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 without traverse of Species IV, Figures 5-6 and Claims 1-4 in the reply filed on 1/9/2026 is acknowledged.
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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sadakatsu [JP 2010-041906 A] in view of Tetsuo et al. [WO 2007/122788 A1]
Regarding claim 1, Sadakatsu discloses a wireless transmission module for transmitting energy or signals, comprising:
- a coil assembly [12], having a winding axis; and
- an induction substrate [11], corresponding to the coil assembly; wherein the induction substrate has a first surface facing the coil assembly, wherein the induction substrate includes: a first block; a second block, adjacent to the first block; a third block, adjacent to the second block; a fourth block, adjacent to the third block; a first gap, adjacent to and between the first block and the second block; a second gap, adjacent to and between the second block and the third block; and a third gap, adjacent to and between the third block and the fourth block [figures 2A-2B].
Sadakatsu further discloses the induction substrate further discloses the plurality of block [31, 311, 31c, 31d, 31a1-31a2] formed of soft magnetic pieces which may have different shapes such as a triangle and so on [para 0029]. Sadakatsu further discloses the induction substrate is not limited thereto and with different arrangements of the plurality of the blocks [figures 3A-3B, 6A-6B and 7-8C].
Sadakatsu disclose the instant claimed invention except for the specific sizes of the blocks.
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 different sizes or shapes for the magnetic blocks to form the induction substrate [11].
Sadakatsu disclose the instant claimed invention except for the specific sizes and spaces arrangement between the blocks.
Tetsuo et al. discloses a non-contact device using a magnetic substrate [foil 16] having a plurality of gaps [slits 17] formed thereon, wherein the gaps can be arranged arbitrarily [figures 11, 13-14] and at an angle [figure 12].
Tetsuo further discloses different arrangement of the “blocks” [figure 11], specifically the blocks formed or separated by gaps [11] into different sizes and/or shapes. Tetsuo also discloses the size of the gaps/slits can be arbitrarily determined. Tetsuo also discloses that it is effective to provide the slit so that the area of the magnetic body after the division becomes smaller as it becomes the center.
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 different size blocks/gaps and/or different arrangement of Tetsuo, in Sadakatsu, for the purpose of suppression of the eddy current effect and the power receiving efficiency.
Regarding claim 4, the specific angle of the gap(s) would have been an obvious design consideration for the purpose of facilitating different desired magnetic flux/field characteristics.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 and 3-4 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.
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/TUYEN T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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