Unit 2847
/TIMOTHY J THOMPSON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2847