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 .
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.
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, 17, 19 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hwang et al. (hereinafter Hwang), Korean Patent KR101762559B1, in view of Lu et al. (hereinafter Lu), Chinese Patent CN113990632A, and further in view of Tashiro et al., (hereinafter Tashiro) U.S. Patent Application Publication 2022/0410738.
Regarding Claim 1, Hwang teaches (except where italicized), a magnetic device (Fig. 2) comprising a magnetic core assembly (10), the magnetic core assembly comprising:
an upper magnetic cover (11),
a lower magnetic cover (12) aligned with the upper magnetic cover, and comprising a first opening (123) and a second opening, wherein the first opening and the second opening run through the lower magnetic cover (id.);
a first magnetic leg (122) disposed between the upper magnetic cover and the lower magnetic cover;
a second magnetic leg (122) disposed between the upper magnetic cover and the lower magnetic cover; and
a channel (not labeled, channel of bottom plate 121) disposed between the first magnetic leg and the second magnetic leg,
wherein the first opening (123) and the second opening are respectively located beside outer sides of the first magnetic leg and the second magnetic leg (id.),
wherein when the upper magnetic cover and the lower magnetic cover are locked on a circuit board, the first magnetic leg (122) and the second magnetic leg (122) are included in a projection region of the upper magnetic cover (11) with respect to the lower magnetic cover (12). (Hwang: Figs. 1-6 and 15, machine translation, para. [0064]-[0067], [0111]).
Hwang does not explicitly teach, a second opening running through the lower magnetic cover, and
the upper magnetic cover and the lower magnetic cover are locked on a circuit board.
However, Lu teaches (Fig. 5), a second opening (51) running through the lower magnetic cover (50). (Lu: Figs. 2-5, machine translation, para. [n0039], [n0042], [n0047], [n0048]).
The combination of Hwang in view of Lu does not explicitly teach, the upper magnetic cover and the lower magnetic cover are locked on a circuit board.
However, Tashiro teaches (Fig. 16), the upper magnetic cover (322) and the lower magnetic cover (324) are locked on a circuit board (“printed circuit board” [0112]). (Tashiro: Figs. 4, 15-17, para. [0109], [0112]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the lower magnetic cover of Hwang to include the first and second opening in the lower magnetic cover of Lu, the motivation being the “closed receiving port 51 accommodates the pin end 24, which helps the shielding plate 50 to cover the upper surface of the shielding shell 10, so that the upper end of the receiving cavity 11 of the shielding shell 10 forms a good seal” [n0048]. (Lu: Figs. 2-5, machine translation, para. [n0048]).
Further, it would have been obvious to modify the windings of Hwang in view of Lu to include the Printed Circuit Board winding of Tashiro, the motivation being “on which the switching elements are mounted” [0112]. Therefore, the limitation of Claim 1 would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Regarding Claim 17, the combination of Hwang in view of Lu further teaches, wherein an area of the upper magnetic cover is smaller than or equal to 80% of an area of the lower magnetic cover; or at least partial projection region of the upper magnetic cover (Hwang: 11) with respect to a reference plane is included in a projection region of the lower magnetic cover (Hwang: 12) with respect to the reference plane. (Hwang: Figs. 1-6 and 15, machine translation, para. [0064]-[0067], [0111]).
Regarding Claim 19, the combination of Hwang in view of Lu further teaches, wherein the magnetic device is included in a power conversion module (Hwang: “a higher voltage input can be stepped down by a transformer device to a lower voltage input suitable for use by an electronic device on a circuit board, or a lower voltage output from an electronic device on a circuit board can be stepped up to a higher voltage input to another electrical device” [0003] comprises a power conversion module), and the power conversion module comprises a plurality of conduction terminals (Hwang: 226), wherein the plurality of conduction terminals are located beside the lower magnetic cover (Hwang: 12), and used as an output negative terminal (terminals 226 comprise output terminals, “the second wire (L2) is discharged through the hole (123) of the bottom plate (121), so that the wires can be prevented from interfering with each other” [0072]) of the power conversion module. (Hwang: Figs. 1-6 and 15, machine translation, para. [0064]-[0067], [0111]).
Regarding Claim 20, Hwang teaches (except where italicized), a power conversion module, comprising:
a circuit board comprising a first surface, a second surface, a first connection hole and a second connection hole, wherein the first surface and the second surface are opposed to each other, and the first connection hole and the second connection hole run through the circuit board; and
a magnetic device (Fig. 2) comprising a magnetic core assembly (10), wherein the magnetic core assembly comprises an upper magnetic cover (11), a lower magnetic cover (12), a first magnetic leg (122), a second magnetic leg (122) and a channel (not labeled, channel of bottom plate 121), wherein the lower magnetic cover is aligned with the upper magnetic cover (id.), the lower magnetic cover comprises a first opening (123) and a second opening, the first opening (123) and the second opening run through the lower magnetic cover, the first opening (123) and the second opening are respectively located beside outer sides of the first magnetic leg and the second magnetic leg (id.), the first magnetic leg (122) is disposed between the upper magnetic cover and the lower magnetic cover, the second magnetic leg (122) is disposed between the upper magnetic cover and the lower magnetic cover, and the channel is disposed between the first magnetic leg and the second magnetic leg (id.), wherein when the upper magnetic cover and the lower magnetic cover are locked on the circuit board, the first magnetic leg and the second magnetic leg are included in a projection region of the upper magnetic cover with respect to the lower magnetic cover (id.),
wherein the upper magnetic cover is installed on the first surface of the circuit board, the lower magnetic cover is installed on the second surface of the circuit board, the first magnetic leg is inserted in the first connection hole, and the second magnetic leg is inserted in the second connection hole. (Hwang: Figs. 1-6 and 15, machine translation, para. [0064]-[0067], [0111]).
Hwang does not explicitly teach, a circuit board comprising a first surface, a second surface, a first connection hole and a second connection hole, wherein the first surface and the second surface are opposed to each other, and the first connection hole and the second connection hole run through the circuit board,
a second opening running through the lower magnetic cover,
the upper magnetic cover and the lower magnetic cover are locked on the circuit board, and
wherein the upper magnetic cover is installed on the first surface of the circuit board, the lower magnetic cover is installed on the second surface of the circuit board, the first magnetic leg is inserted in the first connection hole, and the second magnetic leg is inserted in the second connection hole.
However, Lu teaches (Fig. 1), a second opening (51) running through the lower magnetic cover (50). (Lu: Figs. 2-5, machine translation, para. [n0039], [n0042], [n0047], [n0048]).
The combination of Hwang in view of Lu does not explicitly teach, a circuit board comprising a first surface, a second surface, a first connection hole and a second connection hole, wherein the first surface and the second surface are opposed to each other, and the first connection hole and the second connection hole run through the circuit board,
the upper magnetic cover and the lower magnetic cover are locked on the circuit board, and
wherein the upper magnetic cover is installed on the first surface of the circuit board, the lower magnetic cover is installed on the second surface of the circuit board, the first magnetic leg is inserted in the first connection hole, and the second magnetic leg is inserted in the second connection hole.
However, Tashiro teaches (Fig. 16), a circuit board (“printed circuit board” [0112]) comprising a first surface, a second surface (id.), a first connection hole (334) and a second connection hole (334), wherein the first surface and the second surface are opposed to each other, and the first connection hole and the second connection hole run through the circuit board (id.),
the upper magnetic cover (322) and the lower magnetic cover (324) are locked on the circuit board (id.), and
wherein the upper magnetic cover (322) is installed on the first surface of the circuit board, the lower magnetic cover (324) is installed on the second surface of the circuit board, the first magnetic leg (first leg of 322) is inserted in the first connection hole, and the second magnetic leg (second leg of 322) is inserted in the second connection hole. (Tashiro: Figs. 4, 15-17, para. [0109], [0112]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the lower magnetic cover of Hwang to include the first and second opening in the lower magnetic cover of Lu, the motivation being the “closed receiving port 51 accommodates the pin end 24, which helps the shielding plate 50 to cover the upper surface of the shielding shell 10, so that the upper end of the receiving cavity 11 of the shielding shell 10 forms a good seal” [n0048]. (Lu: Figs. 2-5, machine translation, para. [n0048]).
Further, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the power conversion device of the combination of Hwang in view Lu to include the circuit board with first and second connection holes of Tashiro, the motivation being “on which the switching elements are mounted” [0112]. (Tashiro: Figs. 4, 15-17, para. [0112]). Therefore, the limitation of Claim 20 would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hwang, in view of Lu, and further in view of Tashiro, and still further in view of Umeno et al. (hereinafter Umeno), Japanese Patent JP2004079640A.
Regarding Claim 18, the combination of Hwang, Lu and Tashiro is silent on including the upper magnetic cover, first magnetic leg and the second magnetic leg made of a higher magnetic permeability material than the lower magnetic cover. (Hwang: Figs. 1-6 and 15, machine translation, para. [0064]-[0067], [0111]).
The combination of Hwang, Lu and Tashiro does not explicitly teach, wherein each of the upper magnetic cover, the first magnetic leg and the second magnetic leg is made of a high magnetic permeability material, and the lower magnetic cover is made of a low magnetic permeability material.
However, Umeno teaches (Fig. 1), wherein each of the upper magnetic cover (1c), the first magnetic leg (1a) and the second magnetic leg (1b) is made of a high magnetic permeability material, and the lower magnetic cover (2) is made of a low magnetic permeability material (“the magnetic permeability of the lower I-type core 2 is made smaller than the magnetic permeability of the upper E-type core 1” [0022]). (Umeno: Figs. 1 and 2, machine translation, para. [0022]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the magnetic permeability of the upper and lower magnetic cover of the combination of Hwang, Lu and Tashiro to include the upper magnetic cover, first magnetic leg and the second magnetic leg made of a higher magnetic permeability material than the lower magnetic cover of Umeno, the motivation being “so that the magnetic resistance is increased and the desired inductance is increased” [0022]. (Umeno: Figs. 1 and 2, machine translation, para. [0022]). Therefore, the limitation of Claim 18 would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Pertinent Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Tan et al. (US 20210304945) and Lu et al. (US 20210366650).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-16 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if claim 2 is rewritten in independent form including all of the limitation of the base claims and any intervening claims.
Claim 2 recites, inter alia, “…wherein the magnetic device further comprises: a first winding assembly comprising a first secondary winding and a second secondary winding, wherein the first secondary winding is wound around the first magnetic leg along a first direction and wound around the second magnetic leg along a second direction, and the second secondary winding is wound around the first magnetic leg along the second direction and wound around the second magnetic leg along the first direction, wherein the first direction and the second direction are opposite to each other; and a second winding assembly penetrated through the first opening and electrically connected with the first secondary winding and the second secondary winding, wherein the second winding assembly is a portion of a first inductor”. (Emphasis added).
Conclusion
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/MALCOLM BARNES/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
7/11/2026
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