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, Species II, Figures 5-9, claims 1-9 and 15-20, in the reply filed on 3/5/2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that searching Groups I-II and Species I-II-III together would not impose a burden on the Examiner. This is not found persuasive because searching other Group and/or Species would require additional search and/or consideration in other areas, class/subclass. Claims 1-9 and 15-20 will be examined herewith.
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) 1-4, 8-9 and 15-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tang et al. [CN 204155718 U] in view of Xu et al. [US 2007/0175701 A1].
Regarding claims 1 and 15, Tang et al. discloses an integrated magnetic assembly [figures 1-2] comprising:
a magnetic core assembly comprising:
a first core component [2] including a first plurality of legs extending from a first inner face;
a second core component [3] including a second plurality of legs extending from a second inner face; and
a center core component [1] located between the first core component and the second core component and coupled to the first and second core components, the center core component including a top surface, a first inner side and a second inner side [figure 1], wherein, where the first plurality of legs of the first core component and the first inner side of the center core component define at least two first channels, and the second plurality of legs of the second core component and the second inner side of the center core component define at least two second channels, wherein the two first channels are defined between the first core component and the center core component, and the two second channels are defined between the second core component and the center core component [figures 1-2], and
at least one winding arranged in the channels.
Tang et al. disclose the instant claimed invention except for the specific of the winding.
Xu et al. discloses a magnetic device [figures 4-10] comprising:
- a core structure [figures 4, 7-8 and 10] including a plurality of legs formed channels between the legs; and
- a coil structure [figures 4-5, 7 and 9] arranged in the channels, wherein the coil structure including a pair winding plates [46, 32/34, 46], a pair of winding legs [46 of Figure 5] extending from a first end of the pair of winding plates [46 of Figure 5, also in Figures 7 and 9], a pair of connection legs [figures 4-5, 7 and 9] extending from a second end of the pair of winding plates, and a connection tab joining the connection legs [figures 4-5, 7 and 9].
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 structure of Xu et al. in Tang et al. for the purpose of providing low profile structure and surface mounting.
Regarding claim 3, the specific length of the center leg of the first/second cores relative to other legs would have been an obvious design consideration for the purpose facilitating and/or controlling magnetic flux/field desired.
Regarding claims 4 and 17, Tang et al. further discloses a plurality of gaps are formed between the first core component, the second core component, the center core component, and the winding [figures 1-2].
Regarding claims 8-9, Xu et al. discloses wherein the winding legs and the connection legs are located in the channels.
Regarding claims 2 and 16, Xu et al. discloses the winding plates having different configurations [figures 4-5, 7 and 9-11]. These winding plates configurations would have extension [see figure 11] that would extend of the core legs within the channels and act as heat-sink.
Claim(s) 5 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tang et al. in view of Xu et al. as applied to claims 1,4, 15 and 17 above, and further in view of Cheng et al. [CN 113823491 A].
Tang et al. in view of Xu et al. disclose the instant claimed invention except for the air gaps filled with at least one of an interfacial epoxy with glass bead and Nomex with a bridge bond.
Cheng et al. discloses the use of adhesive/glue like epoxy with glass bead filled in air gap core structure of an integrated inductor device.
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 epoxy with glass bead in the air gaps of Tang et al., as suggested by Cheng et al., for the purpose of controlling the air gap size.
Claim(s) 6-7 and 19-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tang et al. in view of Xu et al. as applied to claims 1 and 15 above, and further in view of Hawley et al. [US 2023/0335328 A1].
Regarding claims 16 and 19, Tang et al. further discloses the center core component includes a projection [figures 1-2].
Xu et al. further discloses the winding plates arranged to form a space between the winding plates [figures 4-5, 7 and 9-11], wherein the space configured to arrange over and/or between the core structure.
Tang et al. in view of Xu et al. disclose the instant claimed invention except for the specific projection and the winding plates.
Hawley et al. discloses a low-profile inductor [figure 1] comprising:
- a core structure including a plurality of legs/projections that formed a plurality of channels; and
- a coil structure [serpentine conductors 160a/b] arranged in the channels, wherein the coil structure include at least one coil plate including coil plates, coil legs and connection [figures 1, 3B-3F], wherein the coil plates formed space between to accommodate the legs and/or projections of the 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 coil/core arrangement of Hawley et al. in Tang et al., as modified, for the purpose of facilitating surface mounting the reduce the size.
Regarding claims 7 and 20, the specific of height of projections and/or thickness of the winding plates would have been an obvious design consideration for the purpose of incorporating the core/coil into a smaller magnetic device.
Conclusion
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/TUYEN T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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