DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Information Disclosure Statement
2. The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 7/25/2023 and 5/5/2026 was filed timely. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Election/Restrictions
3. Applicant's election with traverse of Group 1, claims 1-4 in the reply filed on 7/7/2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that no search burden is present. This is not found persuasive because it is a different invention and linking claims will be rejoined upon a finding of allowability of the linking claim.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
4. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
5. Claims 2 and 3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention. The terms T1 and T2 lack antecedent basis and must be corrected or removed.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. Claims 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over (JP-2018182203-A) to Takuya et al. (hereinafter Takuya).
Takuya is directed toward materials having magnetic core containing particles. Takuya discloses that “the surface of the metal particles may be covered with the insulating film to such an extent that the insulation between the particles can be enhanced, and only a part of the surface of the metal particles may be covered with the insulating film.”
Takuya further discloses “the insulating film of the amorphous metal particles and the metal particles of nanocrystal structure and the insulating film of crystalline metal particles are insulating films formed of different insulating materials. Since the insulating film made of an insulating material containing silicon has high strength, the strength of the metal particles can be increased by coating the metal particles with an insulating material containing silicon.”
Takuya further discloses “the thickness of the insulating film is not particularly limited, but is preferably 1 nm to 100 nm, more preferably 3 nm to 50 nm, still more preferably 5 nm to 30 nm, for example 10 nm to 30 nm or 5 nm to 20 nm. By increasing the thickness of the insulating coating, the specific resistance of the magnetic portion can be further increased. In addition, by making the thickness of the insulating coating smaller, the amount of the metal material in the magnetic portion can be increased, the magnetic characteristics of the magnetic portion can be improved, and the magnetic portion can be miniaturized. Becomes easier.”
Takuya further discloses that “in one aspect, the thickness of the insulating coating of amorphous metal particles and metal particles of nanocrystalline structure is greater than the thickness of the insulating coating of crystalline metal particles.”
Takuya further discloses that “In such an embodiment, the difference between the thickness of the insulating film of the amorphous metal particles and the metal particles of the nanocrystal structure and the thickness of the insulating film of the crystalline metal particles is preferably 5 nm or more and 25 nm or less, more preferably 5 nm or more and 20 nm Or less, more preferably 10 nm or more and 20 nm or less.”
Takuya further discloses that “When the average particle diameter of the metal particles is 0.5 μm or more, handling of the metal particles is facilitated. Further, by setting the average particle diameter of the metal particles to 10 μm or less, the filling rate of the metal particles can be further increased, and the magnetic properties of the magnetic portion can be improved.”
It would be obvious to one skilled in the art at the time of the filing of the disclosure of Takuya to select each and every element of the magnetic core that forms a prime facie case of obviousness for claims 1-4.
Conclusion
9. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JEFFREY D WASHVILLE whose telephone number is (571)270-3262. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5.
10. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
11. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Randy Gulakowski can be reached at 571-272-1302. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
12. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/JEFFREY D WASHVILLE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1766
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