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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-5 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.
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 1-3 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hwang et al. (U.S. PG. Pub. No. 2019/0148988 A1, hereinafter “Hwang”).
With respect to claim 1, Hwang teaches a noncontact power supply apparatus 1 (FIGs. 1-9) comprising:
a coil unit 1 configured to have a coil 12, 13 and or 14 for transmitting electric power to a power supply target by noncontact; and
an electromagnetic shield 110’ (e.g., FIG. 6) configured to reduce a leakage magnetic field of the coil, wherein the electromagnetic shield is a laminate in which metal plates 111a-111c are laminated,
a lubricant 111d (“adhesive member 111d may be…liquid or gel form” para. [0079]) having a predetermined viscosity is applied to a contacting surface between the metal plates, and
the predetermined viscosity of the lubricant is set such that a coefficient of friction between the contacting surfaces of the metal plates falls within a predetermined range to allow the metal plates to slide relative to one another and imparting desired flexibility to the electromagnetic shield (paras. [0079]-[0081] and [0145]).
With respect to claim 2, Hwang teaches the noncontact power supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lubricant is a lubricant containing an additive having high thermal conductivity (para. [0079]).
With respect to claim 3, Hwang teaches the noncontact power supply apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein
a lower limit value of the viscosity of the lubricant is a value in the vicinity of the predetermined viscosity in which a lubricating state of the contacting surface between the metal plates is switched from a mixed lubrication state to a fluid lubrication state (para. [0079]). The lubricant of Hwang would inherently have the claimed limitations.
With respect to claim 5, Hwang teaches the noncontact power supply apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the mixture lubricating state corresponds to a state in which between the metal plates are mixed with areas that are separated from each other by the lubricant and areas where they are not separated from each other (para. [0079]). The lubricant of Hwang would inherently have the claimed limitations.
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.
The factual inquiries 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.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hwang, as applied to claim 1 above, in view of Partovi et al. (WO 2008/137996 A1, hereinafter “Partovi”).
With respect to claim 4, Hwang teaches the noncontact power supply apparatus according to claim 1. Hwang does not expressly teach a plurality of coil units connected to each other are arranged on a surface of the electromagnetic shield.
Partovi teaches a noncontact power supply apparatus 100 (FIG. 1), wherein a plurality of coil units 104 connected to each other are arranged on a surface of the electromagnetic shield (para. [0097]). 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 the plurality of coil units as taught by Partovi to the noncontact power supply apparatus of Hwang to provide greater transfer power efficiency (para. [0014]).
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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/MANG TIN BIK LIAN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
