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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 6/8/2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Matsumoto et al. disclose connectors (12a, 12b) for use in an electric device comprising capacitors, wherein the connectors (12a, 12b) are spaced by an insulation layer (14) having a thickness of below 1 mm (0.1 mm -[0035]).
Matsumoto et al. fail to disclose the insulation layer (14) that has a thickness lower than 0.1 mm (amended claim 1).
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 16-21, and 23-29 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 § 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.
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.
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.
Claim(s) 16-21, 22-25, 27, and 29 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gomez et al. (DE 202018106621) in view of Yuasa (JP 2017-127152 A).
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Regarding claim 16, Gomez et al. disclose in fig. 21-23, a capacitor system for an electric power supply [0002], the capacitor system comprising:
a first capacitor row (13) having first capacitors (13) with a connector for a first pole (-) and a connector for a second pole (+);
a second capacitor row (6) having second capacitors (6) with a connector for a first pole (-) and a connector for a second pole (+),
wherein the first poles (+) are identically denominated poles (+), and the second poles (-) are identically denominated poles (-), and the first poles (+) and the second poles (-) are non-homopolar;
wherein the first capacitor row (13) is disposed so as to be offset (fig. 23) from the second capacitor row (6), and
wherein two non-homopolar connectors (7, 8), including a first connector of one of the first capacitors (13) having the first pole (-) and a second connector of one of the second capacitors (6) having the second pole (+) are connected to the capacitors on one side of the capacitor system (fig. 21) and lead out of the capacitor system at a substantially consistent mutual spacing (via insulator – 12) , in parallel and/or twisted.
Gomez et al. disclose the claimed invention except for the two non-homopolar connectors, in a region in which the two non-homopolar connectors run at a same mutual spacing, are spaced apart by less than 0.1 mm.
Yuasa discloses connectors (12a, 12b) for use in an electric device, wherein the connectors (12a, 12b) are spaced by an insulation layer (14b) having a thickness of less than 0.1 mm (Translation P: 3, P: 3).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the connector art to separate the homopolar connectors of Gomez et al. by a distance of less than 0.1 mm, since such a modification would form a device having thin electrical connections.
Regarding claim 17, Gomez et al. disclose two non-homopolar connectors (7, 8) are led at the substantially consistent mutual spacing over one portion of one of the second capacitors (6, see fig. 21-23).
Regarding claim 18, Gomez et al. disclose the two non- homopolar connectors (7,8) have a smooth profile (fig. 21) in a region in which the two non-homopolar connectors (7, 8) are led at a same spacing (fig. 21).
Regarding claim 19, Gomez et al. disclose the first capacitors (13) and the second capacitors (6) are disposed so as to be laterally offset from one another (fig. 23).
Regarding claim 20, Gomez et al. disclose the substantially consistent mutual spacing of the two non-homopolar connectors (7, 8) is defined by the offset of the first capacitors (13) and the second capacitors (6), according to one of the following parameters:
a thickness of the two non-homopolar connectors and/or a thickness of an insulating layer (12);
an external electrical functional group to be connected (see fig. 21-23).
Regarding claim 21, Gomez et al. disclose the connectors for the first (-) and second (+) poles of each of the first (13) and second (6) capacitors are disposed at different locations.
Regarding claim 23, Gomez et al. disclose the two non- homopolar connectors (7, 8) that run next to one another are at least in part mutually separated by an insulation (12).
Regarding claim 24, Gomez et al. disclose the capacitor system is specified as an intermediate circuit capacitor; and a connector of the first capacitor (13) and a respective non-homopolar connector (14, 15) of the second capacitor (6) are specified to couple the capacitor system on a consumer side (7, 8 connected to supply side - [0062]).
Regarding claim 25, Gomez et al. disclose the capacitor system is specified as an intermediate circuit capacitor, and wherein the first connector of one of the first capacitor (13) and the second connector of the one of the second capacitors (6) are specified to couple the capacitor system on a supply side [0062].
Regarding claim 27, Gomez et al. disclose in the first and second poles (+, -) of the first (13) and second (6) capacitors, are disposed so as to be mutually rotated.
Regarding claim 29, Gomez et al. disclose a method for producing a capacitor system (abstract), the method comprising:
disposing at least two capacitor rows (6, 13) offset next to one another (fig. 21-23) and including a first capacitor row (13) having first capacitors (13), each of which has a connector for a first pole (-) and a connector for a second pole (+), and a second capacitor row (6) having second capacitors (6), each of which has a connector for a first pole (+) and a connector for a second pole (-); wherein the first poles are identically denominated poles (-), and the second poles are identically denominated poles (+), and the first poles and the second poles are non-homopolar,
leading out two non-homopolar connectors (8, 7), including a first connector of one of the first capacitors having the first pole (-) and a second connector of one of the second capacitors having the second pole (+) on one side of the capacitor system and at a substantially consistent spacing, in parallel (fig. 21-22).
Gomez et al. disclose the claimed invention except for the two non-homopolar connectors, in a region in which the two non-homopolar connectors run at a same mutual spacing, are spaced apart by less than 0.1 mm.
Yuasa discloses connectors (12a, 12b) for use in an electric device, wherein the connectors (12a, 12b) are spaced by an insulation layer (14b) having a thickness of less than 0.1 mm (Translation P: 3, P: 3).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the connector art to separate the homopolar connectors of Gomez et al. by a distance of less than 0.1 mm, since such a modification would form a device having thin connections.
Claim(s) 26 and 28 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gomez et al. (DE 202018106621) and Yuasa (JP 2017-127152 A) as applied to claim 16 above, in further view of Saito et al. (EP 1583115)
Regarding claim 26, Gomez et al. disclose the two non-homopolar connectors run at a same mutual spacing leads.
Gomez et al. disclose the claimed invention except for the capacitor system comprises a housing, at least one of two non-homopolar connectors leads out of the capacitor system between the first and second capacitors are coupled by way of the housing.
Saito et al. disclose capacitor system (Fig. 7A) that comprises a housing (5, 8) that encapsulates capacitor elements (1) and connectors (3a, 3a), wherein connectors are lead out of the capacitor system between the first and second capacitors and the housing of the capacitor system.
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to form the capacitor system of Gomez et al. so that the system comprises a housing and at least one of two non-homopolar connectors that run at a same mutual spacing leads out between a capacitor and a housing of the capacitor system, since such a modification would form a capacitor system where the capacitors are protected.
Regarding claim 28, Gomez et al. disclose the claimed invention except for the capacitor system comprises a housing, wherein two poles of the first poles or two of the second poles of identical denomination of two of the first capacitors or two of the second capacitors are coupled by way of the housing.
Saito et al. disclose a capacitor system that comprises a housing (5, 8) that encapsulates capacitor elements (1) and connectors (3a, 3a), wherein all connectors (3a, 3a) are coupled together by way of the housing (8).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to encapsulate the capacitor and connectors of the capacitor system of Gomez et al., since such a modification would form a capacitor system where the capacitors are protected.
Conclusion
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/ERIC W THOMAS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2847
ERIC THOMAS
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2847
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