DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Elections/Restrictions
Applicant’s election of Species 2 (Claims 1-5, 7, 10-18 and 20) in the reply filed on 04/29/2026 is acknowledged with traverse. The traversal is on the ground(s) that " the restriction requirement contains errors in the species designation. The species are patentably Indistinct” This is not found persuasive because there is a search and/or examination burden for the patentably distinct species as set forth above because at least the following reason(s) apply: The species 1-16 are differing in structure. For an example the species 1-16 are differing in elements arrangement. For an example the arrangement of the elements of figure 2 [see element 2] is different from what is shown in figure 1, and different from of figure 7.
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)(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.
Claims 1-5, 7, 11-18 and 20are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Njiende (US 20180323720 A1).
Regarding Claim 1:
Njiende teaches that a choke assembly for an electric conversion device, comprising:
at least one rake-shaped core (130, Fig. 5a; para 0135-0150) respectively including a body portion (131.1), at least two winding legs (131.2, 131.4), around each of which at least one electrical winding (117a, Fig. 5a) is wound, and at least one return leg (131.3), the at least two winding legs and the at least one return leg extending from the body portion in a first direction (i.e. vertical direction in Fig. 5a); and
at least one yoke core (133.3) connected to at least one rake-shaped core and configured to close a magnetic circuit between the at least two winding legs and the at least one return leg of the at least one rake-shaped core.
Regarding Claim 2, 15:
As applied to claim 1, and 14, Njiende teaches that the electrical winding of one winding leg is not directly electrically connected to the electrical winding of any further winding leg (i.e. middle leg 133.3).
Regarding Claim 3, 16:
As applied to claim 1, and 14, Njiende teaches that a choke assembly input circuit (117a) and a choke assembly output circuit (117b), wherein the electrical winding of each winding leg is directly connected to the choke assembly input circuit and the
Regarding Claim 4, 17:
As applied to claim 1, 14, Njiende teaches that each rake-shaped core includes one return leg for each (see Fig. 5b i.e. upper and lower side legs) pair of directly neighboring winding legs.
Regarding Claim 5, 18:
As applied to claim 1, and 14, Njiende teaches that at least two rake-shaped cores (i.e. 131-133) are stacked in the first direction such that end faces of the at least two winding legs and of the at least one return leg of one rake-shaped core face the body portion of a further rake-shaped core (construed from Fig. 5b).
Regarding Claim 7, 20:
As applied to claim 1, and 14, Njiende teaches that at least two rake-shaped cores are stacked in the first direction such that the end faces of the at least two winding legs and of the at least one return leg of at least one rake-shaped core face the at least one yoke core (construed from Fig. 5b).
Regarding Claim 11:
As applied to claim 1, Njiende teaches that a length (not labeled; i.e. length of 131.2 in vertical direction in Fig. 5b) in the first direction of the winding leg(s) is shorter (construed from Fig. 5b; i.e. 131.2 has air gap 116a that 133.3 has no air gap because of this air gap side leg is shorter than middle leg) than a length (not labeled; i.e. length of 133.3 in vertical direction in Fig. 5b)in the first direction of the return leg(s), so as to form at least one gap at an end of the winding leg(s) opposite to the body portion.
Regarding Claim 12:
As applied to claim 1, Njiende teaches that at least the outermost legs out of all winding legs and the return leg(s) are winding legs (construed from Fig. 5a).
Regarding Claim 13:
As applied to claim 1, Njiende teaches that wherein the choke assembly is a surface mounted device mounted on a circuit board (not shown; see para 0066).
Regarding Claim 14:
Njiende teaches that an electric conversion device, comprising at least one choke assembly, at least one transformer (133, Fig. 5a; see para 0142-0144) and at least one converter (131, Fig. 5a);
wherein the choke assembly comprises:
at least one rake-shaped core (130, Fig. 5a; para 0135-0150) respectively including a body portion (131.1), at least two winding legs (131.2, 131.4), around each of which at least one electrical winding (117a, Fig. 5a) is wound, and at least one return leg (131.3), the at least two winding legs and the at least one return leg extending from the body portion in a first direction; and
at least one yoke core (133.3) connected to at least one rake-shaped core and configured to close a magnetic circuit between the at least two winding legs and the at least one return leg of the at least one rake-shaped core.
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 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.
3. Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Njiende in view of Chandrasekaran (US 20050024179 A1).
Regarding Claim 10:
As applied to claim 1, Njiende teaches at least one return leg comprises a plurality of outer surfaces, the shape of each of which corresponds to a shape of an outer surface of an electrical winding of the adjacent winding leg except at least one return leg comprises a plurality of concave outer surfaces, the shape of each of which
corresponds to a shape of an outer surface of an electrical winding of the adjacent winding leg.
However, Chandrasekaran teaches at least one return leg (5bb, 50c; Fig. 5b) comprises a plurality of concave outer surfaces (see Fig. 5b), the shape of each of which corresponds to a shape of an outer surface of an electrical winding of the adjacent winding leg.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to have at least one return leg comprises a plurality of concave outer surfaces, the shape of each of which
corresponds to a shape of an outer surface of an electrical winding of the adjacent winding leg provides a single, low profile core solution for both isolated and non-isolated converter topologies, is easier and less expensive to fabricate, is scalable to an arbitrary number of interleaving phases and provides a minimal length for an additional inductor winding around the center leg (see para 0010).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. A list of pertinent prior art is attached in form 892.
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/KAZI HOSSAIN/
Examiner, Art Unit 2837
/SHAWKI S ISMAIL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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