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 claims 1-7 and 17-20 in the reply filed on 3/27/26 is acknowledged.
Claims 8-16 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 3/27/26.
Applicant is reminded that upon the cancelation of claims to a non-elected invention, the inventorship must be corrected in compliance with 37 CFR 1.48(a) if one or more of the currently named inventors is no longer an inventor of at least one claim remaining in the application. A request to correct inventorship under 37 CFR 1.48(a) must be accompanied by an application data sheet in accordance with 37 CFR 1.76 that identifies each inventor by his or her legal name and by the processing fee required under 37 CFR 1.17(i).
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The IDSes filed 3/20/23, 7/9/24 and 2/20/25 have all been considered and placed of record. The three (3) initialed copies are attached herewith.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed. Any reference to the method should be deleted.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1 and 2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Korean document KR20200130825A (see machine translation).
Re claim 1, the document discloses a wireless charging coil module for wirelessly receiving or transmitting electric power or signals by using electromagnetic fields (para 2), the wireless charging coil module 1 having, inter alia, a base 2; and a coil part 3 including a coil provided on one surface of the base to be rotated in one direction (end of para 30), wherein the coil includes a rolled thin plate of a conductive metal disposed on the one surface of the base (fig 1; para 36-37), and wherein a side part of the coil has a shape, a central portion 11 of which protrudes or is recessed (fig 1; para 36). See additional para 27-28 and 30-32.
Re claim 2, the document further discloses the thickness of the coils is between 60 micrometers and 500 micrometers (para 55).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later 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, 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.
Claims 3-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Korean document KR20200130825A (see machine translation).
Re claim 3, the document further discloses the side part (fig 2c) includes: a first inclined part 22 disposed adjacent to the base 2, and having a first inclination angle with respect to a lower surface of the coil; and a second inclined part 11 extending upwards from one end of the first inclined part, and having a second inclination angle with respect to an upper surface of the coil, and wherein the first inclination angle and the second inclination angle are the same. (the bolded text is not disclosed in the document). It would have been well within the skill of one versed in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have fabricated the angles to be same for easy machine manufacturing process and further it has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art.
Re claim 4, the document does not disclose the angles of the first and second inclination are obtuse angles. It would have been well within the skill of one versed in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have the inclination angles to be obtuse angles since it has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art.
Re claim 5, the document further discloses the angles of the first and second inclinations are acute angles (fig 2c).
Re claim 6, the document further discloses a magnetic layer covering at least a portion of the coil while directly contacting the coil (para 19), and configured to act an electromagnetic booster that enhances an intensity of the electromagnetic field generated on the surface of the coil (inherent effect of having a magnet near coils to increase the field around the coils), wherein the magnetic layer decrease, among a skin effect and a proximity effect of an eddy current generated in the coil, the proximity effect by isolating electric power in a gap of the coil that is rotated in the one direction (inherent effect of having a magnetic layer around the coils to increase/decrease the eddy current (depending on the thickness of the magnetic layer) by directing the flux toward the coil conductors).
Re claim 7, the document further discloses the base having one of epoxy resin (para 64), polyimide (para 64) or PET.
Claims 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Korean document KR20200130825A (see machine translation) in view of Toivola et al. (US 2012/0194124).
Re claim 17, the Korean document discloses a wireless charging system (para 2) having, inter alia, a wireless power receiving device including a receiver coil module; and a wireless power transmitting device including a transmitter coil module (the bolded text is not disclosed in the Korean document) wherein at least one of the receiver coil module and the transmitter coil module includes: a base 2; and a coil part 3 including a coil provided on one surface of the base to be rotated in one direction (para 30), wherein the coil includes a rolled thin plate of a conductive metal on the one surface of the base (fig 1; para 36-37), and wherein a side part 11 of the coil has a shape, a central portion of which protrudes or is recessed (fig 1; para 36). See additional para 27-28 and 30-32. The Korean document does not specifically claimed the details of the wireless charging system having a transmitter coil and a receiver coil. Official notice is taken of the fact that it is a common knowledge in the art that a wireless charger has a transmitter coil and a receiver coil to perform wireless power transfer. The reference of Toivola exemplified a wireless charger having a wireless charging receiver and a wireless charging transmitter (fig 1). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have employed the coils of the Korean document in the wireless charger of Toivola for better power transfer from a stronger and more concentrated field due to the coil structure and its manufacturing technique.
Re claim 18, the Korean document further discloses the thickness of the coils is between 60 micrometers and 500 micrometers (para 55).
Re claim 19, the Korean document further discloses the side part (fig 2c) includes: a first inclined part 22 disposed adjacent to the base 2, and having a first inclination angle with respect to a lower surface of the coil; and a second inclined part 11 extending upwards from one end of the first inclined part, and having a second inclination angle with respect to an upper surface of the coil, and wherein the first inclination angle and the second inclination angle are the same. (the bolded text is not disclosed in the document). It would have been well within the skill of one versed in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have fabricated the angles to be same for easy machine manufacturing process and further it has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art.
Re claim 20, the Korean document further discloses a magnetic layer covering at least a portion of the coil while directly contacting the coil (para 19), and configured to act an electromagnetic booster that enhances an intensity of the electromagnetic field generated on the surface of the coil (inherent effect of having a magnet near coils to increase the field around the coils), wherein the magnetic layer decrease, among a skin effect and a proximity effect of an eddy current generated in the coil, the proximity effect by isolating electric power in a gap of the coil that is rotated in the one direction (inherent effect of having a magnetic layer around the coils to increase/decrease the eddy current (depending on the thickness of the magnetic layer) by directing the flux toward the coil conductors).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication should be directed to the Examiner at the below-listed number. The Examiner can normally be reached on Mon-Thu from 7:00am-5:00pm.
The Examiner’s SPE is Drew Dunn and he can be reached at 571.272.2312. The fax number for the organization where this application is assigned is 571.273.8300.
Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866.217.9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800.786.9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571.272.1000.
/EDWARD TSO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2859 571.272.2087
Prosecution Insights